In Search Of A Heaven Recommend . . .

The year was 1994; I was touring Montana and Idaho during a well deserved summer vacation.  I was about to return to Vancouver, B.C. via Oregon and Washington, when suddenly I decided that I should also tour Salt Lake City, Utah which was a very short distance away.

Upon arriving in the city I drove directly to Mormon Temple and made my way into the Temple proper for what I thought would be a narrated tour of the grounds and Temple itself. I had walked no more than five steps towards the inner sanctuary when a young man dressed in white apparel approached me and said, "And sir, if you don’t mind me asking, where are you headed?"

Being a little set back by this abrasive and unwelcomed question I replied, "Into the sanctuary to worship God - after all, that is what it is for, isn’t it?"

"Well," the young man responded, "the sanctuary is for worship, but you may enter only if you have a ‘Temple Recommend’ from your local elders."

Not knowing for sure what he meant by his latest comment, Iresponded, "Sir, I don’t have a ‘Temple Recommend’ but I do have a ‘Heaven Recommend’ given to my Jesus Christ Himself and if you don’t mind, I’d like to enter the sanctuary for a moment of silent prayer."

Without hesitation the Director, as I later learned that the person to be, grabbed me by the arm and said, "Sir, you may have a Heaven Recommend’ but unless you can show me your ‘Temple Recommend’ I’m afraid you will have to leave this building without further delay." And opening the door for me to exit he continued speaking in a stern and authoritative voice, "Sir, please don’t come back until you’ve obtained your ‘Temple Recommend’; unless you possess that, you won’t be allowed inside the Temple again."

Many years have passed since this experience occurred. At times I have chuckled about the human tragedy which forbade me access to the Temple. But on other occasions I have paused to thank God that I possess His ‘Heaven Recommend’ which is in safe keeping with Him because of my personal relationship with Jesus Christ through forgiveness of sin.
               
But, you might be asking, "What makes the ‘Heaven Recommend’ of greater significance than the ‘Temple Recommend’? Basically there are four factors which, when considered enable the ‘Heaven Recommend’ to surpass the ‘Temple Recommend’ in importance.

Firstly, the ‘Temple Recommend’ comes from the finite mind of man, the ‘Heaven Recommend’ is generated from the caring heart of God.
               
The ‘Temple Recommend’ was founded upon a private and prejudiced belief system which originated in the deceived mind of Joseph Smith, the renowned founder of Mormonism!

The probability of a person receiving a ‘Temple Recommend’ rests largely on his fulfilling the prescribed tenets of the faith which have been set out by the President of the Mormon Church and his advisors. Human dignity and individuality is often disregarded by the church; the tenets prescribed are created in the subjective mind of the elders of the church and following these tenets is rigidly demanded by all levels within the church hierarchy.

The entire system of the ‘Temple Recommend’ rests upon unscrupulous demands which may limit access to the ‘Temple Recommend’ by many sincere seekers within the faith.

Christ's ‘Heaven Recommend’, on the other hand, is based on the limitless knowledge of God, and is motivated solely because of His compassion which continually radiates from His heart towards His ungodly and rebellious creation. God knows that man is conceived in sin, that he has a pervasive natural bent towards doing only evil continuously and that there is absolutely nothing that man, within himself, can do to rectify his present problem. God could have justly abandoned mankind as he was - lost, damned, and destined to eternal separation in hell.

But He did not! Instead, He inaugurated salvation - a purposed plan for every man’s redemption which demostrates His love. This compassion had no beginning or end and it would touch the heart, mind and spirt of all who were created by Him if they would believe in Him as Lord..

Secondly, the ‘Temple Recommend’ is founded upon good works.
               
Every moment of the Mormon’s day is directed by specific work related activities that the adherents to the faith must perform. These requirements include the type of clothing worn, the amount of monetary gifts donated, the amount of proselytizing done, and/or the kind of association members may have with family and friends.

Practically everthing that a member of the LDS Church does is monitored by the hierarchy of this sect. As ‘right works are accomplished’ members are accredited with points that can be accumulated towards receiving the ‘Temple Recommend’.

Although no follower of the Mormon faith would be bold enough to declare his/her fear of not attaining the status of ‘Temple Mormon’, Mormons throughout the world live under constant fear that he might not receive this isolated and coveted position within the church.

Christ's 'Heaven Recommend’, however, is not conditional upon man performing good works for acceptance. Rather, it is obtained as one repents from his sin and exercises faith in Christ. God has rightly concluded that "there is none that doeth good, no not one," and "all of mans’ good works are nothing more than filthy rags which have drawn man away from God." Good works may be sanctioned by society, but God commands man to ‘forsake his ungodly ways and his unrighteous thoughts and repent . . . so that God can abundantly pardon him.'

In light of this, there is absolutely nothing man can do to earn the ‘Heaven Recommend.’ It is based solely on Christ's grace which was inaugurated before the foundations of the world was laid, and offered to humanity when Christ died on the cross. God earnestly desires His creation to receive His ‘Heaven Recommend’. He has done all that He can possibly do; now He asks the seeking heart to cast aside his tedious, vain and unprofitable works and exercise faith in Him, "for the just shall live by faith."

Thirdly, the ‘Temple Recommend’ is available to an exclusive few.

This offer of receiving an exclusive and elite position within the Mormon Church entices followers of the faith to believe that they alone have access to truth. As an extension of this belief, Mormons usually believe that it is they alone who can rise above the terrestial to the celestial and become God regenerating 'spirit beings'. The statement of faith that captivates this belief within the Church is: 'As man was God became; as God is man can become!'

The disastrous, unannouced element of this belief system is only fully realized when one admits that most Mormons have a prejudiced belief that regardless of how devoted they are to the faith, their devotion, good works, and faith may not be good enough to gain the coveted elite status of 'Temple Mormon.'

Christ’s Heaven Recommend’, in comparison to the Mormon 'recommend' is open to all who will come to Him by faith. There is no select elite group when it comes to receiving His ‘Heaven Recommend’ for with God "there is no respect of persons." Jesus says, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." And in another place of Scripture the sincere seeker is given this promise - God has given him eternal life and this life is in His Son Jesus Christ."

Now because of Christ’s death, no follower needs to feel that he is in spiritual competition with his rother/sister. All believers of all time and of all lands stand equal before God as a "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that they should show forth the praises of Him that has called them out of darkness into His eternal light."

 Christ’s compassion has been existed from eternity unto eternity and has been extended to all of His creation. God has the desire and the power to change man. All man has to do is call upon the name of the Lord with the full assurance that he will hear his sincere humble plea for help and then save him out of his sin and despair. This is the unwavering established promise of God!

Fourthly, the ‘Temple Recommend’ is earthly and temporal in nature.

The ‘Temple Recommend’ must be renewed annually on the birthday of individuals desiring the ‘recommend’. Yearly, therefore, adherents to the Mormon faith, submit a personal evaluation sheet and other pertinent ‘church’ vitae to their local leaders by which their ‘worthiness’ of receiving the ‘Temple Recommend’ can and will be established. It remains the obligation of the seeker to renew his ‘Temple Recommend’; if, for any reason he fails to renew it, then his opportunity for worship within the inner sanctum is cancelled and there is virtually nothing that he can do to change his present plight. As one can see every Mormon walks the tightrope of accountability and fear; yet, regardless of what he does or how earnestly believes, his efforts still cannot make his eternal destiny permanent or guaranteed.

Christ’s ‘Heaven Recommend’ is celestial and eternal in nature. It existed was before the foundations of the world were laid and it will continue, unrestricted, until the day when He, Himself, returns at His second coming. Then, those who have believed, "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God" and that "He was sent to be the Saviour of the world" will be resurrected unto eternal life for "he who believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth that God has raised Christ from the dead shall be saved.

This gift of grace that has come directly from the heart and will of God is eternal; "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God (grace) is eternal life." Those that come to Christ in faith can be sure "that He who has begun a good work in them will complete it", and although he might know exactly what he must go through during Christ’s process of perfecting the saints, he does know that "God is well able to keep everything that the believer has committed unto Him until the day He returns for him.

Repentant individuals who have placed their complete trust in Christ as Savior need never worry about the security of their eternal destiny because Jesus has given His followers this confident assurance their future - "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believed in God; keep on believing in me . . . I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Friend, today while God gives you this unique opportunity, you must choose between a man made temporal and cultic system which leads nowhere and an eternal relationship which leads to forgiveness of sin, peace with God, eternal life and heaven itself! No one can make this decision for you!

If you need help in deciding which plan you should follow, call any Bible believing Pastor who will be more than willing to help you come to know Christ Jesus, Whom to know is LIFE ETERNAL