Why do Christians go to the Manti Pageant in Utah? To encourage the LDS church to study the teachings of Jesus!

California TGM Seminar & 

Fundraising Banquet 

 by Kim Jones

 

We want to thank Calvary Chapel Lake Elsinore and the Kaleo House ministry for hosting the TGM Seminar & Fundraising Banquet early this month. We count it a blessing to have served about 60 co-laborers in evangelism training, and we are grateful for the fundraising banquet they provided. A special thanks goes to Jim & Jeri Frederick who planned the event and served us with their generous hospitality. The letter below is a testimonial of the event's success. We pray that you, too, will consider hosting an event such as this.

 

Chip, Jamie, Shane, Kim:

I just want to tell you guys what a buzz your seminar produced at our church.  You have opened the eyes of more people in a way that presented apologetics in a light that was very discernible and practical.  Today at Costco, a gentleman from the church stopped us to talk about how wonderful it was and how much he learned.  

 

The worship pastor wants to do this again next year, and finally get the youth group involved.  How cool is that!  

 

You guys are gifted in what you do and we appreciate you sharing those gifts with us. Thanks again for making the trek down here.  We are blessed and honored to serve alongside with you.  Like I said, there are some big things coming up for the residents of Utah.  I look forward to what the Lord has in this area.  But I also see now, how seminars like this can help wake up other Christians to this calling.  Thank God for putting this on your hearts to do.  I pray that we can work together to do this again next year Lord willing.

 

Love you guys,

~Jim

Some testimonials:

Thank the Father in the name of Jesus !  We were so very greatful  for the info!  Had no idea how deceived these poor people are. We thought it was very well done ,  just the basics , touching on key points that were vital in the time allowed we could have spent another day there !  We got the feeling  that we just scratched the surface !  We bought the scrapbook  and will study it with the handouts and notes we took.  You all are certainly in our daily prayers there in the epicenter!  ! How exciting it will be to see how the Lord works there!  He has given you all such a passion for the people and area there we pray for The Holy Spirit to fill you and protect you. Looking forward to  seeing what He does in the future!   Grace and Peace 

__________________________________________________________________________

We really enjoyed the Mormon seminar, We also got to know more about the Mormom people, and how they trully need Jesus.

 

My Wife Irene & I go to Jim & Jerry's bible study on Friday's, and I believe they have mentioned about going in June to witness to the Mormon people, at this place called the Pageant, and hopefully we will make plans on attending. I dont know if I will be ready or not to witness, since this is my first time ever witnessing to anybody, but I can show them the love of Jesus, and letting them know we how much Jesus loves them. Anyways, look forward to going. The only situation we have is our 11 year Daughter, whether to take her or not, but hopefully the Lord will work everything out.Plus were currently trying to do a shortsale for our property, and were not sure if the Lord will move us back to Orangecounty or keep us here in Lake Elsinore, were just leaving it in God's hands for this situation.

 

Anyways, I will keep you guys in our prayers. It looks like God is trully doing something wonderful in Utah.

 

God be with you, And may the Lord Jesus be with you.

 

Sincerely, your Brother in Christ.

______________________________________________________________

 My wife and I really enjoyed the seminar and thought it remarkable that many others did not show... they really missed out. I especially enjoyed the trinity and the background on  Joseph Smith, very informative. I cant wait to see you all in late April, and in June - consider my wife and I soldiers for this cause, to win the Mormon people to Christ and to set them free.

May Christ shine brightly through you,

Concerned Christians' Andy Poland



Andy Poland teaching about Mormonism



Tri-Grace Ministries would like to introduce to our readers, Andy Poland, the Head and General Manager of Concerned Christians of Mesa.

So tell our readers a little about yourself:

I was raised LDS. I was a true blue believing Mormon. The reason why I believed was because I had prayed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and believed that God answered my prayer. As a good Mormon should I served a faithful mission in Columbus Ohio and was married in the temple in Mesa AZ. My wife and I started our family right away and today we have five kids. Nine years ago my wife and I left Mormonism and converted to Christianity with the help of Jim and Judy Robertson from Concerned Christians.  Three years ago Jim and Judy Robertson asked if I would take over as the new ministry head of Concerned Christians.

Can you briefly describe the moment you decided it was time to leave the LDS Church?

I wish that I could say that it only took one moment to decide to leave the LDS Church. It took me many years of study, research, and soul searching before I came to the realization that Mormonism was not true. The simple seed of truth that caused me to search for God was the realization that not all good feelings come from God. I had experienced a challenge to my Mormon testimony experience by experiencing an identical peaceful good feeling that turned out to be a lie. When I realized that feeling good and peaceful about something can lead you into error, I began searching for a way to test the truth so I could know what manifestations came from God and how to recognize false ones. The Bible provided spiritual tests for truth that gave me additional proof that Mormonism was false and introduced me to the true gospel of Christ.

As a member of the LDS Church, how was the Bible presented? Did you have a chance to study the Bible corporately?

The Bible was always presented as a corrupt work of men. I remember reading from the Book of Mormon about the Bible. The Book of Mormon said that the Bible would be corrupted by an evil church after the deaths of the apostles and many plain and precious truths would be stripped from the Bible. Therefore whenever I studied the Bible in private or in corporate LDS church services, I would always turn to LDS scriptures as a way to understand the Bible. I never relied on the Bible as the only source of truth.

How was it when you first began to study scripture once you were out of Mormonism?

After I had proved to myself that Mormonism was false by studying the true history of Mormonism, my first obstacle to studying the Bible was my belief that the Bible had been corrupted by men. I needed to know if the Bible had been corrupted or if the writings of the prophets and apostles had been preserved in the Bible. The first book that helped me understand the evidence for the Bible was A Ready Defense by Josh McDowell. Josh taught me about the thousands of manuscripts for the Bible and explained in convincing terms why I could trust that the words of the prophets and apostles had been preserved. When I became convinced by the evidence, I began to study the Bible with new eyes. When Paul and the other apostles spoke I began to listen to their words and discovered that God had given me the faith to believe their testimonies.

What impact did leaving have on you and your family, friends, social and business contacts, etc. ?

Jesus’ word saying that “he came not to bring peace but a sword” has been fulfilled in my family. Leaving Mormonism has turned my family and social life upside down. The close relationship I had with my in-laws has vanished and has been replaced by distrust and hatred for me because they blame me for my wife’s decision to leave Mormonism. I think every parent wants the best for their kids. Because my mom and dad believe that the Mormon Church is the only true church, my parents have disappointment in their eyes and sigh each time they think about me and what could have been. My Mormon friends have disassociated themselves from me and my family and my extended family thinks that I have gone crazy. On the other hand, I have four brothers that have left Mormonism as well. Two have left for Christianity, one for agnosticism, and the other for spiritualism. The relationship with my brothers since we have left Mormonism has grown sweeter and is especially sweet with my brothers who know Jesus.

What advice can you provide someone who is considering leaving the LDS Church? What can they expect?

I think that if someone was to ask me if leaving Mormonism for Jesus is worth it; I would tell them, ‘yes, absolutely.’ The hope I have gained from knowing that I have been forgiven and that my place in heaven is assured has given me a new appreciation for life and for the love of God. It is not an easy road to travel because family and friends will disagree and fight against your decision. In the end the only opinion that matters is the one God has about you.

The advice I would give to anyone is to become grounded in the word of God. The wisdom in those pages will help you know how to act and live as Christ lived. The spirit of God will give you the strength to bear with your trials and give you power to act in His name. Also I would recommend that you surround yourself with other believers so that they can help you and so that you can use the gifts God has given you. It is always better to know that you have friends that will be with you in heaven and to help you withstand the tough times.

What steps can a person take to develop a closer relationship with Christ once they have left the LDS Church?

I actually don’t like to define my relationship with closer or farther away from Christ. When I was forgiven, I was given an eternal position with Christ and he lives inside of me always. Therefore I cannot get closer to Him or farther away from Him because of something that I can do. I think that by recognizing that Christ lives in me gives me a stronger desire to serve Him in gratitude for what He has done for me. I often take time to think about what good God would want me to do, so that I can use this gift of life in the way that He would have me. I love the fact that I can love others because I want to, not because I have to. The more that I use my love for others, I gain insight and understanding into what it was like for God to love me. God did not have to save me but choose to save me because He loved me. I do not have to serve others or to love them, but when I do I learn what it is like to truly love freely without expecting to gain anything in return. I want to know what it is truly like to live as Christ lived, so that I can take hold of what Christ has given to me. In short, I live free from the fear of punishment and I love recklessly because God loved me when I did not deserve His love.

How did you come to find Concerned Christians of Mesa?

Actually I was referred to Concerned Christians by Central Christian Church’s church librarian. I came to church library and told the librarian that I had some pretty hard questions about the Bible and Christianity. She immediately made me a library card, gave me a copy of A Ready Defense by Josh McDowell, and gave my name to Jim Robertson at Concerned Christians to call me. The next day Jim called and that is how I came into contact with the ministry at Concerned Christians.

Thank you, Andy Poland, for taking the time to share your story with our readers. May the Lord continue to bless your ministry and that of Concerned Christians of Mesa. It is always important for Christians to understand how to pray for those who are considering walking away from the LDS Church and what these people will face once they do.

God bless!

Tri-Grace Ministries

Bringing the Gospel to Mormons with Love....

Tri-Grace Ministry Seminar and Banquet

Calvary Chapel at Lake Elsinore

Pictures from the event:

From an attendee:

Chip, Jamie, Shane, Kim, you guys are amazing! Your willing hearts and doing bodies (can I say this? :) )  are such a light not just there but here also. I am so hoping this was not a last time you guys came to Lake Elsinore, but just a beginning. Hopefully from this point on more people would want to come to Utah to help, assist, encourage and pray for your ministry and everything else God is doing there. Wow! What an amazing time we had! I love the stories, I wish it could go on all night long!!! Times like this do not come often. On a way to home Daniel and I talked about it and we cherished every moment we spent with you all.  
Thank you for coming and teaching us and sharing your hearts and Word of God. 
Jim, thank you for organizing the event, you rock. Jeri thank you for the great food :)  
Love you guys tons, 
God bless you all
Victoria 

Colorado City Outreach!!

An UPDATE about the Colorado City Outreach!!

What a ~marvelous~ outreach. I'm hooked. Definitely hooked. These
people are precious, but unbelievably controlled. No one should call
them stupid or mindless. They are industrious, loyal to religion
(though misguided) and family and, from what I heard from one ex-FLDS
person, quite intelligent. They would have to be to run a city and
supply the needs of the people.

We arrived in the morning about 50 strong and went to work almost
immediately handing out invitations to a free BBQ that afternoon. A
group from Biola U and a group from another Christian school (sorry,
don't remember which school) drove for ~hours~ from California to
preach Jesus and show some love. We looked for people on the streets,
placed invitations on doors and gate posts of FLDS homes and visited
the local grocery store too.

Colorado City will leave you heartbroken if you go, but it's worth it.
Tri-Grace ministries has been building a bridge to that community for
five years with its yearly BBQ. These things take time. Trust is not
built overnight. Between the raid in 1953 and the more recent raid
that made the news, these people do NOT trust outsiders one bit.
As we drove around the neighborhood delivering invitations, the vast
majority of FLDS people would either go inside their homes or ignore
us altogether. I talked with a few that were friendly and they
politely accepted the invitation, but none dared show up to the BBQ
because to be seen with us would cause their immediate
ex-communication from the group. The BBQ is known to them as "The
Devil's BBQ."






Many of the homes are surrounded by high walls. Some very tall, around
16 feet, some with walls not so high - around six feet. The more
prominent the family, the higher the walls. Warren Jeffs' place has
the highest walls, of course, and his home is huge!

Most of the homes have "No Trespassing" signs on the walls and gates.
We didn't enter those properties but rather left an invitation on the
entrance. The homes that didn't have a sign received an invitation on
the door. I knocked on a few doors to see if anyone would come to the
door. One older lady did and we chatted for a minute. I told her about
the BBQ and that we were going to be talking about the love of Jesus
and throwing a football around. I asked her if she'd like to play
quarterback. She just laughed and asked me who I am and if I'm part of
the community. I smiled back and told her no, I'm just a guy asking if
she'd like to come join us. She said no, and that was that. On to the
next home.

As I passed by one home with a no trespassing sign, I peeked over the
six-foot wall and saw a girl about five or six years old. I told her
hello and asked if here parents were home. My voice startled her and
she snapped her head around to look at me. She was scared to death and
ran inside. I waited for about a minute and no one came out. On to the
next home.

"Chava" and I were walking down a street when a rickety old van passed
by us going the opposite direction. Just as the van passed us a very
loud BANG rang out from the direction of the van. We both jumped! It
sounded like a gun shot. I turned to Chava and said, "Do you think
that was a backfire or a gunshot?!" He said, "I don't know. Let's hope
for backfire!" We both laughed and continued on.

Pray for the children. They wear long pants and long sleeves even in
the summer because their FLDS undergarments are full lenth, down to
the wrist and down to the ankles. No part of the garment should be
seen by others so their clothes must cover the garment entirely.
So it went for all of us the whole morning and into early afternoon.
As we set up for the BBQ in the local park in the middle of town, SUVs
with darkened windows would continually circle the park looking for
any FLDS members in attendance. The fear that these people live under
is deplorable. The community as a whole desperately needs deliverance
from a demonic presence. The evil is palpable and is so thick it could
be cut with a knife. We approached their vehicles as they slowly
circled to invite them to the BBQ, but they wouldn't even roll down
their windows. The local law enforcement also circled the park just to
keep an eye on things. They were friendly enough.

Somewhere between 30 and 50 locals did come to the BBQ and a very good
time was had by all. Good food, good fun, ~great~ conversation. I
talked at length with a 23 year old woman and her husband. They asked
me not to use their names because the woman's mother is still in the
cult. I'll call her "Mary."

The conversation was fascinating and enlightening. I asked "Mary" if
she considered her mother to be part of a cult and she told me, "100%,
yes." She told me that her mother is very intelligent and simply knows
no other life as she and her parents before her were FLDS all their
life. I also asked "Mary" a question about FLDS theology in comparison
to Joseph Smith and she told me that there is no comparison. "Mary"
said that the FLDS are as far from Joseph Smith as night and day.
"Mary" said that everything that is considered spiritual comes from
the current prophet.

Mary has a large box full of theological statements by Warren Jeffs
and she agreed to mail them to me. Very excited about receiving that!
I talked with a man of about 30 years old who was born and raised FLDS
but was recently excommunicated over theological differences. We
talked about the biblical Jesus vs. the Jesus of Mormonism. He asked
me several questions about Christian beliefs (as he's rarely had
communication with Christians) and I gladly obliged. We talked for
about 30 minutes. I was amazed how the Holy Spirit brought to my
memory so many different verses from the Bible and I just laid the
gospel out in front of him. He listened intently and we exchanged
emails. Pray for Theron by name!! My impression of him is that he is
quite brilliant. He speaks eloquently and is very interested in
continuing our conversation, as am I!

Theron believes in Joseph as a prophet, the Book of Mormon as inspired
scripture, along the Pearl of Great Price. I forgot to ask him about
the D&C, but I assume he believes in that too. I didn't tell him what
I know about the PoGP and I don't know that telling him it's a proven
fraud is a good idea at this point. Pray for me regarding wisdom on
how to proceed.

A few people brought guitars and we sang praises to Jesus, loud and exuberant.
We played bocci ball (kind of a cross between horseshoes and croquet),
tossed a football around, played Frisbee and just generally enjoyed
the day talking with locals.

What an utterly fantastic day. Oh, that I could do it full time. Oh,
that I could spend every day talking with them. Where God guides, God
provides. If I'm only to go now and then, so be it.
A video will be put on YouTube this week that will present a much
better picture than words can ever do. I'll post a link when it's
done. Watch it and chuckle, watch it and cry, watch it and be very
concerned. Most importantly, watch it and PRAY.

-Russ

Tri-Grace Ministries UPDATE

WILL YOU... PRAY FOR US 

 

THIS WILL ALSO BE OUR FIRST 2012 MANTI PAGEANT 

INFORMATIONAL LETTER (see articles below)

 

Dear FPW's (Faithful Prayer Warriors),

SHARING THE LOVE OF JESUS WITH POLYGAMISTS 

 

It is impossible for us to adequately explain what we will face this coming weekend as we conduct an outreach in the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints (FLDS) polygamist communities of Colorado City, Hildale, and Centennial Park. If the most graphic use of the term "CULT" means anything to you - that perfectly explains this isolated group of people. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

 

It is also impossible for us to even know for sure what we will face as we enter this community on Saturday morning. Over the past several years the community has been fractured in more ways than we can even begin to explain. Imagine the confusion in this community as FLDS "Prophet", Warren Jeffs, was named the #1 most wanted fugitive in America and subsequently hunted down, captured, convicted, and imprisoned for the sexual abuse of multiple young girls. Today Warren Jeffs is desperately attempting to maintain his iron grip on the community from prison while other self-appointed "prophets" are grasping for his position. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

 

Today the FLDS community falls into basically four very fractured groups. First are the faithful FLDS but these people are being pulled in every direction by several self-appointed false prophets. Second are those who live in Centennial Park - these people still cling to their polygamist roots but will no longer follow a prophet. Third are those who have lost all faith and are just out there in their thinking. Fourth are those who have been excommunicated from the FLDS - in this group are "lost" boys, young girls, fathers, mothers, and entire families who were kicked out of the group for a variety of reasons. I ask you, how do we even begin to connect with this fractured community? WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

 

WHY??? This will be the fifth year we have conducted outreach efforts in Colorado City. Every year we have to ask ourselves WHY??? All I can say is that once you have seen the desperate plight of these hurting and deceived people your heart breaks for them - especially the children. If there is any group of people in America that could honestly be considered an "unreached" people group this is it. Most were born into and have lived their entire lives in this isolated community. They have very little or absolutely no contact with the outside world - except when we roll into town (BIG SMILE). 

WHY??? Because Jesus loved them enough to die for them and they really need some good news, the gospel of Jesus in their lives. WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!

 

So, what do we hope to accomplish? Until this year, we really had no idea why God was opening this door or what in the world we would ever accomplish through these outreach efforts. But, God had a plan and as the 'A' team leader Lieutenant-Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith used to say, "I love it when a plan comes together!" This year we have a significant purpose for our outreach to Colorado City because, this coming June, Brody and Liz Olson will be moving into this community to begin the first ever permanent ministry to this unreached people group. What we did not know, but God did, was that for the last five years we have been laying the groundwork and building bridges for Brody and Liz. WE ALL NEED YOUR PRAYERS, BRODY, LIZ, AND ALL OF US!

 

WE ALSO NEED MORE HANDS AND FEET! So far we have the BIOLA Spring break team of 16 students, the Ephraim Ministries team of about 15-20 people and a few odds and ends individuals who are planning to join us. Maybe about 40 of us total. We really need at least 60 people to conduct this outreach. It is a no brainer that this is not convenient for anyone because Colorado City is in the middle of nowhere. Everyone who will be joining us will be driving for at least 4 hours to get to this God forsaken place. We have people coming from Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and Colorado - will you bite the bullet and join us as well? 

 

AND FINALLY, WHETHER YOU CAN BE WITH US IN PERSON OR NOT, WILL YOU PLEASE PRAY FOR US WITHOUT CEASING THIS COMING SATURDAY?

 

COLORADO CITY OUTREACH DETAILS

If you decide to join us in Colorado City, we can promise that this will be an event you will NEVER FORGET... On Saturday, April 7th, from about 9 am to 3 pm we will be canvassing the community (approx. 1,000 homes). Then from 4 pm till about 6 pm we will be offering a free BBQ for the community in the city park (Cottonwood Park). Last time approx. 300 community people attended and this year we expect a larger crowd.

 

 

 

.We will meet at the Merry Wives Cafe on UT hwy 59/ AZ hwy 389 in Colorado City at 9 am. If you arrive after 9 am, and we are already passing out the door-hangers, call Chip's cell phone (435) 851-4588 and we will connect. Or just drive around town and look for people who are dressed "normally" and passing out flyers.