Micah Wilder Passport to Heaven Part 5

When one examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 limited sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect.

And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism hoping you're having a very pleasant Friday. Welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson my colleague Elmar L. But this week we've also had with us very good friend of ours Micah Wilder he's the head of Adams Road. Ministry. He wrote a book called passport to heaven, the true story of a zealous Mormon missionary who discovers the Jesus he never knew. Welcome back Micah, you have an incredible ministry with music and you do a lot of traveling with Adams Road and giving your testimony and so forth. Want you very briefly explain what you do and you're going to be in the western United States this year so you'll be in Utah and Idaho and such and how can people find out exactly where you're going to be yes coded. Last year we had to take a hiatus from touring, but this will actually be 14 year of traveling all across North America.

We begin in June and I will travel through October. Go to our website.

Adams Road ministry.com.

We have our full tour schedule. There will be all over the United date encourage you to connect with the churches and we share testimonies to share music and then we equip and encourage the body of Christ to go out and fulfill the great commission. All of our debts are free.

All of our units free to connect with*our website and she will rent a D and we hope to see many of you in person and again that is Adams Road ministry.calm in your book. We are now getting to the part of your story you've already had an encounter with Pastor Benson, the Baptist pastor in Florida is challenge you on what you believe made some pretty serious accusations regarding the differences between what Mormons believe and what evangelicals believe what you go through a huge transition. You start reading your New Testament over and over again. Let me read Bill page 161 where he actually has a conversation with Joseph Warren who is now your brother-in-law's a great story bill because on the bottom of 160 Joseph sees a picture of Micah's sister and he says this dude he said with googling eyes. Is that your sister he picked up the picture and pointed at Katie, yes I responded knowing what was coming next and I writer he asked gleefully grow. She's 15, absolutely not. So there's humor in this book as well. But then you share the gospel with them. And now today he's a brother in the Lord.

Page 161 you write this. This is what you said Warren, it's hard to put this in the words but so much of my life is changing. I've been reading the New Testament every day and I don't know I just feel different, like there's so much more than I already know God is shown me things in opening my eyes, it's hard to explain. You should read the New Testament to read it like a child.

Put away all your preconceived notions about what you think is truth, humble yourself approach God with an empty cup and let him fill it come to God as a child with their father and let him teach you.

That's what I'm trying to do and it's the most amazing thing."

You sound like Pastor Benson here although my heart would not necessarily in the right place.

When I began the process of reading the Bible that the power of God's word immediately began to wash an entry chain to be in the trench for my hardened and it was such a gradual process, but I knew that nothing was changing my life I knew that God was opening my eyes to something that was so different than anything that I had ever known. It was something so much greater than anything I could ever fathom. And of course that was the gospel. It was the truth. It was that the demonstration of God's love for me and that while I was still a sinner, that Christ Jesus died for me with quartzite that I believe that and understood that the missionary, but it was a recognition of the sufficiency of that work above the perfection of that work, about the completeness of what Jesus did for me on the cross and that he paid in full measure. The penalty that I have God, and that that alone was enough that I can add to that I can be worthy of eternal life, but yet God loved me enough to send Jesus to be the propitiation for my sins, and that ultimately led me to recognizing that Jesus alone was the only way to be saved and that all these ordinances and laws and an intensive Mormonism that I was trying to add to what Jesus did, they would never be sufficient, but only trusting in Jesus alone will bring the right standing with God that you're representing a church that's called the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day and you would think that your emphasis on the completed work of Christ on the cross on behalf of Micah Wilder would be something that your mission president would embrace but that is not at all what happened then you tell the story of the conflict with this raised with your mission president. The president Sorensen as is mentioned in your book.

Let me just give part of the story and this is a chapter called the horror. This is what the mission president says I don't know what has happened to you Elder.

I started to see signs for the last six months or so every time you have been given your testimony all you have mentioned is Christ. It worried me a great deal. That's how I knew that something was wrong." And then you write. I couldn't believe what I just heard he was worried because my testimony was only in Jesus Christ. So what happens as a result of that director having become born again. I think the fate of my mission plugged in it and in that section that is word for word I wrote that down immediately after that meeting and it was just a confirmation to me that this church that bore the name of Jesus Christ right in its title would not really built on Jesus Christ and certainly would not build on that the same place that was revealed in the word of God. In addition, reminded me that when I was a Mormon, Jesus was part of my testimony, he was part of my faith as a Christian, Jesus is my testimony he is completed he is sufficient.

And so my whole testimony now is built on the finished work of Christ, not on Jesus clashed all of these other man-made elements that I can hold onto him alone now.

Eric and I both been called coral horror by Mormons who were not too happy with us in our message that he called unique for Q explain what that meant, teach you what you were called that game yesterday for being horribly going about it.

Eventually you would like a false teacher and Angie wasn't charging money and you getting rich because is evangelizing and that eventually led to violence and he was a murderer and I mean you know so essentially it was a pretty we could accusation because this guy was a charlatan and and he was actually a murderer and he was an active Christ and any comparing me to this guy named me for in the book about the compartment and so it was offensive to me but that the thing I knew that I was following Jesus. So I didn't have anything to fear that I wouldn't think being called a name like that would endear you to this church that you're struggling being a part of it at this point in time. I don't know if that was a good play on his part to make an accusation like that, we think every Christian ought to read it. We also think every latter-day St. who might want to understand a little more of who you are to read this book as well. I love what you wrote on page 309 toward the end of the book and that this is after all these events taking place you're dealing with Alisha. She's actually having a conversion experience on her own based on the things that you're telling her while she's in Utah and you're in Florida, but this is what you write on page 309. Growing up I was taught by the church that Christians believed in a cheap grace. I thought that the self-proclaimed born-again or's with throw their hands in the air declare I'm saved and then live first, then indulging in every desire of the flesh, without believing that works had any part in the Christian life.

Now that myself had become born again, and receive the life-changing love of God.

My perspective had changed radically. I now realize how much love transmutes the heart. When I came to know and understand the immeasurable love that God had for me and finally fathom the grace the unmerited favor he had shown to me.

I didn't see that as a license for me to sin. As I pleased.

In fact, it had the opposite effect. Can you tell us a little more how that had an opposite effect right below God because he first loved Longford to want to be faithful to his word is what drives in and show my motivation right institutes for doing good works was because God was now living and working in the right that I was crated in his workmanship do the good works that he'd prepared beforehand that I should walk in them leave these good works in this life of Christian truth would not my justification wasn't something I was doing to earn salvation. It was actually a result of the salvation that had come to me freely by the grace of God. Mormonism had the cart before the horse. And so they're trying to justify themselves before God and make themselves righteous by their own goodness.

Like Paul said to the Romans about the Jews that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, and that they were ignorant of the righteousness of God in Christ, and they were seeking to establish their own and so that was me and as I want to that process of being born again and having a heart-wrenching becoming a new creation in Christ. I recognize that God loves me and Christ, the Christ completed the work necessary for my right standing with God. And then, because the Holy Spirit now and dwells in me that God was going to work through me to produce the fruit of true faith your parents after your conversion to Christianity eventually also left the LDS church and have become Christians as well. That's an amazing story in itself in your mother wrote a book, unfailing grace, where she tells that story. There is a lot of hope a lot of people don't think will Gina like I'm all by myself out here but you never know what God can do. Eric had mentioned Alisha this was your your fiancé when you were on your mission and you mentioned in the book that her father was a little worried about Alisha listening to some of the things that you were saying.

I can kind of understand that as a father to be a little protective now Alisha is your wife you got three boys and how is your relationship with your father, Mark and I asked that on the air know absolutely I readily admit that there was in those relationships. I mean the tension in my relationships with my own. You know for several months until I'm flying to admit that, but I do praise God healed those relationships over time. My wife's family. They're all still very steep to Mormonism older siblings or parents. Her in-laws mean everything but God is working in their hearts for God is working in the live feed opening doors even in the last year we seen instances where they are being open to discussing the gospel with my wife asking questions going to the word of God until we continually pray for them and I love what you said Bill like we can't give up opening God is working continually in God's word does not return void, and sometimes it takes a long, many mighty deeds being watered being watered over a long time for people finally come to saving faith in Jesus, but I have hope that God is working in their lives and that they too will come to know the grace of Christ that sometimes we can get a little bit impatient with how God works, but still like the sign you see in a restaurant.

Good food takes time to prepare enough don't trust God to do it right, don't worry about it.

He's been doing this for quite a long time and he knows much better than we do. Micah, it's been a pleasure talking to you about this book and again the book is passport to heaven, the true story of a zealous Mormon missionary who discovers the Jesus he never knew it's published by harvest House publishers. And again if people want to find out more about Adams Road ministry. It's Adams Road ministry.com I say by the book, there is this a no doubter. Thanks for being with us. Mike appreciated. Thank you grabbing me.

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