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Helping RLDS to Victory
“Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not
lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use
deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth
the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of
God.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:1–2
The Real Battle
The battle for truth is a primarily a spiritual battle—but it is
fought in the minds of men and women. The Apostle Paul makes this very
clear when he says “The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers” (2 Cor. 4:4). Satan was successful with Eve in the garden only by
first corrupting her view of the Word of God. He began by bringing God's Word
into question, “Did God really say?” When it was clear that Eve completely
understood God's instructions, Satan then openly contradicted God's word by
introducing his own “spin”—“You will not surely die.” If Satan
cannot keep us ignorant of God's Word, his next strategy is to corrupt our
understanding of it.
This is where Joseph Smith comes in. He so thoroughly corrupted God's
Word that his churches have had no choice but to follow in blindness, ignorant
of God's truth. We have discussed these corruptions throughout this book,
particularly chapters 4 through 10. No Mormon or RLDS is exempt. For example,
each member must be baptized and confirmed by a minister who is partaking of a
corrupted priesthood which actually shows open contempt for the work of Christ.
This is no small sin. (See chapters 11 through 15, particularly 13 and 14.) Do
RLDS commit this sin knowingly? Of course not. They do it ignorantly—because
they have relied on the corruption of Joseph Smith. They need to know that God
will forgive them for the sin of perpetuating Joseph Smith's heresies—if they
are willing to confess it and turn therefrom.
The spiritual forces which propelled Joseph Smith to corrupt God's Word
are the same forces which are keeping his followers in blindness today. This is
not merely a human battle. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
(Eph. 6:12). In our work with RLDS, then, our battle is first against these spiritual
forces of evil—and the misinformation they have proliferated through
Joseph Smith.
Winning the Real Battle
The good news of the gospel is that Christ has triumphed over these
enemies of ours by the power of His shed blood on the cross, “Having disarmed
the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over
them by the cross” (Col. 2:15). Jesus makes His victory available to us when
we commit our lives to Him and His purposes. So while we will continue to be
surrounded by spiritual war during our lives, we can rest assured that the
ultimate victory is ours—it has already been accomplished.
Spiritual Weapons
.
Since this is a spiritual war we are engaged in, the Apostle Paul makes it clear
that we do not use earthly, fleshly weapons, “For though we live in the world,
we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the
weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish
strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up
against a knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3–5).
If the Lord has given you a burden to see a friend or loved one set free
from the bondage of the RLDS church, the first spiritual weapon you should use
is fervent and consistent prayer on their behalf, “The prayer of a righteous
man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Your consistent prayer releases
the power of heaven to move on behalf of this person. Pray that they might come
across some person or perhaps some material which will shake their confidence in
Joseph Smith so they will be more open to God's real truth. This is most often
the first step in a person leaving the RLDS church. As long as they remain
convinced that they already have God's ultimate truth they have very little
incentive to look elsewhere. Other than your earnest and consistent prayer it is
possible that the Lord may not use you to directly influence this person. But
your prayer may very well set in motion some spiritual forces which will
accomplish your righteous desire. It may subdue the spiritual forces which are
working to keep this person blinded, and help open them up to consider the real
message of the Bible. Prevailing in this spiritual battle is critical—is
foundational to any other thing you may do.
The Battleground of the Mind
.
As we indicated above, RLDS have perpetuated Joseph Smith's heresies because
they simply do not know any better. They do not understand exactly how their
church is un-Biblical. The Lord said of Israel, “...my people are destroyed
from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). This same principle holds true for RLDS.
You can help by preparing yourself to bring them this much needed knowledge.
If you have read this book you have already gone a long way toward this
goal. This book contains much historical information of which most RLDS are
simply unaware. The footnotes will allow you to point to many source documents
which they already accept as legitimate. It also contains the Biblical analysis
of their other scriptures, their priesthood structure and other doctrines which
they have most likely never heard before.
But how do you go about bringing the subject up? Do you just knock on
their door and say “Hi. I want to talk to you about some serious problems in
your church.” Probably not. It might well create a level of defensiveness
which might be difficult to overcome. If not this direct approach, then what
else can you do? Well, depending on your relationship you might get an extra
copy of this book and ask to go through it with them to see what they think of
it. This will create a sense of accountability to you. If they decide to put
their heads back in the sand, they will need to explain to you why they are
doing so. This might encourage them to continue their quest for truth. You might
not only provide some accountability, but some much needed support for what may
well be a very trying time in their life.
Another approach—which may be the best of all—is to ask them to
explain their church to you. Many RLDS are eager for a chance to explain
themselves, especially with the prospects of making a convert. As they explain
things you can ask how they reconcile them to clear Biblical statements to the
contrary. While this will most likely be frustrating for them, it may well plant
some seeds for them to research later. You never have to alienate them by saying
“That's wrong! It's clearly un-Biblical!” You encourage them to discover
that for themselves as you continue to ask irreconcilable questions.
I cannot overstate the fact that as you take an active interest in your
RLDS friend or loved one, you are providing a much needed ministry. Throughout
my time in the RLDS church I would often promote the church to Christians. I
never once came across a Christian who would—or could—tell me why I was
wrong. Not once. An RLDS friend of mine and I once spent multiple evenings
presenting the church to owners of a Christian bookstore with whom we had struck
up a conversation. Not only were they not able to tell us why we were wrong, we
actually felt that they were beginning to accept our story. My friends,
this should not have been. Instead, we should strive to be “...a workman who
does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2
Tim. 2:15). In so doing we pay active heed to the admonition of James, “My
brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring
him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way
will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James
5:19–20).
As Christians we should not shrink back from this kind of service, for in
so doing we only stand to strengthen our own knowledge and faith in the Lord
Jesus. The historic Christian faith was forged in the face of just such
opposition—from both inside and outside the church. Much of the New Testament
was written to establish the truth of the gospel against the inroads of just
such heresy. You do much good for the cause of Christ when you lovingly—but firmly—stand
against the heresies assaulting today's church.
Once the Battle is Won
— Fully Occupying the Promised Land
We must always remember that our ultimate goal is not simply to dissuade
RLDS from following Joseph Smith—but to embrace Jesus Christ. Joseph
Smith is wrong only because the Bible is right. Many RLDS leave
their church because they become disenchanted with Joseph Smith for one reason
or another. But, sadly, far too many of these same people never fully embrace
the Christian life. This is a tragedy. There are a number of reasons for this,
which we will discuss below.
If This Isn't True, Then Nothing Else
Can Be
.
Realizing that the church you have given your life to is a fraud creates a
devastation which is simply beyond words. Not only do you find yourself beyond
the pale of family and friends you once held dear, it also shatters your
personal confidence to discern right from wrong. You were fooled once—you
could be fooled again. Many former RLDS decide it is not worth the risk to
“love again,” so to speak. They conclude that if the RLDS is not true, then
no other church can be either. Besides, many RLDS once considered all those
other churches as the enemy, and they simply cannot join the other side. Unless
they experience a change of heart along the way, these people will live out
their days in spiritual wounding and isolation, with many lingering questions
and fears.
From the Frying Pan Into the Fire
.
Remember, RLDS are in their predicament because they do not have a solid
understanding of the Bible. Unless they are in a position to get some reliable
Bible teaching they may be susceptible to getting involved in another aberrant
group after leaving the RLDS church. These people are willing to confess that
there are problems with Joseph Smith. But they miss the camaraderie of
like-minded people pursuing a common goal. Perhaps because of their RLDS
involvement they remain suspicious of mainstream Christianity. It is easy for
these people to merely trade one set of heresies for another. They have not yet
established a strong enough base of Biblical understanding to effectively steer
them clear of such involvements. Quite often these people will get burned a
second time.
Spiritual Paralysis
.
Thoughtful RLDS often do enough research to uncover perplexing problems which
trouble them. They then often engage in a process which I call “peeling the
onion.” Onions seem to have an endless numbers of layers which must be peeled
off before the core becomes visible. These people remove one “layer” of
problems at a time from their belief system. They theorize that the problems
they continue to uncover cropped up later in the church's history, but were not
there in its beginning. Examples might be the problems with the church's Doctrine
& Covenants which we discussed in chapter 8, or the more extreme
doctrines Joseph Smith introduced in Nauvoo such as baptism for the dead or
polygamy. While this process generates enough problems for them to leave the
present RLDS church, it takes them only so far and generally leaves them with a
core belief in the early Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. These
people peel the onion back far enough to realize there are many serious
problems, but they do not peel it far enough to discover that, in actuality, it
is rotten to the core—that Joseph Smith himself is the real culprit and that
the Book of Mormon is the problem which paved the way for all the rest.
These people take their partially peeled onion with them wherever they
go, never knowing quite what to do with it. They may go on to join a legitimate
Christian church but they engage with the Christian life only in a limited way,
and from a distance. Because their lingering questions about Joseph Smith and
the Book of Mormon have not been resolved they become stuck—spiritually
paralyzed. The result is that their spiritual growth in Jesus becomes stunted.
Sometimes these people find adequate resolution to their questions only over a
period of several years—perhaps even decades. Other times their questions
follow them to the grave, and they are never able to fully let go of Joseph
Smith or the Book of Mormon. This is a tragedy.
Victory
.
As we said above, our goal is not simply to dissuade RLDS from following Joseph
Smith—but to embrace Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was a false prophet,
and his scriptures and teaching represent a deplorable spiritual pollution in
one's mind and life. It is very unfortunate that people become entangled with
him at all. But it is hard to believe that anyone would willingly follow
a false prophet; remember, they do so out of ignorance.
Once people have embraced Joseph Smith and his teaching they will
continue to live with the spiritual effect of his pollution until it is
effectively dealt with. Since people become entangled with Joseph Smith through
ignorance of Biblical truth, their path to freedom is just the opposite—a
solid understanding of Biblical truth. Do not misunderstand me here. I am
not suggesting that merely acquiring knowledge is the ultimate solution. Rather,
it points us to the solution—a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, through
faith, and in truth. This is exactly what Paul prescribed for Timothy “...the
holy Scriptures, ...are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). The very best antidote for Joseph Smith is a
strong dose of Biblical theology. The heresy of Joseph Smith is thus replaced by
the truth of God's Word. To merely dispose of the heresy of Joseph Smith without
replacing it with the truth creates a spiritual vacuum into which a variety of
equally unhealthy things can intrude.
In the last chapter we said that RLDS often have a high degree of zeal
for their church and way of life, but that it is a “zeal not based on
knowledge.” God wants to reclaim this zeal for His own purposes, just as he
did with the Apostle Paul. You will remember that it was Paul himself who said
“My heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be
saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their
zeal is not based on knowledge” (Rom. 10:1–2). Paul knew all about this
kind of zeal, for it had once been very true of himself. But God reclaimed
Paul's zeal for the service of the gospel. Instead of a zealous persecutor of
the Christian church, he became one of its most zealous defenders. This is what
God wants to do for RLDS members.
In Luke chapter 7 a formerly “sinful woman” lavishes her love on
Jesus to the horror of His host. Jesus, however, uplifted this woman as a
perfect picture of repentance, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been
forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves
little” (Luke 7:47). In the same way I believe Paul was even more zealous
after his conversion, which lead him to say, “For I am the least of the
apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to
me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I,
but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:9–11). In like manner, God
wants to reclaim the zeal of RLDS for His own purposes.
Summary and Conclusion
When we look at world events in the light of Biblical prophecy it seems
clear that we are truly in the “latter days.” Jesus predicted that these
times would be fraught with false prophets in order to “deceive the elect—if
that were possible” (Mark 13:22). It may well be that Joseph Smith is one of
the greatest of these end-time false prophets. His teachings have led millions
of people into forbidden paths and have blinded them to God's truth. Jesus
further predicted that these end-time false prophets would be accompanied with
supernatural power (Mark 13:22). Accordingly, we have seen throughout this book
that Joseph Smith was certainly propelled by “a power not his own.”
While RLDS are among those who have been blinded by Joseph Smith's
deception, the Lord wants to reclaim them for His service. As Christians
endeavor to help RLDS people they must realize that this battle is primarily a spiritual
one—fought in the minds of men and women. We are not fighting against
“flesh and blood.” Accordingly, we must use the spiritual weapons of fervent
intercessory prayer and the undistorted truth of God's Holy Word. Indeed, a
solid understanding of the Bible is the only effective antidote to the false
teachings of Joseph Smith. Only then can former RLDS develop a mature and
growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
While Joseph Smith certainly qualifies as one of the end-times false
prophets, he was not the antichrist who will be ruling at the moment of Christ's
return. The supernatural power and deception with which this antichrist will
rule far overshadows even that of Joseph Smith. On account of this antichrist
“many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other”
(Matt. 24:10; see also 2 Thess. 2:3–12). This “great falling away” will
amount to nothing less than a defection from Christ en masse. As
Christians engage in the battle for RLDS people, they not only “snatch [them]
from the fire and save them,” (Jude 23) they also “prepare [their] minds for
action,” (1 Peter 1:13) getting their own selves ready against the even more
“powerful delusion” (2 Thess. 2:11) which is coming on the earth.
“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error
of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins”
(James 5:19–20). |