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Come, Follow Me Week 16 – Doctrine & Covenants 37-40

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God gathers us to bless us 

The Lord instructed Joseph, “Behold, I say unto you that it is not expedient in me that ye should translate any more until you shall go to Ohio, and this because of the enemy and for your sakes.” (D&C 37:1). At the time of this instruction, Joseph labored on his inspired Biblical commentary, having read Genesis 5. The city of Enoch appears in Moses 7, and Enoch weeps bitterly over the problem of evil. The Lord comforts Enoch by giving him a vision, “And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the day of Lord come…And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man…and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.” (Moses 7:45, 47).

Seeing all the families of the earth, Enoch also saw how the Savior Jesus Christ would rescue and restore them. Central to gathering, whether it be as families or wards or stakes or friends, is the Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord says, “And again I say unto you that ye shall not go until ye have preached my gospel in those parts, have strengthened up the church, whithersoever it is found.” (D&C 37:2). One of the Lord’s purposes in gathering is so that we can strengthen one another.

Jesus instructed Peter similarly in the New Testament, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you ,that he may sift you as wheat” but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32). We are gathered because we can learn from one another. This learning is integral to our becoming more like Jesus Christ. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 16 – Doctrine & Covenants 37-40

Come, Follow Me Week 15 – Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

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Thomas Marsh and the Individualized Instructions of Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

by Steve Densley

            Various sections of the Doctrine and Covenants consist of instructions to specific individuals. It may be that this is illustrated no better than in sections 30 through 36. In these sections we read about individualized revelations directed to various men who were called on a mission to the Lamanites (Peter Whitmer, Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson), some called to share the gospel at home and minister in the church in surrounding areas (David Whitmer, John Whitmer, Thomas B. Marsh, Ezra Thayre, Northrop Sweet, Orson Pratt, & Edward Partridge), and one was given a special assignment to be the scribe for Joseph Smith as he worked on his translation of the Bible (Sidney Rigdon).

As we read these sections, we are reminded perhaps of our own patriarchal blessings or other blessings in which we are set apart for some Church service and are given insight and direction as to how to carry out our assignments and generally conduct our lives. These kinds of blessings can come to be more meaningful with time as we look back on specific events of our lives and how those events were perhaps foreshadowed through prophetic instruction.

As we read Section 31, for example, we are left wondering if the life of Thomas B. Marsh may have been much different if he had followed the direction he received more closely. And, of course, the instruction he received can be applied in our personal lives and may similarly make our lives better if we heed the counsel provided here. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 15 – Doctrine & Covenants 30-36

Come, Follow Me Week 14 – Easter

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I was raised by two parents who loved science. My father was a biology teacher. He was a favorite at the high school, with lots of silly and whacky exercises that helped the students remember the material. I recall one phone call from a Yale university student who called to thank my dad for his help passing his Yale biology exams. He said that he just had to think back on the play they performed in his high school class when the students acted out the various parts of cellular mitosis. My father did try his hand at teaching college classes as well, but he said it wasn’t as much fun. He claimed he would try to crack a biology joke, but the college students would respond by dutifully writing it into their notes as if it were fact.

My mother was also a teacher. She taught grade school, and then later middle school. Her favorite magazine was Scientific American. Each month, she would read the magazine from cover to cover. She would read every single article. Then she would want to discuss it. Imagine my groan and eye roll as a 13 year old when she would start reading the latest article to me and state how it would change everything. Even as she moved into her 80s, she still read it. When I visited, she would want to talk about dark matter, gene splicing, or some other current science issue. She would also read to us as kids when we went on road trips to the coast, or over to Utah. We live in California. She wouldn’t read novels. No, she would read the latest psychology book, or book on mind science.

I believe every student should study science even if they have no plans to go into it. Science teaches us to ask questions. Asking questions is good. Asking questions is important. Science also teaches us how to evaluate evidence. Understanding how to evaluate evidence is very good, and very important.

How Does Science Relate To My Faith? [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 14 – Easter

Come, Follow Me Week 13 – Doctrine and Covenants 29

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The Blessing of Living Prophets

By David W. Smith

Doctrine and Covenants 29 contains powerful teachings. From it we learn important truths regarding the Second Coming and the fall of Adam and Eve.

In this week before general conference, I want to use this section and the context in which it was received to promote confidence in, and emphasize the importance of, living prophets.

Angels to Declare Repentance

Satan tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They did so, were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and became subject to physical death. However, the Lord put a condition on that death:

“But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son” (verse 42). [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 13 – Doctrine and Covenants 29

Come, Follow Me Week 12 – Doctrine and Covenants 27-28

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The Ongoing Restoration of the Sacrament

By Nick Galieti

Among the many ordinances of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, none are practiced more regularly than is the weekly partaking of the Sacrament, or Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Considering the regularity with which people take the Sacrament, the historic origins, as well as the symbolic and scriptural principles at the heart of this ordinance, are some of the least understood by Latter-day Saints generally. Additionally, the Sacrament ordinance is a prime example of how the restoration of all things is an ongoing part of the faith, rooted deeply in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation. Reviewing the ancestral history, or iterations of the unifying sacraments of the past, up to current practices, help demonstrate how culture and eternal doctrine harmonize to teach the central role of Jesus Christ in the work of salvation.

Jewish tradition adopted sacramental symbolism within the Passover feasts. The Passover feast was performed in remembrance of the Children of Israel being saved in ancient Egypt. For those that followed the Prophet Moses’ council to paint the doorpost of their house with the blood of the lamb, the angel of death would pass over the inhabitants of their home. In gratitude and remembrance of God’s grace and mercy, this feast would honor and acknowledge Jehovah’s divine power to save.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland emphasized this connection between the modern sacrament and the Passover when he stated, “every ordinance of the gospel focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and surely that is why [the sacrament] ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340). Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How “sacred” and how “holy” is it? Do we see it as our Passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption? With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions. As such it should not be rushed. It is not something to “get over” so that the real purpose of a sacrament meeting can be pursued. This is the real purpose of the meeting. And everything that is said or sung or prayed in those services should be consistent with the grandeur of this sacred ordinance.”[1]

[Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 12 – Doctrine and Covenants 27-28

Come, Follow Me Week 11 – Doctrine and Covenants 23-26

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“Be Patient in Afflictions, for Thou Shalt Have Many”: Finding Christ Again (and Again) in Adversity – Doctrine and Covenants 24

by Matthew L. Bowen

My mind was called across the years
Of rages and of strife
Of all the human misery
And all the waste of life

We wondered where our God was
In the face of so much pain
I looked up to the stars above
To find you once again

            —Loreena McKennitt[1]

“I Have Lifted Thee Up out of Thine Afflictions”: Jesus’s Saving Us from Temporal Afflictions

Although only used twice in the text, a keyword in the revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 24 is “afflictions.” The revelation begins with a reminder to Joseph Smith, not only of his divine calling, but also of past divine deliverances: “Behold, thou wast called and chosen to write the Book of Mormon, and to my ministry; and I have lifted thee up out of thine afflictions, and have counseled thee, that thou hast been delivered from all thine enemies, and thou hast been delivered from the powers of Satan and from darkness!” (D&C 24:1). In what follows here, we will briefly explore Joseph’s afflictions in the days preceding the reception of Doctrine and Covenants 24, its prescience of his future, and its relevance for us in the present. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 11 – Doctrine and Covenants 23-26

Come, Follow Me Week 10 – Doctrine and Covenants 20–22

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“Proving to the World”: The Unique Declaration in Doctrine and Covenants Section 20

By Brian C. Hales

This week’s lesson deals with Doctrine and Covenants sections 20–22. These sections contain important messages regarding the restored Church, the performance of sacred ordinances, and the blessings of the priesthood in the lives of individuals and families.

Also tucked within these sections is a divine declaration that is unique to Latter-day Saint scripture. The first ten verses of section 20 present evidence that is proof that God lives and that he calls prophets on earth today. Verse 11 observes that something discussed earlier in the section is “proving to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old” (D&C 20:11). Nowhere else in scripture does God refer to evidences that are “proving to the world” anything specific. The declaration is unparalleled.

The word “proving” in verse eleven is a strong affirmation. Proving involves establishing the truth or validity of a claim by evidence or logic.[1] Readers may wonder what evidence is presented before verse 11 that could establish the truth of God’s reality? [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 10 – Doctrine and Covenants 20–22

FAIR Voice Podcast #30: Come Follow Me with Brent Top

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Brent L. Top is a professor of Church history and doctrine and former dean of Religious Education. He was born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and served a full-time mission to the Denmark Copenhagen Mission. He received all of his degrees from Brigham Young University—a BA in history, a master’s degree in instructional media, and a PhD in instructional science and technology. Before joining the BYU Religious Education faculty in 1987, he worked for the Church Educational System as a released-time seminary teacher, an institute teacher, and an administrator. Dr. Top served as associate dean of Religious Education from 1997 to 2002. He held the endowed Professorship in Moral Education for two years before his call as president of the Illinois Peoria Mission (2004–7). He was appointed department chair in June 2009. He is married to the former Wendy Cope from Idaho Falls. They are the parents of four children and reside in Pleasant Grove, Utah, where Brother Top served as the president of the Pleasant Grove East Stake.

Hanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a research assistant on early Latter-day Saint history. Her interests thematically center around sacrifice, magic, and priesthood as it pertains to ancient Judaism, early Christianity, ancient Egyptian religion, and early Restoration history. She values Jesus Christ, family, friends, hiking, baking, and good ice cream.

Come Follow Me Week 9 – Doctrine and Covenants 18–19 “The Worth of Souls Is Great”

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by Mike Parker

D&C 18:10–16
¹⁰Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; ¹¹for, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. ¹²And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. ¹³And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

¹⁴Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. ¹⁵And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

¹⁶And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

How great is “the worth a soul”? It could be measured by the cost incurred to redeem it. [Read more…] about Come Follow Me Week 9 – Doctrine and Covenants 18–19 “The Worth of Souls Is Great”

Come Follow Me Week 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 14–17 (additional post)

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by Mike Hickenbotham

I developed a testimony that Jesus Christ was our Savior and Redeemer at a young age and have had a strong conviction of the reality of his atoning sacrifice every since. My studies in the scriptures have reinforced that testimony to the point today that I can state that I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and my Savior. He truly died for me and made possible my resurrection and exaltation. I have also gained a testimony of Joseph Smith’s calling as God’s prophet in these last days.

As a teenager, I remember the Joseph Smith story being recited by a returned missionary in Sunday School class exactly as it is contained in our scriptures. At that time, the Holy Ghost witnessed to me that the account I was hearing was true. Through the years my testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and other LDS scriptures has grown, but I knew from the beginning they were true as a result of this initial witness I received. If Joseph Smith was a prophet — and I knew he was — then these other revelations must also be true. To this day I cannot read the Joseph Smith story without receiving a similar assurance that these events actually occurred as Joseph Smith had recorded.

Joseph Smith’s History is the key to the restoration. Either Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and the restored gospel is true, or Joseph Smith was a fraud and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in error. Either he saw God and his Son, Jesus Christ, or he didn’t. There is no gray area of truth. It is either all true or all a hoax. It is my testimony that it is true and that no man could have done what Joseph Smith did without the help and inspiration of God. [Read more…] about Come Follow Me Week 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 14–17 (additional post)