I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me 3 Nephi 27-4 Nephi (If you missed last week’s insights for Come, Follow Me 3 Nephi 20-26 click here). Save this pin to read later.
Where are the keys?
“And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you?”
3 Nephi 27:2 (1-3)
In this verse we see what happens when the people of Christ’s church did when they have a question, the apostles all gather together, invoking Priesthood keys they fast and pray and petition Christ to answer them. And He did.
So what makes our church different? Two words.
Priesthood Keys.
Long before the Catholic church was even founded, the Apostolic keys held by Peter were lost when the Gnostics killed the apostles.
The Bishops who were given local authority from the apostles to hold their churches together did the best they could, but they lacked Priesthood authority and keys to appoint a new bishop, so once the first generation who were appointed by the Apostles died, ALL priesthood authority was lost.
Their replacements were appointed by men, lacking Priesthood authority from God they did the best they could to lead the church, but lacking Priesthood keys when an issue came up instead of turning to God to request an answer they held synods where they would decide as men, what God was and what He meant. Over the centuries truth was lost.
They eventually adopted creeds that stripped God of his Station and Power, by removing His body and His true corporal nature they adopted Creeds that distorted the truth about God and sowed the seeds of confusion and atheism into the once pure doctrines of Christ.
In our day and age, Jesus Christ Himself appeared WITH the Father to restore the Truth about the corporal nature and reality of the Godhead. And during what is now known as the First Vision Jesus Christ declared the creeds of Christianity were “an abomination in his sight” Later Peter, James, and John were sent by Jesus Christ to restore the keys.
So what’s the difference in our church?
Unlike creedal Christianity, that leans on councils of men and kings to decide doctrine. We can be taught by Prophets and Apostles, men that have SEEN Jesus Christ and heard His voice! Once again His church is lead by the Apostolic Keys just as Christ designed it to be.
“Never, ever again do we have to question, ‘Where are the keys?'”
Elder Gary E. Stevenson
Even the faithful must be tried.
“And they were cast into prison by them who did not belong to the church. And the prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain.”
3 Nephi 28:19
In this verse, we learn that the 12 Disciples (Nephite Apostles), were rejected by some of the people and cast into prison. In the following verses, it details they were thrown into its, cast into furnaces, and fed to wild beasts, all with no effect.
Often times we forget verses 19-22 and we skip to verse 23 when everyone has been converted and they enter a Zion state of peace for over 200 years.
But before the blessings of Zion could come, the faithful had to be tried, the Nephite Apostles had seen Jesus Christ, He ministered to them, promising 9 of them eternal life, and 3 of them that they would not die till the second coming. YET They still had to endure trials. Why? Because trials teach us personal lessons, they give us experience that can be learned and earned no other way.
Think about how many trails Christ had to endure and we are now called to follow Him! In the words of Elder Maxwell. “Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, “Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!” Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Denying Christ
“Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his works!”
3 Nephi 29:5
We, like Peter, proclaim that we will never deny Christ, but what we say with our words and what we do with our actions do not always line up.
This verse talks about denying Christ and His works, what is the works of Christ? The Atonement. How do we deny the atonement? When we refuse to forgive others we are denying the atonement. When we deny the atonement, we are denying Jesus Christ.
So forgive your brother his trespasses, for surely you pray that Christ will forgive yours.
The blessings of Temple Marriage.
“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.”
4 Nephi 1:11
Marriage is not something often talked about within the scriptures, but when it is there are a couple themes that always surround it. It is sanctioned by the Lord, that the husband should love his wife and be willing to lay down his life in her defense, and that the wife should love her husband.
But the most import aspect of marriage has been lost to man, marriage is meant to be eternal! In Matthew 19:6, and Mark 10:9 Jesus Christ declares “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
And Jesus also taught that in Heaven man is not married or given in marriage. That means the time to seek out an eternal marriage and family is here on Earth. (And for those who try but do not have the chance, remember the promised blessings of the millennium!)
God’s greatest joy comes from His family, His most honorable title is Father. It is no wonder that this doctrine of the family is under attack by Satan on all fronts.
In order to receive the blessings of eternal marriage, one must qualify for them. When we are married by the authority of man, our marriage has a built-in expiration date, as man’s authority ends at the grave.
Jesus taught that eternal marriage is when “God hath joined together” the couple. That means we must recognize God’s authorized servants on earth and be married under HIS terms and conditions. And if met, the promise is that your marriage will NOT be put asunder.
God is a loving Father, not the universe’s great divorce clerk. So what are His terms and conditions for eternal marriage? Elder Bruce R. McConkie outlines them for us! “the most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person in the right place by the right authority”
When that happens we lay the foundations for eternal happiness. It is the end goal of all our activity in the church.
“The end [goal] of all activity in the Church is to see that a man and a woman with their children are happy at home, sealed for eternity.”
Boyd K. Packer.