I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me for Doctrine and Covenants 51-57. If you missed last week’s insight, Doctrine and Covenants 49-50 click here for it. Please share this with your friends or use this picture to save this pin to read later:
Honesty.
“And let every man deal honestly, and be alike among this people, and receive alike, that ye may be one, even as I have commanded you.”
Doctrine and Covenants 51:9
In this verse, the Saints are commanded, to be honest with another. Honesty like every other Christlike attribute is under a full-scale assault by Satan. Every Christlike attribute is essential to our progression, but all must be built upon the bedrock of honesty. Because honesty is a prerequisite for the companionship of the Spirit as the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Without the Spirit, we can not come unto Christ, learn of Him, and become like Him.
With Honesty being the bedrock of our Christain Character we can build upon it every Christlike attribute with the companionship of the Spirit. Every aspect of the Church is built upon Honesty being expected, from Tithing to Temple Recommends, Honest is enthroned as a guiding principle in the Church. Dishonesty is also harshly condemned, in 2nd Nephi 9:34, Jacob declared, “Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell” In modern times, Elder Mark E. Petersen taught: “But we do not believe in honesty merely as a matter of policy. It is far more important than that. Honesty is a principle of salvation in the kingdom of God. Without it there can be no salvation. Just as no man or woman can be saved without baptism, so no one can be saved without honesty. As we cannot advance in the kingdom of heaven without a resurrection, so we cannot move into celestial realms without honesty.”
Ordinances.
“Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances.”
Doctrine and Covenants 52:15
Ordinances may be a common word we use in our church but it very important to understand in the Gospel context. In short, Jesus Christ taught that certain actions must be done, actions such as baptism, and the sacrament. The reason these actions must be done is that they are a physical manifestation and a way that we enter into covenants with God. Jesus Christ gave authority to His apostles to do these actions. This authority is called the priesthood, and these actions are called ordinances.
Sadly, just as people rejected Christ, so eventually did they reject the apostles and their authority. This rejection of the authority that Christ bestowed is called apostasy. Within the first generation after Christ’s death, the Christian Church had fallen into apostasy. The Christians that were left were often good people, but without Priesthood Authority they could not administer any ordinances of the gospel as directed by Christ. These Christians without authority eventually organized into the Catholic Church and slowly changed the ordinances as prophesied in Malachi 3:7.
Eventually, a movement called the Protestant reformation rejected the Catholic Church’s claims to the priesthood, and because of the actions of the Catholic Church, Martin Luther rejected the idea of ordinances and opted for a new gospel, one devoid of priesthood and ordinances. One of simple faith without works.
Fast forward hundreds of years, you have Protestant Churches realizing they need ordinances, so they just start doing them without Priesthood Authority, like the Catholics. In the 1600’s a man named Roger Williams steps into the picture, he is in the New World and has just been kicked out of Massachusets for his beliefs: he travels south to start a new colony, naming it Rhode Island. It is founded upon the idea of religious freedom (He is credited with being the Father of our First Amendment). Roger also starts up a Baptist Church in Rhode Island, the First Baptist Church in America.
But Roger Williams soon left the Baptist Church; he then taught the following: “The Apostasy… hath so far corrupted all, that there can be no recovery out of that apostasy until Christ shall send forth new apostles to plant churches anew.”
Roger Williams
When Roger Williams realized there had been an apostasy he left the Baptist Church and sought for restoration of Priesthood Authority, and told his followers: “There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking.”
Roger Williams
Roger Williams died in 1683 still waiting for a restoration of priesthood authority. That restoration took place over 145 years later. In May of 1829 when Peter, James, and John being sent by Jesus Christ restored the apostolic authority to Joseph Smith, once again allowing for the administration of priesthood ordinances.
Cool fact, Roger Williams is the 10th Great Grandfather of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
Enduring to the Endowment.
“And again, I would that ye should learn that he only is saved who endureth unto the end. Even so. Amen.”
Doctrine and Covenants 53:7
Enduring to the end is the hardest step of the gospel. It requires faith, repentance, renewing our covenants, and following the Holy Ghost. But there is a secret, something that is vital to help someone endure, the Endowment.
As a missionary in a Zone Meeting in Montpelier Vermont, we were being taught that baptism is our goal. The Assistants to the President asked if Baptism was everyone’s greatest desire for their investigators? Every missionary raised their hand, but I did not.
THeir tone indicating that they were rather annoyed that a greenie would defy them, the Assistants to the President asked me, “Elder Goff, what do you desire for those you teach more than Baptism!?”
My reply? “I want them to get to the temple.”
The Assistants to the President replied back, “Where in your purpose does it say that?”
I got quiet, and they continued “What is your purpose?”
In unison all the missionaries repeated, “Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”
The mission president then stood up. I can remember it like yesterday, the Assistants and Zone Leaders went quiet as he walked toward the whiteboard they had just written, “Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receive the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End.” And he wrote “Endure to the Endowment and be Endowed till the end” He then told us if our only focus was baptism then our converts would fall away, we must teach them Baptism as a stepping stone to the Temple endowment and ultimately the sealing of families together.
Having patience in trials.
“And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen.”
Doctrine and Covenants 54:10
Everyone will have trials, wicked or righteous, how we approach them is key. The wicked reply in anger and the righteous reply in patience. Think of the early saints, trying so hard to obey the Prophet, and then he is killed. And then to add insult to injury they have to leave their homes and walk across the plains. So many chances to get angry or to be patient.
Some did get angry and they lost everything, we don’t hear their stories, it is the examples of patience like Mary Fielding Smith that endure. What is patience? Elder Uchtdorf explained it like this. “Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
For more about Patience see, 16 Paradigm Shifting Quotes On Patience From President Uchtdorf, and Why Latter-day Saints Should Stop Saying “Don’t Pray For Patience.” and for more about trials see, The Most Important Reason For Trials That Latter-day Saints often Forget.
Education.
“And again, you shall be ordained to assist my servant Oliver Cowdery to do the work of printing, and of selecting and writing books for schools in this church, that little children also may receive instruction before me as is pleasing unto me.”
Doctrine and Covenants 55:4
From the early days of the church education has been extremely valued, because of this one of the first things the Lord commanded the Saints in Missouri to do was to establish a printing press.
The printing press enabled the Church to print their own books and to teach their children the truth. The same is a commandment today, that we should seek wisdom out of the best books, and that we should get an education. But don’t confuse the mandate to get an education with a mandate to get a college degree, there are many ways to learn, college is but one of them.
~Gordon B. Hinckley
A counterfeit gospel.
“Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!”
Doctrine and Covenants 56:17
We often talk about how we are told to take care of the poor, in Doctrine and Covenants 56:16, The Lord rebukes the rich who are not willing to give of their own substance to the poor. But today I want to focus on verse 17, for that applies to almost all of us. It is God’s commandment to the poor. And there is a LOT we can learn about. Often Government welfare is pushed with the concepts of verse 16 with total disregard for the sister doctrine of 17.
We are commanded to work, from the moment of the fall till now the commandment has been that we should not eat except by the sweat of our brow. The grand lie Satan tells us is that it is OK to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Because the ends will justify the means. We are told Socialism is the only way we can force the rich to take care of the poor. But remember who’s plan advocated force in the beginning? Satan! It is foolishness for the Saints to believe Satan’s grand lies that we can glut ourselves on the goods of others, these false gospels of socialism, communism, and welfareism, all of which are founded on the principle of forcing others to do what is deemed right. How can one advocate Satan’s plan on earth and think to escape the eternal punishment that Satan’s advocates received in the war in heaven?
“It is time, therefore, that every American, and especially every member of the priesthood, become informed about the aims, tactics, and schemes of socialistic-communism. This becomes particularly important when it is realized that communism is turning out to be the earthly image of the plan which Satan presented in the pre-existence. The whole program of socialistic-communism is essentially a war against God and the plan of salvation – the very plan which we fought to uphold during ‘the war in heaven.’”
Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, October 1961, p. 70
God has spoken out against forced redistribution of wealth, it’s called theft and coveting, two of the ten commandments are about it, and verse 17 also decries this socialistic idea. Socialism and all other isms are but counterfeits to the United Order, seeking to disobey the commandments all under the guise of the greater good.
“In distinguishing communism from the United Order, President David O. McKay said that communism is Satan’s counterfeit for the gospel plan, and that it is an avowed enemy of the God of the land. Communism is the greatest anti-Christ power in the world today and therefore the greatest menace not only to our peace but to our preservation as a free people. By the extent to which we tolerate it, accommodate ourselves to it, permit ourselves to be encircled by its tentacles and drawn to it, to that extent we forfeit the protection of the God of this land.”
Marion G. Romney First Presidency Message, September 1979 Ensign.
Becoming Zion.
“Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.”
Doctrine and Covenants 57:2
Zion was to be built in Missouri, but because of disobedience, the Saints lost those lands. But Zion was never meant to be confined to Independence Missouri, that is where the Center Stake of the tent Zion was meant to be. Zion was meant to spread forth its stakes like a tent, throughout all the world.
Today we have Zion (the church) spreading all throughout the globe, we often talk about how the darkness is growing, but the light is also! Zion has NEVER been as strong as it is today, there have never been as many Priesthood holders, there have never been as many temples over 150! There have never been as many Stakes in Zion over 3,000! There have never been as many people listening to and following the Spirit.
Yes, the day has not come where Independence has become the Center Stake of the tent Zion, but make no doubt Zion has come! Zion is not Salt Lake City, nor is Zion Utah, Zion is in the hearts of every member of the Church, from the Branches of Northern Maine to the newly formed stakes in New Deli and Moscow let us seek to more fully establish Zion!
“The borders of Zion, where the righteous and pure in heart may dwell, must now begin to be enlarged. The stakes of Zion must be strengthened.”
Harold B. Lee
PS, enjoy this fun visual of the growth of the Church!