God Steps In Again by Jim Robertson
 Recently,
the local ABC-TV station broadcast the Mel Gibson interview with
Diane Sawyer regarding the new movie, "The Passion of the Christ."
The big question was, is Mel Gibson anti-Semitic or prejudiced
against the Jews. He did a wonderful job of saying he was not
against the Jews in any way, because it was not them that killed
Jesus, it was all of us because we are all sinners and He chose
to die for us. That act on the cross when He shed His blood, washed
away all of our sins if we believe in Him.
A couple of weeks before the movie came
out, ABC-TV called our office and asked if
they could come out to do an interview
about the movie. I told him that we hadn't
seen it yet so didn't know what we could
provide. They said this was a prelude to
the movie to see what the local clergy
thought about it. They came out and
set up their cameras and equipment
and then began a 45 minute interview
which did not include any questions
about the movie. I didn't realize this
until they had left and then I knew it
was a setup. The week before the
Gibson interview they began showing
pictures of me and saying there was a
"hate group" in the Valley and it
would be exposed immediately after
the Gibson interview. It was obvious
that they wanted to take advantage
of the fanfare regarding the Passion
movie, which was supposed to also be
about hate.
Those of you who saw it, knew it was a
"hatchet job." Within a half hour, I began
getting e-mails and phone calls at home.
What was so wonderful was that over the
next two or three days we received over
100 e-mails and 100 phone calls
supporting the work we are doing. In fact,
many also wrote to the TV station accusing
them of putting out a piece of "yellow
journalism" and suggesting the station
should apologize to us. We only received
one e-mail from a disgruntled Mormon
accusing me of lying. I challenged him to
show one lie, but he hasn't written back
since then.
The day after the TV program, I received
a call from a Mormon who said he was in
the process of writing his resignation letter
from the LDS church. I asked him why and
he said that the Mormon Elder who spoke
briefly, said everything I said was a lie.
This caller said he knew that what I said
was the truth and he didn't want to belong
to an organization that lied. And he said
the LDS women that were interviewed
didn't dispute one thing that I said, except
to ask "why" did we speak out against
Mormonism.
In conclusion, God always turns things that
are meant to be negative into a very
positive event. Praise the Lord!
Jim Robertson
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A Comparison of the LDS Articles
of Faith with the Bible - Part 6 by Lloyd Sharp
Article 10: "We believe in the literal
gathering of Israel and in the restoration
of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New
Jerusalem) will be built upon the American
continent; that Christ will reign personally
upon the earth; and, that the earth will be
renewed and receive its paradisiacal
glory."
It is the teaching of Mormonism that
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is Zion. Joining the Church is
becoming a citizen of Zion" (Bruce
McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 854).
Drawing people to the Mormon church is
called the "gathering of Israel." "The
fact of the gathering of Israel, under the
direction of the president of the Church
who holds the keys, is one of the great
evidences of the divine calling of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints" (Ibid. 307).
 Israel
was a descendant of Abraham, with whom God made a covenant. "In
the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto
thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto
the great river, the river Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). The Lord
kept His covenant with Abraham. The twelve tribes of Israel inherited
the promised land. This covenant has already been fulfilled. It
no longer exists (See Deuteronomy 7:8-10, 12-13). Not one of God's
promises failed. All of them came to pass (Joshua 23:14).
Historical and biblical Christianity do not
teach that the new Zion will be built
"upon the American continent." Even the
phrase "New Jerusalem" denotes that
the position of this city will be in
Jerusalem, not America. While the word
Zion has many different meanings in the
Bible, nowhere does it indicate what the
tenth Article teaches.
Zion was the south-eastern hill of
Jerusalem. When David took it from the
Jebusites (Joshua 15:63; 2 Samuel 5:7)
he built on it a citadel and a palace,
and it became "the city of David" (1
Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21; 1 Chronicles
11:5) In the later books of the Old
Testament Zion was sometimes used
(Psalms 87:2; 149:2; Isaiah 33:14; Joel
2:1) to denote Jerusalem in general,
and sometimes God's chosen Israel
(Psalms 51:18; 87:5). In the New
Testament it is used sometimes to
denote the heavenly Jerusalem
(Hebrews 12:22) and sometimes the
literal city of Jerusalem (Revelation
14:1).
Article 11: "We claim the privilege of
worshiping Almighty God according to
the dictates of our own conscience, and
allow all men the same privilege, let
them worship how, where, or what they
may."
While the LDS church may think it is OK
for people to "worship how…. or what
they may," God does not. He has made
it very clear in His word how and what
is to be worshipped.
Jesus clearly defined what true
worshippers will worship:
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe
me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye
worship ye know not what: we know
what we worship: for salvation is of the
Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and in
truth (John 4:21-24)."
For example, we see two major ways
God is to be worshipped. The first is
prayer. In both the Old and the New
Testaments we see prayer as being God
honoring. Paul wrote that we are to "Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God (Philippians 4:6)." So
important is prayer that Paul urged
Timothy "that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks, be made for all men (1 Timothy
2:1)."
God is also worshipped in song. From
the song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-
43) to the song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55)
song has been used to praise God. The
Psalmist says "it is good to sing praises
unto our God; for it is pleasant; and
praise is comely (Psalm 147:1)." And
again, "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints
of his, and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness (Psalm
30:4)."
Also clear in the Bible is what to worship.
We are to worship the one true God
and Him alone. "For thou shalt worship
no other god: for the LORD, whose name
is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus
34:14)." No created thing such as man
or angels is to be worshipped, only God
(Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 22:8-9).
Mormons worship a god that is a
glorified man. Joseph Smith stated that
"God himself was once as we are now,
and is an exalted man, and sits
enthroned in yonder heavens…. If you
were to see him today, you would see
him like a man in form" and that God
"was once a man like us; yea, that God
himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an
earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself
did" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding
Smith, pp. 345-346). According to
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 "The
Father has a body of flesh and bones
as tangible as man's."
 This
type of thing is expressly forbidden in the Bible. Paul warned
of those who would liken God to a mere man.
"Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God, neither
were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart
was darkened. Professing themselves to
be wise, they became fools, and
changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things"
(Romans 1:21-23, italics added).
Rather than worship the one true God, Mormonism worships an
exalted man. Just as Paul warned, they have "changed the glory
of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible
man." This is the fundamental reason why Christians around the
world deny that Mormonism is a Christian sect. The very core of
Christianity lies in the details of who God is. It is these very
details that the Bible clearly defines, and that Mormonism cleverly
redefines.
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Don't Be Deceived by Pastor Jim
Baugh
Have you ever undergone a lie detector test? Lie
detectors work because most people exhibit
physiological changes (whether consciously or
unconsciously) when they lie. For example, the heart
rate increases, as well as blood pressure, respiratory
rates and something called electro-dermal activity
(otherwise known as sweating).
Now one of the problems with a lie detector is that if
the one being tested sincerely believes a lie, they will
give no physical evidence of deceit as they tell the lie.
In essence, they are not lying about what they believe,
even though what they believe is a … what? Lie! The
truth is, some people are deceived, even though they
don't know it. They can be incredibly sincere, but
sincerely wrong.
 Over
and over again, God warns us to protect ourselves from spiritual
deception. But how? Let's look to the Bible for our answers. And
the passage to look at is II Corinthians 11:12-15, where we first
see:
The Conditions For Deceit:
Paul reminds us in verse 12 that deceivers always seek
opportunities of entrance into our lives. He writes, "But
what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off
the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity."
Paul was speaking about false teachers seeking
opportunity to deceive. In Jude 4 we're reminded that
certain men (false teachers) "had crept" in unnoticed
among those born again believers. Those words "crept
in" carry with them the idea of someone coming into a
pool of water without so much as causing a ripple. And
that's what false teachers do. That's what Mormonism
seeks to do in Bible believing churches. They don't come
into your life doing belly flops! Deceivers come in
seeking opportunities for acceptance. Paul continues in
verse 12b, "[These deceivers] want to be regarded just
as we are in the things of which they boast."
In other words, false teachers would say, "Oh yeah,
we're just like Paul… but we've got something better
than what Paul had. Paul had the truth … but sadly,
Paul hasn't given you the rest of the story. We have all
the truth."
Does this sound familiar? Today the LDS Church claims
to be another Christian church. Yet, a number of years
ago they didn't. Around 35 years ago they changed
their tactics. Today, they present themselves to the
public, and to untaught unbelievers, that they too are
Christians but have the "full truth." Sadly, 78% of
people involved in "Christian sounding" cults come out of
historically fundamental Christian churches. Yet all the
while, the core teaching of Mormonism rejects the God of
the Bible, rejects the Lord Jesus of the Bible, rejects the
Holy Spirit of the Bible, and most explicitly rejects the free
gift of eternal life offered by, and paid for completely by,
the Savior of the Bible! Without these core Christian
truths, you don't have Christianity!
Yet how many churches have opened their doors to the
deception of Mormonism, by providing acceptance to
the false church that propagates this deception? (For
example, through including them in Christian ecumenical
organizations, and ministerial groups.) Make no doubt,
Bible believing churches are called to love Mormons,
and reach them for Christ, but we're not called to accept
or provide opportunities for the propagation of
Mormonism's message.
How about you? Do you know what you believe and why you believe
it? Do you have a solid foundation for your faith in the Bible?
If not, you too can be the target for deception. Next month, we'll
continue our discussion on how to keep from being deceived.
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From the Mail Bag
Concerned Christians,
I just read your article on baptizing
the dead in the March newsletter.
Once again, I'm appalled by what
the Mormons teach and believe. Keep
up the Lord's work.
Rancho Palos Verde, CA
Jim & Judy,
You have been on our minds the past
few days, and then yesterday's news
on ABC revealed why we have been
praying. Thank you for the work you
do. We pray that you will be
encouraged rather than discouraged.
These are challenging days. People's
eternal destiny is at stake. May God
bless you as you all continue your
work of setting the captives free.
Scottsdale, AZ
Concerned Christians,
Please continue to do your good work
for the Lord and let nothing deter
you. Our prayers are with you and
we know that God blesses those who
honor him.
Maricopa, AZ
Dear Jim,
I sent my letter to have my name
removed from the LDS church on
Wednesday. Thank God! And thank
you for your kindness and for
supporting my choice to leave
Mormonism. I found you at a very
pivotal time in my life! You were a
great instrument in making me realize
that I am not bad for leaving
Mormonism. God loves me! Thank you
for helping me find solidarity within
myself.
Northwood, NH
Dear Jim & Judy,
The enclosed check is my annual
donation and is to be used as you
need it. I am 90 years old and try not
to put off doing what I feel the Holy
Spirit would have me do now. I have
a dear son who is Mormon and who
relies day to day on his Mormon
friends to be his family since none of
our family lives near. Considering the
distance, we all as a family keep
closely in touch. We have a week
long family reunion the first week of
August every year. However, for day
to day fellowship, he relies on the
Mormons. Please keep my son in your
prayers.
Placerville, CA
Dear Jim & Judy,
God bless you in your ministry. Your
helping the former Mormon persons
become strong in their new walk with
Jesus, and it's wonderful! Enclosed is a
check for your "Helps Fund" to help
those put out from their families for
leaving Mormonism.
El Paso, TX
Dear Concerned Christians,
Thank you for your ministry. Here in
Western Colorado we have many
Mormon neighbors. I just pray that
their eyes may be opened as yours
were. Thank you again for showing
them to our Savior, Jesus Christ, my
Lord and yours. Stay strong!
Clifton, CO
Dear Friends at Concerned Christians,
How I thank our Lord for your
wonderful ministry reaching those lost
in the cult of Mormonism. I hope this
enclosed check will help you as you
are faithful to the work the Lord has
called you to do. How I praise Him
for blessing me with this opportunity
to give to your ministry and to be a
part of it with you.
Hardy, VA
Everyone at Concerned Christians,
Just a quick note to say how much we
enjoy "the Cross" newsletter. The
articles are truly great. Now if we
could get the Mormons to read these
great articles. Instead, they are
taught not to look at anything that is
not from their church. If only they
weren't under such bondage it would
be easier. God bless you in all you
do.
Wetmore, CO
Concerned Christians,
Thank you for sending me your
newsletter. I find it very informative.
We lost our son to Mormonism 27
years ago. I pray for him and his
family everyday. Only the Lord's
intervention can save them, for my
heart grieves for their lost condition
even when they feel so secure.
Gilbert, AZ
Dear Robertson's,
Enclosed is a gift for you to use in
your ministry. May God continue to
use you in bringing more lost souls out
of darkness and into His Kingdom of
truth, light and salvation.
Mesa, AZ
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