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 mesee- 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 with lists, 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 to myself "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 third book
of testamentary 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! (And I even was gifted with wholesome churchy photos of
my three new sister companeras). So, 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 our 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 YOU a
sanctuary that really does welcome all.

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