JW Convention
At the beginning of last month, Eric Johnson and I went up to advertise our different web sites (FollowTheChrist.com and JWinfo.org) at the end of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in Ogden, UT. JWs are even more difficult than Mormons to engage with Christians in conversations, so we find the best way to reach many of them is by giving JWs the site to look up in the privacy of their home.
With Brent Parkin at the Mass ResignationMass Resignation from LDS Church
I attended a 4th annual mass resignation from the LDS Church and videoed most of the event. It took place at City Creek Park, just across from the Church Office Building. I met a number of people, passed out the Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith DVD, and encouraged people to pursue Christ. With absentee forms, there were 165 total Mormons that resigned from their Church.
Even though the event featured 2 Christian speakers, the rest of the main speakers were secularists who emphasized how terrible the LDS Church was for being against women having the priesthood and being against homosexuality, particularly for being against gay marriage. Most of the speakers in the open mic time reemphasized these topics. From a Christian perspective, this secular bent was obviously a big drawback to the whole event. It’s good that so many these days are finding out about the falsity of Mormonism (primarily through the internet), but if all they do is leave, then there’s nothing redeeming here. They just remain in their unbelief and rebellion against the God of the Bible, and are still on their way to hell. So nothing really has changed. This is why former LDS Bishop Earl Erskine’s comments were so helpful when he cautioned the crowd not to overreact and quickly dismiss anything to do with God and Jesus.
The event had some media attention, and my MormonInfo.org/JosephLied.com sign was displayed on the evening news and was posted in the photo gallery of The Salt Lake Tribune. This catapulted my site from 82 total visits the day before to 362! My site also got hacked as a result! Someone from Orem, UT kept posting meaningless comments for a couple hours, which forced me to have to approve comments before they go on the site for now on.
BlogTalk Interview
I was interviewed by Devin Pellew for his Theology Matters show for an hour and a half. We talked primarily about Mormonism.
MeetTheExMormons.org
Zak and Rochelle Kelleher were our guests last month. You may see the pictures here and the video of their testimony here.
We Need Your Partnership!
We not only need your prayers, but we need your financial assistance 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 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 any of our sites. Please keep in mind we have no financial guarantees each month. Ministry partners come and go. If you’re not a partner, 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 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
P.O. Box 1374
West Jordan, UT 84081
(801) 738-0539
CourageousChristiansUnited.org
MormonInfo.org
JWinfo.org
MuslimInfo.org
****ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS****
1. Health and protection for our whole family
2. Tara’s family to be saved
3. Wisdom in all our dealings
4. Strength to keep going
****MAILBAG****
Rob, you give me courage and make a stand for what is right without apology. You take a lot of flack for it . I'm a coward but you give me strength and conviction. You aren't just good for evangelizing but encouraging Christians to stand up for what is right. I think many of us need to take some time to thank you.
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If God wants You in Indy, then He has no trouble providing your finances. He is our BIG God & He delights in His children. May He bless you abundantly! Love & Prayers, ... Prov. 3:5-6
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Great report Rob!
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Thx 4 continuing to be a voice of truth in a fallen world.
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I appreciate your passion for reaching out to the lost. Be blessed and keep fighting the good fight.
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God bless you and your ministry. I have never been a Mormon and I still have learned a great deal from you! God bless
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[My “friend” said:] You know Rob, I use to have respect for you for your love for Jesus Christ and His work. However, the more I get to know you, you seem to love yourself more than Christ. You have a very hateful heart and your work pushes people further from Christ than it does bringing them closer to Christ. You need to be rebuked, by many. You are what is wrong with Christianity. God may be Love, but you are the lack of Love. God Bless you and may He have mercy on your soul.
[I replied:] You have no idea what real love is since you don't know the real God who is love. Revelation 3:19 Jesus said, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Hell is real, and even if you don't believe that, I do. And as a result, I'd be really unloving to shut up and not warn people about it. Jesus said, "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear" (Lk. 12:5). So I fear you're going to hell, since 1 Cor. 6:9 is clear that unrepentant homosexual offenders won't inherit the kingdom of God. And because I want you and others to come to heaven with me, I'll continue to call y'all to repentance.
[My “friend” said:] Rob, you’re a &^%*tard. Eat a %^$*, scumbag. [My friend quickly deleted this comment.]
[Another replied:] Rob it's warm out here you can come out of the closet.
[My “friend” said:] He is acting like one of those homophobic closet cases.
[I replied:] Ah, I feel the real love coming out of the closet!
[Another said:] #$^% all that %#^. Im happy for ya [my gay friend] you deserve a good man. Rob Sivulka is the boyd k packer [late LDS apostle who clearly denounced homosexuals] of evangelicals
[My “friend” replied:] For those who don't know it, Rob is the cult leader of a group called Courageous Christians dot org. People follow him and pay him to be the way he that he is. That is right, this is his full-time job and people from all around the country donate to his work. It all started with him trying to help people convert to believing in the Biblical Jesus. However, people have made his head so big, he can't physically remove it from the inside of his &^$%. He is paid to hate. He is paid to be rude. He is paid to push people away from Christ. And if a Mormon or homosexual were to read his words and take their own life, he would celebrate and tell everyone of his accomplishments in his monthly newsletter. There is NOT one ounce of Christ in that man. He preaches for fame and for the praise people give him. It truly is sad. Keep him in your prayers and may God have mercy on his soul for all the people he pushes away from Christ.
[The preceding paragraph was then modified after another friend called him on it:] For those who don't know it, Rob is the cult leader of a group called courageouschristiansunited.org. People follow him and pay him to be the way he that he is. That is right, this is his full-time job and people from all around the country donate to his work. It all started with him trying to help people convert to believing in the Biblical Jesus. However, people have made his head so big, he can't physically remove it from the inside of his &^$%. He is paid to hate. He is paid to be rude. He is paid to push people away from Christ. He publishes his accomplishments in his monthly newsletter. There is NOT one ounce of Christ in that man. He preaches for fame and for the praise people give him. It truly is sad. Keep him in your prayers and may God have mercy on his soul for all the people he pushes away from Christ.
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Just watched one of your videos outside the Mormon Temple and wondered how your voice stands all that yelling? Didn't you used to have a megaphone or something? Anyway, good work – keep it up!
Blessings,
[I replied:] Ha! Well for me, it's rather short periods of time. I have a megaphone, but it's very unreliable and I hate dealing with all the red tape usually associated with using it. Ironically, it would make me sound more nice, but people (Christians and non-Christians) still don't like the stigma associated with it. So preachers can't win either way! :)
Glad you enjoyed the video.
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Hi Rob! Where in the Mormon doctrine do they specifically talk about becoming gods of their own planet?? I have an ex-Mormon who is a friend that hadn't heard about this at all...
[I replied:] As for LDS scripture about us becoming gods all equal in power, it's found in D&C 76 and 132.
http://exmormon.org/d6/drupal/Mormons-get-their-own-worlds
http://www.mrm.org/spirit-children-and-planets
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