Freemasonry question

[Rich in Faith]

Pastor Mike,

What advice would you have if you see a Freemason at your church? No, I do not attend your church, but I saw one recently at mine who was quietly showing off his new belt with that compass/square logo on it and his new ring.

Should I approach him personally and show him info? Should I privately leave all the info in an envelope on his car windshield? Should I talk to the pastor personally first? Would showing him several blasphemous quotes Albert Pike/Manley P. Hall(ie-both said Lucifer is the Lightbearer) be a good idea, or just show him an OVERVIEW of why you can't be a Christian and a Freemason along with passages of scripture would be the best route, or both?

Also, could you link your sermon on Truth Matters: Freemasonry you did awhile back? I listened to it sometime last year, but I can't remember where it was archived.

Thanks!

[Mike Miller]

I have to say that it depends. Who is this guy? Is he in leadership? Is he a new Christian? Do you know him well?

If this is someone you know pretty well, I think it would be very appropriate for the two of you to sit down over some coffee and talk about it. I would gently show the man the problems with Freemasonry and open the dialogue. Ask him what he thinks about what you've shown him. Ask him if he thinks that those things are consistent with Christianity. Listen to him and respond to what he says. When we do all the talking, we can overwhelm people. Then they don't get the sense that we are trying to help them. Remember that this man is in bondage to a dangerous cult and needs your help to be set free. And he might not even be a Christian, so you will want to be sensitive to that as well.

If this is not someone you know very well, I would talk to the pastor. The pastor probably doesn't know and would be very appreciative if you would point this out to him. Once you have done so, then the matter is in the hands of the pastor. Hopefully he will handle things well.

Now, if the person is in leadership this becomes a more pressing and significant issue that needs to be dealt with pretty quickly and strongly, and the pastor must be involved. But if the person is a new believer, then patience is crucial. Someone in leadership will have more biblical knowledge and a higher level of accountability.

As you probably noticed, our sermons page has been overhauled. The message on Freemasonry is not there yet, but I've asked our awesome webmaster to get it on there as soon as he can. When it is posted, I will put the link on here.

[Rich in Faith]

Pastor Mike,

Thank you for the reply - no, I don't know him well, although a couple of times since I've been a member of this church for almost 5 years I've crossed paths and have said Hello to him(ie-places like the Post Office).

I BELIEVE he's a deacon, but I'm not sure. I didn't see him at yesterday's church service, however, in future services, I'm going to make sure whether or not he's one of the guy's passing around the offering plates. But if memory serves, I believe he's one of the deacons.

Also - back in 2008 before the Presidential election, something hit me a week ago - this same man went up to the steps of the podium when the pastor was making alter calls after the sermon to pray on there. No, I'm not saying every single person that prays on the steps of the podium during the alter calls are bad, however, he had this strange behavior where he gave off his "A Marxist Muslim President is about to be elected! The sky is falling! Run for the hills! A massive global event is about the come!" message. I didn't think about it much at the time, but a week ago, it really hit me how it was very strange behavior. And it's not like people at my church go up to that podium steps to pray on a regular basis.

Anyhow - thank you for the advice here. Also, I have another question - are you familiar with Jim Shaw, a former 33rd Degree Mason who got out and became a minister? The reason why I'm asking is b/c I'm wondering if know any other famous former masons that got out and became ministers of the gospel?