Micah was an on fire passionate Mormon missionary who planned to make a name for himself. And then an encounter with two Christian pastors, one of which encouraged Micah to read the New Testament like a child, and everything changed for Micah. Over the next year-and-a-half he read and re-read the New Testament and came to know Jesus as his personal Savior.

I would have to read the book again more slowly to decipher it all, but it seems to be Biblically sound and also a really good taste for what Mormons believe and how to counteract it. I really enjoyed reading that part as well. Today, most of Micah's family have become Christians.

One sad note from the book was that the Christians that the missionaries were witnessing to were not known for their kindness. It was rare for a Christian to extend kindness and love when the Mormons knocked on their door.

"But you don't show your love for Jesus by reaching your hands up toward heaven, but by reaching your heart out toward others in love."

"Don't make Jesus part of your testimony. Make Jesus Himself your testimony."

I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it, especially if you have any interest in understand Mormonism better and how to counteract it with the Bible.

I received this book from Harvest House via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review.

A very interesting story of how a Mormon missionary actually came to know and believe in the real Jesus Christ. I found Mr. Wilder's desperate thirst for knowledge and wisdom about the true Jesus convicting. Have I ever pursued Jesus like that? At times, the book bogs down in narrative, but that's because it's a narrative, and those are the times when he was struggling the most. Overall, a valuable read. I gratefully received the free ebook ARC from the publisher and author in exchange for my unbiased review.

Passport to Heaven is Micah Wilder’s personal memoir recounting his journey from a zealous Morman missionary to a born-again Christian. His story is captivating and encouraging, a beautiful picture of how God’s love can break through a man’s heart and make it come alive. It’s one I stayed up late to finish and had a hard time putting down.

For Micah, it all started with one simple challenge from the Baptist pastor he tried to convert: read the Bible as a child.


‘It’s all about love’
Contrary to what the world seems to preach, true love is not affirming others in their sinful and lost state, it is proclaiming the Christ who can liberate them from captivity – Passport to Heaven

Micah’s childhood was marked by a burning passion to seek God like David, to simply sit in His presence and be alone with Him. Over time, this passion was enveloped into the rigors and rules of his religion, fading into stiff obedience to the “one true church.” But Micah was still full of that desire to know God, so he pursued his religion to the fullest, only to find himself trapped trying to earn his way to heaven.

In the unexpected setting of a Mormon mission, God broke through and paved a path forward for a young man whose entire family, social circle, and world was wrapped up in a false religion. Seeing that story unfold on the page was beautiful.

Faithful believers came alongside Micah throughout the process, speaking the truth in love. It was heartwarming to see how God used these early encounters to lead him towards faith in Christ.


Highlights
Part narrative, part apologetic

Passport to Heaven accomplishes more than sharing a personal narrative. It also clearly draws out the theological differences between Mormonism and Christianity and answers frequent objections by waving them into the flow of the story.

The reader learns the answers as Micah does, through situations he faces and the knowledge he gains from reading Scripture. When the pieces finally fall into place at the end, Micah’s writing manages to capture some of the joy in understanding the truth of Christ he’s been so desperate to find.


Insight into Mormonism

Micah’s descriptions of the internal workings of the Mormon church, missions, and culture provided a lot of great insight and helped me better understand what it is like coming from that background.


Engaging and encouraging writing

Vivid descriptions, lots of personality, and a touch of humor helped make this book uniquely engaging. I felt like I could connect with Micah, which not only kept me reading, it was also very encouraging.

The magnitude of God’s grace

One thing this book really reminded me of was the unsurpassable gift of free grace, grace not contingent on anything I can do. Grace that should move us, as it did for Micah, to tell the world about the Lord’s goodness.

Having to work for salvation, uncertain you will reach it, is really an unbearable burden. As this false gospel of works was constantly set against the true gospel of grace in Micah’s story, I was reminded how wonderful it is that Christ promises rest to those who are weary and heavy-laden. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

Who should read it

Believers with Mormon friends or family members will be especially encouraged to read Passport to Heaven. It will deepen your understanding and sympathy for those trapped in the Mormon church and motivate patience with them. It will also help you better understand what it feels like on the inside.

But Passport to Heaven is an enjoyable read for everyone. For me, seeing how God led Micah to the true gospel through the events of his missionary experience was a reminder that God is sovereign over salvation and is relentless in His pursuit of the lost.

“After a lifetime in spiritual blindness unable to see, the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ had pierced through my darkness. I could see, and I could understand, and after having washed my eyes with the water of the Word of God, I was a new creation in Christ. The dichotomy between who I was and who I had become was astonishing, filling my heart with praise and thanksgiving to God for His mercy toward a pitiful man like me.“
Quote from book

Passport to Heaven is the miraculously story of God saving Micah Wilder. Growing up in a Mormon family, Micah always knew that he was called to go on a mission to preach the gospel to other people. He shares how hesitant he was about going on his mission, the little events that occurred, and the people God used to reach him.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Micah’s story. It’s a reminder just how good God is and that He alone saves us.

I graciously received an advance e-copy from Netgalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Micah Wilder has written an excellent memoir on his journey from Mormonism to Christianity. He carefully details this journey, using multiple scriptures to mark the differences between Mormon beliefs (working your way to heaven) and true Christian beliefs (only faith in Jesus gets you to heaven). The story moves back and forth in time, starting at the end of his mission and looking back to the beginning of it and what happened to him along the way.

If you are interested in understanding who Jesus is, this book is for you. If you are interested in understanding why Mormons are not considered Christians, this book is for you. If you are interested in learning how to talk with a Mormon about true Christianity, this book is for you.

Wilder is passionate about his faith, and that comes through clearly in this book. He treats the Mormon church and those still in it with respect. His deep desire for them to find real faith in Jesus is tangible.

This memoir is completely family friendly.

Micah Wilder has been writing this book for 14 years! He shares a lot of emotions, feelings and thoughts of his experience in great detail. He set sail into the Mormon mission world full of fire to bring as many people as possible to the one and true church, and he was a man of big vision, he wanted to convert a Baptist pastor too. The greatest thing about this story is that it only proves what the Bible says: seek and you shall find. Micah Wilder was honestly looking for the truth and he found it, Jesus Christ and salvation only through Him. It was also interesting to have a glimpse of a life behind the Mormon missionary uniform, very fascinating. The author seems pretty cool, like the kind of guy that would be great to hang out with and meet his family. All the family pictures reveal and beautiful family!

Very interesting book on one mans journey as a Mormon missionary and how he found Jesus. I enjoyed reading this book and learned from it.