Dear Community of Christ Friends,

Apostle Dale Luffman makes the point in the February, 2004, Herald, that effective preaching is a must if the church is going to attract and keep young adults. He states that too often those responsible for proclaiming the word of God are ill prepared and as a result, “congregations are floundering and young adults are going elsewhere.”

It is true that many Community of Christ young adults (and older adults) are leaving the church and going elsewhere. If church members would listen to the testimonies of the people leaving, they would know that the problem is not that the preachers are ill prepared to preach, rather it is what they are preaching! The vague, complicated, New Age “social gospel” being delivered from CoC pulpits is a false gospel, therefore it cannot satisfy searching souls. When truth is not central to a belief system, it is only a matter of time before people abandon that system, to search for the real thing.

The message of Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection, is the central theme of the entire Bible – it is the true gospel. Listen to the apostle Paul as he encapsulates this truth, “Now brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved…For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Cor.15: 1-4). Paul further emphasizes this gospel in 2 Tim. 2:8-9, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead…This is my gospel, for which I am suffering….” These scriptures explain the gospel so clearly that a child can understand it. It is simply trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross where He paid the penalty for our sins and imputed His righteousness to us. When this gospel is preached and people receive it, lives are changed and souls are satisfied.

This gospel message has never been the central focus of the RLDS/CoC Church. Instead, by emphasizing their own peculiar doctrines and their “sacred history,” church leaders have obscured this essential Biblical truth. The “Restoration” gospel which they continue to uphold, adds human achievement to God’s grace making it a “different gospel” which the apostle Paul calls “no gospel at all” (Gal.1:7).

The NIV Study Bible explains, “God’s call into His Kingdom is by the grace of Christ…People who deceive others by changing the gospel to include human achievement and pride deserve eternal condemnation. The gospel must be maintained in its purity, because through clear and correct proclamation of the gospel, people are saved. A different gospel leaves people in their lost state. Evangelists are commanded to call people to faith in the crucified and risen Lord. Nothing else can be added and still have the gospel…” (Annotation NIV Study Bible, Gal. 1:1-9).

The highly educated apostle Paul did not resort to intellectual arguments to convert people to Christ. Instead, he proclaimed this simple but essential Christian message, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). The Bible warns of those who will turn from the Biblical gospel to fables. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4) This scripture applies not only to Joseph Smith and each of his successors, but also to all those who have promoted his false teachings.

The simplicity of the gospel as a free gift is an affront to most CoC members because they believe that they must contribute to their salvation by their own good works. As a result, Satan has been able to blind their minds to the redeeming message of the cross, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel….” (2 Cor. 4:4). Because of this spiritual blindness many members have sought after something more intriguing, a more stimulating and challenging doctrine in which their participation will help assure them a place in “Celestial glory.” They tend to perceive the Bible as outdated, inadequate, and full of myths. Consequently, they are automatically open to “new” religious teachings, which often diminish or even deny the importance of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. The apostle Paul however, declared that it was the simple proclamation of the cross that had the unsurpassed power to produce faith and salvation in some, while simultaneously inciting cries of foolishness in the minds of others. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18).

Friends, are you secretly worried by the changes that have taken place in your church over the past few years? Do you feel your church has betrayed its “Restoration heritage”? Is your heart troubled by your church’s liberal views and New Age involvement? Does the fact that your prophet condones the ordination of homosexual priesthood members concern you? Are you bothered by the church’s dwindling membership? If so, have you ever considered that these things are happening because God is not in Joseph Smith’s “Restoration” movement, nor has He ever been?

Jesus warned His followers to leave the false teachers of His day, “Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matt. 15:14). Jesus would say the same today. When one’s eternity is at stake, it is imperative that they not be misled by those promoting a false gospel. Many CoC members no longer believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, but they hesitate to take a stand and leave the church. This is often because they fear the repercussions; losing friends, family, prestige, jobs, Celestial glory, priesthood status and the approval of men, “…they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:43).

But those who are leaving, say with the apostle Paul: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes….” (Rom. 1:16) And they will concur with Paul’s statement, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ…” (Phil. 3:7-9). We once were faithful members of the RLDS/CoC Church. Now, as born again believers, though we attend many different denominations, we are all members of the one true church – the Body of Christ. This is our desire for you.

True Christian conversion occurs when people:

1. Become aware of their lost condition before a holy and righteous God, “There is none righteous, no not one” (Rom. 3:10).
2. Confess their inability to save themselves, “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” (Isaiah 64:6).
3. Recognize that Christ alone can forgive their sin, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18).
4. Are willing to give Christ total control of their lives, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

It is God’s will that all be saved but this can only be accomplished on His terms, not ours. If your heart has been touched by what has been shared here, won’t you pray this simple prayer? It will change your life forever.

Dear Lord, I am moved by your agonizing death on the cross. I understand that it was for my sins that you suffered and died. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for loving me so passionately. Please forgive me of my sins. I ask you to come and live in my heart. I want to begin life anew with you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for conquering sin and death so that I may have eternal life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer, you have been born again into God’s family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, and you now have the assurance of eternal life. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). This gift of salvation is given to us freely, but it is not “cheap grace” as many mistakenly claim. The cost was high; Jesus paid for this gift with His own precious blood. As Billy Graham so aptly stated, “The blood of Christ is the only detergent that is able to wash away the stain of sin.”

Finally, consider the apostle Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. It was simply, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” As a result of his message, the crowd was “pierced to the heart” and those who accepted it were “saved — three thousand souls in one day!” This message of the cross has been conspicuously absent from RLDS/CoC pulpits and is the underlying reason so many members are leaving the church. Our prayer for you is that you will forsake the unbiblical teachings of your church introduced by Joseph Smith and accept, instead, God’s free gift of salvation, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).