Mission team
Zoom Call
At the beginning of the month, I was on a Zoom call with a Christian high school religions class in Iowa talking about Mormonism. You may watch that video here.
Mission Team
Last month we put on a dinner and training for a Ratio Christi mission team. We had around 25 people (most from Ecola Bible College) crammed into our little home. Tara shared her testimony. You may watch that here. Then I shared with the team on how to witness to LDS. You may watch that here.
MeetTheExMormons.org
We had a great testimony the following weekend by Trevor Wall. We also had another great time of fellowship. You may watch Trevor’s testimony and see the pictures on our website.
Doctoral Studies
Tara shares her testimony to mission teamI passed all 3 of my required research ethics classes last month. Since finishing the classes, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time putting together my research proposal for my dissertation. The tentative title is Mormonism’s Racist Problem: Determining Its Divine or Human Origins. The research proposal will be incorporated into the first chapter of the dissertation. Please pray for wisdom in working through all this.
Temple Evangelism
One day when I was advertising my MormonInfo.org/JosephLied.com site outside the Taylorsville Temple, a woman drove by and screamed out her car window, "Read your Bible!" After she pulled into the bank across the street, she drove by me and as I guessed she would do, she gave me the finger!
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
P.O. Box 1374
West Jordan, UT 84084
(801) 792-6373 (leave message)
MormonInfo.org
MeetTheExMormons.org
JWinfo.org
MuhammadLied.Info
AbortionIsMurder.Info
Mailbag
Hi Rob, I spent a while on the phone with your dad yesterday and it was great catching up. I have neighbors who are Mormon and from a long line of mormon’s, married in the temple in SL and so forth. They talk with us just like true believers and reference the Lord in most conversations. Even their Christmas card was the same as our believing friends. Direct me to a starting point for discussion with my neighbors. Thanks!
[I replied:] The problem is that we think that's one of the false Christs Jesus was referring to in Matt. 24:24 or what Paul was referring to by "another Jesus" in 2 Cor. 11:3-4. For more info, see my Home page chart of differences on MormonInfo.org.
Let me know if I can add your email to my monthly newsletter. I'll be talking about a Zoom call I had with LDS missionaries last month and how critical questions are important up front. I'll be sharing the video.
[He replied:] Thanks Rob. I have to admit going to your website in the past was kind of like trying to drink from a firehose 😜. Sign me up on your news letter... .......but I’ll give it another shot!
[I replied:] You don't have to swallow everything all at once. Just stick to the chart of differences at this point.
[He replied:] I need a “Dealing with Mormons for dummies”!
[I replied:] Ha! It's like learning a new language. It takes time and patience.
[He replied:] Btw, about the only reason I stay on FB is to see what you’ll say next! Blessing bro!
[I replied:] LOL! Ya, I sure like to stir the pot!
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If a person "finds Christ," and then leaves the LDS or JW church he had belonged to, then which church is the legitimate Christian church that he should join?
This is a question that's always puzzled me. I was raised Catholic and I understand their arguments for being the true Church. I also understand the arguments from Orthodox churches for why they're the original and most authentic church, and I understand the general Protestant argument for why the Catholics and Orthodox are in error, and for why JWs and LDS are in error. But the question remains -- if one finds Christ, then how does one know which church or churches have authority and correct teachings?
I happened upon one of your videos the other day and was just curious about your thoughts on this question. Please don't misunderstand me, I don't mean this question in a critical way, but I'm honestly kind of baffled as to how (as we used to call them) Born Again Christians discern which churches are appropriate to join, and why they would accept authority from pastors of these churches.
[I replied:] It's a good question. As a Protestant who affirms what C.S. Lewis famously called Mere Christianity, I don't care that much which particular church you join so long as it is within the Christ of the Bible. On my Protestant view, that's more fundamental for being a part of the Body of Christ and having eternal life than which particular fellowship one should join. I have family and friends who are RCC and EO, and we all hold that we are brothers and sisters in the Faith once for all delivered to the saints... even if they find that I'm outside the proper authority Christ established. We all agree that cults like LDS or JWs or Islam all distort what is essential for eternal life, viz., God and Jesus and loving Him, not the imaginary fairy tales that are concocted by false prophets. That's different from saying that all churches [err], since all are made up of fallible individuals. Every *Christian* church has errors and some have more than others. But what is fundamental is what keeps one abiding in Christ as the Good Shepherd who protects His sheep from wolves outside the historic Christian Faith. Other Protestants you talk to are much more divisive than I am, and other RCCs and EOs are more divisive than my family and friends I mentioned. In my view, that's their problem for being too myopic as to what counts as saving faith. Ask God where He wants you for however long, and then serve there, and concentrate on what binds the whole Body together realizing that we all look through a glass dimly as Paul tells the Corinthians. In short, don't get so bogged down that you miss the forest for the trees.
Blessings!
[He replied:] Thank you for your considered answer, Rob. Best wishes to you.
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Trust me I know what I'm talking about when I say that I do agree Joe Smith was a pedophile. In this day and age he would be considered a pedophile. If somebody proclaimed to be God in this day and age and was a pedophile would you believe him? Everyone has a right to his or her own opinion but yes I do not believe Joe Smith was a prophet.
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Congratulations on your doctoral program. The dissertation title sounds like a forthcoming book. Glad that I was at your meeting in Henderson where you gave an outline of your thesis.
Love and peace in Jesus,
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I read your Newsletter. I'm excited for you and your new venture.
I'm proud of you for your decision and efforts. In watching your passion for ... how many years??? ... I know you can do this and make a difference in this fallen world.
I'm sending you a BIG hug and LOTS of encouragement. Stay connected with your family because you NEED them and they NEED you.
Love,
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my husband and I are "friends" with a mormon couple. I asked her a couple of questions and below is her reply to me.
HOW would you respond to her reasoning?
In Christ
[I replied:] I think it's funny that she said they didn't have to be perfect, but then she quotes Mat. 5:45 which says exactly that. This is exactly what her past prophet Spencer W. Kimball said in his book The Miracle of Forgiveness. "Trying is not sufficient" (164). You have a command, then you must do it, not merely try to do it. This is why Kimball goes on to say that the woman caught in adultery wasn't forgiven (165) and neither was the thief on the cross (166)! Even if your friend wants to say that this was merely Kimball's wrong opinion, she should regard him as a false prophet for teaching such heresy.
Here are the questions they ask for the temple recommend interview: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/october-2019-general-conference-temple-recommend. She's got an over-inflated view of herself if she thinks she can truthfully affirm that she's worthy to enter the house of the Lord. Furthermore, she doesn't keep the Word of Wisdom (WoW), since it makes no sense. Read D&C 89. Jesus drank and offered wine, yet it's prohibited. The WoW rules out only "hot drinks." She, like most LDS, probably loves hot chocolate. They legalistically interpret it as only coffee and tea, but even if it were just that, you can't even have them cold! She also probably doesn't use meat "only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine" (13). Jesus and Paul spoke very clearly that this external stuff isn't what the New Testament is about (cf. Mat. 15:1-20 and Rom. 14:17). Similarly, tithing or required taxation for the nation of Israel is not a matter of the New Covenant, which came into effect at the cross. The Jews Jesus was chastising in Matt. 23 were under the Old Covenant, and as such, they were required to tithe. The New Covenant is clear that we are to now give joyfully as each has purposed in their heart (2 Cor. 9:7). Other Christians disagree with this, so I wouldn't press this too much.
And in this line of thinking with the New Covenant, the temple for all its blood sacrifices is no longer in effect, and there is no hint of all this LDS temple stuff in the New Testament. The one possible exception is baptism for the dead in 1 Cor. 15, but there's nothing concerning the temple that's tied to it and it's something that others do, not the apostle and the Church. Further, the LDS temple covenants follow along with what Lucifer tells them to do, and that's why they put on their fig leaf aprons and wear them throughout the ceremony. They are even buried with their fig leaf aprons. Genesis is clear that's what man did, but God got rid of them and gave them animal skins to symbolize the blood payment that was required.
Given that your friend is too given over to all this legalism, I would first focus my attention on her breaking the very 1st commandment. She has another god who is simply an exalted man and not the creator of literally everything outside His being. Until that chip falls, none of this other stuff is going to fall as well.
Keep up the fight with the word and prayer!
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Awesome Rob, Do we have to call you Dr. Sivulka when you graduate?
[I replied:] Ha! No, I'll still be Rob.
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Congrats on acceptance into the doctoral program, Rob. May God bless your studies and enable you to finish well!
All best wishes in the Lord,
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Got few questions: 1) how do you remove your name from lds church 2) where can I find support to leave 3) where can I find another I feel like I belong
[I replied:] https://quitmormon.com/
For a physical support group, it depends on where you live. The best place is a local Christian church that has former LDS.
For online communities: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MormonInfo.org, https://www.facebook.com/groups/XMChristians/, https://www.facebook.com/groups/139462380423, https://www.facebook.com/groups/frommormonismtochristianity, or https://www.facebook.com/groups/recoveringfrommormonism.
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I have a distant relative that is Mormon and has been married 5 times .... all in the Temple.
How does that work?
Also she died recently. Which of the husbands can "call her" to his planet? What if they all want her?
Just curious.
[I replied:] I'm guessing she had temple divorces, so probably the last one.
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