Vision Of A *Perfected ex-Mormon Congergation

This document is written to set out an idea of which I keep getting glimpses.

I keep feeling drawn to the development of this idea in practice, which is a bit of a concern for me for a number of reasons. I shall detail the historical background first, and then follow with the detail of what I call 'my vision', although I would like to emphasise first of all that I don't believe that it can be called 'mine', and secondly I have not actually 'seen' a 'vision'.

In 1987, shortly after being led to the Lord by my then fiancée, Pat, I became aware of the extent of heresy and possible demonic influence within what had been my belief system for approximately twenty years, the last eight of which were inactive.

Shortly afterwards I met Lori McGregor, an expert visiting Adelaide from Canada at that particular time, who had documented much of its heretical teachings, as she travelled the world speaking publicly about Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

It was a tape of hers to which Pat had asked me to listen. Lori felt that I was a suitable candidate to take on a specific ministry in this field - notwithstanding my being barely even a babe in the real gospel. I declined, vehemently.

One of the reasons was that I felt that I could not operate within many of the guidelines that appeared to prevail in the groups which opposed cult religions, including table-thumping and derogatory comments about the cult and its members.

In retrospect, I think that I was also aware, from visiting a number of evangelical, liberal and pentecostal churches, that there just wasn't anything that existed in those christian congregations and denominations that could possibly replace what cult members would be turning their back upon, namely real fellowship with, and love for, one another, and a functioning multiple lay priesthood that was named after Melchisedec, even if unscriptural in some ways.

These thoughts have been confirmed by other ex-cult members with whom I have spoken.

After I was converted to the Lord Jesus Christ in early 1987, little was done to educate me out of my inherited false thinking by either the clergy or lay leadership in the church into which I settled, that of my wife-to-be. Ten years (or more) before, the congregation had been brought to its knees through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit throughout the north-eastern Adelaide suburbs. Neither of the two ministers who were there when I came on the scene were with that church at that earlier time, and neither was particularly impressed with what was generally referred to as the 'Charismatic Renewal'.

About half of the congregation had moved on as a result, and numbers were then topped up with many who knew little (if anything) about such spiritual movements of God. I was fortunate in attending the bible study group of a man for whom I have great love and a high regard, and what I did glean from him encouraged me to study all that I could, though it was, of necessity, done in an unsystematic manner.

Some six to eight months later I capitulated over refusing to evangelise my previous brothers, feeling that the Lord Himself was pushing me this time, and I began a series of speaking engagements to warn other christians of the nature of the Mormon heresy.

Each lecture and question-and-answer session succesfully built on the mistakes of the previous one, and by the middle of 1988 the Almighty decided that I was ready to go and work for a living for three months in Ballarat in Western Victoria, speaking in fourteen open and advertised public meetings and also being interviewed on the community radio station there, while I worked designing the control system for a production line in a chocolate factory.

The day before I left for Ballarat, I addressed a mens' breakfast at a nearby charismatic Anglican church, and I felt greatly heartened, despite the fact a thunderstorm heard loudly through the tin roof of the parish hall made their (and my) concentration difficult! The next morning I was driving south-eastwards alone through torrential rain from Adelaide, to arrive in Australia's coldest town during the coldest part of the year. I was even leaving behind my wife of a couple of months who had to see a medical speciallist a fewdays later, though she subsequently joined me.

While in Ballarat, ideas developed for cassette teaching tapes, and several months after returning to Adelaide, these were put together and circulated. The first was a 'debunk' of an interview conducted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's 'Compass' television magazine programme, where the anchorman interviewed the public relations chap from the Mormon church's Sydney office. The half-truths and outrights lies spoken by this man were a challenge to me to create this first of these tapes, called 'Compass Revisited', the name being adapted from the television series some years before, produced by the B.B.C., and called 'Brideshead Revisited'.

Tape Ministry developed

One of the congregants at the only church in that quarter-million population town which had an English-speaking church service led a bible study in the English language for a number of the students at the University who also attended an 8am English language service. As some of the University faculty were Mormons (from the U.S.A.) and were proseletising quite succesfully among the student body, we talked about the topic at length one evening. Interestingly the English-speaking service was run by Sweden's pentecostal church, without any evidence of spiritual gifts, just in case it 'worried' or 'threatened' the indigenous African, Asian and American (non-USA) attendees, which while rather sedate, was a lovely evidence of their sensitivity towards those they were shepherding as an 'extra' to their normal operations, in a weekly meeting which never called for an offering.

By the time my wife and I left Sweden in December 1990, I had grown to love those brothers and sisters greatly, and had developed great respect and love for the elders and pastors of the church. The Swedish pentecostal church had divided earlier in the century into 'Filadelfia' (the city of brotherly love) and 'Elim' (the congregation of the Lord), and in 1991 the last steps at reconciliation were put in place, with a completely reunited denomination. Elim, right across Europe, is a denomination with ties to the fellowships that in Australia are identified as the Christian Revival Crusade.

Since returning to Australia in 1991, several more tapes have been added to my list, these being more scripturally orientated and which could be classified as 'teaching' tapes rather than just being informative as were the first three.

In 1993-1994 I experienced a very interesting spiritual awakening myself, having discovered a wealth of scriptural support for my concern for the obviously missing true unity among believers in Christ, and I encountered a demonstration of a practical way in which a true Melchisedec order could be implemented. It was also during this time that I was exposed to the musical oratorio called 'The Jerusalem Passion', and I was privileged to participate in singing in this as it presented in extract form in Adelaide after its three major 'seasons'in Australia.

This work, although Australian, and composed in 1987, has received international acclaim, and it has a privately hosted "fan club" web site at http://jerusalempassion.faithweb.com

Subsequently two more teaching tapes were added, which basically replaced the original second and third tapes, with more informative 'meat' that could be better used.

A complete listing of those tapes for which masters have been retained is at this web address.

In early 1997 I realised that the activity into which I felt God had led me back in 1987, namely the evangelising of my brothers in sisters still in Mormonism, had stopped, although I occasionally had contact with a few. What made me realise that it had stopped was a very sudden awareness of a new concept that I felt I should become involved in. I am loathe to trust my own feelings, having had it hammered into me through two previously failed marriages and a couple of disastrous intervening relationships that I am an extremely fallible human being. I have now developed a guideline which I refer to as the 'rule of two or three' - a paraphrase of the scripture which says 'out of the mouths of two or three.......' implying that if something is confirmed by others, we have a reasonable chance that it is authentically from the Almighty, and not something that our own self-centredness has created.

I started typing this document at 7am on Australia Day (January 26th) 1997, while my wife lay asleep. Most of it was completed around 8am when she awoke, and it was far more concisely written than the copy I struggle with regularly for my computer magazine editor!

The html version of this page was actually put together three years later almost to the day, although there have been a couple of minor revisions since.

At church that Australia Day morning in 2000, during a time of open worship, the song leader specifically requested that anyone who had a prophetic word from the Lord should speak. There is nothing unusual in this, as there is regularly such a time of free praise and words of knowledge for the Body as a whole, although it normally happens without being specifically asked for.

A brother who I trust implicitly sprang to his feet and gave a message that it was God's will that we should be totally obedient to His (God's) will, and that there should be no hesitation in so doing.

This was followed by another brother who after a couple of points turned to the subject of evangelism of one's associates being crucial to God's way of doing things. While either or both of these prophetic words may be coincidence, I believe that the concept should be tested. Let us continue......

Back-tracking momentarily, an ex-Jehovah's Witness colleague in 1987-8 had been running a monthly Sunday afternoon 'half-way house' for disillusioned JWs which I attended to give him support. As the concept seemed to encourage inward-looking people, I found this difficult to persevere with, as did he as well.

However the idea has come back to me several times. I remembered Lori McGregor saying in 1987 that a large number of JWs in Tasmania had left their heretical oversight, had became christians, and were meeting regularly together, being shepherded by one of their own previous elders!

The idea which suddenly sprang into my mind was unlike those I normally receive in connection with any secular or 'wordly' 'project' with which I am involved, and it was remarkably full of detail right from the start. It was basically this:

1. Create an opportunity, through placing an advertisment in the daily newspaper, for a one-off meeting with ex-Mormons, on the basis of there being 'hope' after leaving Mormonism (or Mormonism leaving them).

2. Actually meet with them, together. Sing some familiar songs with them from the Mormon hymnbook (about half are doctrinally and scripturally christian anyway). Present the case to them for 'hope', and sow seeds that it is a simple step to leave their false prophet's apron-strings, discern falsehood from truth......

3. Discuss the idea of regular (monthly, perhaps?) meetings should they wish it. Make it a ground rule that there be no criticism of past things 'hard done by' from Mormonism in their lives, because this is now an opportunity for a new beginning. Equally rule that we should ignore problems encountered by those trying going to other churches, as there are so many examples of ineptitude among traditional churches in ministering to ex-cultists, and even more unfortunate, discoveries of (often gross) compromise in the lives of those we try to look up to.

4. Create an environment for a truly biblical plan of gathering and organisation without any pyramid structure. Eventually this might lead into a multiplicity of leadership (elders) drawn from within their own selves. Adapt those things which they already know work (which Mormons excel in, as each congregation functions very well under multiple lay direction) into biblically correct methods, and to encourage what Christ called 'First Love' as a relationship bond.

5. I did not see my role as being more than a short-term facilitator because it should take off and run itself. However I am uneasy at the possibility of having put this box-and-dice together of my own volition. The more I think about it, though, the more I feel that it is divinely inspired. Whether it's God's will for me to venture into this without physical assistance remains to be seen. I do believe that it is His will to implement this programme, though. If it goes ahead it will need ongoing supportive prayer of monumental proportions.

6. I believe that it is crucial to have someone to co-ordinate such an evangelism who understands their system completely as well as biblical Christianity; he has to be able to draw distinctions, parallels and comparisons with Joseph Smith's teachings and practices, many subsequent changes of earlier ones of which they are unaware by deliberate act of their headquarters oversight.

Also what the bible actually says (as opposed to Joseph Smith's own 'scripture'); a detailed knowledge of Mormon history as it really happened rather than what they are taught is also essential to be able to rebut many of the falsities they would otherwise cling to and voice.

I believe that this is why I have received this visionary message.

In return for having shared this concept with you, I would ask that you present this matter with your prayers, so that together we may seek God's will.

Most cult ministry seems to be centred around the need for 'deprogramming', which is a topic with which I have a bit of a problem. Perhaps I'm just fortunate, but I never had any need for such procedures, even though I received my share of verbal abuse while going through prolongued exiting procedures, and my involvement with the Latter-Day Saints was inclusive of all of their 'higher learning' taught in their temple, at which I assisted in a lay voluntary leadership role at one time.