042 - God's Word finds Earl and Karla

You pick up your Bible and one is there more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right well it may look like just print on the page but it's more than a join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Do you think that would change anyone's life. Boy, now I can think of some of the things that might be more pivotal than that pertinent yeah, but today we hear about the fact that actually did everything today on more than God's word written on people's hearts. The impact on people's lives because we often take the word for granted.

As believers we see you know there's a Bible I'm supposed to read it, but doesn't have any real power does it have any real action people's lives and what we wanted to do was show you that yes indeed the word does have incredible power in people's lives to this very day, and today we start with a couple friends of ours that we just near and dear well and collateral asking and we've known them for about 10 years. We met them right after they came out that the Mormon church that rightly were members in good standing of the bed, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and use the proper terminology these days very involved and Earl began to ask some questions which then yielded I think a 17 minute video recording that that was aired on the program 10 years ago began to draw some attention and we met him shortly after that and so but for those of us who've been believers. A large portion of our lives. It's fun. It's fun to see how the word has gigantic impact on people's lives like right now I'm really in fantastic influential ways and I think you hear that when you hear Earl and Carla talk about the well. I indeed so many of our conversations, especially early on as we knew them. Also even you know even up to now sell many of our conversations revolve around what they are learning or studying or what we study teaching and how do we understand that and will dispatch the word around to get it when we are so so it's fun to hear them tell their stories again today exactly and when the finest is a chuckle every time I hear it is pretty common among Mormons become Christians is they want to get this straight line on truth and so will grab a Bible and the only read the red letter you have the words of Jack words of Jesus when anyone in between. They don't want pally just me with. Jesus had to say and so when they go through and look at the red letter words of Jesus. They realize that everything written that Jesus talked about he never mentioned anything about Mormon issues, Mormon doctrine, and that is just here getting tired of middlemen telling them what they say is to go straight to the source, God speaks for himself. Word has power. You know I was thinking of how to introduce this and what came to mind was Isaiah 55 where verse nine as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts your thoughts, for as the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sewer and bread to the eater, so shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and succeeding in the matter for which I sent it so definitely succeeded the linker's lives always accomplishes something. So I guess maybe we better just so here's Earl and Carl are dear friends talking about the word so were here with Earl and Carla Erskine were delighted you were with us this is one of these are some some good friends of ours and work we do some ministry together, but I think we'll talk about to the end to tell people why we even know each other but Gosselin brought together brought us together so was just telling it was like a whole thumbnail just a thumbnail summary of your coming on the Mormon church and stuff like that. How long ago that was and no show intro just know it's been 10 years. Actually, this next month and year mother's 2011 was lost in church so 2011 is gone fast and I really appreciate so very long after that right.

It was was pretty mean you shortly their studio and an early pearl of come. The Lord love you and you know what what we do on this broadcast as we talk about the role the word in people's lives and and and I know with you guys if very much the case especially because the contrast with Mormon no Scriptures and stuff like that so so I think for a lot of our listeners. This is a brand-new territory. So the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any two-edged sword, and it definitely has proven that so we just want to casually talk to you and say so you know, tell us about your involvement with the word past present future. Maybe you can verses that stick with another big deal so we haven't really figured out has been a talk first. But I guess I'll start and Harlequin say stop talking and you shall tell me when to stop, so I will first of all when I are some verses that would like to share both Carl and I would like to but I like to begin really at the beginning of what when I started this journey out of Mormonism. I started thinking will why don't I know more about Jesus and why don't I know more. Even more so about Paul right Justin, Carl and I talked about. We only knew about his trip to mask some is all we knew that not anything that he'd written now. No not really.

So a little more background is that I was a gospel doctrine teacher at least four different times probably a total of 10 years so I gone through the New Testament manual recently or back when I was making the making this journey I pulled out my will gospel doctrine manual and found out that there been 46 lessons in the New Testament manual for the year and as I looked through it, only nine of them cover Paul's epistles. Only nine chapters while a whole chapter on just woman's. Just take one on just one chapter on everybody that we only cover the New Testament every four years. Once every three guys so I and so to answer the question how come I don't know more about Paul now but some of the lessons of the nine are things like you are the temple of God and keep the ordinances as I delivered them so they're not about Paul teaching of the gospel right so it was quite enlightening to find out that I that's the reason I do know more about personal segment, Carla will and you will forget what I speculate why it is that the Mormon church doesn't tell you much about fall. Well I would say that everything that Paul said about grace and about works in those things they skip over right yeah you well you know it was really interesting when we first started reading the Bible, we both started crying because you kindly saga the kitchen table.

We just just need less John doll that was when I had read before but I hadn't made any of the Bible that one of the Scriptures that I came across. I wanted to share and is very popular one is Ephesians 2 chapter chapter 2 verses eight and nine for by grace are ye say, through faith and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast a big one me so strongly and now I like to share with you my posting. If I can Earl and I were always busy in the church we do the Mormon church is I know. That's why the Scripture. I regret it and reread that we attended the temple we get home and visiting teaching.

This held many leadership callings involve the war down this day. Then there was hall and visiting teaching and family home evening family history book of Mormon reading and teaching, teaching, family home evening we have to do family history G turned actually reading here Bible and will not find ever the Bible home because it was so big and heavy that you know I sent thought to myself. Jesus didn't mention any of these things in mind all nonthinking. I felt very good girl all the time. Are you sure were going to the celestial kingdom, and it was just to reassure were doing everything we can we kill anybody. So working to make. He says only been baptized, we pay our tithing sure were going to make it to the celestial kingdom that never ever satisfied me, especially because Jesus mention these things right. This is beautiful. Scripture and was by through faith and by his love and that grace which we knew nothing about. So when you read that Carla it suddenly shone a light on the maybe the falseness of the works pursuing the works just by reading that that were saved by bicycle race things around and on the list and that's what made you please add them. I understand you correctly because you said you were reading started cry when you were before, is the truth of it was making sense was that we never know the negative things about the church and not shared those with Carl and we kind of covered over those we just didn't know the joy of freedom that we were going to feel in the grace of Jesus and his righteousness. What we were. We feel very grateful that we made this transition. This way because we know a lot of LDS people who chop sure about the church. Anymore questions they don't seem to bring Jesus with them. They don't have that foundation for something normally let Jesus go let the church go do because their foundation is more billed on the chart their own personal worthiness. When I find out the churches in true Joseph Smith maybe had the polygamy and the problems of the book of Mormon all the different negative things foundation crumbles with that. They just throw Jesus out with how well a relationship with Jesus in a way Christian does knowing that Jesus is God, not not that Jesus is my brother. When asked how did how did reading the Bible drop that peg in the hole for you will. Interesting you because my next chapter. My next little thing is Matthew five, eight very simple little + the pure in heart for they shall and I have been doing some association with some really pure in heart.

People best Christian store best people just gave them of themselves serving other people and being so sensitive and stuff and I started dwelling on pondering the Scripture. Blessed are the pure in heart shall see God will that's not Mormon doctrine being just pure and harsh as you tithe payer in the temple attender in all things and members of the church. They were oh yeah they were members of the church and something will how I will know and I had a good friend who was a member of the church. They will be with us in heaven say to her know by thanking me with those in his Alyssa get baptized in church. This simple little Scripture just such impact on me that Jesus and then I read all the words of Jesus, the red words of Jesus in red) and what he said didn't say about Temple sometime what was left out was left out for Mormon doctrine dictations. Jesus doesn't touch on never heard from anybody before that. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. What is the thing that got their attention.

Law how to weigh how do I like the people that get to the top of the celestial kingdom will release into the celestial kingdom get to see heavenly father dwell in any of these other right terrestrial and celestial world. So he's only in celestial requires at least baptism into the church so that was really impactful in such a simple statement. Yeah, he really does, it does reinforce the effect of that with the word of your Holy Spirit. Use the word I'll say unique levers of life. You know what would affect you probably wouldn't affect me and he knows where heart that he knows of these words don't mean to me. That's why you have so so many stories different versus really, that is fascinating. This is actually the most important verse and has really the least to do.

I think with God and Jesus that it's it's at 1724 and that's God that made the world and all things. They are in seeing that he is the Lord of heaven and earth. Well, if not in temple right hand side.

Just so you know I just aren't these temples are nothing Don doesn't acknowledge then he you know he never, you know temples have brick-and-mortar or earthly things you have friends tell us that Jesus walks the halls of the hole and I write you can't leave the church because Jesus wants the halls of the temple every night and I thought and I wondered when she said this will, which temple does a will takes turns to jump around. Anyway bodies are temples of God dwells in us and that was that was probably the biggest thing. In fact, in my Bible and I got that Scripture written all over in different places that you are that you are the temple and know that God does is not not made with hands, while Isaiah 66 begins. That way when God says hey I made all these things, where's the temple that you could build to contain me.

You can't build a building will contain, and so I think that probably is what Paul is alluding to. Even though his audience. There was were not Jews is that fabulous that vassalage jumped on the line for you.

That was the first thing I love that since temples are so anyway the rest of Scripture is that that we become the temple of the dwelling place of God in spirit and now you know that in reality what a special thing. It is when you hold temple in such high regard because that's where got occupied and then and then Paul so claim clearly says he's occupying you is what you got me so much as Christ, especially as you continue to walk in and grow this country so well talk about that, but how to internalize the truth is that it begins to me more at different levels and is probably the Lord will study the Bible for us is been really profound.

Just and it's just something that we just were unaware of.

We always were told to read the book never liable to read the Bible just tell us to read the D&C here. Basically, I don't know about the priesthood that it was all about the book of Mormon so I went. What struck it was so different than when you started to really read the Bible and if you are going to put the Bible in book of Mormon side by side. What would you say the first big difference that struck you are the most important difference that struck you the spirit unpack that a little but it was the spirit of God, I mean we did.

I mean if I wasn't crying I was. I was just six just bringing it all in the spirit of God was with me and I had not experienced that with the book of Mormon. All which I read several times. You know I enjoy. In fact, when I started the book of Mormon not say okay read this like a story Sunday to be able to get through that this is a starting right had to talk myself into that. But the Bible just the spirit within me when I read the Bible.

I think the difference for me, maybe, was that we were reading it with Christian eyes is a ghost of Mormon eyes around the size because we had no spread these Scriptures many times I read Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. That quote in everything, but all of a sudden I'm seeing things, allowing myself to see things differently and that's with another one that I share with everything with us here is Hebrews 11 and two. Oh yeah, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past under the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son, so that takes on a whole different perspective because we are so tied into profit. This is a rebel hanger is now learn what to again what Jesus said when he didn't say to try to follow that fence yet affected citizens because you yourself well if it's Jesus broken. Our prophets have been speaking. How much do I know from what our prophets say how much do another Jesus actually streets you feel like a conflict of yeah I think I will prediction a lot more from our prophets of said during conference, I think I know about all of which is this is probably a lot of that usually visit a friend of mine. Remember, was my boss at the time we are have discussions. He was Mormon and and we want to talk about the topic was, but I said will come back next time I will kindly compare our sources. I brought my Bible and should stop. He broke a whole stack of well what is with this is this is from the prophet as hours of information okay so disconnected to share this one really shellac. I know we don't have lots or time that escalations one and a 880.

Though we are an angel, preach any other gospel that what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. And this is a warning to us and even as Christians if we pick up something else or start to fully leave her stray away from the gospel of Jesus. This one has been been really comforting to me to that time. This is the word. This is what we need to read and believe and live and we don't want to be accursed sure thing with that Scripture tumors.

Find out what Paul taught the gospel right because I know that soon what he what he preached was Grayson is your measuring stick for the gospel straight. It's got the word sewing way. And also, underscores the importance of being vigilant because even the company Mormon church there. Should we still live in this sort of cesspool of spiritual deception that the people taking bizarre directions are the gospel biblical gospel is really very simple. Jesus the son of God came took on flesh died for us and rose again, but that concept even when I left the church that it was about Jesus and his righteousness. It was always about me accomplishing what I was young. He did teach. I'm proud to realize it was about Jesus and that's what the Bible is given me think is that message that Jesus is the one whose yeah he is God and that's his righteousness, and it's very humbling for us to stand were all sinners and then and it also exalts him, he gets bigger we get smaller. That's a good deal, that's a good deal.

What we we got a little bit of time left. What want to take a little bit like not much want to take over and talk about talk about the Exxon and file stuff and most people can come to follow. I have interviewed over 50 people in the who have left the church and their stories are commanders and like you said, there's so fascinating to hear the different things that affected people coming out and find those interviews on X Mormon files.com and is a gigantic collection of people telling the story and gratefully these are all people of come to the knowledge of Jesus right to become Christian and so appreciated that offer to him for whom like you guys.

The word played a gigantic role. Listen we are out of time so thank you so much. You guys are dear friends are consistent with joint values you do for us. So thanks again. What was remarkable and I would I'd heard many pieces of your story before it is just glorious to him you until get it really was fun to sit at the table and just listen to them talk with one another and not course they had prepared what Scriptures they wanted to read but it's just good to sit in and hear their stories again and when was the last time you had anyone relate to you that they picked up the Bible and submit them start to cry. Lovely truth that the word was touching some deeply tender hungry places that speaks to me happiness is not a frequent occurrence that when I read the word these days because it's so familiar that currently mix to do this again dear friend of ours, and I think you will join us in understanding the fact that God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, so when you read these words are paid more than the power. So join us next week