Talking to Mormons

By Danny LarsenReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education

Talking to Mormons episodes

March 06, 2019 Who is the Living Prophet?
Let me ask
you, do you believe Jesus is alive or dead right now?
Let’s see
what the writer of Hebrews said about this subject. Please read Hebrews
1:1-2
“God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he
hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
In the past,
God spoke to his people through prophets.
But, in these last days God speaks to us by his Son.
So, who did
you say the church’s “living” prophet was again?
Latter-Day
Saints believe they need a spokesman on earth as the voice of the Lord who is
directing the affairs of the church.
Isn’t that
the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to inspire, reveal, and guide us as
members of the body of Christ?
As we read
in Hebrews 3:1, Jesus is our Apostle, and High
Priest. Going on to the next chapter,
let’s read Hebrews 4:14-16
“Seeing
then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.”
He is our
only high priest. We do not need any
intermediaries. We can go directly to
Him. There is no need of mortal men in
brick and mortar institutions to get in the way between us and God. No need for bishops, pastors, priests, or
so-called prophets.
The New
Testament is clear on this issue. I know
you’re familiar with this missionary scripture.
1 Timothy 2:5
“For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
And that “one mediator” is Jesus! He is the living Prophet. He is our only Prophet. He is our everything!
3 min
March 04, 2019 Matthew 10-12; Mark 2; Luke 7 – Come Follow Me

Since God is love, when is there a time when His Law must be broken to show mercy to someone suffering, it is permissible.

Read More

Before we get started, I want to encourage you to share this podcast with family and friends and anyone else you think might benefit from learning truth from the Word of God.
If you are listening on iTunes podcast, please consider giving us a 5-star rating so we can grow our audience. Also, please give us a high rating by giving us a thumbs up. We appreciate you listening and supporting this effort.
The manual begins by, reminding us that In, the previous lesson “Words of Jesus’ healing miracles was spreading quickly. Multitudes followed Him, hoping for relief from their sicknesses. But when the Savior looked upon the multitudes, He saw more than their physical ailments. Filled with compassion, He saw sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). ‘The harvest truly is plenteous,’ He observed, ‘but the labourers are few’ (Matthew 9:37). So, He called twelve Apostles, ‘gave them power,’ and sent them to teach and minister ‘to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:1, 6).”
Let’s examine this idea a little further.
In Matthew 10:1-2 it refers to these men as both disciples and apostles – two terms emphasizing different aspects of the calling of the 12.
These 12 disciples had been with Jesus for some time before they were called to be sent forth. Up to this time, they sat at His feet, and had received His words; they learned of His doctrines and had seen His miracles – all in training and preparation to enter, into service. He called them together and as Apostles He “gave them power” and a commission to preach the Gospel.
The manual tells the instructor: “To il
22 min
February 28, 2019 Matthew 8-9; Mark 2-5 – Come Follow Me

Welcome to the Come Follow Me – podcast
From the Come Follow Me manual for Sunday School, Families, and Individuals – this review covers the lesson plan for Matthew chapters 8 and 9. Also, Mark chapters 2 through 5.
In the previous lesson we concluded the Savior’s Sermon on the Mount. The Master now continues His ministry and teaching in Galilee. The manual makes a great point in today’s study by stating: “It’s hard to read the New Testament without being impressed by the many accounts of the Savior’s healing the sick and afflicted – everyone from a woman with a fever to a girl who had been pronounced dead. What messages might there be for us in these miracles of physical healing? Certainly, one obvious message is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, with power over all things. Including our physical pains and imperfections. But another meaning found in His words to the skeptical scribes: ‘That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10).’ So, when you read about a blind person or a leper being healed, you might think of the healing – both spiritual and physical – that you can receive from the Savior and hear Him say to you, ‘Thy faith hath made thee, whole (Mark 5:34)’.”
His popularity has resulted in large crowds following Jesus.

Read More

Matthew 8:2-3 “And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou can’t make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleaned.” This loathsome disease is a perfect picture of the filthiness and decay of sin. Leprosy, like most sin begins really small. In time it spreads, infecting ever
16 min
February 25, 2019 Matthew 6-7 – Come Follow Me
Print

Matthew 6-7

This lesson is a continuation of The Sermon on the Mount that began in chapter 5. The manual reminds us that “the Sermon on the Mount is one of the best-known discourses in Christianity.”
The text starts out by addressing the proper motives for giving. In the Lord’s time, begging was commonplace. The Pharisees were willing to give but because of their hearts and the way they had interpreted godliness, their giving was very ostentatious. In a faith where everything ought to be done from the heart and unto the Lord, everything would be done without a care for what others see. In order to assess the, actions we take, we might ask ourselves WHY am I doing this? For what purpose and to what end? As it says in Matthew 6:1 “to be seen of them” – in other words, “to be seen of men”? Or, to completely honor God? The praise of men – their noticing us – the recognition they bestow goes a long way in feeding our pride. Jesus makes it clear that He wants His disciples to get motivated and enthused by other means. In the end, the only way to follow His directives is to ensure that the reason we give alms, or pray, or whatever it is we do – is because we love the Lord above all other things.

19 min
February 25, 2019 Matthew 6-7 – Come Follow Me
Print

Matthew 6-7

This lesson is a continuation of The Sermon on the Mount that began in chapter 5. The manual reminds us that “the Sermon on the Mount is one of the best-known discourses in Christianity.”
The text starts out by addressing the proper motives for giving. In the Lord’s time, begging was commonplace. The Pharisees were willing to give but because of their hearts and the way they had interpreted godliness, their giving was very ostentatious. In a faith where everything ought to be done from the heart and unto the Lord, everything would be done without a care for what others see. In order to assess the, actions we take, we might ask ourselves WHY am I doing this? For what purpose and to what end? As it says in Matthew 6:1 “to be seen of them” – in other words, “to be seen of men”? Or, to completely honor God? The praise of men – their noticing us – the recognition they bestow goes a long way in feeding our pride. Jesus makes it clear that He wants His disciples to get motivated and enthused by other means. In the end, the only way to follow His directives is to ensure that the reason we give alms, or pray, or whatever it is we do – is because we love the Lord above all other things.

19 min
February 21, 2019 Matthew 5; Luke 6 – Come Follow Me
This review from
the LDS – Come Follow Me manuals for Sunday School, Families, and Individuals covers
the lesson plan for Matthew 5, and Luke 6.
People
assume that Jesus’ words and phrases were completely original. The text of the Sermon on the Mount is
steeped in phraseology from the Old Testament.
Jesus’ words were not completely new.
These expressions would have had a familiar ring to his disciples in
Galilee. Jesus is teaching His disciples, His
inner-group of apostles, up in a mountain, away from the masses.
The
substance of this teaching in Matthew 5 is also recorded in the 6th
chapter of Luke, but it is different. I would suggest that this teaching was
repeated possibly many times to many different groups over the course of Jesus’
three-year ministry.
The word “blessed” means “happy” “fortunate”. Jesus is teaching the way to Christian
blessedness or happiness, not the happiness the world provides. It’s important to distinguish between Jesus’
prescription for happiness and the worlds definition of happiness.
Actually
throughout Matthew 5, 6, and 7 Jesus
proclaims the need for righteousness, and He warns of the penalty of sin. However, Jesus always presents God as the
standard of righteousness and Himself as the means of righteousness. Without Christ, righteousness is
unattainable. The Sermon on the Mount is
a case in point.
Jesus begins
the Sermon with a description of the blessed life in Matthew
5:1-12. The Beatitudes
are not telling us “how to” be righteous but are simply describing what righteousness
looks like.
Jesus presents
himself in Matthew 5:17-18 as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. These are key verses because, to earn our own
righteousness, we must fulfill the law which is impossible. But Jesus says that He will do it for
us.
He says in Matthew 5:20 no
amount of our good works will gain us entrance to heaven. Jesus uses the Pharisees as an example of
unsuccessfully trying to do good works to attain heaven. Jesus will go on to say that it’s not a
religious system that saves, but He Himself that saves.
In Matthew 5:21-48 He
“raises the bar” for righteousness according to God’s standard, instead of
man’s interpretation of the law. He
explains God’s intent behind Old Testament laws. The bar is raised so high as to make
everyone, even the most dedicated religious practitioner, guilty before
God.
In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus meticulously deconstructs the pharisaical religion
of good works, points to a holiness greater than our own, and offers Himself as
the sole basis of religion. Accepting
what Jesus says in the Sermon requires faith in who He is.
Jesus deliberately
contrasts his approach with that of the scribes and Pharisees, drawing the
contrast in this way: Matthew 5:21-22 “Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time…But I say unto you…” You have heard
– but I say!
At the
beginning of the Sermon, Jesus declares in Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I a
15 min
February 21, 2019 Matthew 5; Luke 6 – Come Follow Me
This review from
the LDS – Come Follow Me manuals for Sunday School, Families, and Individuals covers
the lesson plan for Matthew 5, and Luke 6.
People
assume that Jesus’ words and phrases were completely original. The text of the Sermon on the Mount is
steeped in phraseology from the Old Testament.
Jesus’ words were not completely new.
These expressions would have had a familiar ring to his disciples in
Galilee. Jesus is teaching His disciples, His
inner-group of apostles, up in a mountain, away from the masses.
The
substance of this teaching in Matthew 5 is also recorded in the 6th
chapter of Luke, but it is different. I would suggest that this teaching was
repeated possibly many times to many different groups over the course of Jesus’
three-year ministry.
The word “blessed” means “happy” “fortunate”. Jesus is teaching the way to Christian
blessedness or happiness, not the happiness the world provides. It’s important to distinguish between Jesus’
prescription for happiness and the worlds definition of happiness.
Actually
throughout Matthew 5, 6, and 7 Jesus
proclaims the need for righteousness, and He warns of the penalty of sin. However, Jesus always presents God as the
standard of righteousness and Himself as the means of righteousness. Without Christ, righteousness is
unattainable. The Sermon on the Mount is
a case in point.
Jesus begins
the Sermon with a description of the blessed life in Matthew
5:1-12. The Beatitudes
are not telling us “how to” be righteous but are simply describing what righteousness
looks like.
Jesus presents
himself in Matthew 5:17-18 as the fulfillment of the Old Testament. These are key verses because, to earn our own
righteousness, we must fulfill the law which is impossible. But Jesus says that He will do it for
us.
He says in Matthew 5:20 no
amount of our good works will gain us entrance to heaven. Jesus uses the Pharisees as an example of
unsuccessfully trying to do good works to attain heaven. Jesus will go on to say that it’s not a
religious system that saves, but He Himself that saves.
In Matthew 5:21-48 He
“raises the bar” for righteousness according to God’s standard, instead of
man’s interpretation of the law. He
explains God’s intent behind Old Testament laws. The bar is raised so high as to make
everyone, even the most dedicated religious practitioner, guilty before
God.
In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus meticulously deconstructs the pharisaical religion
of good works, points to a holiness greater than our own, and offers Himself as
the sole basis of religion. Accepting
what Jesus says in the Sermon requires faith in who He is.
Jesus deliberately
contrasts his approach with that of the scribes and Pharisees, drawing the
contrast in this way: Matthew 5:21-22 “Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time…But I say unto you…” You have heard
– but I say!
At the
beginning of the Sermon, Jesus declares in Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I a
15 min
February 20, 2019 Mormonism vs. Book of Mormon
Didn’t
Joseph Smith claim the Book of Mormon to be “the most
correct book on earth”?
That quote
is found in Joseph Smith’s, History of the Church vol.4
p.461 “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any
book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to
God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
I find it
interesting that today’s Mormonism has “precepts” and teachings that are not
found in the Book of Mormon. In fact,
many of today’s Mormon doctrines contradicts the Book of Mormon.
Doesn’t
today’s Mormonism teach that there are, a plurality of Gods in the universe? Not just the three separate God’s that
Mormons worship?
Latter-day
Saints believe that there are innumerable God’s who have created their own
worlds and who are worshiped by their creations.
Yet, the
Book of Mormon teaches differently.
2
Nephi 31:21
“And
now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way
nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of
God. And now, behold, this is the
doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.”
Alma
11: 26 and 29
“And
Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God?” “And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and
living God.” “Now Zeezrom said: Is there
more than one God?” “And he answered,
No.”
Pretty clear
what the teaching is – there is only one God.
Nowhere is a
plurality of gods supported by the Book of Mormon.
Doesn’t
modern Mormonism teach that God was once a mortal man who became God, just like
all men have the capability to become?
The LDS call
this the plan of eternal progression.
This is an
excerpt from the book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p. 345, “I will go back to the beginning before the world was, to show
what kind of being God is. What sort of
being was God in the beginning? God
himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in
yonder heavens!”
The Book of
Mormon like the Bible, teaches that God is unchangeable. Look at Mormon 9:9, 19
“For
do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him
there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And if there were miracles wrought then, why
has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not;
if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”
That must
mean that SINCE he has become God, he is unchangeable and will always be God.
Moroni
7:22
“For
behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting.”
Moroni
8:18
“For
I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is
unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.”
It all boils
down to whether or, not the Book of Mormon really is – “The
most correct book on earth.” If
it is, then current Mormonism disagrees with its essential teachings.
4 min
February 20, 2019 Mormonism vs. Book of Mormon
Didn’t
Joseph Smith claim the Book of Mormon to be “the most
correct book on earth”?
That quote
is found in Joseph Smith’s, History of the Church vol.4
p.461 “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any
book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to
God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
I find it
interesting that today’s Mormonism has “precepts” and teachings that are not
found in the Book of Mormon. In fact,
many of today’s Mormon doctrines contradicts the Book of Mormon.
Doesn’t
today’s Mormonism teach that there are, a plurality of Gods in the universe? Not just the three separate God’s that
Mormons worship?
Latter-day
Saints believe that there are innumerable God’s who have created their own
worlds and who are worshiped by their creations.
Yet, the
Book of Mormon teaches differently.
2
Nephi 31:21
“And
now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way
nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of
God. And now, behold, this is the
doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.”
Alma
11: 26 and 29
“And
Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God?” “And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and
living God.” “Now Zeezrom said: Is there
more than one God?” “And he answered,
No.”
Pretty clear
what the teaching is – there is only one God.
Nowhere is a
plurality of gods supported by the Book of Mormon.
Doesn’t
modern Mormonism teach that God was once a mortal man who became God, just like
all men have the capability to become?
The LDS call
this the plan of eternal progression.
This is an
excerpt from the book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p. 345, “I will go back to the beginning before the world was, to show
what kind of being God is. What sort of
being was God in the beginning? God
himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in
yonder heavens!”
The Book of
Mormon like the Bible, teaches that God is unchangeable. Look at Mormon 9:9, 19
“For
do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him
there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And if there were miracles wrought then, why
has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not;
if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”
That must
mean that SINCE he has become God, he is unchangeable and will always be God.
Moroni
7:22
“For
behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting.”
Moroni
8:18
“For
I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is
unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.”
It all boils
down to whether or, not the Book of Mormon really is – “The
most correct book on earth.” If
it is, then current Mormonism disagrees with its essential teachings.
4 min
February 13, 2019 John 2-4 – Come Follow Me
There is so much great material in these three chapters,
but we are limited on what we can cover in this lesson.
We start off with one of the most famous miracles
performed by the Master. It’s the
turning of water into wine.
John 2:1-2 “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the
mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples to the
marriage.” Some
including, LDS apostles Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, Joseph F. Smith, James E. Talmage have
taught that this was Jesus’ own marriage.
Several factors combine to suggest that this would NOT be the case. For one thing, in that culture, the marriage
would be held at the groom’s home town.
If it were Jesus’ wedding, it would have been held in Nazareth, not Cana. Another thing is that Jesus and His disciples
were invited to attend. This would be a
bit strange if Jesus were the groom. It
says, He left the wedding afterwards with His mother and the disciples, not
with a wife. And if it were Christ’s
wedding, one would expect the Gospel writers to mention it.
It does appear from the next verses that Mary, Jesus’
Mother, had a role in helping to host the guests at this wedding celebration. Perhaps she was a good friend of the
family. Whatever the case, she knew who
her Son was, and when they ran out of wine she requested His help. By-the-way, this was the last recorded words
of Jesus’ mother, Mary in the Bible.
John 2:6-8 There
were six water pots of stone with a total capacity of 100 to a, 150 gallons of
water which Jesus turned into fermented wine.
It was no small miracle! The LDS
want to believe that the word “wine” refers
to non-alcoholic grape juice because God would not want people to be
intoxicated. But Jesus, himself drank
wine during his ministry and had even been accused as being a winebibber (Matthew 11:19). John 2:11 “This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him.” This
was a faith promoting miracle for His disciples.
Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t
include this story in their accounts. Why did John? John wanted to show that Jesus was equating the
red wine with his blood through this metaphor.
The message is – if you really want to get cleansed, it’s not about
water but about the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from sin.
Though it was the “beginning of
miracles” recorded
of his mortal ministry, it is certainly not the Lord’s first miracle – the
first you recall, was when he created the heaven and earth.
Now we enter into the beginning of the Savior’s
three-year public mortal mission. John 2:13 “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Three years from now, at this
time of Passover in Jerusalem, the “Lamb of God,” will present Himself to be
sacrificed that we might be saved.
But, here in John 2:14-23 we read about the first cleansing of the
Temple. He is about to do some “spring
cleaning.” He will cleanse the temple again in three years, during the last
week of His life.
Modern-day LDS temples are vastly different from the
Biblical temple. Not one LDS temple
ceremony was practiced in the ancient temple in Jerusalem. Solomon’s temple was built only for animal
sacrifice as stated in 2 Chronicles 2:6 “But who is
able to build Him a temple, since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain Him? Who am I then, that I should bui
15 min

About Talking to Mormons

From the publisher's feed

A source for anyone wanting to better understand Mormonism and Christianity.

Share Talking to Mormons

Sign up to save your podcasts

Talking to Mormons

Talking to Mormons episodes

About Talking to Mormons