 Temple Square
I made it out for the first night for Christmas lights at Temple Square. It’s always the evening after Thanksgiving and lasts through the beginning of the year. I got several DVDs out and prayed for a Christian family visiting from Kentucky and also for another guy who said he was Orthodox, but I don’t think really loved the Lord.
I had the usual antagonism. The best was... "What motivated Smith if he was a false prophet?" I replied, "The same thing that motivates any false prophet... Muhammad, David Koresh, Jim Jones, etc." People like to take pot shots at me as they quickly walk away. However, I don’t get that much, since it’s hard to really get angry at a guy who is wishing you “Merry Christmas!”
There wasn’t much of a crowd the first night probably due to all the snow we had and road conditions. Pray for God to use this time until Christmas to draw many to Himself!
The numbers checking out my site always go up during this time of year when I’m advertising outside of Temple Square. Thanksgiving Thursday my site got a total of 5 from Salt Lake City, but Friday got 34. Thursday had 9 from UT, but 44 Friday. Thursday had 40 overall, but 84 Friday. Again, this proves advertising works!
Ex-Mormon Files
Here's pt. 1 of my interview with former LDS bishop Earl Erskine’s Ex-Mormon Files and here's the second half of my interview.
MeetTheExMormons.org
We had recent convert Laney Nelson come share his story his story with our monthly fellowship. Please click on the link above to watch his interesting story and see the pictures.
We Need Your Partnership!
We not only need your prayers, but we need your financial partnership as well. Keep in mind that your investment is not simply for us, but for the lives of others we reach with the gospel. The standard way to financially invest is by writing a tax-deductible check to Courageous Christians United (CCU). For more information on various ways to invest in this ministry, including online giving, please see our “Invest” page on our sites. Please keep in mind we have no financial guarantees each month. Ministry partners come and go. If you’re not a partner and are blessed by these monthly updates, please consider joining our team and let us know soon. We’d love to be your missionaries here in Utah. Many thanks to those of you who hold us up in prayer and/or in your financial giving!
We expect God to provide for our needs through you. Why? Because the Bible is clear: “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).
Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6)!
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
(801) 792-6373 (leave message)
MormonInfo.org
MeetTheExMormons.org
JWinfo.org
MuhammadLied.Info
****MAILBAG****
I love this guy! Watching his videos helped us to make the decision to leave the LDS Church
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Great interview on X-Files. I really enjoyed hearing you share. Will be praying for everyone who sees your sign.
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Awesome interview!
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Another good one Earl!! 👏👏❤️✝️ Rob, looking forward to part 2! Good job!
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I appreciate your ministry and all you are doing :)
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[In light of the Chick-fil-A controversy last month, here's part of a conversation with a guy who assumes he's a Christian even though he thinks evangelicals are full of hate:] Every single human. God breathed. Jesus saves, forgives his murderers. Grace is greater than evangelical hate. Love wins.
[I replied:] "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3 and 5). You affirm sin, you don't love. Acting out on gay impulses or adultery or any other fornication is sin and is something Jesus died for, but if you affirm it as not sin, then you simply deny the Designer of life itself and are making a god in your own image.
[He replied:] I am thankful for Jesus who saves, loves, and forgives. You who point at "others" need to get honest and stop condemning others and acting like your sin smells better. It really doesn't. You are just better at hiding it and deflecting. Seen it far too often. As well as in my own life. Done with that "holier than thou" %$&*. Now go eat a chicken sandwich and have communion with Judas, and learn to forgive as Christ did. You are not more holy than Jesus. He is Way,Truth,Life. I will not join in your holy war. Shalom.
[I replied:] it's not a matter of my sin smells better. It's a matter of affirming what God says goes. You just want to be your own god and justify whatever makes you feel good. Btw, if you cannot affirm me, then I don't have to affirm sin. You're also a hypocrite. You have no problem affirming everything except evangelicals who call you to repent. Not that affirming after all.
[He replied:] I am a hypocrite. I am well aware of my rebellion, my lust, and my pride. And I put on the smile and try to act like it is all OK. I am not OK. I admit I struggle with ^%$* like you. Jesus knew the %$#& of his day - the Pharisees, the ones who knew how to throw sinners under the bus. They would boycott and petition and crucify. Uggh. Just love on people. And I guess I can put up with you as Jesus put up with the Pharisees. Just remember we have the death penalty in this country in case your anger management does not work and you come and crucify me or others you don't like.
[I replied:] I never mentioned anything about boycotting. You're simply creating what you want to believe. And that's the basic problem with your whole life. You need to repent, and I love you enough to warn you.
[He replied:] Hell is the creation of the religious who want to control and damn those who sin differently than them. Sociopaths create a psychotic god in their mind who creates beings for the purpose of eternal torture. Rob probably would say it is sin for Hitler to torture and kill millions, but he would promote a psychotic being who would torture billions for eternity. Rob scares me. Because the leap from belief to action is not far. Remember Jesus' words about hate and lust. Beware of people like him. I say that out of love for humanity.
Please Rob, repent. I love you enough to warn you. Jesus came to seek and to save. Not to condemn. Turn to Jesus. Away from your sociopath thoughts.
[I replied:] since when is warning condemning? If it is, then again, you're acting hypocritically. Is adultery and acting out on gay impulses sin? If you deny this, then you don't want a savior.
[He replied:] You are so good at deflecting. I already confessed I am a hypocrite and I struggle with rebellion, lust, and pride. I need a savior every day. Not just in 1974. Today. When I see someone obsessed with the actions of others, it leads me to conclude you are hiding &^%$ for the sake of your "ministry." Put away the shame for what you have done and doing and get real. You are &*%$ up but want everyone to think you are OK and they are not. Come out of the closet and into the light. I am broken. Join the honest and vulnerable and repent from the shenanigans that leads others to weirdness and fanaticism. You can do it.
[I replied:] I'm broken too, but I'm not denying what God said sin is. Again, are homosexual actions and adultery sin or should they be affirmed? [The dialogue went further, and I continued to ask him this question, but he would never answer it.]
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[In reference to a video of me talking to cops outside the Hartford, CT LDS Temple:] I love these churches who claim to be of building of faith for our father jesus but then they give a camera person crap? Remember folks God never turned away anyone not for size color deaf dumb blind white black red blue .....so it's easy to see where the line between praising our god jesus and sumthing else is crossed.....
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