Whooooo shaky shaky shaky! I just got done talking to some Mormon missionaries.

Mormon missionaries come around our apartment complex every so often. The last time they came around, I got them away as quickly as I could by telling them I believed in Christ already. This time I couldn't do that as easily. So I had to let them talk. All the time I was just...a wreck anticipating an all-out war like I have gotten into in the last 2 years with people who I think are wrong about their beliefs.

Thank God it didn't come to that. It was way more tame than I was expecting.

They asked me what I believed about Christ, so I told them. Then they mentioned something about present-day prophets that break through the wall between us and God, and I actually managed to reference a portion of the Bible that speaks about us not needing anymore mediators, because Christ is THE mediator. I must say I am not exactly sure of the Bible references that support that, but I do know it's a pretty clear concept in the Bible.

The last angle they tried was, why are there so many different churches when Christ came to establish only one? So I told them my idea. :) I told them that people get distracted from the only thing that matters, Christ crucified. I said that I think if we all hold to the one truth--Christ and Him crucified--that we're all brothers and sisters in Christ, but that people do get distracted by one tenet or another.

They said they could see I was "full of faith" and left me a card. :)

One thing I am not proud of is that I told them my next-door neighbor doesn't go to a church of any kind. I was trying to deflect them off of me onto somebody else. I hope they don't make a special trip to her house now that I said that (she's not home yet). :( But if they do, I hope they never figure out that she doesn't get home until after 4:00.

The Mormon religion, like all non-Christian religions, is a works-based religion. There are other differences (i.e. Jesus was not God, just a god, much like [they say] men [but not women] of their religion can become if they are good enough), but when talking about Christianity vs. the world, Christ and the cross is the only thing that matters.

The reason I was so understanding at all toward them is because Mormons genuinely try to be good people. And they do believe (I think) that Jesus' death paid the penalty for original sin--just not all the sins they commit themselves. They believe they have to pay for all of those sins themselves, although I'm not sure what their system of repayment looks like, if they have one.

I don't know if the Mormons' lack of trust in the Cross for ALL sin will keep them from heaven or not. I don't think we will ever know this side of eternity. But I can see myself, after this encounter, talking to a Mormon about the Cross in a more in-depth way. I'm not as scared now. Thank God for that! God has obviously sufficiently prepared me for evangelism. That is a nice place to be.

*sigh* I wish I could just sit here and think about evangelism and Christ and what God is doing in my life right now. But, alas, I need to get a head start on housecleaning in preparation for Heidi and Alex coming over tomorrow after class. I am so unmotivated to do housework today... :P

-Stephanie

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