Born-again Christians often ask, “I invited my LDS friend to a service at my church and they said they’d come if I attended an LDS service with them. What should I say?
My answer is always the same: “It depends.”
Here are three biblical questions you should consider before responding to your LDS friend’s offer of a worship-service trade.
Liberty of Conscience
Has the Lord granted you liberty of conscience? In Romans 14, Paul’s advice on “doubtful things” can be summarized with two verses. First, in verse 6: “The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.” Some have liberty of conscience, and others do not. That difference leads us to the second summary idea in verse 13: “therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer.” Christians must not exercise their differing liberties to the neglect of Christian unity.
Some born-again Christians will have the liberty to accept such a trade and others will not. If the Lord has given you that liberty, wonderful. Please consider the following two questions. If the Lord has not, equally wonderful. Please listen to your Spirit-informed conscience and politely decline your LDS friend’s offer.
Local Church Connection
Do you have a strong connection to your local church? Your LDS friend needs to see born-again Christians devoting “themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Sometimes born-again Christians lack a church home for good reasons and sometimes not. Whatever the case, I would counsel you to wait to bring your LDS friend to a Christian service until you have a strong connection to a local church.
A Settled Faith
Are you a recent convert to Christianity? If so, I would suggest that you take some time to ground yourself in the cardinal doctrines of the faith before accepting an invitation to an LDS service. You might be thinking, “But my friend needs Christ?!” Yes, of course they do. But sometimes the most powerful testimony for the truth is a believer’s unswerving dedication to it. It’s very possible that God wants your LDS friend to see John 4:24 in action: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Conclusion
Whether you accept or decline your friends’ offer of a trade, “each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5). If you accept, please understand that one gospel-preaching service rarely breaks through a lifetime of error. Gospel ministry to Latter-day Saints takes time, patience, and the miraculous grace of God. Think of their attendance as the start of a long journey on a narrow path that is blessed, but hard (Mathew 7:14).