# Should you allow Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses



## T.A.G. (Jun 18, 2010)

Should you allow Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses in your house to witness to them? Keeping in mind 2 John*


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## jandrusk (Jun 18, 2010)

I would think that would be fine as long as your goal is to confront them about their apostasy. In that way you would not be "approving" of their false doctrine, but to rebuke them. I would also like to point out that I don't think every Christian can do this and there is the danger of them being deceived into their false lines of reasoning. Chances are they will be running out of your house as soon as you start witnessing to them and you'll never see them again.


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## chbrooking (Jun 18, 2010)

Sometimes I do; sometimes I don't. It depends on my mood -- sadly. They usually don't come back. They realize pretty quickly that I'm too much trouble. 

As to 2 Joh 10, I don't think it prohibits it. I think far more is behind bringing someone under your roof in that text than would be the case today. In other words, with Gen. 19:8 on one end of a hospitality continuum, and our casual visits today, I think 2 Joh 10 would be closer to the Gen 19:8 than to us.


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## Mushroom (Jun 18, 2010)

These folks aren't your run-of-the-mill deceived pagans. They are the Devil's frontmen, seeking to destroy the souls of the elect. They don't understand that's impossible, just as their master doesn't. But they can make some of our brethren mighty miserable for a time. I don't offer them any hospitality, and in fact challenge them almost immediately at the door to forsake the synagogue of Satan they are shilling for and flee the wrath that is their due by running to Christ. They always start backing away. The last time I followed them, telling them that out of love for my neighbors, I intended on accompanying them to any other houses so I could refute their lies from the Word of God. They got in their car and left my neighborhood. That's going to be my tactic from now on. Good riddance.


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## Willem van Oranje (Jun 18, 2010)

Yes. The 2 John admonition was in the context of enabling them through hospitality. As long as you are not cooking meals for them and giving them free board, enabling them to proceed on their way more easily than they would have otherwise, I think it's a good idea.


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## William Price (Jun 19, 2010)

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. (2 John 1:10-11)

No. Plain enough. I will discuss on the front porch, but not in my home.


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## KMK (Jun 19, 2010)

Brad said:


> These folks aren't your run-of-the-mill deceived pagans. They are the Devil's frontmen, seeking to destroy the souls of the elect. They don't understand that's impossible, just as their master doesn't. But they can make some of our brethren mighty miserable for a time. I don't offer them any hospitality, and in fact challenge them almost immediately at the door to forsake the synagogue of Satan they are shilling for and flee the wrath that is their due by running to Christ. They always start backing away. The last time I followed them, telling them that out of love for my neighbors, I intended on accompanying them to any other houses so I could refute their lies from the Word of God. They got in their car and left my neighborhood. That's going to be my tactic from now on. Good riddance.


 
I agree with Brad. Any arguments against their doctrine which they cannot immediately refute, they will take to the bishops so that counter arguments can be devised. They become even more adept at deception. It is much better to work on the Mormons you have a relationship with.


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## rbcbob (Jun 19, 2010)

T.A.G. said:


> Should you allow Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses in your house to witness to them? Keeping in mind 2 John*


 
Some commentators, Lenski, Smalley, _et. al._, take "the elect lady" in verse one to represent a local church; her children representing the congregation. In this interpretation the command to refuse entry in verse 10 would be to keep out false teachers from the church.


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## earl40 (Jun 19, 2010)

rbcbob said:


> T.A.G. said:
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> > Should you allow Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses in your house to witness to them? Keeping in mind 2 John*
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Which is interesting in that we are always encouraged to bring our unsaved to church. What's up with that?


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## rbcbob (Jun 19, 2010)

earl40 said:


> rbcbob said:
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On the supposition that the _elect lady and her children_ refer to a local church, the warning then is to not receive heretical teachers (vss 7-9) into the church.


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## SolaScriptura (Jun 19, 2010)

I share the interpretation that 2 John is referring to the church, not individual family homes, per se.

That aside, I think the question of whether or not to admit _cultist evangelists_ into one's home, while ultimately a matter of choice, is subject to the dictates of prudence.

Frankly, I don't think there is much to be gained by having them come into your home. Please remember that we're not talking about casual aquaintances or the average lost person who wants to discuss theology or even one of those venemous pseudo-intellectual know-it-all atheists who wants to argue with you... No, in this case we're talking about someone who has been trained to intice you to join their cult. Whether that enticement comes from their pleasant demeanor or answers to your questions or challenges to your beliefs, whatever it takes. You must remember that when they come into your home it is NEVER to simply have a dialogue or a discussion - even if they enter under those pretenses - it is ALWAYS and exclusively about them trying to convert you. So I am skeptical of the amount of "genuine" discussion that one gets to have with them.

Of course, if you're one of these "young lion" cult fighters/theologian debaters and you want to practice your sparring, by all means practice on them. But don't expect too much. They will have more than one person there and so "peer pressure" would prevent them from agreeing with you even if you did manage to out joust them and get them to see the error of their ways. A lot of people count it as a victory when the cultists excuse themselves. What must be remembered is that you _didn't_ convince them or hit too close to home. No, bearing in mind that their sole reason for entering your house is to win you over, they leave once they are convinced they are wasting their time. 

So. All that to say, I don't do it any longer. And I discourage you from doing it. I am all for you having a discussion with your Mormon or JW neighbor as you're grilling with them (if you can get them alone - I've noticed that in many respects the cultists will only really socialize with other cultists, it is part of how they keep them in the cult), but I think it is unwise to knowingly let into your home a team of cult missionaries/evangelists for any reason. Even giving them water refreshes their body so they can go to the next house and continue their blasphemous mission.


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## earl40 (Jun 19, 2010)

rbcbob said:


> earl40 said:
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I agree....the problem I have is when we bow our heads to pray or lift our hearts in song to The Lord in church we mix a little leaven with the bread to permeate the loaf. This is why I no longer attend Northland in that Pastor Hunter prays WITH President Obama. I have no problem with praying for him but to pray With him was my problem. What I find interesting is that is there any evidence of saints bringing people to church or temple to convert the lost?


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## Montanablue (Jun 19, 2010)

> I am all for you having a discussion with your Mormon or JW neighbor as you're grilling with them (if you can get them alone - I've noticed that in many respects the cultists will only really socialize with other cultists, it is part of how they keep them in the cult), but I think it is unwise to knowingly let into your home a team of cult missionaries/evangelists for any reason. Even giving them water refreshes their body so they can go to the next house and continue their blasphemous mission.



Exactly.


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## Jerusalem Blade (Jun 19, 2010)

Well, on occasion the Lord sovereignly arrests cultists, arraigns them before His presence, and leads them to repentance and a new heart. When such get stable in the new Life, they are very powerful vessels for His use against the cult they came out of. I have seen a good number of these.

So I have them come in and I challenge the authority structure of their false religion. I had some JWs a year or so ago, who brought elders to try to refute me, but couldn't, and after a while never returned. They did hear the truth, and the Lord may use the seeds planted to convert them in His time.

On Tuesday I meet the 2nd time with some Mormons who requested to bring an elder on their next visit. I agreed. I demonstrated that two of Joseph Smith's prophecies failed to occur within his declared timeline, and thus he is not a true prophet. I am also prepared to deal with some other of their doctrines, notably their view of the Melchisedec priesthood.

I once was teaching New Age doctrines (I was 26 then), and a woman wrestled with me spiritually over the truth of Jesus Christ, and the Lord touched me in that conversation and made me irrevocably His.

I have mercy on the lost and perishing, even the wicked cultists -- at least to give them the truth. In this particular LDS group here in my city, the daughter of a Christian friend of mine is among them, so I have a special care to undermine them.

Though I do like Brad's novel idea of following them around the neighborhood!


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## CuriousNdenver (Jun 19, 2010)

> Well, on occasion the Lord sovereignly arrests cultists, arraigns them before His presence, and leads them to repentance and a new heart. When such get stable in the new Life, they are very powerful vessels for His use against the cult they came out of. I have seen a good number of these.



 Even the apostle Paul was a very unlikely convert but was ordained by God for His purposes.



> I once was teaching New Age doctrines (I was 26 then), and a woman wrestled with me spiritually over the truth of Jesus Christ, and the Lord touched me in that conversation and made me irrevocably His.



Praise God! It is so amazing to see the Holy Spirit at work in someone's life and see Him use these seeds that are planted in people's hearts!



> I have mercy on the lost and perishing, even the wicked cultists -- at least to give them the truth. In this particular LDS group here in my city, the daughter of a Christian friend of mine is among them, so I have a special care to undermine them.



What kind and wise words. We were all lost in sin, hopelessly in need of our Savior when He called us. Each one of these people has a story...and it is unlikely these people realize they are propagating false teaching. We don't know whom God may choose to call or how He may already be at work in their lives.

I do realize these people are very difficult to work with and will come up with arguements for almost anything we present. They can not come unless the Father draws them (Jn. 6:44). Yet I Peter 3:15 says "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

It seems like there is a difference in extending the hand of fellowship and welcoming them into our homes and churches and helping them on their way to spread lies as opposed to reaching out to them and being willing to share our faith with them. There is one gentleman in particular who I keep bumping into who is actively spreading their lies in the same place that some of us believers go to share the gospel. I struggle to find that fine line between loving even our enemies and reaching out to him on a human level with the love of Christ (which he does NOT have in his dead faith!), yet refraining from helping him accomplish his purposes. I have been encouraging him to ask God through the Holy Spirit to help him understand his Bible when he reads and not to rely on the additional material from the JW's. The Lord has laid it on my heart to pray for his conversion, so I continue to do so, but avoid getting into long discussions with him that are unprofitable. I have also asked him how God is working in his life today...

I do like the idea of following them down the road also!


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## Jack K (Jun 19, 2010)

Always we must see the context. 2 John is concerned that the church not be deceived by false teachers. Hence the strong injunction against showing hospitality to such teachers. What we should learn is not that we may never show any kindness to cultists, but that we must protect the church from false teachers to the extent of not welcoming cultists. So if inviting a Mormon missionary into your home endangers the truth, refuse him.

But what if inviting him into your home endangers _his_ mission instead? The Mormons in particular send out young missionaries who have never known anything but the pressure of performance-based religion. They are often lonely and weary of their church-imposed duties. They are ripe to hear the gospel. Even if they don't accept it on the spot (they work in twos for added resistence), a clear witness to the gospel of grace may substantialy impact a young Mormon going forward. The gospel is the power of God. At times we must go on the offensive, not hole up timidly in our burrows.

We need to assess the situation and be wise. If proper teaching in the church is in danger, we must refuse hospitality ala 2 John. But to apply that one verse as a blanket rule that says never to invite a cultist in seems to miss much other teaching about the power of a gospel-witnessing welcome.


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## jambo (Jun 22, 2010)

Years ago I used to keep them on the doorstep in accordance with 2 Jn 10. I always found the JWs did not mind this but some Mormons didn't like it. Now however I think there is a lot to be gained in having a chat over a cup of tea. It is not in anyway supporting their work but an opportunity to 'share the hope that is within you'. I know some former JWs who are now Christians who have said that Christians often gave them the cold shoulder and were harsh towards them. they felt the people who made the biggest impact were those Christians who did invite them in and spent time sharing their faith with them.

There are two cautions I would give.

The first is I would not advise young Christians to invite them in. They can sound quite plausible and you need to have a degree of Christian maturity and firm grasp of Christian theology before engaging cult members. Secondly I would be careful if you have young children about who may perceive that in inviting them in and chatting about things you are giving credence to their views.

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Brad said:


> The last time I followed them, telling them that out of love for my neighbors, I intended on accompanying them to any other houses so I could refute their lies from the Word of God. They got in their car and left my neighborhood. That's going to be my tactic from now on. Good riddance.



This was the approach I used to take whilst living in the Irish Republic. When I saw any of the JWs cars parked outside a house I used to stop and knock on the door. The householder would invite me in. After this happened 2-3 times, the JWs just walked straight out. The householder felt offended and would wonder why they did this. I offered to relieve them of any literature the JWs may have left and the householder was always willing to get rid of it. We made big inroads into a number of people and particularly with the JWs themselves. Some of whom would call at my house secretly for further information.


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## Rich Koster (Jun 22, 2010)

I usually step outside to rebuke them. Then when they have had enough, they try to go to the next house. I usually warn my neighbors that "these are false prophets telling lies about Jesus" in a loud enough manner, that they get back in their car and leave the area.


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