There's a Plan...The Cults and God's Purposes

In my last post we looked at cults’ claims to exclusive authority to speak for God. So, what is God supposed to have said to them? There’s a plan, a purpose, something the church has totally lost until someone came along at just the right time to restore, clarify, and bring it to the world. When you see someone offering a system instead of a Saviour you should turn and run. Here are two examples.

We learn from Jehovah’s Witnesses that there is a big flock and a little flock. The little flock governs from heaven the big flock live eternally on paradise earth. Of course, the men who brought this message belong to the little flock. They have the important places in God’s purposes, while the rest should be glad the little flock is there. The little flock ‘govern’ because when Jesus says ‘kingdom,’ he means ‘government.’ Of course, Isaiah wrote, ‘the government will be upon his [the Saviour’s] shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6), but Jesus preached one kingdom.

We learn from Mormons that God’s purpose is to make more gods. Of course, only the best of the best get to be gods by qualifying to enter the highest ‘celestial’ kingdom of God. Mormonism teaches degrees of glory, so those who miss out on godhood will go to one of the lower kingdoms. It is assumed that Mormon apostles and prophets get to be gods, but as to the rest, I have never known a Mormon confident enough to say, ‘’ll get there.’

Unity is God’s Purpose

There is a theme of unity throughout the Bible.

There is a unity in the Godhead, in the Trinity. Jesus said, ‘I and the Father are one.’ John 10:30; Heb.1:8; I John 5:20; 1 Cor.3:16.
There is a unity in humanity in the original creation, and between God and humanity, Gen.1:27; 2:24. To miss this picture of natural intimacy and fellowship, with God and with our fellows, is to miss God’s purpose in creating mankind. It is to miss what was tragically lost in the fall of man Gen.3:8.
There is a unity in the kingdom. To miss this is to put back the wall of division, to hang again, as have the Mormons, the curtain in the temple. The temple curtain was torn in two, Mt.27:50-51, restoring in Christ the fellowship we once had with God in the garden, John 17:20-24. Further, the wall of division was brought down Eph.2:14, creating in Christ one people of both Jews and Gentiles, one kingdom.
There is a unity in Christ. ‘In him [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him[Christ], things in heaven and things on earth.’ Eph.1:7-10

The focus and purpose of that unity is Christ not me. To miss this is to miss the purposes of God altogether, to miss the focus of God’s declared will and purpose in Christ. To miss this is to put man on the throne again as we preoccupy ourselves with rewards and position Mt.20:20-27 (great crowd/little flock/celestial kingdom/kingdom terrestrial kingdom/telestial kingdom)

It is unity that is restored in Christ. Unity between man and God, between man and men who form the new society, the new kingdom, the commonwealth of faith all together.

There is a plan, and God has declared it, has revealed the mystery of his purposes in Christ. When anyone else comes along offering a system instead of a Saviour you should tell them there is already a plan and you know it, you are part of it because you are in him.

Obama's mother posthumously baptized into LDS Church - Salt Lake Tribune

In the wake of his remarkable success it seemed that the world and his wife wanted to claim President Obama as their own with even an Irish connection being dug up. Now the Mormons have got in on the act by posthumously baptising his mother. They have in the past upset the Jewish community, the Catholic Church and now the American President with this wacky and unbiblical practice but there is no indication that they will review it. And, of course, it is always someone else’s fault and they promise a thorough inquiry to uncover the real culprits. Maybe they should try looking in the mirror. President Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who died in 1995, was baptized posthumously into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints last year during her son's campaign, according to Salt Lake City-based researcher Helen Radkey. The ritual, known as “baptism for the dead,” was done June 4 in the Provo temple, and another LDS temple rite, known as the “endowment,” was...

Mormon Christians? Whats in a Name?

The Mormon Church, disturbed by the continuing identifying of polygamus sects in the news with the name Mormon, recently issued a press statement aimed at "clarifying" issues. It is interesting to note that if you substitute the name "Christian" where they use the name "Mormon" it makes a very good argument for us against the claims of the Mormon Church. The full press release is reproduced below in italics with each paragraph rewritten in ordinary text to present it from a Christian perspective. SALT LAKE CITY 10 July 2008 On 26 June, Newsroom published a package of information featuring profiles of ordinary Latter-day Saints in Texas. With no other intention but to define themselves, these members provided a tangible depiction of what their faith is all about. They serve as the best distinction between the lifestyles and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Texas-based polygamous group that has recently attracted media attent...

Is atheism an intolerant belief?

The Big Questions , Sunday 2 August 2009, third question. A growing number of Britons say they are certain there is no God - but how do they know? Professor John Adams of the North Yorkshire Humanist Association begins by asking theists what evidence they have for their beliefs. Paul Woolley of Theos continues by pointing out Richard Dawkins description of faith as a 'virus', and the appalling track record of atheism in the 20th Century, as spearheaded by Pol Pot and Stalin. Chloe Clifford-Frith of the Humanist and Secular Students Society contends that Stalin did not do the things he did because he was an atheist, but because he was evil. Paul Woolley rejoins that atheists are trying to have it both ways when they claim that religion is the cause of evil, but refuse to acknowledge the ideological impetus of atheism when it comes to many evil acts. Mao and Stalin both replaced God with the State - a 'religious' manoeuvre. Rev Alistair Rycroft of St Michael Le Belfrey Ch...

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