Giving a Defense (Visitation 1/26/09)

To those of you who have missed my input on the blog, I apologise for my lack of posts. There have been some great things this year going on Monday nights, and I have failed as a writer to let you all in on the joy. Last night, we had a smaller group than we have grown accustomed to seeing, but the Lord moved in a great way. We had only one group of 3 go out, and went to only one house. And to the best of my knowledge, we set a record for the longest night of visitation for Monday nights. This visit will lay heavy on my heart for some time to come.
The couple we met with were Mormons who attend the Latter Day Saints church in Zebulon. They have been members of that belief for 40 years, and were set in their ways. And while little progress was made from the beginning of the visit to the end, the Gospel was shared, and the seed was planted. They had grown up in protestant churches in their youth, went off to a protestant college, and had issues with accepting some of the wonderful Truths that have been revealed to us through God's word, namely the Trinity and the fullness of deity in all Three. And while they did not repent on this evening, it is very possible the Lord may use this as a segway to open their eyes and their hearts to His truth sometime in the future. Also, those of us who were sharing gained a vast knowledge of the heresy that is spreading like wildfire throughout the world. We were respectful and listened, but were bold when necessary to defend the faith and the hope that are within us.

"Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." 1 Peter 3:14-17

There were some convicting things shared with us as well. The Latter Day Saints have 55,000-60,000 missionaries stationed throughout the world. While in Thailand, Coop saw some in the village he was ministering in. While in Honduras, we saw some in Ville San Francisco. They are truly taking their message and spreading it. How much moreso should we, being entrusted with the Truth and the Gospel, be sharing it to the ends of the earth?

We also need to be sure of what it is that we beleive. The only ways for this to happen are to be reading our Bibles, understanding what we are reading, and to be in the company of one another, encouraging each other with what we have been reading, and growing in the knowledge, faith and love of our Lord and Savior. If these things sound familiar, that is because we have been talking about them in Bible studies and in Scott Kellum's teachings on Sunday Nights. Test the spirits. Weigh everything you hear from anyone against God's Word in the Bible. We must not be led astray because of our ignorance. We need to continue loving one another as Christ loved the church. Grace and peace, and hope to see you all on Wednesday or Sunday. If you would like to talk about these things, or anything, call me or contact me on Facebook. Love you guys. -Bubba