How to testify

Lds Church News ^ | Sept. 19, 2009

[Colofornian]

SNIP

Sharing testimonies is an important part of the Latter-day Saint experience. We bear testimonies in many settings — in the home with family and among friends and associates or in missionary experiences. In Church, one Sunday is set aside every month for the bearing of testimonies during sacrament meetings.

SNIP

In his address at the October 2004 general conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve...said that his experience throughout the Church leads him to worry that too many members' testimonies linger on "I am thankful," and "I love," and too few are able to say with humble but sincere clarity, "I know." As a result, he noted, meetings sometimes lack the testimony-rich, spiritual underpinnings that stir the soul and have meaningful, positive impact on the lives of all those who hear them.

He...counseled, "We need to replace stories, travelogues and lectures with pure testimonies. Those who are entrusted to speak and teach in our meetings need to do so with doctrinal power that will be both heard and felt, lifting the spirits and edifying our people."

SNIP

As we listen to general conference this October, we will hear many bear pure testimony. Numerous times over the years, we have heard President Thomas S. Monson, first as an apostle and now as president of the Church, bear such testimony. May we, as Primary children sing, be inclined to "follow the prophet" in our endeavor to nurture, strengthen and share our testimonies that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, that Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was the prophet who was raised up to restore the fullness of the everlasting gospel...

[Colofornian]

I believe that in the end, God (not man) will let me know if I'm not what he expects me to be.

Well, I understand your sincerity. (I don't question a Mormon's sincerity)

I guess my question, in light of what you just said, is that a "two-way street" you adhere to?

IOW, if "God (not man)" is supposed to be the sole Communicator regarding "if I'm not what he expects me to be" -- then why is the very founding vision of your belief system this passage from Joseph Smith - History vv. 18-19 (Pearl of Great Price)?

...which of all the sects was right
...they were all wrong;
...all their creeds were an abomination in his sight;
that those professors were all corrupt...

We only have a 14 or 15 yo lad's word -- a pimply-faced young teen -- that all the OTHER church sects were 100% wrong, 100% creedally abominable, and 100% corrupt re: professing believers.

Therefore, if you believe this, you do accept a teen-ager's knowledge of where most of the religious world falls short.

So which is it? Do you accept all of Joseph Smith's assessment of these sects -- and therefore retract your last statement? Or do you stand by your statement just made to me?

[ejonesie22]

I wonder if the Nephites had all you could eat buffets...

[Tennessee Nana]

If I knew how God feels towards me, I’d be a prophet, wouldn’t I?
__________________________________________

THat’s a big difference between Christianity and mormonism..

You say that as a mortmon you dont know how God feels about you...

But I as a Christian DO know how God feels about me...

God loves me...and I know it..

He loves me so much that He wanted to have a relationship with me...

He loves me so much that He redeemed me from sin and the road to Hell that I was born into, in order to have me with Him..

He loves me so much that He wanted me to be with Him in Heaven...that He sent His only begotten Son to die in my place...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Have you ever sang the children’s song...Jesus loves me ???

You say you are a child of God...

That song is for all the children of GGod...

Jesus loves me, This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

Nana’s version..

Jesus loves me, This I know
For my Jesus told me so...

I feel sorry for anyone who does not know that God loves them...

[Monkey Face]

You are NOT a person I would want to meet across a steam table...

[DelphiUser]

Interesting, in your testimony you spend more time explaing why we differ than time spent explaining why Jesus is your savior.

More time explaining why we are wrong and less time explaining why you are right.

You also talk of committing future sins, not as if that's bad but like "Whew, Glad I've got that get out of hell free card.

To me this is an important diffrence. I do not see Jesus as a Celestial Santa Claus, who gives his believers salvation, just becasue they believed, but because they believed enough to do something about it.

Jesus Gave Commandments, God always has. Jesus did not give these commands because he liked to hear himself speak, but becasue he expected us to actually believe enough to keep his commands. Mormons believe Jesus saves us from our sins, not in our sins. You can tout the "Get out of Hell free card" Christianity all you want, here, print this out and carry it with you:


Good luck, you'll need it!

God is not your patsy, repent, and that goes for me too.

[Tennessee Nana]

Yeppers...

Those three Nephites are still around somewhere’s...

They must have been eating all this time somewhere..

Stands to reason it would be an All-Ya-Kin-Et place...

That’s where they’ve been hangin’ all these years..

:)

[Monkey Face]

GOD DOES LOVE ME!

He loves all of us who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, and even those around the world who have no knowledge of Him and Grace.

He loves, and forgives, unconditionally.

[novemberslady]

As I said, I don't debate religion.
Some enjoy that, I don't.

[ejonesie22]

Wow...

You are very much LDS.

You say you don't know how God feels about you and now you call my comment idiocy and agree with the initial premise of it.

You guys are too much fun.

As far as my problem, the LDS stole Christ's story, twisted it into utter heresy and now, after years of trying to NOT be tied up with Christianity, after deciding the title is more marketable, are repackaging themselves as something they are most definitely not.

The Jesus you “feel” is not the Christ that lived.

[ejonesie22]

You have no worries in that regard.

[Monkey Face]

Actually, I DO know how God feels about me.
He guides me; He gives me the Holy Ghost to whisper in my ear and tell me those things that are right and honest;

Don’t feel sorry for me, Nana. God loves me and tells me so in all the answers to all the prayers I pray.

[Colofornian]

I’ve said what I’ve said, and I’m not going to argue about it.

(Yeah, we know -- the typical Lds philosophy we hear: "Speak softly and carry a big Pearl of Great Price stick")

Definition of a 'big Pearl of Great Price stick':
"You Christian sects are 100% wrong;
100% apostates;
100% creedally putrid;
100% corrupt as believers...
...Cordially, your "nice" Mormon neighbor
P.S. "Of course, we'll be polite & use Lds missionary doorstep language like 'universal apostasy' instead of pointing our fingers right @ you..."
"...and we'll fund the outer darkness out of Pearl of Great Price translations which mention ALL of the above...so our 'big stick' will seem once-removed..."
"...But make no mistake about it, we've sent out literally over 1 million Lds missionaries who've carried this 'Big Stick' around the world!!!"

[Colofornian]

As I said, I don't debate religion. Some enjoy that, I don't.

Then I have a simple request: Please write SLC HQ & ask that none of your tithe $ be used to further publish or translate the Pearl of Great Price into other languages...'cause otherwise your $ is used to "debate" that the rest of the Christian sects are 100% wrong; 100% dysfunctional with their beliefs; and 100% "corrupt."

That, ma'am is quite debateable...and I don't believe you should be a sponsor of that kind of slander & accusations. (do you?)

[Monkey Face]

...The Jesus you “feel” is not the Christ that lived.

You know this because...?

You know what? Don't post to me any more. I suspect you are looking for an argument and I'm not in the market for stupidity.

If you post to me again, I will report you.

[ejonesie22]

LOL...

Indeed...

[Utah Binger]

Once in a while it is nice to have an adult beverage and cool your heels with the best of American music. Tonight is that night. I have been listening to Brubeck and Miles Davis tonight

[Tennessee Nana]

He loves all of us who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, and even those around the world who have no knowledge of Him and Grace.
___________________________________________

Nope...

God so loved THE WORLD John 3:16a

That means He loves EVERYONE..equally...

Men, women, boys, girls, infants, every race, creed, religion etc...

He wants ALL to be saved...

Jesus died for EEVERYONE regardless of whether of not they would ever believe and get saved...

The salvation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a free gift given 2,000 years ago..

Jesus loves us and died for us on the cross to give u7s this free gift and salvation...

Whether or not we ever believe...even if we refuse Him and never get saved...

Jesus came and died for us, because of LOVE...

He doesnt love one more than another...

He loves the drunk with his bottle of booze just as much as He loves the Morg in SLC, drunk with power...

He loves that drunk just as much as He loves Mother Teresa..she knew that...

He loves prositutes who dont acknowledge Him and get saved...

And He heals them if they ask Him too...without getting saved...just believing that He is a healing Jesus..

Yes, God loves the whole WORLD...

He loves Barry Dunham-Soetoro just as much as He loves Thomas Munson..

[Alex Murphy]

You know what? Don't post to me any more. I suspect you are looking for an argument and I'm not in the market for stupidity. If you post to me again, I will report you.

Report?? To whom??? What sort of action do you expect to be taken?

[ejonesie22]

Report me for what?

Responding on an open forum?

That says a lot.

Thank you.

[ejonesie22]

I think I will take such a post as another minor victory...

LOL...

Wow...