These Next 12 Minutes Could Save Your Life

     Jeff Durbin is a pastor at Apologia Church in Tempe AZ.  He is a man who is passionate about God, about the Gospel, and about reaching the world for Christ.  He is a man that I look up to and respect.  His ministry reaches out to all different types of people of faith.  One of these groups is the Mormons.  Below is a video encounter that he had with a few missionaries.  It is only 12 minutes long but those 12 minutes could save you for all time and eternity.  

Check it out.

     I just want to say something about this video.  A lot of times when people are conversing with Mormons, a lot of anger and hostility comes out.  I have even been very guilty of this from time to time.  But, Pastor Jeff is literally bursting with pure love and concern for these two young men.  I love hearing him carefully walk them through the Bible and boldly, yet humbly, proclaiming that what Joseph Smith taught was in direct contrast to what the Bible teaches.  He is not in your face, he is not brash, he is not condescending at all.  He is being Jesus to these folks and I, for one, need to follow Pastor Jeff's example.

     Another thing I loved is that Pastor Jeff kept comparing the Bible with Mormon Doctrine.  And in his comparisons, you could easily see them as polar opposites.  Here is an overview of what he said:

TWO COMPLETELY OPPOSING VIEWS ON GOD

The LDS Prophets taught that there are multiple Gods.  

"We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity.  I will refute that idea, and take away the veil so that you may see. ...Here, then, is eternal life-to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you..."
-1st LDS Prophet Joseph Smith, The King Follett Sermon; May 13th, 1971.
Read it full here

"As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be."
-5th LDS Prophet, The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1984], 1.
Read it here

But...the Bible says there is only One God.  

"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD...that ye may know and believe, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." 
(Isaiah 43:10).

 TWO COMPLETELY OPPOSING VIEWS ON SALVATION

The Book of Mormon teaches that God's Grace picks up after our efforts fall short

"...for we know it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 

(2 Nephi 25:23).   

The Bible says that it is solely by grace that we are saved.  

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 

(Eph. 2:8-9).  

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.  ...Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." 

(Rom. 3:23-28)

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."  

(Gal. 5:1-5)  

*Historical note: Jesus was talking to people who believed it was faith with works under the law that saved.

-----------------------

     Lastly, I wanted to end with the powerful statement of this video (around 7:05).  Pastor Jeff very eloquently, humbly, and boldy proclaims a truth that even I tend to beat around the bush on at times.  But, with the authority of God and the boldness of the Apostle Paul, Pastor Jeff lovingly states the following.  "I think we're preaching different gospels.  It's not a minor issue.  It's an issue of eternal death or eternal life.  That's why I'm concerned.  That why I don't think the arguments between us are not just pithy.  They are pretty serious. ...Now if God is the only God, truly, eternally, and he was not a man who became a God, and you can't become one one day, it would mean that you guys are out preaching a message of a false God."



For more information on Pastor Jeff Durbin and Apologia Church
www.apologiachurch.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/Defendthefaithorg