One day during his two-year Mormon mission, Micah Wilder—who cofounded the Adam’s Road Ministry (www.AdamsRoadMinistry.com)—met a Christian pastor in Florida who gave him advice that forever changed his life. Micah’s conversion resulted in his biological family coming into a relationship with God, including his mother Lynn, who was a professor at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. We caught up with Micah while he was on the Adam’s Road bus traveling with the ministry.
Eric and Sean: You described yourself as a “young Pharisee” when you were on your Mormon mission. What do you mean by that?
Micah: Although I wouldn’t have seen myself as such at the time, I was, in essence, a religious zealot. Much like Saul of Tarsus, I had a zeal for God, but that zeal was misplaced. I was ignorant of the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ and I was seeking to establish my own righteousness by my works.
Eric and Sean: What did the pastor tell you that caused you to eventually leave Mormonism?
Micah: Pastor Alan Benson’s approach to me was centered on two crucial elements: (1) love and (2) the Word of God. It wasn’t really about what he told me, but rather what he challenged me to do. He told me to “read the Bible as a child.” He had the profound wisdom and insight to point me to the source and allow God—through His Spirit and by His Word—to make the change in my heart. It was simply by reading the New Testament every day as a Mormon missionary that God opened my eyes to the immeasurable love He was offering me through Christ Jesus.
Eric and Sean: Would you encourage Christians to use the “read the Bible as a child” approach that the pastor used on you?
Micah: Absolutely. In fact, this is my favorite approach when ministering to anybody, Mormon or not. In Christianity, it can be all too easy for us at times to focus so much on history, apologetics, and the intellectual side of the gospel that we forget the greatest tool we have: the Word of God. As Hebrews 4:12 says, it is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. In the end, we can’t make someone believe, nor can we force that change to happen.
Eric and Sean: Adam’s Road is a musical group you cofounded in 2006 that travels around the United States and visits churches. You share your songs while providing the musicians a platform to give their testimonies. What has been the result with meeting people from all over the country?
Micah: In 11 years we have performed more than 1,000 times in 42 states and 4 Canadian provinces. To the glory of God, we have seen many people, including Latter-day Saints, come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eric and Sean: The chorus to your song “I Would Die for You” says, in part, “For you to live I [Jesus] would die for you.” If a Mormon asked you what you mean by this, how would you respond?
Micah: Jesus died a substitutionary death for the sins of mankind on the cross of Calvary. He took our place, as our substitute, placing on Himself the penalty that we deserved. He paid in full the debt we owed to God because of our sins. Through His blood shed on our behalf, Jesus Christ offered His own life as a ransom for ours so we could be given the free gift of eternal life by grace through faith.
Eric and Sean: You have come up with a bumper sticker phrase, “Jesus Is Enough.” Yet a Mormon might argue he or she also believes in Jesus and point to how His name is a part of the LDS Church’s title. How would you explain the difference in how Jesus is viewed in Mormonism compared to Christianity?
Micah: When I was a Mormon, I would have claimed that I believed in, trusted, and followed Jesus Christ. In reality, He was only a portion of what I believed I needed in order to be reconciled to God. As a Mormon, Jesus was just one of many pillars of my testimony. Now He is the Rock and the foundation of my faith. He’s not just part of my testimony, He is my testimony! I know that my good standing with God is independent of any religious system, denomination, man, work, ordinance, or anything of my own merit. It is, however, completely dependent on Jesus Christ. There is salvation outside of Mormonism, but there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ.
See the testimony of Micah Wilder and other members of Adam’s Road by viewing “Unveiling Grace: The Film,” posted on YouTube by “Sacred Groves,” March 6, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl0c5nl6u48.