1. There are many gods!
"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people in it." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345)
"...and they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth." (Abraham 4:1 in The Pearl of Great Price)
2. The Father and the Son have fleshly bodies!
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22)
"Each of these Gods, including Jesus Christ and His Father, being in possession of not merely as organized spirit, but a glorious immortal body of flesh and bones..." (Parely P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, (ed.1965, p.44)
3. God was once a man!
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.345)
"Remember that God, our heavenly Father, was perhaps once as a child like we ourselves, and rose step by step in the scale of progress, in the school of advancement; has moved forward and overcome, until he arrived at the point where he now is." ("Apostle" Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 123)
4. People can become gods!
"Gods exist, and we had better strive to be prepared to be one with them." ("Prophet" Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 238)
"As man is, God once was; as God is, many may become." ("Prophet" Lorenzo Snow as quoted in Milton R. Hunter's The Gospel Through The Ages, pp. 105,106)
When we look with open minds at Mormon theology, we can see that it is blasphemous, polytheistic, and contrary to the true Scriptures. Beware of the clean-cut and polite young men who knock on your door and tell you that they believe in God just as you do. They know better. They are lying.
(This column is written by Bill Cook, Church of CHRIST which meets on Lilac Road.)
Sunday School Lesson
INTEGRITY IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING
Job 2:1-10
In today's lesson, we need to continue the thoughts started last week. The study is found in Job. It is a tremendous study; however, it is one of the most difficult parts of the bible. I encourage everyone using these lessons as your personal study guide or as a study guide for your Sunday School to search further. It is nearly impossible to fully understand the depths of the subject in these short lessons. For this reason, I have divided it into two lessons. The first looked at "Where is Satan." Today, I hope that we can get some understanding as to his power and who he is.
SATAN'S LIMITED POWER: "And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" [Job 2:6]. The previous lesson outlined the information contained in the first chapter of Job as well as the issue of God's trust in Job's faithfulness, even as Satan had destroyed Job's cattle, houses and children. It is hard to imagine being tested with this kind of affliction and pain. It certainly is a lesson to all of us. The bible promises tribulation in this world. For most of us, it is not very severe. However, it could be. Throughout history, Christians have paid a tremendous price for their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Many have been tortured and many killed. As we study history, we are reminded time and again of the power of Satan in this world. He has caused wars, hatred, persecutions and heartache for as long as the world has been in existence. His first work of deceit was when he tempted Adam and Eve to sin. There he appeared as a serpent. He appears to people in different ways, but always in a way to help cause us to doubt God and allow sin in our lives. In the verse above, Satan has been allowed to bring more afflictions on the life of the righteous man Job. However, God reserved Job's life. His power was limited to the degree God felt was appropriate. God is sovereign. He has total authority to allow or disallow. However, He never tempts someone to sin. That is the work of Satan. In last week's lesson, we noted that he is going all over the world trying to devour good people. It is his desire to bring everyone to Hell with him. However, he is limited by God's sovereignty and by our resistance.
JOB'S INTEGRITY: "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die" [Job 2:9]. The following verse recounts Job's answer to his wife. He refused to accept God's gracious goodness and then faint when evil comes. He is credited with not sinning in spite of all that has happened. The last act of Satan was to curse him with boils from head to foot. It is described as being so bad that he took some pieces of pottery and scraped the sores to try to get relief. With everything he owned gone, including his children and standing in a pile of ashes scraping his many boils, Job remained faithful to his God. Would we?
"Do you believe this"
The Scriptures tell us that Jesus is coming again. Various personalities from the New Testament confirm this truth. Here are some references:
Jesus said He is coming again. When Jesus was about to leave this earth, he comforted His disciples saying, "... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).
Angels said Jesus is coming again. While the apostles watched Jesus ascend back to heaven, angels said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).
Paul said Jesus is coming again. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming" (I Cor 15:22-23).
Hebrews says Jesus is coming again. "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Heb 9:27-28).
Peter said Jesus is coming again. Peter said that, "scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'" (2 Peter 3:2-4). Peter later affirms that "the Lord is not slack concerning His promise" and says "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" (vv. 9-10).
Jesus is coming again. He will descend from heaven with a shout. Those faithful to Him will meet Him in the air and be with Him for ever more (I Thess. 4:13-18). "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (Matt 25:13). Are you ready for the Lord to come again?
"Do you believe this? ...Yes, Lord, I believe"! (John 11:26-27)
A work of the Mill Street Church of Christ meeting at 733 Mill Street (across from the Middle School). Phone: 259-4968. Preacher: Joseph Cooper. Service times: Sunday 10 and 10:55 a.m. and 6: p.m. Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Come visit us !
For the living of these days
By: George W. Smith
We are not here by accident. God made us, formed us, created us and designed us for a purpose. God never made anything without a purpose. God said to Jeremiah, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman" (1:5). Before you were born, God planned your life. Only you can fulfill the job He has for you.
Jesus said, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (John 17:18). Unfortunately many never experience the feeling of fulfilling God's purpose for their life. Many go through life wondering why they are here. God tells us that there are three conditions for being blessed and used by God.
First, we must abandon all distractions. That means the things that are unimportant I must shove aside and focus on what is really important. Jesus does not want half-hearted commitment. Distractions can be boiled down into three basic ones. There is first the desire to get rich. This is the primary one for most. Jesus did not say that you could not be wealthy and rich, but He did say that riches could not be your number one goal in life. Another distraction is wallowing in past mistakes and failures. We beat ourselves up, but we all make mistakes. You cannot focus on these things and God's plan for your life at the same time. Worrying over what others think is a distraction. Abandon all distractions if you want God's blessings.
To have God's blessings I must adopt His purpose for my life. This starts with a complete commitment. Our values and priorities change when God comes into our life. Our priorities become secondary. Paul changed from a religious terrorist to a follower of Christ. God's purpose for each of us is that we share the Good News. When we become a Christian, we are to tell others about Christ.
When God asks you to do something He will always give you the resources to do His will. He promises that if we put Him first He will supply all our needs (Matthew 6:33). God is looking for people to bless and use (2 Chronicles 16:9). Will you be one of those people?
Post a Comment
