Educating the Community CHURCH Evangelizing theCULTS · in ministry is personal evangelism and...

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Timothy & Suzie Oliver Missionaries to those lost in the darkness of Cults Think About Eternity, Inc. 33 Jalan Setia 10/9 Johor Bahru, Johor 81100 Malaysia Tel.: 001.607.358.1151 [email protected] & Evangelizing the CULTS Educating the Community Equipping the CHURCH

Transcript of Educating the Community CHURCH Evangelizing theCULTS · in ministry is personal evangelism and...

Timothy

&

Suzie

Oliver

Missionaries to

those lost in the

darkness of Cults

Think About Eternity, Inc. 33 Jalan Setia 10/9

Johor Bahru, Johor 81100

Malaysia

Tel.: 001.607.358.1151

[email protected]

& Evangelizing the

CULTS

Educating the Community

Equipping the

CHURCH

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they

might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:3–4

As some people become interested in spiritual matters they are swept up by the

enemy’s devices. These victims of cultic mind control are often genuinely sincere

(Romans 10:2). The god they are trying to serve, however, does not exist (1 Co-

rinthians 8:4) and they are unknowingly serving demons instead (1 Corinthians

10:19–20). After being saturated with cultic beliefs and mind control, these vic-

tims become the victimizers of other unsuspecting people. Unsuspecting them-

selves, they spread the lies of their particular group with a clear conscience. They

desperately need to be shown the truth in love by equipped Christians.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a

roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.…false prophets also arose among the

people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly in-troduce destructive heresies…” 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Peter 2:1

Peter’s warnings were written to Christians, who can be deceived and ensnared in

a cult for many years. Due to the cults’ rarely candid self-disclosure, Bible believ-

ing Christians have joined Mormonism, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Armstrongism,

The Family, The Brotherhood, etc. Very likely, you know Christian brothers and

sisters dangerously influenced by, or even presently in, one of these destructive

groups. If they are to have the “wool” removed from their eyes and be rescued,

they need to hear the full truth about the system they are in, as well as the gospel.

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense

to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with

gentleness and reverence. 1 Peter 3:15

Almost every Christian comes into contact with a cult member at some point, and

sometimes it may be frequently. It may be a family member, co-worker, or some-

body knocking at their door. When confronted with the cults, Christians need and

deserve excellent resources, personal encouragement, and support to minister to

these people. Think About Eternity, Inc. strives to be just such a resource, provid-

ing the information, the encouragement, and the support needed to equip them for

such opportunities.

The Need

Demonic

Blindness

Unsuspecting

Christians

Christians

Under

Pressure

“…They have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.

For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own,

they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:2–3

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness,

your minds will be lead astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision.” Philippians 3:2

Our missionaries travel all over the United States, and sometimes

overseas, to reach those lost in the cults. Timothy has participated in

outreaches to Jehovah’s Witnesses at their yearly conferences, and has

lead and participated in evangelistic outreaches to the Mormons for

more than twenty years in Manti, Utah. In June, 2000, he had the great

pleasure of being assisted there by his new bride, who proved herself,

there and later at two Mormon temple open house events, to be well

suited to such ministry. They look forward to a lifetime of serving the

Lord together as missionaries to those lost in the cults.

Timothy and other Think About Eternity staff speak in Churches

across the United States, training those attending on how to answer the

cultist at their door. He has also traveled twice each to Hungary and

Romania, four times to the Philippines, and once to Papua New

Guinea, to teach and equip Christians in those countries to witness to

cult members. Now based in Malaysia, Timothy & Suzie are reaching

out to Southeast Asia. (Our public speaking is always offered free of

charge to churches; we are always grateful for a love offering.) Think

About Eternity staff also provide one-on-one consultation, in person or

by phone, for Christians with questions on numerous subjects, or who

may need help dealing with cult members in their lives. Finally, Think

About Eternity offers resources for those needing information. These

include books, videos, witnessing tools, and our web site

www.ThinkAboutEternity.org.

Think About Eternity not only conducts cult awareness seminars in

churches, but also teaches in colleges and universities, including some

secular campuses. In addition, anyone calling Think About Eternity to

receive help or information about the cults will receive it regardless of

religious affiliation. If the caller is not a Christian the Think About

Eternity missionary will offer the Gospel itself, as well as the re-

quested help.

Evangelizing

the

Cults

Equipping

the

Church

Educating

the

Community

The purpose and goals of Think About Eternity, Inc. can be remem-bered easily by using the mnemonic device of two letters: E & C

The Mission of Think About Eternity

Left: Seating for 13,280 people at the Mormon

Miracle Pageant at Manti, Utah. Thousands more

will throng the streets and a large grassy area to

the left of the area photographed here, where they

can spread blankets to sit on.

Right: Over the many years he has gone to Manti,

Timothy has been asked to help train other Chris-

tians for witnessing to Mormons at the Pageant.

God used the combined witness of many Chris-

tians to cause eight people to be born again at the

2001 Manti pageant.

Left: Timothy and Suzie Oliver

Left and below: Opportunities abound for witness-

ing to Mormons throughout Utah, but especially as

here, at the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti.

Much of the work is seed planting, but fruit may

appear soon after. The boy in the white shirt, left,

was later led to the Lord by another Christian.

The Oliver's Timothy Oliver was born April 18, 1953, the son of a Seventh-day

Adventist minister. He became involved with both Scientology, and

Vedanta (a strain of Hinduism, and foundational to the philosophy of

the New Age movement) before being baptized a Mormon on June 12,

1971. A devout Mormon for ten years, he served in numerous callings

in both the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods. As a “temple Mor-

mon” he did work for the dead in five Mormon temples. He also serv-

ed as a Mormon missionary in Switzerland and France. He was given

an “honorable release” from his mission four months early, after ask-

ing the mission president questions on Mormon doctrine and history.

Timothy left Mormonism in June 1981, was born again three months

later. He has been actively involved in local churches ever since.

In 1984 he began Christian missionary outreach to Mormons in Ari-

zona, hosting a half-hour radio broadcast called The Mormon Ques-

tion. In 1986 two Arizona churches sent him as a missionary to Utah.

In 1988 he joined the staff of Watchman Fellowship and served two

terms as the Utah Director, 1988-1995 and 2002-2009.

Timothy’s ministry in Utah included personal witnessing, counseling,

correspondence, literature distribution and public speaking at the Uni-

versity of Utah, and at major public gatherings. Also included were

research and writing, directing a Summer Missions program providing

short-term missions opportunities in Utah, and giving seminars in

Christian churches around the country and the world. From Utah, he

traveled twice each to Hungary, Romania, and The Philippines, pre-

senting seminars to equip Christians there for outreach ministry to cult

members. He also served on the Elder Board at the Evangelical Free

Church of Salt Lake City, where for years he taught a Sunday School

class on understanding and evangelizing Mormons.

In 1995 Timothy was invited to join Watchman’s headquarters staff in

Arlington, Texas. His main responsibility was as Watchman’s Publica-

tions Editor. He oversaw production of The Watchman Expositor and

other tracts and literature. Later, he became Director of Research Ser-

vices, responsible for maintaining Watchman’s voluminous library

and files. He also taught in churches, colleges, universities, and occa-

sionally on radio and TV, and in 1999 he trained Christian leaders in

Papua New Guinea. He also was responsible for evangelism equipping

seminars at Watchman’s Arlington office, and he oversaw annual mis-

sions projects in the U.S., especially in Utah.

In 2000 Timothy met and married his wife Suzie. Together they relo-

cated to Utah in 2002, where Timothy resumed his duties and position

as the Utah Director for Watchman Fellowship. In 2004, he also cre-

ated Think About Eternity, Inc., and in 2009 formally resigned from

Watchman to work under the Think About Eternity ministry name.

Under TAE he made two more mission trips to The Philippines.

Timothy’s

Background

Ministry

Experience

Conversion

Suzie’s Background

and

Conversion

Two Streams Flowing

Together

Goals and Dreams

Suzie was born 2 November, 1952. At seventeen, she received Christ

as her Lord and Savior when her Auntie explained the gospel very

simply to her. But lacking deeper biblical instruction and teaching she

fell victim to one of the cults—the Seventh-day Adventists. She was a

devout member for roughly twenty years. Eventually, however, the

hypocrisy and all the petty prohibitions, caused her to leave.

Still considering herself a Christian, Suzie wandered far from circles

of Christian fellowship. She became involved with the New Age

movement. The people who were leading her claimed to be Christian,

and they claimed their teaching and practices were Christian. Believ-

ing God had a calling on her life, Suzie became a “healer,” a “light-

bearer,” and an accomplished teacher and public speaker in her field.

Not until coming to the United States as a missionary did she discover

that the group of which she was a part, and its teachings, were New

Age. Once she had it explained to her, and saw the gospel contrasted

with the group’s teachings and practices, she turned from them imme-

diately. It wasn’t long before her renewed understanding and love of

the gospel opened her eyes to God’s real calling, expressing itself in

evangelism, boldly witnessing at several Mormon public events.

From early childhood, Timothy believed God had a call on his life.

Both he and Suzie were mislead for many years as to what their call-

ings were. Yet God sovereignly allowed their wandering in the dark-

ness of the cults as a part of His plan. Their experiences have uniquely

prepared them for evangelizing people in the cults.

God has blessed them both with a gift they barely dared to dream of

having: a spouse who not only understands and supports God’s calling

on the other’s life, but also has a similar calling, and wants to work

together as a team in ministry.

Our main goals: Our main goal and greatest desire is to glorify God.

Toward that end, we work together as a ministry team. Our chief joy

in ministry is personal evangelism and discipling believers. God will-

ing, we seek to make our ministry roughly a mix of about 60% direct

evangelism, and 40% equipping Christians for similar ministry. Our

ministry includes public preaching, literature distribution, one-on-one

and group discussions, and calling door-to-door. In June 2012 we

moved to Malaysia. We continue to work with our ministry partners,

John & Laurie Kauer, who joined the ministry in 2008. They work

mainly in southern Utah County, at Temple Square in Salt Lake City,

at the annual Mormon Miracle Pageant at Manti, at Mormon Temple

open-houses, and at other public events and institutions. Both the

Olivers and Kauers also run short-term missions programs for Chris-

tians desiring training and experience witnessing to Mormons. Having

planted a church in Utah, Sovereign Grace Christian Fellowship, the

Oliver’s are open to doing it again in Malaysia if God directs. We

hope and trust that through His people, the Lord will provide all the

financial resources and provisions necessary for us to devote ourselves

to work full-time in these ministries.

How You Can Help Us

In a ministry such as Think About Eternity’s, missionaries are confront-

ing the powers of darkness daily. Therefore, we need constant prayer sup-

port for protection, encouragement, and boldness. Day by day the enemy

is at work in unseen ways, fighting against us. Only by the power of God

can we be sustained in our work. God has ordained prayer as a means of

drawing upon His power. Your prayers on our behalf do make a differ-

ence.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How

will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they

hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are

sent?” (Romans 10:14, 15). “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim

the gospel to get their living from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14).

In the case of the wilderness tabernacle (Exodus 35), the offerings Paul

received for the poor in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1–4; Rom. 15:25–28), and for

his own ministry support (Phil. 4:10–19; 2 Cor. 11:7–9; Rom. 15:24), God pro-

vided the resources necessary for His work through the grace of His peo-

ple. We believe such giving is a God ordained means of provision. God

grants his people opportunity to participate in the work of the ministry by

a variety of ways. Not all can go or preach, but all may receive the bless-

ing of participation (Phil. 4:17). One way is to help send those who do go.

Think About Eternity’s general budget does not cover its missionaries,

who must raise their own financial support. They need people like you to

stand behind them financially as well as prayerfully. Some supporters

give sporadically, others short or long term, others only once; we are

therefore always in need of new supporters. We believe God has put us

together, not only in marriage, but also in and for ministry. We believe

He has called us, and He will continue to provide. Perhaps the chart be-

low will give you an idea of the role by which you can share in our minis-

try.

Prayer

Support

Financial

Support

Partners Pledge Total

6 $100/month $600

12 $75/month $900

18 $50/month $900

24 $25/month $600

Total = 60 $3000

Please feel free to contact us

with any questions concerning

our ministry or the status of our

support.

Address: Think About Eternity, Inc.

33 Jalan Setia 10/9

Johor Bahru, Johor 81100

Malaysia

Phone: 1.607.358.1151

Fax: 1.607.358.1151

E-mail: [email protected], or:

[email protected]

In the United States,

Think About Eternity, Inc. is a non-profit,

501(c)(3) organization.

Donations to it are tax-deductible.

Contact

Information