So much is said about missionary work

Readings:  

Doctrine and Covenants 4, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 31, 33, 75, 

So much is said about missionary work. The bottom line is that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love all their children so much, they want all to come back to live with them.  (Sec 18:10  "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God")
The only way for their children to return and actually live with them, is for their children to make covenants that will qualify and allow such a return.  So, these ordinances and covenants must be made known to all and all must be given a chance to choose.  We do teach these things through missionary work.  The beginning of the dispensation of the fulness of times was full of commands and opportunities for missionary work, as exemplified in the readings above.  Getting the word out must be done.  But I noticed a different aspect of missionary work while reading through these sections: what missionary work does to us.

Here are common words used in many of the reading sections, this list comes from section 4, as it is most comprehensive in characteristics:

5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.
 6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
 7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

In other words, what are your motives for missionary work and your understanding of it's purpose?

The Lord admonished Hyrum Smith to get his motives and doctrine straight before he went out to preach (even though Hyrum had the desire to preach at the moment), sec 11:

21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.
 22 But now hold your peace; study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is now translating, yea, until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto.

This refers to the translation of The Book of Mormon that had not yet been finished, which Hyrum had to wait for before preaching about it.  But the principle is the same for us.  While we don't have to have a doctorate in religion, we do need to know the principles of the gospel in order to teach it correctly.  Once you have these correct principles and believe them, your understanding for the purpose of missionary work and how your approach and treat other children of God changes and you begin to encompass virtues such as charity and love, hard work, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, humility, diligence and obedience.

When you become this sort of person, you are more open to the proper priorities in life, as John Whitmer (and also Peter Whitmer Jr. in sec 16) was told he would be (sec 15)

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. Amen.

How do you become this sort of person?  Joseph, Oliver C. and David W. were told in sec 18:

 2 Behold, I have manifested unto you, by my Spirit in many instances, that the things which you have written are true; wherefore you know that they are true.
 3 And if you know that they are true, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written;
 4 For in them are all things written concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock.

By reading the scriptures given by God, we will understand what kind of person we are and what we need to become.  When we are ready, we will be called to be set apart missionaries (as Hyrum was told in sec 11).  However, all members of the church are called to teach when the Holy Ghost prompts them to teach and when we ask for help and the Lord's will concerning such a prospect and even when we just try, we are promised help:

Sec 33: 8-13
 8 Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness.
 9 Yea, open your mouths and spare not, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your backs, for lo, I am with you.
 10 Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled, saying: Repent, repent, and prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;
 11 Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
 12 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and remember that they shall have faith in me or they can in nowise be saved;
 13 And upon this rock I will build my church; yea, upon this rock ye are built, and if ye continue, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.

Sec 18:18-20
 18 Ask the Father in my name in faith, believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men.
 19 And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing.
 20 Contend against no church, save it be the church of the devil.
 21 Take upon you the name of Christ, and speak the truth in soberness.
 22 And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved.
 23 Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;
 24 Wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father, for in that name shall they be called at the last day;
 25 Wherefore, if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of my Father.

Besides the obvious purpose for missionary work, which is to bring other people to Christ through ordinances and covenants, there is a second great purpose: to bring ourselves to Christ.  As he said himself (Matt 10:39): "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."  Missionary work can be our refiner's fire, helping us gain the characteristics required to live with God again.  When we want to help someone come to Christ because of love, and waiting for the will of the Lord, and being patience with a person, being humble enough to follow directions given by the Spirit, etc.  Until we get to the point that we realize helping people come to Christ really is the things that is of most worth.

A revelation to Emma and to us

Reading: DC 25

This is a revelation given to Emma Smith, Joseph Smith's wife after they had been married for 3 years.  They had already endured extremely difficult things, and she stood by Joseph through all of them.  There doesn't seems to be any particular reason for the revelations, but I'm sure it was a comfort for Emma, both for enduring what she had already experienced and in receiving a direction of her own.  While this is a very personal revelation to Emma, it is of course wrought with eternal truths that all of us can learn from.

25:1 - We are all sons and daughters of God

25:2 - "if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion."  This is a promise given to all who are faithful, from the time of Adam to now.

25:3 - "Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come."  This is a very significant revelation to Emma and refers to the her complaining about not being able to see the gold plates, the Urim and Thummim and other spiritual things.  But the doctrine is very applicable to us.  There are many things that we do not or cannot see: how someone is healed, why women do not hold the priesthood, why marriage is between a man and a women only, why someone dies, disagreeing with leadership in the church and anything that we can find to be offended about or do not have an answer to.  The Lord basically says, I have a purpose and a time for everything.  Just because you don't know the answer, doesn't mean there isn't one.  You have what you need to live faithfully in this life; live the things you do know.  In fact, it may not be your purpose to know some things.  Emma was told her pupose:

25:4-8 - "And the office of thy calling shall be for a comfort unto my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., thy husband, in his afflictions, with consoling words, in the spirit of meekness."  Emma was specifically told that her calling was to support her husband.  And she fulfilled her calling faithfully and admirably, despite human foibles.  Some may think that this is a degrading calling.  But if you were told, by the Lord himself, that your calling was a supportive role, would you argue?  He tells her: you have a purpose, this is your purpose, you will support, you will teach, you will exhort, you will be scribe, you will console, you will write, you will learn, you will follow the Spirit.  Can you imagine her saying, "yeah, that's great and all, but I still haven't seen the plates, how do you expect me to do all this without seeing the plates?"  I think the bottom line here is, everyone has a purpose, do not compare purposes.  Or as a kindergarten teacher once put it: "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

25:9 - Joseph is also called to support her.  They are to work together.  I think it's remarkable that these two people found each other and clung.  As Lucy Smith (Joseph's mother) once said:

"I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure. . . she has breasted the storms of persecution and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman." (History of Joseph Smith pp. 190-91)

25:10 - "And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." I don't need to add to this.

25:11-12 - In two verses Emma was given a command to gather hymns for the saints to sing, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads."  She was told in verse 11 that gathering hymns would be "given thee," meaning she would be directed. The first hymn book published in 1835 contained 90 hymns.  The second book contained 340.  They were a collection of contemporary, popular songs as well as songs written by the saints.

25:13-16 - these last verses are an encouragement and commandment to her and to all:

13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.
 14 Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him.
 15 Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.
 16 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all. Amen.

The organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Readings:  

Doctrine and Covenants 20:1–36, 68–69, 75–79; 21; 27; 115:1–4.

The sections listed above concern the actual organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and by the mouth of the Lord: "The only true and living church."

I think it is amazing that it was 10 years from the time that Joseph Smith went to inquire about which church was the right church to join, in 1820 to the formal organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Joseph and his family, friends and supporters had been through an incredible amount of instruction, inspiration, revelation and joy, as well and persecution, barriers and hard experience.  All of which were necessary in proving Joseph and all associated with him, by receiving the doctrines through revelation and experience in order to have the correct and true foundation to build a church.  Section 20 is a different sort of section than many of the others because it is more of a document and statement of what doctrines the church is built on and how it operates, though it was received by Joseph and Oliver Cowdery from Jesus Christ, as were other sections.  In the early copy of the Doctrine and Covenants, what we know as section 20, was actually the second section.  It was read often in church meetings as sort of a declaration of doctrines and beliefs to help educate the members of the congregation in doctrine and procedure.

Here are the things that stood out to me:

DC 20:1-4 Establishes that the church was lawfully organized and names Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery as apostles and first and second Elders of the church, respectively.  The use of the word "apostle" is significant since there have been no named apostles since the days of Peter, James and John, signifying that the so-called "new" church is "The same organization that existed in the primitive church." (A of F #6)

*******(Many asterisks because this one is a BIG DEAL)  DC 20:5-6 - I find it extremely interesting that one of the very first things that is mentioned in this declaration of doctrine and organization is the fact that Joseph Smith sought forgiveness, received forgiveness from the Savior and then was given revelation on how to proceed with both his life and the progress of the gospel in this new dispensation of time.  I have not been able to get this out of my mind.  How significant, that within the first six verses of this declaration for the organization of the church, we are given an example of a personal relationship with the Savior.  Joseph did not have to go to a priest or leader for forgiveness, but only to the Savior himself.  He was forgiven and the received instruction - from the Savior himself!  This really is an eye-opener for the world and indicative of what "the only true and living church" is: one that lives and breathes and progresses by having a relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ.******

From this point on, section 20 lists the doctrines that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is founded on:

v 7-16 The Book of Mormon and The Bible work together at a statement that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and as such, the people of the world will be judged by how they receive these two books.

v 17-18  The nature of God and man: God is in heaven, he is infinite and eternal, unchangeable, the creator of heaven and earth and all things in them, including male and female, who were created after the image of God.

v 19 - God gave people commandments to love and serve Him and only Him.

v 20-24 - Man (Adam) transgressed these laws and became fallen, which necessitated an atonement (crucifixion and resurrection) to help people overcome their fallen state and sit down with God again.

v 25-29, 31  People can begin to return to God by following certain steps in this life: baptism and endure in faith through Jesus Christ, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, repent, believe on the name of Jesus Christ, serve with your might, mind and strength.

v 30-33  Doing these these helps provide justification and sanctification through the grace of our Lord and Savior. So pray always so you don't fall into temptation not to follow these things!

v 35-36 End with a confirmation that the these words were received from the Lord and that they are just and true.

Also, an important part of worship in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the weekly partaking of the sacrament: the bread and wine (which was later changed by revelation to water). The extremely significant and symbolic prayer for the sacrament emblems are set forth in DC 20:77 and 79 for the bread and water, respectively, and includes these covenants:

• We should eat or drink in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ (respectively), covenant to take upon us the name of the Son (be His followers in belief and action),  always remember Him, keep His commandments.
• We are then promised to have the Holy Spirit with us.

Section 21 was received on the actual day of the organization of the church.  This section actually lists what Joseph was called and sustained by the first official members of the church: (v1) seer, translator, prophet and apostle of Jesus Christ, and an elder of the Church.  And this is by the will of God the Father AND the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, being inspired by the Holy Ghost (three separate beings).

The next few verses are very important as it established who the people should follow (emphasis added):

 4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
 5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

Essentially, the Lord is telling the people that he uses men (specifically Joseph Smith at this point) to get the work done on earth.  (v 7-9) He is inspired, he is diligent, he is prayerful, he cared for the welfare of all, he has received a remission of his sins and manifestations of blessings.  Oliver Cowdery is ordained also to be an apostle, the first preacher of this church before the world.

DC 27 defines what emblems to use for the sacrament:

2 For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.
 3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies;
 4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.

Following verses list all the prophets and well-known followers of Jesus Christ who also partook of the sacrament, emphasizing it's importance and the eternal nature of the atonement.

The priesthood was and is a very important part and foundation of the organization of the church, but I covered that in the last post, so I won't pontificate upon it in this post.  But just to stress the point one more time:  I do believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living church.  I admit that I have not studied in depth into other religions because I don't believe finding religious beliefs is a "compare and contrast" type of endeavor, choosing what I think is best.  I think it is believing in one true God.  If I believe in a God that in omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, then I will take what He gives at the time He wants to give.  I believe that sections 20-22, set forth the doctrines He gives, at the time He wants to give and indicates that He will give more in the future.  I hope I'm always ready to receive what He wants to give me.

The Priesthood Power

Readings:   

Doctrine and Covenants 13; 20:38–67; 27:12–13; 84:6–30; 107:1–20; 110:11–16; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–73.

I apologize for skipping a week.  My goal is to keep up on the SundaySchool lessons even though I'm not in Sunday school anymore and I've flaked out on the first week!  Here are the two main reasons: 1) I can't say no to people who ask me to do things and 2) I've actually drawn a blank as to what I should write about the restoration of the priesthood.  Until today that is. Thank goodness.  I actually have very many thoughts about the Priesthood, but haven't known how to put it together with this lesson.  The readings touch upon the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, though John the Baptist (appeared as an angel) to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and also the Melchizedek Priesthood through Peter, James and John (appeared as angels) to Joseph Smith.  I will leave to you to read through the listed scriptures and will refer to just a few.  Here are my thoughts:

Elder David Bednar gave a wonderful talk on The Powers of Heaven, which explains the Priesthood and all it encompasses last April.  He quoted President David O. McKay in defining what set the Priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apart:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands apart from other churches that claim their authority is derived from historical succession, the scriptures, or theological training. We make the distinctive declaration that priesthood authority has been conferred by the laying on of hands directly from heavenly messengers to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Bednar defined the Priesthood as: 

The priesthood is the authority of God delegated to men on the earth to act in all things for the salvation of mankind (see Spencer W. Kimball, “The Example of Abraham,” Ensign, June 1975, 3). Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. One of the defining features of the Church of Jesus Christ, both anciently and today, is His authority. There can be no true Church without divine authority. Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness—not experience, expertise, or education—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.

So, the priesthood authority is the power to act in God's name to serve other people. It's not just doing nice and charitable things, which are great by themselves, but it is doing it under the direction of God, finding and doing his will. When Joseph and Oliver asked God about this power, in answer they received the power with this definition of Aaronic (or lesser appendage) Priesthood:

DC 13:1  1 Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.

It is a ministering power, a power to help people change through repentance and baptism.

Seen as such, one who holds the priesthood has a great and sobering responsibility: to minister to people to help change their lives for the better.  Not many people want to take on that responsibility, but it is part of believing and doing Christ's gospel.  In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, men are given the opportunity to hold the priesthood and actually make a solemn covenant to minister and help and teach. Actually, the responsibility list is quite long, something like this (combination of both Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood DC 20:38-67):  Administer sacrament, preach, teach, exhort, expound, baptize, confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain, lead, watch over, strengthen,  good conduct, assist, warn, invite, meet, direct, appoint and I probably missed some.  

The Aaronic Priesthood is also called the lesser priesthood or preparatory priesthood, where boys starting at 12 years old, can participate in responsibilities appropriate for that age, to help prepare them for the next level of priesthood responsibility, until they are able to receive the Melchizedek priesthood with greater responsibility.

One might ask why on earth would a boy of 12 be given the power to act in the name of God?  One answer: because God is merciful.  To both the boy and to those he serves.  He's provided a method of organized learning and experience that teaches precept by precept. Living by the covenant of the priesthood shows a boy/man how to minister and help others.

The Melchizedek priesthood is the higher priesthood, which is used to officiate and administer.  With the experience gained in the Aaronic priesthood, a boy/man is ready to experience the weightier matters of salvation, such as conferring the Gift of the Holy Ghost, sacred ordinances in the temple and administrative offices necessary to forward the purposes of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One might ask why a woman cannot do the same.  The ultimate answer I have is: I don't know.  I have heard many reasons that people come up with to attempt to equalize men and women with regard to the priesthood, there are many so I won't even name them.  I still ponder this a lot, and so far, here's what my puny brain has come up with: Priesthood is not an equality issue in the eyes of God. Humans have made it an equality issue though, which is the problem.  While equality is a noble goal to seek and should be sought for in many situations, there is something inherently wrong about telling God that He's got it wrong.  Because here's the deal: if the tenets of the gospel teach us that we are to work and progress toward eternal life, which is living with God again, and that both men and women can get there, why does it matter it we get there a little differently?

I think Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-39 helped me understand this concept:

 33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
 34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.
 35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
 36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
 37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
 38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
 39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

Essentially, whoever, man or woman, accepts the priesthood and whoever holds it righteously, accepts the Savior and God, the Father.  This will lead to completing whatever steps the Savior says to complete and will lead to reception in the Father's Kingdom.

Like I said, this is what my puny, human brain has come up with so far.  Perhaps with more learning and experience I will discover more later.  I am grateful for the peace I feel about the issue now and am very grateful for the blessings of the power and organization of the Priesthood.