January 29 – Who Apostatized? Jesus told us in Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gate of hell shall not prevail against it”.
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We know we can trust and believe Him for all eternity because His word is infallible. If we can’t even believe these words of His, how could we possibly believe in the resurrection?
Growing up in Utah Mormonism I used to read the Bible I was given at my baptism when I was eight years old. I imagined myself walking alongside Jesus when He’d talk to various people I’d read about in the gospels. The older I got the more I began wondering what happened to all the Christians I read about in His word and asked Him to introduce me to people like those I read about. The one passage that captured my attention was Matthew 16:16-18. I wasn’t convinced there were no Christians on earth.
In 1985 I discovered Jesus does indeed keep His promises! Within a few days after moving to Germany I couldn’t help but notice the numerous crosses dotting the skyline. The various churches typically had one thing in common….the date they were built.
The church seen above is just south of Leipzig, and was built in 950 AD – I took the picture while on holiday in 2009. The church in the village where I lived in 1985 was built in 1210 AD. As a tour guide for the USO my daily work experience was a constant reminder of the lies I had been taught growing up.
Every Christian you meet and every Christian church you see serves 2 purposes beloved! 1. Jesus keeps His promises. 2. Christians and Christian churches are the miracles He provides each day! This leaves us with the question that begs to be asked…
Who Apostatized?
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The Fourth book of Nephi tells of the beginning stages of a ‘great apostasy’ from the true church and the real Christ. Mormons believe it began before the deaths of the original 12 apostles, thus the need for a ‘restored church’.
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