In this bonus episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Jon, Casey, Mark, and Molly discuss the Parables of Jesus.

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What are the joys and challenges presented in the parables?
• How do Mormons read and understand parables?
• How are we to properly read and understand parables?
• How can we use the parables for witnessing Christ to Mormons?

Share this podcast with your Christian friends and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

For more on interpreting the parables, check out:

Lost and Found: The purpose of Jesus' Parables from 1517.org

Understanding Jesus' Parables from 1517.org

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Jon and Casey discuss Matthew 6 and 7.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 6:1–34

• Giving to the Needy
• Prayer
• Fasting
• Treasures in Heaven
• Do Not Worry

Matthew 7:1–29

• Judging Others
• Ask, Seek, Knock
• The Narrow and Wide Gates
• True and False Prophets
• True and False Disciples
• Wise and Foolish Builders

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• Is Jesus being hypocritical?
• Is prayer about the recitation or the relationship?
• What about worry?
• What is doing the will of the Father (John 6:40)? 
• What relationship do we see in the 6th petition? Is forgiveness conditional?
• How can we talk about the wide and narrow path?
• What does Jesus mean when he says, "I never knew you"?

Share this podcast with your Christian friend and subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform!

Understand what Mormonism teaches about prayer in our blog post, Mormonism's View on Prayer.

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

Do you know any celebrities? Do any celebrities know YOU? What's the difference between knowing about someone and being known by them?

We have this unbelievable privilege as children of God. We know that our Father knows us by name through faith in our relationship with God. Unfortunately, there will be people to whom Jesus says, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23). If we try to approach our Heavenly Father on the basis of the law and our good works, we will be turned away. Our Father knows us because we trust in Jesus for our access. He opens the door and is the one who ensures that we can spend eternity in heaven with God.

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Jon and Casey dive into Matthew 5 and Luke 6.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 5:1–48

• Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
• The Beatitudes
• Salt and Light
• The Fulfillment of the Law
• Murder
• Adultery
• Divorce
• Oaths
• Eye for Eye
• Love for Enemies

Luke 6:1–49

• Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
• The Twelve Apostles
• Blessings and Woes
• Love for Enemies
• Judging Others
• A Tree and Its Fruit
• The Wise and Foolish Builders

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What is the purpose of the Sabbath?
• What is Jesus teaching us in the Beatitudes? What isn't he teaching us?
• What is judging?
• Are there unconditional blessings from God?
• What does Matthew 5:48 really mean?
• What do we learn about God and about ourselves?

Share the article "How is Perfection Achieved?" with your LDS friend when the topic of perfection or Matthew 5:48 is being discussed.  

Read through and share "What is the Purpose of God's Law?" with your LDS friend. 

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

Where do you find rest? Is it in the "do" of Matthew 5:48 or in the "done for you" of Matthew 5:17?
 
Matthew 5:48 says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Jesus draws attention to the impossibility of keeping the law even before this verse by bringing up lustful thoughts and hateful attitudes. Even these, he says, are "subject to judgment" (Matthew 5:22). In the very last verse, he simply says to be perfect. If I had to live up to perfection, my days would be hopeless. My life would be a never-ending question of "am I enough?"

Matthew 5:48 opens my eyes to the truth that I could never rely on myself for perfection, or enoughness, in my Father's eyes. Instead, I lean into Matthew 5:17, where Jesus says, "do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." He fulfilled the law and all of its requirements for me. Trusting in Jesus means I rest in his perfection instead of my own. I trust that Jesus is enough.

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Mark and Molly Parsons discuss John 2–4.

This podcast episode covers the following:

John 2:1–25

• Jesus Changes Water into Wine
• Jesus Clears the Temple

John 3:1–35

• Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
• John the Baptist's Testimony about Jesus

John 4:1–54

• Jesus Talks with a Samaritan Woman
• Jesus Heals the Officials Son

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What did Jesus' miracles show and tell about him?
• How was Jesus the temple that would be rebuilt?
• According to the Bible, what does it mean to be "born again"? 
• How do Mormons understand being "born again"? (Cucumbers into pickles)
• What is the difference between those who receive eternal life and those who don't?
• How do Mormons understand John 3:16–18?
• What witnessing applications can we make from Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus?
• What did Jesus show and tell about himself when he healed the paralytic?
• What witnessing applications can we make from Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well in Samaria?

To learn more about why it's important to explain what belief/faith is and isn't, check out this blog post about the Christian and LDS views of Faith. 

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

In John 3, Nicodemus relied on his status and efforts to attain eternal life. The investigator was there to understand if this miracle worker was from God. Jesus cut right to the heart and devalued everything the Pharisees taught, throwing out human reasoning. 

Eternal life could only be attained by being "born again," which one could not do to himself, nor could it be understood without faith—trust not in self but in God alone. Jesus said Nicodemus' efforts, accomplishments, and present status were meaningless. 

Children don't ask to be born and certainly do not help give birth to themselves. Likewise, our children look like us and sin like us. Flesh gives birth to flesh. All of us need to be reborn into a different family through faith.

Similarly, we cannot cause ourselves to be spiritually reborn. This rebirth, which is faith, is only accomplished by the Spirit. Once we have been born again, we look like Jesus and are righteous like Jesus in God's eyes. The Spirit gives birth to the spirit.

Jesus then explained that salvation comes through faith, and he told Nicodemus where to place that faith by referencing an Old Testament story from Numbers 21.

In the wilderness, the Israelites were once again grumbling against God. They complained because they did not trust him. In punishment, God sent venomous snakes. But he also provided salvation. 

If the bitten looked at the bronze snake on a pole, they would live. They lived because they had faith and trust in the promise. It was that simple, look in faith and live.

Likewise, the whole world has been bitten and infected by the venom of sin. Our salvation comes by looking to the Son of Man on the cross, who has taken the poison of sin's bite, death upon himself, to give us victory over sin and death and provide us with eternal life. 

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Mark and Molly Parsons discuss Matthew 4 and Luke 4–5.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 4:1–25 

• Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
• Jesus Begins to Preach
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Heals the Sick

Luke 4:1–5:39

• Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness
• Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
• Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
• Jesus Heals Many
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy
• Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
• Jesus Calls Levi and Eats with Sinners
• Jesus Questioned About Fasting

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• Is Jesus primarily our substitute or our example in the wilderness?
• What was the devil attempting to get Jesus to do with the temptations?
• Why were the Pharisees so worked up about Jesus?
• What did Jesus show and tell about himself when he healed the paralytic?
• What did Jesus want the Pharisees to see about themselves, their view of sinners, and his interactions with them? 

To learn more about why it's important to emphasize Christ as our substitute vs. Christ as our example, check out the blog post Example vs. Substitute. 

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

Was Jesus primarily our substitute or our example in the wilderness? 

In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we see how the devil uses targeted temptations to test Jesus, yet Jesus doesn't falter. He rebukes the devil with the Bible in response to his tricks, continuing in his perfect life.

If we only receive encouragement from Jesus in the wilderness to follow his example, we're missing an important piece of the story. When Jesus was tempted, he remained perfect when we would've sinned. His perfect life, whether in Nazareth, the temple, or the wilderness, fulfills all righteousness for us. If he had fallen into temptation, we would have no hope. But because Jesus was perfect, those who place their trust not in their efforts but in the perfect work of Jesus are perfect now in Heavenly Father's sight. 

Like Jesus, you can use the Bible to resist the devil's temptations. However, even more importantly, remember that Jesus stood firm in the wilderness as your substitute. 

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Casey and Jon discuss Matthew 3, Mark 1, and Luke 3.

This podcast episode covers the following:

Matthew 3

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism of Jesus

Mark 1

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism and Testing of Jesus
• Jesus Announces the Good News
• Jesus Calls His First Disciples
• Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
• Jesus Heals Many
• Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
• Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

Luke 3

• John the Baptist Prepares the Way
• The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What do we learn about John the Baptist?
• Why would John baptize Jesus?
• How was the prophecy in Mark 1:2–3 fulfilled?
• How will “repentance” and “baptism” be understood by LDS?
• How will our LDS friends view these sections differently?

To understand the dramatic differences between biblical Christianity and Mormonism, download Are Mormons Christian, which includes a comparison of teachings on repentance.

For a better understanding of how Christianity and Mormonism look at the same words differently, request a copy of Dictionary of Mormonese.

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love Online Community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

John the Baptist preached a “baptism of repentance” in the wilderness (Mark 1:4). Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). So, what is repentance?  

Repentance is turning from trust in self to trust in God alone. It’s not a series of steps that you must complete but rather a gift from God himself. If something is a gift from God, then he is the source. An electrical appliance can only accomplish what it was created for when plugged into the power source. Instead of looking to our own feeble power to make changes in our life, we look to the Spirit, who motivates and empowers fruits of repentance (Luke 3:8).

Repent. Stop trusting in your own power. Trust in God alone. When you do, you’ll see the gravity of sin, stand in awe of God’s grace and forgiveness, and walk forward empowered by the Spirit. Repentance is not a painful process to endure. Instead, you’ll discover it is a restful state to be in where joy overflows through you to others.

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Mark and Molly Parsons introduce the Gospel of John and walk through John 1.

This podcast episode covers the following:

• John 1:1-18 
  • The Word Became Flesh
  • A Witness to the Word
• John 1:19-51
  • John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah
  • John the Baptist Testifies about Jesus
  • John's Disciples Follow Jesus
  • Jesus Calls Philip and Nathaniel 

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• What's up with the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible?
• What/Who is the "Word," and why does it matter?
• What does it mean that Jesus is "life"?
• What does it mean that Jesus is "light"?
• What made Jesus so unique?
• What was John the Baptist's role?
• Why did Christmas (and the incarnation) need to take place?
• How does the fact that Jesus came to dwell (tabernacle) among us impact our lives and eternity? 

For 15 time-tested principles for witnessing, request a copy of Prepared to Share, which includes helpful tips for sharing essential truths from the Bible.
 
If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love online community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.


Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

No matter how dark the world looks or how hopeless your situation feels, you can find hope in the Light of the world. 

John 1:5 promises, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The light that beams through despair, hopelessness, and defeat is Jesus. He is victorious over sin, death, and the devil. 

Friend, take heart. Remember that darkness is no match for your Savior, Jesus!

In this episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Casey and Jon walk through Luke 2 and Matthew 2

This podcast episode covers the following:

• Luke 2:1-52 
  • The Birth of Jesus
  • Jesus Presented at the Temple
  • The Boy Jesus at the Temple
• Matthew 2:1-23
  • The Magi Visit the Messiah
  • The Escape to Egypt
  • The Return to Nazareth

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• Why do the writers include historical context?
• Names (and naming) of Jesus
• How do we see humility in these chapters?
• How do we elevate God in these stories as we witness?
• How will our LDS friends look at Luke 2 and Matthew 2 differently?

For a better understanding of how Christianity and Mormonism look at the same words differently, request a copy of Dictionary of Mormonese.

Read and share the article “What is Christmas All About” with your LDS friends, which places the focus squarely on Jesus.

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love online community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.


Share this conversation starter with your LDS friend:

God never does exactly what we’d expect. As we read Luke 2, we’re reminded that the King of the Universe is full of surprises. 

Not only was our powerful God brought down to be fully human, but as a baby, he was placed in a feeding trough. (Luke 2:7) His first visitors were not kings or lords, but were humble shepherds! (Luke 2:16)

Do you know the best surprise? It’s found in his name, “Jesus”. The name “Jesus” literally means “the LORD saves”. God, in his amazing love, sent his only son to be sacrificed for you. All he asks is that you believe and trust in him. Now, that’s the best surprise of all. 

In the first episode of Witnessing Christ from the New Testament, Mark and Molly Parsons introduce the Gospels of Matthew and Luke and walk through the first chapter of each evangelist's account.

This podcast episode covers the following:

• Matthew 1:1-25 
  • The Geneology of Jesus 
  • Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
• Luke 1:1-80
  • The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
  • The Birth of Jesus Foretold
  • Mary Visits Elizabeth
  • Mary's Song
  • The Birth of John the Baptist
  • Zechariah's Song

Key concepts in this episode include: 

• The Genealogy of Jesus: What is it and why does it matter?
• Why does Jesus include sinners in his family tree?
• What does it take to "stand righteous" in the sight of God?
• Why did Jesus need to be both truly God and truly man?
• What do the songs of Mary and Zechariah teach us about our Savior Jesus?

For more insights on witnessing Christ from Matthew's genealogy, check out the blog series Wrecked and Redeemed to hear the incredible stories of five out-of-place women on Jesus' family tree.

For more on righteousness, check out the blog What is Righteousness? on BeYePerfect.org and the webinar The Two Kinds of Righteousness on TILM.org.

If you have not yet registered for the Truth in Love online community, enroll now to gain access to all of our courses, resources, and more.

Click here to download a Bible Study outline to use with your Mormon friends, family, and missionaries.

An excerpt to share personally with your LDS friends:
 
What’s your family history like? Do you come from a line of honor or shame? Even more, how about your own life? Are you proud of what you’ve done or filled with embarrassment?

You should see Jesus’ family tree. Before he writes the story of Jesus’ birth, Matthew records Jesus’ genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17). When you look at Jesus’ family tree, do you know what you see? Sinners. Lots of sinners. Jacob deceived his father. Judah slept with his daughter-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth had been an idol worshiper. David committed adultery and murder. We could go on and on… That’s Jesus’ family tree.
 
Why on earth would God be willing to be born into such a sinful family? Here’s why: Jesus was willing to be born from sinners because he came to save sinners. After recording Jesus’ family tree, Matthew tells us exactly what Jesus came into the world to do: “He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Remember, it’s not about where you come from, who you know, or how well you perform in front of your peers. Jesus came to save you simply because he loves you. In him, there is forgiveness, peace, and true hope.