Eventually you will want to discuss both the following two topics in-depth with them. They are cited here not only because you could use bits and pieces of the following as hooks, but also because you will want to return to them on a regular basis.

Living eternally with Heavenly Father/Judgment Day.

First, a note about terminology. Don’t talk about “going to heaven” because Mormonism teaches that virtually everybody goes to one of their three kingdoms of heaven. Therefore, “going to heaven” doesn’t convey the significance we want it to communicate. Talk rather about “living eternally with Heavenly Father.” Only those in the highest kingdom of LDS heaven, the celestial kingdom, live with Heavenly Father. Therefore, this is much more meaningful to Mormons and is much closer to what we mean.

Most Mormons aren’t confident about living with Heavenly Father because it depends not only on what they have already done, but also on what they do the rest of their lives. In striking contrast, we can be totally confident we will live with God because it doesn’t depend on anything we do. It depends entirely on Jesus’ completed work for us.

Besides sharing your confidence that you will live eternally with Heavenly Father, share some of the blessings of heaven you can’t wait to experience. For example, if the conversation is about friction between two people, you could comment that one aspect of heaven you are looking forward to is that they will be no friction between people: no hurt feelings, no toes stepped on, no misunderstandings. We’ve developed a Blessings in Heaven Bible Study for you to work through on page 36 of the Friends & Family Course Workbook. 

Once you are alert for it, you will be surprised how often the topics of death and life after death can naturally be introduced into a conversation. Almost every newscast touches on death. You could remark about how trusting in the Lord has drastically changed the way you think about your own death. How, without Jesus, you would dread the day of your death. Now, however, you look forward to it because you know it marks the end of all your problems and your entrance into God’s glorious presence.

Or you could focus on Judgment Day. Most Mormons view it with apprehension and even dread. They see themselves undergoing an excruciating trial. This witnessing scenario has some quotes showing how Mormonism talks about Judgment Day.

In contrast, because Jesus’ vicarious work is already done, God has already announced his verdict. He has already declared you perfect in Christ! (Hebrews 10:14). Therefore, you can talk about how Judgment Day will be the best day of your life. We’ve developed a helpful document as part of the Friends & Family Course Workbook that provides you with a few ways you can talk about Judgement Day. See page 37, “How to Talk About Judgement Day” for more information.

The Lord’s protection and blessing in this life.

God is a distant deity for many Mormons. Because he is an exalted man, with a physical body, he is limited in where he can be. They do believe that, if they remain faithful, they will have the “constant companionship” of the Holy Spirit. Even that, however, is not very comforting to many Mormons.

Adding to the feeling of God being distant is the fact that Mormonism emphasizes that a person’s entire life is one of testing. Think of the stress this could easily cause as you imagine God examining you each day to see if you are passing the test. Living under God’s microscope can be quite unpleasant.

In contrast, think of how blessed you are! Jesus has already passed the test for you. In this connection, it will be important to talk not only about how Jesus’ death paid for your sins, but also about how he kept the commandments perfectly for you. Here’s one good way to make the point.

In addition, we have a God who is with us – who lives within us! – who showers us with blessings and wonderfully protects us. This is in stark contrast to Mormonism’s teaching that every blessing is conditioned on obedience. In other words, there are no undeserved blessings in Mormonism. The more they see how blessed you are and how you live as a confident and joyful child of God, the more attractive Christianity will be to them. It will act like a magnet drawing them. This is so much better than trying to pull them away from Mormonism.