Posted on 01/10/2006 4:14:51 AM PST by Quester
Find sunday sermon in a backwoods baptist church but lacking in facts.
What part of our beliefs are not contained on our website? We have all our scriptures and most of our publications online. Even the "Secret book of doctrines that you are not allowed to see", otherwise referred to as the Doctrine and Covenants.
I own three sets, engraved with my name of, "triple combinations." A book that contains the three publications in one:
Book of Mormon
Pearl of Great Price
Doctrine and Covenants...I know it's not secret.
The Book of Mormon speaks of a different Jesus than the New (and last) Testament.
LDS gets away with this because the vast majority in their ranks never read the Bible with the tutalage of the Holy Spirit.
Been there, done that.
Good. Many of the others on this forum have called it thus.
One thing I will agree with: I really don't have time to sit around defending the True Church. I have too much work to do on myself and too much work to do for my family and in living my life as the Lord desires to do so.
I suppose most of the kindly Mormon Bashers do have the time.
;)
Perhaps you should read some history of the scriptures and how they came to be selected hundreds of years after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps I have?
What about the Apocrypha? What about the books of Mary and Thomas? What about the fact that the roman emporer ordered the first 50 copies?
What about the fact that the Smithians have been duped?
Stick to the subject, please.
Somehow, I expected just such a response from you. Bless you and have a wonderful day.
I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, is my Master and is the Head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I testify that the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is True and that the Lord has poured out His blessings upon me and my family since I became a member. I further testify that I intend to study His Word further and deeper in the spirit for the rest of my days. These things I say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Have fun with that, living with the significant, deep and irreconcilable contradictions. I guess you get to serve two different Jesus'.
One the Christ, and one spawned by the anti-Christ.
God bless you too. And I actually mean it.
When I found the saving Grace of Christ, I quit spending my time "working" on myself. I now spend my time loving God, and basking in the knowledge that he died for me - while I was still in my sin. And only through his Blood Atonement and Grace and my Love of him, can I be made perfect.
For those of us working on ourselves we fall into the sin of "Pride," where we think it is ourselves who can make us whole in the sight of the Lord. It is not! Our works are like a filthy rag. Now this is not to say that we should stop doing good. It is through works that we indicate our greater love for Christ than for ourselves. By doing good works, out of dedication to Him, and not for our own glory and exaltation do we indicate that he is indeed our LORD, GOD, SAVIOR - JESUS CHRIST and HOLY GHOST which is the very SPIRIT of GOD that dwells within us even as those who still commit sin, even without trying.
All of us have defects of character that can only be discovered by a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
How can you truly repent if you know not of what you repent? How can you truly repent without confessing your sins to the Lord?
Seems to me that if you aren't doing that you aren't following your own instruction book and better get to work.
I think we have two different views of salvation and the purpose of that salvation.
The Lord doesn't NEED me to praise Him or WORSHIP him. He is well aware of His nature and stature. The purpose of the Plan of Salvation is to bring us home to Him. Why would he tell us the story of the servants with talents if he did not want us to improve ourselves and our lot. I was once a Baptist and the one thing that confounded me was the lack of the answer to the question why? Now I have that answer and I am working out my salvation on my knees and in my works where I can.
The God of Christianity teaches that Pride is a GREAT sin. It is a focus upon ourselves and not Christ. It is one of extreme importance to God...because by being prideful, it puts our position, in our minds, ahead of the rightful first position of God. It keeps us from being humble.
Well said ...Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
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Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
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Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.
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Proverbs 28:25 He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
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Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
That's pride????
Man, I'm glad you don't sit in the Judgement Seat.
God does speak to us, and He says “worship me” (Psalms 100: [1] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. [2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. [4] Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name). What is it about HIM that makes HIM needy for worship? One might also ask “doesn’t He have enough angels in Heaven to heap praise on Him? Why would He want more? The answer is simply because He cares about us, we are on His infinite mind, what happens to us concerns Him deeply (John 14: [18] I will not leave you as orphans (comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless) I will come to you).
Now about the talents:
The rewared for the 5-talent man (19-21)
The statement: “Well done good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”
The 2-talent man (22-23)
The statement: “Well done good and faithful slave; you were faithful in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”
Is this man condemned for not making as much as the first? No. We don’t need to compare ourselves with others.
The 1 talent man ( 24-28)
He thought the master was hard. He doesn’t appear to be that way when he dealt with the first two.
The condemnation of the man by the master...
You wicked, lazy servant. Is the master admitting to being terrible? The third servant didn’t really know the master. The other two knew the master and probably thought, “The master has given me this so I can try something. Even if I blow it, that is why he has given it to me.” The third guy doesn’t know or trust the master. He is afraid of him.
If you try, you get great reward - even if you are not very successful...even if you sin and aren't perfect or as good as the other guy. If you don’t try, you won’t have any success, you won't get any reward.
Notice also that the master holds the slave accountable for what he thought--not what was true, but for what he thought was true. God holds us accountable for what we think, it is up to us to find the truth by the instructions we find in his word.
In essence you are correct and my efforts tend to be as the first servant, using all the talents my Master has given me to increase them.
I hope that you will find all you seek in your scripture. Please also remember that all verses in the Holy Bible are in a context, not merely sentences to be pulled out to condemn others.
Salvation is what I seek, and whatever good works I can do cannot hurt. So, Grace plus works will equal salvation.
At the least I would think that the changes that have occurred over the last century would make the average thinking LDS member a little uncomfortable or curious.
Carry on.
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