New Beginnings

By Kevin Molloy

The theme for this month at Beleiversbay.com is new beginnings. Well, I have started to witness to Mormons and it has been a very interesting series of events that have been set in place.

Here in Mesa AZ where I now live I have seen some strange reactions by my Christian brothers and sisters when I discussed with them about actually inviting Mormons into my house to discuss items of theology with them. I have created an atmosphere of mutual respect that seems to bear good fruit with the Mormons.

I led a young woman to the Lord who has served the Mormon cause for many years. It all started out very strangely and bears telling all the believers who will listen how they too can witness to Mormons.

I am in the middle of the largest community of Mormons south of Utah and there is a temple here and a book distribution center here as well. They say that Mormons own Mesa AZ. One day I was in therapy for a broken shoulder. A woman came up to me and started a friendly conversation.

She had some serious questions about the reasons why we are here and what is supposed to be our work while we are here. These age old questions are secret keys to witnessing to others and once you can answer these questions from a godly , biblical perspective, then there are a great variety of witnessing opportunities available to every believer.

I started to witness to my therapist about why my arm was being rehabilitated when this young lady asked me if I truly was in China. She wanted to hear all about it and when we parted company there was a growing satisfaction in her mind that I should be somebody that she could discuss deep issues with and she has many issues in which to discuss.

I did not know she was a Mormon at first. The questions she had were pretty general and were the usual questions which I had encountered before in my witnessing attempts to others. A very strange thing happens when I meet someone like this young lady. The normal fog from my challenged brain seems to lift and it is almost as if I have never had a brain injury at all.

Momma was the same way when she neared death some tie ago. She had a mind that sharpened whenever she was talking about the prison ministry and the Lord Jesus. At the other times she seemed totally unaware of where she was

It has caused some of my relatives to doubt that I have even had a brain injury at all. God is good…all the time. Thankfully I have voluminous paperwork and documented reports from medical personnel verifying the state of my disability.

Kathleen’s questions were actually bordering upon the documents and rituals she has had with the members of her Mormon church more than the normal questions others would have. She was unhappy with the vagueness that surrounded her and her family.

I had nothing to say and felt very uncomfortable about the whole thing and then it hit me that here was an opportunity to help someone out of Mormonism when the answers seemed to be simpler from the Bible.

There was an almost Roman Catholic tone that came from the elders that I questioned. I noticed the similarity right away. The subject of excommunication and shunning came forth in our discussions. Here I was trying to help someone to become a better Mormon and not become excommunicated from her Church.

I had the desire to help her simply because she asked me to help her. Jesus did not shrink from helping anyone who asked Him for help. Therefore I followed the Master and did what He would do to work out the problems that confronted me. One thing I noticed was that I was reading a lot more Bible than usual.

I had to because the Book of Mormon was so scatter brained. I noticed that there was no reference works like we have in Christianity. There is not the slightest hint of biblical help within the Mormon community, and while I can look up everything through Strong’s Concordance and check out Greek and Hebrew.

While treading carefully I noticed that my questions were constantly avoided and referred to other more qualified people who were busy with other matters and not available to talk to. I was amazed that I am still surrounded with my questions and asked to study the Book of Mormon by myself and get my own answers.

I have asked young elders and bishops now questions that would seem to be innocuous to the standard line with which they are familiar. To the point that I wish to talk to someone very high up in their organization hoping that maybe somebody somewhere can deal with reality and answer my seemingly trivial questions.

These are the questions that I have been asking which are off the beaten path and therefore difficult for Mormons to answer.

How do I know that I have eternal life?

When Jesus says there is neither giving nor taking in marriage in Heaven because we are just like the angels when we get there, why do they think that we will have a normal life up there just like we have had down here.

What will we do when we get to Heaven?

Do we see three levels of Glory there?

Why do we call an elder a young man of twenty when he has no gray hair or lacks experience to answer our difficult questions.

Why are we so afraid of Mormons when they seem so clean cut and well groomed?

All of the above questions are the New Beginning of my ministry to my Mormon friends, and perhaps I will have little impact upon them just like most Christians think today…perhaps…just perhaps… this will be the start of a mighty work among the Mormons.

A New Beginning?????