Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Other faiths and ideologies to be discussed in
this series will include Cultural
Christianity Agnostics/Humanists Wicca
Universalism New Age/Hindu Judaism Jehovahs
Witness Mormonism Buddhism Islam
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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Today, we will explore
• Jehovahs Witness
• Mormonism

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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• The Pew Forum Research group says over 78 of US
  Citizens are Christian
• 51 Protestant
• 24 Catholic
• 1.7 Mormon
• 0.7 Jehovahs Witness

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Both Jehovahs Witness and Mormonism are both
classified as cults. Why is this
important? But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to
the one we preached to you, let him be accursed
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As we have said before, so now I say again If
anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
the one you received, let him be accursed.
Galatians 18-9
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We must be prayerful in sharing the gospelwe
MUST NOT depend on our own strength, but on the
power of the Holy Spirit In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was with God in the beginningThe
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us John 11-2, 14a
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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Essentials
• We have all done wrong in Gods eyesRom323
• This wrong doing separates us from God
  foreverRom 623
• God sent His Son Jesus to take our punishmentRom
  58

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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths

• Essentials
• Turn away from doing wrong as a way of lifeActs
  238
• Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lordbelieve in
  your heart that God raised him from the dead, you
  will be saved. Rom 109

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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
The main thing to remember in sharing your
faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, you have
to SHARE the plan of salvation
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If they reject the message, DO NoT STOP being
their friend or loving them
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Cultany belief which diminishes what the Bible
says who Christ is 1 John 44 says do not
believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out in to the world.
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This is how you can recognize the Spirit of
God Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus
Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but
every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is
not from God. This is the spirit of the
antichrist
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• Cults claim to be biblically based Christian
  denominations
• All cults deny or redefine any or all essential
  Christian doctrines
• Cults/sects usually claim to be led by divinely
  inspired leaders.
• Cults claim a new inspired written scripture
• Cults claim to be the only true church in the
  world.

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• Mormonism

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Famous Mormons Glenn Beck Stephen Covey Ty
Detmer Andy Reid Steve Young Mitt Romney Butch
Cassidy Marie Osmond Harry Reid Gladys Knight
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• Basic Mormon Background
• Official Name The Church of Jesus Christ of
  Latter Day Saints
• Founder Joseph Smith Jr.
• Worldwide 13.2 million believers
• US 5.7 million

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Arent they just another denomination like
Baptists or Presbyterians? They use words
likegospel, atonement, virgin birth, and even
pray in Jesus nameMormons, afterall, are very
good people who aggressively send
missionaries Sowhat is the real deal?
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http//www.youtube.com/watch?vW4vyFlxqP5ceurlht
tp//www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/parenting/detail
?blogid29entry_id14607featureplayer_embedded
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Faith different than Biblical faith as it has a
different Jesusthey believe Jesus was born a
spirit child of God. Faith is seen as a response
to whatever Christ commands, not as a trust in
His complete ability to save. This kind of faith
never results in a personal relationship with Him.
Taken from 4truth.net
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Repentance Biblical repentance is essential,
but Mormons believe involves confessing and
abandoning sin as well as restoring all damage
done by ones sinit is a work in the obedience
to the Church of LDSs mandates.
Taken from 4truth.net
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Baptism by Immersion in the Church of LDSthe
gateway through which we enter the celestial
kingdom. Laying on of handsthe Holy Spirit is
not promised as a result of faith and belief, but
comes as an elder lays hands on him.
Taken from 4truth.net
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Celestial Marriage the members must be married
to their spouses in an LDS temple so that worthy
Mormons are resurrected and possibly progress to
godhood they may have their spouse with them to
produce and procreate children for their world
and universemany kids, many wives!
Taken from 4truth.net
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God, called Heavenly Father, is a physical man of
flesh and bone who once lived on a world like our
ownthrough righteous living, obedience to his
Heavenly Father, and Celestial marriage, he
progressed to become the god of our universe
Taken from 4truth.net
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Mormons also reject Christ as being GodJesus is
just one of billions of spiritual children
Taken from 4truth.net
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Tithing Required to pay 10 of their
salarytithing is a part of the plan of salvation
to escape censor at the second coming of Christ.
Taken from 4truth.net
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Obedience Weekly Sunday gathering is
essentialobedience is the first law of heaven to
gain exaltation in the Celestial
Kingdom. Perdition or hell is reserved for
apostatethose who leave the Mormon church and
resign their membership in it
Taken from 4truth.net
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Obedience no salvation apart from total
obedience of all laws and ordinance of the
Church. Outer darkness is reserved for apostate
member of the Mormon churchthere will be no
salvation of forgiveness for these sons of
perdition
Taken from 4truth.net
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Mormon gospelnot good news! Teaches that each
devout saint is working hard to pay off their sin
debt to the churchit will not be easy, but it
will be possible.
Taken from 4truth.net
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Mormon gospelnot good news! Teaches that each
devout saint is working hard to pay off their sin
debt to the churchit will not be easy, but it
will be possible.
Taken from 4truth.net
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God of the Bible Personal Creator Omnipotent O
mniscient Omnipresent Immutable Only One
GodJesus is the 2nd Person of God of the Trinity
Taken from 4truth.net
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• Rest assured in the inerrancy and the truth of
  the Bible
• Engage them in conversation regarding grace,
  love, sin, judgmentlet them talk!
• Share the hope you have in Christ and why

Taken from 4truth.net
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• The draw for many Mormons is the love and
  family atmosphere within their templebe their
  friend and show them love.
• Do not put their beliefs down as being silly

Taken from 4truth.net
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• Trust God to give you the words to say
• PRAY
• Help them to see of the assurance of eternal life
  with God through Christ!

Taken from 4truth.net
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Jehovahs Witness
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Famous Jehovah Witness Dwight D.
Eisenhower Evelyn Mandela Naomi
Campbell Venus/Serena Williams Prince Mi
chael Jackson Janet Jackson Mickey Spillane
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• Jehovahs Witness Background
• Founder Charles Taze Russell
• Worldwide 6.9 million believers
• US 1.1 million
• Key Publications
• The Watchtower
• Awake!
• Reasoning from the Scriptures
• The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
  (NWT)

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History In 2nd Century church history, Arius
taught that Jesus was the first created being of
Jehovah God. Russell resurrected this theology
in early 1800s and began an independent Bible
study focusing on 2nd coming of Christ and
biblical chronology.
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• Bibleonly the New World Translation (NWT) of the
  Holy Scriptures is the best translation
• Teaches the true God is not a nameless God the
  historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity is
  denied

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1 NWT John 11-2 In the beginning the Word
was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
a god. 2 This one was in the beginning with
God. 3 All things came into existence through
him, and apart from him not even one thing came
into existence. See anything wrong with this
verse?
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1 NWT John 11-2 In the beginning the Word
was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
a god. 2
It should read In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
(NIV)
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It is so important as Christians to read and
study Gods Word 2 Timothy 316-17 All
Scripture is God-breathed and useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness Matt. 518 For truly, I say to
you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an
iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all
is accomplished.
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• Beliefs
• Christ is not God, but first born
• Watchtower teaches that Michael the archangel
  disapped from heaven and was conceived
  miraculously by Mary
• Jehovah is God and trinity is denied
• Deity of Holy Spirit is denied(not caps in NWT)

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• Beliefs (cont)
• Mankinds sin brought deathno conscious
  existence at death
• JWs deny the physical resurrection of Jesus from
  the deadonly spiritual and only appeared as
  physical.
• Christ died on a torture stake and resurrected as
  a spirit being

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• Beliefs
• Satan is in control of this world and its
  institutions-especially the Christian churches
• Does not believe in blood transfusions.
• Salvation requires faith, baptism by immersion,
  active in WBTS, righteous conduct, and absolute
  loyalty to Jehovah

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• Beliefs (cont)
• Two classes of saved people
• Anointed Class 144,000 faithful elect know as
  the (based on Rev. 141-3)
• Other Sheep or Great Crowd after Armageddon and
  the millennium, will live forever in Paradise on
  earth.

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• Beliefs (cont)
• Armageddon is coming soonwill mark the
  destruction by God of this present evil system,
  including apostate Christendom
• Final Judgment/Paradise on Earth
• After the millenium, Satan and his allies will be
  destroyed. Faithful JWs will inherit
  everlasting life on perfect Paradise

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• Beliefs (cont)
• those who have disobeyed will be annihilated out
  of existence with Satan and his demons. Hell is
  the name for the grave and not a real placehell
  is not scriptural, (according to WBTS).

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Bible response Jesus Christ is the Lord, the
second Person of the Godhead, who came to earth
as a Man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross
for our sins and was resurrected bodily from the
dead (1 Cor. 131-8). He ascended into heaven
and will return to earth to judge all people and
to establish the eternal kingdom of God.
Christians know that by Gods grace, through
faith in Christ, they are assured a place in His
kingdom (1 John 513).
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• Witnessing to Jehovahs Witnesses
• Have a clear understanding of your faith and the
  Bible
• Acquire a basic knowledge of JWs beliefs and
  practices.
• Establish relationship by asking questions.
• Be prepared to cite specific Bible passages
  supporting Christina doctrines.
• Focus the discussion on the primary issue of the
  person and work of Christ. You cannot debate
  anyone to Christ!

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Sharing Our Faith with those of other faiths
Above all, again, rely on the power of the Holy
Spirit to guide you and to change the heart of
the person you are speaking Remember, God is in
the business of miraclestrust Him