Ch. 15: The Lord's Covenant People

from Gospel Principles:

When people make covenants (promises) with the Lord, they know what He expects of them and what blessings they may expect from Him.  The people who covenant with the Lord and with whom the Lord makes covenants are known as the Lord's covenant people. 

Within the gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between god and a person or group of people.  In making a covenant, God promises a blessing for obedience to particular commandments.  He sets the terms of His covenants, and He reveals these terms to His prophets.  If we choose to obey the terms of the covenant, we receive promised blessings.  If we choose not to obey, He withholds the blessings, and in some instances a penalty also is given.

Abraham (pictured above), an Old Testament prophet, was a very righteous man and kept all of the Lord's commandments.  Because of his righteousness, the Lord made a covenant with him and his descendants (see Galatians 3:26-29).  Abraham's blood descendants and those adopted into his lineage by accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ are included in this covenant.

The fulness of the gospel is called the new and everlasting covenant.  The Lord calls it everlasting because it is ordained by an everlasting God and because the covenant will never be changed.  He gave this same covenant to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and other prophets, so in this sense it is not new.  But the Lord calls it new because each time the gospel is restored after being taken from the earth, it is new to the people who receive it.  As we keep our covenants, our Heavenly Father promises us that we will receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom (we'll discuss this more in chapter 47).

The greatness of that promise is hard for mortals to understand.  The commandments He gives are for our benefit, and as we are faithful we may forever share the blessings and beauties of heaven and earth.  We may live in His presence and partake of His love, compassion, power, greatness, knowledge, wisdom, glory, and dominions.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I accept the new and everlasting covenant.  I am one of the Lord's covenant people and for example, how I dress, act, and keep the commandments of God show my commitment to living this gospel.  It can get difficult to follow but certainly doable.  Let's remember that we are children of God and so we are already great.  May we honor our heritage and live worthy to receive the abundant blessings in store for us.

Ch. 14: Priesthood Organization

I know, you may have noticed that I haven't been reading a chapter a week as planned.  You know how that goes, things don't necessarily work out as planned.  At least I haven't given it all up all together!

from Gospel Principles:

There are two types of priesthood, Melchizedek and Aaronic.  The Aaronic Priesthood is an appendage to the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood have the power and authority to lead the Church and direct the preaching of the gospel in all parts of the world.

Offices and duties of the Aaronic Priesthood:

• Deacon:  ordained to a 12yo worthy young man.  Usually assigned to pass the sacrament, keep Church buildings and grounds in good order, act as messengers for priesthood leaders, and fulfill special assignments such as collecting fast offerings.
• Teacher:  ordained to a 14yo worthy young man.  Duties, rights, and powers of deacon plus additional ones.  They are to help Church members live the commandments ... they are assigned to serve as home teachers.  They also prepare the bread and water for the sacrament service.
• Priest:  ordained to a 16yo worthy young man.  Same as deacon and teacher plus additional.  They may baptize, administer the sacrament, ordain other priests, teachers, and deacons, may take charge of meetings when there is no Melchizedek Priesthood holder present.  He is to preach the gospel to those around him.
• Bishop:  is ordained and set apart to preside over the Aaronic Priesthood in a ward.  He is the president of the priests quorum.  Under Aaronic Priesthood, he deals primarily with temporal matters such as administering finances and records and directing care for the poor and needy.  He is also ordained a high priest so he can preside over all members in the ward.  He is a judge in Israel and interviews members for temple recommends, priesthood ordinations, and other needs.  It is his right to have the gift of discernment.

The offices and duties of the Melchizedek Priesthood:

• Elder quorum:  is instituted for standing ministers, but may travel.  Do most of their work near their homes.  Consist of up to 96 elders, presided over by a quorum presidency.
• High Priests quorum:  includes all high priests residing within the boundaries of a stake, including patriarchs and bishops.  The stake president and his counselors are the presidency of this quorum.  The high priests in each ward are organized into a group with a group leader.

Please see the Gospel Principles link at sidebar to read this chapter in full ... soooo much information.  Anyway, I am certainly at awe at the organization of the Church.  All priesthood, right up to the president of the Church, does not get paid to serve.  If one studies how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is organized, one could conclude that it is under the reign of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ch. 13: The Priesthood

from Gospel Principles:

The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God.  Through the priesthood He created and governs the heavens and the earth.  By this power the universe is kept in perfect order.  Through this power He accomplishes His work and glory, which is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).  Our Heavenly Father delegates His priesthood power to worthy male members of the Church.  The priesthood enables them to act in God's name for the salvation of the human family.  Through it they can be authorized to preach gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern God's kingdom on earth.

We must have priesthood authority to act in the name of God when performing the sacred ordinances of the gospel, such as baptism, confirmation, administration of the sacrament, and temple marriages.  If a man does not have the priesthood, even though he may be sincere, the Lord will not recognize ordinances he performs.  Another reason the priesthood is needed on earth is so we can understand the will of the Lord and carry out His purposes.  God reveals His will to His authorized priesthood representative on the earth, the prophet.

The Lord has prepared an orderly way of His priesthood to be given to His sons on the earth.  A worthy male member of the Church receives the priesthood "by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof"... the same way men received the priesthood long ago, even in the days of Moses.  Furthermore, men cannot buy and sell the power and authority of the priesthood.  Nor can they take this authority upon themselves.

The priesthood should be used to bless the lives of our Heavenly Father's children here on earth.  Priesthood holders should preside in love and kindness.  The Lord has told us that the power of the priesthood cannot be controlled except in righteousness.  Such wonderful things a priesthood can do for his family and others such as baptize, confirm, and administer the sacrament, bless the sick, give priesthood blessings, perform ordinances, etc. (more detail in the next chapter).

The Lord has promised great blessings to righteous priesthood holders who use the priesthood to bless others (see D&C 121:45-46).  President David O. McKay promised every man who uses the priesthood in righteousness that he "will find his life sweetened, his discernment sharpened to decide quickly between right and wrong, his feelings tender and compassionate, yet his spirit strong and valiant in defense of right; he will find the priesthood a never failing source of happiness--a well of living water springing up unto eternal life".

I am grateful for the priesthood for much of God's blessings comes through it.  I have seen it in action and have benefited from its power.  One can really feel the hand of God when a worthy priesthood holder performs his duties.  I have high regards for righteous priesthood holders and find true comfort that the Lord is in charge.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

especially to our Heavenly Father.

Ch. 12: The Atonement

 

from Gospel Principles:

Let me back up a bit and sum the previous chapters that lead us to this point.  Well, we learned that their is a God and we lived with Him as spirits in our premortal life.  There the plan of salvation was presented to us and we rejoiced.  Most followed Heavenly Father's plan over Satan's which meant that we would be away from Heavenly Father's presence for awhile and dwell on earth where we would receive our physical bodies and be tested.  The fall of Adam and Eve jump started this testing for us in that we were are now accountable for our choices.  Should we follow God's commandments we would be blessed and be able to return in the presence of Heavenly Father once again; while if we do not follow His commandments we would reap consequences and be under Satan's power.  Heavenly Father was thorough and included assistance so that we may be able to stick to the right path.  We have the Holy Ghost, prayers, prophets, and scriptures to help us discern God's will.   Yet, the central part of our success is through our elder brother Jesus Christ and so the atonement comes to play.

In our mortal state we will be subject to sin and be unclean, thus disqualifies us to return back to Heavenly Father's presence. So an atonement was necessary for our salvation.  The Savior atoned for our sins by suffering in Gethsemane and by giving His life on the cross.  Hence, Christ is our mediator.  Follow me for a moment on a story: 

A man wanted something very much and in order to have this, he incurred a debt.  He signed a contract that he would pay it off some time along the way.  Before he knew it, the day came and the contract fell due and the debt had not been fully paid.  The creditor at this point had the power to repossess all that the debtor owned or cast him to prison.  The man asked for mercy, but this would not serve justice for the creditor.  Then came a friend to help.  He paid the debt in full and thus saved the debtor from prison.  The mediator then became the debtor's new creditor with new terms.  It was not going to be easy but it will be possible to repay.

Our sins are our spiritual debts.  Without Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Mediator, we would all pay for our sins by suffering spiritual death.  But because of Him, if we will keep His terms, which are to repent and keep His commandments, we may return to live with our Heavenly Father.

Ch. 11: The Life of Christ

from Gospel Principles:

The life of Christ was predicted long before His birth. The story of the birth and life of the Savior is found in the New Testament in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. There we learn that Jesus was born of a virgin name Mary. The angel told her that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. Hence, Jesus is the only person on earth to be born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father and so why He is called the Only Begotten Son.He inherited divine powers from His Father and from His mother He inherited mortality and was subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain, and death.

Jesus led a perfect life. By the time He was 12yo, he had grown in His understanding that He had been sent to do the will of His Father (see Luke 2:46-49). When Jesus was 30yo, He came to John the Baptist to be baptized in order to fulfil all righteousness. Soon after He was baptized, He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights to be with God. After that, Satan came to tempt Him. Jesus firmly resisted all Satan's temptations. Then Jesus began His public ministry. He taught that there are two great commandments: first, to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength; and second, to love others as we love ourselves (Matt 22:36-39). His life is an example of how we should obey these two commandments... if we love God, we will trust and obey Him and if we love others, we will help them meet their physical and spiritual needs.

Jesus wanted His gospel taught to people all over the earth, so He chose twelve Apostles to testify of Him. They received the authority to act in His name. Moreover, near the end of His mortal ministry, He prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind (more about the Atonement in the next chapter). Through the atonement, cruxifixion, and resurrection (see Matt 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-20), He redeemed us from our sins and saved us from death. His sacrifice showed His love for His Father and for us. Jesus taught: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" John 15:13-14. He willingly and humbly went through the sorrow in Gethsemane and the suffering on the cross so we could receive all the blessings of the plan of salvation. To receive these blessings, we must come unto Him, repent of our sins, and love Him with all our hearts.

Ch. 10: Scriptures

from Gospel Principles:

scripture=words spoken or written by the Lord's servants under the influence of the Holy Ghost

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts four books as scripture called the standard works of the Church: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. The inspired words of our living prophets are also accepted as scripture (come to us through conferences, the Liahona or Ensign magazine, and instructions to local priesthood leaders).

**The Bible:
Writings from the time of Adam through the time when the Apostles of Jesus Christ lived. Written by many prophets who lived at various times in the history of the world. It is divided into two sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament foretell of the coming of a Savior and Redeemer. The New Testament tells of the life of that Savior and Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ.

**The Book of Mormon:
A sacred record of some of the people who lived on the American continents between about 2000 B.C. and A.D.400. It contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

**The Doctrine and Covenants:
A collection of modern revelations. This was published to the inhabitants of the earth to prepare them for Christ's coming.

**The Pearl of Great Price:
Contains the book of Moses (an account of some of the visions and writings of Moses, revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith), the book of Abraham (translated by Prophet Joseph Smith from a papyrus scroll taken from the Egyptian catacombs...contains info about the Creation, the gospel, the nature of God, and the priesthood), and some inspired writings of Joseph Smith.

If we desire to avoid the evils of this world, we must feed our minds with the truth and righteousness found in the scriptures. We should each study the scriptures every day along with our children. We will grow closer to God and to each other as we read and ponder the scriptures together. Ask God for understanding as we read and allow the Holy Ghost to bear witness to us. By this way, we will each know for ourselves that these things we read are true.

Ch. 9: Prophets of God

from: Gospel Principles

A prophet is a man called by God to be His representative on earth. He teaches truth and interprets the word of God. He receives revelations and directions from the Lord for our benefit. He is a special witness for Christ, testifying of His divinity and teaching His gospel. He
calls the unrighteous to repentance. When he speaks for God, it is as if God were speaking.

Many people live in darkness, unsure of God's will. They believe that the heavens are closed and that people must face the wold's perils alone. How fortunate are the Latter-day Saints! We know that God communicates to the Church through His prophets.


Meet Thomas S. Monson, our current living prophet! He is the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has the right to revelation for the entire Church. He holds "the keys of the kingdom," meaning that he has the authority to direct the entire Church and kingdom of God on earth, including the administrations of priesthood ordinances (Matt. 16:19).

We should do those things the prophets tell us to do. The Lord will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray. Moreover, if we obey, the Lord promises, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory" (D&C 21:6). Pretty cool blessings to me!

***Additional scriptures:
-Num. 12:6; Luke 1:70 (God speaks thru prophets)
-1Sam. 9:9 (prophet called a seer)
-Amos 3:7 (God reveals His secrets to the prophets)
-Mosiah 8:16-18 (a seer can now of things past & things to come)
-D&C 45:10, 15 (God speaks today as in days of old)
-D&C 43:1-7 (only the prophet is authorized to receive revelations for the Church)

Ch. 8: Praying to Our Heavenly Father

from Gospel Principles:

Prayer is one of the greatest blessing we have while we are here on earth. Through prayer we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and seek His guidance daily. Jesus taught, "Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name" (3Nep 28:29).

Prayer will help us draw closer to God. We can pray for many reasons like: for strength to resist the temptations of Satan and his followers; to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness; for the Lord's guidance and help in our daily lives; for protection; to express love to our Father and to feel closer to Him; to thank Him; for families, friends, animals, crops, daily work, and our other activities; and so on.

We should pray in faith, "with a sincere heart, with real intent" (Moroni 10:4). We can do this anytime with need to communicate with Father, whether silently or vocally, in privately or in a group, standing or kneeling, etc. We should each pray privately and as a family every day and night.

Our sincere prayers are always answered, but perhaps not in a matter we might want or understand. Our prayers are always answered at a time and in a way that the Lord knows will help us the most. Hence, we must pray to God and to no one else (Exodus 20:3-5) so we may be righteous in our thoughts, words, and actions. ~Keep in mind, you may be an instrument in answering someone else's prayer so pray, listen, and act.

P.S. See previous post here about "how to pray".

Ch. 7: The Holy Ghost

Receiving the Holy Ghost

from Gospel Principles:

Spirit children of our Heavenly Father began leaving God's presence to come to the earth to join the bodies of Adam and Eve's children and their children's children and so forth. As they came to earth, the memory of their heavenly home was taken from them but our Father did not shut them away from His influence. He sent the Holy Ghost to comfort and help and guide all of His spirit children.

The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead (Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost consist the members of the Godhead). He is a "personage of Spirit" (D&C 130:22). Meaning he can be in only one place at a time, but His influence can be everywhere as the same time. Reading this statement I was asking myself, "Huh?". Then, the candle light analogy came to mind. So in Jinky theory... a candle light can be placed at one spot but the light influence has a radius ... so in this case the Holy Ghost is at one spot but His light influence radius is everywhere.

The mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost that we are led to the understand and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moreover, the convincing power of the Holy Ghost is so great that there can be no doubt that what He reveals to us is true. It is Spirit speaking to spirit so the manifestations leaves an indelible impression that is not easily erased ... so that's how you can know if anything is of God... the Holy Ghost will confirm it to you. Awesome! Another testament that our Heavenly Father loves us.

Ch. 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve

from Gospel Principles:

Read this last week but I didn't get around to blogging about it because I
got busy preparing for my Easter weekend trip to Salt Lake City, Utah to see General Conference and celebrate my birthday. Anyway, Adam and Eve were the first to come to earth. They were our Father's noblest children. In the Garden of Eden, they were not yet mortal. They had physical life because their spirits were housed in physical bodies made from the dust of the earth. They had spiritual life because they were in the presence of God. Then when they partook of the forbidden fruit, the changes that came upon them became known as the Fall. They then became mortal ... they and their children would experience sickness, pain, and physical death. This also meant that they and their children could not walk and talk face to face with God. Hence, they and their children were separated from God both physically and spiritually.

Some people believe that they committed a serious sin when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, great blessings resulted from this transgression. As prophet Lehi explained: "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen (been cut off from the presence of God), but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created... And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2Nephi 2:22-25). Consequently, the Fall was part of the plan of salvation.

Ch. 5: The Creation

from Gospel Principles:

In our premortal life we were joyful when Heavenly Father told us about His plan for us to become more like Him. We were eager for new experiences. As previously mention we needed to leave His presence and receive mortal bodies to do so. Hence, we needed another place to live where we can prepare to become like Him. Our new home was called earth. Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created this world and everything in it ... light, darkness, land, water, plants, animals, and mankind ... having life being able to reproduce.

God's creations show His love. "Think of the sun, which gives us warmth and light. Think of the rain, which makes plants grow and makes the world feel clean and fresh. Think of how good it is to hear a bird singing or a friend laughing. Think of how wonderful our bodies are--how we can work and play and rest. When we consider all of these creations, we begin to understand what wise, powerful, and loving beings Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are. They have shown great love for us by providing for all of our needs." (pg 24-25). The Lord said, "Yea, all things which come of the earth, and the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul" (D&C 59:18-19).

Ch. 4: Freedom to Choose

from Gospel Principles:

We make choices everyday. Heavenly Father desires that we choose the right. He has given us the scriptures, prophets, and the Holy Ghost to help us do so. In opposition, Satan will tempt us to transgress, to sin, to be like unto him. We ought to remember that sin is bondage and following Satan's temptations actually limit our choices. Here's an example that suggests how this works. "Imagine seeing a sign on the seashore that reads: Danger--whirlpool. No swing allowed here. We might think that is a restriction. But is it? We still have many choices. We are free to swim somewhere else. We are free to walk along the beach and pick up seashells. We are free to watch the sunset. We are free to go home. We are also free to ignore the sign and swim in the dangerous place. But once the whirlpool has us in its grasp and we are pulled under, we have very few choices. We can try to escape, or we can call for help, but we may drown."

Ch. 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior

from: Gospel Principles

As discussed in chapter 2, in the premortal spirit world the plan for our salvation was presented. Because we would be away from heavenly Father's presence all of us would sin and some of us would lose our way. So He planned a way to help us ... we needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to return to our Heavenly Father. Jehovah said, "Here am I, send me ... Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever" (Abr 3:27, Moses 4:2). Lucifer however said, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be the son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor" (Moses 4:1). Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled... causing a war in heaven. Satan and the third of hosts of heaven that followed him were cast down from the presence of God and cast down from heaven. They were denied the right to receive mortal bodies. Because we are here on earth and have mortal bodies, we know we are the two-thirds that chose to follow Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. How cool is that?! So that mean guy that you know down the street made a good choice in premortal world so he's not completely hopeless! Consequently, Jesus Christ has revealed the gospel, which tells us what we must do to return to our God, so it is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation.

My thought: Watch out! Satan will do all he can to make us miserable like him so make good decisions always.

Ch. 2: Our Heavenly Family

OK, it's been awhile since I've posted from the scriptures/church manuals so here it is ... chapter 2 in the Gospel Principles manual (see sidebar for the link).

This chapter declares that we are all literally the sons and daughters of God, hence in our premortal life we were a heavenly family. While we lived in heaven, we developed personalities and talents. Our Heavenly Father knew that we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time so he called a Grand Council and presented a plan for us to become like Him. In short, we chose His plan ... receive a body, go to earth to be tested and to gain experience, be resurrected, then become heavenly parents ourselves if proved worthy (thus receiving fulness of joy). Because a veil covers our memories of our heavenly home, choosing good over evil will be because of our faith in Him, not because of our knowledge or memory of Him. All of us except little children would sin so a Savior would be provided for us so we could overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection. Moreover, Heavenly Father has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities. We would be given trials in our lives and if we allowed them to, these trials would purify us rather than defeat us. They would teach us to have endurance, patience, and charity.

I will close with my favorite ponder question in this chapter: "How does your knowledge that you are a child of God influence your thoughts, words, and actions?

Ch. 1: Our Heavenly Father

I'm back! Happy New Year!! No resolutions this year ... just going to try to get some spiritual meal each day and go from there. I know, a plan or goal might be a good idea to have but as you might guess ... I've done that and I'm still "dusting"!! Anyway, I ran into my Relief Society lesson schedule and thought, well I can re-start there. This year, we're studying from the manual, "Gospel Principles" ... perfect! Start at the basics!! So chapter #1 is "Our Heavenly Father".

Surprised that this chapter is only 3 pages long! Then come to think of it ... you either believe God exist or not! Well, this chapter says that there is a God! Hurray!! The beautiful mountains, plains, plants, animals, clouds, moon, stars, sun, ... the universe testify that there is a supreme creator. Really, look at your surroundings and see the marvel. Absolutely breath taking!!

One attribute that God has that this book states may be hard for people to swallow. Well, if you believe that people are made in His image then it makes sense ... that is, that God has a tangible body of flesh and bones (D&C 130:22), but of course His is perfected and glorified. I'll let that sink in and have you ponder that one.

Also, the manual states that everything that He does is to help His children become like Him ... "Behold, this is my work and my glory --to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man", Moses 1:39. Cool, there is life after death and a great one to boot!!

So, believing that there is a God and desiring to want eternal life then getting to know God more and keeping His commandments makes a lot of sense! One follows laws to have order thus avoid chaos. One follows house rules to show love and respect. Such principles apply to God's commandments as well. Knowing all, He knows what's best for each of us. Hence, following His "laws" will lead us to order and eternal life; and following his "house rules" would reciprocate our love and respect to Him.

I testify that there is a God. A very loving Heavenly Father concerned for my welfare. I know of this because I feel His warm hugs of comfort in my times of sorrow, cheers of encouragements in my times of despair, smiles in my times of good will, and exquisite love in my efforts to follow Him ... even when at times I fail because He doesn't give up on me! Also through answered prayers and private miracles. At this very moment I know there is a God because my jaw is stiff, my face is being washed in tears, my heart is aching, ... my body's reaction to the Holy Ghost telling me that what I have read and said is true. I urge you to pray and choose to follow our Heavenly Father.

**Link to the manual is at the sidebar under, Gospel Principles.