Of Dogs And Pigs — Part 2

Answering questions by doing what you were doing. Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors.

It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. Be sure to pick up your copy today at your favorite Christian bookstore viewpoint on Mormonism program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint on Mormonism 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 so glad to be with us for this additional viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at M. R. M.

Yesterday we began looking at an article that Eric wrote for the Christian research Journal, it was in volume 42 number one titled offering pearls to pigs and dogs taken from Matthew 76 were Jesus taught. Do not give dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. We were discussing yesterday. How do we know when were talking to somebody and we come to realize that perhaps there in this category that Jesus was talking about.

And as you brought out yesterday.

The idea of anybody being considered synonymous to a swine or a pig or a dog was a huge insult so should we be quick to make that kind of a judgment call, or should we be slow I would hope that we would probably err on the side of caution. I want to read some quotations from some Christian commentators and one of them that I want to read is from William Hendrickson in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew and this is what he says about this verse. First of all, he cites Matthew 760 not give what is holy to the dogs. Do not fling your pearls before the hogs brothers and dogs or hogs he says must not be treated alike. Believers must discriminate carefully because on to say in order to understand this saying it is necessary first of all, to discover what is meant by dogs and hogs and as you brought out yesterday. William Hendrickson concurs here. He says among the Jews, the dogs of the street were held in low esteem. The reference here is not to little pet dogs but to pariahs.

Large, savage and ugly. One could see them almost everywhere prowling about the garbage and the rubbish thrown into the streets. They were considered unclean and filthy. They threaten Howell and snarl are greedy and shameless.

In brief, they are contemptible to be eaten by dogs was a sign of God's special curse resting upon a person and you gave the references yesterday talking about. For instance, Jezebel who when she was pushed out the window. The dogs licked her blood. He says as to hogs or pigs. These are here viewed as being similarly contemptible and filthy. The Old Testament mentions swine among the unclean animals. The eating of swine's flesh is called an abomination. Let me also cite JC Ryle and this is in his expository thoughts on the Gospels, volume 1. He speaks of what he calls the importance of exercising discretion as to the person with whom we speak on the subject of religion I know that word religion in the 21st century context of month among a lot of Christians, it is probably offensive, but you got to understand that that word carries a special meaning in the 19th and early 20th century that it doesn't seem to have nowadays. We look more at religion. I personally don't that the word religion is speaking more about works and and I think we might care if we draw that kind of a conclusion and we we judge prematurely when a person like JC Ryle means when he uses that word he said everything is beautiful in its place and season.

Our seal is to be tempered by a prudent consideration of times, places and persons, and then he cites Proverbs 98 reprove, not a scorner, says Solomon, lest he hate you, and I think you brought that up yesterday.

It is not everybody to whom it is wise to open our minds in spiritual matters. There are many who from violent tempers were openly profligate habits are utterly incapable of valuing the things of the gospel. So here's the point we need to be discerning. We need to be careful we don't all of a sudden make a judgment call it just because someone we might be talking to who has in their mind.

Some serious questions even though they might ask that question in a way that we could take as perhaps they don't really mean it. We still need to exercise caution, don't you think I think you're right and I look at that what Paul did with the Athenians on Mars Hill in Athens and the next chapter 17. He bent a lot to be able to present the gospel to people who were not going to be really receptive to the Christian gospel even use their own poets and their own philosophers and the quotations that he gives there but then were not antagonistic. They were willing to listen and effective says at the end of chapter 17 that there were some who wanted to continue and some who became believers through that but I think so often when were doing evangelism. It's hard when people are in opposition and so you're going to have to sometimes buckle up and be willing to go a certain distance, but you asked the hard question yesterday. What point do you say I'm throwing the gospel the pearl before pigs and dogs and I think it's just going to have to be through experience because maybe the first time maybe you cut short too quickly or maybe you go to long and so you learn that was stranger evangelism but you and asked the question yesterday. What about family. What about neighbors. What about friends, and I think as we said yesterday that is the most difficult situation. I have an example Bill from a family reunion that I recently attended, and there are a lot of Latter Day Saints who are part of the family that were at this reunion so I was expecting possibly of having a conversation if the time came, but I wasn't going to force myself on any of my LDS relatives, but there was a Jehovah's Witness relative who was part of this reunion. My wife ended up talking to her and asking how things were going, spiritually, and she admitted she was having a very dry time. My wife asked well would you like to talk to Eric he knows a lot about the watchtower Bible and tract Society and she said yeah we could talk now she's been a Jehovah's Witness for well over 10 years, but we went outside for the next hour. It was very obvious that she didn't want to do a lot of talking, but she was in a let me do a lot of talking.

So I was able to lay out the gospel give a clear presentation and show some of the differences between watchtower theology versus what the Bible teaches as being true doctrine. She listened very cordial, but there came a time. After about an hour. It was a nice long conversation, but she then said something that to me was obvious she wanted to change the topic she was done she had heard what I was going to present. She wasn't going to accepted or rejected in front of me and so I decided okay. She does not want to talk any further.

It was very obvious to me. And so we talked about other things for 10 or 15 minutes and then the conversation ended.

If I had continued and said I just gotta continue to force myself on on this relative I think I could've done a lot of damage. I think I had to back off.

I think she appreciated the fact that I did again is experience. I'm not saying that it was a perfect evangelistic encounter, but she gave me the opportunity I took advantage of that opportunity until the door seem to be closed and there you go. I think a lot of it.

The Holy Spirit and gut instincts and you have to say Lord help me as I as I talk Karen and help me to take this work and needs to go. I know exactly what you're talking about because there is the temptation when you do have an opportunity to talk to an individual about things that we hold dear want to dump everything we possibly can with the thought in the back of her head that maybe we won't have another opportunity to do this right. That's what makes it difficult whom I can have a chance to do some following up. We don't know. But look, the Lord allowed this encounter to take place. Who knows if he's not going to allow another encounter to take place now. Maybe it might not be in a personal face-to-face like in the example that you just gave maybe it's going to be later on in an email. Maybe this individual could write you later on with some questions. In other words, sometimes we give people enough to think about and we don't want to overload them because let's be serious. Most people are going to forget about 90% of what you said in the first place. After a day.

So let's just give him enough to think about. Don't overload him with too many facts and as I've often said many times two people that want to witness. You don't need to play all your cards save something for later on if you have some arguments that you want to bring up. Think about that.

Is this a time to bring it up because really that's what JC Roy was talking about the proper times you want to use the time properly and sometimes it's not a good time to bring up something and hold that back hold it for another occasion. Who knows, let the Lord work out the situation for you.

Let me give you an example. And I think I've mentioned it on the show before several years ago I had an encounter with a couple down at the Mormon miracle pageant who were just treating me with all sorts of contempt I was trying to be very patient with them and answering their questions, but after a while you could tell this was a couple that really were not interested in anything I had to say and this is one of those situations where while I was talking to this couple and I was taken a lot of verbal abuse from them. They weren't using vulgar expressions or anything like this but they were definitely mocking me and mocking some of the things that I had to say. I kept the conversation going for mostly the benefit of those that were listening and I'll never forget and I'm sure some people if they watch that video on YouTube of this encounter probably thought she Bill they asked you will what is it basically that you have to tell them and I refuse to do it and I really saw this couple is fitting the description that Jesus mentions in Matthew 76 I did not feel the Holy Spirit urging me on to continue a conversation about spiritual matters, sacred matters with this couple who would just spent several several minutes a lot of time mocking me and the things that I had to say so I refuse to do it. I think that was one of those situations and though some might criticize me and say what you should have done it anyway basically allow me at least two be able to discern in a situation that I was personally in and I would hope people would at least be gracious enough to allow me that while I think there are some Christians well-meaning, who feel that if you don't