Some Christian missionaries at General ConferenceGeneral Conference
Great seeing old friends in ministry and meeting new ones outside LDS General Conference. I got a handful of Temple Square Visitor's Guides out and of course a lot of advertising for my site.
The following are some brief highlights...
I met Aiden, who said he remembered me from a few years ago outside the Memphis, TN temple opening. He was an LDS missionary then. He was happy that I was happy with my religion. I had a nice, but brief conversation with him and warned him how different the LDS Jesus is from the biblical one. I encouraged him to check my site out.
I got a hug from an older LDS woman, who said we're all God's children. I said that's true, but more importantly the Bible teaches that we must also become a child of God. She gave me a puzzled look as she walked away.
I talked to "Katherine" again. He's the guy who pretends to be a woman. Last time we talked was at the fall 2019 conference. He likes to come and greet the crowds with a sign that says "Hug a transgender Latter-Day Saint." He's very friendly. Last time we talked about the transgender issue, but this day I felt impressed to talk theology with him.
I prodded him how he knew Mormonism is true. Of course God told him and he couldn't be mistaken about it. So I asked if he ever read 2 Thes. 2:11. I told him it says that God gave certain rebellious people over to having a strong delusion, and then I asked him how he knows that hasn't happened to him. (Of course I had the transgender issue in mind too.) He asked how I knew that wasn't the case with me, so I told him, "Because the Bible teaches there's only 1 true God who created the heavens and the earth alone and the LDS God contradicts that." I quoted some Isaiah passages to him, particularly 44:24. After pressing him a little, he had to go.
While the last afternoon session was coming out, I had a great and almost 2 hour conversation with a young man named Joaquin. He took my literature and he struck me as very thoughtful and very open. After we finished, we walked back to our cars, which only one car was separating. He was really bothered by non-essential issues of the faith that certain Christians want to claim are essential issues and then he was confused as to how to be sure what an essential is when Christians aren't even sure what they are. I basically encouraged him to become born-again and let the Spirit do His will in bearing fruit. He promised to complete the work in those who believe.
While we were talking out front of the Conference Center, Representative Burgess Owens walked by with his daughter. I reminded him when I met him last and told him that I voted for him and prayed for him, and was so thankful he beat Ben McAdams. I asked him about when the Republicans take over in November are they planning on impeachment. Owens wouldn't go into detail, but he said that he just had a meeting about all this and assured me it's coming! As he was leaving, I encouraged him to check my site out.
The next day I checked the stats for my site, and of course they went way up again. I went from 59 visits on Friday (the day prior to the conference) to 123 on Saturday. Again, there's no doubt that advertising works!
I'll be going out one last time today for the end of the Conference. Please keep it in prayer! Thanks and God bless!
The next day I got out another handful of Visitor's Guides and had a great, but short conversation with a guy named Craig. He was very open to talking, probably because like Joaquin the day before, Craig served his mission in the South and had to deal with a lot of Baptists. I was able to help him see 4 major differences between Mormonism and traditional Christianity: 1) Jesus is the Creator of literally everything outside His being, 2) there is no contradiction between Gen. 1:26 and Isa. 44:24 (and Ps. 96:4-5) because the Christian Church has traditionally understood that the "Us" in Gen. 1:26 to be a reference to the Triune God, and 3) the Father and Son never had to become the Father and Son, and 4) they are not "separate," but "inseparably" united as such from eternity.
I encouraged a ton of people to check my JosephLied.com sign out. One lady walked by me and said that what I was doing wasn't very nice. I quickly responded, "Well, somebody has to warn you before it's too late."
Here’s a short video of some preaching I was doing at General Conference.
 Mesa, AZ LDS Easter Pageant
It was obvious to me that someone was using a sign with my site (MormonInfo.org and/or JosephLied.com) on it at the Mesa, AZ Easter Pageant. I was getting way more visits from AZ for several days than from any other state. I also was getting crank phone calls from LDS girls in AZ whom I obviously hit a nerve with. These girls were getting on me about the Trinity and how confusing my site was. I answered the first call, and they ended up hanging up after I tried correcting their caricature of the Trinity. Then I wouldn't answer their subsequent calls and they left goofy voice mails complaining about my site.
The next day I received an email from my friend Bob Pilch who confirmed my suspicion. He and another friend, John Kauer, were trading off using another lighted JosephLied.com sign. It was just more confirmation that advertising works!
MeetTheExMormons.org
Our friends Shane and Dixie Wise shared their testimony last month. They did a fantastic job! Please watch their story and see the pictures by clicking the URL in the subtitle.
LDS Missionaries
One evening on my way back home, I pulled over to talk to 3 LDS missionaries. (One of the benefits of living in Utah is that it's not uncommon to see them.) I had probably around 15 minutes with them. The one out the longest was from Evanston, WY (only an hour and a half a way), and he did most of the talking. He didn't have a problem with Smith's condemnation of other churches in the 1st Vision. Evanston even said the statement of Jesus condemning all other churches wasn't scripture! I told him it was Joseph Smith's History in the Pearl of Great Price, which is scripture, and if he didn't like it, then the Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 14:10 says that there's only 2 churches: one of the Lamb and the other of the devil. Evanston wanted us to not to worry about these differences, but instead wanted to concentrate on what we have in common: loving God and serving others.
I kept pressing these guys on how they knew their church was true. I finally got them to admit that they could be mistaken. I told them I could be as well. One asked, "What else could the revelation from the Spirit be?" I told them, "Satan, or your own flesh." I quoted to them Prov. 14:12, Jer. 17:9, and 2 Thes. 2:11. They couldn't believe the 2 Thes. passage! One asked what translation. I told him, "All translations." They were so bothered by that passage, that they had to look it up. I looked it up on BibleHub.com and read to them several translations, including the KJV.
Nonetheless, it didn't matter to them, since they were living a good life. I told them if you keep breaking the 1st commandment, you aren't living a good life. We both couldn't be right given what Smith taught. One said, "We have the same God." I told this missionary, "The God of the Bible was never so needy for becoming God. All of Christianity for 2,000 years has always taught a more exalted view of God... one in which He always was God and everything else depends on Him. But Smith contradicted that when he taught that God had to become a God by getting a wife sealed to him in a temple ceremony."
At this point, they realized they were in way over their heads and pressed the eject button. As they were walking away, I walked behind them to the corner, and told them, "You guys have devalued God and need to repent before it's too late. Please, when you get the time, check out my JosephLied.com."
When we got to the corner, some guy came up to them, and asked if they were alright. Evidently, the guy was wondering if I was some sort of stalker! They said they were, and the guy gave them a wad of cash. He said he sympathized with them, since he served a mission himself.
I pray something I said will haunt them until they repent. Lord, have mercy on these guys!
Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6),
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
P.O. Box 1374
West Jordan, UT 84088
(801) 792-6373 (leave voice message or text)
MormonInfo.org
MeetTheExMormons.org
JWinfo.org
MuhammadLied.Info
AbortionIsMurder.Info
Mailbag
Rob, reading your answers to others questions has literally changed my life.
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[In reference to a screenshot of my Google Analytic stats…] Praise God! Great home page too. I like how it gets right to the point.
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Thanks Rob and thank you for your faithfulness getting the gospel to the Mormon people.
00PS LDS
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You have a lot of courage. Keep up the good work. 👍 I remember ignoring you people at conference in 2013.
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Thanks, dear, for your faithfulness in serving our lord Jesus!!! 🙏🙏🙏
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I’m so proud of your work Rob of bringing people to the real Jesus!
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I want to be cool like you when I grow up!!
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Praying for you and the other Christian Evangelist there. Keep up the good work of spreading the Gospel!
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Praying for a blessed and fruitful ministry this year.
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How will the funds be used Rob? I pray my sister gets out.
[I replied:] If you're asking how funds are used for CCU, they will go to feed starving children... namely mine! 🙂 In addition, food for our monthly fellowship (MeetTheExMormons.org) and the costs for the home to have that, gas to go to events, taxes to pay for our non-profit, costs for URLs that I run, and the time it takes to add content and respond to those questioning. I am also a doctoral candidate at North-West University and am doing my dissertation on responding to Mormonism's perennial racism problem. That costs and so does the books. Time is money, and with inflation these days, everything is costing a lot more.
I pray your sister... comes out of the darkness into the marvelous light of Christ. God bless!
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Keep up the Good Fight, Rob!
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Wow! This is what I want to see, the “success rate” with your method, if you will. I’m a sucker for statistics. Thanks for reporting back and I absolutely love the Owens part!
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Thanks for your devotion to presenting Biblical truth.
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Great work, Mr. Sivulka!
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Much admiration and respect for you, Mr. Sivulka.
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You're a rock star, Sivulka!
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The Book of Mormon is true and Joseph smith is a prophet
[I replied:] And obviously I reject that. JosephLied.com
[He replied:] You’re a clown
[I replied:] And you're headed to hell.
[He replied:] Haha I can’t wait for your judgement day when good asks you why you rebelled against the truth
You know the Book of Mormon talks about people like you
It’s pretty cool to see it unfold in front of my face
[I replied:] God has given you a strong delusion to believe a lie just as 2 Thes. 2:11 said.
[He replied:] 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
[I replied by blocking him.]
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[My LDS friend said:] You know your "converts" don't stay Christian, right?
[I replied:] that's quite a generalization. I know a number who still are.
[He replied:] exception doesn't prove the rule
[I replied:] most go into agnosticism or atheism [after leaving Mormonism]. However, most don't remain in hopelessness. Many eventually come to the Christ of the Bible. Nonetheless, some is better than none and I don't expect most people to end up in destruction anyway as Jesus taught in Matt. 7.
So whatever stats you have in mind don't do anything to discourage me from following what the Lord wants me to do in sharing the good news.
[He replied:] I won't. I just want you to be aware of the results 🙂
[I replied:] Results are really up to God anyway. One plants, one waters, but God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6). Love you bro!
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It’s all worth it if even ONE is saved!!! That’s how I look at it. If I were the only one on this planet, Jesus would have died for me. That is POWERFUL! So, how I look at things…if only ONE hears the truth and a seed is planted or the seed that has been planted gets His light shown on it, or even when the truth shatters the darkness…it’s all with it!! Preach away Rob Sivulka
I was Mormon for 30 years…not born into it but was deceived into it…but so very grateful Abba showed me His Son, who saved me from my sins and showed me I was in a cult with the Mormon church. Now my children are being saved! To God be the GLORY!
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why you casting your pearls before swines?
[I replied:] I'm not. You're assuming that a whole people group are swine rather than understanding that Jesus had reference to particular individuals who are hard-hearted. You can't be a bigot against a whole people group otherwise none of them would be able to hear the gospel. Some do, and some are open, and thus, some seed is planted in fertile soil. God gives the increase, and many are leaving Mormonism and coming into the marvelous light of Christ.
I'll give you an example of one guy yesterday, who I did take Jesus' saying on swine and left him alone as Jesus commanded in Matt. 15. I encouraged him to to look at my site. He said Joseph didn't lie. I said I could prove it. He responded by saying something crazy, so I just left him alone. I pray God will touch his heart, since there's nothing I could say that will do anything.
[He replied:] for me personally i prefer to preach to the unsaved instead to those that follow a false religion when they think they are saved. When ever i have shared the gospel to mormons or jw's it was casting pearls before swines as they very much deceived. We dont have many mormons in South Africa and most that are here from USA trying to spread there evil message.
[I replied:] well we all have our preferences that God uses. BTW, I'm a doctoral candidate at North-West University and my dissertation is Mormonism's perennial racism problem. God bless!
[He replied:] but hey you go for it as only the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ can save.
but in-spite of how i think if i was in the area would have joined you with the cross in the background interceding for you
i had a quick look at your website and will keep it for ref if needed in the future as i see it is fairly comprehensive. i only know a few evil things about them and looking at what you point out what they believe is sick and actually sad how they deceived. Whenever i point out to mormon that Jesus is not the brother of Satan they just laugh and tell me i am Satans brother as well. Thats when i dust my feet. Blessings
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Rob, I noticed that you are asking people to pray that people will engage "you" civilly. Have you changed your approach from the bullhorn? I notice that your website is still JosephLied.com. Do you believe screaming that is civil? I know your ministry bears fruit, but it also creates a ton of hate. I just found your wording in this post to be fairly ironic.
[I replied:] I've only used a bullhorn once during a Manti pageant. The point of being loud is so more people can hear. There's nothing uncivil about that.
[He replied:] I guess I just happened to be present that one time you used the bullhorn. My mistake.
[I replied:] A friend from MI mailed it to me, but the thing was defective. It only worked for a little bit and I really didn't need it anyway since everyone passing by me could clearly hear what I had to say anyway. Nonetheless, I support guys who use them wisely when the situation calls for it.
BTW, preaching is a small percentage of what I do. I don't scream when I'm dialoguing with people. That would be uncivil. Nonetheless, there is a time for everything, and preaching so many others may hear has plenty of biblical support.
I was thinking earlier today about how the nice thing about a bullhorn is how one doesn't have to scream. One simply talks.
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Today I was sharing my testimony with a young lady at the eye doctor and she admitted she was having a hard time leaving it in God's hands and we just shared and prayed for her current situation. We both realized we need to really depend on Him only! I could have never gotten to the point where GOD is the central feature of my spiritual life had I not left the church. I so appreciate what you do and your influence during the time I really needed good people around me. You and Tara Nelsen Sivulka were there for a short time but it was critical in my life and I appreciate you both more than you know! Glory to Him!!
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