How Do I Reach My Mormon Friends?

Apologia Studios

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Yeah, Pastor Jeff, contending our faith. How do we do that? I think that's the bottom line we all want to know.

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We live in a community where there's a lot of Mormons, but they're all our friends. A lot of them we were in high school with, we grew up with them, we have family.

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And we love them, and we know, we feel for them, because when they die, they're going to hell.

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So how do we fight for them and try to get them to Jesus?

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We hate for you to leave here, and then nothing happens. So maybe teach us, how can we get started?

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How can you start reaching out there? First of all, that is one of the most beautiful things ever, to say, these are the people that I love, that I have a relationship with.

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You see, it's a false notion to say or to think that because we have to tell the truth, that that means somehow that's going to blow up the relationship, and we can no longer be friends, and I'll keep you over here, and then

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I will stay over here. That's a failure in the Christian church. Because you see, what you're saying is right and good and true.

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This is my friend, we grew up together, we love each other. I love this person, but I long for them to know

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God. I would say, first and foremost, church, don't ever lose that, ever, and make sure they always see that.

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But if you want to know how do we start this, how do we have this conversation,

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I would say you need to ask questions that are meaningful and to the point, direct.

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For example, just talk to them, say, man, I love you, and you mean so much to me, and you will always mean so much to me.

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Can I talk to you about something? We've been friends our whole life. We constantly are with each other, and we'll talk about Jesus, the

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Bible, but I'm concerned because I've learned recently that what you believe about Jesus is actually different than what

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I believe about Jesus. Like, for example, you believe he's Lucifer's brother, but the

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Bible says that he created Lucifer. That's not the same Jesus, and the Bible says in 2

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Corinthians 11 that there are other Christs that can't save, you're lost, and so I'm burdened for you.

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Could you just tell me how you would reconcile your belief in Jesus with what God says about Jesus?

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And that's how you start the conversation, like specifics, like can you help me, can you help me to understand how you would answer this?

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When God says in Colossians 1 that Jesus created everything in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible, including the devil, can you tell me how that fits with what you believe about Jesus?

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Because that's a different Christ, and I love you, and I long for you to know Christ, not to lose faith, but to know

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Jesus. Can you just, can we have a conversation about that? Do you see the spirit of it? You don't need to come like hacking and slashing and destroying the relationship.

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Now, I'm not gonna promise you this. I will not promise you that when you lay down your life for the

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Mormon that you're not gonna lose something. You might lose a lot.

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Jesus says that you have to be willing to be hated. You have to be willing to give up everything for following him, to follow him.

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So I wanna encourage you with that. You give up your life to come to Christ, but you gain everything.

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And I would encourage you to think about love for your friend is most highly displayed in your willingness to lay yourself down for them.

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And you can do it in such a way that doesn't blow up the relationship. Just talk to him and ask the hard questions, the straightforward questions.