What did I miss? What are some other ways Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals talk past one another?

On a funny side note, my wife and I ran our sister missionaries through the full range of anti-church propaganda lol. We were ridiculous but they eventually won us over with their patience and humor. We eventually were converted. :)

As a Latter Day Saint, that’s not quite how I view Grace or the Holy Ghost. Grace to me - that’s where God fills in every area where we are incomplete (which is everywhere.). We cannot and will not ever be complete in this life. You’re right that our works cannot and will not save us. Our works prove the sincerity of our discipleship but they don’t save us. We are lost without Christ and His atonement, no matter what works we do. That’s where His grace is essential, because by taking our sins upon Him, as we repent, He becomes our advocate with the Father. The Holy Ghost to me is how we know any truth at all. It’s the Holy Ghost’s job to bear witness of truth. The truth of God’s love and God’s grace also brings peace that only He can bring. But there’s a difference between having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and feeling it periodically. By making and keeping covenants, we believe we have a right to the constant companionship. Keeping covenants - works…are essential for that aspect.

As a former missionary I can tell you that a mission is some of the hardest work I have ever done. Not only did I have to learn a series of lessons, but I had to learn it in the Navajo language. Our dormatory in the far Southwest corner of the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT was often refferd to as the Tower of Babel. It contained the most challenging languages. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Navajo, and others. When we finally got out to our mission areas, our goal was never to "sell" the church like door to door salesmen. We were looking for that one person, that one home where the spirit was ready to make itself known and bear witness to them that what we offered was true. It's not science were the holy grail is to be able to prove through imperical eveidence. It's faith where only you and God can speak to each other through the promptings of the spirit. Aguments are not a thing with us. Or at least they are not supposed to be. Contention and harsh words are of the devil. If they were unreceptive, the best thing we could do is to move on. Some of my companions were not aware of this. I had to explain to them that their enthusiasm, though comendable, was not always right. Better to move on and not leave a bad impression. I guess they invisioned their mission as an oportunity to put the smack down on the ignorant and blast them with the spirit causeing them to instantly convert. Alas, it was not to be. But I do know that if you can bring even one soul back to everlasting exaltation, so great will be your reward. You may be only one step in their path back, but every step is necessary.

Some of my best times visiting with people of other faiths is when I ask them about their journey to Christ. There are lots of good Christians wherever I look

My uncle went to WV on his mission and was punched in the face when a man opened his door, and saw who he was….please be nice to our missionaries. ♥️ They get treated poorly sometimes.

I felt the temple square protester was concerned about my soul at the time he was yelling into my ear with a repurposed traffic cone. It was a moving moment.

I live in Texas where Latter-Day saints are not a major population. What I see here however is “Evangelicals” fight with each other over membership and doctrine. I don’t think the Evangelical community is as united as people assume.

Kindness is the best way to go about our disagreements. When I was in high school I had a friend who was LDS and one who was a Jehovah’s Witness and often instead of trying to understand them and their beliefs I would try to debate and if I’m going to be honest I was very arrogant. Our beliefs are important and we should hold onto sound doctrine but we should use that doctrine to love God, love others, and point them to Jesus.

Sharing Testimony of Christ 100%. That's the key bridge. As an LDS member who's been involved in some of those cross-faith verbal debates, I grew tired of all the rehearsed fight topics, each with endless branches for debating and sought out anything that turns the conversation into a testimony strengthening experience. Many atheists can quote and debate scripture all day long. Ive had to remind members of all faiths, mine included, that the Book isn't God, it leads you to God. Don't worship the Book, find God through it. Share with me your experiences, I'll share mine with you, and then God will open our eyes to see each other as brothers so we can learn to serve God better, together.

I grew up being the minority being LDS. When I served a mission I refused to ever argue with people. I was happy to listen and discuss things, but I truly believed that contention drove the spirit away. I really appreciate you doing the same. It’s so important that we learn to communicate with each other.

Pastor Jeff. In my youth, our neighbor challenged us to read a chapter a day in the Book of Mormon. I was about 16 at the time. Our reward was to travel to SLC from Idaho. We got to visit the Church Office Building. Our tour guide said, we may incounter some General Athorites. Within minutes, out came three of them. I can only remember the names of two of them. Merion G. Romney and LaGrand Richards. They shook our hands. I remember vividly as LaGrand looked straight into my eyes with a gentle smile. I felt the words, I love you. He did not say anything but his spirit did. I just turned 61 years today. I can never forget that feeling I had from that time. It was strong! Because, I knew what my mother said to me when I was 6 to be true too.

What I find interesting is that Jeff started with the, "Don't try to argue with LDS using the Bible because you aren't going to convince them because they believe they have fuller revelation and scriptures that clarify better than just the Bible" (true that is what we believe), but then he presented or quoted bible scriptures to support Evangelical beliefs through out the video. Made me believe that it is just inherent in the evangelical culture to "prove" everything through the Bible using some preponderance of scripture. The LDS do not prove anything through scripture, "proof" comes through the Holy Spirit testifying to the soul. Scriptures' purpose in the process is to lead one to a point where the individual has been prepared to receive the testimony of the Spirit. There are no "mic drop moments", or gotcha situations where my superior knowledge of the scriptures confounds the heathen. That is hugely arrogant and prideful and counter to the Spirit. I was a top debater and speech and forensics student in high school but found out early in my mission that those skills were kind of useless when applied to what it was God wanted me to do.

I loved this! Such a productive way to have conversations with those who have different beliefs than I do. I love being a Latter Day Saint, but I also love hearing the passion that my evangelical friends have about Jesus and the gospel. 💕

One impression I'm getting from this channel is that Evangelicals must really underestimate how much Latter-day Saints study and follow the Bible. Perplexing, the challenges to biblical doctrines such as the necessity of baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16; John 3:5). Ultimately, those "many mansions" will have a place for us according to what we're willing/choosing to believe and do.

Thanks for the work you do pastor Jeff! You are truly a peacemaker and follower of Christ. One thing I wish evangelicals would do more of is engage with our disagreements on what exactly the Bible is teaching as opposed to believing that we LDS are willing to set aside its teachings. It’s true that we do have additional revelation obviously but in nearly all cases we believe that expands on, clarifies and adds a second witness to what the Bible teaches. Whereas I often get the impression that evangelicals believe we are saying the Bible is wrong because according to an evangelical interpretation it disagrees with some doctrine we have. When in fact we simply disagree on what the Bible is saying. It often seems that evangelicals think that if you disagree with how they interpret the Bible, you must be stupid, part of a cult, influenced by demons, etc. I wish they would simply respectfully disagree. When I think an evangelical is wrong about something, I still believe they’re acting in good faith and are a good person. Although I’m sure we LDS as a group do this too. Also I want to say thanks. You taught me that we are talking past each other because we use similar/same words with slightly different meanings that lead us to very different places. Reminds me of an elder Uchtdorf airplane talk where a small difference in the direction you point the plane affects where you end up landing the plane exponentially.

As a LDS member in my 40s living in Tenn. I engage with the protestant elderly in my neighborhood. I understand that their life experiences are far ahead of mine. They have a lot more experience than me in prayer, charity, forgiveness, unconditional love tolerance acceptance relationship with God and many more things. I would be unwise to not learn from them. It could go both ways. Thank you Pastor Jeff for building this bridge.

One time servong my LDS mission i knocked on the door of youth pastor, since that's what je introduced himself as. I asked if we can share our beliefs to him. He invited us in, grabbed his Bible, his wife comes in and I can tell they were ready for a debate. Seeing that really goes nowhere i asked if i could share a scripture instead. He kindly obliged. We turned to 1 John 2:3-6. We all agreed and and is missionaries continued on our way. Years later I'm hoping he and his wife are doing well.

This video was done so eloquently. Thank you for sharing how all people of every faith can relate and share in a respectful manner. ❤

It was interesting that I felt like I could understand the evangelical perspective much more because I felt like you really had a good understanding of my Latter Day Saint perspective. It will help me have a greater love for my evangelical brothers and sisters that I used to see as mean spirited protesters. This was a very helpful video. Thank you!

Thanks for the video Jeff! The more I hear you talk about grace the more similar I feel our beliefs are. I would say the main difference might be our definition of faith. Correct me if I’m wrong but many evangelicals I’ve talked to seem to believe that faith is the same thing as just believing. This is an attempt to articulate our relationship with grace and works. As Latter-day Saints we believe we are 100% saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). However we also believe that if we have faith in Jesus Christ that means we will do what he says. Faith is more than believing, it’s a principle of action. It is manifest in our works If we’re not willing to do the things God asks of us, we don’t really have faith. "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" James 2:17-20 Here we see that even the Devils believe and tremble. Will the devils be saved by believing in Christ? We show faith by our works and by following the gospel of Christ in order to have access to the fullness of God's blessings. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16). Does that mean that baptism saves us? Obviously not. Jesus saves us. But in order to gain access to his grace we need to exercise faith by doing what he says. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21). Did bathing in the river Jordan 7 times heal Naaman? No. God healed him. Would he have been healed if he didn't do it after a prophet of God showed him the way? I personally don't think so. He needed to act in faith. It's clear that God wants us to "be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" James 1:22 I feel like you would agree with the majority of this and would be curious to know where we differ in opinion/interpretation!

I am not super functional physically but I would give anything be able to serve a mission For the church of jesus christ of laterday saints. I have respect other faiths, your all amazing people, I think your awsome! It takes a lot of courage to go and learn about Someone else's faith, I think it's awesome hear onother perspective on it. Here's my testimony of what I believe. I believe in Christ, I know that he loves us deeply and individually, I know josive Smith Is a prophet of God, I always feal the spirit when I'm learning about him. I have come to know for myself from my own experience that the book of Mormon is true. I want so much to a mission, I do anything to have that opportunity.

LDS doctrine does not teach that Jesus Christ is a created being. Many assume that until they understand the doctrine of Organized Intelligences. An organized intelligence is eternal. It can not be created and cannot be destroyed. LDS doctrine teaches that Jesus Christ has always existed as a devine being.

My oldest is 15. When she's missionary age and going to show her this video. It's so good to help understand an evangelical perspective of Jesus Christ. The differences and similarities.

#3) As an lds member, I agree we define salvation differently, but we don't think of ordinances as "works." We think of "work" as a verb, "something you do," not as a noun, and a bad word. Just cuz someone goes thru the ordinances, it doesn't mean they're saved. It's a means to help us change our hearts, and show God we're trying. I don't mind saying we have a "works" based salvation, because IMO the Christian life should be a lot of work - but it does pay off in joy. You get what you work for, in life, and in the afterlife.

Thank you, Jeff. Very well done. I can only think of one thing to add to your list that acts as an ongoing barrier between Evangelical and Latter-day Saint relationships: Evangelicals do not see members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as their brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that this ties back to your point on us not agreeing on the nature of Jesus, but I'm not sure if you understand just how badly we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, crave fellowship with you and other Evangelicals. At times, saying that Evangelicals ostracize members of the Latter-day Saint faith would be putting it VERY mildly. I have had dozens of conversations with Evangelicals, friends and not (I'm not a shy person). The moment I refer to them as my "Brother" or "Sister in Christ" their defenses shoot up, the photocopies of their anti-Mormon materials appear in hand, and the accusations of "your Jesus is really Satan!" come out in frantic rebuffs. I get what you're doing, Jeff. I respect it, too! However, I think that it's important to realize that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are ALMOST ALWAYS the ones that are craving interfaith relations. What you're doing is rare because it's in the opposite direction as usual. You're an Evangelical attempting to better understand a Latter-day Saint through conversation! What you're doing is so rare that some members of the Latter-day Saint faith even have trouble believing that you're being sincere. I say keep it up! I hope that your efforts are contagious with our other Evangelical Brothers and Sisters.

I just appreciate your willingness and ability to ask for peace and understanding from both sides. You're a great example to both church members and evangelicals.

Excellent video! Thank you for speaking to both groups with respect and honoring both groups. And their right to have their own beliefs of the gospel understanding, yet still show living kindness and respect to the person. Thank you, Pastor Jeff. ❤

When I was on my mission, in Chile. There were people who welcomed us in, especially when it was raining, and told us they didn't want to hear a lesson. However, they simply wanted us to dry off and have something warm to drink. Speaking for myself, I very much appreciated this and remember them fondly to this day.

On point #2: I agree LDS and evangelicals draw different definitions, but similar to evangelicals, LDS do believe the Holy Spirit gives us the living and enabling power and presence of Jesus in our lives. LDS would word this by saying that we are sanctified through the spirit, which is equivalent to brining the power of Jesus and his atonement in our lives. Thanks for the video.

As much as evangelicals say they “love” Latter-day Saints when they’re picketing outside of general conference… I do not believe it! That is not how you show love. There’s no love there. Only contention, which is not from Christ.

What I notice about Evangelicals is an I love Jesus more attitude. For me I worship the God of Israel made flesh in the meridian of time, I believe with all my heart in His life, crucifixion and resurrection. I absolutely believe that the gift of Salvation and Eternal life and forgiveness of sin comes only through Jesus Christ. Accepting his gift of redemption gives me the opportunity to serve Him in the temple and in my life, serving him by serving his children and repenting daily when necessary is a wonderful gift of the Atonement. If I sin I don't run out to help people to hopefully be forgiven, I know where to go to repent and learn from my mistakes it 's only through HIM not my works.

I didn't think I would enjoy this video from the title, but you are a good bridge builder for understanding different aspects of who Jesus is in our lives, and our common humanity as Christians. "blessed are the peacemakers...." thank you.

I like the way CS Lewis explained it in the last battle. All righteousness is counted to the glory of God regardless of in whose name it was don't. Likewise, evil done in the name of God is still in service of the devil (to paraphrase) We also believe faith is the fundamental principle of action. So it's not faith vs works, faith is works, or if you like, works are faith made manifest. Review how often Christ taks of faith then realize the action he is responding to. Or he gives the person an opportunity to act, even if that action is only a declaration of belief. The way i see it, Christ has paid the price of admission for all 3 kingdoms. The gates stand open before you and you may choose any. Walking through the gate would be both a work and act of faith. The way we actually choose however, is by living our life. Which ever kingdom's law we intend to follow, to that kingdom do we belong. Not someday, now. If you don't want to live a Christ like life now, you won't suddenly want to start living one there. The gates are still open, and the price still paid, but the wanton sinner will find God’s presence... uncomfortable, and will choose a different kingdom.

There are also Sister Missionaries! They go on their mission for 18 months (a year and a half) instead of 2 years!

Pastor, you’re doing a great job. I enjoy your videos and I appreciate your sincerity, kindness, and civility. I also enjoy your intellect and your loving nature. Keep up the great work. Much love from an LDS member who appreciates very much what you are doing. I believe that you are genuinely called by our heavenly father to be a bridgebuilder, and you’re doing a great job. Thank you.

I really appreciate what you said about missionaries. It's true we aren't equipped to debate. We just want to show you what we believe and if you feel that it reaonates with the truth then we are meant to help guide you to baptism. We are also there to help answer any questions you may have or at least help guide you to the answers you need on your own faith journey. I appreciate you encouraging respect for them. The missionaries are near and dear to my heart and as someone who had a frying pan thrown at my head, and naked people answer the door out of a desire to be provocative, and even had someone give me their "address" that was actually a brothel on my mission it always brings joy to my heart to hear that people treat them respectfully and with honesty.

These tips are great, but as a Latter-Day Saint, there are some evangelicals who don't love us. At Temple Square, some have disrespected our garments. Others have signs "Joseph Smith lied." While an evangelical may have those convictions, you will not win over any Latter-Day Saints. Then there is Apologia church. They rely on outdated information and insist that is what we believe. LDS missionaries are urgent too, so I feel like there is a better way for evangelicals to engage with us.

As I was listening to this video, I was also playing songs from the LDS children’s hymn book. There are some great ones like “I Know My Father Lives, “Search, Ponder, and Pray”, and (the very popular amongst little kids) “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam”. It got me wondering what are some of the hymns/songs/music that are popular among evangelicals. You showed a video of different congregations with different music, and I wondered if there’s like a list of songs that are universally known among evangelicals for the spirit the song brings, it’s historical importance, or just tradition.

You are a very understanding respecting person. Thank you. It makes me want to be better too.

Great episode Jeff. Thank you for your ongoing outreach. I love it!

Thanks Jeff for providing this platform to clarify our beliefs. I have the same issue when I talk to my Evangelical friends, and point out scriptures in the Bible that support our doctrine and say, "See, this is what the Bible says." For example, in 1 Corinthians 15, false doctrine was being preached that there was no resurrection and yet they were practicing baptisms for the dead. So baptism for the dead is not something made up by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but modern revelation has brought light on the practice of that doctrine (See Doctrine and Covenants section 128). Paul asked them why they were baptizing for the dead because they didn't believe in a resurrection, thus validating the reason and need of baptizing for the dead, because the dead DO rise. Another example is in 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6 concerning the doctrine of preaching the gospel to the dead. Doctrine and Covenants section 138 is modern revelation shining light on that passage of scripture. When we speak of revelation given to modern day prophets, we mostly are not producing new doctrine, more often than not it is bringing light and understanding of the doctrines found in the Bible. There are some doctrines that were practiced in the Bible at a certain time when the Lord commanded it such as plural marriage. Similarly was the case when there was a revelation given to Joseph Smith on the practice of plural marriage and later to discontinue it. All according to God's purpose, time and will. All other religions that believe the Bible have their personal interpretations of these scriptures or ignore them all together (correct me if I'm wrong), while Christ's true and living church actually practices and teaches ALL that is taught in the Bible and led by Christ through his mouthpiece, a living prophet. Amos 3:7 says God reveals his secrets unto his prophets. Another note: Malachi 3:1 is a prophecy that occurred in the Kirtland Temple. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to fulfill prophecy.

Great video Jeff. Oh how much you have grown! I’m very happy and proud of you. From my perspective on temple ordinances and salvation; They are necessary, although they do not pay for things like sin or salvation or justice. But it’s the method of how we receive and become new creatures in Christ who can receive all of Christs grace. It’s needed, not to help pay for anything, but for the reason to transform us. To help us practice heaven here, now. (At least as much as a fallen mortal can) When we have felt the spirit and revived Christs salvation, and realize it, we seek to do good works. Good works being evidence of salvation.

This was very helpful! I like your way of speaking, it is an art!

Jeff, I LOVE that you made this video! I think that you are absolutely a man of God and more Christlike than probably most of the people I know in the LDS faith. Jeff is doing a GREAT work in bringing together and finding common ground with those of different beliefs. He's doing something that I think is very difficult to do for the average LDS/Evangelical person due to time/knowledge/truly understanding constraints; That is bringing the children of God together in love and understanding one another. If we all could embrace each others differences and accept them as human, and not inferior, imagine what the world would be like!

I agree that Evangelical Protestants are at a distinct disadvantage in merely conversing with LDS people about "Scripture." Since both groups do not have a common authority to go back to, meaningful dialogue is often not possible. I would prefer to know "why" Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was a true prophet? It would also be interesting to know why they believe the Church needed to be "restored?" Matthew 28: 19-20. 😊😊😊

Thank you for the comments about being kind to the missionaries! I'll never forget my mom just sobbbing at the table when she read my brother's mission letters home about how poorly they were treated sometimes. I'll NEVER forget her quote "you may have issues with someone's beliefs, but that is someone's CHILD you're talking to."

I really appreciated this video, I learned a lot! Also, my Mom heart really appreciated what you said about LDS missionaries being young boys and to be nice to them. My son is out serving right now and I worry about him a lot! My biggest worry is people treating him badly, so thank you!!!

Best explanation of the degrees of Glory and what we really believe leads to Salvation from a non-Latter-day Saint that I've ever heard! Thank you Jeff

Pastor Jeff, I want to express my gratitude for your work to unite Christianity. As a Latter-Day Saint I feel that you represented our beliefs well which is a great achievement on your part considering you are not of our faith. I also appreciate your explination of your beliefs and helping me see how you view certain aspects of the atonement among other points of Christianity. Thanks again, keep up the great work.

Jeff, please do a video on solo scriptura! from your videos I have really learned much better your belief of solo scripture and how very important that is to you. But I feel like your videos have never really gone deep and explained why. I would love to learn when and where that belief evolved from in history, doctrine and scripture. I would love you to hit on some of the key things A latter-day saint would immediately think . i.e., the scripture were not closed for thousands of years but should be closed now? Or, prophets and apostles existed and could write freely then but if they didn’t write it down then it isn’t doctrine forever more? Or, why new apostles were chosen if new words are not allowed. Or, why the Bible authors didn’t consider their writings the final word but we should? Or, the Bible was compiled and books could be missing but it doesn’t matter they shouldn’t count? Etc etc Don’t take those things the wrong way, I am truly curious why it is so so rock solid important and even offensive perhaps for an LDS to say the Bible is not likely ALL of god’s word.

Accepting and living point #6 changed my relationship with my Evangelical mother-in-law. Once we stopped looking at all the differences and trying to convert and save each other, we were left with our shared love of Jesus. I love talking about Christ with my mother-in-law and I have learned so much from her about how to be a better disciple of Christ. I've learned that my job isn't to "save" her... that's Christ's job. My job is to love her. And love her, I do! The other thing I've realized as I have encountered others who do not share my beliefs is that if I become un-Christlike in my defense of Christ, then the adversary has won. Christ doesn't need to be defended (he's God!), he needs to be followed.

My favorite way to talk about religion with others of any faith (including my own) is to ask “what do you love about your religion?”. Love breaks boundaries and destroys hate. It’s amazing to hear what people express when they start describing why they hold to and follow a faith. Sometimes there needs to be a follow up statement that says “we will both not be talking about what we dislike in each others religions”. As satan quickly try’s to distort relationships in this way.

This was one of the best videos I've seen from an evangelical perspective EVER! Honestly, I know you believe in the restored gospel and doctrine of the Latter-Day Saints. I know, you know in your heart it's true, and I believe you have had revelation it's true, and for reasons unknown, you have not fully embraced or revealed it yet. With all your research and time spent learning and conversing with your Latter-Day Saint brothers and sisters, and your in-depth study of the BOM, you know it's true. I have no doubt that you do. I can't wait for the episode when you tell everyone you are joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! You won't lose any followers because in my estimate, 99.9% of your followers are LDS. I doubt more than 1% are evangelical because they don't see things the way you do. They can't because they haven't spent hours and personal time like you have. You have devoted your work and study to the LDS faith; your channel is proof. Your understanding is so in-depth and deep now compared to when you began this journey. You have grown, and you know. I know you know, and I believe your wife knows too. You cannot deny what you have felt. You have changed; you are nothing like the evangelical you once were. Just my observation, and feeling. I appreciate - finally what you are doing, because it has given me a great perspective to why my evangelical friends react to me the way they do, and to try to understand them a little better. They have always been so hostile, and I mean really hostile towards me when the topic of religion is brought up. I think I can see their side a little differently, and hopefully not be as offended when they tell me I'm going to hell because they don't mean it in a rude way, but because they want to save me. Thanks Jeff!

I appreciate your perspectives. You're never hostile and you seek understanding. Although I'm not an evangelical, I do feel that you are indeed a man of God.

Thanks for the video and bringing more of these issues to light

Some of the protestors have left our church and are bitter. I believe they are not all genuinely concerned about my soul. I appreciate your details here on “getting along”. I appreciate your efforts to help us be united in what we all believe. That we are here because of God. That He is our salvation. That we are his children. And that we will return to His presence.

I loved this video because this is how I was raised. For context my Mom grew up out of Utah and my Dads parents were not active. I have always felt that talking to people and hearing them is the best way to be friends with those with differing doctrinal views. My question though is how do you talk to people who are just yelling at you that you are going to Hell for a differing belief? It makes me feel a need to avoid where as those who are lovingly street preaching I have had some of the most beautiful prayers and conversations. How would you recommend I show love when being condemned without them knowing me?

17:20 I hope you know how much we appreciate your voice in helping bridge the gap. I push back a lot on some things you say because there is so much more to it that is hard to understand when you haven’t studied it like I have for 30+ years. But I appreciate you learning and setting the right example as that Latter-day Saints do have a lot other learn from evangelicals as well. Evangelicals helped me to come to understand Christ better and I have been benefited from their testimony. I often want to shout to the world “the truth is here” because of how much clearer the picture of Jesus becomes in the restored gospel. But people have to come to understanding one step at a time and it does not do good to argue. And I need to do better at that.

I love what you said at the end about testimonies (though a bit confused by your use of the word "tension"). As a returned missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, that is actually what they teach us to do when someone does try to argue with us or "Bible Bash" as we call it. Just share testimony with them, because that's really all you can do, nobody can really truly agrue with "this is what I have to know to be true for myself."

Well said. ❤

One realization I came to is that arguments about doctrine between LDS and evangelicals are really pointless because every road will eventually lead to the question of was Joseph Smith a true prophet? If he was then the only response would be to accept the teaching God revealed to him or reject it. ‘Whoever accepts a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward’. (Matt 10:41) Protestant Christianity has inherited a long history of interpreting the Bible for truth. For us, the Bible is reinterpreted through the lens of revelation.

We don’t have many Mormons where I live. I’m Anglican.

Loved this! 🤝

One of your best videos. It gave me many things to consider when talking to my Evangelical friends about Jesus Christ. I truly wish that you could speak to both sides of the political aisle to get them speaking with each other and not "past" each other. God Bless

I don’t like the question that we should ask of the Church is true because “asking with a sincere heart and real intent” basically means if you still receive an answer of NO then you didn’t do it with real intent or sincerity. Also it feels like we are to only pray about it and not test it according to the scripture, the Bible, to see if it is true and I believe and praying and comparing it to the Bible that it is not true.

Please try not to lead my brothers and sisters carefully down to hell…

Hey this was a great podcast episode. I'm impressed in the way you stitch these together between Christian believers.

As a Latter-day Saint living in the Bible belt, I've come to love my Christian friends. I see their conviction to live and share their beliefs and it's inspiring. I would much rather live in a place where people are excited to talk about Jesus as opposed to a place where people avoid talking about Him as much as possible.

I love this. I wouldn’t dismiss one or the other based on which scripture is being used. I think you gave an example how more understanding comes from referring to ALL scriptures on the matter (e.g grace and works with all referenced New Testament accounts) The footnotes (other related verses, Bible dictionary, topical guide, etc…) are a great exercise for study we can share with each other Even if the focus is on old and New Testament references just sharing improves understanding for both I have a firm belief that if the focus is on Jesus Christ and we have an Honest heart in our journey..our paths will one day align as the Lord would have us be in the end. To that end we can trust our Heavenly Father, through his son Jesus Christ, will receive us with all the blessings He has for us. Thank you again for your care and leadership in interfaith relationships

When I was a missionary, I was always grateful even for a glass of water on a hot day. The way we treat each other will help us understand better.

I really appreciate all you are doing with this channel. I see a lot of good. I feel the spirit as I listen to your messages. You and I made opposite moves. We moved east th NC and you moved West. The LDS church in the east has many converts from Baptist and Protestant backgrounds and your videos help me understand where they are coming from better. Thank you!

QUESTION: One thing I have never understood about Evangelicals. Why do you preach to convert people to accept Christ if they have already accepted Christ and live their lives in way where they would already be "saved" according to your definition of it?

Well done Pastor

I would love to see a video with you and David Boice chatting.

#4 & 5) Yes our gospel sharing methods are different, but one seems to tear down and the other to build up. I LOVED the way you described #5, as 5 of our 7 children served lds missions! ❤️

I think your first point is flawed We have no beliefs that are contrary to the Bible. We have beliefs that are contrary to evangelicals limited understanding/interpretation of the Bible but all our beliefs are compatible with the Bible.

Clarifiction. In the LDS Church being "saved" refers not just to a general state of salvation, but to the specific goal of attaining the highest degree of glory and eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom. Whereas the doctrine of Universalism in religion refers to the belief that all people will eventually be saved and reconciled with God, rather than some being condemned to eternal punishment

My experience with the LDS missionaries is that they only came to see me upon request and have been very gentle and respectful of my “boundaries”.

I have a coeworker who's LDS and this channel has really helped me in how I can communicate with him in the differences of our beliefs. Please pray for opportunities to have more conversations about the Bible at what is taught

16:03 Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus is Fully God too. But Jesus was given his power from his Father. You can’t be given something that you always had. Matthew 28: 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Ephesians 3: 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, John 3:13. What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before, John 6:62. Before Abraham was, I am, John 8:58. I came forth from the Father, John 16:28. glorify thou me … with the glory which I had with thee before the world was, John 17:5. All things are delivered to me of my Father, Luke 10:22. Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, John 3:35. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Romans 14: 9

It is not just receiving Revelation, it is the interpretation of scripture that is different. I joined the Church of Jesus Christ because of the Bible and the truth that I found within it. The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints is consistent with what I found in the Bible. So to say that we depend on Revelation modern-day Revelation to dictate our Doctrine even if it's not in the Bible is a false narrative

Beautiful ❤

I will forever remember one couple in Austin I knocked into. They had several friends who were members and watched the Mormon documentary on PBS and had a few questions. Luckily I had seen it before my mission. We had a wonderful discussion answering questions. They gave us food and water. However, they were taking turns leaving the room look at the TV and coming back. We didn't think much of it as we could always see the other spouse in another room. Nothing nefarious by any means. An hour later we left. A few doors down a lady yelled at is for being outside "don't you know a tornado just touched down not far from here?!?!" That kind couple brought us into the safety of their home without us realizing the danger we were in. They were tracking the storm on the TV. 16 years later I still pray that they will be blessed for sheltering us that afternoon.

At least he acknowledges that LDS members behave better than evangelicals. Let's keep letting that light shine!! Go Saints!

HEY. Am I wrong or dont you have more Book of Mormon reading video experiences that you need to post?

This is very honest and helpful. 👍

Ultimately, the “location” in heaven we obtain depends upon the kind of person we are willing to become, the degree to which we are willing followers of God/Christ. As long as we are pointed in the right direction and keep moving forward, keep learning and changing, eventually we’re going to be worthy of the highest degree of glory. It is only us that stops our progress, when _we_ say “not an inch more!”

Paster Jef, out of love. I would like to encourage you to pray with sincere heart and real intent to ask God if the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and living church of Jesus Christ. I know you will receive the answer. My cousin told me that one day I will become a member of the church and it came true as I pray and ask God with it 😍

Every time you explain the differing views of grace, I end up more confused. You say that the LDS say that works come before salvation, and that Evangelicals say that works are evidence of having been saved. Those both seems to have the same end state: an inextricable link between faith and works, and the acceptance of Christ in our lives manifesting as actions that are in line with His teachings. If that is indeed the case, then why is this concept foreign to Evangelicals? Does it have to do with long-standing traditions of doctrinal presentation and a resulting belief that Latter-day Saints are putting the cart before the horse in believing that works must come first? Because that is not at all what I've been taught as a Latter-day Saint.

Very well done.

Thank you for this great video.

Very well said! Spoken with the utmost kindness, understanding, and grace! Former faithful Mormon here, now a saved evangelical Christian as of 10 years ago (Praise God!). I've enjoyed watching your videos and following your journey from the beginning. I look forward watching more! This is my first time commenting. Hope that we can meet in person someday. 😀

On the topic of faith versus works, I think part of the problem is both Latter-Day Saints and Evangelicals often misunderstand some of the scriptures on this topic. For example, Latter-Day Saints often quote Nephi as writing: "It is by grace we are saved, after all we can do." When they quote this scripture, they are saying, "See, we believe we're saved by grace." Evangelicals often quote the same scripture as proof that the LDS Church believes we are saved, at least in part, by works. That's what both sides often take as the meaning of "after all we can do." "After all we can do" is understood to mean, on the 1,000 mile path to redemption, my efforts took me 10 feet and grace takes me the rest of the way. Unfortunately, both sides are misunderstanding what people at the time of Joseph Smith meant by the phrase, "after all we can do." The people of that day used the phrase to mean "despite", as in, "Despite my best efforts, I didn't make it to the meeting on time." They would have understood Nephi to be saying, "Despite all we can do, we're saved by grace (because all our efforts availed us nothing). On the Evangelical side, they often quote Paul on how works avail nothing. Grace does everything. What they (and LDS, too) fail to inquire is what did Paul mean by 'works'. In most of the instances when Paul is referring to works in this context, he's referring to keeping the Mosaic law. Did converts to the church need to be circumcised? No, Paul taught salvation does not come by such works. It comes by grace. But Paul baptized. Why did he do that if baptism is a dead work that's not required for salvation? Why did Jesus teach baptism was required for salvation if its only a nice thing to do? To answer those last two questions, let's consider a hypothetical individual. She's a woman in her 60's who has lived a rough life. She's a chain smoker, swears like a sailor, and has never darkened the door of a church in her entire life. Yet, in a spiritual crisis she meets the missionaries and comes to believe in Jesus Christ with all her heart. She is born again and agrees to be baptized. Question: When do Latter-Day Saints believe that she is 'saved', is it after her baptism, or after she's received all the temple ordinances? Answer: None of the above. She's 'saved' when she was born again and became converted. It's not when she quits swearing or after she gets baptized. If that's the case, do Latter-Day Saints really believe in a works-based salvation if we believe someone is saved when they accept Christ -- even if that's before they receive the ordinances we proclaim are essential for salvation? The answer is we do not believe in a works-based salvation. We believe ordinances are required for salvation, but the ordinances do not do the work of salvation. Salvation comes as a free gift. Everyone will receive the ordinances. What will distinguish those who are saved from those who are not is the condition of their heart -- has it been changed to love Christ and accept Him as Savior or not?

I really appreciate your commentary on this, and your compassionate view of missionaries. I'm glad you finally included sister missionaries! These days, there are nearly as many women missionaries as men, unlike when I served a mission 30 years ago, when we were only about 10% of the total. I would only add one more thing about missionaries. While we'd love to talk to you in your home or anywhere else, if you're not interested, just let us know. If you ask us not to come back, we won't. It would be a waste of your time and ours, and might even cause hard feelings. NO missionary is going to try to force their way in to your home. There is no need for dodging or anger. We appreciate frankness. We'd love to talk with you, but if you don't wish it, don't keep stringing us along just to avoid saying no either. We'd rather you let us know your true feelings than have you start ghosting us. Even if your feelings are, "We just had an amazing discussion, but this is a lot and I don't know if I'm ready to commit further! Give me some space! We can talk again in a week when I've had time to process and decide what I believe." Or "We just had an amazing discussion, but I'm sticking to my own beliefs. I'd love for us to talk again someday, but I'm not going to go to your church or be baptized. Look me up in a few months if you have time, or maybe we can be friends when you've finished your mission."

Another great video, great points!

Wow, this video just boosted my respect for you. You are a man of God and your approach to my faith has made me feel very loved. It's difficult for me to hear other faith groups mischaracterize our beliefs and then demonize us. You take great care to articulate and understand our doctrine and how we function as a people, which is very beautiful.

I do love your explanation of missionaries.

I really appreciate the perspective

Remember it’s all Grace! Life and every breath is a gift from God! Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments! We love him because He first loved us! I believe the very minute a person opens the doors to more light and knowledge Grace abounds salvation enters your life changes begin It’s called the straight and narrow path. For us the new and ever lasting covenant we are covenant keepers.