My daughter answered the door and said quickly, “Dad — it’s for you!”
There they were. Two fine looking young men presenting themselves as spokesmen for The Living Prophet for Today standing at my door. I love these guys.
“Good afternoon. We are out speaking to people today with good news from The Living Prophet for Today.”
Now that’s an impressive start.
“May we come in and speak to you about what he has to say?”
“Well,” I said, “I am a prophet.” (I see the gift of prophecy as corresponding with that of preacher.) “The Lord Jesus Christ dwells in my heart personally and I have his word. I really don’t need to hear from some Living Prophet for Today. I can hear God speak whenever I pay attention.”
The leader raised his eyebrows. The follower nodded appreciatively at what I had said.
They continued with their script. “Have you read The Book of Mormon?”
“Yes. But it didn’t do any thing for me.”
“Did you pray about it?” (This is a standard line these young men like to use, because you seem so unspiritual if you didn’t pray about it.)
“No, I didn’t feel a need to. It’s like this: Have you read the Koran?”
“No,” the leader replied.
“I have. And I’ve read the Bible — 66 books. And I’ve read The Book of Mormon. Two of them are similar, but the third — the Bible, it’s powerful. In that respect, it’s completely different than the Koran or The Book of Mormon.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good for you and what we believe is good for us.” (I couldn’t believe he was saying this. What do they teach those guys in Salt Lake. I felt like Uncle Diggory, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Don’t they teach logic in the schools anymore?)
“Well, you do know that only one of us can be right, right? Either The Book of Mormon is authoritative and you are right or it’s not and I am. Since these two perspectives are in opposition to one another they cannot both be true.”
“That’s true,” said the younger, in appreciation.
“But you know, the thing that makes you gentlemen different from mainstream Christianity is not The Book of Mormon. It’s The D and C, right?”
“Yes. The D and C,” they said with reverence.
“Those are profoundly different from the Bible. Either they are truth or they are not. They are the issue. I don’t believe they are true; you do. Again, someone is right and someone is wrong.”
“That’s right,” said the younger of the two, nodding enthusiastically.
I could see they were getting ready to go, so I asked, “Can I pray for you two gentlemen before you go?”
“Sure.”
So I thanked God that young men and women like them were hungry for truth and hungry to know God. I prayed that God would guide each of us in the Truth that is found in the Bible. And I prayed that he would bless them in their quest to know God.
It was fun. My pulse raced. I love those guys!
If you would, please pray that they would find the Truth.
(I am turning off comments here because I don’t want to debate regarding this here. If you’ve something to say, shoot me an email. ~Steve)