Questions To Ask Mormon Missionaries

Before you read the below article, first read THIS  by James White. He started his ministry witnessing to Mormons. He has debated Mormons and his writings have been influential in bringing Mormons to Christ. In the link James White gives a list of verses that he has used and were very effective in his outreach to LDS members. He gives commentary on how to direct your conversation as you use these verses and why these scripture references are effective.





Here is a link to Dr. James Whites site. He has many helpful articles on Mormonism


http://vintage.aomin.org/Mormonism.html


 Here is a video from the beginning of a cross examination of a Mormon during a formal debate. You can follow the links to watch the remaining videos. These are excellent.


http://youtu.be/BVr50cgApPI


Here is a link to a book by James White entitled "Letters To A Mormon Elder". This is excellent!!! It can be read for free here   http://www.novus2.com/alphamin/LETTERS/MAINPAGE.html











QUESTIONS TO ASK MORMON MISSIONARIES –- A Step-by-Step Guide for Christians Witnessing to Mormons at the Door

WHO ARE MORMON MISSIONARIES?

Mormon missionaries are representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church). While Mormons claim to be “Christians,” their denial of key Christian beliefs such as God the Father being a Spirit, not an exalted man, the Son being an eternal and uncreated God, not Lucifer’s spirit-brother, man’s goal being to worship God, not become a “god” himself, and eternal hell for unbelievers who reject Christ with no second chance after death has caused many Christians to denounce this group as a heretical movement. 1. In addition to the King James Version of the Bible, Mormons regard as “Scripture” three other books produced by Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. These books are: The Book of Mormon (a translation of gold plates that allegedly contained the record of ancient inhabitants of America), The Doctrine and Covenants (a transcription of prophecies and revelations that Joseph Smith claimed to have received from God), and The Pearl of Great Price (a translation of an ancient Egyptian ‘Book of Breathings’ papyrus that Smith claimed contained the writings of the biblical patriarch Abraham).

Although every person is expected to serve the Church through various church “callings,” there are two types of missionaries within the Mormon Church: Proselytizing missionaries and Church Service missionaries. Most missionaries are proselytizing missionaries and they are usually single young men or women between the ages of 19 to 24. Typically, Mormon missionaries visit urban neighborhoods on bicycles and rural areas in cars. Men dress in black and white suits and are called “Elders,” while the women wear various colored skirt and dress outfits and are called “Sisters.” Many come from LDS homes, and are financially supported by their personal savings and gifts from friends and family members.

When a young LDS person commits to serve a “mission” for the Mormon Church, he or she is sent away from home to serve outside their home state in the U.S. or in a foreign country. During the first few weeks of training at an LDS “Missionary Training Center,” the young person studies the basic “missionary lessons” that are used to proselytize prospective converts into the Church. For those who are called to foreign countries, they are also taught the language and cultural skills of the country to which they are being sent. Each proselytizing missionary commits to serve a two-year mission for the Church and is assigned a “companion” partner of the same gender to serve together, two-by-two, at all times. For the first two to three months of a new missionary’s assignment, he or she is assigned a “trainer” for on the job support. Periodically, missionaries are transferred to other areas within their mission and teamed with new companions for new experiences.

Most Mormon missionaries are dedicated young people who know only what the Mormon Church has allowed them to know of its history and beliefs. Information is highly controlled in the mission. Missionaries are only allowed to call home once a year and correspond by mail or email once a week. At no time are missionaries allowed to be away from their “companions,” and they run a tight daily schedule from 6:30 AM to 10:30PM consisting of exercise, study, prayer, journaling, door-to-door proselytizing, meeting with prospective converts, and community service. During the mission, young missionaries learn for the first time how to teach and defend the deep doctrines of the Church, and they learn creative ways to cloak deep Mormon doctrines to prevent prospective converts from being turned away from some of the strange teachings of Mormonism.

HOW TO WITNESS TO LDS MISSIONARIES AT THE DOOR:

Mormon missionaries are constantly under stress to perform to the expectations of their leaders. If you are prepared and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, you can be used in a powerful way to bring the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to light in their hearts. We suggest three ways you can respond with love and truth to the missionaries who knock on your door:

1. IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO TALK…

If you don’t have time to talk, you can hand Mormon Missionaries copies of our business card tracts. Because Mormons are warned against reading “anti-Mormon” literature, these small tracts are perfect for planting seeds of truth in a way that is less threatening than a full-size, three-fold tract or pamphlet. Due to the size of these cards and the photos that look like Mormon images, the questions and Scriptures on the cards can be read before the missionary knows what he is reading. Even if he discards the card after reading it, the seeds of truth from God’s Word have already been planted in his mind. On the backside of the cards, we list the evangelistic www.4mormon.org website that is easy to remember and provides a source for more research once the missionary leaves his mission. These cards are great to place in your purse or wallet to have on hand when they visit your home or when you see them out in public. You can view and print the cards free from our website at the following link, or order pre-printed copies:

•QUESTION CARD TRACTS FOR MORMONS (www.4mormon.org)

How to present the card tracts to Mormon Missionaries:

When you encounter Mormon missionaries with a goal of giving them our tracts, we suggest that you hand one missionary the card entitled, “Is the Mormon Jesus the same Jesus of the Bible?” along with two or three different cards and hand the second missionary the card called, “Is Jesus a Separate God from the Father?” along with a different set of two or three cards that are not the same ones that you gave to the first missionary. This way, when they see that each received different cards, curiosity will encourage them to read all of the cards and more seeds will be planted that way. Be prepared for the following sample dialogue that may occur when you hand them the cards:

CHRISTIAN: “Hi! Are you missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?”

MORMON: “Yes, we are. Are you LDS?”

CHRISTIAN: “No. I’m a Christian and I love talking about Jesus Christ. I wish I had time to talk, but I really must go. Here are my cards about the Gospel. I hope you like them.”

MORMON: “Thanks... Is this Anti-Mormon literature?”

CHRISTIAN: “Not exactly. These cards are faith-promoting messages from the Scriptures to help you become better missionaries for the REAL Jesus Christ. I hope you find them encouraging.”

MORMON: “The ‘REAL Jesus Christ’? What do you mean by that statement?”

CHRISTIAN: “Haven’t you heard about the other Jesus that the Apostle Paul talked about at 2 Corinthians 11:4? There is ‘another’ Jesus and we need to be careful that we are only preaching about the right one. I would love to talk more about my faith in Jesus Christ with you, but I really need to go. I hope you have a good day.”

If the Mormon asks you if your cards are “anti-Mormon,” he is trying to follow the LDS Church’s advice not to read anything that is critical of Mormon beliefs. When you respond by saying that the cards are “faith-promoting messages from the Scriptures,” you are letting him know that these cards do not “bash” his faith in Jesus Christ or the Scriptures and you are identifying with his desire to be a faithful witness for the Lord Jesus.

2. IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO LEARN HOW TO DEFEND YOUR BELIEFS…

If you desire to share your faith one-on-one with Mormon missionaries, but you do not have time to prepare for an in-depth discussion on the differences between Mormon and Christian beliefs, you may try inviting them in to watch a film that you have on Mormonism. If presented tactfully, you may be successful in getting them to commit to an hour of video time and another hour afterward to discuss your concerns about the film. Since they may be hesitant to watch the video because they will see it as an “anti-Mormon” film, you will need to tactfully explain why you need their “help” in correcting any “errors” or “lies” that you believe about Mormonism from the film. For advice on how to present a film to Mormon missionaries, see the following article:

•HOW CAN I SHARE MY FAITH WITH MORMONS WITHOUT GETTING INTO AN ARGUMENT?

3. IF YOU WANT TO DIALOGUE EFFECTIVELY…

The best way to present the Biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ to Mormon missionaries is to invite them into your home for a friendly conversation on the differences between Biblical Christianity and Mormonism. If you want to dialogue effectively, you will want to ask them difficult questions that will challenge their beliefs in a gentle and loving way as they present their ideas to you. Since it is not uncommon for Mormon missionaries to fail to show for a meeting after being challenged on their beliefs at a prior meeting, it is important that you obtain their names and phone numbers at your FIRST meeting, so that you can call them if they fail to show for any subsequent appointment.

How to start a meaningful conversation with Mormon missionaries:

To be effective in witnessing, you must first recognize that they are not interested in debating or arguing with you about your beliefs. Since, they believe that conventional Christians do not have the fullness of the Gospel nor the “authority” to act in the name of God, they believe that you have nothing to offer them. They are trained to avoid people who know a lot about Mormonism and who attempt to get them to leave the Mormon Church. So, if you come across as too knowledgeable, they will immediately reject anything you have to say and mark their records so that you will not receive any more visits. Since arguing about beliefs is rarely profitable, we suggest that you ask questions to get them to think about the irrationality of their beliefs instead of telling them what you believe and arguing with a number of Scriptures that they are wrong. Your goal is to help them come to their own conclusions that Mormonism is wrong through the questions you are asking.

Do not assume that every Mormon you meet believes the same doctrines of Mormonism. In fact, many of the strange doctrines of the LDS Church (like blood atonement, Jesus having many wives, Jesus being produced through a procreative act between God the Father and Mary, etc.) have been de-emphasized in recent years. It is possible to meet a young Mormon missionary who has never heard of these doctrines or the fact that they have been taught by prominent LDS leaders in the past. So, do not tell Mormons what they believe. Rather, preface any discussion about the differences between Christianity and Mormonism with a question like:

“I’ve heard that the Mormon Church teaches… Is this what you believe?”

What to say if Mormon missionaries question your motives for talking to them:

When Mormon missionaries sense that you are strong in your Christian faith and that you are not going to convert to their beliefs, they may object to continuing their conversation with you by questioning your motives for talking to them. They may say something like this:

“I sense a spirit of contention here. You are not really interested in Mormonism, are you? Why did you invite us to meet with you in the first place? Are you trying to convert us to your beliefs?”

To answer this objection, we suggest that you reply with something like the following:

“You are right. I am comfortable in my faith and will likely not join the LDS Church. However, I invited you to talk to me because I want to learn more about what you believe. I have discovered that a person stops learning truth the moment he thinks he can’t learn anything from others. We both are learning from each other, aren’t we?”

By answering in this way, you have put the LDS missionary in a tough position. If he answers “no” to your question about learning from each other, he has just admitted that he doesn’t want to learn more truth. If he answers “yes” to your question, he has to then agree to allow you to share your position on your beliefs as well.

QUESTIONS TO ASK MORMON MISSIONARIES:

The Mormon Church realizes that many of the deep doctrines of Mormonism (such as the belief that men can become gods) are strange to most non-Mormons and Christians alike. The Church knows that if these doctrines were revealed right away to prospective converts, especially those who come from a Christian background, they would immediately be rejected. Thus, they train their missionaries with the principle of “milk before meat.” This principle warns missionaries not to discuss deep doctrines with you until you have accepted the basic doctrines of the LDS Church. To prevent Mormon missionaries from revealing doctrines too soon, the Church produced a systematic training manual called, Preach My Gospel. In chapter 3 of this guide, it details the essential doctrines that LDS missionaries are expected to teach to prospective converts. They may change the order of these doctrines to fit the needs of each individual, but if you agree to meet with them, you can be sure that at least one of the following topics will be discussed.

To prepare you to become an effective witness to them, we have briefly summarized each missionary lesson below and provided you with a series of questions that you can ask to plant seeds of truth as you engage in meaningful dialogue during the lessons. After the suggested questions, we have also provided additional links to relevant website articles for you to study and learn more about each topic.

Each time that you meet, we suggest that you only ask one or two of the series of questions we suggest, because you don’t want to make them feel like you are debating your beliefs with them. If you ask them only one or two series of questions that they are not able to answer, these questions will stay in the back of their minds for the Holy Spirit to use at the right time. However, if you barrage them with a LOT of questions, they will immediately shut down their thinking capacities and write you off in their minds as an anti-Mormon who is opposed to their beliefs and not really interested in the truth.

Remember that your goal is to win the person, not the argument. Don’t expect them to change their beliefs and accept yours right away. They are representatives for their Church, so even if they want to change their beliefs, they can’t without leaving their mission assignment and the LDS Church altogether. Your goal is just to plant seeds. If they understand the point you made (whether they agree with you or not), you have accomplished your goal. When you ask them some of the tough questions we are suggesting below, they may not be able to answer you right away, but you must allow let them save face. Don’t pressure them into a corner by forcing them to say that you are right. Remember they can’t do so as long as they are representing their Church. So, if they can’t answer your question, just humbly acknowledge their struggle and let the issue rest. The same is true for your response if they ask you a tough question that you can’t answer right away. Just say: “That’s a good question. I never thought of it that way before. I would like to do some research on this subject this week and the next time we get together, can we talk about this?” They will almost never say, “No” to your request. By giving each other the opportunity to save face in this way, you will be able to keep the discussion from turning into a debate.

One word of caution as you engage in dialogue with LDS missionaries: Stay on the topic that the missionaries want to discuss with you. Do not change subjects or try to divert them so that they can’t make their points with you. For example, if they’re talking about the “apostasy” and “restoration,” do not bring up Joseph Smith’s 34 wives and expect them to discuss the subject of Mormon polygamy with you. Changing topics from what the missionaries want to discuss with you is the quickest way to convince them that you are not really interested in listening to them. If you expect LDS missionaries to listen to you without interruption, then you must give them the decency and respect to hear them out as well.

LESSON 1: THE MESSAGE OF THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST:

•God is our loving Heavenly Father and we are his children. (“He has a body of flesh and bone… [and] has provided us… with a way to… return to live in His presence.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 31)
◦ASK: “If God has a body of flesh and bones, why did He say, ‘Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness’ at Genesis 1:26? Weren’t Jesus and the Holy Ghost only Spirit Beings then?”


◦IS GOD AN EXALTED MAN? (www.4mormon.org)

•The Gospel Blesses Families (“Because families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unity in time and in eternity.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 32)
◦ASK: “I appreciate the emphasis that the LDS Church gives to the traditional family. As our culture’s morality is falling apart, this concept needs to be protected. I agree with you that the family is indeed the basic element and strength of earthly life and society. However, if families are essential in Heaven, how did Jesus get exalted as God (John 1:1) to the highest level of Heaven without being married? He wasn’t married when He as God came to earth, was He (Philippians 2:6-7)?”
■Note: Mormons may object to your conclusion that the family is not needed in Heaven (Matthew 22:28-30) by saying that Jesus may have been married on earth, but if this comes up, you need to emphasize that Jesus was God BEFORE He came to earth. He wasn’t married BEFORE He was exalted to the position of God, so marriage must not be a “Celestial Law” that is required for full exaltation into the highest level of Heaven. Otherwise, if marriage was indeed a Celestial Law of God, one would have to say that Jesus was a “law breaker,” because he didn’t keep the LDS Law of Eternal Marriage before becoming God!


◦ WILL THERE BE MARRIAGE IN HEAVEN? (www.4mormon.org)

•Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation. (“God shows His love for us …by calling prophets, who are given the priesthood — the power and authority …to act in God’s name...” —Preach My Gospel, p. 32)
◦ASK: “Do you believe that EVERYONE who claims to be a Prophet of God is a true Prophet? How do we know a true Prophet from a false one (Matthew 24:11, 24; Deuteronomy 18:20-22)? What are some true prophecies that your current LDS Prophet has had fulfilled? How do you know he is a true prophet of God if he hasn’t had any prophecies that have come true?”
■Note: Don’t let Mormons get a way with claiming that the current Mormon Prophet’s moral teachings are proof of fulfilled prophecy. A prophecy is a prediction about a FUTURE event that was given in the PAST and fulfilled at the prophesied time. It is not a proclamation that affirms a moral or biblical principle.


◦ ARE PROPHETS FOR TODAY? (www.4mormon.org)

•The Saviors Earthly Ministry and Atonement (Jesus “…called twelve men to be His Apostles and…[gave] them priesthood authority. He organized His church… [and] He completed the Atonement.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 34)
◦ASK: “If the true Christian church must be organized with the same structure as the church Jesus established was organized, why does the LDS Church have only 12 Apostles when the early Christian Church had at least 19 Apostles?”
■The following is a list of 8 additional apostles that were added to the 12 disciples in the New Testament church: Matthias (Acts 1:26) replacing Judas, Barnabas (Acts 14:14), Andronicus (Romans 16:7), Junia (Romans 16:7), James, the brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19), Silvanus and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:6), and Paul (Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 15:8-10).


◦ WHAT MORMON.ORG DOESN’T TELL YOU ABOUT CHRIST’S CHURCH (www.4mormon.org)

•The Great Apostasy (“With the death of the Apostles, priesthood keys and the presiding priesthood authority were taken from the earth... the doctrines were corrupted, and unauthorized changes were made… many of the doctrines and ordinances of the gospel had been changed or lost.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 35)
◦ASK: “Doesn’t it say somewhere in your Scriptures that the Apostle John never died and that he would live until Christ returns (Doctrine and Covenants, section 7)? If the Apostle John never died, doesn’t this mean that he still has the original priesthood authority that Christ gave him? Where is he today? How do you know that he is not in one of our Christian churches exercising priesthood authority now? After all, didn’t Jesus promise at Matthew 16:18 that His church would never be destroyed?”


◦ THE GREAT APOSTASY (www.4mormon.org)

•The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith (“I was answered that I must join none of them [churches], for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt…”— Joseph Smith – History 1:19)
◦ASK: “If God told Joseph that ‘all’ of the creeds of Christianity were an ‘abomination in his sight,’ what is so abominable about the Apostles Creed (written in the 2nd century and formulated as an official creed around the 5th century)? If not ALL the creeds were an abomination when Joseph received this revelation, did God lie to Joseph?”
■APOSTLES CREED: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell [grave 2.]; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic [universal 3.] Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.”


◦ IS JOSEPH SMITH’S FIRST VISION A SOLID HISTORICAL FACT? (www.4mormon.org)

•The Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Pray to know the truth through the Holy Ghost (“In order to know that the Book of Mormon is true, a person must read, ponder, and pray about it.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 38)
◦ASK: “I have no problem praying for ‘wisdom’ (James 1:5) as I read the Book of Mormon, but even if the Book of Mormon is true, how does this prove that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church? Since there are over 100 groups that split away from the Mormon Church and all of these churches believe the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith are from God, how do I know yours is right? If the Book of Mormon is true, how can the LDS Church be true when it teaches the opposite of what the Book of Mormon teaches about God? For example, the LDS Church teaches that Jesus is a separate ‘God’ from the Father, but the Book of Mormon teaches that God the Father and Jesus Christ are the SAME God. If your Church has God wrong, how can it be Christ’s true Church?”
■JOSEPH SMITH: “I will preach on the plurality of Gods… I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.” —Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370
■MOSIAH 15:1-4: “And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son— And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.”
■ALMA 11:28-29: “Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No.”


◦ THE BOOK OF MORMON VS THE BIBLE AND LDS DOCTRINE (www.4mormon.org)

LESSON 2: THE PLAN OF SALVATION:

•Pre-Earth Life: God’s Purpose and Plan for Us (“God is the Father of our spirits. We are literally His children, and He loves us. We lived as spirit children of our Father in heaven before we were born on this earth.”—Preach My Gospel, p. 48)
◦ASK: “If all humans are children of God, why did Jesus say that some people have Satan as their ‘father’ (John 8:44)? If we are all God’s children, why do we need to be adopted into God’s family in the first place (John 1:12; Galatians 4:5)?”


◦ THE PURPOSE OF LIFE QUESTIONS ANSWERED - Mormonism vs. Biblical Christianity (www.4mormon.org)


•The Creation, Agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve (“Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and they chose to do so. This was part of God’s plan… Only in this way could God’s children progress and become like Him.”—Preach My Gospel, p. 49)
◦ASK: “If God placed Adam and Eve in a position that required them to disobey His command of not eating the forbidden fruit, doesn’t this belief make God responsible for tempting them into ‘sin,’ resulting in death (Romans 5:12)? Doesn’t the Bible say that ‘God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man’ (James 1:13)?”


◦ WHAT IS SATAN'S LIE? (www.4mormon.org)

•Our Life on Earth and the Atonement (“Because of our sins, we are unable to return to life with Heavenly Father, unless we are first forgiven and cleansed… we are responsible for our own sins. God cannot look on sin with any degree of allowance, and sin prevents us from living in His presence. Only through the Savior’s grace and mercy can we become clean from sin so that we can live with God again. This is possible through exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”— Preach My Gospel, pp. 50-51)
◦ASK: “Since ‘the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance,’ (Alma 45:16; Doctrine and Covenants 1:31) at what point do I know that I have exercised enough faith in Jesus Christ and repented of my sins enough so that God will grant me eternal life? How do I ‘endure to the end’ if I am still sinning in my thoughts and deeds right up until my death? If I am still a sinner when I find myself on my deathbed, doesn’t that mean that I did not fully repent of all of my sins? How can Christ’s grace be sufficient to cover my sins if Moroni 10:32 is true when it says that I must first ‘deny’ myself of ‘all ungodliness’ before Christ’s grace is ‘sufficient’ for me? How do I deny myself of ‘all’ ungodliness? Have you done that? Do you know anybody who has successfully stopped sinning?”


◦ ARE YOU PREPARED TO MEET GOD?—A Simple Test For The Honest Latter-Day Saint (www.4mormon.org)
•The Spirit World, Resurrection, Judgment, Immortality, and Kingdoms of Glory (“Because God rewards everyone according to deeds done in the body, there are different kingdoms of glory to which we may be assigned after Judgment.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 53)
◦ASK: “If everyone is assigned to one of the three kingdoms of glory based upon their deeds, how can I look forward to living together with my family in Heaven, if not everyone in my family is Mormon or is faithful to follow all the ordinances of the Gospel to the degree that I do? If I am only allowed to visit my relatives in a lower kingdom, how is that the same as living TOGETHER forever?”


◦ ARE FAMILIES REALLY FOREVER? (www.4mormon.org)

LESSON 3: THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST:
•Through Christ We Can Be Cleansed from Sin (“The Savior satisfied the demands of justice… when He stood in our place and suffered the penalty for our sins. …However, Jesus did not eliminate our personal responsibility. He forgives our sins when we accept Him, repent, and obey His commandments. Through the Atonement and living the gospel we become worthy to enter the presence of Heavenly Father permanently.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 61)
◦ASK: “Is Jesus sufficient or is He just a necessary step for our salvation? If Jesus is sufficient, why do we need to add our works of righteousness to his payment on the cross? Doesn’t that mean that you believe Jesus is insufficient to make us worthy?”
■Note: Avoid the temptation to get into a long argument over faith and works Scriptures. Until Mormons are broken by the realization that they can’t be good enough to be saved through the LDS Gospel, an argument over faith alone usually goes nowhere as they see this Gospel as “too easy.” So, for now, just stick with this question about the sufficiency of Christ until they admit that they believe Jesus is “insufficient.” They will really struggle with this question because it sounds so unchristian to say: “Jesus is insufficient.” Yet, when you finally get them to admit that they believe this, turn to them and say: “Thank you for being honest with me. I just wanted to hear you say that.” The impact of requiring them to physically say that they believe Jesus is insufficient will hit them very hard and they will never forget it.


◦ SAVED OR UNSAVED?—THAT IS THE QUESTION (www.4mormon.org)

•Faith in Jesus Christ (“Having faith in Christ includes having a firm belief that He is the Only Begotten Son of God and the Savior and Redeemer of the world.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 61)
◦ASK: “Do you know John? You know the one with three kids? Where does he live? …But you understand that even though your John lives in a different place than my John lives, we both know the same John, right? After all, both of our Johns have three kids! …Can you see how the fact that you and I both believe some of the same facts concerning Jesus’ identity, does not mean that we believe in the SAME Jesus? After all, your Jesus is Lucifer’s spirit BROTHER, but my Jesus is Lucifer CREATOR (Colossians 1:16-17)!”

Jesus of Mormonism Jesus of the Bible

Lucifer’s Spirit Brother
Not his brother – but his Creator

Son of an “Exalted Man”
God’s Son – God is “not a Man”

Not Begotten of the Holy Ghost
Begotten of the Holy Ghost

Attained his “Godhood”
Always Been God

Some Sins His Blood Can’t Cover
His Blood Covers “ALL” Sin




◦ I BEAR YOU MY TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST (www.4mormon.org)

•Repentance (“As we change, we recognize… that we need not continue making the same mistakes over and over. If we sincerely repent, we turn away from our sins and do them no more. We resist any desire to commit sin.” —Preach My Gospel, p. 62)
◦ASK: “Doesn’t it say somewhere in your Scriptures that ‘unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return’ (Doctrine and Covenants 82:7)? So, if I repeat a sin, I am held accountable for my former sins, right (Gospel Principles, p. 253)? At what point do I have the assurance of forgiveness? Since I must stop each sin in order to fully ‘repent’ of each sin and be forgiven, doesn’t this mean that I am not fully forgiven of all of my sins, until I have stopped sinning? Have you stopped sinning? So, you’re not really forgiven, are you? If you can’t offer me the assurance of forgiveness for my sins, what does your Church have to offer me?”


◦ARE YOU FORGIVEN OF ALL OF YOUR SINS? (www.4mormon.org)

•Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost (“Baptism is an essential ordinance of salvation. No person can enter the kingdom of God without being baptized… Baptism by water must be followed by baptism of the Spirit or it is incomplete. Only when we receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost can we receive a remission of our sins and become completely spiritually reborn.” —Preach My Gospel, pp. 61-65)
◦ASK: “I agree that baptism is the sign of faith and is to be done in obedience to Christ. However, at Acts 10:44-48 we read that: ‘While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word… Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.’ If physical baptism is necessary before one can receive the Holy Ghost, how did these Christians receive the Holy Ghost without first being baptized?”
■Note: Avoid the temptation to argue over whether or not baptism is required for salvation. This discussion goes nowhere with Mormon missionaries, but the example you provide from Acts 10 will sufficiently plant a seed of doubt against their belief in baptismal regeneration.


◦BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD - Is Mormon Baptism for the Dead a Christian Practice? (www.4mormon.org)

•Endure to the End (“Once we have been forgiven of our sins, we should try every day to remain free from sin so that we can always have the Holy Ghost with us. In the covenant of baptism, we promise our Father in Heaven that we will obey His commandments for the rest of our lives. If we fall short, we must repent… We promise to do good works, serve others, and follow the Savior’s example. In the scriptures this lifelong commitment is often called ‘enduring to the end.’” —Preach My Gospel, p. 66)
◦ASK: “I was reading 1 Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon and I noticed that it says, ‘that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.’ Do you believe this is true? That God doesn’t give you a command that you can’t obey? Have you obeyed all of God’s commands? Why not? Your Scriptures also say at Doctrine and Covenants 25:15 that God commands us to: ‘Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.’ Do you keep God’s commands ‘continually’? What part of the word ‘continually’ allows for an occasional disobedience to God’s commands? If you renew your covenants to obey God’s commands at Sacrament meeting each week, doesn’t the fact that you are not ‘continually’ obeying God’s commands make you a ‘covenant’ breaker? Doesn’t the fact that you continually repent, prove that you are not truly repentant? Otherwise, if you did truly repent by stopping the sin, you wouldn’t have any need to repent again, right? Would it be honest to admit that you have procrastinated the day of your repentance because you haven’t stopped sinning? What does Alma 34:33-35 say happens to those who ‘procrastinate’ the day of their repentance?”


■ALMA 34:33-35: “…I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.” —Alma 34:33-35


■Note: Your goal is to get the Mormon to see the impossibility of being saved through the LDS Gospel requirements, because their stop-the-sin view of “repentance” makes forgiveness impossible to receive. The Mormon missionary must come to see that no matter how many times he claims to “repent” of his sins, if he hasn’t stopped sinning, he hasn’t truly repented and therefore is not forgiven. As a result, Mormonism can never promise forgiveness, because no person (except Jesus Christ) has ever been able to achieve a sinless state of continual obedience to God’s commands. Once the Mormon is broken with the LDS law, then he will be open to the true Gospel of grace and forgiveness in the sufficient blood of Christ (Romans 3:28; 4:4-5; Hebrews 7:25; Psalm 103:12). Be patient. This will take time and you may not succeed in getting the Mormon to admit that his “repentance” requirements and the LDS teachings that you “cannot be saved in your sins” (Alma 11:37), make his Gospel impossible. But stay focused and plant the seeds of the law until he breaks. Only if he breaks is it time to share the real Gospel. Remember, Jesus didn’t share the Gospel of grace with the rich man (Mark 10:17-27). He only gave him the law because he wasn’t ready for grace. The same is true with Mormon missionaries. Their pride in their counterfeit gospel “works” (Isaiah 64:6) must be broken before they can receive and appreciate the simple Gospel of grace (Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).


◦THE IMPOSSIBLE GOSPEL OF MORMONISM — A Verse-by-Verse Presentation from LDS Scripture
LESSON 4: THE COMMANDMENTS AND LESSON 5: LAWS AND ORDINANCES

These last two lessons in the LDS training manual go into detail on the various “Laws” and “Commandments” of the LDS Gospel. These include: Prayer, Study of the Scriptures, Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy (Sunday rest), Baptism and Confirmation, Following the Prophet (The LDS Prophet will never lead you astray), Keeping the 10 Commandments, Living the Law of Chastity (moral purity), Obeying the Word of Wisdom (LDS prohibition on drinking tea and coffee), Keeping the Law of Tithing (Giving 10% to the LDS Church), Observing the Law of the Fast (Fasting two meals on the first Sunday of each month), Priesthood and Auxiliaries (LDS positions of authority), Missionary Work, Eternal Marriage, Temples and Family History (Performing Baptism for the Dead and various other unique LDS temple practices), and Service (Church “callings” or duties). Since these topics, although interesting to analyze, do not lead to effective discussions on the essential doctrines of the true Biblical Gospel, we will not provide any questions for you to ask Mormon missionaries on these topics. However, if you get this far into the missionary lessons after asking many of the questions detailed above, you can be certain that you have planted many seeds of truth that will not return