BUILDING BRIDGES
between
SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIANS
&
LATTER-DAY SAINTS (MORMONS)
A TRANSLATION GUIDE FOR
BORN AGAIN SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIANS
(Charismatics/Pentecostals/Renewalists and Third Wavers)
and
LATTER-DAY SAINTS (MORMONS)
By: Rob and Kathy Datsko
Copyright 2011 Rob and Kathy Datsko,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0669-5
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through Him might be saved.”
John 3:16-17
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”
Isaiah 52:7
Mosiah 12:21
Dedicated to: Our Heavenly Father, who shows us pure love,
Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Savior, Redeemer and King.
and to the precious Holy Spirit, whom we have loved for years.
And to those who have the courage to believe that the Lord has blessings for us beyond what we could ask or think, that may not yet be fully operating within our current religious traditions.
Press On
I need You, Lord, in this mighty move of God
As Your Holy Spirit sweeps across the land
And as Your people bow before You now,
We will do as You command.
May every part of me, O Lord, be faithful and true
Let the Holy Spirit reign within the Bride
Purify me, Make me holy, perfect for Your Son
For I long to be by His side.
Awaken us, for the night is coming soon
And I want my flask to be filled with Your oil
With gold refined by fire, and clothed in white
I don’t want to sleep in the night.
We need You Lord, in this mighty move of God
As Your Holy Spirit sweeps across the land
And as Your people bow, before You now,
We will wait on Your command.
Kathy Datsko
1983
Part One: The Basics
Preface: The Language Barrier
“I ain’t never going back there!” Depending on differing grammatical understandings, my Tennessee friend had either emphatically stated that:
(1)He was never going there again, or
(2)He was planning on going back.
Both of us spoke the same native tongue. Both of us understood each individual word spoken. But if I had been unaware of the differences in our cultural grammar, I would have understood him to be stating the opposite of what he actually meant. So it often is between Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and Spirit-filled Christians. Often the same words may be used, but with different and sometimes even opposite meanings for each group. Although these groups may share the same native mother tongue, Spirit-filled Christians and Latter-day Saints across the world speak a different spiritual language, sometimes expressing their beliefs in phrases that have totally different meanings to those of the other group. Despite minor belief differences within Spirit-filled Christians’ many types of churches across the world, they all speak basically the same spiritual language, which language can be quite different from that of many Latter-day Saints. To be able to communicate between the two groups, a basic understanding of the different thought processes and phraseology is important. Across the world, Spirit-filled Christians have their own unique spiritual vocabulary and cultural thought patterns, as do Latter-day Saints.
Unfortunately, since the language barrier is so great, there’s a compounded problem when trying to translate. When Latter-day Saint beliefs are explained in terms generally understood by Spirit-filled Christians, Latter-day Saints may feel their beliefs are being misrepresented, and may become offended. Likewise, when beliefs of Spirit-filled Christians are explained in terms that Latter-day Saints would understand, Spirit-filled Christians can become angry and upset, often feeling their beliefs are being ‘dumbed down’ and ridiculed. Our prayer is that instead of becoming offended or angry, each group will choose to press forward in “agape” love (“the pure love of Christ”), and begin to build better bridges of communication. May we all keep in the forefront of our minds 1 John 4:7-11:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (The Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
For the remainder of this Guide, unless otherwise indicated, we have chosen to use the Old King James Version, as that is the version accepted as canon scripture by Latter-day Saints. However, in quoting scripture, the pronouns (He, His, etc.) will be capitalized to indicate Deity (God), as Spirit-filled Christians
