Out of Captivity, Part IV

Part I | Part II | Part III

In the Lectures on Faith, Lecture First, we learn that faith is “the principle of action in all intelligent beings…that it is faith, and faith only, which is the moving cause of all action.” We also learn that “faith is not only the principle of action, but of power, also, in all intelligent beings.” While the fact that faith is a principle of power certainly applies to us, as intelligent beings, we know that “it is by reason of this principle of power, existing in the Deity, that all created things exist.” In other words, God is the ultimate source of all power. Not us.

If you combine those things about faith with the idea that “men are free according to the flesh” (2 Nephi 1 [RE]) and that “ye are free to act for yourselves” (2 Nephi 4 [RE]), then it seems apparent that faith, as far as we are concerned, is a principle of our action and also a principle of God’s power. We act according to truth and God empowers the act. But the act necessarily comes before the power is given. Remember that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 6 [RE]) and “ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 4 [RE]). Denver Snuffer, in his talk on covenants, said:

Only God can, or does, ordain covenants. We do not make covenants. Covenants come as a consequence of God's will, and only as a consequence of God's will. We can accept them, or we can reject them, but we cannot create them. He does. Our participation is limited to, acceptance of, or rejection of, what he offers. The way in which we accept the covenants, is set out in Doctrine and Covenants section 130: 20, which states: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” Therefore what is important for you to understand and learn is what the relevant law requires of you. Because the way in which you accept the covenant offered to you is by learning the principle or the law upon which the blessing you seek is predicated. Then having learned what the law ordains, you follow through by obeying it…God alone makes the covenant. We accept it by abiding the conditions…God can make a covenant which you can fulfill by your performance. God can offer you something, but it's up to you to accept it. You accept it by what you do. It's not enough to say, “Yea Lord, I'll go out and do as I'm bidden.” Instead you must actually do it. Because it is only through doing that the covenant is kept by you. It is only through doing the covenant is able to be empowered sufficiently to give you the blessing which a law has been established to allow you to lay ahold. You can't get there without God offering you the covenant and you accepting God’s invitation. (emphasis mine)

If you can believe what is being proclaimed these days, later this year there will be an opportunity to accept the Book of Mormon as a covenant. If what I quoted above is true, accepting such a covenant will require going and doing according to the law contained in the Book of Mormon. Of course, there are a lot of things in the Book of Mormon. Allow me to bring up one thing in particular that shows up many times.

In the Book of Mormon, basically every other prophecy says that the Gentiles will someday deliver the Gospel to the Lamanites. If we accept the Book of Mormon as a covenant, I would no longer feel it appropriate to idly look forward to the fulfillment of those prophecies when some Gentiles actually go and do what they need to do. In the same covenants talk I quoted above, Denver also said:

There has to be preparation made [to fulfill the Lord’s covenants]. These things require some effort to be made here, in order to prepare for His return. If there is no one here who is willing to engage in what's necessary to bring this to pass (because everyone looks around and expects someone else to do it), then you're neglecting the duty that's devolving upon you. Those who have been assigned to come down in this day, in order to honor the fathers, and honor the Lord, by allowing the covenants that have been made to be fulfilled, have some responsibility to finish and fulfill the promised work.

We have been reminded numerous times that nothing can be claimed until the work has actually been done. No matter what happens in September; whether we raise our hands in a sustaining vote, sign a document, or bow our heads and say yes; we cannot make any claims if we haven’t done anything. It’s the difference between covenanting to sacrifice and covenanting by sacrifice. When will we go and do? Whenever that day comes, we are assured that that is when the “things hoped for” will be realized and the “things not seen” will be made visible. The witness will come after that trial of faith and the Lord will be able to continue His work to fulfill His covenants.

Part V | Part VI | Part VII

An Invitation to Go to Work

Out of Captivity, Part III

Part I | Part II

In Ether 4 [RE], Moroni says, “And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles.” Moroni saw the destruction of his people and the awful state of unbelief of his brethren, the Lamanites. He knew the promises made to the Lamanites in the latter-days. We can read of those promises throughout the Book of Mormon. Moroni knew that the Gospel had to come to the Lamanites through the Gentiles. And that’s exactly what worried him.

Almost immediately after what I quoted above, Moroni expresses to the Lord his worry that the Gentiles will mock the things that they are supposed to deliver to the Lamanites. After giving his reason for worrying (i.e. weakness in writing) he reiterates, “And I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.” The Lord proceeds to reassure Moroni while teaching a very important lesson to us, the Gentiles.

Among other things, the Lord says, “I will shew unto them [the Gentiles] that faith, hope, and charity bringeth unto me, the fountain of all righteousness.” All three of those things must be present if the Gentiles seek to bring the Lamanites to Christ. We’ve discussed faith before and we’ll discuss it later, so let’s talk about hope. Hope, according to the Book of Mormon, is a very big deal and is much more than just wishful thinking. In the previous chapter (Ether 3 [RE]) Moroni writes, “Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith and maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.” I know of a group of nine people that received such hope, and they were blessed for it, for they knew that they would enter into Jesus’ kingdom. But for all that is said about that kind of hope, charity is greater still in the eyes of God.

And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope. Wherefore, man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. And again I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again, to prepare a place for the children of men. And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity. Wherefore, except men shall have charity, they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father. (Ether 4 [RE])

Moroni makes a distinction with the words “among” and “in” when referring to the mansions of the Father. You will be “among” or “in”, depending on the presence of charity. The same principle is illustrated by the difference between the kingdom promised to the nine Nephite disciples and the kingdom promised to the three Nephite disciples. To the nine Jesus said, “ye shall come unto me in my kingdom” while to the three He said, “ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father” (3 Nephi 13 [RE]).

In D&C 27 [RE] the Lord tells the saints that, to remove their condemnation, they need to “remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written, that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's Kingdom.” Does the fruit meet for the Father’s Kingdom have anything to do with the charity that is required to be “in,” and not just “among,” the mansions of the Father? Does it relate to sitting down in the kingdom of the Father rather than coming to Jesus’ kingdom? Does it relate to the natural fruit of the vineyard that is so difficult to produce? Does it relate to the fruit-bearing branches that are necessarily connected to the True Vine described in John’s Gospel? Perhaps these are all related and extremely critical to the work that is facing us. But if this was all so important, wouldn’t it be part of Christ’s doctrine? Let’s take a look. At the end of His discourse on His doctrine in 3 Nephi 3 [RE], Jesus said:

Verily, verily I say unto you that this is my doctrine. And whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil and is not built upon my rock, but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation and the gates of hell standeth open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.

Immediately after He finished His discourse on His doctrine, Jesus gave His sermon. It is almost identical to the Sermon on the Mount. I would say that that sermon describes, above all else, charity in action. It is what charity looks like. It is what a person with charity, not only says, but does. At the end of that sermon, Jesus said:

Therefore whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

Repenting and being baptized is like someone who “buildeth” (present tense) upon a rock. Having charity as the Lord does, as He explained in His sermon, is like someone who “built” (past tense) upon a rock and now has a house. The former is a process while the latter is a product of that process. What is the ordinance of baptism meant to teach us and do for us, anyway? Definitions for “ordinance” include “a piece of legislation enacted by a municipal authority” and “an authoritative order; a decree.” Thinking about the ordinance of baptism in this manner, it can be understood that baptism is a law from God. I suspect that all ordinances of the Gospel are laws. We already know that “out of Zion shall go forth the law” as the house of the Lord will be there (2 Nephi 6 [RE]). I imagine it would be just as correct to say, “out of Zion [and the house of the Lord found there] shall go forth the [ordinances].” The ordinance of baptism is a law and Jesus demonstrated the fulness of that law in His life and taught the fulness of that law in His sermon.

Let’s apply this to our day. Going back to Ether 4 [RE], Moroni lets us Gentiles know that we need charity, the fulness of the ordinance or law of baptism, to participate in the work that God is doing. “If the Gentiles have not charity because of our weakness…thou wilt prove them and take away their talent.” Needless to say, this is a very high bar. And charity apparently comes from a very high Source. In Moroni 7, Mormon tells us that it is the Father that bestows the pure love of Christ upon all the true followers of His Son Jesus Christ (as an aside, I wonder if there is any equivalency between “true followers” and “true worshipers”). Back in Ether 4 [RE] Moroni “prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity.” Interestingly enough, the Lord refused to grant Moroni’s request. I think I have an idea why the Lord couldn’t promise to give charity to us Gentiles.

As we have seen when the Lord asked His Nephite disciples what they desired, three of them had to specifically ask for that which would allow them to bless and convince all the people upon the land. The Lord could not force that charity upon them. It all depended on their desires. It only makes sense that some Gentiles will only receive charity if they specifically request it. No one can ask for that blessing for you. The three Nephites “were caught up into heaven and saw and heard unspeakable things” directly before they preached to all the people and converted them all (3 Nephi 5 [RE]). Could it be that what they saw and heard in heaven was the Father bestowing charity upon them? I can’t say, but whatever it was, it seems that it was the final necessary component that enabled the great and marvelous work that happened among the Nephites in that generation.

Moroni knew that some Gentiles would need charity. He knew that a great and marvelous work would have to come forth in our generation. He was personally acquainted with the three Nephites who convinced an entire generation that Jesus is the Christ. Moroni, who knew the Lord intimately, could not secure charity for and in behalf of us Gentiles. Can anything less than the charity possessed by the three Nephites be adequate to convince the Lamanites in our day to come unto Christ? I don’t think so. Whether or not we possess that charity will depend entirely upon our desires. Ask and ye shall receive.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart that ye may be filled with this love which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son Jesus Christ, that ye may become the sons of God, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is, that we may have this hope, that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen (Moroni 7).

Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII

An Invitation to Go to Work

Out of Captivity, Part II

Part I

D&C 99 [RE] says, “If ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work, for behold, the field is white already to harvest and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perish not, but bringeth salvation to his soul.” D&C 5 [RE] has similar themes but includes this striking idea: “Whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.” In other words, if you want to participate in the great and marvelous work, you simply need to have the desire and then you are called to the work. How do you show your desire? What is the evidence of your desire? You thrust in your sickle and you reap. It appears that that is the only way to know that you have been called.

The sons of Mosiah, after their conversion, desired to serve by preaching the word of God (Mosiah 8 [RE]). There is no record of God or an angel telling them to thrust in their sickles. That desire was simply part of them after they were born again. It was not until they were already in the wilderness, after they had set their hands to the work, that they were properly prepared and constituted for the work by the Lord.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness and they fasted much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them and abide with them that they might be an instrument in the hands of God...And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his spirit and said unto them, Be comforted, and they were comforted. And the Lord said unto them also, Go forth among the Lamanites thy brethren and establish my word, yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may shew forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah and also those who were with them took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God. (Alma 8 [RE])

Who, specifically, comforted the sons of Mosiah? What form did that comfort take? Was the reception of that comforter an end in itself or was it a means to an end? Whatever the answers to those questions are, it is evident in the record that what they received empowered them sufficiently to perform the work they set out to do. And they didn’t wait around to receive that power before going and doing. They had faith in God that He would empower them after they began the work. I find it noteworthy that they were in great need of courage when they were in the wilderness. One who knows the outcome of their mission might imagine that they would have had extreme confidence in what they were doing. But they were so unsure of themselves that they didn’t even know for certain if they were doing the right thing. They were weak. Fortunately, we know what God can do with weak things.

But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness; not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls. Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us and said, go amongst thy brethren the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. (Alma 10 [RE])

The Lord provided the sons of Mosiah with what they needed at the very moment they needed it and not before. If “faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, constitutes [us] for the work” (D&C 99 [RE]), when exactly do we become so constituted and who does the constituting? Can we take those things upon ourselves or must they be received? If they can only be received, why would God ever bestow such gifts upon us? Are they to be consumed upon our lusts or can they only be used for specific purposes? Is there a reason the marvelous work and a wonder has been less than marvelous these many years? Can that change? Why would that change? If there is a new opportunity being offered to be called to a truly marvelous work, then perhaps we ought to pay close attention.

Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII

An Invitation to Go to Work

Out of Captivity, Part I

1 Nephi 4 [RE] says, “And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity upon the many waters.” In Nephi’s vision, this is the first time he mentions a group of Gentiles coming out of captivity. That is exactly what we want to do. As long as we are in captivity, we are of no use to anyone. Israel will remain scattered until some Gentiles repent. Perhaps Nephi’s vision can give us some clues that will help us in our desire to be free so we can begin to help God in His work to fulfill His covenants.

Directly before Nephi mentions the “other Gentiles,” he tells us about one man in particular. “And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man, and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren who were in the promised land.” I want you to forget, for a moment, everything you may think about the identify of this man. I want to suggest that this man is someone other than one of the men identified in popular interpretations of this scripture. I simply hope that you can entertain an alternative understanding of who this man is and see where that leads you.

At this point in Nephi’s vision, he has seen Jesus among the Jews, the crucifixion, and the apostasy of the New Testament church. Nephi has seen the history of his people on the promised land, their visitation by Christ, and their eventual destruction and dwindling in unbelief. Finally, Nephi has seen the build-up of the kingdoms of the Gentiles and the way their church binds down and tortures the saints and brings them down into captivity. In short, Nephi has seen an absolutely corrupt future. Nephi’s vision up to that point is one depressing scene after another with seemingly no chance of anyone ever again having the power to hold to the rod, cross the everlasting gulf of misery, and partake of the tree life (remember this is all Nephi’s expanded vision of his father’s dream).

But then, after all the abominations that Nephi has witnessed, there is a restoration of hope. After all the pride, the unbelief, and the captivity, seemingly out of nowhere the Spirit of God has actually come down and wrought upon a man and enlightened his understanding. This man caught hold of the word of God. He crossed the awful gulf that separates the wicked from the tree of life. And he had a work to do among the Lamanites (a people with a promise to one day partake of the tree of life, even if the tree is currently barren). This man began a work that will eventually fulfill the promises made to Lehi and the other Book of Mormon fathers. Who is that man? I want to suggest to you that the man is Joseph Smith. In what was perhaps an outward token of his mission and role, Joseph’s last instruction he received from God was to cross the great waters of the Mississippi River to go find the Book of Mormon remnant in the promised land (and who’s to say he will not eventually do that very thing?).

This interpretation of who Nephi saw is so much more than simply an amusing possibility. It is instructive in many ways but we will only touch on one thing in particular here. Joseph Smith, his work, and his life were all meant to be a forerunner to some number of Gentiles actually leaving behind the virtually inescapable captivity found inside the great and abominable church that has been formed among the Gentile kingdoms. Joseph informed us of the possibility of escape with his ministry. Nephi’s vision does not mention how much time passed between the time the man went forth upon the waters and the time the other Gentiles went forth upon the waters. The timing is up to the Gentiles who think they want to escape.

Where do we want to go? If we do not want to go the direction Joseph Smith was aiming for then we probably should not bother and we should remain content with our captivity. But if our desires are aimed towards the same goal that the Lord had in mind when He began the restoration through Joseph Smith, then we have a chance. Perhaps we ought to carefully consider going upon the many waters, even unto the seed of Nephi’s brethren who are in the promised land, as a man with the Spirit of God once advocated. Would doing so be a critical part of accepting the new covenant of the Book of Mormon?

Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII

An Invitation to Go to Work

Two Blessed Choices

In 3 Nephi 28, Jesus asked each of His Nephite disciples, "What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?" Nine of them said, "We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom." The other three, while they didn't say it out loud, "desired that [they] might bring the souls of men unto [Christ], while the world shall stand."

You can see the contrast between the blessings given to each group depending on their desires. To the nine, the Lord said, "ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest." To the three, the Lord said, "ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men...And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world...ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am..." (you could say that the three were “purified even as he is pure” - see Moroni 7:48)

Each of the twelve disciples received a promise of some level of exaltation. I think it is fair to assume that none of them had any such promise before this meeting with Christ. If that was the case, I find it extremely significant that the three Nephites, above all other things including their own exaltation, desired to bring souls to Christ. And so Christ equipped them to do just that to a degree far above the capabilities of anyone else in scripture, besides John the Beloved who was presumably similarly equipped. You only need to look at the rest of the chapter to see how the three Nephites were given such grace as to be capable of blessing "all people upon the face of the land" in that generation.

To me, this means that the concept in Matthew 16:25 ("whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.") matters a great deal even when you're at the point when you're in Christ's presence and you can ask anything from Him. Even at that point, the choice of whether to seek your life or whether to lose it is still in front of you. The desires you have when you are face-to-face with the Lord will determine the choice you make to either seek your life or lose it, and that choice can make all the difference in the world. The Lord called both groups of disciples “blessed” because of what they desired. Each of the twelve disciples made a very good choice that day. Of course, the three were “more blessed” as it seems that they chose the “more excellent way” of charity - the path of serving at all costs, without thinking of where or when they would have rest in a kingdom of glory.

Zion has been an important topic lately. Will Zion be established because we seek Zion as a place of rest? Or will Zion simply be a by-product of the desire to serve and bless in perfect love? In the New Testament, only one apostle out of twelve desired nothing more than to bring souls to Christ. The result of the twelve apostles’ preaching was miraculous but ended in complete apostasy in a relatively short time. In the Book of Mormon, three disciples out of twelve desired nothing more than to bring souls to Christ (a slightly larger ratio). The result of those twelve disciples’ preaching was even more miraculous and the peace established in that generation actually lasted a few centuries. Is there a causal relationship between the desires of the Lord’s chosen vessels and the type or quality of society established by them? How many centuries of peace on Earth do we hope our posterity will enjoy? What are our desires as disciples of Christ? Do those desires match up with the great and marvelous work of the last days? If our desires fall short of the actual “pure love of Christ,” but we recognize that that love is something we want in us, how do we obtain it?

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:48) While anyone can certainly ask for charity at any time, please consider the invitation at fastforcharity.blogspot.com as an immediate opportunity to offer up a united petition to God.