From Last Night...Wow, what a long and crazy day. We were up and on the road by 7am and it is now 11:30pm and we are still an hour away from Manti and bed. Our kids have been amazing! We started the day by going to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple in South Jordan. The inside of temples are only open to the public during these open house dedications. After this initial time, only LDS who have proven themselves worthy of recommendation are able enter the temples. The temple is described as a place where the presence of the Lord is felt stronger. We were asked several times to experience the peace and presence of God. There is no doubt that the temples are exquisite and expensive but in no way are they a restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. Instead of a place to offer up sacrifices for our sins, they are a place that "worthy" LDS learn secret knowledge to gain entrance to heaven and perform rituals for the dead in hopes that their actions will help those who did not choose the Mormon god in this life.
Temples are a misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus did. When Christ died, the veil was torn in two (Matthew 27:50-51). The separation between God and man traversed only once a year by the high priest Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) was made available yo all believers through Christ, our mediator. When Jesus died and the temple veil was torn, it signified that the way to God was now open through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:8) We no longer need a temple to have access to God. We can now approach the throne of grace with confidence, to find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through (AK)the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb 10:19-20Why would LDS re-hang the curtain in the temple (there is an actual curtain in the temples)?
God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:24, Hebrews 9:11-12, 24) We are the temple of God and He dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 6:16)
Junelle made a comment that Mormons don't call Jesus, "Jesus". They will call Him Christ, the Savior, our brother, but not Jesus. Talking to LDS missionaries today, it was absolutely true. Asked about their relationship with Jesus, they will declare that they have a personal relation with Him despite never praying to Him. I had a long talk with one of the sister missionaries who explained that there are two types of grace that Jesus' sacrifice provides. The first is the resurrection which is free for all, the second is the grace that Christ provides for exaltation but "that grace is not free, that grace you must work for." She knew this was true because she knew that the Book of Mormon was true. When asked about the many examples of grace being only described as a free gift that can't be worked for, she bore me her testimony that she knew it was true. When I pointed out that her testimony was in direct opposition to Gods testimony, she broke into tears again bearing me her testimony again. Another missionary led her away to a back room.
We then toured the Salt Lake City Temple and many in our group had many great conversations. Tristan, Jimmy and Chandler spoke with Jason, an LDS with many questions and who wants to meet with them again in Manti. We drove up overlooking the temple and the whole valley and worshiped God and prayed for the city of Salt Lake City, the state of Utah, those divine appointments that God will provide, that our hearts would be humble, trusting in God and full of His love for the Mormon people.
Now...
We are preparing to go to training in town, help out Chip and Jamie at the College House and then the pageant tonight. Tomorrow will be BYU!
Thanks to everyone who has posted comments. We really appreciate them.
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3 comments:
Wow
What a very full day! Great explanation too Tim of the issues related to the creation of new temples. If nothing else, I hope that people who are reading this blog understand that Mormonism is VERY different from Christianity in everything that it teaches, from the nature of Jesus and God the Father, to the very nature of Salvation. If what we believe about Christianity is true, then Mormons simply fall outside of Orthodoxy at every turn.
Many people may question why we would ever want to disturb people who are so committed to what they believe and seem to live such law abiding lives. But you and I know that our LDS friends simply reject the Christian notion of grace and Salvation. You are there, doing this work, because you are truly on a rescue mission. If the Christian idea of Salvation is true, then those who reject it will perish. Our time with the LDS in Utah is every bit as important as our time with those who reject the existence of God altogether. So continue your work, planting the seeds that lead to repentance and salvation...
jim
so it sounds like the trip has been going well thus far. These updates have been great, so thanks for that Tim. The door-to-door with offering to serve them seems like a great way to spark up natural conversations. I continue to pray for you all and the conversations you have yet to have with the people in Manti.
Betsy
We continue to pray for you all each day and appreciate hearing about your day and the God arranged encounters with people and places. A true understanding of God's grace and Jesus Christ's accomplished work is a precious gift. May the Lord continue to anoint you as you share that gift in love. I did not know you were going up to SLC and BYU. I wish I was there just to see and hear the testimonies of your team members who are experiencing that for the first time. I know I was deeply impressed and moved on many levels on the trip I was on. Good night, and carry on good soldiers!
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