We’ve all encountered them. Those devout, nicely-dressed, bike-riding young men and women whose persistence in outreach puts Christians to shame.
Before you ignore the doorbell, or answer only to give a curt, thirty-second sermon on how they read the wrong Bible and worship the wrong Jesus, let me tell you two things I’ve learned about Mormons.
#1. Mormons need the saving blood of Jesus Christ. They are on their way to darkness and death. And you have the truth they desperately need.
#2. You have something powerfully in common with Mormons.
Ask any Mormon if they believe in the Bible. They will not only tell you they do; they will be happy to show you.
They will show you their Old Testament and their New Testament. And a lot of other books you’ve probably never seen.
If you ask them enough questions, you’ll discover they follow the sayings of men more than they follow the sayings of Jesus. Nevertheless, they will claim to follow the sayings of Jesus.
This is a perfect, wide, open door for the gospel to reach them.
Some friends and I were given an opportunity to talk with some Mormons. And by “opportunity,” I mean, they showed up at the door of a friend’s house while we were sanding drywall. Here are some things we did.
1. We invited them to our house. Doorway conversations aren’t the best. Especially at someone else’s home. So, we gave them our address and expressed interest in talking with them further. They showed up the next week, and we talked for an hour. We invited them back. And they kept coming. How so?
2. We showed interest in what they had to say. Rather than shutting them out as soon as we saw their backpacks and nametags, we greeted them with kindness and expressed curiosity concerning their beliefs. We shared our disagreements but not in a pushy, “we-don’t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-you” fashion.
3. We initiated Bible study. We said, “Hey, you say you believe the Bible, and we say we believe the Bible. This is our common ground right now. So let’s study the Bible together.” They were quite agreeable. On the rare occasion that they would say, “Joseph Smith says . . . ,” we would kindly remind them, “Wait, a minute, that’s not the Bible we ‘agree’ on.” They were pretty happy to comply because it meant they could continue talking with us.
4. We followed their lead. When they made a point that was obviously unbiblical, we didn’t say, “That’s obviously unbiblical.” We said, “Oh really? Can you show us where you see that?” or “I don’t remember reading where Jesus said that. Can you explain?” We allowed the Bible to speak for itself. The more they saw what God has to say, the more the lies they were taught to believe folded before their eyes. Truth always prevails.
The result? The conversations continued for weeks. And months. They began to ask us questions. They were faced with the reality of “Scripture alone.” Not the Scripture of their own making. It puzzled them. And it often left them silent.
But they were still sitting in the living room. They hadn’t run. Here we were teaching Mormons about the God of the Bible, their only Hope.
What I began to see in their eyes was a search for truth. They had taken on the Mormon missionary lifestyle perhaps because of the pressure of their families, perhaps to find a spouse {no joke}, or perhaps because it was truly what they believed. But the more we talked, the more it sounded like even they didn’t know what they believed.
Not every knock on the door is a gospel encounter. But it seems that our natural inclinations have the potential to turn many away.
Mormons have something very precious in their hands: the Word of God. It will guide them and lead them to all truth. Perhaps we are the unsuspecting “missionaries” they find behind the door who can kindly cut away the lies.
Then, when all that remains is the Only True Word . . .
By God’s grace, may they see and believe.
[photo credit: unsplash.com]
Journey of the Word 
What a great testimony! Very interested in hearing more about specifics. What was said? What were things you agreed on? Disagreed on?
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For sure! I’ll have to tell you more sometime!
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Thank you so much for your well-written description, Lydia. I am a Christian home school alumnus surfing around on here to fulfill current college assignment about online communities, but this interested me because a couple of “elders” had been ministering at my campus. We were friendly to each other, but I’ve been too busy to generate any sort of relationship with them. This is food for thought.
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Great! Thanks for sharing! If you’re looking for online communities…I assume you found homeschoolalumni.org and that’s what sent you here? If not, you should check it out!
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We live in Arizona, so we encounter lots of Mormons, even became friends with Mormon neighbors. It can be very challenging witnessing since they see themselves at witnessing to us. I asked our Mormon neighbor friends once how they viewed us as Christians, and they said it’s kind of the same as we view Jews. We believe the Jews have “missed” the Messiah, and they believe we have “missed” the prophet, Joseph Smith, and everything that goes along with his teachings. It can be frustrating for sure since we so desperately want our Mormon friends and neighbors to be saved. Thanks for sharing this!! Great advice. 🙂
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Wow, yeah, that’s so interesting. It is certainly sad to see their blindness, but I pray so often that, with Mormons in particular, Christians would see the opportunities they have to reach them.
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Thank you for a great reminder that the Lord can open any door, and that we should be willing to take the opportunities that He presents us! Love how you used grace and truth to lovingly share the real Gospel with them!
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I love the way you and your friend approached this! God says that His Word will not return to Him void without accomplishing that for which He sent it. Of course, we need to make sure that we are well grounded in our understanding of the Word before we attempt something like this lest they lead us astray. But it sounds like you and your friend have a good understanding of the Word. Keep up the good work!
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Yes, there are definitely some cautions to consider. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Wow, Lydia, that is a great testimony. I must confess that I have often turned them away. You have given me another way of looking at it and a way to actually reach them. Thank you for sharing with us at #LMMLinkup!
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I was the same way! I had always turned them away, too! I’m so grateful for my friend who showed me another, perhaps more effective way to reach them! Praying God sends some Mormons your way! 🙂
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Lydia, this is great truth! We often miss opportunities that God literally brings to our doorsteps! Thanks for a great reminder and for linking up at Mondays @ Soul Survival.
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This is awesome, Lydia! I’ve had a similar encounter with a couple of sweet Jehovah Witness ladies. I haven’t had the opportunity to go into great depth as of yet, but we are building rapport and are cordial. The Lord has directed me in researching what they believe, and I’ve watched teachings on how their own Bible contradicts their beliefs. Their Bible has reworded things, so it’s not apples to apples. Thanks again for sharing, and this is the way all Christians need to see others who follow false religious beliefs. We need to see them as God sees them, sheep gone astray and lost. We have been entrusted with the truth and we are not to keep it to ourselves. Great post!
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Thanks so much! How wonderful that you’ve been given this opportunity with these JW ladies! I’ll be praying that your time with them is fruitful!
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I have enjoyed having the opportunity to study with Mormon’s in our neighborhood. Thanks for reminding everyone that they have missed the kingdom and need our evangelism!
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