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Easter essays ['In the LDS church it never really hit me what Jesus did for me']
Lifeafter.org ^ | Melissa G of Pennsylvania and Michelle

Posted on 03/13/2013 9:21:53 AM PDT by Colofornian

Easter Essays

This had to be one of the most blessed and exciting Holy Week and Easter celebrations I’ve experienced since I was saved on Palm Sunday in 1993. I had the opportunity to mentor several brand new Christian ex-Mormons. It was completed in a hap-hazard way, but it gave me much insight for next year. The blessing was in seeing and witnessing via e-mail and phone how wonderful their lives are now that they are saved.

The assurance God gave them and the rest they now feel in their hearts has started to settle in for them. They finally heard about Jesus on Easter Day instead of Joseph Smith and while they praised the Lord, they also felt the righteous indignation I’m sure the Lord experiences in relation to the lies being told. The doubts about their own salvation and making the right decision are all beginning to dissipate with each sunrise and spiritually speaking, their strength is getting stronger.

I had them look at each day from Maundy Thursday up until the day of Easter and discover what they could about the significance of that day when Jesus was living through it. Afterwards, I asked a handful of them to write up a short letter sharing their experience of their first Easter celebration as a Christian. One of them dubbed her work the “Easter Essays” so that’s what we’re calling them!

The stories are a collection of varying degrees as I’m sure you can imagine. Some are multi-generational ex-Mormons from Utah; some are converts on the other side of the country. As my stack of essays began piling up it became obvious what needed to happen next. We want your stories. Yep, if you’re an ex-Mormon and would like to share the experience of your first Easter as a Christian, write to us so we can post your story!

The stories are awesome, inspirational and I am positive will encourage those who need it. The Lord let’s nothing go to waste and through them we will glorify Him, honor Him and treasure all that He does as we watch Him work!

With Love in Christ; Michelle 1 Cor. 1:18 

Dear Michelle: I wanted to share with you both that God graced me with courage to attend the local _________ Church on Easter. It was within walking distance and I just felt a huge desire to go there. And what a wonderful experience it was!

I now understand the importance of fellowship with other Christians, the richness of the body of Christ and being a part of it. The Pastor was wonderfully well spoken whose words that continued to reference from the Bible reached deep within me to teach and reach me more than I thought possible.

I was so fearful going, as I’ve never been in a Christian church before. I can’t tell you how many reasons I came up with not to go. Yet as I walked to church yesterday morning, I remembered Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with thee; Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yeah, I will help thee, yeah, I will uphold thee in the right hand of my righteousness.”

Then I began recalling that God does not give us the spirit of fear. God is love. And I know Whom I believe in. It was for Him I was going to church. To celebrate that He is risen. He would understand if I didn’t know when to stand, sit or words to sing. He was the Friend that I would know there.

The people were kind and welcoming. What a beautiful way to start the day. As I left, I was handed a potted Easter Lily, which I will plant in my yard…

From Melissa: My first Easter Sunday Service in my new church was very amazing and powerful. Everything was about Jesus, from the prayer said before the communion, and to songs sang. Not once did I hear one word about Joseph Smith or the wonderful thing he did for all of the inhabitants of the earth. The first song of the service was Via DoloRosa. I’ve heard this song a long time ago, and loved it. As I listened intently to the words of that song, it moved me very much. The message and music touched me like no LDS Easter Sunday ever did.

I don’t even remember Easter Sundays being very special in the LDS church. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around what Jesus did for me. I can’t believe that he suffered the way he did for me, for all of us. He gave us a free gift; all we have to do is accept it. I can’t imagine what it was like to have people cry out that they wanted you crucified just for teaching God’s word, and doing God’s will.

In the LDS church it never really hit me what Jesus did for me. I knew that he died on the cross for my sins, but I just didn’t get it. This is probably because they don’t want to you to think about that stuff. They try very hard to take the attention away from the cross. You’re not even allowed to wear a cross around your neck. When I think about it now I get upset with the LDS church because of what their leaders have done. At the same time I feel sad for the members as well. Now that I am a Christian I can see just how far away they are from the real Jesus Christ. They feel like they have to complicate Jesus and the way to Heaven. If they stay in that church they, like me will never truly get it. They will never really be able to understand what Jesus did for us. They will never be able to have a relationship with Jesus or pray to him. These things are not encouraged in the LDS church.

Since I have left the LDS church I have struggled with knowing that I am saved, and that I am going to go to Heaven. After the Easter Service I can say that now I know those things. It really helped me to fully understand why Jesus came to us, why he had to take our sins upon the cross and die for us.

I know that because of what Jesus endured and by accepting him, I am saved. I know that I will still be in Heaven with my family members, no matter what the LDS church says. We don’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops, do “good works”, and have a temple recommend to enter Heaven. I know that all we have to do is to come unto Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior. Melissa G, Pa


TOPICS: Ministry/Outreach; Other non-Christian; Religion & Culture; Worship
KEYWORDS: antichristian; easter; inman; lds; mormonism; saved
From the essay portion by Melissa G: My first Easter Sunday Service in my new church was very amazing and powerful. Everything was about Jesus, from the prayer said before the communion, and to songs sang. Not once did I hear one word about Joseph Smith or the wonderful thing he did for all of the inhabitants of the earth. The first song of the service was Via DoloRosa. I’ve heard this song a long time ago, and loved it. As I listened intently to the words of that song, it moved me very much. The message and music touched me like no LDS Easter Sunday ever did. I don’t even remember Easter Sundays being very special in the LDS church. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around what Jesus did for me. I can’t believe that he suffered the way he did for me, for all of us. He gave us a free gift; all we have to do is accept it. I can’t imagine what it was like to have people cry out that they wanted you crucified just for teaching God’s word, and doing God’s will. In the LDS church it never really hit me what Jesus did for me. I knew that he died on the cross for my sins, but I just didn’t get it. This is probably because they don’t want to you to think about that stuff. They try very hard to take the attention away from the cross. You’re not even allowed to wear a cross around your neck. When I think about it now I get upset with the LDS church because of what their leaders have done. At the same time I feel sad for the members as well. Now that I am a Christian I can see just how far away they are from the real Jesus Christ. They feel like they have to complicate Jesus and the way to Heaven. If they stay in that church they, like me will never truly get it. They will never really be able to understand what Jesus did for us. They will never be able to have a relationship with Jesus or pray to him. These things are not encouraged in the LDS church.

Few Mormons wear crosses, depicting their aversion to it. For more on this, see:

* No-Cross Protocol ["New" Mormon tradition]

* Sunstone speaker attempts to explain LDS 'aversion' to cross [published by Mormon church owned Mormon Times]

1 posted on 03/13/2013 9:21:53 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: All
From the essay portion by Melissa G: Since I have left the LDS church I have struggled with knowing that I am saved, and that I am going to go to Heaven. After the Easter Service I can say that now I know those things. It really helped me to fully understand why Jesus came to us, why he had to take our sins upon the cross and die for us. I know that because of what Jesus endured and by accepting him, I am saved. I know that I will still be in Heaven with my family members, no matter what the LDS church says. We don’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops, do “good works”, and have a temple recommend to enter Heaven. I know that all we have to do is to come unto Jesus and accept him as our Lord and Savior.

Here's a test for Lds to discover their disaffection:

#1. Do you really believe a piece of paper (a temple recommend that pre-Gutenberg believers never had) is what ushers you into the presence of Heavenly Father forever?

#2. Have you been told that "eternal life" is eventual life in the extra-"goody" heaven -- the third heaven -- called the "Celestial Kingdom?" And that it's part of "eternal progression" and that it will take a "while" to reach it? And that it's ONLY available for married Mormons? And that it's ONLY available for temple Mormons?

IOW, have you been told that "eternal life" takes place either at death -- or, for the Mormon, much, much beyond that?

Well, that's a lie. Plain and simple.

How do we know that?

Compare that "line" to what Jesus repeatedly said about "eternal life"...read the passages below and then ask, "Is eternal life something available on this earth BEFORE we die?" The final verse below gives the best brief definitional understanding of eternal life...'tis a relationship with the ONLY TRUE God...a relationship that can start right NOW!

* 36 Whoever believes in the Son HAS eternal life... (Jesus, John 3:36)
* 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life and will not be judged but HAS CROSSED OVER from death to life. (Jesus, John 5:24)
* 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes HAS eternal life. (Jesus, John 6:47)
* 11 And this is the testimony: God HAS GIVEN us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever HAS the Son HAS life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)

3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (Jesus, John 17:3)

Jesus defines "eternal life" right before our very eyes! It's a relationship. That starts NOW!

Mormons, yield the lies your leaders have told you. Realize how disaffected you have done. Come to the true God....the ONLY ONE...embrace eternal life NOW thru a relationship with the True Christ!!!! Believe!!!

2 posted on 03/13/2013 9:22:17 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: All
How does the Mormon jesus match up vs. the Jesus of biblical history?
'Another Jesus': Does it matter if Jesus is distorted @ hands of Mormon leaders? [Finale: Part IV] [See post #1 for links to parts I, II, III]
3 posted on 03/13/2013 9:23:32 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian

It’s too bad that the millions of Mormons don’t tell their leaders to “go to Kolob,” and reach out to the true Jesus Christ, which they cannot do with the current tons of doctrinal errors that they are swimming in.


4 posted on 03/13/2013 9:31:09 AM PDT by laweeks
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To: All
FR can no longer excerpt Salt Lake Trib articles...but we can still link to them. Just last week, the Trib ran this very significant article:

Mormons increasingly drawn to Holy Week rituals

IoW, Mormons are attending Christian church services during Holy Week! (And they love the services there!)

To understand this, you have to understand the backdrop -- the vacuum of Jesus and the cross within Mormonism:

1. BYU study: Disconnect between Mormons and Easter

In this article, published by the Mormon church owned Deseret News, it said that Easter has ”only 'lightly more planning than the Fourth of July,'

2. Preparing for Easter through Holy Week

From this article: While the LDS community does not formally observe Holy Week, the period from Palm Sunday to Easter morning… Suddenly I realized that my observance of Easter was rather pale by comparison

3. What is the Significance of Easter for Mormons?

4. Mormons have sub-par Easter services [testimony from a Mormon]

5. Why don't Mormon's celebrate Easter? [Asked by a Mormon]

6. See also: Lent celebrated locally as Easter nears this month [Lent through eyes of Lds journalist]

5 posted on 03/13/2013 9:33:14 AM PDT by Colofornian
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To: Colofornian
Few Mormons wear crosses, depicting their aversion to it. For more on this, see:

* No-Cross Protocol ["New" Mormon tradition]
* Sunstone speaker attempts to explain LDS 'aversion' to cross [published by Mormon church owned Mormon Times]

There's also this thread: The Political Surf on Mormons and the cross

According to Michael Reed, an LDS historian at the University of California in Sacramento, the LDS church’s frowning on crosses was part of a movement initiated in the 1950s, under then-President David O. McKay, that sought to emphasize the church’s differences with the Catholic Church. In 1957, McKay declared the cross off limits on jewelry, saying the cross is “purely Catholic. … Our worship should be in our hearts,” McKay said, writes Stack in her article.

According to Reed’s thesis cited in Stack’s article, McKay had been annoyed by Catholic celebrations in Belgium while a mission president. Also, anti-Catholic feelings intensified when church leaders worried a Utah Catholic radio show was designed to win converts from among Latter-day Saints.

According to Stack’s article, McKay, pointing at a Catholic church, said in 1953, “There are two great anti-Christs in the world: Communism and that church.” The late Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote the book “Mormon Doctrine,” which is still widely read among LDS faithful, was also an opponent of Catholicism and use of the cross.

In a later edition of “Mormon Doctrine,” McConkie describes crucifixes and cross adornments as “inharmonious with the quiet spirit of worship and reverence that should attend a true Christian’s remembrance of our Lord’s suffering and death.” McConkie further blames the use of cross adornments and crucifixes on “an intermingling of pagan concepts with the true apostolic Christianity. …”


6 posted on 03/13/2013 9:51:14 AM PDT by Alex Murphy ("If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all" - Isaiah 7:9)
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To: Colofornian
There are many stories at this link.



7 posted on 03/13/2013 9:58:43 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: laweeks

true


8 posted on 03/13/2013 10:28:10 AM PDT by svcw (Why is one cell on another planet considered life, and in the womb it is not.)
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To: Salvation

nadie entiende el sacrificio ni la mision de Jesucristo mejor que nosotros, tal vez algunos Santos de los ultimos dias tampoco, son los que visitan otros grupos


9 posted on 03/13/2013 10:44:57 AM PDT by californian by choice
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To: Colofornian
'In the LDS church it never really hit me what Jesus did for me']

Why should it?

You've not hit the limit of 'all you can do' yet...

10 posted on 03/13/2013 12:53:09 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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