Additional Scripture - Case for the affirmative

Have you ever heard of someone tell you that the Bible is the "Whole" word of good? They can't even imagine you telling them there might be more or that the Bible is really not complete?

Well I'd like to get the gears in your head moving and help you to consider some aspects that might change your mind.

First off we had better define what the Bible really is.

Full Definition of BIBLE - Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

1

capitalized

a :  the sacred scriptures of Christians comprising the Old Testament and the New Testament

b :  the sacred scriptures of some other religion (as Judaism)

2

obsolete :  book

3

capitalized :  a copy or an edition of the Bible

4

:  a publication that is preeminent especially in authoritativeness or wide readership <the fisherman's bible> <the bible of the entertainment industry>

I really like the 4th definition.  An authoritative book or publication.

So the Bible is really just an authoritative collection of sacred scripture.  The key point is a collection.    That means that it might not include everything on the subject but, it sure has a fair amount and that what it does include is authoritative or for general use and benefit.

Then we also need to declare what is scripture.  Why because the Bible is a collection of said scripture and will help prove my point latter on.

Full Definition of SCRIPTURE -Merriam Webster Online Dictionary

1

a (1) capitalized :  the books of the Bible —often used in plural (2) often capitalized :  a passage from the Bible

b :  a body of writings considered sacred or authoritative

2

:  something written <the primitive man's awe for any scripture — George Santayana>

See scripture defined for English-language learners »

See scripture defined for kids »

Again  there is the mention of authoritative and sacred.  So a guy named Fred that is a 7 times world champion salmon fisher might be asked to include something in the Fisherman's bible.  He would be authoritative because he has won the championship 7 times.  Now he would not be include in the Bible of scripture because he is not authoritative in the matters of doctrine, he is for fishing though.

So we find that the Bible is really just a collection of the sacred writings of holy men/women as determined at some time in the past.  We accept those writing because we believe those writings to be inspired of God.

Take for example the first few books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Numbers etc.  that were written by Moses whom we accept as a prophet of God.
Do you think those books include everything that God communicated to Moses?  And could there have been another prophet at the same time?  Did God communicate with Aaron his brother or any of the 70 men he called to help him sit in judgement?

I submit for your review that he did.  God communicated with other people and we simply don't have their writings.  Some of them we know about and others we do not.  So I propose to list a few to keep the gear turning.

Here is a partial list:
Book of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14); book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18); book of the acts of Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:41); book of Samuel the seer (1 Chr. 29:29); book of Gad the seer (1 Chr. 29:29); book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chr. 29:29; 2 Chr. 9:29); prophecy of Ahijah (2 Chr. 9:29); visions of Iddo the seer (2 Chr. 9:29; 12:15; 13:22); book of Shemaiah (2 Chr. 12:15); book of Jehu (2 Chr. 20:34); sayings of the seers (2 Chr. 33:19); an epistle to the Church at Laodicea (Col. 4:16); and some prophecies of Enoch, known to Jude (Jude 1:14)

These are just a few of the ones listed in the Bible.  The same ones some try to claim is complete, unchangeable, and the final word.
The foregoing items attest to the fact that our present Bible does not contain all of the word of the Lord that He gave to His people in former times and remind us that the Bible, in its present form, is rather incomplete.

Then we have the second issues that arises after we do that little exercise.  At what point did God discontinue to speak to people here on Earth and totally abandon us?  What I mean from that is if we accept the fact there are lost books or scripture then we must accept the fact that God has been communicating with people all along.  Would he stop speaking to people in 65 A.D. completely?
Would he just leave us to our own devices in these current times?  I might seem so since things can appear to be pretty screwed up. 

I propose to you that he did not quit talking as that is not his protocol.  It is not the way he works.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

He may have temporarily withdrawn for a while though he never leaves us flapping in the wind for too long.  Have you ever noticed what they have at the end of the old Testament? 
"The End of the Prophets" - Malachi 4

Interesting right.  The end of the prophets some years before the new testament starts.  The new testament which shows right clearly that God started communicating again with man here on Earth.
So the pattern is clear.  He may stop at some point for while but, HE never leaves us alone for too long.  It is kind of like when you put your child in the corner for a time out.  You don't keep talking with him while he is there.  You leave him alone to think things over.  Then after a cooling off, repentance and humbling period you go back and communicate you displeasure and give them a hug or welcome them back to what ever was going on.


Now for the hard to convince they might say - look guy this is all fine and dandy but, the Bible says you can not add on to this right here in revelations.

Revelations 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

OK I'll take that.  But does it not say the same right here in Deuteronomy?
Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

So which one is the added portion?  Are either of them the added portion? Is the stuff coming after the 4th chapter of Deuteronomy?  That would mean most of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament?    I think many of us have been miss interpreting these scriptures for a very very long time.

I love this comment from a site giving additional insights to this train of thought

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you—by the introduction of any heathen superstition or forms of worship different from those which I have appointed (De 12:32; Nu 15:39; Mt 15:9).
neither shall ye diminish aught from it—by the neglect or omission of any of the observances, however trivial or irksome, which I have prescribed. The character and provisions of the ancient dispensation were adapted with divine wisdom to the instruction of that infant state of the church. But it was only a temporary economy; and although God here authorizes Moses to command that all its institutions should be honored with unfailing observance, this did not prevent Him from commissioning other prophets to alter or abrogate them when the end of that dispensation was attained.


biblehub.com deuteronomy 4-2 (emphasis added)


I propose that there was a time when darkness fell over the land.  That the Lord and God withdrew themselves from communication with man on Earth.  A time we call the great apostasy and readily prophesied of by the Apostle Paul in various places in the bible.
This forced upon us the grand confusion that has over time been present within the Christian religion.
For as you see no one was directly communicating with God and thus they were left to their own devices.  Frankly things got really confusing quickly.  Also since the Bible as we know it today was not in it's present form this created added confusion.  You might have people using various "scriptures" that other do not accept.  Or the translation one has compared to another might give to very different meanings.   Confusion at the extreme.

I testify that God did once again call a prophet in modern times.  That He has as his pattern can attest communicated with Man again in modern time to give us guidance and direction.
And I testify that Man is the one Joseph Smith Jr.

A wonderful video clip, mainly audio of a profile of a prophet, a modern day Prophet.
A profile, a legal brief that by legal standards proves he was a modern day prophet.


I also testify that through the prophet Joseph we received additional scripture.  Additional ancient scripture, and modern revelation provided to him to reestablish the Lord's church in this Dispensation.
And that through the continuation of the Authoritative power of the Priesthood a living modern day prophet is on the Earth today.  That prophet being Thomas S Monson.
That he regularly & authoritatively provides us with modern scripture - modern communication between God and Man.

Possibly still a little sceptical?  Still have some doubts?

I have the answers - You simply need to ask GOD if these things are true.
He has answers people in the past and he will answers people in the future.  Why would he not want you to know the truth?

Don't take my word for the truthfulness of these things, nor Hugh B. Brown.  Find out for yourself.

Interested in getting a free copy of additional scripture?

Go to this website - http://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

Buiadh - NO - Bas

Home Teaching A very inspired program

Renewed focus and attention has been brought to the Home Teaching program used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to minister to their members.  This is because President Thomas S Monson talked on the subject during the Priesthood Session of The Semi-annual general conference of the Church.



This program or priesthood duty has been around for some time.  A good 100 years at least in more or less the same format that is currently present.  The corresponding program for the Women of the church called Visiting Teaching has also been around for an equally long time.


The Basic idea behind home teaching is that one or more priesthood holders are assigned to a family (can be anything from an individual to more individuals) to visit on a monthly basic.  The idea is to visit them at least once during the month and more if there are any special needs or the like.  They assess the spiritual and physical needs of the family and pass this information back up to the their group leadership.  That information can then be passed on to the local unit leadership if additional assistance or follow-up is deemed necessary.

The church is well know for keeping track of its members.  Much more so then a lot of other churches out there.  For a detailed record is kept of the member and this follows the member around as they move the world over.  Units in Asia for example don't have to guess if a person is a member.  They simply request their records and they then know their standing.  If you move back to Utah then they would request your record as well.  Technology developed over the last 50 or so years has surely helped in this process.  Though record keeping has been important from the moment the church started.
This is a very basic and simple thing that helps keep uniformity within the church.  And ever member is assigned to a unit based on a geographical region.  Does not mean I can not ever attend another unit outside my area.  However, certain things can not be handled without ones record.  Since this is based on area you have to see your leader in your area and not the neighboring city, county or state.

WE DO NOT CHOSE WHERE WE ATTEND SERVICES BASED ON THE PASTOR or WHO IS SPEAKING (this changes from week to week anyways).

So as we have stewardship over our fellow members we are very unique.

We do not have a perfect system since there are human beings involved.  People moved and don't tell someone and in reality sometimes we just don't get out and do our visits.  We get caught up with other things in life like work, family and the list goes on.

I do remember though once a local leader of the church was able to go to some type of forum or religious panel for high school students as a representative of the church.  At this meeting a pastor of another denomination was impressed by the whole structure of the youth and home teaching programs.  He thought he'd like to implement something similar in his church and asked a lot of details of how this was all setup.  A couple months later the same two people were able to met again in a similar setting.   So our church leader asked him how things went with implementing a youth and home visiting program.  It is very interesting what he responded.  He basically said that things started out very well.  He went out and lined up a couple of people to be the youth's leaders.   He also put in place the system for home visits.   However, in as much as things went well the first couple of months it began to fall apart in a short period of time.  People started to wonder why they needed to visit someone every month if there were regularly showing up at church services.  The youth leaders not being paid caused problems.  They kind of could not see volunteering so much time.  The whole thing basically fell apart in as little as 6 months.
He then said that this church's new programs did not function since they lacked Priesthood Authority.

We sure do a lot of things as members of the church of Jesus Christ.  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf explains this perfectly.





Yes, we do home teaching in general to a wide variety of members active and less active alike.
And many units get on average more then 50% visits per month.  It can vary widely from location to location depending on the number of members and other circumstances.
The challenge is  HOW DO YOU GET BETTER NUMBERS IN HOME TEACHING. OR BETTER YET...... HOW DO YOU REALLY THE MET THE NEEDS OF THE DYNAMIC MEMBERSHIP?

I'd like to talk a bit about this.  In our local area we have some lack luster figures.  But, are these figures true figures.  In many cases there is an issues with reporting.
Could it be that people are so busy with life's challenges that they do not have the time or ability to get out visit more then 35% of those they have stewardship over.  In a typical unit that means we are visiting around 2 of 6 people assigned.
So what might be the lack of motivation?  If you have faith and a testimony of the Gospel some would think you would always do your home teaching.  That you would have high numbers of visit on a consistent basis.  But, that is not always the reality.

Are there factors that you can take into account to make sure that the number of visits is consistently better month upon month.
Here are some things to consider that might be impeding better visits.
1) People are assigned to visit someone very far away.  Geographical assignments help beyond the regular visit in cases of emergency.
2) Are your assigned families all unknown.  It is hard to keep yourself motivated when you are chasing people down all the time.  Regular spiritual experiences are needed in this program.
3) Keep the number of assignments manageable.  We all have lives and there is a point of diminishing returns

Then once we have the basics in place and any major impediments out of the way we can concentrate on why we might be getting low numbers.
For starters we need to follow up.  The hallmark of the Home teaching program is that it involves individuals and families.  That it is a personal program.  We try as best we can to actually visit the person in their home.  To actually present a spiritual message and access their needs,  to be a friend for more then the 3 hours we attend church.
We have to personalize things.  We have have to get beyond figures and numbers and talk about people.  Once we start talking about people we will surely improve things.

Here are a few things to consider beyond the obvious to help improve the quality and as a result quantity of visits.
1) Make the undesirable desirable.  Hard though possible.  You have to change the way people look at doing visits, their focus, and help them see they are having some effect.
2) Utilize ability.  Some may not know how to do a good home teaching visit.  Do we just pass off assignments and hope for the best?  Maybe you need to go with them on a visit.
3) Peer pressure.  Some times we need to bring attention to our successes.  That can come in many forms.  As others see things are happening they will gain a desire to join the band wagon.  They may even feel guilty for one reason or another.
4) We many need to hold people accountable and reward good work.  Though promising donuts does not always work or seem appropriate.
5) Change the environment.  That means are certain companionships not working?  Does someone have a friendship already that can be used to your advantage?  Maybe people are having a hard time identifying those they home teach.  Providing pictures if possible might help.  Attack the problem in a different way.  If the old method is not working then something has to give.

Once we line up our home teaching using the above ideas we can truly become Active shepherds instead of the passive ones referred to in President Monson's talk.

"Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep.”² He provides for us the perfect example of what a true shepherd should be." 
True Shepherds By President Thomas S. Monson

"If you seek truth, meaning, and a way to transform faith into action; if you are looking for a place of belonging: Come, join with us!" 
Come, Join with Us By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency

For those that want to see the blessings that come from this inspired program, come and find out.  And for those that already know its benefits let's make that extra effort to get out there and bless the lives of those we have stewardship over.

Buiadh - NO - Bas

True and Living Church

This coming Sunday our ward will be having a change in the Bishopric. For anyone that has been a member for any length of time will know this means we will be getting a new Bishop and Counselors.

Why would I bring this up?  For most people of the church this is obviously a big deal but, we don't get all bent out of shape when this happens.  Why?  Because we know as part of the true and living church things have to change.  People are rotated around in their callings, and things are meant to change.  Things are not stagnant in the true and living church.  The Prophet will keep getting revelation specific to our day and time.  Right now that mostly means new temples and similar things.

However, once in a while something that will have a bigger effect on things happens.  The Prophet within the last 2 years received revelation that the age for missionary service was to be changed.  This change has had a large impact on the number of current full time missionaries.  The impact of this revelation will be felt for years to come.  Changes to the meeting schedule also had a profound impact back in the day.  Consolidating meetings spread over the whole week to primarily a 3 hours block.  Much better use of buildings meant more units per building.

Sometimes the revelation is so great and will have such a profound impact on the church it has been codified in the Doctrine and Covenants.  Such as the 2 official declarations regarding the ending of plural marriage and the fact that all worthy males could now hold the priesthood regardless of race or origin.
See Official Declarations for additional information

So for this reason we as member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are not surprised when change occurs.  Some are hard to understand and others make sense right from the first moment you hear about it.  Sometimes people are in a calling for a brief time.  Others may be in their calling for years.  I heard of people in the past that were Bishop for 24 years.  Now it is common that a Bishop is only in for around 5 years.  Stake Presidents also know that they will only be in their calling for around 9 years.   Why the change?

In the church the Bishop, his counselors and for that matter anyone else with a calling is not being paid to do what they do.  I was cub master for about 3 years.  I never received a dime in remuneration for all my service.  Naturally I could have rejected the calling when it was first extended.  Few people do.  There are circumstances at times that everyone does not know that will make such a calling hard to fulfill for the person being called.  When presented with this new information sometimes the calling is no longer extended.
Think about a person that is working the night shift.  He will not be able to properly fulfill a calling with the youth where weekly activities held in the evening are a major portion of the program.  Now if this person is called as a Sunday instructor it might work.  If people did know the full extent of the employment circumstances they likely would not have extended the call in the first place.

Because the church is made up of volunteers, things have to change.  The Bishop can not be Bishop forever.   He has a job to support his family and the 30+ hours a week he may put in does effect his family.  So after a period of time a new person is called.  This sets off other changes and so on.  When people move or change employment they also may need to change callings.

So no one is ever really surprised when changes in leadership occur.  They occur all the time in the true and living church.
This is not so much the case in other christian churches.  It appears to be a big deal when the pastor decides to leave the congregation.  They are fixtures at the local meeting house.  They also generally derive their income from that congregation.  If membership dwindles, their income is likely directly effected.
Not so much a big deal in the true and living church.  Boundaries of units change when circumstances change.  New units may be created, and units may be dissolved.

But, that is also the wonderful things.  The meeting houses are not stagnant.  The units that attend the meeting houses are not stagnant.  As circumstances change so do the units, buildings and other supports of the church.   As the population changes so does the church.  Less people usually means less members and therefore less units, and buildings.  The reverse may also be true.

In my current unit over the last 50 years they have divided the unit multiple times, moved from meeting in a rented warehouse to a permanent building, and also merged in a unit as attendance and overall membership dwindled.  All that in just one little city.  Think of what is happening on a regular basis all over the church.
As needs change so does the church.
I served my mission in Northern Brazil.  Many of the locations I  served in back some 20 years ago were very new to the church.  In some cases the church had been present for around less then 3 years.
Units had to be split as the membership increased.  Eventually, new meeting houses had to be built to accommodate the increase in units.  Now in one location they have gone from just one small branch to a whole stake with 5 units spread over the city and a neighboring town.

As one person said in a fireside I recently attended - God stopped communicating back in the day (dark ages) because the "church" stopped asking questions.  Basically, this is what defines the true and living church.  The flow of information, the flow of revelation, the flow of questions and the flow of response to said questions.

This is why we are not so shocked there is going to be change.  It is necessary.  And the Lord will not do anything until he reveals it to his servants - Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

So if you have questions about your church or churches in general, why not ask.  And the who better to ask the the Lord himself.
That is what Joseph Smith, Jr. did and I'm not totally sure he was expecting have happen what  happened.

But, you too can get your answers and then you will not be so surprised when change comes along.  You'll understand the church is to be dynamic and ever changing.


Buaidh - NO - Bas

Essential Ordinances

4 We believe that the first principles and ^aordinances of the Gospel are: first, ^bFaith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, ^cRepentance; third, ^dBaptism by ^eimmersion for the ^fremission of sins; fourth, Laying on of ^ghands for the ^hgift of the Holy Ghost.
Articles of Faith - 4 


Well this past Saturday we baptized my daughter whom was also having her 8th birthday the same day.

She as a female member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has complete the first of just a few essential ordinances that she will complete in her life.  This is also the 2nd time of 3 times that she used a white dress.  There are some good books and artwork on this topic you find out more about below.

We stressed out a lot during the week prior to the baptism for a couple of reasons.  First we had discovered following her interview with the bishop that there were no clothing for children in the usual place.  That lead to a frantic search as to who had this clothing.  We knew a couple of other children in another unit had been baptized about a week prior.  The other stress came from the fact I knew my daughter would not be able to bend her legs as as others do and thus we would need to work on an alternate method to make sure she was fully immersed.  We had practiced how I would hold here a lot and it went mostly as planned.  She did have a toe pop up and then we redoing it I was so worried about the feet I forgot to lower her head enough.  In the end we held her shoulder and legs and it worked out fine.

The Bishop mentioned several times how much understanding my daughter had on the whole baptismal ordinance.  He asked her in the interview what baptism means.  She gave as a response 2 things right off the bat.  That you have to be fully immersed and second that when you take the sacrament on Sunday it is like you are being re-baptized.  That is some very deep understanding.


So let us talk about this essential ordinance of baptism.  Why are we baptized?  What is the proper mode of baptism?  Whom can perform a baptism?  All these are very essential and important questions.  Since if one of these is not properly in place then we simply do not have a valid baptism.


We are baptized for a remission of our sins.  And secondly to be come a member of Christ's Church.  We also have the opportunity to receive the Holy Ghost at that time as well.

 38 Then Peter ^asaid unto them, ^bRepent, and be ^cbaptized every one of you in the ^dname of Jesus Christ for the ^eremission of sins, and ye shall receive the ^fgift of the ^gHoly Ghost.
Acts 2:38

Baptism is like entering a portal or door.  It is one of the first step on the way to eternal life.  It is like the first steps needed to get on the path that will lead us back to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  And thus after baptism we have become clean and start down the path as a clean reborn individual.  Now we know we will deviate from the path (Sin) and thus as we take the sacrament weekly and work on repenting we are bringing ourselves back on the the path.  If after all we have done we have maintained ourselves on the path (enduring to the end) we will be able to receive eternal life and our mansion in heaven set aside by our Heavenly Father.

Now we know that baptism is important.  But, you will notice there is some confusion as to how it must be done.  Let us look to the example of Christ to clear things up.

 13 ¶Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be ^abaptized of him.

 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, ^aSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^bbecometh us to ^cfulfil all ^drighteousness. Then he suffered him.

 16 And Jesus, when he was ^abaptized, went up ^bstraightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the ^cSpirit of God descending like a ^ddove, and lighting upon him:

Matthew 3:13-16

Thus we see Jesus went unto John the Baptist.  Why would be go to John the Baptist?  Because we know that John had divine Authority (Aaronic Priesthood) to perform baptism.  Now we notice that John mentions that he should be getting baptized by Jesus.  Jesus with the ultimate authority could have done that but, we see nothing recorded about it at the time.  Jesus also mentioned the need to 'fulfill all righteousness'.  It is kind of hard to ask everyone to be baptized if you yourself are not willing to do it.  

5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being ^aholy, should have need to be ^bbaptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be ^cbaptized, yea, even by water!

 6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be ^aobedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

 2 Nephi 31:5-7

We also notice that Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan.  He was not baptized in a sink or at a well or some such location.  He was baptized in a river so he could be fully immersed.  That helps with the symbolism of rebirth.  Being fully covered by water and then coming out again like a person reborn.

I once saw a movie where they had Jesus go into the water and then John sprinkled some on his head.  Why even bother going into the river if your going to sprinkle.  You could have done that at the side of the well, in the backyard of some Sadducee's home or the like.

We also notice that Jesus came to John when he was of age (30 and starting his ministry).  Jesus was not baptized as a child and he definitely knew what he as doing.  It is clearly stated in the scriptures that one must be of age (Capable of understanding).  Those that die as young children are saved in Christ Jesus for they are pure and sinless.  See Moroni 8 for more details.  Clearly a child of 4 months is not fully capable of understanding what they are doing.  Let alone able to really sin thus they need not be baptized.  Also have you noticed how much more comprehension and understanding a child has as they reach their 8th birthday.  They begin to ask a ton more questions.  They begin to become more sensitive.  They also understand thing more and recognize for example when other children are not being appropriate and mean or misbehaving.  It all just makes sense.

We have touched briefly on whom can perform a baptism.  We see that Jesus went unto John the Baptist because he is one who had authority.

Via modern day revelation we know that there are two types of Priesthood.  The Aaronic and the Melchizedek.  Technically, Levitical Priesthood is an appendage or alternate name for the Aaronic Priesthood.  Aaronic Priesthood is the preparatory Priesthood.
"God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth."  Topic Priesthood

Those that hold the office of Priest may baptize but, not confirm and give the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Only those with the Melchizedek Priesthood may perform this portion of the ordinance.

One does not go around looking to receive the Priesthood or to attempt to gain office or position there in.  The Lord calls the individual.  No one seeks out the keys or authority associated with said Priesthood.

Take note that at first Joseph Smith sought of the lord Information concerning what church to join.  He did not seek out to obtain authority.  He simply wanted answers.  And later as they translated the Book of Mormon they read of authority and Priesthood.  Together they went into the woods and asked of the Lord.  'What are we to do?  Who has this authority necessary to be baptized?'(paraphrasing)  And who should appear to them but, John the Baptist himself to confer the Aaronic Priesthood, and tell them that as they stayed worthy Peter, James and John would come and confer to them the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood.


Hopefully with all my words of wisdom and explanation one can see why Baptism is one of the essential ordinances.  As previously specified this is one of the 3 times my daughter will wear a white dress. The first was when she was blessed and given a name for the records of the church.  The second being her baptism and the third being wedding day at the Temple.

So if you have not been baptized as Jesus was please take the time to pray about it and find out why you should.  It will be well worth your time



For additional study on this and related topic see the following topics

Baptism
Holy Ghost
Priesthood

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Manaus Temple Open House

The public open house of the Manaus Brazil Temple begins tomorrow and continues through Saturday, June 2. Please follow the link below for additional information and to preview the interior. MANAUS BRAZIL TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/manaus-brazil-temple-open-house-dedication-dates-ann ounced-May-June

Warmest regards,
Rick Satterfield
LDSChurchTemples.com


So why would I want to include something about the open house in Manaus?  It's not anywhere close to where I live and doesn't on the face of it appear to have anything to do with ancestors or the current topics I seem to be discussing here. Well let me explain.

I served my mission back in the early to mid 90's in Northern Brazil. I started out on the east coast (Fortaleza - Ceará)  and then slowly made my way across to eventual end up serving literally in the Amazon rain forest. The city was basically accessible by boat only. I heard of a bus that went to another nearby city  but again from there you took a boat to any other city worth talking about. And the nearest big city was accessible again by boat but we went in by airplane for about  1 1/2 hours flight from mission headquarters in Belém Do Pará. This region is just full of jungle and forest and waterways all over the place.  Travel can be time consuming and some people don't go more then a few miles from home their  entire life.
Secondly, this Temple is significant in that it is going to make things easier for thousands of people to attend. Previously members in this region were taking trips to far flung locations such as São Paulo, Brazil, Recife, Brazil or Caracas Venezuela. Any one of these trips would take days to get there and then days to return. Only the few well off members that could afford a plane ticket would be able to make the trip be less then a week.     Many members due to financial circumstances would have to save up for years to be able to afford the trip. So getting to the temple once in your lifetime would be a big deal. I even heard of one family that sold their small home to help finance the trip. Now that is living by  faith.

Selling your most valuable possessions to finance a trip that will likely last a couple of weeks so you can attend the temple.
With in the last couple of conferences President Thomas S Monson specified that they wanted to  make the temples more accessible to the members and have them within about 400 miles (640 km)
See some of his comments at the following links:   http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/the-holy-temple-a-beacon-to-the-world?lang=eng   
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/as-we-meet-again?lang=eng

They even created a special fund much like the Perpetual Education Fund called the Temple Patrons Fund that will assist those in far flung locations to be able to attend the temple at least once in their lifetime if their financial outlook is very limited.   So why so much emphasis on the Temple one might ask. Why would a people in a church that was just a few years old work on building a Temple from day one knowing that might never see it's completion? (see D&C 109).
Those are the questions one should be asking. Temples are different from the normal meeting houses you find dotting the land and islands of the sea. In the normal meeting house or other such building being used for that purpose you find the regular  Sunday meetings which include the administration of the Sacrament. These buildings might also be used  for such things as social activities, youth program, and other such things that help to strengthen the members.  These buildings are open to member and non-member alike.   The Temple is literally a 'House of the Lord' "a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness." - Bible dictionary Temples

Some of the many types of ordinances that are performed in the Temple include but are not limited to - The endowment, Sealing of Families for the Eternities, and Proxy Baptisms. Many of these ordinances are performed for the living and some are performed exclusively for our deceased ancestors that we have found while doing our family history or genealogy work.
You might say that some people will be taken aback by the fact that we do proxy baptisms. But, why should someone feel that way. Would it be just for God to deny one entrance into  Heaven by the mere fact that they were not able to be baptized during their lifetime or for that matter even knew about Jesus Christ. We know that God not a respecter of persons. We know we are all literally spirit sons and daughters of God.   So is it right to punish some people for the circumstances beyond their control that they find  themselves in? Just because you were born in certain part of the world or to a certain kind  of parents? So that is why we do proxy baptisms, to provide the same opportunities to everyone that has lived on this earth. To allow them the same blessing and privileges that they would have had while in their moral existence had it been available. This is not a new concept at all. For it was spoken of  by early members of the Lord's Church -  "Else what shall they do which are ^abaptized ^bfor the dead,  if the dead ^crise not at all? why are they then baptized for the ^ddead?" I Corinthians 15:29

Actually, I used this type of example many a time in the mission field. And so that the people we were teaching would understand more easily we always talked about some long lost person out in the middle of the Amazon Rain forest. For there are tribes and others that are so far away from any population centers or that  are so isolated from the rest of world you really have no idea what that know about. They might not have ever heard about Jesus Christ. Therefore, should those people be condemned? Should they be sent to hell  simply because they grow up so isolated from the rest of the world? Heck NO!

And because ordinances are so sacred and special they can only be performed in the Temple. Those that attend are also instructed in the Plan of Salvation, and they take upon themselves sacred covenants. One of the outwardly signs of this is the use of the Temple Garments. These garments help the member dress modestly compared to the world as a whole. And they are a constant reminder of the covenants that one has made.
The Temple becomes a place of peace and a sanctuary from the daily hustle and bustle and noise that surrounds us so regularly. They are built to a higher standard and members that want to enter are also held to a higher standard.

In all attendance at the temple is the highest form of worship we as members can provide.  It is taking things one level up.  Though in reality we can have the same peace and comfort in our homes as we strive to follow the commandments and live the gospel to its fullest.

I'm going to include some pictures of the temples I have been inside.  They are all marvelous in their own ways.  each is unique but, after you have strolled the grounds and been inside you know that in fact they are "The House of the Lord".  A truely a light set o a hill that will be a beacon to the masses, and a sign of what is to come.

San Diego Temple

Los Angeles California

Sao Paulo Brazil

Provo Utah (The original)

Newport Beach California

Manti Utah (one of the few with live endowment)

Saint George Utah

Recife Brazil

Redlands California

I'm going to include also some pictures of the Manaus temple.
This show the quality level of the workmanship.  Only the best when possible for with such eternally significant covenants being made there it's no wonder.

Baptistry

Celestial Room

Sealing room - Note Mirrors on apposing walls

Reception/Waiting Room

If you feel like doing a little family history after reading why  not try one of the world's largest databases for free - http://www.familysearch.org
You can also find a family history center in your area where volunteers are waiting to help you find your ancestors.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Power, Authority and Duty

This last Sunday in our Elders Quorum we were afforded the opportunity to go over the Ordinances and blessings we perform as priesthood holders.  One thing that came up is the distinction between power and authority.   Many of us there were present are authorized to perform the ordinances but we may not have the power vested in us.  This is due to circumstances occurring in our lives etc.


So this brings up several interesting points.  First we must acquire the authority (i.e. receive the Priesthood) then learn our duty and at the same time do all in our ability to be vested with the power of the Priesthood as we go about doing our duty through our righteous living.

Many may not bring into this discussion much the area of Duty.  Some times it seems they are talked about separately.  Duty and power of the Priesthood.

The duties of the Priesthood vary as do the offices which are held within the Priesthood.  A Deacon will have very different duties to that of a Bishop.   Can one say that the duties of the Bishop are greater then those of  Lowly Teacher?  Yes, they can but, it is no more important to fulfill your duty as a Teacher then it is those of a Bishop.  The Bishop has no more opportunity to obtain the highest levels in the Celestial Kingdom then does the Deacon if they fulfill their duties to the fullest.  A very interesting concept, right.

We discussed a situation were a missionary had hurt himself badly in a sporting accident.  He was pending surgery and the possibility that he may have to return home early.  At the time Elder Holland of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles was in the area and the missionary felt impressed to ask him for a blessing.  His chance slipped away due to circumstance beyond his control.  Eventual, his mission president asked if he'd like a blessing as he was looking a bit depressed.  They all came to the realization that the power and authority of the Priesthood vested in that mission president was the same at the member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.   Great results came from that blessing and a grand lesson was learned.   You will not be further blessed simply because a general authority gives you the blessing.  We might think so since they seem to have more faith and possess what seems like more power via their righteous living.  The Young worthy 12 year old Deacon has just as much right, Power and authority to call down angels to assist him as a Seventy in an area presidency does.   As long as it is the will of the Lord it can be done.  If it will help accomplish his aims he will let it happen.




At times we may feel overwhelmed.  We may feel inadequate etc.  That is natural since we to often are not properly instructed.  Too often those of us that have the Priesthood do not understand our duty or let alone the power the Lord has vested in us.  Remember this is not something we go seeking after.  Not something we proposition the congregation for.   Thus because all of us as leaders and followers are mere mortals we have our faults and short comings.  We strive to progress and become better.  We begin to see the grand picture and not just that which is in front of us or comprehensible by our small minds.  The Lord can see the begin and the end.  His wisdom and knowledge is thus far greater then our own.

"At times the wisdom of God appears as being foolish or just too difficult, but one of the greatest and most valuable lessons we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right." Willing and Worthy to Serve Thomas S. Monson 

Hopefully we are instructed just as well as Elder Uchtdorf was as a young Deacon.

"Instead, he spent time with me and helped me understand not only the what of my assignment and new responsibility but, much more important, the why."

The Why of Priesthood Service Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

No wonder he did not take his duty and assignment lightly.  He had been instructed in what his duty really was.  What power and authority he really had received.  He as given the WHY.

When you have the WHY you will want to do your best, and not some half masted job.  My grandfather always did his home teaching on the first Sunday of the month.  He had the vision, and it helped he was living in a small town of a couple hundred.  But, irregardless of circumstances he was blessed just as much as the brother living in a metropolitan city of millions doing his duty to the fullest.  Same blessings and responsibilities, different circumstances.

This is well summed up by George Albert Smith.
“I have not wanted this position. I have not felt equal to it. But it has come to me, and I will fill it to the best of my ability. I want you all to know that, whatever you are doing in the church, from [home] teaching to presiding over a stake, if you do it to the best of your ability, your position is just as important as mine.”
The Life and Ministry of George Albert Smith

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, 2010

But, we are not  alone in figuring out what our duty is and how to be vested with true Priesthood power.  The scriptures are full of examples and information.  Section 107 of the doctrine and Covenants is full of information on our duties and responsibilities.
Conference talks are also a great place to learn more of our duties and become more endowed with the power god has given us.




As we become more aware of our duties and have that increased desire to help our fellow man we will begin to full espouse the true power of the Priesthood.  For in true reality the Priesthood is given to help others.  For we do not place our own hands upon our head and pronounce a blessing.  We must ask for another to do that.

The Lord has a vision for each and everyone of us.  He wants us to succeed, though he know it will not be easy.  And thus he provided his authority so that we on earth may be blessed.  And what a blessing it is to have the Priesthood.  Hard as it may seem to understand it fully.




The following are several good ways to live our lives.  They come from George Albert Smith and if society would lives by these 11 statements it sure would be a better place.

"When he was 34 years old, George Albert Smith made a list of resolutions that he called his “personal creed”—11 ideals that he committed to live by:

“I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.

“I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed.

“I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind.

“I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and a happy life.

“I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals but rather love them into doing the thing that is right.

“I would live with the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.

“I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.

“I would not knowingly wound the feelings of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do him good and make him my friend.

“I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the successes of all the children of my Heavenly Father.

“I would not be an enemy to any living soul.

“Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter, I feel it not only a duty but also a blessed privilege to disseminate this truth"
Chapter 1: Living What We Believe

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith, 2010

Are you curious to find out more the Priesthood?  Do you have questions on who can be ordained?  Then you might just need to talk with the missionaries.  They'll come and visit you no strings attached.

Request a visit from the missionaries here

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Baptismal Program - Revisited

Well we began to do some more research on what types of videos we want to use for the Baptismal program.
Original we had thought to use something from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir but, knew there would be limitations as we wanted to avoid any of their Christmas presentations.
See the original post on the topic.


So as we research more we found the number of options for the Mormon Tabernacle choir to be a bit limited.  You have a historic Nauvoo presentation and some type of oratorio piece and a DVD chronicling their summer tour in the mid west.  So the options were limited to say the least.  As we checked out some of the video clips from YouTube.com we began to see that most if not all of these would not work very well.  The idea was good but, it would not work very well.  Who really wants to see the choir singing.  Not enough scenes of other stuff.  So we had to go back to the drawing board.


That is when my wife remembered something by Elder Uchtdorf that is entitled "Happily Ever After".   In this talk he presented at a young women's conference recently he talks about having our own happily ever after.  

Turns out there are two version of the talk.  One is a shorter clip with only part of his talk and a lot of extra images etc, and the other is basically his whole discourse with a minor amount of additional footage.

Shorter Version

 

Longer Version

The Longer version is wonderful and would fill the time as we need it but, it can be a bit dry for some of the non-members and less actives we will have present. The shorter version is excellent but, being shorter would require that we Include some other clips as we project to have a good 15 minutes of time we need to fill.  We'll have multiple people changing cloths and since my daughter wears a brace she will take longer to get ready.  Extra consideration has to be made so a longer video is needed or several shorter ones with someone willing to start each up.

Some other ones we found while hunting around are - create (a cutie clip to inspire women), True identity (utilizing the Hans Christian Andersen story of the ugly duckling), and  You Matter to God ( including clips about the universe and how we are know personally to God the Father).

I think with all these various clips will provide us with enough material to fill in the time needed.  Also the messages are all very uplifting and will maintain the spirit that should be present at a baptismal program.

I'm including the other video clips for your viewing pleasure.
Now I just have to make sure we can get the clips into a format that will work on a standard DVD machine.  There is a great program called  YouTube video down loader.  You can acquire it for free off of Download.com

I also found a tutorial that indicates a program called DVD Flick (also available at download.com) can be used to package up various video clips and make them usable in a DVD player.  I acquired the free program and soon will be sure if it will work.  If it does not work I'll have to go back to the drawing board or have a laptop present to show the movies.

Create

True Identity

You Matter to God

We thoroughly enjoy the talks by Elder Uchtdorf.  His messages are so timely and they can work in many situations with member and non-member alike.  I even saw a comment that someone used a clip with Elder Uchtdorf during Sunday school at an Evangelical church.  That shows how powerful they are.


Buaidh - NO - Bas