Visiting Teaching Message November 2015

01 November

Visiting Teaching MsgGeneral Conference, ‘Worthy of Our Promised Blessings,’ October 2015

As many of you know, when the Church holds General Conference twice a year, they instruct Visiting Teachers to use a talk from the conference as their lessonlinda-s-reeves the following month. In light of that, I chose to use the talk ‘Worthy of Our Promised Blessings’ given by Linda Reeves, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency.

Just let me state before we begin, trust me when I say this has to be one of the worst teaching moments in Mormon history. It will definitely be filed under our category ‘Worst of the Worst’.

Whenever we post articles and comment that Mormonism is demonic and full of lies, this is an example of what we’re talking about. I just cannot imagine having to live a life like this woman told others to live. Wait a minute…I can, and I did – that’s why I left!

Oh please, pray for these people won’t you? And don’t just pray, but venture out, and find a Mormon to witness to this week!

Forgive me in advance for my bluntness, but the main theme of this talk was sex. I simply don’t know how else to phrase it. Her talk, ‘Worthy of Our Promised Blessings’, hammered home the Mormon ideal the greatest role for all women is to give birth – a lot.

Ironically, as I write this today, it’s October 27th. Twenty-eight years ago today, our daughter Mallory Elizabeth died. As I think upon the gift God gave us through her presence, I also recall the devastating failures.

I’ll always be sad about Mallory, of this there’s no doubt. The utter despair I experienced in that scenario was twofold; losing my daughter, and realizing my entire heritage was a sham.

The words delivered by Bishop Kelly at her funeral knocked me into reality like nothing else ever could. His stern warning of never seeing our daughter again because we hadn’t been married in the temple jolted me into the practice of thinking things through. At that point, however, I wasn’t sure which scenario was worse.

As I watched her little casket being lowered into the ground, the Lord offered a personal revelation the Church always says each of us must have. In my visual were two objects. On one side I saw a large white Mormon temple, on the other…a cross.

I didn’t know anything about the cross, but there it was. Somehow, God let me know as I left the graveyard, I had to bury my heritage as well as my daughter. As we all know, everyone who’s ever lived leaves a legacy, hers was the story of two funerals. Even through the pain, the Lord held and kept me when I didn’t know it.

In the loss of Mallory, sweet Jesus resurrected my life.

I’m praying each and every Mormon has a wake-up call like we did (although not as traumatic), and hopefully it’ll begin with the Relief Society’s 2nd counselor. You’ll see Ms. Reeves delivered nothing but lies just as Bishop Kelly did almost thirty years ago.

She began her talk by reminding members they must all have a vision. Ironically, Kirk and I did just that, but the Church refuses to believe ours was genuine.

‘A vision of our Father’s incredible promised blessings must be the central focus before our eyes every day.’

Unfortunately for Mormons, the ‘blessing’ is nothing more than procreation. One of the first agendas in her talk was to stress the importance of remembering their bodies are temples of God, but this is a fallacious lie. They do not believe God’s Holy Spirit resides inside of them at all times, so how could it be a temple for God? See D&C 130:22-23. Ms. Reeves stated –

‘Our bodies are sacred gifts from our Heavenly Father. They are personal temples. As we keep them clean and pure, we can be worthy to help our Heavenly Father create bodies for His beloved spirit children.’

There are two other lies in statement above –

1.We don’t ‘help’ God create bodies. God doesn’t need our help!

2.There’s no such thing as ‘spirit children’.

God said in His word we’re first created physically, and then spiritually. 1 Corinthians 15:46 –

‘Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.’

The majority of her talk was based on the last speech given by LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer in May 2015 and I’m listing some of the key points she made because of how outrageous they are.

“…he [Packer] testified that “the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth … is essential … and is the source of human happiness. Through the righteous exercise of this [creative] power, we may come close to our Father in Heaven and experience a fulness of joy, even godhood. The power of procreation is not an incidental part of the plan; it is the plan.”

????

Can you just imagine witnessing to someone and telling them sex is the source of human happiness and this is how you get to heaven? Where in the Bible does it say this guarantees godhood status? Where in the Bible does it say God’s main plan for everyone is procreation?

I don’t think this is what the missionaries told Melissa, or my husband Kirk when they joined Mormonism…

At one point she mentioned she felt ‘great anxiety’ when preparing her talk. Perhaps her anxiety is stemming from the lies??? It’s evident she isn’t aware that Jesus proclaimed the Holy Spirit would bring peace to mankind. See John 14:27.

Her talk seemed to be all over the place, revealing what her inner life must be like. Much of what she said shows that the tail is wagging the dog…

“I know of nothing that will qualify us for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost as much as virtue.”

Oooh, oooh, I do! I know what will ‘qualify’ us for God’s Holy Spirit! It’s His blood! Accepting Jesus’ spilt blood as the only God ordained sacrifice that can redeem us, is the only prep ‘work’ we need to be worried with.

Virtue is nice and all, but this is a result of the Holy Spirit’s work, not the cause!

As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the worst talks I’ve ever read. For the sake of time and space, I’m listing some of the major heresies she proclaimed with a biblical rebuttal.

“President Packer reminded us: “The promise is: ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ (D&C 58:42). …”

First of all, the comment from Joe Smith in D&C is partly plagiarized from Hebrews 8:12. Furthermore, it’s not true Mormon doctrine. There are a handful of reasons the Mormon god won’t forgive people.

New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 231; “There are sins unto death, meaning spiritual death. There are sins for which there is no forgiveness, neither in this world nor in the world to come. There are sins which utterly and completely preclude the sinner from gaining eternal life. Hence there are sins for which repentance does not operate, sins that the atoning blood of Christ will not wash away, sins for which the sinner must suffer and pay the full penalty personally”. – Bruce R. McConkie

Ms. Reeves quoting Apostle Packer:

“… The Atonement, which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly repent, He has promised that He would atone.”

WOW! It bears no scars? What about Jesus’ scars? Isaiah 53 tells us just how wrong this statement is. Besides that, even if we’ve repented and found forgiveness, the effects of some sins are irreparable. What if you killed someone? What if you raped someone, and they conceived?

“Besides repentance, what helps or tools have we been given to help us stay clean and virtuous? Our Primary children and young women all know and sing the song “Scripture Power.” 6 Can we expand it to “Prayer Power,” “Temple Power,” “Covenants Power,” “Sabbath Day Power,” “Prophet Power,” and “Virtue Power”?”

You can expand it to say any ol’ thing you want, but that doesn’t make it okay. And prophet power? Really? What exactly is prophet power?

“There are also great blessings and protecting promises associated with the proper wearing of our temple garment. I have come to feel that I am symbolically putting on royal robes given me by my Heavenly Father. I testify, sisters, that when we strive to wear the garment properly, our Father recognizes it as a great sign of our love and devotion to Him. It is a sign of the covenants we have made with Him.”

This poor woman may have made covenants with her god, but the God of the Bible has done no such thing.

Christians will wear robes of righteousness that God clothed them in. The saints don’t dress themselves! See Isaiah 61:10. Furthermore, wearing certain pieces of clothing was done away with once Jesus came and fulfilled the Law. We live in the age of grace, and are no longer subject to the Law.

“…President Packer explained, “‘And they all lived happily ever after’ is never written into the second act. That line belongs in the third act, when the mysteries are solved and everything is put right.”9

That statement is a direct contradiction of what LDS apostle Dieter Uchtdorf said a few years ago in his General Conference speech ‘Your Happily Ever After’.  He told LDS women to believe their fairytale life is being lived out now…oh brother… So which is it? Is the happily ever after written into the 3rd act, or are the never-ending-works-for-salvation all Mormon women have to look forward to?

As you can see, this speech was nothing short of a nightmare come true. I’m both angry and heartbroken for those who buy into the mounds of lies. I’m ever grateful He saved me, of all people!

Remember to pray for those who are still stuck in the muck and mire won’t you?

With Love in Christ;

Michelle †

1 Cor. 1:18

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