Good Samaritan Mormons
April 28, 2008

I've learned some things about God from personal experience, that I never would
have known any other way. One of the biggest of these lessons is that pleasing
God is a whole lot easier than pleasing folks. Hey it only took me 20 years of
service but I'm not totally clueless.

People change churches all the time, often several times, for this very reason.
Because pleasing God just takes faith, but pleasing church folks, oh my. Let me
see- there's often the pastor's list, the elder's list, the deacon's list. Now where did
I leave these? Must have lost them by and by.

While earnestly searching your recycling bin you might have had this great insight-
if Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah of Israel, is head of His church, why do so
many of us church attending and church serving folk feel like we're primarily
serving church folks, rather than the living God of Israel? Hmmn.

Then I heard God's voice say "Forget their lists. Get out while you still can."  So
after this happened a couple-three times, I took my bible out on the front porch
until God gave me a word on a better place to worship him. So there I was having
church one day, minding my own business, studying the Hebrew Scriptures, and
sure enough two of the sweetest Mormon missionaries, not paid at all but still joyful,
inched their way down the street crowded with dog worshippers, I mean dog
walkers, and looked for a strategic place to park.

They pulled up in a very sensible Toyota Corolla,  parked real nice, grabbed
their handy books of Mormon, and strode directly to a certain neighbor's door
across the street. They knocked and looked about, but their appointee seemed
to have left them in the lurch.

So they dallied, and considered between themselves, strategically looked at
me from across the street, then they got an inspiration. From where I can't
reckon! Then they crossed the street, boldly introduced themselves, and invited me
into their world.

I first thought tomyself "hey this is my church and you git" but
something Godly was going on so I rolled with it. They don't use their first names.
That would be too familiar.

But their official rectangular black pendants with white block letters announced that
Miss _______ and Miss _______ (not their real names)  were official missionaries
for the Church of Latter Day Saints, aka "Mormons."

Mormon was the guy who supposedly wrote the book of the same name, officially
and gently but boldly described as [just] "Another Testamant of Jesus Christ." Wow,
what a claim! Joseph Smith found this mere "other testamant" on Cumorah Hill near
Palmyra New York in September of 1823, as led by the Angel Moroni.

This book was etched in an unknown language on gold plates (since dissapeared)
which Smith then translated on paper into English to make the "Book of Mormon."
Joseph Smith, as a very young man, so the story goes, didn't know what church
to go back to, because they all seemed jealous, vain and contentious, so
simultaneously people-pleasing and people-displeasing, if you get what I'm
saying.     

So, as the story goes, he sat on his front porch, or somewhere like that, refusing
to go to church until God told him not to join any, and later, to found his own,
based on the aforesaid, and heretofore buried and updated revelation.

The Mormons have a fantastic story. But, I'll let them cross your street to tell you
the rest.

I don't believe any of it. It's as American as Apple Pie, but quite foreign
to God's final Israel (which will include faithful Jews and Gentiles). But months
went by and all these visits and reading their stuff I sort of saw these zealous
representatives- with no first names- as missions work, my mission to the
Mormons.

I remember one night sitting at the dining room table and asking God to come
down and baptize them in the Holy Ghost. I know that would help. Only now do
I ask "Could a Mormon get baptized in the Holy Ghost?" Hey that's an
interesting question. I had no idea, but I was searching for an affirmative answer
as I prayed, out of gratitude for their concern. Oh they were having some church
too, sort of a battle of missionary wills, and a non fellowship fellowship
developed.

It's been at least two years since they gave up on me, and I lost my mission to
them but I saw two more out and about and was reminded God hasn't given
up on them. And neither have I, grateful as I am (in fact I have trouble that
way because from what I gather, God never has given up on me).

So if you are reading this as a Christian, I ask you to pray that my brief mission 
to the Mormons might one day bear fruit for the kingdom. If you are a Mormon,
well ask again for Jesus' Spirit baptism for yourself, and I'm trusting He'll teach
you all things. 

And by the way thanks for your encouragement.

I learned a great lesson from my Mormon friends and God- that there are certain
times in our lives when it doesn't matter whether the person giving us a drink of
water, wiping our brow, or listening to our God quest is like us or not (Proverbs
says "a friend close by is better than a brother far way."), or is dead set in making us
one of their ilk. When it doesn't matter what we call oursleves. Times when listening
and caring are more important than running back to one's particular Temple to have
another meeting, or light another candle.

It's the oddest thing- these Mormon Missionaries were about the closest thing to
Jesus that I had experienced in a  long time, after several churches, and that's
my guess why they are so successful. I also learned that many times doctrine and
where you worship misses the point, and the grace. These Mormons and I didn't
miss the grace, and we had "church" for three months on my front porch. Praise
Jesus!

We even had a church supper, in the driveway, owing to proprietary and all!  I'd
like to think they almost got baptized in the Holy Spirit, and one day will like that
foreigner Cornelius, having experienced the living God of Israel, who shows up
wherever he chooses. 

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, there are the times in our lives when the church
outsider, the pagan, the friend with the whacked out doctrine, has done way
better and been way more Godly than my brother or sister church insider. 

In fact, I faintly recall that perhaps brother Jesus has a testimony Himself about
this matter.

Prayer:

Oh pagan Cyrus of today come rebuild the temple God's insiders destroy. 

Oh Rahab today help Joshua and Caleb take the promised land while the
other ten tribes sit on their hands in fear.

Oh arabic Ruth remind us how much we have received from the God of Israel.

Oh Good Samaritan come again today for all those left for dead on the side
of the road.

Oh Jesus knocking on our church doors, would that we let you in and
learn the wisdom to once and again to welcome strangers onto our front porch
and into our church, that we would become in Jesus a sanctuary that really
does welcome all.

http://www.zionpentecostmission.com/first-look-at-what-Mormons-believe.html