Don’t Miss Your Mission!
Jon Leach
Have you had something so close you couldn’t find it? The sunglasses you’re looking for are on your head. The keys you need to leave the house are in your pocket. When you eventually find them it’s easy to think, “How could I have missed it?”
What if there was a mission field you were overlooking right in your own backyard?
I’m talking about Mormons. Some don’t see this mission field because Mormons already claim to be Christians. The Mormon definition of a Christian, however, involves trying to be more like Jesus in order to save yourself. Mormons don’t understand all that Jesus has already done for them.
Some Christians overlook Mormons because the divide between them seems too great. They think they would have to become an expert in Mormonism, so they don’t even try. Yet we know that no one is too far gone that God cannot rescue them.
Another camp does reach out by debating. They are more focused on winning an argument rather than winning a soul. Unfortunately, because Mormons are taught to avoid any perceived attack on their faith, this approach often results in raising up walls.
There is another way. It doesn’t involve debating. You don’t have to be an expert. Best of all, God can use you to start reaching that mission field in your own backyard.
It starts by realizing just how lost Mormons are. There are not just minor differences between the teachings of Mormonism and the Bible. They have eternal consequences. For example, Mormonism teaches: “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23, emphasis added). Consider the personal weight this emphasis places on you.
For this reason, many Mormons never know if they’ve done enough. This struggle is complicated further because of the need to keep up appearances. Utah County (majority Mormon) has some of the highest teen suicide rates, antidepressant prescriptions, prescription drug abuse, plastic surgeries, pornography use and mental illness in the nation. Mormons are desperate for God’s love, but never sure they have it.
Imagine you’re standing on one side of the Grand Canyon and you need to cross in order to reach God on the other side. Mormons are desperately trying to build a bridge to God. Sadly, because it depends on our own imperfect efforts, it’s doomed to failure. They are depending on a bridge that will never reach God.
God can use you to change that.
Jesus said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). He wasn’t simply providing an example for us to follow. He came as our substitute. He built the bridge across so we can reach God. Through Spirit-given faith, you are on that solid bridge right now.
God didn’t build this bridge for us to travel alone. It is sturdy enough for all. He intends for you to reach back and invite still more. It’s why we’re still here.
Picture again that crumbling bridge of Mormonism. There are lost souls on that bridge trying to reach God. They are hoping their efforts will be enough. They don’t realize the danger they face. They don’t know the bridge God has already built to them. Yet.
You do. God can use you to reach this often-overlooked mission field right in your own backyard. You can help Mormons discover the bridge to God. As you do, you’ll discover even more joy in the journey.
To learn more about ways God can use you to reach this important mission field, get your copy of Jon’s new book, Crossing the Chasm | Helping Mormons Discover the Bridge to God. Go to witnessinlove.org/crossing.
About the Author:
Jon Leach has served as a mission pastor, cross-cultural mission instructor and missionary. He shares his contagious passion for the lost as a writer, speaker and mentor. He has master’s degrees in both divinity and intercultural missional leadership. He has led world mission teams and currently serves as president of Truth in Love Ministry. He and his wife, Liz, have four boys and reside in Nampa, ID. Jon co-authored Crossing the Chasm with Mark J. Cares. Mark has been involved in mission work for over four decades: first as a mission pastor, then as a supervisor of missionaries. Throughout these years, he has witnessed to thousands of Mormons and has equipped thousands of Christians to witness.
Blog used by permission of Truth in Love Ministry. For more information, visit https://tilm.org