Mormon Life - Doctrine and Covenants tag

'Visual Resource DVDs' now available for Doctrine and Covenants

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:36:00 -0600

source: ldschurchnews.com

Members here are proud of that past. They know about the Italian missionary efforts of Peter's and Paul's latter-day apostolic colleague, Elder Lorenzo Snow, and his companions, who arrived in Italy in 1850 in the country's Piedmont Valley.

And, finally, they point to their own, more recent "latter-day" history, when missionary work returned in full in the mid-1960s. Italy's first congregation was organized a short time later. Formal legal status in the country was realized in 1993, allowing the Church to own property and have other privileges essential to its growth here.

D&C Course Supplement: Building the Kingdom

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Bruce D. Porter
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: From its earliest days, the Lord's Church has been built up by ordinary people who magnified their callings in humility and devotion. LDS Living has published lesson aids for all the lessons in the 2009 Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Course. This republished talk is meant not for a specific lesson but to complement principles the course has covered.

Nearly 25 years ago, our family lived in Massachusetts, where I was enrolled in graduate school. My program of study was very demanding, leaving me little free time. One Sunday in church the ward Primary president approached me and asked if I might substitute as a Primary teacher for two weeks. Primary was then held on a weekday afternoon, and I knew it would be difficult to find room in my schedule to teach the class. But after some hesitation, I agreed.

The appointed day came to teach Primary. That afternoon I was in the university library, absorbed in a book on international politics. The subject I was studying seemed somehow more important than the upcoming Primary class. Consequently, I procrastinated until just 30 minutes before the class was to begin to review the lesson I was to teach. Then I walked from the library down to our ward chapel on the edge of campus. My reluctant attitude must have slowed my steps, for I arrived a few minutes late. As I stepped to the door of the Primary room, the children were just beginning to sing the opening hymn. It was a song I had never heard before, a song whose melody and message touched me deeply:

As I have loved you, Love one another. This new commandment: Love one another. By this shall men know Ye are my disciples, If ye have love One to another. ("Love One Another," Hymns, no. 308)

As I stood there, transfixed in the doorway, the Spirit bore witness that I was looking at the most important class taking place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that day.

Back at the university in dozens of classrooms and laboratories, dedicated scholars were pursuing answers to the world's problems. Yet valuable though such efforts may have been, the university did not and could not hold the ultimate answers to the problems of a troubled world. Here before me was the Lord's answer: the quiet building up of His kingdom on earth by the teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What was taking place in Primary that day was a small part of a divinely revealed plan for the salvation of a fallen world.

In October 1831, the Lord in reference to the Restoration declared, "The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth" (D&C 65:2). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that kingdom whose destiny it is to fill the whole earth. In the miraculous wisdom of the Almighty, the building up of God's kingdom in the latter days will take place by means as plain and simple as what I witnessed in Primary that day.

We rejoice to hear of temples being reared in every quarter of the earth and of far-flung nations opening their doors to the gospel. Built upon a foundation of apostles and prophets, the Lord's Church is being taken to the whole world by missionaries called to proclaim His word. Sometimes, perhaps, we may be inclined to see the building of the kingdom as something that takes place beyond the horizon, far away from our own branch or ward. In truth, the Church advances both by outward expansion and by inward refinement. "For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened" (D&C 82:14).

We do not have to be called to serve far from home, nor do we have to hold a prominent place in the Church or in the world to build up the Lord's kingdom. We build it in our own hearts as we cultivate the Spirit of God in our lives. We build it within our families by instilling faith in our children. And we build it through the organization of the Church as we magnify our callings and share the gospel with neighbors and friends.

As our missionaries labor in fields ready for harvest, others labor in fields at home to strengthen the kingdom in the ward and community where they reside. From its earliest days, the Lord's Church has been built up by ordinary people who magnified their callings in humility and devotion. It does not matter to what office we are called to serve, only that we act "in all diligence" (D&C 107:99). In the words of modern revelation: "Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33).

President Joseph F. Smith observed once that "great causes are not won in a single generation" (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 119). More than anywhere else, it is within the family, in the quiet sanctuary of the home, that generations unite in building the kingdom of God. The rearing of children is a divine work. The First Presidency has called on the parents of the Church to hold family home evening and family prayer, to study the gospel in the home, and to spend time with children in wholesome activities. As fathers and mothers teach their children the eternal truths once taught to them, they pass on the torch of truth to yet another generation, and the kingdom waxes stronger.

We are watchers of a beacon Whose light must never die. ("For the Strength of the Hills," Hymns, no. 35)

When I was growing up, my father often led our family in gospel discussions around the dinner table. Only with the perspective of years do I understand today the contribution those family hours made to my own testimony. I rejoice in the prophecy of Isaiah that the time will come when "upon every dwelling place of mount Zion" there shall be "a cloud . . . by day, and . . . a flaming fire by night" (Isa. 4:5), when the Spirit of God will abide in the homes of His people continually.

The Lord's kingdom encompasses not only Church and family, but also the hearts and minds of His people. As the Savior taught during His mortal ministry, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). If we truly desire to contribute to the great latter-day work, our eyes will be single to the glory of God, our minds enlightened by "the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 19:10), our hearts pure and consecrated. Personal prayer, study, and pondering are vital to the building up of the kingdom within our own souls. It is in quiet moments of contemplation and communion with the Almighty that we come to know and love Him as our Father.

I bear witness that the kingdom of God has been restored to the earth, never to be taken away again. Under the direction of our Eternal Father, Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of this work, the cornerstone of the Church, and the Holy One of Israel. In the strength and power of the Lord, may we build up the kingdom of God on earth that it may be prepared to meet the kingdom of heaven at His coming. In the words of a battlefield anthem that might also stand as an anthem of the Restoration:

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat. Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer him; be jubilant my feet! Our God is marching on. ("Battle Hymn of the Republic," Hymns, no. 60)

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

D&C Lesson 46: Zion - The Pure in Heart

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: In general terms, Zion can refer either to a place or a people, or to both. Introduction If you could fashion a community according to your own desires - one that would conform to your specifications to help you, your family, and your neighbors in the accomplishment of temporal and eternal goals, what sort of society would you create? What would you do about class distinction? About poverty? How would you prevent racial prejudice? How would you avoid criminal activity? Such a society was what the Prophet Joseph meant to establish - a society where men could live in love and peace and plenty and enjoy without restraint the bounteous goodness of an Almighty God.

1. THE WORD "ZION" HAS SEVERAL MEANINGS. The word Zion has a number of meanings, all alluded to in the scriptures and the words of the living prophets. For example:

1. "Should any ask, Where is Zion? tell them in America ; and if any ask, What is Zion? tell them the pure in heart." (Brigham Young, "General Epistle," Ensign, July 1971, 42)

2. And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION. (Moses 7:19)

3. For I have consecrated the land of Kirtland in mine own due time for the benefit of the saints of the Most High, and for a stake to Zion . For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments. (D&C 82:13-14)

4. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion : the same is the city of David. (2 Sam. 5:6,7)

5. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (A of F, 10)

6. But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.(Heb 12:22,23)

In general terms, Zion can refer either to a place or a people, or to both. In this lesson we will deal with the challenge facing all of us, which is to prepare ourselves to live in such a society. Thus, the word Zion in this lesson will generally refer to the pure in heart, and the concepts discussed will focus on our personal efforts to make ourselves worthy to become Zion people who can then live in a Zion society.

2. ZION HAS EXISTED IN PREVIOUS DISPENSATIONS. "The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory" ("What Joseph Smith Has Said about Our Dispensation," Ensign, Apr. 1980, 6-7).

In every age of the history of the world, righteous people have longed for the opportunity to dwell in a Zion society. On some occasions, such a society has been successfully established.

A. THE CITY OF ENOCH Moses 7:12-19 tells us of the city of Enoch which was a true Zion. Here are the pertinent verses. As you read them, reflect on the blessings people experienced as they lived in this society:

12. And it came to pass that Enoch continued to call upon all the people, save it were the people of Canaan , to repent;
13. And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
14. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea.
15. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God;
16. And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.
17. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
18. And the Lord called his people ZION , because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
19. And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION.

B. THE ANCIENT AMERICAN ZION Fourth Nephi shows us a people living by Zion principles. Although the word Zion is not used in this account, many of the principles are clearly in evidence. Read 4 Nephi 2-18 and look for (and considering marking) the attractive qualities of this society.

2. And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.
3. And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
4. And it came to pass that the thirty and seventh year passed away also, and there still continued to be peace in the land.
5. And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men; and in nothing did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus.
6. And thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also the thirty and ninth, and forty and first, and the forty and second, yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away, and also the fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even until fifty and nine years had passed away.
7. And the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land; yea, insomuch that they did build cities again where there had been cities burned.
8. Yea, even that great city Zarahemla did they cause to be built again.
9. But there were many cities which had been sunk, and waters came up in the stead thereof; therefore these cities could not be renewed.
10. And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people.
11. And they were married, and given in marriage, and were blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had made unto them.
12. And they did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord.
13. And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.
14. And it came to pass that the seventy and first year passed away, and also the seventy and second year, yea, and in fine, till the seventy and ninth year had passed away; yea, even an hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all gone to the paradise of God, save it were the three who should tarry; and there were other disciples ordained in their stead; and also many of that generation had passed away.
15. And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
16. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
17. There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God .
18. And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land.

Note particularly in the verses above the things that you can find abundantly in your community but that are missing from Zion . What would you be willing to pay for property and a home in a city where there were no envying or strifes or whoredoms or lyings, or murders, or lasciviousness? What would it be worth to you to be able to raise your children in such a place?

C. MELCHIZEDEK'S SALEM The great king Melchizedek also established a city of such righteousness that they were gathered with the city of Enoch in heaven.

"And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem , and was called the Prince of peace. And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world" (Genesis 14:33,34, JST).

3. THE SAINTS OF OUR DISPENSATION HAVE BEEN COMMANDED TO ESTABLISH ZION. Even before the Church was organized, the Lord defined the duty of his disciples: "Seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion." (D&C 6:6; 11:6; 12:6; 14:6) Take a moment to evaluate your own efforts in this area. What have you done and what are you doing to bring forth and establish Zion? Of course, many (perhaps most) of the activities required by Church membership are related to the establishment of a Zion people and then a Zion place. Our efforts to repent and to care for the poor and to warn our neighbors are all related to this ultimate goal. But we ought to think more about it and speak more about it by name. From time to time our Family Home Evenings ought to be centered on this most significant goal.

Brigham Young said that the establishment of Zion should follow this pattern:

Let there be an hallowed influence go from us over all things over which we have any power; over the soil we cultivate, over the houses we build, and over everything we possess; and if we cease to hold fellowship with that which is corrupt and establish the Zion of God in our hearts, in our own houses, in our cities, and throughout our country, we shall ultimately overcome the earth, for we are the lords of the earth; and instead of thorns and thistles, every useful plant that is good for the food of man and to beautify and adorn will spring from its bosom. (Arthur R. Bassett, "Brigham Young and Social Responsibility," New Era, Jan. 1972, 24)

First we must establish Zion in our individual hearts; then in our homes, our communities, our country, and finally the world. As you review the descriptions of Zion societies above, consider your own heart. Are the attitudes that cannot be a part of Zion found anywhere in your soul? Are the desires of Zion people your desires? Do you watch movies and TV programs that could not be presented in Zion. Is the music you love Zion music? Could the items in your wardrobe be found for sale in the stores on Zion's Main Street?

Many years ago I read an article in the New Era about this matter of establishing Zion in our homes by way of describing how ice cream should be served in a celestial family. It was written by a 12-year old whom I had the fortune to meet when he became a missionary. Click here to read the story.

Can you comprehend that becoming a Zion family may in fact be a result of just such things as the way in which ice cream is served? Just as Zion will one day fill the earth, if must now fill our hearts and lives. We must put an end to tumults and lyings in our own homes. We must avoid like the plague the whoredoms and lasciviousness images of our televisions and rented videos.

Hugh Nibley wrote:

"When all the accidentals and incidentals are stripped away, what remains that is quintessentially Zion? Buildings, walls, streets, and gates - even of gold and jasper - do not make Zion; neither do throngs in shining robes. Zion is not a Cecil B. DeMille production; the properties do not make the play, no matter how splendid they may be. What makes Zion? God has given us the perfect definition: Zion is the pure in heart - the pure in heart, not merely the pure in appearance. It is not a society or religion of forms and observances, of pious gestures and precious mannerisms: it is strictly a condition of the heart. Above all, Zion is pure, which means 'not mixed with any impurities, unalloyed'; it is all Zion and nothing else. It is not achieved wherever a heart is pure or where two or three are pure, because it is all pure - it is a society, a community, and an environment into which no unclean thing can enter. 'Henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean' (3 Nephi 20:36). It is not even pure people in a dirty environment, or pure people with a few impure ones among them; it is the perfectly pure in a perfectly pure environment. 'I . . . will contend with Zion . . . and chasten her until she overcomes and is clean before me'" (D&C 90:36) (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.9, Ch.2, p.26).

The chastening of the Lord with his people - with Zion - and his contention with her is the primary reason for the Church being established in Utah rather than in Missouri. The Lord told the Saints in 1834 that because of their iniquities (see D&C 101:1-8;105:2-5) they would be required to "wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion-" (D&C 105:9) Then, like Israel of old, they were sent into the wilderness (of Utah) to wait until a generation appeared that could build up Zion.

The Doctrine and Covenants is filled with references to this requirement. There are more than 200 references to Zion and to the laws of Zion in its pages. For example,

"But how about the law of consecration, which is the foundation of Zion? It is, as I said, contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, explained there not once but many times, so that there is no excuse for not understanding it. The three basic principles are (as so plainly set forth by Wilford Woodruff): (1) everyone gets what he really needs, his wants being met from a common fund that belongs entirely to the Lord and is administered through the bishop of the church; (2) nobody keeps more than he really needs, his surplus all going to that fund; (3) dickering and controversy over the amounts involved is forestalled by the clear statement of the intent and purpose of the law, which is that all may be equal in temporal as in spiritual things. One man's needs may be greater than another's - for example, because his family is larger; but once those needs are met for each, then all are equal, satisfied, at peace, each free to develop his own talents and do the Lord's work, for that is the purpose of the law. There is plenty to do to satisfy the work ethic without a profit motive, 'but the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish' (2 Nephi 26:31). Failure to observe this law places one man above another, abominable in the sight of the Lord, and for that reason, we are told, 'the world lieth in sin' (D&C 49:20), in Satan's power indeed (Hugh Nibley: Approaching Zion, p. 167).

Jeremiah prophesied, "For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God" (Jeremiah 31:6).

Let that day be today. Let us arise and get on our way. It may seem difficult, but that does not matter:

This promised Zion always seems to be a little beyond our reach. We need to understand that as much virtue can be gained in progressing toward Zion as in dwelling there. It is a process as well as a destination. We approach or withdraw from Zion through the manner in which we conduct our daily dealings, how we live within our families, whether we pay an honest tithe and generous fast offering, how we seize opportunities to serve and do so diligently. Many are perfected upon the road to Zion who will never see the city in mortality. (Elder Robert D. Hales, C.R., April 1986, p. 38)

And let us remember where the journey to Zion begins:

Ah, reader, the redemption of Zion is more than the purchase or recovery of lands, the building of cities, or even the founding of nations. It is the conquest of the heart, the subjugation of the soul, the sanctifying of the flesh, the purifying and ennobling of the passions. Greater is he who subdues himself, who captures and maintains the citadel of his own soul, than he who, misnamed conqueror, fills the world with the roar of drums, the thunder of cannon, the lightning of swords and bayonets, overturns and sets up kingdoms, lives and reigns a king, yet wears to the grave the fetters of unbridled lust, and dies the slave of sin. (The Life of Heber C. Kimball, 2d ed., Salt Lake City: Stevens & Wallis, 1945, pp. 65,66)

4. THE SCRIPTURES INCLUDE GLORIOUS PROMISES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ZION. The D&C tells us a great deal about what will happen when we create Zion. Many of the promised blessings we have begun to experience already. Others will follow.

But there is a difference . . . between those who are honest in heart in the midst of the world and those people who have received the Gospel and who have been gathered into one community, having come out from Babylon that they might not partake of her sins nor receive of her plagues. While there are thousands and millions of the children of God who are scattered among the nations of the earth and are still in darkness in relation to the principles of life and salvation, you have received light, you have been endowed with wisdom from on high; or if you have not, then there is something the matter with you. Certainly it was your privilege to be endowed with wisdom from on high. It was your privilege to receive intelligence and knowledge from God which no people on earth can possibly receive except they repent of their sins, are baptized for the remission of their sins and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, as you have done.
Therefore, if we are not the people of God, and if this land is not the land of Zion, tell me, if you can, where I may go upon the face of the earth to find the people of God and the land of Zion; for it is the people of God that I am looking for, and it is the land of Zion that I have desired to search out. And it is for these objects that you have gathered to these valleys in the midst of these mountains. We have come here to serve the Lord, and the Lord has said:
"Behold, blessed are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments;
For them that live shall inherit the earth, and them that die shall rest from all their labors, and their work shall follow them, and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them;
Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my Gospel, for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth; and it shall bring forth in its strength" (D&C 59:1-3). (Collected Discourses, Vol.3, Joseph F. Smith, January 8th, 1893)

Conclusion I specifically remember the typical challenges of parenting when two of our girls were 15 years old. They were precious and delightful, with a simple faith in the teachings of their parents and their teachers. But they were also vulnerable. My wife and I were certain that we must teach them and prepare them, but also that we must guard them. We did not feel comfortable in setting them free with the TV and the remote control. We were intensely selective about the movies we rent or go to see. Even in the grocery store, we watched cautiously as we passed through the checkout, hoping their attention would not be diverted to the magazines on the shelves. We tried to make our voices heard in the affairs of their school and in their activities with their friends. We were not dictators. We cherished and promoted agency. But we labored to ensure that they were not drawn away from Zion and from righteousness without correct counsel and clear instruction.

We may all hope for a day when we can live with our children in an environment where we can give our hearts and souls more completely to the affairs of the Spirit, but until we come to that Zion of neighborhoods and nations, we must safeguard it in our hearts and our homes. And if we all do it together. Then we can do it anywhere in the world.

D&C Lesson 45: The Family Is Ordained of God

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) Introduction

Satan is laboring mightily to impede the progress of the Kingdom. If you had been assigned by him to decide where to attack in order to lessen the power of the church, where would you focus your efforts? Which doctrines or organizations would you be most determined to undermine? Elder Boyd K. Packer named the number one target on Lucifer's hit list.

"The ultimate purpose of the adversary who has "great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time," is to disrupt, disturb, and to destroy the home and the family" ("The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, 19).

Who will oppose his efforts? What earthly institution will stand as a defender of the family and the home? There may be many organizations with concern for the welfare of the family, but there is one that must, by divine decree, be deeply involved in safeguarding the family, and that is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As a part of the fulfillment of this duty, the church issued, in 1995, The Family: A Proclamation to the World. It follows:

1. "We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

2. "All human beings-male and female-are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

3. "In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

4. "The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

5. "We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

6. "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives - mothers and fathers - will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

7. "The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

8. "We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

9. "We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 101)

1. THE FAMILY IS CENTRAL TO GOD'S PLAN. Once at an EFY session at BYU, I began a lesson on the family by showing students photos of certain animals, such as the red-crowned crane, the giant panda, the golden takin, the gibbon ape, and the snow leopard, followed by a picture of a family. I have then asked, "What do all of these have in common?" The answer is that they are all endangered species.

Elder Packer warned of our danger:

"Now we are caught in a current so strong that unless we correct our course, civilization as we know it will surely be wrecked to pieces" (Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, 19).

For example,

Nearly half of all American children will experience the divorce or separation of their parents. There were 1.2 million divorces [in 1999], and slightly more than half involved minor children. Some 1.3 million children were born to unmarried women.(U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 17, 2000, p. 46)

Elder Kimball reinforced this concern when he said,

any of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us. (Spencer W. Kimball, "Families Can Be Eternal," Ensign, Nov. 1980, 4)

And President Monson:

We live in perilous times; the signs are all around us. We are acutely aware of the negative influences in our society that stalk traditional families. At times television and movies portray worldly and immoral heroes and heroines and attempt to hold up as role models some actors and actresses whose lives are anything but exemplary. Why should we follow a blind guide? Radios blare forth much denigrating music with blatant lyrics, dangerous invitations, and descriptions of almost every type of evil imaginable.
We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, must stand up to the dangers which surround us and our families. (Thomas S. Monson, "Constant Truths for Changing Times," Ensign, May 2005, 19)

The proclamation tells us that "the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." This doctrine is as essential as it is true. I feel like so many of you about my family. If I must go to heaven without the relationships that I have nurtured and loved here, it will not be much of a heaven. The D&C tells us that David lost his eternal companions, "and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord." (D&C 132:39) No need for fire and brimstone. If this were to happen to me, it would be hell enough.

2. SACRED ORDINANCES MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR FAMILIES TO BE TOGETHER ETERNALLY. This foundational concept of the eternal nature of the family is the basis for the sealing ordinances of the temple. If the family matters eternally, then a way must be found to make it eternal. Thus we come to the need for temples and temple experiences in our lives. All of our best efforts to strengthen and eternalize our families will come short of celestial glory if our families are not recipients of the sealing ordinances.

There are actually two ingredients necessary for families to be together forever. One is an eternal ordinance of sealing; the other is an eternal lifestyle. We must live in such a way that we become the kinds of beings that can live together eternally in a perfect environment of love and service. I have been involved at times with husbands and wives who speak much of eternal unity, but can hardly endure to be with each other for five minutes. Being sealed eternally to a person who angers us or despises us or offends us or belittles us is not my idea of heaven. Theologically speaking, there are other kingdoms where such people will be happier.

I have occasionally taught this principle with a jar of fruit and an empty fruit jar with a lid and ring. The fruit might be several years old, but it will still be attractive and delicious if it was sealed properly at the time it was placed in the bottle. Students are quick to see the application. Families, like fruit, must be sealed to be preserved. Then I have discussed the empty jar, and suggested that on our temple wedding day, the Lord hands us an empty fruit jar and says, "You fill this jar with things that are worth sealing, and then I will seal it for you and make it eternal."

It is worthwhile to discuss with classes the kinds of things that happen in families that are worth sealing. No one cans bitterness or jealousy or dishonesty and sarcasm. But things like love and happiness and forgiveness and service and laughter and peace-those things can be sealed and eternalized.

3. THE POWER TO CREATE MORTAL LIFE IS SACRED. Among the many doctrines taught in the proclamation, this one deserves special attention. In paragraph 4 we read,

God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

And in paragraph 5,

"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed."

This doctrine is rich in its implications. The relationship between the sexes when sanctified by marriage, and particularly a temple marriage, is "divinely appointed."

The earth cannot justify nor continue its life without marriage and the family. Sex without marriage, for all people, young or older, is an abomination to the Lord, and it is most unfortunate that many people have blinded their eyes to these great truths. (Spencer W. Kimball, "God Will Not Be Mocked," Ensign, Nov. 1974, 8)

This is another doctrine undergoing a full, frontal assault by Lucifer and those who uphold his work. I have occasionally reflected on the old Virginia Slims advertisements that used to appear on the back of national publications. An old photo and caption would be compared to some modern event with rampant liberties and lack of restraint, always with this concluding thought: "You've come a long way, baby."

Think for a moment of the distance we have traveled in matters of sexual morality in the past half century. We have come a long way. In this matter, as in the case of the family, the Lord's church has a great responsibility. We have in large measure become the custodians of virtue and chastity. Is there any other organization in the world that cares enough about this doctrine to interview every youth and adult member every year or every two years to evaluate compliance with the relevant commandments?

4. PARENTS HAVE A SACRED DUTY TO CARE FOR EACH OTHER AND TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN.

"There are those married people who permit their eyes to wander and their hearts to become vagrant, who think it is not improper to flirt a little, to share their hearts, and have desire for someone other than the wife or the husband, the Lord says in no uncertain terms: "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart and shall cleave unto her and none else" (D&C 42:22).

And, when the Lord says all thy heart it allows for no sharing nor dividing nor depriving. And, to the woman it is paraphrased: "Thou shalt love thy husband with all thy heart and shall cleave unto him and none else." The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse. We sometimes find women who absorb and hover over the children at the expense of the husband, sometimes even estranging them from him. The Lord says to them: "...Thou shalt cleave unto him and none else."
Marriage presupposes total allegiance and total fidelity. Each spouse takes the partner with the understanding that he or she gives self totally to the spouse: all the heart, strength, loyalty, honor, and affection with all dignity. Any divergence is sin-any sharing the heart is transgression. As we should have "an eye single to the glory of God" so should we have an eye, an ear, a heart single to the marriage and the spouse and family. (Elder Spencer W. Kimball: C.R., October 1962)

The responsibility of parents to teach their children thunders from between the verses of D&C 93. As the Lord offers course corrections to the First Presidency and the Presiding Bishop in the matter of their duty to their children, he appends this note: "What I say unto one I say unto all." (D&C 93:49)

The Lord admonished these brethren for the following problems:

A.You have not taught your children light and truth according to the commandments. (93:42) B. The wicked one hath power, as yet, over you (93:42) C. There are many things that are not right in your house (93:43) D. In some things [you] have not kept the commandments concerning your children (93:44) E. You have not kept the commandments (93:47) F. Your family must needs repent and forsake some things (93:48) G. See that they [your family] are more diligent and concerned at home (93:50)

He offered this counsel as a solution to the problems above:

A. Set in order your own house (93:43) B. Set in order thy house (93:44) C. Set in order [thy] family (93:50) D. Your family must repent and forsake some things, and give more earnest heed unto your sayings (93:48) E. Pray always lest the wicked one have power in you (93:49)

D&C 68 makes parents responsible for the spiritual preparation of their children.

And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion , or in any of her stakes which are organized. And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands. And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord. (D&C 68:25-28)

There is a passage in the D&C that is worth some reflection from all fathers. What is the Lord trying to tell us about our responsibilities to our little children?

But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me; For it is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers. (D&C 29:46-48)

What are the "great things" that are required at our hands? What does the Lord want us to accomplish before our children arrive at the age of accountability?

5. SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES ARE BASED ON RIGHTEOUS PRINCIPLES.

In paragraph 7 of the proclamation we read,

Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

In our quest for happiness, we would do well to remember this counsel from the First Presidency:

We counsel parents to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform. (First Presidency letter, 11 Feb. 1999; cited in Church News, 27 Feb. 1999, 3)

This is such a simple matter. It is like the challenge to exercise faith in the Liahona. All that was required of the family of Lehi was to go the direction the arrows pointed. Look, and then go! And so it is with the search for family happiness and solidarity. We are instructed to give the "highest priority" to "family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities." We must go the way the prophetic arrows point. We see the direction clearly enough. All that is left is to follow.

What? we might say. And miss Monday Night Football? And be late for work? And miss the school bus? And eat a cold dinner? In response we review on those two words: "highest priority." Could it really matter that much? In could, and it does. Remember the oft-quoted counsel from McKay? "No other success can compensate for failure in the home" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1964, 5).

6. STRENGTHENING FAMILIES IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY. In the final two paragraphs of the proclamation we read:

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

If the disintegration of the family will bring calamities to our communities and our nations, we must enlist in the cause of preserving and strengthening the family and the home. We ought to be constantly aware of opportunities to speak for the family. We ought to oppose with all our energies any legislation or procedure that will lessen the power of the home.

We have watched the standards of morality sink ever lower until now they are in a free fall. At the same time we have seen an outpouring of inspired guidance for parents and for families.
The whole of the curriculum and all of the activities of the Church have been restructured and correlated with the home:
Ward teaching became home teaching.
Family home evening was reestablished.
Genealogy was renamed family history and set to collect records of all the families.
And then the historic Proclamation on the Family was issued by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles.
The family became, and remains, a prevailing theme in meetings, conferences, and councils.
All as a prelude to an unprecedented era of building temples wherein the authority to seal families together forever is exercised (Boyd K. Packer, "Parents in Zion," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 22).

Many of you have seen the involvement of the Church in such matters. Several times, the Church, correctly perceiving a threat the integrity of the family, has organized and became politically active in certain matters.

We must protect the home and family by any and every lawful means.

Conclusion To review what I said in the introduction, read this from Elder M. Russell Ballard:

Let me say again that the family is the main target of evil's attack and must therefore be the main point of our protection and defense. As I said once before, when you stop and think about it from a diabolically tactical point of view, fighting the family makes sense to Satan. When he wants to disrupt the work of the Lord, he doesn't poison the world's peanut butter supply, thus bringing the Church's missionary system to its collective knees. He doesn't send a plague of laryngitis to afflict the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He doesn't legislate against green Jell-O and casseroles. When evil wants to strike out and disrupt the essence of God's work, it attacks the family. It does so by attempting to disregard the law of chastity, to confuse gender, to desensitize violence, to make crude and blasphemous language the norm, and to make immoral and deviant behavior seem like the rule rather than the exception. (Elder M. Russell Ballard: Ensign, Nov. 2003, p. 18)

If we are successful in safeguarding the family, President suggested that something remarkable will happen:

"Across the world, those who now come by the tens of thousands will inevitably come as a flood to where the family is safe" (Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, 21).

Is your family safe?

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D&C Lesson 44: Being Good Citizens

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0700

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "If we are to be a God-fearing nation and enjoy the blessings of peace, then each one of us who has a faith in God must do our duty, take our part to accomplish our purpose in government." Introduction

"Unless we have faith in God and fear him and keep his commandments, we can hardly be worthy to hold high positions in government. The Prophet Joseph has told us in this statement through the inspiration of the Lord that we must have righteous men in order to have righteous government. If we are to be a God-fearing nation and enjoy the blessings of peace, then each one of us who has a faith in God must do our duty, take our part to accomplish our purpose in government. We should become intimately familiar with those who are active politically; we ought to be part and parcel of them. They should not be strangers to us. We should see to it that those men who have true qualities of leadership are placed in positions of trust and responsibility in the government; these fundamental principles of truth apply to every political party alike. There is no hope and can be no hope for our government, or any government, to which this principle does not apply" (Elder Henry D. Moyle, C.R., April 1952).

1. PARTICIPATING IN GOVERNMENT

A careful consideration of the scriptural record will provide several accounts of members of the covenant people serving in positions of civil significance. Daniel and his three friends were political figures in Babylon (Daniel 2:48, 49). Mordecai and his niece Esther were a part of the king's court in Persia (see Esther 2; Esther 8:2). Joseph became prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh in all the land (Genesis 41:39-41). Ezra Taft Benson served in the cabinet of President Eisenhower. Joseph Smith served a city Mayor of Nauvoo, and he campaigned for President of the United States. There are other examples. They all clearly demonstrate the interest of the Lord and his servants in the way his people are governed.

A number of revelations and prophetic statements give us divine direction in this matter. For example, When King Mosiah convinced the Nephites to forgo reliance on a king in favor of a system of judges, he told them what kind of men they ought to seek as their leaders.

" . . . let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God." (Mosiah 29:11)

As we begin to make a list of great qualities in leaders that will bless us, we can begin with this one.

1. "We will appoint wise men" (Mosiah 29:11)

D&C 98:10 suggests the importance of wise men, but also mentions the need for other qualities:

"Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil."

We are here instructed to seek for . . .

2. "honest men" (D&C 98:10) and

3. "good men" (D&C 98:10)

Daniel was placed over all the rulers of Babylon . . .

4. "because an excellent spirit was in him" (Daniel 6:3)

Joseph, who was raised up high in Egypt was both wise and . . .

5. "discreet" (Genesis 41:39)

He had one other quality which Pharaoh appreciated: he was recognized as . . .

6. "a man in whom the Spirit of God is" (Genesis 41:38)

King Benjamin, clearly one of the finest leaders in the history of this world, demonstrated a number of desirable qualities:

6. "he did fight with the strength of his own arm" (W. of M. 1:13)

7. "he was a holy man and he did reign over his people in righteousness (W. of M. 1:17)

8. "I have been suffered to spend my days in your service" (Mosiah 2:12)

9. "I...have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you" (Mosiah 2:12)

10. "I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you"(Mosiah 2:14 )

D&C 134 instructs us to seek for leaders who . . .

11. "administer the law in equity and justice"

Elder Perry commented on our responsibility to government:

"As Church members, we live under the banner of many different flags. How important it is that we understand our place and our position in the lands in which we live! We should be familiar with the history, heritage, and laws of the lands that govern us. In those countries that allow us the right to participate in the affairs of government, we should use our free agency and be actively engaged in supporting and defending the principles of truth, right, and freedom" (L. Tom Perry, "A Meaningful Celebration," Ensign, Nov. 1987, 72).

2. OBEYING THE LAWS OF THE LAND

Our responsibility to the laws by which we are governed is divinely directed. The Lord said

"Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land. Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet" (D&C 58:21,22).

The 12th Article of Faith affirms our position for the world;

"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

In his declaration of belief regarding governments, the prophet Joseph said,

We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.
We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men show respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker. (D&C 134:5,6)

Paul said it this way:

"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13:1).

3. STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY

In September 1968, the First Presidency spoke of our responsibility to our communities.

The growing world-wide responsibilities of the Church make it inadvisable for the Church to seek to respond to all the various and complex issues involved in the mounting problems of the many cities and communities in which members live. But this complexity does not absolve members as individuals from filling their responsibilities as citizens in their own communities.
We urge our members to do their civic duty and to assume their responsibilities as individual citizens in seeking solutions to the problems which beset our cities and communities.
With our wide-ranging mission, so far as mankind is concerned, Church members cannot ignore the many practical problems that require solution if our families are to live in an environment conducive to spirituality.
Where solutions to these practical problems require cooperative action with those not of our faith, members should not be reticent in doing their part in joining and leading in those efforts where they can make an individual contribution to those causes which are consistent with the standards of the Church. (Jan Underwood Pinborough, "Community Service: Reaching Beyond Our Circle," Ensign, Oct. 1986, 49)

We must in this matter of government and the environment of our communities do what President Hinckley has counseled us. We ought to stand for something. When laws or the lack of laws, or the inequitable enforcement of laws detract from our ability to serve God or live in peace, me must (where laws and policies permit) do something.

N. Eldon Tanner told us

"It is the individual responsibility of each of us to so live that we may extend our influence for righteousness to others who, seeing our good works, will be led to glorify our Father in Heaven. As we have often heard, the way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" (N. Eldon Tanner, "Live by the Savior's Teachings," Ensign, Dec. 1982, 2).

This is all true on a community level, but it is also true in our neighborhoods. We must strive to improve the quality of life in every condition in which we find ourselves. In a revelation given to the saints of Thompson, Ohio, the Lord gave intriguing counsel. These people were aware that a move to Missouri was in their future. Most of the saints were part of the Colesville Branch from New York. They had arrived in Ohio in mid-May, and this revelation was given in May. In it the Lord said, "I consecrate unto them this land for a little season." (D&C 51:16)

They would leave the next month (June) for the land of Zion (see D&C 54). But in this revelation the Lord said, "And the hour and the day [that they shall depart hence] is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good." (D&C 51:17) Don't miss this point. We ought to do as much good as we can in every place we can. We ought to live in every location "as for years." I remember a seminary teacher many years ago telling my class that he had left every house he had ever lived in better than he found it. He made the statement in conjunction with the verse above in D&C 51. Forty years have passed and I have never forgotten. The Lord has promised to bless the land for our sakes, and we ought to bless the land, and our neighbors and our neighborhoods, and our communities, for his sake.

Conclusion

President Benson told us:

Improve your community by active participation and service. Remember in your civic responsibility that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" (Edmund Burke, in George Seldes, comp., The Great Thoughts, New York: Ballantine Books, 1985, p. 60). Do something meaningful in defense of your God-given freedom and liberty. (Ezra Taft Benson, "To the Single Adult Brethren of the Church," Ensign, May 1988, 51)

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D&C Lesson 43: Take Upon You My Whole Armor

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: It would be a nightmare to be involved in a battle of life or death without the protection of appropriate armor, which is why, in this battle of spiritual life or death called the mortal existence, we must take upon us the armor of God. Introduction I have in my files a Gary Larson cartoon showing a man lying in bed having a dream. In the dream he sees knights clothed in iron armor and wielding iron swords and engaged in fierce combat. But this man - the man who is dreaming - is also in the battle, holding a wooden sword, a garbage can lid rather than a shield, and dressed in his . . . birthday suit. The caption for the cartoon is: COMMON MEDIEVAL NIGHTMARE.

Well, it would be a nightmare to be involved in a battle of life or death without the protection of appropriate armor, both for medieval knights, and for us.

I have another picture clipped from Time magazine showing a man dressed in full armor. Arrows are bouncing off him on every side, and he is standing in a pile of spent arrows that come to his waist. I am certain that the heap of arrows surrounding him is typical of Lucifer's efforts against us. But if we are not clothed completely in the armor of God, the fiery darts of the adversary will penetrate our defenses and we will be wounded often. We may even be fatally wounded.

I remember the story of the attack of Ahab and his army against the forces of Syria. Ahab took every precaution to avoid being injured, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognize him and focus on his destruction. The only thing he forgot was to wear enough armor.

"And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness" (1 Kings 22: 34). [NIV Translation: "But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor."]

1. PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD.

Like Ahab and the medieval warrior in his nightmare, we are at war. D&C 76:29 tells us that Satan "maketh war with the saints of God and encompasseth them round about."

In Revelation 12 and 13, John had a vision of a woman, a child, and a great red dragon. We are told in 12:7, JST, that the woman is the church. 12:17, JST tells us that "the dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

The point is that we too are at war, with a being of malignant power and bitter hatred who wants to devour us, to destroy us, to make us miserable. What a tragedy it would be if we went into battle like the Lamanites, who "were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins . . . " Alma 43:20; see also 43:19)

"Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

"Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;

"Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen." (D&C 27:15-18)

Both here in the D&C and in Ephesians 6:13-17 where this message is repeated, the Lord specifies that we take up the "whole armor." A section or two will not suffice. Almost all the armor will not do. We must take the whole armor in order to withstand the evil of our day. Read through the story "Take Upon You My Whole Armor." It may enhance your awareness of the importance of this matter.

The lesson focuses this week on three areas in which gaps in the sections in our armor may be particularly dangerous: chastity, honesty, and language.

2. LIVE THE LAW OF CHASTITY.

The Lord has not left us in doubt about his will in the matter of chastity. From the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the penetrating declarations of our own prophetic leaders, we have been taught clearly what his will is in this matter. We have been warned against any expression of sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage.

Jacob taught powerful lessons about the awful consequences of this kind of sin. He spent some time with his people, "warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them." (Jacob 3:12)

A careful reading of Jacob 2 presents a sobering list of these awful consequences.

"I have seen the sorrow..." ( 2:31 )

"I have...heard the mourning..." ( 2:31 )

"wickedness..." ( 2:31 )

"abominations..." ( 2:31 )

"cries of the fair daughters..." ( 2:32 )

"lead away captive..." ( 2:33 )

"sore curse..." ( 2:33 )

"destruction..." ( 2:33 )

"ye have come unto great condemnation..." ( 2:34 )

"greater iniquities..." ( 2:35 )

"Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives..." ( 2:35 )

"Ye have... lost the confidence of your children..." ( 2:35 )

"The sobbing of their hearts ascend up to God against you..." ( 2:35 )

"many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds." ( 2:35 )

Awful consequences indeed!

Mostly these problems begin with kissing. President Kimball spoke plainly on this matter:

When young people begin to date, the temptations increase profoundly. Hollywood would have us believe that even young romances, once so innocent and awkward, must be consummated with a kiss. And the kind of kisses that we often see in movies are intended to arouse sexual feelings.
Kissing has been prostituted and has been degenerated to develop lust instead of affection, honor, and admiration. To kiss in casual dating is asking for trouble.
What is miscalled the soul kiss is an abomination and stirs passion that results in the eventual loss of virtue. Even if timely courtship justifies a kiss, it should be a clean, decent, sexless one. If the soul kiss with its passion were eliminated from dating, there would be an immediate upswing in chastity and honor, with fewer illegitimate babies, fewer unwed mothers, fewer forced marriages, and fewer unhappy souls. With the absence of the soul kiss, necking would be greatly reduced. Its younger sister, petting, would be totally eliminated. Both are abominations of their own right and kind. (In Conference Report, Sydney Australia Area Conference, 29 Feb. 1976, p. 55.)

The spread of sexual transgression in our day is terrifying. Thirty-seven years ago President Benson said,

"No sin is causing the loss of the Spirit of the Lord among our people more today than sexual promiscuity. It is causing our people to stumble, damning their growth, darkening their spiritual powers and making them subject to other sins.

"Recently, a young man commented that if he quit reading books, watching TV, seeing movies, reading newspapers and magazines, and going to school, there was a chance he might live a clean life. And this explains, in large part, the extent to which this insidious evil has spread. . . ." (C.R., October 1964, Saturday Morning Session)

Solomon, who himself was guilty of some of these abominations (see Jacob 2:24 ) probably wrote the following about this matter in Proverbs. In these verses, if you will forget gender and assume that the issue here is immorality and not an immoral woman and a foolish man, the lessons will be powerful:

"With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

"He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;

"Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

"Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.

"Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.

"For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

"Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." (Prov. 7:21-27)

Verse 12 tells us that she "lieth in wait at every corner." (Prov. 7:8,12) What a description of immorality in our day. It does lie in wait at every corner. Dr. Pitirim A. Sorokin said,

"A consuming interest in sex has so penetrated our national culture that it has been estimated we encounter some kind of sexual lure every nine minutes of our waking day." (Cited by Hugh B. Brown in "Purity is Power," at a BYU Tri-Stake Fireside)

I do not know the date Dr. Sorokin made the statement above, but President Brown quoted it in 1962! My guess that is that immorality has taken over even more corners since then.

Proverbs 7:8 also tells us that "he went the way to her house." Notice what Provers 7:27 says of "her" house.

In Proverbs 9, the writer speaks more of this matter. Referring again to that person who yields to temptation he writes, "But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell." (Prov. 9:18)

3. BE HONEST.

"A lie is any communication given, to another with the intent to deceive." So taught Elder Marvin J. Ashton in the April 1982 General Conference. This little insight has stayed with me now for over 19 years. It is a powerful and clear lesson on honesty.

If you are like me, you have developed some feelings about this in recent years. I have become a raging skeptic in all matters outside of my relationships with the Saints, and sometimes in those relationships as well. I tend to be doubtful about warranties and guaranties and commercial commitments of every kind.

But I have had joy in meeting people who are utterly reliable, people in whom I can place the utmost confidence. Such people are becoming like the Father and the Son. Mahonri Moriancumer said of God, "I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie." (Ether 3:12) Enos said, "And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie . . ." (Enos 1:6)

On the other hand we have been told pretty clearly where lies originate. "The devil . . . is the father of all lies . . ." (2 Nephi 2:18 ) Note the adjective "all." Satan is the father of all lies. Ether tells us the same thing: . . . "the devil . . . is the father of all lies . . ." (Ether 8:25 )

Moses 4 tells us that it happened in the pre-mortal life. When Lucifer was cast down, "he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men." (Moses 4:4)

There are no lies that do not matter. Any dishonesty is service to Satan and supports his plan for making all men miserable (see 2 Nephi 2:18 ,27).

4. USE LANGUAGE THAT REVERENCES GOD AND IS EDIFYING

How often have you heard the following word: NAYMCHEEZKRYSTAYMIN? I have been troubled by how often I hear it at the end of prayers and testimonies. In D&C 63:61-63 the Lord warns

Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips -
For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority.
Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. (D&C 63:61-63)

The actual language of the ten commandments does not refer to swearing, that is, profanity, but to this very principle: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." (Ex. 20:7.)

We must speak Christ's name in our prayers with belief and faith. We must speak it with the utmost reverence and the deepest gratitude. With what other perspective could we possibly approach God the Father and appeal to him in the name of his Only Begotten Son, in whom he is well pleased?

There is another dimension to inappropriate language. Elder Packer spoke of it.

A number of years ago I went with a brother to tow in a wrecked car. It had been a single car accident, and the car was demolished; the driver, though unhurt, had been taken to the hospital for treatment of shock and for examination.
The next morning he came asking for his car, anxious to be on his way. When he was shown the wreckage, his pent-up emotions and disappointment, sharpened perhaps by his misfortune, exploded in a long stream of profanity. So obscene and biting were his words that they exposed years of practice with profanity. His words were heard by other customers, among them women, and must have touched their ears like acid.
One of my brothers crawled from beneath the car where he had been working with a large wrench. He too was upset, and with threatening gestures of the wrench (mechanics will know that a 16-inch crescent wrench is a formidable weapon), he ordered him off the premises. "We don't have to listen to that kind of language here," he said. And the customer left, cursing more obscenely than before.
Much later in the day he reappeared. Subdued, penitent, and avoiding everyone else, he found my brother.
"I have been in the hotel room all day," he said, "lying on the bed, tormented. I can't tell you how utterly ashamed I am for what happened this morning. My conduct was inexcusable. I have been trying to think of some justification, and I can think of only one thing: In all my life, never, not once, have I been told that my language was not acceptable. I have always talked that way. You were the first one who ever told me that my language was out of order."
Isn't it interesting that a man could grow to maturity, the victim of such a vile habit, and never meet a protest? How tolerant we have become! (Boyd K. Packer, "The Clean Voice of Youth," New Era, Jan. 1976, 5)

We may have more support in this matter of opposing filth than we believe. Many years ago I was invited by Uncle Sam to experience the U.S. Army. During some initial training in Georgia I listened to an almost unceasing barrage of filthy jokes. The jokes came mostly from instructors at the beginning of lessons.

On one occasion I sat in a grassy area with 23 other young men waiting for instruction in the use of the bayonet. As the sergeant began to speak he launched into what I knew would be another filthy story. A former missionary companion was seated next to me. We were the only Latter-day Saints in the group. I glanced at him and he at me, and then we dropped our heads and tried to take our minds somewhere else. The lecture stopped for a moment, and then the instructor, who must have seen our action and interpreted it correctly, asked, "Does anyone mind if I tell this story?"

I glanced at my friend who nodded at me. We kept our heads down but raised our hands. The silence returned and continued until it was obvious that something had happened. We raised our eyes and found that almost every hand in the platoon was up.

I heard a young lady speak of a dance at her high school - Mountain View in Orem, Utah. She said that during one dance the DJ had played a particularly offensive song. "One half of the people in the auditorium walked out," she told us. Later she was invited to a dance at another local high school. She was standing near the DJ's and hear one of them say to the other about this same song, "This is great music, but you can't play it at Mountain View."

What a compliment! And what a blessing it would be to us if everyone knew that we would not tolerate filthy or vulgar or degrading or unkind language. We ought to be intent on using the kind of language that pleases the Lord:

"He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances." (D&C 62:16)

"Cease drunkenness; and let your words tend to edifying one another." (D&C 136:24)

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation..." (1 Peter 1:15 )

"And the members shall manifest before the church, and also before the elders, by a godly walk and conversation, that they are worthy of it, that there may be works and faith agreeable to the holy scriptures - walking in holiness before the Lord." (D&C 20:69)

Conclusion

Elder Asay has said exactly what I would like to say:

Much, much more could be said about the war for the souls of men and the whole armor of God. The war on the earth began in the days of Adam, continued down through the years with Moses and the children of Israel, and still rages in a dispensation known as the fulness of times - a dispensation ushered in by the revelations received through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Hence, the issue of protective coverings enabling us to withstand the fiery darts of Satan will continue to be of great significance.
We must put on the armor of God spoken of by the Apostle Paul and reiterated in a modern revelation (see D&C 27:15-18). We must also "put on the armor of righteousness" (2 Ne. 1:23) symbolized by the temple garment. Otherwise, we may lose the war and perish. (Carlos E. Asay, "The Temple Garment: 'An Outward Expression of an Inward Commitment,'" Ensign, Aug. 1997, 20-21)

D&C Lesson 42: Continuing Revelation to Latter-day Prophets

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "For many years, I have watched the process of continuous revelation which emanates from God through the keys, authority, and under direction of the President of the Church." (James E. Faust) Introduction One of the great realities of the restoration is the fact of communication between mortals and immortals. Beginning with the vision in the grove and continuing on through the intervening years to this very day, we see evidence of continuous communication between God and his children. We have seen it in the unfolding of the revelations in the D&C and in the unfolding of the latter-day organization of the Kingdom of God on earth. President Faust said:

"For many years, I have watched the process of continuous revelation which emanates from God through the keys, authority, and under direction of the President of the Church. I testify that this revelatory power has directed this work since April 6, 1830. That confirmation is the source of the greatest knowledge I have. I counsel and pray that all will heed the ongoing prophetic voice of this Church, revealing the word of God in our day." (James E. Faust, "The Prophetic Voice," Ensign, May 1996, 7)

Elder Boyd K. Packer presented a powerful example of a way in which the prophetic presence in the Church has been a blessing to the members.

The ultimate purpose of the adversary, who has "great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time," 1 is to disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home and the family. Like a ship without a rudder, without a compass, we drift from the family values which have anchored us in the past. Now we are caught in a current so strong that unless we correct our course, civilization as we know it will surely be wrecked to pieces . . .
This crisis of the family is no surprise to the Church. We have certainly known what was coming. I know of no better testimony that we are led by prophets than our preparation for this present emergency.
The scriptures speak of prophets as "watch[men] upon the tower" who see "the enemy while he [is] yet afar off" (D&C 101:54) and who have "beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye [for] a seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people." (Moses 8:36)
Thirty-three years ago the Brethren warned us of the disintegration of the family and told us to prepare. . . .
The weekly family home evening was introduced by the First Presidency. . . .
Parents are provided with excellent materials for teaching their children, with a promise that the faithful will be blessed.
[A]ll agencies of the Church have been reshaped in their relationship to one another and to the home.
[T]he entire curriculum of the Church was overhauled-based on scriptures, with excellent manuals for each course.
And years were spent preparing new editions of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. . . .
We can only imagine where we would be if we were just now reacting to this terrible redefinition of the family. But that is not the case. We are not casting frantically about trying to decide what to do. We know what to do and what to teach." (Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, pp.19,20)

1. CHURCH CORRELATION

What is priesthood correlation? It is that system of Church administration in which we take all of the programs of the Church, wrap them in one package, operate them as one program, and involve all the members of the Church in that operation. It is a system which requires us to operate within the existing framework of the Church. The day is long since past in which we discover some problem and set up a committee or some other organization to solve it. Instead we use the revealed priesthood organization, which means that we use home teachers in the way set forth in section 20, and we correlate all priesthood and auxiliary operations through the ward priesthood executive committee and the ward correlation council. President Harold B. Lee defined priesthood correlation as simply "putting the priesthood where the Lord put it and helping the family to function the way it should function." (See "Correlation and Priesthood Genealogy" in Genealogical Devotional Addresses, 1968, Provo, Utah, Brigham Young University Press, 1969, p. 55; Bruce R. McConkie, "Only an Elder," Ensign, June 1975, pp. 66-67)

This revealed effort of the Church to focus - to correlate - its organizations and capacities to accomplish the work of the restoration more effectively has had a discernible influence in all of our lives. Only consider the impact of such things as the current emphasis on the family, the organization of Church auxiliaries, the Church publications, and home teaching and you will begin to comprehend what the correlation program has meant to the welfare of the Church.

2. REVELATION EXTENDING THE BLESSINGS OF THE PRIESTHOOD TO EVERY WORTHY MALE MEMBER OF THE CHURCH

Official Declaration #2 is worth a careful look. It constitutes one of the most dramatic revelations given in this dispensation.

Official Declaration 2
To Whom it May Concern:
On September 30, 1978, at the 148th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following was presented by President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church:
In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church. President Kimball has asked that I advise the conference that after he had received this revelation, which came to him after extended meditation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple, he presented it to his counselors, who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all other General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously.

In General Conference of October 1978, President N. Eldon Tanner read the following letter before conducting a vote to accept the Revelation on the Priesthood:

June 8, 1978
To all general and local priesthood officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world:
Dear Brethren:
As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.
Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.
He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.
We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessing of all his children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of his authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.
Sincerely Yours, Spencer W. Kimball N. Eldon Tanner Marion G. Romney The First Presidency
Recognizing Spencer W. Kimball as the prophet, seer, and revelator, and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is proposed that we as a constituent assembly accept this revelation as the word and will of the Lord. All in favor please signify by raising your right hand. Any opposed by the same sign.
The vote to sustain the foregoing motion was unanimous in the affirmative. (N. Eldon Tanner, "Revelation on Priesthood Accepted, Church Officers Sustained, Ensign, Nov. 1978, 16)

The earnest supplications of the brethren for the faithful long denied these priesthood blessings are now a matter of divine record. The response of the Lord to those petitions is now a matter of revelation. It is impossible to calculate the impact of this revelation on both sides of the veil. What a flood of rejoicing must have filled the courts on high when the vote was taken and the matter became a part of Church doctrine!

One member's story illustrates how important the priesthood is for each of us and our families and how grateful we might be for the opportunity to receive it. Joseph William Billy Johnson of Cape Coast, Ghana , first received literature about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1964. He knew that the Church doctrines he read in it were true, and he immediately began teaching them to his family, friends, and anyone else who would listen to him. It was not until four years later that he was able to obtain a copy of the Book of Mormon, to carefully read and pray about it, and to receive a witness of its truth. In letters to Salt Lake City , he had asked for more information about the Church and for missionaries to come to Africa to teach and baptize him. President McKay sent him literature and told him it was not yet time for missionaries to come to his country but that he should continue to study and have faith.
For 14 years Billy Johnson devoted himself to teaching the everlasting gospel and meeting with informal groups of believers. While strengthened by many spiritual experiences, he and members of these groups became discouraged when their pleadings for missionaries were not answered quickly.
During a particularly difficult period, Billy returned home one day much discouraged. As he struggled to obtain comfort and counsel from the Lord, he felt impressed to turn on his shortwave radio and find the BBC news broadcast. He was finally able to tune in the BBC at midnight. He recalls:
"I heard the message of President Kimball's prophecy concerning the priesthood, that all worthy males in all of the world could receive the priesthood. I burst into tears of joy, because I knew the priesthood would come to Africa, and if we did the right things, we would all receive the priesthood."
What joy spread through his heart as he heard the BBC news commentator announce the long-awaited revelation! (Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, "The Incomparable Blessings of the Priesthood," Ensign, Oct. 1997, p. 50)

3. PUBLICATION OF NEW LATTER-DAY SAINT EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES

It is significant that the Lord's appointed custodian of the scriptures - the leaders of his Church - have produced and published the Church's own edition of the Bible. Because of the influence of continuing revelation, we are able to present to the world the most useful Bible on the planet - a Bible that incorporates references to all of the standard works.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesied:
"The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 'Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all of the house of Israel his companions:
"'And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.'" (Ezek. 37:15-17.)
The stick or record of Judah - the Bible - and the stick or record of Ephraim - the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ - are now woven together in such a way that as you read one, you are drawn to the other; as you learn from one, you are enlightened by the other. They are indeed one in our hands. Ezekiel's prophecy stands fulfilled. (Boyd K. Packer, "Using the New Scriptures," Ensign, Dec. 1985, 52)

The impact of these new editions will be felt in the Church for generations to come. In his sermon on this matter Elder Packer said:

"With the passing of years, these scriptures will produce successive generations of faithful Christians who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are disposed to obey His will.

"The older generation has been raised without them, but there is another generation growing up. The revelations will be opened to them as to no other in the history of the world. Into their hands now are placed the sticks of Joseph and of Judah . They will develop a gospel scholarship beyond that which their forebears could achieve. They will have the testimony that Jesus is the Christ and be competent to proclaim Him and to defend Him." (Boyd K. Packer, "Scriptures," Ensign, Nov. 1982, 53)

4. ADDITIONAL QUORUMS OF THE SEVENTY

What are the duties of the Seventy?

"The Seventy are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the Gentiles and in all the world-thus differing from other officers in the Church in the duties of their calling." (D&C 107:25)

"The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the traveling high council, in building up the Church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and then to the Jews . . ." (D&C 107:34)

The prophetic direction that came as the Seventy assumed their role in the leadership of the Church is further evidence of the revelatory nature of our religion. I have in my wallet a card, signed by S. Dilworth Young, indicating that I was ordained a Seventy by Gordon B. Hinckley on June 10 of 1972. In those days all stakes had stake quorums of Seventies. I remained in that office until 1992 when I was ordained a High Priest in my own ward. But I never had a clear understanding of my duties. I tried to do missionary work, but not in any ways different from those I used when I was an elder or a priest. I was associated for years with a small group of other Seventies, studying the lessons in priesthood and home teaching each other, but I often wondered what my duties were. When the Lord spoke through President Kimball in 1975 and the First Quorum of Seventy was organized, I began to see more clearly. In 1989 a Second Quorum was added. Then in 1997, three more quorums were added, these to serve as Area Authority Seventies.

Read the following verses and see the fulfillment of prophecy and revelation.

93. And it is according to the vision showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the seventy;

94. And the seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six;

95. And these seven presidents are to choose other seventy besides the first seventy to whom they belong, and are to preside over them;

96. And also other seventy, until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vineyard of necessity requires it.

97. And these seventy are to be traveling ministers, unto the Gentiles first and also unto the Jews.

Conclusion

"President Spencer W. Kimball from this very pulpit bore his testimony when he said: 'I say, in the deepest of humility, but also by the power and force of a burning testimony in my soul, that from the prophet of the Restoration to the prophet of our own year, the communication line is unbroken, the authority is continuous, and light, brilliant and penetrating, continues to shine. The sound of the voice of the Lord is a continuous melody and a thunderous appeal.'" (Ensign, May 1977, p. 78; cited in L. Aldin Porter, "The Spirit of Prophecy," Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 10)

I pray we will all be devoted listeners to that continuous melody, and that the thunderous appeal of revelation from the Heavens will shape us into Christlike beings worthy of exaltation.

D&C Lesson 41: Every Member a Missionary

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: "Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked." (D&C 29:7-8) INTRODUCTION

We are to gather Israel. One of the great purposes of our global missionary effort if to gather Israel from the nations of the earth.

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;
Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked. (D&C 29:7,8)

This assignment came first to Ephraim. When Moses blessed the tribes before their entry into the land of Canaan, in his blessing to Joseph he used an interesting word in place of gather.

His [Joseph's] glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. (Deut. 33:17)

In revelations given to Joseph Smith, the Lord gave additional emphasis to this idea. After giving specific instructions to a few elders, the Lord said,

And now, verily, I say concerning the residue of the elders of my church, the time has not yet come, for many years, for them to receive their inheritance in this land, except they desire it through the prayer of faith, only as it shall be appointed unto them of the Lord.
For, behold, they shall push the people together from the ends of the earth. (D&C 58:44,45)

To William E. McLellin he specified the location to which people were to be pushed.

"Keep these sayings, for they are true and faithful; and thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads" (D&C 66:11).

This responsibility to be pushers has been given to all members of the Church by a succession of latter-day prophets.

"This is what prophets do; they help us reach up to new heights. President David O. McKay advised, "Every member a missionary"; President Kimball: "Lengthen your stride" and "Do it now"; President Benson: "Flood . . . the earth with the Book of Mormon"; and now President Hinckley: Increase the number of converts and retain them. Do we need more specific instructions?" (Sharing the Gospel: Elder Robert C. Oaks: C.R., October 2000).

I have occasionally told my students that in order to help them remember this duty, the word push has been placed in hundreds of thousands of locations throughout the world. Each time you approach the door of a commercial enterprise, either as you enter or as your leave, you will probably find a gentle reminder of your duty inscribed there: "PUSH."

1. THE CHURCH IS COMING FORTH OUT OF OBSCURITY

We have come some distance from the little band of believers in Fayette. The world knew nothing of the cataclysmic events beginning to unfold that Tuesday as six good men signed the documents of incorporation and the restored church emerged into being in our day. Who would have dreamed - indeed, who could have dreamed of the explosion of members and missionary work that has carried the Kingdom to its present prominence. And we are only beginning. Daniel reported that this church - the stone cut from the mountain - would fill the earth. Those with prophetic vision knew of this from the beginning:

The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. (D&C 65:2)

Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the use of the word push to describe our duty. The stone that was cut out without hands will not roll without hands.

Many of our neighbors, friendly and unfriendly, have remarked on the impressive growth of the church. Some have been filled with fear, others amazement. One man remarked,

"It [the Mormon church] is not to be educated, not to be civilized, not to be reformed - it must be crushed. No other organization is so perfect as the Mormon church except the German army" (Nels L. Anderson: Scientific Aspects of Mormonism, 1904, p. 1).

Such statements as this are evidence that the prophecy in D&C 1:30 is being fulfilled:

And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually -

The church is coming forth out of obscurity and darkness. With the efforts of members, missionaries, Apostles, and Prophets who travel throughout the world and mingle with all sorts of people, the world grows to better understand Zion and why Church members want to share Zion's beauty with others.

For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments. (D&C 82:14)

2. LATTER-DAY PROPHETS HAVE CHALLENGED US TO TAKE T HE GOSPEL TO ALL THE WORLD.

We are watchmen upon the walls of Zion. It is our duty to warn the inhabitants of the earth of the things that are to come, and if they reject our testimony, then their blood will be upon their own heads. When the judgments of God overtake the wicked they cannot say they have not been warned. My garments, and the garments of thousands of others, are clean of the people of this generation, as also the garments of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and those of the elders of Israel who have died in the faith. We have borne our testimony, and when the judgments of God come, men cannot say they have not been warned. I consider our position before this generation is of vast importance to us and them. I do not want, when I go into the spirit world, to have this generation rise up and condemn me, and say I have not done my duty. (Wilford Woodruff, "Responsibilities of the Priesthood," Ensign, Sept. 1971, 19-20)

Phrases like "every nation, kindred, tongue, and people" and "the uttermost parts of the earth" make clear the burden the Lord has laid on us.

"And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people" (Mosiah 3:20).

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The Lord has emphasized that we all have the duty to share the message of the restoration. For example

And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every man, both elder, priest, teacher, and also member, go to with his might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded.
And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness. (D&C 38:40,41)

3. "EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY"

President Kimball spoke clearly of our duty.

I was asked a few years ago, "Should every young man who is a member of the Church fill a mission?" And I responded with the answer the Lord has given: "Yes, every worthy young man should fill a mission." The Lord expects it of him. And if he is not now worthy to fill a mission, then he should start at once to qualify himself. The Lord has instructed, "Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations, first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews." (D&C 133:8.)
Thus, the elders - the young men of the Church of the age to be ordained elders - should be prepared and anxious to fill a mission for the Church throughout the world. . . .
Someone might also ask, "Should every young woman, should every father and mother, should every member of the Church serve a mission?" Again, the Lord has given the answer: Yes, every man, woman, and child - every young person and every little boy and girl - should serve a mission. This does not mean that they must serve abroad or even be formally called and set apart as full-time missionaries. But it does mean that each of us is responsible to bear witness of the gospel truths that we have been given. We all have relatives, neighbors, friends, and fellow workmen, and it is our responsibility to pass the truths of the gospel on to them, by example as well as by precept. (Spencer W. Kimball, "It Becometh Every Man," Ensign, Oct. 1977, 3)

Many years ago a Regional Representative gave some superb counsel on member missionary work at a stake conference in Arizona. He challenged us to pray every day for someone - a specific person - with whom we wanted to share the gospel. "If you will do that," he said, "one of two things will happen: either you will do something to help that person, or you will quit praying."

My wife tried to follow that counsel and had some lovely experiences with the missionaries and investigators in our home over the course of several years.

And there must be many people anxious to hear the message.

For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it-
Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven-
These should then be attended to with great earnestness. (D&C 123:12-14)

There are, by the way, more ways to serve in this endeavor that just finding people willing to be taught. Elder Richard G. Scott said,

As you prayerfully seek and cultivate missionary opportunities in your daily activities, you will find many ways to serve. They include helping to find, convert, and retain new members. The stake or full-time missionaries can teach you how to do that.
You can help the full-time and stake missionaries bring new investigators to church and make them feel comfortable. Let them know that they have a new friend. Strengthen that friendship by inviting them to your home or to Church activities with you. You can support them in obeying the commandments. Such valuable missionary service is not difficult because it can be carried out in the normal routine of your daily life.
There are other ways you may not think of as missionary service. For example, a young mother can teach each growing son to prepare to be a missionary to preach the gospel and to share his testimony of truth. As mother and father cultivate that thought throughout his growing years, he will be a missionary. That is excellent missionary service. (Richard G. Scott, "Why Every Member a Missionary?" Ensign, Nov. 1997, 36)

4. NURTURING NEW CONVERTS IS OUR CONTINUING RESPONSIBILITY.

When I served in Brazil , I worked in a wonderful branch filled with the spirit of missionary work. Once a month the Relief Society brought their husbands and went out visiting, inviting people to come to church or to accept a visit from the missionaries or to examine some church literature. When we were teaching a family, we took members with us to each of the discussions following the first one. We had members who were as committed to sharing the gospel as any elder or sister. They talked to people everywhere they went and handed many referrals to us for our teaching.

But of all the superb accomplishments of this branch, one stands out: in eight months I worked there, I never took anyone to church who did not get baptized. The four elders in the city developed an almost clinical attitude about this. We knew that if we could get an investigator to a church meeting, our work was mostly done. The members demonstrated so much love and joy that people found them and the church they loved irresistible. These visitors would come to church wondering and a little nervous, and they would leave rejoicing and looking for a baptismal font.

It is interesting to note that this little branch, on the verge of being closed in September of 1965 became a ward in the first stake in South America in May of 1966. Both the growth and the retention were stunning.

What a blessing it would be if every new member and every visitor could have that kind of feeling in every ward and branch in the church. We ought to say in our hearts about such people, "You may not know much about the gospel, or about the members, but you will soon know that you are loved and that we need you and you need us."

Conclusion

President Benson said,

Do you realize that, as a member-missionary, you have a sacred responsibility to share the gospel with friends and family? The Lord needs every member of the Church having the faith and the courage to set a date to have someone prepared to be taught by the missionaries. Would each member of the Church prayerfully consider this sacred challenge?" (Ensign, May 1988, p. 84.)

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D&C Lesson 40: Finding Joy in Temple and Family History Work

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Our longing to locate the dead who are lost should be as compelling as our anxiety to find the living who are lost. INTRODUCTION

Several years ago as I was about to depart for work, a call came from my Bishop. His oldest son had disappeared. He had eaten breakfast and dressed for elementary school, but when his mother was ready to drive him and his sisters to school he could not be found. They thought perhaps he had walked to school. His mother transported her daughters and then made a search. The boy was not at school. It was at this point that calls went out to the police and to several ward members. I delayed my departure for work and along with several dozen others, commenced an intensive search of the neighborhood. After a few hours his mother found him, curled up on the floor of his closet with the door closed. He was fast asleep.

I have reflected many times on the shared anxiety of so many to find this boy, to see that he was safe again with his family, to insure that nothing unacceptable happened to him.

The search for that boy is a metaphor for this lesson. You see, I have ancestors lost in history. We all do. They languish in the spirit world, and they are not asleep; they are waiting and hoping for someone to find them. Our longing to locate the dead who are lost should be as compelling as our anxiety to find the living who are lost.

1. THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH IS PROMPTING PEOPLE TO TURN THEIR HEARTS TO THEIR ANCESTORS.

Elijah came to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to the fathers.
With that, natural affection between generations began to be enriched. This restoration was accompanied by what is sometimes called the Spirit of Elijah-a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family. Hence, people throughout the world, regardless of religious affiliation, are gathering records of deceased relatives at an ever-increasing rate. (Russell M. Nelson, "A New Harvest Time," Ensign, May 1998, 34)

The increasing concern with our ancestors is demonstrated by the fact that Genealogy is now among the fastest growing areas of non-commercial use of computers in the home. A recent PBS broadcast about family history called Ancestors was the highest-subscribed program in their history. 340 of 353 PBS stations scheduled the program.

This spirit of Elijah does not need to work through priesthood channels. Multitudes of our neighbors have been touched by a longing to look backward and find their roots. Consider this sweet story:

Joe Groom also had a special experience with his father as a result of family history... Joe had a wonderful relationship with his father, who was active in another faith. "It seems like in every generation there are family members who have that spirit of Elijah," says Joe, "and in our family it just happened to be my father and me. We published a family history book together."
But Joe and his father had one line where their research came to a dead end. When Joe's father became terminally ill, they joked about his sending back a message telling Joe how to get past that block. Three days after his father's funeral, Joe took a trip to Atlanta, but he was able to spend only two hours in the Georgia State Archives. He reached down and picked up a book at random and began to flip through it. Stopping to glance at two pages, he found the information he needed to know to get past the block on his father's line.
"I almost fell over," remembers Joe. "I wanted to scream. Then a peaceful feeling came over me and a thought came into my mind: 'Did you get it?' I knew my dad had helped me." (LaRene Gaunt, "Family History Wellspring," Ensign, Aug. 1993, 24)

And we will need all the help we can get!

The estimated population of the world in A.D. 1 was 200 million; by 1850 it had reached one billion (see The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1995 [1994], 510). By mid-1995, the world's population was estimated at 5.76 billion. Over time, as many as 105 billion people may have lived on the earth. (Estimates courtesy of Population Reference Bureau, Washington, D.C.; see Carl Haub, "How Many People Have Ever Lived on the Earth?" Population Today, 23 [Feb. 1995]: 4-5).

The number of completed proxy temple endowments is approaching an estimated 140 million, meaning that this work has been performed for about .13 percent (just over one-tenth of 1 percent) of the earth's estimated historic population of 105 billion. Obviously, an enormous amount of work remains to be done.

Considering the scope of the unfinished work for the dead, Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in 1977:

"When we contemplate how big it is, it is astonishing; it is past astonishing, it is overwhelming!

"But it is not discouraging.

"If the numbers seem staggering, we will move ahead. If the process is tedious, we will move ahead anyway. If the records have been lost, if the obstacles and opposition are overwhelming, we will move ahead anyway" (That They May Be Redeemed [address delivered at Regional Representatives' seminar, 1 Apr. 1977], 1-2).

Have you felt the spirit of Elijah prompting you to move ahead? How has this work touched your life?

2. EACH MEMBER OF THE CHURCH CAN PARTICIPATE IN TEMPLE AND FAMILY HISTORY WORK.

Since Family History is one of the three great missions of the church (see James E. Faust, "The Magnificent Vision Near Palmyra," Ensign, May 1984, 68) we ought to insure that we are involved. I have often felt that each of us ought to be doing something in each of these three areas continuously. This should not be an overwhelming burden.

"Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something" (Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "Family History: 'In Wisdom and Order,'" Ensign, June 1989, 6).

The Sunday School manual suggests four activities that will allow us involvement in this work.

A. Have a current temple recommend and attend the temple regularly: I have frequently described a temple recommend as an invitation to the house of the Lord. "Come and visit me in my house," the Lord seems to be saying, and he has promised that if we come worthily, his glory and presence will be there (see D&C 97:15,16). Where else in the world is the fulfillment of such a promise available? I have had tickets that gave me front-row seats at three Jazz games. At one of the games, I sat next to the team owner. My son drove from Orem to San Diego because he had a ticked to a U-2 concert there. My wife and I flew to Hawaii using free tickets earned with frequent-flyer miles. But there are no tickets like this one-tickets (if you will) to the House of the Lord. And we can use it at any of his houses anyplace in the world. We ought to qualify for a temple recommend every year, and use that recommend as often as we can.

In addition, we ought to encourage our children who are 12 or older to have recommends to do baptisms for the dead. My son, who graduated from high school in May of 2000, arose at 5:00 AM many mornings to go with his friends to the Mt. Timpanogos temple to participate in this sacred ordinance. Why not make if a family tradition for all family members who are 12 or older to get their recommends each year, perhaps at the same time that endowed siblings and parents renew their recommends on alternate years?

B. Prepare to have ordinances performed for deceased relatives. With the increased number of Family History Centers, access to the needed information and to skilled help in completing this work is more available than ever before. I remember the uncounted hours my father spent with books and histories trying to locate & record the necessary names and dates. So much of the difficulty of this work has evaporated with the advent of computers with their research programs and access to the Church's family history site on the Internet. My circumstances make the search more interesting. My ancestors and those of my wife have been in the church for generations. But there are still those others who lack the ordinances and who are longing for someone-anyone-to make the effort to provide them. Your family lines may be fairly new to the church, and your family history work may consist of collecting information from living friends and relatives. Whatever the work, whatever the requirement, we ought to be appropriately involved in this work.

C. Learn about ancestors' lives. There are so many inspiring, delightful, even humorous stories regarding those who went before. As we find such treasures, we ought to file them and share them with family members. I located a brief 1858 journal in Special Collections at BYU. It was written by my great grandfather about a mission to the Moqui [actually the Hopi] Indians of Arizona. It is fragmented, poorly written, and ungrammatical, and yet it is a treasure of faith and devotion. My children and my siblings have been richly blessed by its inherent message of trust in God.

D. Keep a journal or prepare a personal history or a family history. President Kimball taught:

We hope you will begin as of this date. If you have not already commenced this important duty in your lives, get a good notebook, a good book that will last through time and into eternity for the angels to look upon. Begin today and write in it your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. ("President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals," Ensign, Dec. 1980, 61)

Joseph Smith "...advised the elders all to keep daily journals. 'For,' said he, 'your journals will be sought after as history and scripture . . .' That is the way the New Testament came, what we have of it, though much of the matter there was written by the apostles from their memory of what had been done, because they were not prompt in keeping daily journals." (Hyrum L. Andrus and Helen Mae Andrus, comps., They Knew the Prophet, p. 65)

President Kimball also said

We renew our appeal for the keeping of individual histories and accounts of sacred experiences in our lives-answered prayers, inspiration from the Lord, administrations in our behalf, a record of the special times and events of our lives. From these records you can also appropriately draw as you relay faith-promoting stories in your family circles and discussions. Stories of inspiration from our own lives and those of our forebears as well as stories from our scriptures and our history are powerful teaching tools. I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to you, each other, your children, your grandchildren, and others throughout the generations. ("Spencer W. Kimball, "Therefore I Was Taught," Ensign, Jan. 1982, 4)

3. THE CHURCH PROVIDES MANY RESOURCES TO HELP US PARTICIPATE IN TEMPLE AND FAMILY HISTORY WORK.

In order to compete any assignment, four things are necessary: 1) clear instructions; 2) the necessary tools; 3) sufficient time; and 4) a willing heart. Are any of these lacking in your efforts to fulfill this assignment? Numbers 1 and 2 have been supplied by the church. The rest must come from us.

Conclusion

The sentiments of this lesson are perfectly summarized in a story published in the Ensign years ago: "My Friend - Far Away and Long Ago," Peggy Hill Ryskamp. Click here to read it.

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D&C Lesson 39: The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn to Their Fathers

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

President Heber J. Grant told a wonderful story about work for the dead:

There was three young men who were as intimate, I think, as any three young men who ever lived could be. They were Heber J. Grant, Feramorz L. Young and Richard W. Young. Feramorz L. Young had been in the East and had been graduated with honors from the Troy Polytechnic Institute, then went on a mission to Mexico, where he died and was buried in the Gulf of Mexico. It always seemed to me a strange thing that a boy with all the education he had, who had made a wonderful success should be taken from us. . . . He had to fight for the Church and its doctrines all the time he was in the East. . . .
I thought that with his faith and knowledge, and with all the information he had gained, it was too bad he had to lay down his life while in the Lord's service. . . .
I do not think that Fera Young in his life ever listened to an unclean story. If anyone started to tell such a story he would excuse himself and walk away. I never heard an unchaste word uttered by him. If there ever was a clean, sweet, absolutely pure young man upon the earth, he was that young man.
[When] he died his mother said she could not remember a word or thought or act of his life that would bring her the least sorrow or uneasiness. There is many a mother perhaps who might say such a thing of her son, but usually if the man who without exception was the most intimate friend of that son from his boyhood up to the time of his death should tell everything he knew of him the mother could not say that. My mother could not say that of me, if others told her what I did as a youngster, but I could say it of Feramorz Young.
What in the providence of the Lord is the result? . . . A woman came to Sister Young, his mother, with photographs of one of this lady's near and dear friends, a very beautiful women, and said:
"Now, Mrs. Young, I do not believe a thing of what I'm going to tell you. This girl friend of mine was one of the noblest, finest, choicest kind of girls and young women that ever lived. She has come to me in this city of Salt Lake on three separate occasions at night in dreams, and has given me this information: the date of her birth, the date of her death, and all this is necessary, she says, for a record in the temple: and she has told me that your son, Feramorz L. Young, has converted her, and that in addition to converting her he has proposed marriage to her. [She has said to me] 'I want you to go to Mrs. Young and give her this information and vouch for my honesty, virtue, integrity and upright life, and have the work done for me and have me married for eternity to her son, Feramorz L. Young.'"
This women who visited Mrs. Young said: "I do not believe a word of it, but the last time this friend of mine came - which was the third time - she said, 'There is nobody in Salt Lake City who knows me and can vouch for me except you. You are the only individual that I know in Salt Lake City .'" She said further to Mrs. Young: "I can furnish you any references you may wish regarding my character, from the place where I formerly lived. The last time this young woman came to me she said, 'You might just as well go to Mrs. Young and give her this information, because I am going to come, and come, and come, until you do it.'" And the woman continued, "I just cannot bear to have her come again; it is so uncanny, and I do not believe a thing of it."
This beautiful girl was sealed to Brother Young, and I am convinced that my dear friend lost nothing by dying in his youth ("Comforting Manifestations:" Excerpts from Funeral Sermon delivered by President Heber J. Grant, from the Improvement Era February 1931).

In this lesson we will discuss the work for the dead by referring to the work of four prophets: Elijah, Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith, and Gordon B. Hinckley.

1. ELIJAH: "THE KEYS OF THIS DISPENSATION ARE COMMITTED INTO YOUR HANDS."

The scriptural account of the coming of Elijah may be the most repeated passage in the Standard Works. The prophecy of his coming is recited in whole or in part in each of our volumes of scripture

1. D&C 2 2. Malachi 4:5,6 3. 3 Nephi 25:5,6 4. JS-H: 1:38,39 5. D&C 110:13-15 6. D&C 128:17

The frequency of scriptural references to this event must be evidence of its supernal importance. And of course it is important. Neal A. Maxwell indicated

"What we do here is so vital, but it is actually a preparation for our labors in paradise in the spirit world. The scope in that spirit world is ten times as large as the demographics of this world" ("Our Preparation for Work in the Spirit World," excerpt from Neal A. Maxwell's address to Religious Educators: Salt Lake Tabernacle, 2 February, 2001 ).

That the scope of the work in the spirit world is ten times greater than here perhaps gives some explanation of the reason for the continual and repeated emphasis on the mission of Elijah. This understanding also helps us comprehend the great need for temples and abundant temple work here. Prophets have predicted a time when temples - even hundreds or thousands of them - will dot the earth. Such a resource will be necessary to provide sufficient opportunity to do the work for all of the dead.

The fulfillment [of the promise of the coming of Elijah] came some twelve years later, on April 3, 1836. On this day Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and there conferred upon them his priesthood, which is the power to bind, or seal, on earth and in heaven. The keys of this priesthood were held by Elijah, to whom the Lord gave power over the elements as well as over men, with the authority to seal for time and eternity on the righteous all the ordinances pertaining to the fullness of salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of this priesthood; he was to come and restore this authority in the last dispensation in order that all the ordinances of the gospel may be attained to in righteousness, and without this authority, the ordinances would not be in righteousness.

Therefore, the restoration of this authority is the leaven that saves the earth from being utterly wasted at the coming of Jesus Christ. When we get this truth firmly and clearly fixed in our minds, it is easy to see that there would be only confusion and disaster should Christ come and the power of sealing not be here. The Lord does not recognize any ordinance or ceremony, even though it be made or performed in his name, unless it is in accordance with his will and done by one who is recognized as his authorized servant. It was for that reason that he sent from his presence holy messengers to Joseph Smith and others, to restore that which had been taken from the earth, even the fullness of the gospel, and the fullness and the keys of priesthood. In this day of restoration it was necessary not only for Elijah to come with the sealing power to make valid all the ordinances and ceremonies of the gospel, but it was also necessary that the ancient prophets who held keys of dispensations should come from the days of Adam to Peter, James, and John, and restore their authority in this the dispensation of the fulness of times. This is positively stated by Peter and Paul in their instructions to the saints of the church of Jesus Christ of former days. But we have been considering here only the coming of Elijah with the keys of sealing, placing the stamp of approval on all that is done in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so that it is recognized in the heavens and before the throne of God (Joseph Fielding Smith, "The Coming of Elijah," Ensign, Jan. 1972, 5).

The prophet Malachi warned that in the destruction of the Second Coming, the wicked would be left with neither "root or branch." (Malachi 4:1) This phrase also teaches lessons about the mission of Elijah.

"But what is meant by the expression 'that it shall leave them neither root nor branch'? This expression simply means that wicked and indifferent persons who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ will have no family inheritance or patriarchal lineage -- neither root (ancestors or progenitors) nor branch (children or posterity). Such persons cannot be received into the celestial kingdom of glory of resurrected beings, but must be content with a lesser blessing" (Theodore M. Burton, CR, April 1965, p. 112).

2. PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF: "SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO REDEEM THEM"

President Woodruff served for a time as President of the St. George Temple It was in this temple that endowments for the dead were performed for the first time in this dispensation.

Pres. Woodruff had a most remarkable experience while laboring in that temple:

"In 1887, Elder Woodruff was appointed as the first president of the St. George Temple. Here he experienced some marvelous manifestations. It was in this temple that the signers of the Declaration of Independence appeared to him and requested that their temple work be done. As they gathered around him, they wanted to know why he did not redeem them. 'We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remain true to it and were faithful to God.'" (JD 19:229.)

"Elder Woodruff related that they waited on him for two days and two nights as he was baptized for the signers of the Declaration of Independence and 50 other prominent men, making 100 in all. They included John Wesley, Columbus and others. He was baptized for every president of the United States until that time except three" (Church News, May 1, 1993).

Perhaps in part because of this experience, and no doubt encouraged by the whisperings of the Spirit, President Woodruff had a great affection for this work. He received and recorded a remarkable revelation regarding Family History. President Woodruff said to church members:

"You have now something more to do than you have done. We have not fully carried out those principles in fulfillment of the revelations of God to us, in the sealing of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers."
Then came the substance of the revelation in the simplicity of a single declarative sentence that has ushered in a most marvelous work in this dispensation: "We want Latter-day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it."
President Woodruff said, "In my prayers the Lord revealed to me, that it was my duty to say to all Israel to carry this principle out, and in fulfillment of that revelation, I lay it before this people. I say to all men who are laboring in these temples, carry out this principle, and then we shall make one step in advance of what we have had before. Myself and counselors conversed upon this and we were agreed upon it, and afterwards we laid it before all the Apostles who were here the Lord revealed to every one of these men-and they would bear testimony to it if they were to speak-that that was the word of the Lord to them. I never met with anything in my life in this Church that there was more unity upon than there was upon that principle. They all feel right about it, and that it is our duty" (Deseret Evening News, May 19, 1894.) [Boyd K. Packer, "The Family and Eternity," Ensign, Feb. 1971, 8].

3. PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH: "THE EYES OF MY UNDERSTANDING WERE OPENED"

At the beginning of the Friday Morning session of the October 1918 General Conference, President Joseph F. Smith said,

"As most of you, I suppose, are aware, I have been undergoing a siege of very serious illness for the last five months. . . . I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously."

The day before this sermon, Pres. Smith had received the revelation now contained in the Doctrine and Covenants as section 138.

What is the significance of the words in 138:1,2 that describe what Pres. Smith was doing with the scriptures? How can pondering and reflecting prepare us to receive revelation? Pres. Smith does tell us that he read 1 Peter 3,4 (see 138:6), but notice what he did when he had finished reading. "As I pondered over these things which are written. . . " (138:11)

In the revelation that then came to him, the Lord opened the curtain on the spirit world wider than it had ever been opened before, so far as we can determine from the scriptural record. Read this revelation carefully, and then reflect and ponder on what we have been taught. What was the nature of the people who actually saw the Savior during his visit to the spirit world? (138:12-14) D&C 138:15,16, and 18 use words like deliverance, redemption from the bands of death, restored, liberty to the captives. What do these phrases suggest about the feelings we will have when we are separated from our bodies. The prospect of deliverance from the bands and chains of that separation filled them with joy and rejoicing.

What words in 138:20,21 describe those whom he did not visit?

It was on this occasion that the most enduring and comprehensive mission in the history of this planet was organized.

" . . . [F]rom among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead" (138:30).

I am not particularly excited to be assigned to work in this mission. I cannot help but presume that the transfer process will be a bit painful. But the thought of being assigned to work in a district with Ammon or Paul or Wilford is intriguing. Section 138 does specify that elders who leave this life become a part of that mission.

"I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead" (138:57).

4. PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY: "WE ARE DETERMINED...TO TAKE THESE TEMPLES TO THE PEOPLE"

The proliferation to temple building around the world is powerful evidence of the need for this work to be done. President Hinckley's desire to make temple blessings available to members in every part of the world is a quiet affirmation of the concurrent need to make those blessings available to those who hear the good news of the gospel in every part of the spirit world. Temples offer incomparable blessings to those who receive their own endowments. Then the blessings double. Those whose work is performed by proxy become heirs to those same blessings, and those who perform the work are continually blessed by their presence in the temple and by the instruction and the spirit that occur in the temples.

In this regard the Prophet said:

I have a burning desire that a temple be located within reasonable access to Latter-day Saints throughout the world. We can proceed only so fast. We try to see that each temple will be in an excellent location, where there will be good neighbors over a long period of time. Real estate prices in such areas are usually high. A temple is a much more complex structure to build than an ordinary meetinghouse or stake center. It is built to a higher standard of architecture. It takes longer and costs more. The work is moving about as fast as we can go. It is my constant prayer that somehow it might be speeded up so that more of our people might have easier access to a sacred house of the Lord" (C.R., Oct. 1995, p. 77).

A short time later, President Hinckley proposed a solution to some of the problems he had mentioned in October of 1995:

[T]here are many areas of the Church that are remote, where the membership is small and not likely to grow very much in the near future. Are those who live in these places to be denied forever the blessings of the temple ordinances? While visiting such an area a few months ago, we prayerfully pondered this question. The answer, we believe, came bright and clear.
We will construct small temples in some of these areas, buildings with all of the facilities to administer all of the ordinances. They would be built to temple standards, which are much higher than meetinghouse standards. They would accommodate baptisms for the dead, the endowment service, sealings, and all other ordinances to be had in the Lord's house for both the living and the dead" (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 49).

Conclusion

As we consider the scope of this work on both sides of the veil, we begin to see the cause behind some of the events we might have called tragedies.

"We cannot control what I call 'the great transfer board in the sky.' It's out of our control. And the inconveniences that are sometimes associated with releases from labors here are necessary in order to accelerate the work there. Heavenly Father can't do His work with ten times more people that we have on this planet except He will on occasion take some of the very best sisters and brothers. And the conditions of termination here, painful though they are, are part of the conditions of acceleration there. And we're back to faith and the timing of God. And to be able to say, "Thy will be done" (and I wold paraphrase it, "thy timing be done") is part of letting Him know we will be submissive in that situation too, even when we do not fully understand it ("Our Preparation for Work in the Spirit World," excerpt from Neal A. Maxwell's address to Religious Educators: Salt Lake Tabernacle, 2 February, 2001).

There is such a great work to be done among our departed sisters and brothers. And we have only begun to get it done. President Kimball said of this work,

"The day is coming not too far ahead of us when all temples on this earth will be going day and night. There will be shifts and people will be coming in the morning hours and in the night hours and in the day hours . . . day and night almost to exhaustion, because of the importance of the work and the great number of people who lie asleep in eternity." (From You to Your Ancestors, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978, p. 2).

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D&C Lesson 38: In Mine Own Way

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: Our prophets have always taught us to be self-reliant and to assist those in need - to learn to set aside our burdens and proceed freely without unnecessary encumbrances. Introduction

On a trip to the Middle East several years ago, a close friend of mine and his wife determined to save money by collecting rocks instead of purchasing souvenirs. At every significant location in Italy, Egypt, Israel, and Greece they picked up stones and labeled them with a date and a location. They were stored in an elderly suitcase brought along for just that purpose. The bag was the incentive for considerable humor during the three weeks of our trip. It grew increasingly ponderous as the days passed. The memorial stones seemed to grow correspondingly smaller.

The bag became the center of even more attention in Tel Aviv, Israel, when we were preparing to depart for Greece.

We had been instructed to place our bags in the hallway by our hotel doors where they would be collected and transported to the bus for our trip to the airport. The young man responsible for collecting the bags of my friends, including their luggage and their rocks, grabbed the bag of stone and walked away with . . . the handle. The wire brads which secured the grip to the case simply surrendered to gravity and the age and weight of the bag, and let go.

How often in our own lives do we journey towards the promised land, gathering an increasing burden of debt, idleness, ignorance, or faithlessness until something gives way and we find it almost impossible to continue. But it is difficult not to collect the bright and shiny things that clutter this world. Babylon invites us to live "deliciously" (see Revelation 18:7,9). All of us have an inclination to accumulate an abundance of the "vain things of the world" (see Alma 4:8, etc.). We would be well-advised to remember that we have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.

Our prophets have always taught us to be self-reliant and to assist those in need - to learn to set aside our burdens and proceed freely without unnecessary encumbrances. This lesson discusses the principles of the Welfare Program which teach us how to avoid needless burdens and to apply these principles.

1. DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL SELF-RELIANCE

"Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you; That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world; That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion . . ." (D&C 78:15-17)

The idea is for the Church to take care of itself, and, by extension, for the individual members of the church to take care of themselves. If we are disabled by frustration or famine or stress or calamity, our usefulness to the kingdom will be diminished.

We live in a most exciting and challenging period in human history. As technology sweeps through every facet of our lives, changes are occurring so rapidly that it can be difficult for us to keep our lives in balance. To maintain some semblance of stability in our lives, it is essential that we plan for our future. I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received in dealing with our personal and family preparedness. We want to be found with oil in our lamps sufficient to endure to the end. President Spencer W. Kimball admonished us:
In reviewing the Lord's counsel to us on the importance of preparedness, I am impressed with the plainness of the message. The Savior made it clear that we cannot place sufficient oil in our preparedness lamps by simply avoiding evil. We must also be anxiously engaged in a positive program of preparation. . . .
"The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself. . . .
The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself'" (The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, p. 8: cited in "If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear": Elder L. Tom Perry C.R., October 1995)

2. DEVELOPING TEMPORAL SELF RELIANCE

"Just as it is important to prepare ourselves spiritually, we must also prepare ourselves for our temporal needs. Each of us needs to take the time to ask ourselves, What preparation should I make to care for my needs and the needs of my family?

"We have been instructed for years to follow at least four requirements in preparing for that which is to come" ("If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear": Elder L. Tom Perry (October 1995).

Those four requirements are:

First, gain an adequate education. Learn a trade or a profession to enable you to obtain steady employment that will provide remuneration sufficient to care for yourself and your family. The rapidly changing world breeds obsolescence and requires us to be continually engaged in preparing ourselves for the future. We can become antiquated in our professions if we do not stay up- to-date. Imagine how many patients a dentist would have if he continued to use the same tools and techniques he used a decade ago. What about a businessman that tried to compete without the use of computers? Or a builder who had not stayed abreast of the latest materials and methods available? Education has, of necessity, become a lifelong pursuit. We must, in our scheduling of time, allot sufficient time to educate ourselves for now and for the future.
Second, live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day. Incorporate in your lives the discipline of budgeting that which the Lord has blessed you with. As regularly as you pay your tithing, set aside an amount needed for future family requirements. Include your children while planning for the future. I am convinced that in many backyards, a crop of corn, raspberries, or tomatoes, planted and harvested by your children each year and sold to your neighbors, will in time yield enough to make a major contribution to a mission or a college education fund. Go out in your garages and look over the unused bicycles, toy cars, athletic equipment, skis, roller blades, et cetera, and calculate what the return would have been had the cost of these items been invested in future needs. Remember, I emphasized unused articles. How many of you have seen garages so full of things that there is no longer room for the car?
Third, avoid excessive debt. Necessary debt should be incurred only after careful, thoughtful prayer and after obtaining the best possible advice. We need the discipline to stay well within our ability to pay. Wisely we have been counseled to avoid debt as we would avoid the plague.
Fourth, acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. Obtain clothing and build a savings account on a sensible, well-planned basis that can serve well in times of emergency. As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year's supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness ("If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear": Elder L. Tom Perry: C.R., October 1995).

3. CARING FOR THE NEEDY

Few divine directives have been repeated as often as the injunction to care for the needy. The Lord created the earth and said he would prove us with it (see Abraham 3:25 ) to see how obedient we would be. Part of the requirement is that we must help others who are taking the test with us.

Indifference is not permitted in the Testing Center . At least, it is not permitted from those who want to pass the Test. This is a group Test, and one of the foremost requirements of participants is that they must help each other solve the problems on the Test. If we do not, we ourselves cannot successfully pass the Exam. The Teacher spoke of those who are indifferent to the problems and the pain of others, and described their fate:

Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not (Matthew 25:41-43).

We must give aid to the physically and spiritually needy among us and around us. Helping others with their problems is not easy work. Such service often requires a tremendous effort.

A few years ago I was assigned a new home teacher. On his first visit to our home, he spent time alone with me. "How can I help your family?" he wanted to know.
"Help us read the scriptures," I told him. "Years ago when the children were little, we read through the Book of Mormon together a couple of times. But in the years since, we haven't done very well. I feel like we need to be reading regularly. If you could help us get started again, I'd be grateful."
We discussed the best time to get the family together and decided the morning hours were preferable. He said he would give the matter some thought and get back to me.
The next morning, at 6:40 a.m., a knock came at our door. I dragged myself from bed and down the hall to see who was there. Our home teacher stood framed in the open doorway. "Time for scriptures," he said, and walked in. We got the rest of the family up, staggered to the table, read for twenty minutes, and he was gone. The next morning, at precisely 6:40, he was there again. And the next morning, and the next and the next. He came and home taught our family every weekday morning for three months! I believe that scripture reading is now an indispensable habit with us. We had a problem. He helped us solve it. (Ted L. Gibbons: This Life is a Test, p. 84)

A number of years ago, my wife and I lived in a small farming community in southern Arizona. One Sabbath in Sunday School, we were discussing King Benjamin's counsel about sharing our substance with the less fortunate. One young man raised his hand. He felt come concerns about a personal application of the scriptures we were discussing.

The ready availability of farming work in the community enticed significant numbers of Mexicans to cross the border illegally. They walked through the desert for about thirty miles to look for work in our area. By the time they reached the freeway south of town, they were always hungry and thirsty. Many of them stopped at the first house they found to beg for a bite to eat.

This brother had recently married, and he and his wife lived in one of only two houses south of the main highway. He described the problem, and said, "I don't dare feed any of them. If you feed one, he'll mark your house in some way and then you'll be expected to feed them all. They shouldn't be here anyway."

His conclusions seemed reasonable to me. But in my heart I could still feel the message of King Benjamin:

And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition unto you in vain, and turn him out to perish. (Mosiah 4:16.)

The scriptures we were studying that day made it clear we are expected to aid fellow students. The message of Mosiah 4 made it clear that we cannot excuse ourselves from assisting those in need of our help because their own mistakes have created their need. Benjamin said,

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just --

"But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent" (Mosiah 4:17-18).

Another class member raised her hand after a moment or two. She and her husband lived in the other house south of the interstate. She seemed reluctant to say what she wanted to say, but felt impelled to do so. "I don't want to hurt any feelings," she said, "and I do not mean to sound judgmental. But I must say something about this. No one leaves our house hungry. No one. And if my husband and I are not at home, our children know. We feed anyone who asks for food."

The Savior spoke to those who would inherit His kingdom and explained one of the reasons why they were to be so blessed. "I was an hungered," He said, "and ye gave me meat . . ." (Matthew 25:35.)

We must help others with their problems. No acceptable excuses can be given for indifference. Brigham Young spoke of this matter of feeding the hungry and warned of the danger of being judgmental about who does and who does not deserve our help. He said,

Suppose that in this community there are ten beggars who beg from door to door for something to eat, and that nine of them are imposters who beg to escape work, and with an evil heart practice imposition upon the generous and sympathetic, and that only one of the ten who visit your doors is worthy of your bounty; which is best, to give food to the ten, to make sure of helping the truly needy one, or to repulse the ten because you do not know which is the worthy one? You will all say, administer charitable gifts to the ten, rather than turn away the only truly worthy and truly needy person among them. If you do this, it will make no difference in your blessings, whether you administer to worthy or unworthy persons, inasmuch as you give alms with a single eye to assist the truly needy. (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 274)

4. THE CHURCH WELFARE PROGRAM

I attended a meeting many years ago in which Elder Neal A. Maxwell described the church as "organized love and administered affection." The church represents, among other things, an institutional attempt by the disciples of Christ to care for each other.

Although nearly 2,000 years have passed since the mortal ministry of the Son of God, His loving example and His teachings remain an integral part of who we are as a people and who we are as a church. Today, through its inspired welfare program, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members strive to emulate His example as we seek to relieve suffering and foster self-reliance.
The welfare program of the Church is well known throughout the world. People from all walks of life travel to Church headquarters to see firsthand how the Church cares for the poor and needy without creating dependency on the part of those who receive or bitterness on the part of those who give. A president of a country, after visiting Welfare Square, canceled the remainder of his appointments for the day. "There is something here that is more important than anything else I have on my schedule," he said. "I must stay and learn more." ("Inspired Church Welfare": Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, C.R., April 1999)

Conclusion

The Humanitarian Center is an appendage of the welfare program of the church, and a reflection of the continuing concern of the church for the needy. In recent days with the devastation of Katrina flooding the airwaves and overwhelming the print media, I have been amazed at the good this church can and will do in a time of crisis. I spent a day at the Humanitarian Center one summer working as a volunteer. I fixed crutches and boxed canes and disassembled wheelchairs. I spent eight hours in a tiny corner of a huge building doing work which would be utilized and appreciated by people who have absolutely no idea who labored in their behalf. I have rarely felt better in my life. I have never been prouder of this church.

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D&C Lesson 37: We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

October Conference is less than a month away. Like many of you, I rejoice at the opportunity to sit twice a year and listen to the living words of living prophets. What a joy it is to be taught by the man we sustain as the Lord's Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, Gordon B. Hinckley. I have felt his power. I met President Hinckley in person in 1966 in the mission field, and sensed his apostolic mantel then. Again in 1973 when he ordained me to an office in the priesthood, and I felt the weight of his hands, I knew I was in the presence of a man of God. I have in my heart a great certainty of who and what he is. The witness of his prophetic calling has come to me over and over again, but never with more power than when I have been in my living room, surrounded by my family, as we have listened to him and watched him speaking to us from a television in the corner of the room. This is not a lesson about technology, but my heart has often been aflame with rejoicing over the modern inventions that make it possible for us to hear the words of living prophets, and to hear those prophets and words in my own home. The Lord has been good to us.

1. OUR NEED FOR A LIVING PROPHET

"President Wilford Woodruff once related that in a meeting held in Kirtland, Ohio, in the early days of the Church, one of the leaders addressed a group of the brethren on the subject of the living oracles of God. The brother who addressed the group set forth his beliefs in these words:

"'You have got the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to them.'

"When this speaker had finished his remarks, the Prophet Joseph Smith turned to President Brigham Young and said:

"'Brother Brigham I want you to take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the living oracles and the written word of God.' Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: 'There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,' said he, 'those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. ' When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation, 'Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.' " (C.R., Oct. 1887, p. 22; cited in Alma P. Burton, "Follow the Brethren," Ensign, Oct. 1972, PP.5)

President Wilford Woodruff on another occasion explained:

"We may take the Bible, the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and we may read them through, and every other revelation that has been given to us, and they would scarcely be sufficient to guide us twenty-four hours. We have only an outline of our duties written; we are to be guided by the living oracles" (Journal of Discourses, vol. 9, p. 324).

President Taylor explained the reality of this need with these words:

"We require a living tree - a living fountain - living intelligence, proceeding from the living priesthood in heaven, through the living priesthood on earth. from the time that Adam first received a communication from God, to the time that John, on the Isle of Patmos, received his communication, or Joseph Smith had the heavens opened to him, it always required new revelations, adapted to the peculiar circumstances in which the churches or individuals were placed. Adam's revelation did not instruct Noah to build his ark; nor did Noah's revelation tell Lot to forsake Sodom; nor did either of these speak of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. These all had revelations for themselves, and so had Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, John, and Joseph, and so must we, or we shall make a shipwreck." (Millennial Star, vol. 9., p. 323)

Certainly you have understood this reality, but it might be worth the effort of a few moments in a lesson or in a family hour to have participants list the matters of which modern prophets speak and about which earlier prophets, even earlier in this dispensation, had no concerns nor insights. This list might include such things as pornography or the Gay Marriage or sex-change operations or abortion. What a blessing it is to have the words of the former prophets so that we can know concerning "the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old."(1 Nephi19:22.) But that will never be enough.

2. THE ROLES OF OUR LIVING PROPHET

In 1980 President Benson spoke at a BYU Devotional. His talk was entitled "14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet." Those 14 fundamentals offer a comprehensive portrait of the qualities we should recognize in a prophet. Below are the headings of the fourteen points, each of which was the subject of inspired commentary by President Benson.

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything. 2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works. 3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet. 4. The prophet will never lead the church astray. 5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter, temporal or spiritual. 6. The prophet does not have to say, "Thus saith the Lord," to give us scripture. 7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know. 8. The prophet is not limited by man's reasoning. 9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual. 10. The prophet may be involved in civic matters. 11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. 12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly. 13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency, the highest quorum in the Church. 14. The prophet and the presidency - the living prophet and the First Presidency - follow them and be blessed - reject them and suffer.

We sustain our Church Presidents as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators. Consider for a moment the meaning underlying each of those titles. In what way does our living prophet fulfill each of these responsibilities?

A few chapters in 1 Samuel suggest 13 things that a prophet will do for his people:

A PROPHET

1. Is "a man of God." (1 Sam 9:6) 2. Is "honourable." (1 Sam 9:6) 3. Can "shew us our way that we should go." (1 Sam 9:6) 4. "Is now called a Prophet." (1 Sam 9:9) 5. Is "called a Seer." 6. "Will tell thee all that is in thine heart." ((1 Sam 9:18) 7. Will "Shew thee the word of God." (1 Sam 9:27) 8. "Hast not defrauded us..." (1 Sam 10:4) 9. "Hast not...oppressed us..." (1 Sam 10:4) 10. Has not "taken ought of any man's hand." (1 Sam 10:4) 11. Will reason with us (1 Sam 10:7) 12. Will not cease to pray for us (1 Sam 10:23) 13. Will teach us "the good and the right way." (1 Sam 10:23)

3. HEEDING THE WORDS OF THE LIVING PROPHETS

If an announcement came that the Savior himself would speak in our next General Conference, would your attitude and preparation for the event change at all? Of course he will. He had made his will abundantly clear in this matter. "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38) Not "almost the same," or "very similar." or "nearly identical." It is the same. We are under divine directive to treat the inspired words we hear from the Lord's servants as we would treat his words. Thus we can honestly ask ourselves. "What did the Savior ask me to do in this past Conference?"

If the Savior was going to speak and the program was going to be broadcast to your television, what other events or considerations would be significant enough to cause you to skip the opportunity? What if an announcement came that the lead article in next month's Ensign was to be written by the Lord himself? How difficult would it be to convince you not to read it?

The Lord emphasized this point in a revelation given the day the Church was organized. "For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

Speaking of this passage, President Harold B. Lee taught:

We have some tight places to go before the Lord is through with this church and the world in this dispensation, which is the last dispensation, which shall usher in the coming of the Lord. The gospel was restored to prepare a people ready to receive him. The power of Satan will increase; we see it in evidence on every hand. There will be inroads within the Church. . . . We will see those who profess membership but secretly are plotting and trying to lead people not to follow the leadership that the Lord has set up to preside in this church.
"Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, 'as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; . . . as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.' (D&C 21:4-5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that `the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory.'" (D&C 21:6.)" (Conference Report, Oct. 1970, p. 152.)

I think it would bless our lives immeasurably if we had the kind of attitude about the words of prophets that is indicated in the story below:

"I was recently in Vavau, Tonga. It is a little island which is 1-1/2 hours away from Nuku'alofa by plane and twenty-four hours away by boat. By boat is the worst trip that can be made. (If you don't believe that, ask Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, who went there recently to organize a stake and couldn't get a plane.) When the Area Conference was announced for Tonga, it was determined that only one boat would be available for the Saints from Vavau. The boat held 150 people. If you stuffed bodies into every possible corner of the ship, you could get close to 300 people. Eight Hundred Tongans jammed onto that boat and stood up for twenty-four hours without sleep, without food, without drink, without anything - because they knew that a prophet of God was going to be in their islands and they were not going to miss him for anything in the world.

"Do you want to go to conference that badly? Do you care that a prophet of God is speaking in the neighborhood? Do you care enough to flip on a television set, a radio, or to come to [a] building to watch a priesthood meeting? Eight hundred people stood up for twenty-four hours to get to conference . . . "The President of the Church is here," they said. "That's our prophet, and we may not see him again soon." And they came." ("Remembered and Nourished by the Good Word of God," Jeffrey R. Holland, BYU, Sept 26, 1976

An additional element from this event came to light when I shared this story with a ward in my stake. Members of the ward who were from Tonga came forward after the meeting to tell me that they were In Vavau when the area conference occurred. They told me that as the boat pulled away from the dock, headed for Nuku'alofa, there were church members jumping in the water and swimming to the boat, still trying to find a place on the vessel. They also told me that a second boat came just after the first had departed and took a much smaller group in substantial comfort to the area conference.

We must find better ways to understand and apply the messages of the prophets. In my home we buy Ensigns with conference talks for each family member as soon as they become available. Then we take a sabbatical from our weekday scripture reading and review the talks from conference together, marking key passages and looking for things we ought to be doing individually and as a family.

Ezekiel spoke of the danger of doing something less than obeying.

"Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against [better: about] thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not." (Ezek. 33:30-33)

It is not enough to talk about conference. It is not enough to come to conference or to sit and listen to conference or to hear the words spoken in conference. We must make application to our own lives. We must be different because of the conference experience. We must do something.

4. LATTER-DAY PROPHETS' EXAMPLE OF CHRISTLIKE LOVE

The Savior spoke to his American Twelve and said:

And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. (3 Nephi 27:237)

As we have watched the prophets across the years, we have seen over and over again that their lives reflect this instruction. In so many things and in so many ways, they have shown themselves truly Christlike. We ought to follow their example even as we try to follow their words.

Junius Burt of Salt Lake City, a longtime worker in the Streets Department, related a touching and inspirational experience. He declared that on a cold winter morning, the street cleaning crew of which he was a member was removing large chunks of ice from the street gutters. The regular crew was assisted by temporary laborers who desperately needed the work. One such wore only a lightweight sweater and was suffering from the cold. A slender man with a well groomed beard stopped by the crew and asked the worker, "You need more than that sweater on a morning like this. Where is your coat?" The man replied that he had no coat to wear. The visitor then removed his own overcoat, handed it to the man and said, "This coat is yours. It is heavy wool and will keep you warm. I just work across the street. The street was South Temple. The good Samaritan who walked into the Church Administration Building to his daily work and without his coat was President George Albert Smith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His selfless act of generosity revealed his tender heart. ("My Brother's Keeper," President Thomas S. Monson, C.R., April 1990)

In the same talk, President Monson recalled another incident with a coat:

During a drive to amass warm clothing to ship to suffering Saints, Elder Harold B. Lee and Elder Marion G. Romney took President George Albert Smith to Welfare Square in Salt Lake City. They were impressed by the generous response of the membership of the Church to the clothing drive and the preparations for sending the goods overseas. They watched President Smith observing the workers as they packaged this great volume of donated clothing and shoes. They saw tears running down his face. After a few moments, President Smith removed a new overcoat that he had on and said, "Please ship this also." The Brethren said to him, "No, President, no; don't send that; it's cold and you need your coat." But President Smith would not take it back. ("My Brother's Keeper:" President Thomas S. Monson C.R., April 1990)

Another example:

In that remarkable biography [Spencer W. Kimball, by Edward L. and Andrew E. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977] is a story about a woman who was in O'Hare Airport in Chicago during a big snowstorm. Planes had been confused in their schedules and thousands of people were stranded. Her money had run out, she had a two-year-old child, and the child was hungry and dirty. The woman was two or three months pregnant and had been told not to hold this child because it might have an adverse effect on her physically. So the child was on the floor of the airport. The woman was in one line after another trying to buy a ticket to a Michigan point. People were criticizing her because she would reach forward with her foot to push the child up in the line as the line moved along, because she couldn't pick the child up.
She was in anguish when a man approached her with a kindly smile on his face. He said, 'Young lady, it appears to me that you need help.' He took the dirty little two-year-old child in his arms and loved it, patted it on the back, gave it a stick of chewing gum. Then he went to the people in the line and he told them about the woman - how she had to get a flight out to Michigan. They agreed, under the influence of his spirit, to let her go ahead of them. He took her to the flight and got her started on her way. As she boarded the plane, the woman thought to herself, 'What a wonderful man, and I don't even know his name.' But a few days later, in a newspaper, she saw a picture of President Spencer W. Kimball. (Norman Vincent Peale, Ensign, May 1980, p. 109; cited in "The Gospel of Love," Ensign, Dec. 1985, 23-24)

Conclusion

"On one occasion, Karl G. Maeser was leading a party of young missionaries across the Alps. As they reached the summit, he looked back and saw a row of sticks thrust in the snow to mark the one safe path across the otherwise treacherous glacier.

"Halting the company of missionaries, he gestured toward the sticks and said, 'Brethren, there stands the priesthood [of God]. They are just common sticks like the rest of us...but the position they hold makes them what they are to us. If we step aside from the path they mark, we are lost.'" (In Alma P. Burton, Karl G. Maeser, Mormon Educator, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co., 1953, p. 22.) ("From Such Turn Away," Elder Boyd K. Packer, C.R., April 1985)

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D&C Lesson 36: The Desert Shall Rejoice and Blossom as the Rose

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Neighbors who lived near my home in a small Arizona town suffered the misfortune of having the foundation of their home crack. The displacement left three- and four-inch gaps between the bricks of the West and North walls. It was a preventable calamity. Everyone knew that the soil was sandy and that the foundation, in order to remain secure, had to rest on bedrock. But in an effort to cut costs and save time, the owner and contractor agreed to shortcuts which led to disaster.

In much the same way that buildings require strong foundations, organizations, families, and lives do also. The Lord spoke of the foundation of the Church several times in the D&C:

And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually- (D&C 1:30)
Wherefore, if you shall build up my church, upon the foundation of my gospel and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you. (D&C 18:4)
Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you-that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come; And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand . . . (D&C 58:6,7)
Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. (D&C 64:33)

In order for the Church to meet the expectations of the Lord, its foundation had to be absolutely solid. The account of the settling of the Great Basin and the building of the great temple and taking the gospel to the world show us a people wholly engrossed in that responsibility.

1. RIGHT HERE WILL STAND THE TEMPLE OF OUR GOD

Sometime after the arrival of Nephi in the Land of Nephi , he supervised the construction of a temple. (2 Nephi 5:16) The Lord commanded the construction of a temple in Kirtland after the saints arrived there (D&C 88:119). A half a year later he directed the erection of a temple in the Land of Zion. The language of the revelation is instructive:

Verily I say unto you, that it is my will that a house should be built unto me in the land of Zion, like unto the pattern which I have given you. Yea, let it be built speedily, by the tithing of my people. Behold, this is the tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion- (D&C 97:10-12)

Less than a year after the arrival of the Saints in Illinois, and just months after Joseph had moved to what was then called Commerce on May 10, 1839, the Lord spoke again:

And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints come from afar. And send ye swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them: Come ye, with all your gold, and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities; and with all who have knowledge of antiquities, that will come, may come, and bring the box-tree, and the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, together with all the precious trees of the earth; And with iron, with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious things of the earth; and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein. (D&C 124:25-27)

Brigham Young learned from these experiences and from the inspiration of the Spirit that as the Saints gathered to the mountains and built homes for themselves, it was imperative that they invite the Lord to come and dwell among them. Brigham had been sick during the final days of the westward journey, but the day after the arrival at the valley, he went for a walk:

The next morning he and the Twelve who came with him took a walk. He had been quite feeble, but he was then able to walk with the assistance of his staff. We walked along until we came to this Temple Block . It was covered with sagebrush. There was no mark to indicate that God ever intended to place anything there. But while walking along Brother Brigham stopped very suddenly. He stuck his cane in the ground and said, "Right here will stand the great Temple of our God." We drove a stake in the place indicated by him, and that particular spot is situated in the middle of the Temple site. (Wilford Woodruff, Collected Discourses, Vol. 5, delivered on April 6, 1992)

Brigham Young said:

I have determined, by the help of the Lord and this people, to build him a house. You may ask, "Will he dwell in it?" He may do just as he pleases; it is not my prerogative to dictate to the Lord. But we will build him a house, that, if he pleases to pay us a visit, he may have a place to dwell in, or if he should send any of his servants, we may have suitable accommodations for them. I have built myself a house, and the most of you have done the same, and now, shall we not build the Lord a house? (JD, vol.1, p. 376)

There seems to have arisen a great longing in the Church to have temples closer to the people. The efforts of President Hinckley to place temples throughout the earth so that the people may have the blessings of a House of the Lord has been one of the great miracles of the past decade. And our prophets have always knows how important this was,

The day is coming soon when no one will need to die without a temple marriage... The day will come when there will be hundreds of temples all over this world, when there will not be one soul in the world, probably, who is more than a thousand miles away; and for a one-time experience in all one's life, a thousand miles is not far to go. It wouldn't be far to crawl if one knew what he was getting and what he was missing if he didn't go. (Spencer W. Kimball: "Marriage is Honorable," BYU Speeches of the Year, 1973; p. 269)

President Brigham Young foresaw a day when temples would cover the earth: "To accomplish this work there will have to be not only one temple, but thousands of them, and thousands and tens of thousands of men and women will go into those temples and officiate for people who have lived as far hack as the Lord shall reveal." (JD, vol. 3, p. 372.)

2. SAINTS WERE OBEDIENT AS THEY SETTLED AND COLONIZED THE SALT LAKE VALLEY AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS

"As the Latter-day Saint pioneers commenced to settle the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, Brigham Young envisioned something far greater than his people occupying but one mountain valley . . . He had been greatly impressed by the sociological ideas of the Prophet Joseph Smith as manifested in the Prophet's concepts of city planning. President Young was convinced that an ideal community need not be a large city . . . Brigham Young would have preferred to have ten cities of 10,000 each, rather than 100,000 members of the Church residing in one community." (T. Edgar Lyon: July 1970 Improvement Era, "Mormon Colonization of the Far West" pages 12,13)

My great-great grandfather and his brother moved to Payson, Utah, shortly after their arrival in the Valley. They built homes and established farms or ranches in the area. One day Brigham called the two of them to leave Utah Valley and settle on the Muddy in what was then thought to be Arizona but was in fact Nevada. With the call came a promise, phrased something like this: "If you accept the call, your posterity will be as numerous as the sands of the seashore, and they will rise up and call you blessed." One of them, recently married, found his wife and himself unwilling to follow prophetic counsel. They remained in Payson. He later took a second wife. These marriages produced 2 daughters. One died in infancy, the other never married. The unwilling brother's line has ceased to exist in Zion. The other brother's line has had a different experience. He responded to the direction of the prophet and traveled south. This past summer a group of his descendants met in a reunion in Utah Valley. Genealogists in the family told us that after the first six generations, this brother now has over twenty thousand descendants.

Between 1847 and 1877, Church members established 349 communities under the direction of the Prophet. As always in the kingdom, the calls to participate in this expansion and settlement were received in a manner dictated by the faith of the recipients. People were called to such places as Colonia Dublan in Mexico, to Raymond and Cardston in Canada, to Snowflake in Arizona and Las Vegas in Nevada, to Lovell in Wyoming, to Rupert in Idaho, to San Bernardino in California, to Legrande in Washington, and to Kirtland in New Mexico. And they went. Obedient to the requirement of their covenants and to the direction of a just and loving God, many, so very many of them once again set off once again into the wilderness to make new homes. Someone has said that Brigham desired to "have a settlement on every stream large enough to provide the source for permanent agricultural community." (T. Edgar Lyon: July 1970 Improvement Era, "Mormon Colonization of the Far West" page 13)

What would your attitude have been if you had been called to leave the Salt Lake Valley in those years of expansion? If you had endured the apostasy of Kirtland and the animosity of Missouri and martyrdoms of Illinois and the trek to Winter Quarters and then Utah, and then had been called to go on to a new and unsettled location, how would you have responded? Read the words of the first verse of Hymn #270:

It may not be on the mountain height Or over the stormy sea, It may not be at the battle's front My Lord will have need of me. But if, by a still, small voice he calls To paths that I do not know I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine: I'll go where you want me to go.

I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain or plain or sea; I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord; I'll be what you want me to be.

3. MISSIONARIES MADE SACRIFICES TO TEACH THE GOSPEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

As an example of the sacrifices made by early missionaries, consider the following historical vignette, based on a true story.

BISHOP: Richard Benson was born at Wrightington, England, in 1816, and he died at Center Creek in 1895. Weep not; he is at rest.
He was baptized in England by Heber C. Kimball, who sent him on a mission to New Castle upon Tyne. Richard baptized forty-seven people there, including Phoebe. Later, from Nauvoo, he answered another call to England. That time he married Phoebe and brought her to Great Salt Lake. But they'd scarcely got comfortable when Brother Brigham called them to settle Center Creek-another 250 miles into the wilderness. I knew Brother Benson. He loved the Lord and went where he was called. . . .
RICHARD: April 1866, I went to conference, fifteen days by wagon down to Great Salt Lake. There, in God's Tabernacle, I gathered with the Saints. I heard my name called out by Heber C. Kimball.
HEBER: Richard Benson: mission to Great Britain.
BISHOP: Later, Richard had a little conversation with Brother Heber.
HEBER: When will it be convenient, Elder Benson, for you to leave?
RICHARD: Why, Brother Kimball, I must go home and talk with Phoebe.
HEBER: Why, Richard, that would waste a month.
RICHARD: But-
HEBER: What's to talk about?
RICHARD: Well, there's the crops to put in, plowing and planting, and wood to haul against next winter, and the winter after that, for Phoebe and the children.
HEBER: I know Phoebe, Richard. She'll do without you. I'll tell your bishop to say your goodbyes and watch out for your family. The caravan leaves day after tomorrow for the Missouri. God bless you, Elder Benson. Bring back some miners and millwrights and masons-men of skill and faith to help us build up Zion.
RICHARD: Why did I go - not even turning back to say goodbye to Phoebe? Because I, too, knew Phoebe. To her, Heber C. Kimball, who baptized me, is still God's servant. And when Brother Kimball says to a man, "Go," behold, he goeth.
BISHOP: Phoebe Forrester, wife of Richard Benson, born 1820, died 1904.
PHOEBE: How did I feel when the bishop stood in my doorway and said - -
BISHOP: Your husband, Phoebe, your husband is on his way back across the plains - called on a mission to England .
PHOEBE: I stood like a stunned ox under a sledge's blow. Two years. He's gone away for 24 months; 720 days; 17,520 hours. Gone. And why on earth didn't he at least come home and tell me?
BISHOP: Tell you what, Sister Benson?
PHOEBE: I looked at my children, their faces staring blankly from the bishop to me. I know what my husband would have told me, and I know what I would have told him. We both know you must go where the Lord calls. Yet, why on earth! He could have at least come home!
No, if he's going - he'll be back four weeks sooner. They always said I could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. That's what I had to do, day after day for 720 days. And sometimes there was not even a sow's ear, although my silk purse grew to look like one. And the work was mine, inside and out, and all the bills, and the care and correction of our children were mine. And when there was sickness, croup, cholera, or smallpox, the cry in the night was for me, always me.
But somehow the pennies stretched, the wood burned longer, the wheat dwindled slowly. We pieced and patched as we peeled off the calendar's 720 sheets to 126,144,000 tickings of the mantel clock. And then at last our husband and father stood in the door. We know the joy that awaits those who go where the Lord wants them to go.

("An Evening of Historical Vignettes," Ensign, Oct. 1972, 89-90)

Matt. 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations."

American Samoa,1888; Argentina, 1925; Armenia, 1921; Australia, 1840; Austria, 1864; Belgium, 1887; Bolivia, 1923;Brazil, 1925; British Guiana, 1852; British Honduras, 1852; Canada, 1832; Ceylon, 1851-1853; Chile, 1851; China, 1852; Colombia, 1852; Costa Rica, 1947; Czechoslovakia, 1929; Denmark, 1850; Ecuador, 1959; El Salvador, 1947; England, 1837;Fiji, 1915; Finland, 1878; France, 1849; Germany, 1843; Greece, 1894; Guatemala, 1947; Hawaii, 1850; Honduras, 1947; Hong Kong, 1852; Hungary, 1883; Iceland, 1851, India, 1853; Indonesia, 1969; Ireland, 1840; Israel, 1841; Italy, 1850; Jamaica, 1841; Japan, 1901; Korea, 1956; Malta, 1852; Mexico, 1875; Netherlands, 1861; New Guinea, 1860; New Zealand, 1853; Nicaragua, 1947; Norway, 1851; Okinawa; 1955; Panama, 1947; Paraguay, 1947; Peru, 1901; Philippines, 1961; Prussia, 1852; Rarotonga, 1945; Rhodesia, 1853; Russia, 1843-1895; Scotland, 1839; South Africa, 1853; Spain, 1852; Sweden, 1850; Switzerland, 1850; Syria, 1884; Tahiti, 1843; Taiwan, 1959; Thailand, 1852; Tonga, 1891; Turkey, 1884; United States, 1830; Uruguay, 1940; Venezuela, 1968; Vietnam, 1966; Wales, 1844; Western Samoa, 1888; Zambia, 1853.

My feeling is that accepting a call to Tonga in 1891 or to Rhodesia in 1853 or to Italy in 1850 is as significant as taking wagons or handcarts into the unknown reaches of the west. And it is not different today. We must all offer everything.

Conclusion

Think about the trials of the Saints who settled the Rockies and of the trials they faced as they laid the foundation on which we have built. They began their travels from New York to Ohio in January and February; out of Jackson County in November and December; from Kirtland to Missouri in December; from Missouri to Nauvoo in November and December; and from Nauvoo to the West in February.

Where is April on this list?

"The question was asked, how Brigham Young was able to colonize a desert. The answer came simply that by the time he said 'This Is The Right Place' most of the physically weak had died and all of the spiritually weak had been left behind. . .[The Lord] was out to forge steel so hard it could become an instrument for his purposes. And if the metal was flawed, sometimes it must go back into the forge." (Jerry Lund: "A Stone Cut Out," CES Symposium, August 1989).

It was this kind of commitment that the Lord needed to lay the foundation for this latter-day work and to make the desert blossom as a rose.

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D&C Lesson 35: A Mission of Saving

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Cain's query of the Lord has echoed down the corridors of time: "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Moses 5:34) And the answer has followed close at hand. Religious history is filled with tales of sacrifice made by men and women in behalf of their brothers and sisters. We have always considered that the greatest among us have been those willing to enter harm's way in behalf of others, whether friends or strangers. It is a question answered conclusively by the firefighters and policemen who rushed into the towers of the World Trade Center while everyone else was rushing out. Brigham Young explained the principle in conjunction with the celebration of a day of thanksgiving on 1 January 1852 . He taught the saints this: "[Y]ou cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, and be preparing for celestial glory, while the meanest menial under your charge or control, is in want of the smallest thing which God has given you power to supply ..." (Brigham Young, "Proclamation: For a Day of Praise and Thanksgiving for the Territory of Utah," Ensign, Nov. 1971, 41)

1. PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG GUIDED THE RESCUE OF THE WILLIE AND MARTIN HANDCART COMPANIES.

As you review the historical setting for the rescue of the handcart companies, you must not miss the spiritual implications. Virtually every act of the prophet and the people and the rescuers has spiritual implications. For example:

1. When Brigham Young was informed that Saints were stranded, freezing and dying, on the high plains of Wyoming, how long did he wait to act?

"I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until next day, for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons...

"I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the Plains." (LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Haven, Handcarts to Zion, pp. 120-121)

When you see people pursuing a course of conduct that might ultimately be fatal in a spiritual way, how long do you wait to react?

2. When did the people respond to the prophet's appeal?

"That afternoon food, bedding and clothing in great quantities were assembled, President Hinckley said, and the next morning wagons were repaired and loaded. By the end of October 250 teams were on the road to give relief." (Church News: 10/12/96 )

How have we responded to the appeal of the Prophet to rescue our new converts, so many of whom are in danger of perishing?

[Y]ou cannot disregard the converts. Most of them do not need very much. As I have said before, they need a friend. They need something to do, a responsibility. They need nurturing with the good word of God. They come into the Church with enthusiasm for what they have found. We must immediately build on that enthusiasm. You have people in your wards who can be friends to every convert. They can listen to them, guide them, answer their questions, and be there to help in all circumstances and in all conditions. Brethren, this loss must stop. It is unnecessary. I am satisfied the Lord is not pleased with us. I invite you, every one of you, to make this a matter of priority in your administrative work. I invite every member to reach out in friendship and love for those who come into the Church as converts. (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service," Ensign, Nov. 1997, p. 51)

The caravans of wagons found the beleaguered Saints and most of them were rescued and brought to the valley. The commitment of the rescuers to the welfare of their suffering brothers and sisters must speak to our hearts. There are people even now perishing in the frost of indifference and faithlessness. There are many, a very great many yet on the earth who are only kept from the safety of the valley because they know not where to find it (see D&C 123:12). They must be rescued. Brigham Young said to the Saints on that October day in 1856,

I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains. And attend strictly to those things which we call temporal, or temporal duties. Otherwise, your faith will be in vain. The preaching you have heard will be in vain to you, and you will sink to Hell, unless you attend to the things we tell you. (qtd. in James E. Faust, "Go Bring Them In from the Plains," Ensign, July 1997, p. 6)

2. THE SAVIOR RESCUES US THROUGH HIS ATONING SACRIFICE.

Just as the Saints went into harms way to rescue the members of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, so the Savior placed himself in the path of justice to rescue us. Elder M. Russell Ballard related a wonderful story that teaches a sobering lesson about what the Savior did for us.

I remember reading about a fire fighter in the eastern United States who ran into a burning house to rescue several children from an arson-induced fire. While his colleagues battled the blaze to keep it from spreading to other structures in the neighborhood, this man dashed into the building again and again, each time emerging with a child in his arms. After rescuing the fifth child, he started back into the inferno once more. Neighbors shouted that there were no more children in the family. But he insisted that he had seen a baby in a cradle, and he dove into the intensifying heat.
Moments after he disappeared into the fire and smoke, a horrifying explosion shook the building and the entire structure collapsed. It was several hours before fire fighters were able to locate their colleague's body. They found him in the nursery near the crib, huddled protectively over a life sized - and practically unscratched - doll.
As I think about such heroism, however, I'm reminded that the most heroic act of all time ever was performed in behalf of all mankind by the Son of God. In a very real sense, all of humanity-past, present, and future-was trapped behind a wall of flame that was fueled and fanned by our own faithlessness. Sin separated mortals from God (see Romans 6:23 ), and would do so forever unless a way was found to put out the fires of sin and rescue us from ourselves. (Cited in Our Search for Happiness, M. Russell Ballard, p. 11]

The intervention of the Savior in our otherwise hopeless circumstances is the purest and greatest act of rescuing this universe has ever experienced. And it is intensely individual. Note the language used by Alma and Ammon to describe what the Savior did for them: Alma testified:

"Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

"My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more." (Mosiah 27:28,29)

Ammon declared:

"Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?

"Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.

"Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?

"Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls." ( Alma 26:17-20)

As the prophet Jacob reflected on the mission of the Savior, he exulted in what the Savior had done for us. Listen to his language:

"O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!" (2 Nephi 9:8)

"O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell ..." (2 Nephi 9:10

"O how great the plan of our God!" (2 Nephi 10:13)

"O the greatness and the justice of our God!" (2 Nephi 9:17)

"O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!" (2 Nephi 9:19)

"O how great the holiness of our God!" (2 Nephi 9:20)

I stood one day in the Garden of Gethsemane and felt the very trees testifying of the reality of these things. Like Ammon and Alma, I too have been snatched from the very jaws of hell, rescued from the deepest abyss, delivered from the clutches of an embittered insomniac whose only desire is to make me miserable. (See 2 Nephi 2:18, 27)

3. AS LATTER-DAY SAINTS, WE ARE TO RESCUE THOSE IN NEED.

Since it is the objective of Lucifer that "all men might be miserable like unto himself..." (2 Nephi 2:27 ), and the desire of the Savior to "crown the faithful with joy and rejoicing ..." (D&C 52:43), we must demonstrate our discipleship by our efforts to rescue those who have become or might become a prey to the misery of Satan.

Most of you will remember the story of the efforts of three young men to assist members of the handcart company at the crossing of the Sweetwater.

"It was an emotional experience to see the Sweetwater River crossing where most of the five hundred members of the company were carried across the icy river by three brave young men. Later, all three of the boys died from the effects of the terrible strain and great exposure of that crossing. When President Brigham Young heard of this heroic act, he wept like a child and later declared publicly: "That act alone will ensure C. Allen Huntington, George W. Grant and David P. Kimball an everlasting salvation in the Celestial Kingdom of God, worlds without end." (Solomon F. Kimball, "Belated Emigrants of 1856," Improvement Era, Feb. 1914, p. 288; cited by James E. Faust, "A Priceless Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 1992, 84)

We have a great obligation to rescue those who are trapped beyond the filthy waters of sin and sorrow and suffering. The Lord has made it clear that we must act in behalf of those who have become a prey to Satan's misery.

Remember these words?

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. (Matthew 25:40-45)

A part of Benjamin's sermon in Mosiah 4 is focused on this matter. We must rescue those in need if we are able. Elder Thomas Monson told a lovely story about this principle:

During the administration of President George Albert Smith, there lived in our ward an impoverished widow who cared for her three daughters, each of whom was an invalid. They were large in size and almost totally helpless. To this dear woman fell the task of bathing, feeding, dressing, and caring for her girls. Means were limited. Outside help was nonexistent. Then came the blow that the house she rented was to be sold. What was she to do? Where would she go? The bishop went to the Church Office Building to inquire if there were some way the house could be purchased. It was so small, the price so reasonable. The request was considered, then denied. A heartsick bishop was leaving the front door of the building when he met President George Albert Smith. After the exchange of greetings, President Smith inquired, "What brings you to the headquarters building?" He listened carefully as the bishop explained, but said nothing. He then excused himself for a few minutes. He returned wearing a smile and directed, "Go upstairs to the fourth floor. A check is waiting there for you. Buy the house."
"But the request was denied."
Again President Smith smiled and said, "It has just been reconsidered and approved." The home was purchased. That dear widow lived there and cared for her daughters until each of them had passed away. Then she, too, went home to God and to her heavenly reward. (Thomas S. Monson, "The Long Line of the Lonely," Ensign, Feb. 1992, 5)

Years ago a friend of mine taught an institute class at a state college. It was called "LDS Doctrine for non-Mormons." The class was well taught and well attended. After completing the Fall Quarter, my friend entered the hospital for a serious operation. His doctor, who served in the Stake Presidency with the Director of the Institute, indicated that in seriousness, this surgery was about the equivalent of three surgeries at the same time. The doctor indicated that the teacher - call him Harold - was not to come to work for at least three weeks. He needed to be off his feet at home for that length of time.

A week later the Director of the Institute ran into Harold at the Institute building. "Harold," he said, "you shouldn't be here. Your doctor said you were to spend three weeks in bed. What are you doing?"

Harold answered, "Some of the non-members who the LDS Doctrine class are here to talk to me. They are considering baptism."

The Director was firm: "Harold, I just can't let you do it. It is too dangerous."

Then Harold said this: "If I was sitting and recuperating in my recliner in the living room of my home and witnessed a terrible automobile accident on the street in front of my house, and if I could see through my window that there were badly injured people, bleeding and perhaps dying, would you expect me to sit and do nothing?"

"No," came the reply.

"Well, sir, people are dying, and I can't sit at home and do nothing."

The concern expressed by this teacher is the concern that brought men and wagons from Salt Lake into the lashing winds of a bitter Wyoming winter. When people are dying, spiritually or physically, Saints are not able to sit still and do nothing.

Rescuing the children of our Father spiritually is in fact the most important thing we can do. The Lord said in D&C 15 and D&C 16

"And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father." (D&C 15:6; 16:6)

Conclusion

Certain organizations exist which bear the name "Search and Rescue." What a wonderful idea! No job description could better describe the mission of the Church.

Since 1985, the church has given $282.3 million in cash donations and $833.6 million in materials to humanitarian project. Every year, hundreds of relief, community development, and in-kind projects are completed by the Church in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States and Canada.

"Couples are now serving on full-time humanitarian service missions in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mongolia, and Latin America. Individual doctors, nurses, educators, and others have served on short-term consulting assignments with government ministries, hospitals, schools, and other institutions in many countries. Some projects have attacked the causes of poverty and suffering by supporting community development efforts of the local people." (Thomas S. Monson, "Search and Rescue," Ensign, May 1993, 48)

We must all be willing to do what the church is committed to doing; we must all be ready to search and rescue.

Ted would like to hear your comments. Click here to access his Facebook group for discussing Gospel Doctrine lessons.

Also, click here to get a preview of Ted's new book!

(Painting by Michael Bedard, "Brother's Keeper, 1856.")

D&C Lesson 34: Faith in Every Footstep

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Six houses that belonged to my ancestors still stand in Nauvoo; nice brick and frame homes, with lawns and gardens and trees and carriage houses. I can hardly imagine the stretching and intensity necessary for their owners to gather up a wagon load of non-perishable goods, sweep the floor a final time, and follow the prophet of God across the Mississippi and into the setting sun. My own home is large and lovely, with a wrought iron fence and roses and fruit trees and tomatoes. My children grew up here. My grandchildren identify this as the ancestral home. I wonder how I would respond if circumstances and revelation were to require an uprooting and transplanting . . .

I wonder if I would have the courage to walk away. I hope my trust in the Lord would be sufficient to sustain me in the wilderness and that the ice of the river and the mud of Iowa and the scurvy of Missouri and the emptiness of Nebraska and Wyoming would not have the ability to break me. I love the example of Abraham. He had been commanded by the Lord to leave Haran and travel to Canaan.

"And I took Sarai, whom I took to wife when I was in Ur, in Chaldea, and Lot, my brother's son, and all our substance that we had gathered, and the souls that we had won in Haran, and came forth in the way to the land of Canaan, and dwelt in tents as we came on our way; Therefore, eternity was our covering and our rock and our salvation, as we journeyed from Haran . . ." (Abraham 2:15-17).

"Eternity was our covering." They would still have a roof over their heads, even during the coldest, darkest nights when there was nothing but wagon canvas between them and the distant, shining stars. Knowing that, they could move into the unknown with faith in every footstep.

1. THE LORD INSTRUCTED THE SAINTS REGARDING THEIR PHYSICAL PREPARATIONS FOR THEIR JOURNEY

Even though the journey to the Great Basis was a journey of faith and obedience, there was great concern for the physical needs and welfare of the pioneers, and it was a shared concern. The settlements at Garden Grove and Mt. Pisgah are evidence enough that it was the intent of the Saints to get every single member who was willing, to the promised land of Utah.

We are also making a journey to a promised land.

"And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise" (Alma 37:45).}

Review the instructions given by the Lord in D&C 136 for the journey to the west and apply the principles to your own journey. This section is "The Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West ..."(Doctrine and Covenants 136:1). The first part of the instruction regards spiritual preparation.

"Let all the people of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...be organized into companies, with a covenant and promise to keep all the commandments and statutes of the Lord our God" (Doctrine and Covenants 136:2).

Have you made such a covenant and promise? Are these instructions reminiscent of the sacramental and baptismal covenants? How have you been blessed by making and keeping those covenants?

"Let the companies be organized...under the direction of the Twelve Apostles" (Doctrine and Covenants 136:3).

Is your life organized under the direction of Prophets and Seers? Are you willing to be submissive to the course identified by revelators? President Harold B. Lee observed,

We have some tight places to go before the Lord is through...in this dispensation, which is the last dispensation, which shall usher in the coming of the Lord. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." (D&C 21:6) (Improvement Era, Dec. 1970, p. 126.)

"And this shall be our covenant - that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord" (Doctrine and Covenants 136:4). This covenant is the covenant of obedience, and is the only logical attitude for those making this journey. Why would anyone follow God's chosen leaders anywhere if they did not intend to follow the instructions of those leaders?

In verses 136:5 & 7, the Lord spends time on practical and temporal preparation for the exodus.

Make a list (or mark the list) of the things the Lord says will be required:

teams
wagons
provisions
clothing
other necessaries
seeds
farming utensils

Of course the Lord also gives instructions for the provision of those who will follow, and for those who cannot care for themselves.

"When the companies are organized let them go to with their might, to prepare for those who are to tarry" (Doctrine and Covenants 136:6).

"Let each company bear an equal proportion, according to the dividend of their property, in taking the poor, the widows, the fatherless, and the families of those who have gone into the army, that the cries of the widow and the fatherless come not up into the ears of the Lord against this people. Let each company prepare houses, and fields for raising grain, for those who are to remain behind this season; and this is the will of the Lord concerning his people. Let every man use all his influence and property to remove this people to the place where the Lord shall locate a stake of Zion " (Doctrine and Covenants 136:8-10).

2. THE LORD INSTRUCTED THE SAINTS REGARDING THEIR CONDUCT

The Lord also gave instructions about matters of conduct and intent and attitude.

Vs. 11: Do my will with faithfulness and a pure heart.
Vs. 17: Don't be afraid of your enemies.
Vs. 19: If you build yourself up and ignore my counsel, you will not have power.
Vs. 20: Keep your word. Don't covet.
Vs. 21: Keep yourselves from the evil of taking my name in vain.
Vs. 23: Avoid contention. Don't speak evil of one another.
Vs. 24: Build each other up with your words.
Vs. 25: If you borrow something, return it. If you can't return it, go explain the problem.
Vs. 26: If you find something that is not yours, make every effort to locate the owner.
Vs. 27: Be good stewards over that which the Lord has given you.

How many of these instructions have meaning in 2005? If you were evaluating yourself based in the requirements of these 10 verses, what grade would you give yourself?

In D&C 136:18, the Lord gives his approval to singing, music, and dancing, provided they are conducted and presented in such a way as to praise the Lord as he is praised with praying. Brigham Young made this point clearly in later years:

Suppose you go into some of the wards and say, "we have obtained some music, let us go into the school house and have a dance." "O yes!" is the ready response, and they will immediately prepare, get ready their sons and their daughters, and, leaving all important duties pertaining to their welfare here and hereafter, unattended to, fill the house to overflowing. Brethren, you will use these privileges to your own destruction, if you are not careful. Yes, you could have a full house, dancing attendance to the sounds of revelry and music; but, on the other hand, suppose your invitation is to your neighbor, "Come, brethren, sisters, we are going to have a prayer meeting over at the school house. Will you go? Will you come? Not to dance, but to pray!" "Well, really, I do not see how I can; my work is not done; I have a few chores [trifling domestic affairs] to do yet; I have agreed to go to a neighbor's on business; a neighbor promised to call on me tonight, and I cannot well leave. I should like very much to go, but I really do not see that I can tonight." In short, excuses are not wanting. I say to you, my brethren, and to myself, if we take this course, condemnation is our doom, we will ruin, condemn ourselves, and the Lord Almighty will judge us out of our own mouths. This is the tale told as it is. It is not for any of us to enjoy the privilege of the dance, or any other recreation, until every duty that is enjoined upon us is performed. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.1, p.112-13)

3. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG, THE SAINTS JOURNEYED TO THE SALT LAKE VALLEY

The Lord seems to have foreshadowed the settlements in the mountains at least three times in his revelations:

"Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish ..." (Doctrine and Covenants 35:24).

"Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion , that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish" (D&C 39:13).

"But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed" (Doctrine and Covenants 49:24-25).

And they did gather in the hills and upon the mountains. By wagon and by boat and by foot and by handcart and by train they came and they came - finally about 70000 of them. You and I know the names of a few leaders. Some of us have the heritage of ancestors who journeyed into the wilderness in search of God and Zion . But most of the names of those who came we do not know and will never know. They were simple, quiet, obedient and faithful Saints with sunburned faces and burning testimonies who found their greatest joy in the approval of God, and endured every hardship with faith. Stillman Pond was such a Saint:

Stillman Pond was a member of the Second Quorum of Seventy in Nauvoo. He was an early convert to the Church, having come from Hubbardston, Massachusetts. Like others, he and his wife, Maria, and their children were harassed and driven out of Nauvoo. In September 1846, they became part of the great western migration ...
Maria contracted consumption, and all of the children were stricken with malaria. Three of the children died while moving through the early snows. Stillman buried them on the plains. Maria's condition worsened because of the grief, pain, and the fever of malaria. She could no longer walk. Weakened and sickly, she gave birth to twins. They were named Joseph and Hyrum, and both died within a few days.
The Stillman Pond family arrived at Winter Quarters and, like many other families, they suffered bitterly while living in a tent. The death of the five children coming across the plains to Winter Quarters was but a beginning.
The journal of Horace K. and Helen Mar Whitney verifies the following regarding four more of the children of Stillman Pond who perished:
"On Wednesday, the 2nd of December 1846 , Laura Jane Pond, age 14 years...died of chills and fever. Two days later on Friday, the 4th of December 1846, Harriet M. Pond, age 11 years...died with chills. Three days later, Monday, the 7th of December, 1846, Abigail A. Pond, age 18 years...died with chills. Just five weeks later, Friday, the 15th of January, 1847, Lyman Pond, age 6 years...died with chills and fever. Four months later, on the 17th of May, 1847, his wife Maria Davis Pond also died. Crossing the plains, Stillman Pond lost nine children and a wife. He became an outstanding colonizer in Utah, and became the senior president of the thirty-fifth Quorum of Seventy. (See Leon Y. and H. Ray Pond, comps., "Stillman Pond, a Biographical Sketch," in Sterling Forsyth Histories, typescript, Church Historical Dept. Archives, pp. 4-5.)
Having lost these nine children and his wife in crossing the plains, Stillman Pond did not lose his faith. He did not quit. He went forward. He paid a price, as have many others before and since, to become acquainted with God. (This account of the experiences of Stillman Pond was related by James E. Faust, "The Refiner's Fire," Ensign, May 1979, p. 54)

Conclusion

The redemption of Zion will happen in this way or not at all. Faithful men and women (and children) will put one foot in front of the other and keep going in right direction. Even when they do not know what lies beyond the next hill or mountain or river, they will continue, their eyes on their leaders, the solemnities of eternity in their hearts, and with faith in every footstep.

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D&C Lesson 32: To Seal the Testimony

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Consider the following names: John the Baptist; 1000 Anti-Nephi-Lehies; Abinadi; Joseph Smith. What do these have in common? They were martyred because of their commitment to the truth. Can you identify other martyrs from scriptural and church history? (Answers might include Abel (Moses 5:32), Zacharias (the father of John the Baptist-Matthew 23:35), Stephen (Acts 7:56-60), James (the brother of John-Acts 12:2)), Hyrum Smith (D&C 135:1, etc) According to D&C 135:3, why do so many of "the Lord's anointed" die at the hands of their enemies? (See also D&C 136:5,6)

1. JOSEPH SMITH "SEALED HIS MISSION AND HIS WORKS" ON JUNE 27, 1844

Turn to D&C 135. What are the reasons given there for the martyrdom?

To seal the testimony of the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon (v.1).

To seal the mission and works of Joseph Smith (v. 3).

For their glory (v. 6).

"Their innocent blood on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to "Mormonism" that cannot be rejected by any court on earth" (v.7)

"Their innocent blood . . . is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations" (v. 7).

Section 136 suggests two other reasons:

"It was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored . . . " (v. 39)

"It was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that . . . the wicked might be condemned." (v. 39)

Who caused Joseph and Hyrum to be confined in the jail at Carthage? (Traitors and wicked men) These men included anti-Mormons and apostate Mormons, including some men who at one time had leadership positions in the Church. During 1843 and the first part of 1844, animosity against the members of the church in Illinois and against their prophet-leader increased. President John Taylor wrote of the enemies of the Church:

This conglomeration of apostate "Mormons," religious bigots, political fanatics and blacklegs [a gambler who cheats, or a crook], all united their forces against the "Mormons," and organized themselves into a party denominated "anti-Mormons.'... The anti-Mormons had public meetings which were very numerously attended, where they passed resolutions of the most violent and inflammatory kind, threatening to drive, expel and exterminate the "Mormons" from the State, at the same time accusing them of every evil in the vocabulary of crime. (From John Taylor's account of the Martyrdom, published in the introduction to Sgt. Daniel Tyler, A Concise History of the Mormon Battalion, [Chicago: Rio Grande Press, 1964], pp. 14)

As the hostility in and around Nauvoo increased, Joseph's enemies made the decision to publish an anti-Mormon newspaper. As a result of the publication of the Nauvoo Expositor, and the abatement [removing or pulling down] of that paper by city authorities, Joseph and Hyrum Smith and members of the City Council of Nauvoo were arrested and required to go to Carthage, Illinois, the county seat, to answer charges. While they were there, the charges against them were changed and they were forced into jail in that community. While they were in the jail, the martyrdom occurred. What evidence is there that Joseph knew that his martyrdom would occur at Carthage? (see 135:4)

Very early in the restoration, Joseph had received warnings from the Lord about what the future might hold. In March of 1829 the Lord had counseled Joseph to be "firm in keeping the commandments wherewith I have commanded you; and if you do this, behold I grant unto you eternal life, even if you should be slain." (D&C 5:22)

The next month the Lord told his Prophet,

"And even if they do unto you even as they have done unto me, blessed are ye, for you shall dwell with me in glory." (D&C 6:30)

But even facing the prospect of violent death, Joseph had a promise to cling to:

"Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." (D&C 122:9)

Turn to D&C 135:1,2. What was the date of the martyrdom? How many were in the mob that attacked the jail? How many times were Joseph and Hyrum shot? What other men were with Joseph and Hyrum when the attack took place? How many times was John Taylor shot? What happened to Willard Richards during the attack on the Jail?

The following account was written by Willard Richards. It is entitled "Two Minutes in Jail" This account begins as the mob arrives at the jail just after 5:00 p.m. on the afternoon of June 27, 1844 .

2. TWO MINUTES IN JAIL

A shower of musket balls were thrown up the stairway against the door of the prison in the second story . . . as soon as we heard the feet at the stairs head, a ball was sent through the door, which passed between us. . . .
General Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor and myself sprang back to the front part of the room, and General Hyrum Smith retreated two-thirds across the chamber directly in front of and facing the door.
A ball was sent through the door which hit Hyrum on the side of his nose, when he fell backwards . . .
. . . it appears evident that a ball must [also] have been thrown from without, through the window, which entered his back on the right side, and passing through, lodged against his watch . .
As he struck the floor he exclaimed emphatically, "I am a dead man." Joseph looked toward him and responded, "Oh, dear brother Hyrum!" and opening the door two or three inches with his left hand, discharged one barrel of a sixshooter (pistol) [given to him by Cyrus Wheelock] at random in the entry . . .
Joseph continued snapping his revolver . . . while Mr. Taylor with a walking stick stood by his side and knocked down the bayonets and muskets which were constantly discharging through the doorway. . . .
Mr. Taylor rushed into the window . . . a ball from the door within entered his leg, and a ball from without struck his watch . . . in his vest pocket near the left breast, and smashed it into "pie," leaving the hands standing at 5 o'clock, 16 minutes, and 26 seconds, the force of which ball threw him back on the floor. . . .
Joseph attempted, as the last resort, to leap the same window . . . when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward exclaiming, "Oh Lord, my God!" . . . He fell on his left side a dead man.
At this instant the cry was raised, "He's leaping the window!" and the mob on the stairs and in the entry way ran out.
I . . . caught Mr. Taylor under my arm and rushed by the stairs into the dungeon, or inner prison, stretched him on the floor and covered him with a bed in such a manner as not likely to perceived, expecting an immediate return of the mob.
I said to Mr. Taylor, "This is a hard case to lay you on the floor, but if your wounds are not fatal, I want you to live to tell the story." I expected to be shot the next moment, and stood before the door awaiting the onset. (Willard Richards, History of the Church, Vol. VI, pp. 619-621.

Willard Richards' life was spared in fulfillment of a prophecy given by Joseph Smith more that in year before in which Joseph told him that "the time would come that the balls would fly around him like hail, and he should see his friends fall on the right and on the left, but that there should not be a hole in his garment." (History of the Church, VI, p 619)

3. JOSEPH SMITH DID MORE FOR THE SALVATION OF MEN IN THIS WORLD THAN ANYONE EXCEPT JESUS.

Look at D&C 135:3. What kind of contribution did Joseph Smith make to the welfare of the world and the children of God?

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient time, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

According to this verse, what were some of the major achievements of the Prophet during his lifetime? Can you think of other accomplishments of the Prophet during the twenty-four years of his ministry? For example, the Book of Mormon, the true nature of God, the nature of the Godhead, priesthood authority, the Plan of Salvation and temple ordinances.

D&C 135:3 tells us that "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it." Why would the scriptures make such a claim? What did Joseph do for all those who live in mortality? He was the instrument of the restoration, priesthood, ordinances, doctrines, scriptures, etc. In addition, consider what did he do for the dead: the restoration of the sealing power, temples, and temple work, etc. Joseph Smith received and then conferred the keys necessary for the redemption of all mankind, living and dead.

Ponder the significance of the death of the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum and the influence this event has had on you and on the Church since 1844.

Then read the following quote from President Stephen L. Richards:

And then the cause that he established-could it have endured and prospered so well without the martyrdom? Of course, the answer to this must be conjectural, but it has seemed to me that the spirit of sacrifice, which is elemental in our religious philosophy, and fundamental in the success and triumph of the cause, would never have been so well established without this supreme sacrifice of the founder....Strange that those men who took their lives could not have foreseen that this would be the case, and that there is no sealing of testimony so efficacious as that with blood, and that there is nothing more precious and inspirational to give to a cause than a life. They were blind indeed. ("Joseph Smith, Prophet-Martyr," Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermons, Dec. 7, 1952, LDS Institute of Religion, Logan, Utah, vol. 1, p. 103)

Was it necessary that they die to seal their testimonies? What does Hebrews 9:16,17 teach us about this? (For a testimony to be in force beyond the life of the testator, the testator must go to his grave without altering that testimony.) In some cases that death might come by natural means; in others it might come by martyrdom as in the case of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and others. What does D&C 135:7 say about the significance of Joseph's and Hyrum's blood on the floor of Carthage Jail? What is that blood a witness to? ("the truth of the everlasting gospel, that all the world cannot impeach") What impact should their martyrdom have among all nations? (D&C 135:7) What two reasons for the martyrdom does D&C 136:39 tell us about?

Conclusion

This might be a lovely time to write your feelings about Joseph Smith and how he has influenced your life. Perhaps a family home evening could be devoted to a discussion of this man and his mission with your children and/or spouse or others.

Ted would like to hear your comments. Click here to access his Facebook group for discussing Gospel Doctrine lessons.

D&C Lesson 31: Sealed For Time and For All Eternity

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Talk about an extended warranty! When we pay the price to have a marriage performed in the temple of the Lord, we come face to face and soul to soul with the actual meaning of the word endless. When I bought my printer from Office Max, I also purchased a plan to give me two years of protection in case the thing went south on me. Any significant investment of money creates a desire in is to enjoy some permanence. We are often willing to spend a little more to insure that what we have labored and paid for will last a while.

Think about the investment for and the return from a temple marriage. There is no guarantee like it on the planet-and it is self-replicating. As children come to bless the union and multiply the joy, they also, simply by right of birth, are given a part of the extended protection plan. Participation is something they must conscientiously and willfully reject.

1. ETERNAL MARRIAGE IS ESSENTIAL IN HEAVENLY FATHER'S PLAN.

Godhood and parenthood share some essential characteristics. While is possible to be a parent without being a god, the reverse is not true. Gods are parents. Thus marriage is required for entrance into the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom:

"In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase" (D&C 31:1-4).

It pleases me that the power of procreation is so closely guarded in the eternal worlds. Only those who have demonstrated in the midst of a mortal experience that they can be trusted implicitly to keep covenants and commandments will be allowed to replicate their species.

Of course, it is not simply a matter of procreation. What we are considering here is the eternalization of love in families. God has provided a way for our deepest and purest feelings to endure through endless ages of time.

For those who qualify the promised blessings are staggering. A husband and a wife, sealed together, righteous, and worthy in every way of the blessings of an eternal union, will have "glory and exaltation in all things . . . which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever." (D&C 132:19)

"Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them" (D&C 132:20).

I love the words of Lorenzo Snow:

"When two Latter-day Saints are united together in marriage, promises are made to them concerning their offspring that reach from eternity to eternity. They are promised that they shall have the power and the right to govern and control and administer salvation and exaltation and glory to their offspring worlds without end. And what offspring they do not have here, undoubtedly there will be opportunities to have them hereafter.

"What else could man wish? A man and a woman in the other life, having celestial bodies, free from sickness and disease, glorified and beautified beyond description, standing in the midst of their posterity, governing and controlling them, administering life, exaltation and glory, worlds without end!" (Lorenzo Snow: Deseret News Weekly, 3 April 1847, p. 481)

2. YOUTH SHOULD PREPARE NOW FOR ETERNAL MARRIAGE.

Since most of you who are reading this are adults (I have never received an email from a teenager about these lessons), let me suggest some thought about the concept of preparation and then continue on with other points in the lesson.

When the Lord taught his first lesson about eternal marriage, the youth to be married (OK. Isaac was 40, but compared to Abraham he was a youth) was not even consulted in the matter. Abraham sent his servant back to the ancestral lands with one simple instruction. Find a woman who is of the covenant lineage (Gen. 24:3,4). There are no other recorded requirements! Age was not a factor. Appearance did not seem to be a consideration. Hair color and complexion and weight were not critical issues. The message here is simple enough. The most important thing about marriage is the covenant. Marry in the covenant, this story seems to be teaching. Nothing else comes close to being this important.

Rebekah was a wonderful woman. She was hard working and obedient and beautiful. But none of these things entered into the instructions given by Abraham. The reason was (and is) that without the covenant, none of those other things would (or will) matter when the portal of the grave slams shut:

This is the message of D&C 132, which, like Genesis 24, has nothing to say about any qualities or attributes beyond the covenant (see D&C 132:18,19).

Anyone who loves someone unworthy enough to risk eternity and exaltation for the excitement of a mortal and transitory relationship ought not to gamble. If someone loves a man or woman who is unworthy or unprepared for the covenant with that kind of anticipation and commitment, he or she ought to make any sacrifice to find the way to make that love last.

Are you willing to jeopardize your eternities, your great continuing happiness, your privilege to see God and dwell in his presence? For the want of investigation and study and contemplation; because of prejudice, misunderstanding, or lack of knowledge, are you willing to forego these great blessings and privileges? Are you willing to make yourself a widow for eternity or a widower for endless ages-a single, separate individual to live alone and serve others? Are you willing to give up your children when they die or when you expire, and make them orphans? Are you willing to go through eternity alone and solitary when all of the greatest joys you have ever experienced in life could be "added upon" and accentuated, multiplied, and eternalized? Are you willing, with the Sadducees, to ignore and reject these great truths? I sincerely pray you stop today and weigh and measure and then prayerfully proceed to make your happy marriage an eternal one. Our friends, please do not ignore this call. I beg of you, open your eyes and see; unstop your ears and hear.
An eternal marriage plus a worthy continuing consecrated life will bring limitless happiness and exaltation.
May I conclude with the words of the Lord of Hosts:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Rev. 3:18.) [Spencer W. Kimball, "Temples and Eternal Marriage," Ensign, Aug. 1974, 6]

3. AFTER A HUSBAND AND WIFE ARE SEALED IN THE TEMPLE , THEY MUST ABIDE IN THE COVENANT TO RECEIVE THE PROMISED BLESSINGS.

My wife and I have 12 children (two of them were adopted and sealed on 14 June of this year!) At last count we had changed somewhere in the neighborhood of 60,000 dirty diapers, fixed 37,000 meals, owned 21 cars, lived in 13 homes, and reviewed 478 report cards. It frightens me to recall that we prepared for this by going to dances and movies and restaurants.

Through all of the years of marriage, something has happened in our relationship. I loved her then and I love her now. But then the love was a puddle. Now it is the Pacific Ocean . We have learned what all of you have learned. What happened at the altar in Logan in 1968 did not transform us into eternal godlike beings worthy of an inheritance in the presence of God. We left the building with the promise and the potential and the power: with an everlasting warranty. But we soon learned that even if we could call the Manufacturer when there were problems with the marriage, and receive helpful instruction, we were expected to make most of the repairs by ourselves. We were required to seek divine assistance in becoming what we had been promised we could become.

Consider this example which I used in a family hour last May which my son and his fiancee attended along with her parents. They were to be married the following Saturday. First I handed them a jar of fruit, and asked them to find the date it was canned which was written on the lid. In fact, the canning took place a few years ago.

"Well," I said. "If the fruit in that jar is that old, it must have gone bad by now."

"No," they assured me.

"Why not? Fruit doesn't generally last very long."

My future daughter-in-law explained to me that it was still good because the jar was sealed. When she used that word - "sealed" - she saw the point at once, and we discussed it: Fruits that are perishable, but that are worth preserving, must be sealed.

I then gave them a quart jar, the kind used by my mother to can fruits and vegetables. In this case the jar was empty and open. I had cleaned it and labeled it with the names of the almost newlyweds and the date of their marriage. I also handed them a ring and a lid, and said something like this:

"On Saturday, the Lord will give you an empty jar, along with all the things necessary to seal it. But he will not seal it on Friday because it will be empty. You must conduct your lives in such a way that the container of your lives becomes filled with fruit that is worth sealing. Then, when you have accomplished that, the Lord will seal the jar and make eternal the contents of your marriage."

I had prepared a number of pastel colored cardboard circles a couple of inches in diameter. I handed them out to those in attendance and asked them to suggest things that are worth sealing. We talked about things like laughter and forgiveness and joy and service and kindness and sharing and patience and scripture study and knowledge. As we mentioned each quality, someone wrote it on one of the colored circles (designed to represent fruit) and we placed it in the jar.

I asked them when they were at the house this weekend where the jar was. It is on their refrigerator where it helps them to remember. It might be worth a little personal introspection to determine if there are elements in your marriage that are not worth sealing (D&C 128:18 uses the word "selding"). If there are, get them out of the fruit jar of your lives.

This the Lord said,

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.

"For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

"But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also." (D&C 132:21-23)

The great and constant joy of my family life has come as my wife and I have labored with each other and our children to learn to receive him.

Conclusion

In October 1979, the Ensign printed a talk given by President Kimball to young adult audiences on two separate occasions. The sermon was called, "The Importance of Celestial Marriage." [From addresses delivered 22 October 1976 at the Salt Lake Institute of Religion and 5 February 1978 at Ricks College, Rexburg, Idaho ] It is better than anything I could say about this subject; it is a bit long for a conclusion, so here is a link: "The Importance of Celestial Marriage."

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D&C Lesson 30: The Prisoners Shall Go Free

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

Joseph Smith, speaking of the work of redemption for the dead called that work the "...most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel..." (D&C 128:17) Why? What is there about this work that would cause the prophet to place it's importance above any other subject belonging to the restoration of the gospel? As you study the scriptures and content associated with this lesson, watch for answers to this question.

D&C 128:18 explains that three groups are necessary for this work to be done in the way it must be done. Here is the verse; the three groups are emphasized with upper case letters

It is sufficient to know...that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other-and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For WE without them cannot be made perfect; neither can THEY without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN THE GOSPEL also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

1. WE cannot be made perfect without them. Those of us who have the blessings of t he gospel and access to the temples and records of the restoration must do the work necessary to make the blessings of salvation and exaltation available to those who died without them.

2. THEY cannot be made perfect without us. Those who died without the blessings of the gospel must receive the messengers of truth and accept the work done for them in the temples by those who have the knowledge and opportunity to do it.

3. THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN THE GOSPEL MUST SHARE THE MESSAGE IN THE WORLD OF SPIRITS. The righteous dead must go forth, commissioned and empowered, to preach the word to the spirits in prison. In this context, note the following:

Who is going to carry the testimony of Jesus Christ to the hearts of the women who have passed away without a knowledge of the gospel? Well, to my mind, it is a simple thing. These good sisters who have been set apart, ordained to the work, called to it, authorized by the authority of the Holy Priesthood to minister for their sex, in the House of God for the living and for the dead, will be fully authorized and empowered to preach the gospel and minister to the women while the elders and prophets are preaching it to the men (Joseph F. Smith: Gospel Doctrine, p. 461).

1. THROUGH THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH, THE LORD REVEALED THE DOCTRINE OF PRIESTHOOD ORDINANCES FOR THE DEAD.

Any religion that can only deal with mankind in mortality automatically subjects most of the human family to whatever punishments await those who do not partake. Even the most aggressive religions have been unable to reach everybody on the earth with their proselyting. And what about the uncounted billions that have lived while no one was proselyting for a particular faith?

This is a reality with which every religion must deal. If the doctrines and/or ordinances are necessary for salvation, then what of those who never so much as hear of them? Are they to be eternally consigned to Limbo or Hell or worse?

There are only three choices here:

1. You did not hear or believe. Therefore you eternally forfeit the blessings.

2. God will save you whether you had the ordinances and believed the doctrine or not. Therefore, no one is required to believe and submit.

3. Some way must be found to teach the doctrine and perform the ordinances for those who leave mortality without an opportunity to hear and believe.

Think of the implications of the following.

In his Divine Comedy, Dante depicts the doctrine of damnation for unfortunate souls who die without a knowledge of Christ, as that doctrine was taught in the thirteenth century. According to the story, Dante is lost in the woods, where he is met by the Roman poet Virgil, who promises to show him the punishment of hell and purgatory, and later he is to have a view of paradise. He follows Virgil through hell and later into Limbo, which is the first circle of hell. Here are confined the souls of those who lived virtuous and honorable lives but who, because they were not baptized, merit punishment and are denied forever the blessings of salvation. As Dante looks upon these miserable souls in the upper stratum of hell and sees, as the story says, 'many and great, both of children, and of women and men,' he marvels.
His guide asks: 'Thou askest not what spirits are these thou seest?'
Dante shows a desire to know, so the guide continues: 'I wish thee to know, before thou goest farther, that they sinned not; and though they have merit, it suffices not: for they had not Baptism, which is the portal of the faith that thou believest; and seeing they were before Christianity, they worshipped not God aright; and of these am I myself. For such defects, and for no other fault, are we lost; and only in so far afflicted, that without hope we live in desire.' (Philo M. Buck, Jr., ed., An Anthology of World Literature [New York: Macmillan Co., 1940], p. 446.)

"In answer to the earnest inquiry of his mortal guest, who desires to know if any thus punished ever had the privilege of coming forth from this sad condition of torment, the spirit-poet declares that the righteous who had known God from our first parents down to the time of Christ have been exalted. But of these unfortunates who never heard of Christ, he says, 'Be thou assured, no spirit of human kind was ever saved.'" (Joseph Fielding Smith, "Justice for the Dead," Ensign, Mar. 1972, 2-3)

In this matter, Joseph places the restoration light years ahead of any other dogma on the planet, for he showed us a God and a religion willing and able to offer the blessings of exaltation to every soul that ever lived or will live on this earth.

The truth is that the work in the Spirit World is much greater than it is here. We go from door to door seeking audience with the living, but there the dead from all ages await the message. What a responsibility the Lord has placed on us to make the ordinances available to those on that side of the veil. Speaking of this matter, Elder Maxwell said,

What we do here is so vital, but it is actually a preparation for our labors in paradise in the spirit world. The scope in that spirit world is ten times as large as the demographics of this world. It is, though, a place of peace, a place of intense devotion. One sees in section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants words that tell us about the character of God. Not only will the gospel go to those who have never heard of it, but also included are those who have been in transgression, in rebellion, and who have rejected the prophets. [Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Satellite Broadcast, 2 Feb. 2001-Evening With a General Authority]

Ten times (give or take a few billion) as many there need to hear the message as need to here it here.

Allusions to this work and its central importance in the restoration came to Joseph very early. Moroni spoke of the mission of Elijah on that first night in Joseph's bedroom (see JSH 1:36 -39). Section 2 of the D&C (the earliest dated revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants) alludes to the work for the dead. The actual announcement that ordinances could be performed for the dead came in August of 1840 in a funeral sermon by the prophet Joseph.

In the beginning there were some procedural mistakes.

When Joseph received the revelation that we have in our possession concerning the dead, the subject was opened to him, not in full, but in part, and he kept on receiving. When he had first received the knowledge by the spirit of revelation how the dead could be officiated for, there are brethren and sisters here, I can see quite a number here who were in Nauvoo, and you recollect that when this doctrine was first revealed and in hurrying in the administration of baptism for the dead, that sisters were baptized for their male friends, were baptized for their fathers, their grandfathers, their mothers and their grandmothers, etc. I mention this only so that you will come to understanding, that as we knew nothing about this matter at first, the old Saints recollect, there was little by little given, and the subject was made plain, but little was given at once. Consequently, in the first place people were baptized for their friends and no record was kept. Joseph afterwards kept a record. Then women were baptized for men and men for women, etc. It would be very strange, you know, to the eyes of the wise and those that understood the things pertaining to eternity, if we were called upon to commence a work that we could not finish. This, therefore, was regulated and all set in order: for it was revealed that if a woman was baptized for a man, she could not be ordained for him, neither could she be made an Apostle or a Patriarch for the man, consequently the sisters are to be baptized for their own sex only.

"This doctrine of baptism for the dead is a great doctrine, one of the most glorious doctrines that was revealed to the human family; and there are light, power, glory, honor and immortality in it." (Brigham Young: JD, Vol. 16:165)

2. THE LORD COMMANDED THE SAINTS TO BUILD A TEMPLE IN NAUVOO.

The Lord commanded the saints to build another temple in Nauvoo in January of 1841. The temple in Kirtland was a preparatory temple, a place for the restoration of keys that could be used in building the Kingdom of God and furthering the work of the Lord in the last days. John Taylor observed that keys from Kirtland were instrumental in inspiring the work in Nauvoo.

At the time [Moses appeared in the Kirtland temple] there appeared another, even Elijah, whose mission was to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest (says the Lord) I come and smite the earth with a curse. He committed these keys. But before they were committed, what was done in the Temple? Did we baptize for the dead there? No, we did not. Why? Because the keys were not given. When they were given and afterwards when the Temple was built in Nauvoo, then that spirit accompanied it, and we began to feel after our fathers behind the vail, and they likewise began to feel after their children. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.19, p.126 - p.127, John Taylor, October 7, 1877)

Even though both structures were called temples, they served different functions. The Spirit of modern temple work derives from what happened at Nauvoo much more than Kirtland, and it is interesting to note that even at that early age, prophets perceived that something monumental was coming in the building of temples.

When we first heard the fullness of the Gospel preached by the first Elders, and read the revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, our ideas of Zion were very limited. But as our minds began to grow and expand, why we began to look upon Zion as a great people, and the Stakes of Zion as numerous, and the area of the country to be inhabited by the people of Zion as this great American continent, or at least such portions of it as the Lord should consecrate for the gathering of His people. We ceased to set bounds to Zion and her Stakes. We began also to cease to think about a single temple in one certain place. Seeing the different Stakes of Zion that were being organized we perceived the idea, possibly, of as many temples. Having had one spot pointed out in the revelations for the temple in Jackson County, our minds expanded so that in a short time we were building another temple in a Stake of Zion in Kirtland, Ohio . A little while afterwards we were laying the foundation of a temple in Far West , Missouri, and driven before our enemies; from that place we next laid the foundation and built up a temple unto the Lord in Nauvoo. When we located in the mountains and laid the foundation of a temple in Salt Lake City, who of us had an idea that before it should be completed we would be administering in a temple in St. George, and another in Logan, and another in Manti, and who conceives the idea to-day, that by the time these are completed and the Saints have officiated in them, we will be scattered over the American continent, building temples in a hundred other places? All this comes within the range of possibility, nay, probability, almost amounting to certainty. One of my brethren behind me here, who understands these things, and who can speak knowingly in regard to them, says, that we may put it down as a certainty, that by and by, there will be hundreds of these temples throughout the land." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.25, p.30 - 32, Erastus Snow, February 2nd, 1884)

When the Lord commanded the building of a temple in Nauvoo, he gave a list of reasons for beginning and hastening the construction. Some of them were:

"...there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood." (D&C 124:28)

"For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead-" (D&C 124:29)

"...if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God." (D&C 124:32)

"For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory." (D&C 124:34)

"...that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was." (D&C 124:38)

"...your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house ..." (D&C 124:39)

"I deign to reveal unto my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times." (D&C 124:41)

There are other promises relating to the temple in D&C 97.

"...that there may be a house built unto me for the salvation of Zion-" (D&C 97:12)

"For a place of thanksgiving for all saints..." (D&C 97:13)

"For a place of instruction..." (D&C 97:13)

"That they may be perfected in the understanding of their ministry, in theory, in principle, and in doctrine, in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth ..." (D&C 97:14

3. WE SHOULD BE ENTHUSIASTIC AND JOYFUL IN OUR EFFORTS TO PERFORM BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD.

I was delighted to have my youngest son when he was in high school go again and again to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. He and his friends made this a frequent and a social activity. Sometimes youth have participated as couples in what could be called a date - a date to the temple to do work for the dead.

This kind of commitment ought to be encouraged in all the youth of the church who are 12 or older. Perhaps when parents come to priesthood leaders to renew recommends, children 12 and older could come too, to obtain their own recommends to perform this most wonderful work. Then, if they can research names of their own ancestors to take with them, they will know what Elijah meant when he spoke of a turning of hearts.

There was something different about the group from Las Vegas in the St. George (Utah) Temple. All of them were there to do the ordinance work for their own deceased family members and ancestors. They had participated in a program in which ward members submitted ten times as many names for temple work as they had the year before.
The same difference was true, too, for the group of approximately 110 teenagers from the Augusta Maine Stake, who were at the Washington (D.C.) Temple. They were there to receive baptism for their kindred dead. The youth themselves had prepared the information for the ordinance work. (Richard Tice, "Temple Ancestor Day: Three Success Stories," Tambuli, Sept. 1990, 29)

Some have suggested that 105 billion people have lived on the earth since the fall of Adam. As a church we have performed over 100 million temple ordinances since the restoration, but think of the amount left to do!

Conclusion

In D&C 128, the prophet called this work "the most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel..." When we consider the scope of this work, which Elder Maxwell reported to be ten times as great as our redemptive work, we begin to understand the urgency with which prophets have encouraged our participation in it.

Said the Prophet Joseph Smith: "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad."

"Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand. Let us as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation." (D&C 128:22,24; cited by M. Russell Ballard, "Are We Keeping Pace?" Ensign, Nov. 1998, 8)

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D&C Lesson 29: Building the Kingdom of God in Nauvoo, Illinois

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted L. Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

There are few places on the planet that attract me like Hancock County, Illinois. I have visited many times, making presentations to visitors and guides and students. I have lived there for a time in a house trailer on the river. I have passed days wandering the green expanse of lower Nauvoo and visiting the scattered and lovely remnants of Nauvoo's former greatness. I have traveled the old road to Carthage, following the route of Joseph's party on their way to the county seat for a visit to Carthage Jail. I have spent two nights in the jailor's bedroom at that jail. I have felt the sanctifying power of the sacrifices made in that building and in that area.

Five houses are still standing where ancestors of my children lived in Nauvoo in the days following the Missouri exodus. For a time, that beautiful Mississippi community must have seemed a heavenly gift. Once the swamps were drained, the prairies plowed and the homesites cleared, the location became truly attractive. In addition, the Illinoisans were receptive and helpful. Converts arrived by the hundreds. Doctrinal growth added structure and stature to the restoration. Joseph seemed to become more prophetic and powerful than he had been before. The Nauvoo years preceding the martyrdom provided a season of rest and rejoicing for the beleaguered saints of the Most High.

1. THE SAINTS SOUGHT REFUGE IN ILLINOIS.

The enduring trauma of the flight from Missouri is for modern church members what the flight from the Land of Nephi was for the people of King Mosiah. Alma asked of some of them,

And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? (Alma 5:6)

Alma knew that there were lessons to be learned from the experiences of his people and the people of Limhi in the lands of their enemies. There are lessons for us to learn too. As you contemplate those suffering saints making their way out of the state of Missouri during that bitter winter of 1838-39, ask yourself what lessons you need to learn. Of course their departure from Missouri was not strictly a matter of agency. They were forced out-driven by their fear of death and their love of the gospel. But there were those who stayed behind, who abandoned the church and their testimonies rather than abandon their security and their modest belongings.

On the 6th of June this year I visited the grave of John Whitmer, one of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon and one-time church historian. His final resting place is in Kingston, Missouri, just a few miles east of Far West. No trudging through the winter snows for him; no retreat from pursuing mobs, nor loss of property and position. Paul warned the Romans, "And be not conformed to this world..." (Romans 12:2), but John Whitmer and others conformed and remained temporarily comfortable.

But the exiled saints simply departed and looked for a new home. Brigham led them while Joseph waited in Liberty Jail. Saints scattered up and down the east banks of the Mississippi River looking for shelter and work and food. But Joseph knew of the need his people had for the strength that would come and they labored together, and counseled his people to find another gathering place:

Members of the Church first became aware of Nauvoo in October or November 1838 when Israel Barlow, who with other Saints had fled northeastward towards Quincy, Illinois from Far West, Missouri. But losing his way arrived at the Des Moines River in Iowa. Crossing the Mississippi River Barlow came to old Commerce, Illinois and found Isaac Galland, owner of several parcels of land in Lee County Iowa as well as Commerce. Not authorized to make purchases for the Church, Elder Barlow directed his course downstream to Quincy. Subsequently, an exploring party was sent to examine Galland's lands. But while some Church leaders were in favor of gathering to Commerce, Illinois, and Lee County, Iowa, others suggested that the membership of the Church should scatter among the various counties in Illinois and elsewhere.
In the meantime, Joseph Smith, who was incarcerated in Missouri, learned of Galland's offer and counseled the brethren to purchase the properties. When Joseph Smith escaped from Missouri law enforcement officers on 16 April 1839 he went immediately to Quincy arriving there on 22 April. At a council meeting held two days later, on 24 April 1839, it was resolved that "President Joseph Smith, Jun., Bishop Knight, and Brother Alanson Ripley, visit Iowa Territory immediately, for the purpose of making a location for the Church" (History of the Church, 3:336). Properties at Commerce were purchased from Isaac Galland on 30 April 1839, and immediately thereafter the Saints began to settle the area (see Lyndon W. Cook, "Isaac Galland - Mormon Benefactor." BYU Studies 19 [Spring 1979]: 267-70).

The government of Illinois, sympathetic to the needs and the fears of the refugees, granted them a charter with unusual provisions. Some of those provisions were suggested by the Prophet himself:

The charter of the city of Nauvoo was devised by Joseph, as he says "on principles so broad that any honest man might dwell secure under its protective influence without distinction of sect or party." It was comprehensive, and in some respects unusual, but its provisions were purely republican and the end designed by its framer was insured. It was signed by Thomas Carlin, governor, and was certified by Stephen A. Douglas, secretary of state. (George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, p.361-362)

2. MISSIONARIES SENT FROM NAUVOO CONVERTED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

The missionary effort that commenced within weeks of the organization of the Church proceeded with increased vigor from the city of Nauvoo. A review of the countries first visited by missionaries during the Nauvoo period leaves me over-whelmed with the vision and courage of those early messengers of glory. In the years from 1839-1844, missionaries opened Germany (1843); Ireland, (1840); Israel, (1841); Jamaica, (1841); Scotland, (1839); Tahiti, (1843); and Wales, (1844) [see New Era, Mar. 1974, p. 41] and continued their labors in fields already undergoing the harvest of the restoration.

The most dramatic success came from the efforts of the Twelve in the British Isles. They had been commanded by revelation to depart from the temple lot in Far West on April 26, 1839, and they did exactly that, returning to the stronghold of the bitter enemies of the Church to hold a meeting and conduct church business. They then departed, but did not actually leave for their missions until they had settled their families in the Nauvoo/Montrose area. The account of the departure of Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young, leaving behind families ravaged with illness and themselves almost too sick to stand, is familiar to most members of the Church. The malarial swamps of the Nauvoo area caused much hardship in the early months of the settlement there.

Others faced similar hardships. John Taylor was stricken with sickness on his journey and finally sent his companions ahead and remained in Germantown, Indiana to try and regain his strength. When he was well enough he wrote to his wife. From that letter comes a priceless paragraph of faith and trust:

I placed myself under the care of a Doctor who did all that he could for me and now near three weeks after my arrival I have got clear of my fever and am fast recovering - i[t] brought me however to the gates of death several times. It laid hold of me like a strong man armed and I was led to quail beneath the power of the adversary for I believe his hand was in it - You may ask me how I am going to prosecute my journey, with my trunk a distance of 300 miles or upwards by land, without means. I do not know, but one thing I do know, that there is a being who clothes the lillies of the valley and feeds the ravens and he has given me to understand that all these things shall be added and that is all I want to know. He laid me on a bed of sickness and I was satisfied. He has raised me from it again and I am thankful. He stopped me on my road and I am content. When my way is open to proceed I shall go on my way rejoicing. If he took me I felt that it would be well. He has spared me and it is better. The Lord does all things well. Bless his holy name Oh my soul and forget not all his mercies. (Ronald K. Esplin, BYU Studies, Vol. 15, No. 4, p.433; also cited in part by M. Russell Ballard, "Anchored by Faith and Commitment," Ensign, July 1995, 16)

The following suggests the rapidity with which the Church grew in Great Britain.

In one year, 1840 to 1841-one year and fourteen days, to be exact-nine members of the twelve were called to labor in the British Mission. If you remember the history here at home, those years marked the period of some of the severest persecution that the Church was to undergo in this dispensation. In that one year and fourteen days the nine members of the twelve with their associates, established churches in every noted town and city in the kingdom of Great Britain. They baptized between 7000 and 8000 converts. They printed 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 3000 hymnbooks, and 50,000 tracts, and they published 2500 volumes of the Millennial Star and emigrated 1000 souls to America. (Elder Harold B. Lee, C.R., April 1960)

3. THE EXAMPLES OF THE NAUVOO SAINTS SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF ENDURING TO THE END IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Like John Whitmer, there were those in the Nauvoo period who fell into apostasy. Some of the truly bright lights of the restoration flickered and dimmed. They send a warning across the years to us about the need to endure, to press forward, to continue, to hold out faithful to the end. But there were also those thousands of quiet, faithful disciples who paid the price to learn their duties and then paid the price to do their duties. They were men and women who placed their feet on the path and then walked that path with wonderful faith. Consider the appreciation Joseph expressed for his friend, Willard Richards, as an example:

My heart's desire and prayer to God is all the day long for all the Saints, and in an especial and particular manner for those whom He hath [p.41] chosen and anointed to bear the heaviest burthens in the heat of the day, among which number is your husband received-a man in whom I have the most implicit confidence and trust. You say I have got him; so I have, in the which I rejoice, for he has done me a great good, and taken a great burthen off my shoulders since his arrival in Nauvoo. Never did I have a greater intimacy with any man than with him. May the blessings of Elijah crown his head for ever and ever (Joseph Smith: History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 40).

President Heber J. Grant described the requirements for meaningful discipleship in these words:

There is but one path of safety for the Latter-day Saints, and that is the path of duty. It is not a testimony only; it is not marvelous manifestations; it is not knowing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that it is the plan of salvation - it is not actually knowing that the Savior is the Redeemer, and that Joseph Smith was his prophet, that will save you and me; but it is the keeping of the commandments of God, living the life of a Latter-day Saint. (President Heber J. Grant: C.R., April 1945)

What would you like friends and relatives to say about you when you are gone? If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say? What tribute inscribed on your tombstone would please you most? I was in Richmond, Missouri, early in June of 2001 at the grave of David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses. As we drove from the cemetery a stone caught our eyes and we stopped for photos. It was a monument for George and Nancy Gardner. The top half was his, the bottom half hers. The final words for her, carved larger across the bottom of the stone, were these: "SHE DONE WHAT SHE COULD" (see Mark 14:8).

This feels like a nice thing to say, if you are not a fanatic about grammar. It would be a blessing to meet the Lord knowing you had done everything you could.

The Lord has said some nice things about some of his servants even while they were mortals. He complimented Nathaniel on his lack of guile (John 1:47); he referred to Peter as a rock (Matt. 16:16-19); he credited Warren Cowdery with causing joy in heaven (D&C 106:6); he knew that Abraham would teach his children correct principles (Gen. 18:19); he praised George Miller and Hyrum Smith for the integrity of their hearts (D&C 124:15,20); and he used Job as an example of righteousness in a discussion with the adversary (Job 1:8; 2:3). If he were to say just one thing about you - the thing you most need to hear - what would he say?

4. THE RELIEF SOCIETY WAS ORGANIZED IN NAUVOO.

In April of 1998, President Packer gave a wonderful sermon about the Relief Society. In part he said,

Some years ago Sister Packer and I were in Czechoslovakia, then behind the Iron Curtain. It was not easy to obtain visas, and we used great care so as not to jeopardize the safety and well-being of our members, who for generations had struggled to keep their faith alive under conditions of unspeakable oppression.
The most memorable meeting was held in an upper room. The blinds were drawn. Even at night, those attending came at different times, one from one direction and one from another, so as to not call attention to themselves.
There were in attendance 12 sisters. We sang the hymns of Zion from songbooks-words without music-printed more than 50 years before. The Spiritual Living lesson was reverently given from the pages of a handmade manual. The few pages of Church literature we could get to them were typed at night, 12 carbon copies at a time, so as to share a few precious pages as widely as possible among the members.
I told those sisters that they belonged to the largest and by all measure the greatest women's organization on earth. I quoted the Prophet Joseph Smith when he and the Brethren organized the Relief Society: "I now turn the key in [behalf of all women]. This society is organized according to your natures. You are now placed in a situation in which you can act according to those sympathies [within you].
"If you live up to [these] privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.
"If this Society listen[s] to the counsel of the Almighty, through the heads of the Church, they shall have power to command queens in their midst." (History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 607, 605)
The Spirit was there. The lovely sister who had conducted with gentility and reverence wept openly.
I told them that upon our return I was assigned to speak at a Relief Society conference; could I deliver a message from them? Several of them made notes; each expression, every one, was in the spirit of giving-not of asking for anything. I shall never forget what one sister wrote: "A small circle of sisters send their own hearts and thoughts to all the sisters and begs the Lord to help us go forward."
Those words, circle of sisters, inspired me. I could see them standing in a circle that reached beyond that room and circled the world. I caught the same vision the apostles and prophets before us have had. The Relief Society is more than a circle now; it is more like a fabric of lace spread across the continents.
The Relief Society works under the direction of the Melchizedek Priesthood, for "all other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood." (D&C 107:5) It was organized "after the pattern of the priesthood." (Women's Exponent, 1 Sept. 1883, p. 51) [Boyd K. Packer, "The Relief Society," Ensign, May 1998, 72]

That organization came during the Nauvoo period of our history.

Emma Smith, the first president of this organization, said to the sisters, "We are going to do something extraordinary" (Minutes of the Female Relief Society, 17 Mar. 1842, LDS Church Archives). Our celebration was indeed "something extraordinary." What began in 1842 with 20 women in Nauvoo, Illinois, now involves nearly four million women on every continent and in almost every country in the world. But what is significant is that it began with one woman, Margaret Cook, who offered to sew shirts for the men working on the Nauvoo Temple. She needed cloth and could not afford to buy it. Sarah Kimball offered the cloth, and within weeks the Relief Society was organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith under the inspiration of the Lord. It began with a small offering-at the front gate-and it has grown to a major force for good around the world, one stone at a time. (Elaine L. Jack, "A Small Stone," Ensign, May 1997, 74)

Conclusion

The accomplishments of the Saints in Nauvoo are astonishing. But they are the fruit of faith and sacrifice and commitment and covenant. A community of exiles turned to the Lord and to each other and changed themselves and the world. As we remember them draining their swamps and plowing their prairies and making their bricks and building their temple, we must remember that their lives are the example for our lives. None of us must ever expect it to be easy. The only promise we have is that it will be possible, and immeasurably worthwhile!

D&C Lesson 28: ''Oh God, Where Art Thou?''

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:00:00 -0600

by Ted Gibbons
source: MormonLife.com

Introduction

On June 2nd I was in the jail at Carthage, Illinois. I had my picture taken next to the statue of Joseph and Hyrum with the jail in the background. On June 6th, I visited Liberty Jail. I knelt by the cutaway comer of the missing wall and a kind guide took a photo showing the upper and lower levels, the prophet Joseph at his small table, and the great squared stones of the wall. I have been in these places before, and as always I was moved by the witness of suffering and solitude and sacrifice that seemed to seep from the very walls. But I also sensed that the restriction of Joseph's body gave his spirit increased capacity to soar. I wrote some words in my journal about my feelings:

The two jails made famous in Church History - Liberty and Carthage - have never felt to me like places of confinement. They seem somehow spiritually liberating. They speak of sacrifice more than suffering, and they speak of sanctification. Ancient Jewish Rabbis used to describe the act of making a covenant as building an altar in the heart. Joseph had certainly built such an altar, and had laid everything he had on it, including his life. There was nothing the Lord could ask for that he would not give because he had given everything already. In that matter, he was very much like Abraham, who had offered Isaac, and everything else, long before he arrived at Moriah.
But even with that kind of commitment in his heart, Joseph cried to the Lord from the darkness and uncertainty of Liberty, "0 God, where art thou?" (D&C 121:1)

1. JOSEPH SMITH'S PRAYER AT LIBERTY JAIL, AND THE LORD'S RESPONSE

While Joseph and others waited on an uncertain future in Liberty Jail, 8000 saints were being forced from the state of Missouri by armed mobs and politically supported troops. Even at the distance of 162 years it seems strange that the Lord should have allowed his people to suffer so acutely and continuously in the future land of Zion . Of course they were not perfect, but neither were they evil enough to have deserved the tribulation they experienced. Joseph, unable to do anything for his people except pray, did exactly that, and one of his prayers is recorded:

"O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

"Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?

"O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who control lest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol-stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.

"Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs.

"Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever." (D&C 121:1-6).

Nothing seemed to change. The exodus continued. The suffering did not abate. It is true that within a month Joseph would be in Illinois himself, and the Saints would be welcomed by the outraged inhabitants of Quincy , Illinois , where 1600 Illinoisans tried to provide food and shelter for 5600 Saints. (Comprehensive History of the Church, II, p. 57), but those interventions hardly seem commensurate with the suffering the saints had endured.

How do you feel about Joseph's prayer? Would you want to quote the words of D&C 101:16 or Psalm 46:10 to him at a time like this?

Consider the first part of the Lord's response to Joseph's cry .What lessons does he want us to learn from these verses?

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

"And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

"Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

"Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job" (D&C 121: 7-10).

The most important thing we can do when unexpected trials come is to "endure it well." We have this promise to sustain us:

"When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love" (Elder Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 17).

The Lord said it in this way in Isaiah 30:20,21

"And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity , and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

2. THE SAVIOR'S PERFECT UNDERSTANDING OF OUR SUFFERING AND ADVERSITY

A powerful part of the Lord's answer to Joseph's cry is found in D&C 122. Read 122:5-8 and mark all the trials that Joseph might have to face as given in these verses. I count about 20 of them. What is the statement in D&C 122:8 meant to teach us about our afflictions?

Who in the history of all the universe has suffered more than the Savior? Who in the history of the universe was less deserving of suffering than the Savior? Whose sufferings did the Savior bear in the garden and on the cross?

"In the garden and on the cross, Jesus saw each of us and not only bore our sins, but also experienced our deepest feelings so that he would know how to comfort and strengthen us" (Elder Merrill J. Bateman, Ensign, May 1995, p. 14).

There are a number of verses in the scriptures that teach that the Savior knows us intimately and perfectly. Read these verses and consider their importance.

Moses 1 :35 Acts 15:18 Alma 18:32 D&C 67:1,2 John 4:29 1 Kings 8:38

If the Savior knows us intimately and perfectly, and if he loves us with an unconditional love. and if he has all power to stop our suffering but allows us to suffer anyway, what does that mean?

3. PURPOSES OF ADVERSITY

Why does the Lord allows those who have made covenants with him to suffer, often at the hands of wicked men? The scriptures suggest at least five reasons.

Sin: See D&C 101:1-8.

Alma bluntly told his wayward son that "repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment." (Alma 42:16)

The punishment may, for the most part, consist of the torment we inflict upon ourselves. It may be the loss of privilege or progress... We are punished by our sins, if not for them. (Boyd K. Packer, "The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19)

Experience: This is part of the Lord's answer to Joseph. "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (D&C 122:7)

Agency: That is, the Lord sometimes allows even the wicked to exercise their agency so that the judgments of God can be just. This passage comes from Alma as he and Amulek observed the burning of women and children in Ammonihah:

"The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day" (Alma 14: 11).

Covenants: The Lord has great rewards for those who will keep their covenants no matter what.

"Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me" (D&C 98:14,15; see also Abraham 3:25).

Trust: In our extremities we may team to trust God in a way that we could not learn under any other conditions.

"Many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the dept of humility" (Alma 62:41). In this context I remember the words spoken by one of the survivors of the Willie and Martin Handcart companies. President Hinckley related this account.

Members of [a] group [in Cedar City] spoke critically of the Church and its leaders because the [handcart] company of converts had been permitted to start so late in the season. I quote from a manuscript which I have:
"One old man in the comer sat silent and listened as long as he could stand it. Then he arose and said things that no person who heard will ever forget. His face was white with emotion, yet he spoke calmly, deliberately, but with great earnestness and sincerity.
"He said in substance, 'I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. A mistake to send the handcart company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that company and my wife was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited was there too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities'" {Cited by Gordon B. Hinckley, "Our Mission of Saving," Ensign, Nov. 1991, 54).

4. THE LORD'S COUNSEL TO THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE ADVERSITY

There are attitudes that will assist us as we experience adversity .If our afflictions are in fact to be good for us, we must meet them with a correct perspective. Note a few of the things the Lord suggests to those who face trials:

"Hold on thy way" (D&C 122:9) "Hold our faithful to the end" (D&C 6: 13) "Be patient in afflictions" (D&C 24:8) "Be of good cheer" (D&C 61 :36; 68:6; 78:18, etc.) "In everything give thanks" (D&C 98:1 Thess. 5:18) "Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds" (D&C 43:34) "Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand" (Jacob 4;10) "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10; D&C 101:16)

There are many of these injunctions in the standard works. They all seem to say that in times of adversity, attitude is everything. The foundation of our faith should be the summarized in this expression of Job: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. ..!" (Job 13:15 )

5. THE LORD'S PROMISES TO THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL IN ADVERSITY

I am a parent. I cannot imagine anything more difficult than to watch my children suffer when I have the capacity to prevent it. But our Heavenly Father with his perfect love and limitless knowledge does that very thing. However, the scriptures, and especially the D&C are filled with promises of his concern and caring - of his awareness and ability to help. In addition he has repeatedly commanded his disciples to render aid one to another in times of trouble. In fact, according to Alma , this in one of the main parts of the baptismal covenant (see Mosiah 18: 8-10). As you reflect on the scriptures below, consider what they teach us about the compassion and empathy of the Father and the Son for us in times of trouble.

6. THE LORD'S WILLINGNESS TO HELP

"You may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:14)

"Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies." (Alma 62:50)

"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. .." (Exodus 3:7)

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19)

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep." (2 Nephi 4:20)

7. GOD'S COMMANDS TO HIS CHILDREN TO HELP EACH OTHER IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY

"Succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees" (D&C 81 :5)

"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you." (Jacob 2:17)

"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." (Luke 3:11)

"Mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:9)

"And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish." (Mosiah 4:16)

"Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shalt, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment." (D&C 104:18)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)

If God has repeatedly promised his own help for us in times of trouble, and if he has commanded us to help each other, we must know that he is never indifferent to our trials.

Conclusion

The purpose of mortality is not to collect more stuff. As Elder Sterling W. Sill once said, "You were not sent into the vineyard to eat the grapes." The Lord sent us here to prove us. He fashioned a Testing Center that would enable us to demonstrate our love for him and for his work by our devotion to our covenants. There will come times when it will seem that he is far, far away; times when we may want to cry out with Joseph: "0 God, where art thou?" To such a question, there is really only one answer: "I am here. I am always here. If I watch the sparrows, I will also watch you."