Ex-LDS Matt Wilder, Saved by Jesus Christ

13 Responses to Ex-LDS Matt Wilder, Saved by Jesus Christ

1. Mike R says:

   December 12, 2011 at 8:25 am

   What a blessing to listen to this young man ! Despite the striving to keep all the myriads
   of laws , rules, commands, obligations of the Mormon gospel, he found that something was
   missing in his life. He embraced the true gospel, a one-on-one relationship with the living
   Lord Jesus Christ. He found THE prophet worth following ; this prophet is also THE Savior.
   What a massive difference between the religion of Joseph Smith and a relationship with Jesus
   Christ ! May the precious Mormon people find Jesus today , and find out that He is indeed
   able—Heb.7:25
2. spartacus says:

   December 12, 2011 at 8:39 am

   I’ve seen these adam’s road testimonies before and enjoy them each time. Their presentation may be rough but the sincerity and truth is there.

   More specifically I wanted to address his points about worship and sunday meetings. When I was attending LDS meetings with my wife (when she was considering/waiting for baptism/after baptism), as I have mentioned before, I dreaded going for a number of reasons. Hearing the Christian terms and sentiments and knowing the semantic differences with the true gospel and hearing the small indicators of the equivocation and those differences angered me. I was angry that all these people were, with more or less awareness, listening to, trusting in, and living by twisted gospel and theology. When I thought then about my wife doing so it enraged me further. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m sur God helped me to keep my cool.

   But I also remember thinking about the lifelessness of the worship. Now, whatever your worship preference, it seems obvious that singing the same songs over and over, barely able to hear your fellow worshipers or even yourself because you are singing so quietly and in opposition with all the babies (who are expressing more enthusiasm than the adults), and with all the “participants” who are busy with anything but singing (including nodding off to sleep), and only singing the three songs in the schedule for the day is not the robust, heart-felt/sincere, Spirit-led and interacting worship that is due the Awesome, Glorious, and Holy God that Is.

   Again, I’m ont advocating a worship style, I’m just saying when I was there, in it, it was confused, loud (babies), droning (the singing), stale and forced.

   I also know different wards have different styles. See PBS The Mormons
3. spartacus says:

   December 12, 2011 at 8:47 am

   I am most intrigued by this class he mentions that criticizes the woman singing Amazing Grace and the actions of the congregation. It would be fascinating to hear what the instructor and students actually said. It would probably be depressing too, to see them tear up something so beautiful. It’s awesome to hear how the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to this somewhat-subtle evil around him which he probably just took for granted and accepted as righteous criticism beforehand.

   Thank you God for saving us from ourselves.
4. Mike R says:

   December 12, 2011 at 9:33 pm

   This young man is another person who was striving to serve God, he was sincere in his faith.
   In his endeavoring to serve God he was detoured by men claiming to be Jesus’ authorized
   spiritual guides into embracing a counterfeit gospel. But he came to see the difference in
   a man-made replica of Jesus’ gospel and the real gospel of Jesus Christ. His brother discovered
   this difference upon reading the New Testament . For those Mormons who desire to get off the
   ladder of ” requirements for eternal life ” they’ve been told to climb by Mormon prophets, there
   is relief, spiritual and emotional , found in the person of Jesus Christ. He has the ability to reach
   out and relieve you of your burden supernaturally because He is ABLE to ! see Heb.7:25 .
   This can happen today .
5. Mike R says:

   December 14, 2011 at 11:31 am

   Matt Wilder saved by Jesus Christ. Saved. What awesome word ! To ask Jesus to forgive
   you is to come to Jesus —Matt 11:28-30. Then a wonderful thing happens, ” As He died
   He ‘ blotted out ‘ the laws and ordinances ‘ that were against us because we could not fulfill
   them, and He took these ‘ ordinances ….out of the way ‘ no longer counting our trespasses
   against us. Therefore , the Bible declares that once we have placed our complete trust in Jesus
   Christ alone, God no longer looks at us in the context of our sin and guilt. Instead , He views
   us in context of Christ’s all-sufficient righteousness . As a result the Bible declares of the believer
   that, ‘ ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God ‘ . Col 3:3; Heb 10:14 . Jesus meets us
   right where we are. The Bible proclaims, ‘…that while we were yet sinners , Christ died for us.’
   Rom.5:8. It is Jesus who makes us ‘ perfect’—-not through obedience to a ‘ code of laws ‘ and
   ordinances —- but by virtue of His sinless life being applied to our account…..the Jesus of the
   Bible saves us to the uttermost because He is the one who presents us ‘ holy and unblameable
   and unreproveable ‘ in God’s sight. Col.1:22; 1Jn 5:11-13. … There is now no condemnation to
   them that are in Christ Jesus Rom 8:1. ” [ Saved or Unsaved? That is The Question, p.6-7 ] .

   The Mormon people can experience the freedom of having Jesus take their burden of
   trying to be “worthy” thru obedience to the “requirements” created by their prophets.
6. Kate says:

   December 15, 2011 at 8:46 am

   Spartacus,
   For the LDS, being reverent towards God is mandatory. Being loud, happy and enthusiastic is considered disrespectful. I know this is a big part of LDS worship. Little primary children, starting at 3 years of age are taught that they need to show reverence to God. They teach them through songs and lessons. “The chapel doors seem to say to me…sshhhh, be still, for this is the reverent place to be….shhh, be still” or “Reverently, Quietly, lovingly we think of think of thee, Reverently, Quietly, softly sing our melody, Reverently, Quietly, humbly now we pray, Let thy Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts today.” It’s a big deal. Go back on this site and find the article on the Mormon miracle pageant and see how they play the Christian Ministers. I remember going to church as a LDS and it was just as you described. After 5 minutes I would start watching the clock! Members were assigned a subject to talk about and most of the time it was about subjects like preparedness, helping a neighbor, gossip or charity with a few scriptures given. LDS classes at church were more of the same. That 3 hour block seemed to drag on. When I attend my Christian church, the difference is amazing. The music is Christ filled and uplifting. The sermons are wonderful and full of true Biblical teachings. I never watch the clock and I’m a little disappointed that it’s over so soon even though it’s been 2 hours! I would much rather sing a heartfelt, uplifting version of Amazing Grace (because it is truly AMAZING GRACE) than reverently whisper the words to that song without feeling, and hoping they aren’t going to sing every verse. I did that a lot with LDS hymns.
7. spartacus says:

   December 15, 2011 at 3:24 pm

   Kate,

   Thanks for your honesty.

   As for reverence, I appreciate your input. I’m very familiar with LDS reverence as my wife and I befriended an LDS family. A little story from my experience: when they prayed, they would almost always remind the children to be “reverent”. I assume my wife would pray with them; I prayed my own prayer while they prayed-for her protection and the Light of God to enlighten all of us. But my wife and I would always hold hands as we prayed before dinner.

   Something sweet happened what seemed to be just after a few dinner prayers. The children are encouraged to fold their arms when they pray. It is specifically folding, like anyone does when they are standing around or cold. The parents would also fold their arms as an example to the children. So there I am praying my own prayer, holding my wife’s hand and she holding mine with the rest folding their arms. Well, after one of these prayers my wife informs me that the youngest child, a toddler, reached over and held her hand while we prayed. Since that first time, he always held hands with us. He even tried to get his neighboring sibling to hold his other hand. That sibling, tween, would refuse and try to get his brother, and even my wife and I, to let go and fold arms instead!

   My wife and I always thought that was sweet of the toddler, and I always thought it was sad about the rest being separate and folded in.
8. falcon says:

   December 15, 2011 at 5:23 pm

   I always enjoy watching these videos from the young men in the Adam’s Road group. As is evident in the above video testimony, the Holy Spirit led him to Jesus who then revealed the Father to him. He sought revelation through God’s Word and was given it, confirming who Jesus is, who the Father is, and who the Holy Spirit is. He also had the fundamental salvation truths revealed to him that he might receive the gift of eternal life.
   As far as reverential worship goes, I’m all for it. I’m not to fond, however, of boring worship. But I’m sure that God accepts our sacrifices of praise no matter what form they come in as long as a person’s heart is right.
   I couldn’t really get too excited about worshiping a god who was one of many in the universe. I especially couldn’t get too fired-up about a god who was a man who morphed into a god. I guess a Mormon may as well worship his devoted Mormon uncle who, if is believed, is on the path to deification.
   From my perspective, the Mormon god of this planet, is merely a reflection of a human being who went through the Mormon system that Mormons believe turns men into gods. In effect, Mormons worship the system. That’s why they get all cranked up when someone “leaves the church”.
   A Christian doesn’t depend on a religious system for eternal life. A born again believer puts trust in Jesus, not a works demanding system. That’s why there are sects of Christians who jump, shout, dance and do everything short of back flips when they worship. They’re excited about God.
   The Spirit gives life. He brings excitement. Praise God!
9. Mike R says:

   December 15, 2011 at 7:41 pm

   Spartacus, God bless you and your family .

   Falcon, welcome back. Missed ya .
10. falcon says:

    December 15, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    The fact of the matter is that Matt came to an accurate understanding of who God is. And coming to that understanding, he attained to eternal life through Jesus Christ. We have all sorts of thought provoking articles and discussions here on MC about all sorts of subjects but the only one of significance are the ones that relate to the nature of God and of course by extension, Jesus Christ.
    Mormons leave Mormonism for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons are related to Joseph Smith himself, the BoM and the other “revelations” he claimed and often times it’s just because they’re burned out on the Mormon religious system. I’ve always felt that the unfortunate result of Mormonism is that it seems to produce so many people who aren’t just ambivalent about religion but become openly hostile (to it) and God.
    I had heard that half of returning missionaries leave the Mormon church. Then the other day I saw where someone claimed that three quarters of these folks leave. Now I wonder why that is?
    Like the apostle Paul we can see where to believe in Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection is life changing. Focusing on Jesus brings a perspective of newness of life that can’t be contained by a religious system. Jesus said that new wine couldn’t be held in an old wine pouch. That’s because the new wine will burst the old leather container.
    Old, dead, legalistic religion cannot contain the Spirit of God. Set free from the bonds of oppressive religion, a born again believer experiences what true life in Christ is. It is liberating to breath fresh air and bask in the warmth of the Son.
11. Mike R says:

    December 15, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    I was reading the tract by Carolyn Sexauer, who was a Mormon for over 30 years ,
    where she gives her story of coming to the person of Jesus Christ for complete salvation.
    Titled , ” My Testimony of the Gospel of the Grace of God”, she cites a quote from Mormon
    apostle F.D. Richards : ” Redemption from personal sins can only be obtained through
    obedience to the requirements of the gospel and a life of good works. ”

    However , the apostle Paul stated : ” For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
    yourselves ; it is the gift of God’ not of works , lest any man should boast. ”
    Carolyn chose to embrace Paul’s teaching on being saved .
12. falcon says:

    December 16, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    So in the first four hundred years of Christianity there were many men who claimed to have a revelation as to who Jesus is/was. I could list them along with what they claimed but it’s pretty easy to access that information. The fundamental position of the Church was that like the Jewish faith from which it emerged, there is one God. So (the Church Fathers) had to clearly articulate the nature of Jesus and do so without the proper theological terms to express that there is one God and that Jesus is God. The apostle John said it pretty clearly when he wrote, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
    Now the Jehovah Witnesses having their own modern day revelation saw fit to have their own Biblical translation based on nothing and inserted the word “a” after “was” and before “God”. Problem solved! Jesus thus becomes a created being in fact the Archangel Michael.
    Not to stop at that the JWs also say that Jesus didn’t die on a cross but on something called a torture stake. So people ignorant of Church history and devoid of any real understanding of systematic theology and the role of revelation, will accept what they are taught.
    Our Mormon friend Matt, in the video, decided to do some independent study. This led him to a clear understanding of what the Bible has to say about the nature of God and the means of salvation. I think that’s pretty cool.
    Jesus is the exact representation of the invisible God. He is the qualified Savior. The Lamb without fault or blemish. His perfect sacrifice cannot be added to by anything we might do. Matt’s discovery set Him free.
13. falcon says:

    December 17, 2011 at 7:52 am

    I think one of my favorite parables told by Jesus is the Sower and the Seed. Jesus discussed the various types of soil that the Gospel seed would encounter as it fell from the hand of the one doing the sowing. Matt obviously is good soil. When the seed of the Word of God was planted in him, he took note of it and through the nourishment of the Holy Spirit that seed sprouted and developed deep roots of faith. The water of the Word of God caused the seed of Christ to grow in Matt.
    One spring I was driving by a farmers field and saw how the entire crop that was sown was dead. I asked someone what had happened and they said that the farmer mistakenly had sprayed some type of weed killer on his good crop thinking the (weed killer) was some sort of fertilizer. I drove by that field often and it would make me cringe to see what the farmer had done. I could only imagine his pain and embarrassment at his costly mistake as it was daily evident to all who drove by.
    As Christians we can see the dead crop that Mormonism produces. While it’s disguised somewhat to the world in generally by the promotion by Mormons of strong values, moral living and a form of piety and devotion, spiritual speaking it’s a dead crop. We could even go so far as to say the Mormon seed itself is bad and when fertilized with false religious practices, it becomes doubly dead.
    Someone looking with spiritual eyes can see the folly of the Mormon farmers and the spiritual death that sits in their religious field.
    Jesus said that knowing the truth would set men free. Grabbing hold of who Jesus really is, is freedom.