Why do we tell the Truth?

Last night, on my way home from work, I was stopped by two Mormons, wishing to "convert" me.


I proceeded to spend an hour with them, with the focus to tell them why The Book of Mormon is not God-breathed and why Joseph Smith is a fraud.


I walked away with a heavy heart. But, let me start at  the beginning.




About 6 months ago, a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll really spoke to my heart. Driscoll spoke about the importance of lovingly rebuke those around us, that forgiveness is incomplete without guidance back to Jesus. The idea is, if somebody has wronged us, it is not enough to just say, "I forgive you." We should forgive because we, too, are sinners who have been forgiven by the grace of God. However, we should further guide them back to righteousness, because if we just forgive and leave it at that, what is to prevent this person from making the SAME mistake again? And worse, how do we not take some responsibility for enabling him/her to make that same mistake again?


That sermons really woke me up, because I dislike confrontations. If people want to hold on to certain opinions and butt heads with me, sorry, not interested. I'm also the kind of person who don't hold grudges. My thinking is, I'm responsible for the person that I am. I can either be mad all the time, or move on to more productive things. I focus on productivity, because I can be in control of that. I cannot control what other people do. If they wronged me but refused to admit it, what can I do about it really? Forced apologies are not real apologies. So... if I stay mad about it, other than making me a miserable person all the time, what else does it benefit me? Thus, instead of fretting over what other people can and should be doing, I focus on what I can do. I can choose to move on. So, for the longest time, if someone has wronged me, I forgive, and I move on. After listening to Driscoll's sermon, however, I realized that "forgive and forget" was not loving at all.


Jesus taught us to rebuke and forgive (Luke 17:3), and He showed us how to do it many times in His dealings with the Pharisees. When the Pharisees challenged Jesus, Jesus never just forgave them but directed them toward righteousness as well. And He did so because He loved them and wanted them to know the Truth, as opposed to be misled by deceptions and misunderstandings.


What I learned from that sermon was if we love someone enough, we need to be brave enough to tell them the Truth. Why? Well, I don't know about you or other people, but I would hate to wake up one day and discover that I've been living a lie, and no one bothered to tell me, especially those who I call friends and family.


With that new thinking, I pray always to have the bravery to lovingly rebuke, to find the right words to say so that I can be supportive in my rebuke, so that I can lead people to the Truth, as opposed to turning them away.


And this brings me back to my run-in with the Mormons last night.


For readers who have been following my posts closely, you will remember that it wasn't that long ago that I didn't know what "Church of Latter-Day Saints" meant (see comments in the http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2010/11/isaiah-15-23.html post). But, I have since grown in my understanding of the Bible, and you will also remember that it was a mere couple of months ago that I posted an article detailing why Mormonism is not a sound doctrine (http://aletheia-seekers.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-does-mormonism-teach.html).


For those of you who want further understanding of this issue, I point you to the chapter on Mormonism in the reference book, The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin and Ravi Zacharias.


This post is not meant to argue whether Mormonism is a cult. My stance is solid, because I have done my homework, and I have done my research. I am open to discussing my views and am open to listening to other views, but I would expect participants of such a discussion to have also done their own research and truly tested the validity of the claims put forth by the Book of Mormon.


Rather, this post is meant as an expression of my anxiousness to tell the Truth. We can argue what "Truth" is, but again, this is not the purpose of this post. And again, I have done my homework/research, and I can confidently stand behind Christianity as the Truth. If you want to argue with me about it, I welcome the discussion -- And again, I would expect you to bring forth your research materials to support your claims. Hearsay is not evidence, and I would not insult our conversation with hearsay materials either.


So, before you read on, please know that what I'm describing below is seen through the eyes of a Christian, who has no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is the Truth, that the Bible is the book that God wrote. Therefore, everything we know should be measured against it, because the Word of God is the only perfect standard of righteousness and Truth on Earth. (And just as a side note, when measured against the Bible, the Book of Mormons is quickly shown to be false. Furthermore, there are numerous claims in the Book of Mormon that haven proven to be Biblically, historically, archeological, and scientifically false.)




Walking away from my conversation with Mormons, I was frustrated with myself.


This was my first encounter with people who have tainted Truth since I committed myself to always share the Truth, and it was a challenge. (I deeply believe that not knowing the Truth is way better off then knowing tainted Truth...) I stuttered a lot, and I simply hated myself for not being able to present God's Word in a more eloquent way. (Trust that I would pray a quick prayer for wisdom and courage before similar encounters in the future!) I learned a lot from the experience, and I know that I need to do a lot more homework to better stand for the Word of God next time -- Simply put, I need to fix the kinks in my armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)!


However, I am excited to go out there again, and I share the following inspirations as well as frustrations:


1. In order to correctly represent the Truth, we need to first make sure we actually have it and truly understand it!
Although my speech was not eloquent, I was able to stand strong in my understanding of the Word and explain to the Mormons why there are contradictory passages in the Book of Mormon and why it does not complement the Bible. I think the scariest encounter would be that I couldn't stand strong and be led astray instead.


2. Dr. Chuck Missler always stresses that the biggest obstacle to knowing the Truth is to think we already have it!
Thus, in my pursuit of the Truth, I always make sure I look at things from different perspectives and always remain open minded. Just because I don't think it's true doesn't mean it's not true. Thus, I strive to keep my emotions out of the rigorous testing of the validity of the Truth, and trust the objective results that lay in front of me. If something is true, it should withstand rigorous testing via multiple methods (Biblical, historical, archeological, scientific, etc.).


3. Sharing the Truth is not about hammering home who's right, booyah. It's about giving others the ability to make their best decision based on correct information.
Though frustrated with my lack of eloquence, I was still very glad that I parted ways with the Mormons on friendly terms. We exchanged contact information, and I look forward to talking to them more about the Truth in the near future. During my conversation with them, my focus was on how to give them the correct information, how to show them holes in their understanding. My deepest desire is to discover the Truth and to share it, to provide the correct information. If I would share my jacket to keep a friend warm, why in the world would I not share the Truth to save a friend?




Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matthew 9:37-38).



There are so many souls to save, and the only way souls can be saved is if they come to know the Truth, that Jesus is the Truth. I am so on fire because I feel the pain that the Holy Spirit is allowing me to feel. I feel the pain of knowing how many more souls are not saved, and my hearts hurts. I want to be out there and scream, "Open your eyes, people! Can't you see you are under Satan's deception!" But that's obviously not going to get me anywhere. I thus pray for composure and wisdom, and that the next time I have the opportunity to share the Truth, I would be more effective.


Knowledge is power, and information is key. At the beginning of the Church Age, Jesus told His disciples, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). We are still in the Church Age. (Some would even say we're living out Acts 29 -- This is not a typo. Think about it.) And as disciples of Jesus, we are to be His witnesses and continue to spread the Truth: Repentance and the forgiveness of sin (Luke 24:47).


Share that information. Share that Truth.