Surviving Spiritually

Today (Sunday October 18, 2018) in our sacrament meeting Silas Smith talked about a friend from his high school days. Todd was one the first friends he made when his family moved to a new community and went to a new high school. Todd became involved in the popular crowd and strayed from the Gospel and God’s commandments. Because of his popularity, Todd did not hang out with Silas and his other friends.

Todd’s life changed when he was involved in an accident that paralyzed him from the neck down. His “friends” stayed with him for a while but eventually stopped coming to see him. Silas and his friends, however, did not abandon him and continued to be with him and encourage him. Eventually Todd began to read the scriptures and do the things he needed to get back on the gospel path. One day Todd told Silas that the accident was the best thing that happened to him. He was headed in the wrong direction and could have never come back, but because of the accident he would eventually be ok and have eternal life.

That is a pretty good outlook and I am not sure I would be that strong. When I face adversity my first reaction is why is this happening to me? When we feel this way, we must remember what Elder Neil L. Anderson taught in the past October General Conference:

“We each understand that difficulties are part of life, but when they come to us personally, they can take our breath away. Without being alarmed, we need to be ready. The Apostle Peter said, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father’s plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers.” (Wounded)

One of the other speakers in today’s sacrament meeting, Cathy Gorge, talked about what is happening in Paradise, California where the campfire wildfire has destroyed over 12,000 homes and there has been 76 confirmed deaths and almost 1,300 people unaccounted for. A bishop of one of the wards said that every member of the ward has lost their homes. He told the Church news that as he was leaving home on the morning before the fires started, he was prompted to go back and get his family out. He did, and he also sent messages to his ward to evacuate as well, all church members and missionaries are safe and accounted for. (Church News)

Photo by John Locher/AP Photo

Elder Anderson reminded us that we will all, even those who keep the commandments of God, experience trial in our lives:

“Although the details will differ, the tragedies, the unanticipated tests and trials, both physical and spiritual, come to each of us because this is mortality. Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor, to one culture, one nation, or one generation. They come to all and are part of the learning we receive from this mortal experience.”

Elder Anderson give several suggestions that will help when we are faced with adversity.

1. Never Give up - no matter how long the problems persist we will get through them.

2. Pray with all your heart - strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ, he will not leave us comfortless.

3. Take your wounded hear and your family names to the temple as frequently as possible.

4. Look forward - your troubles and sorrows are real, but the will not last forever. 

Photo by Noah Berger/AP

Elder Anderson concludes by reminding us:

“No injustice, no persecution, no trial, no sadness, no heartache, no suffering, no wound—however deep, however wide, however painful—will be excluded from the comfort, peace, and lasting hope of Him whose open arms and whose wounded hands will welcome us back into His presence, and God shall wipe away all our tears.” (Wounded)

Speaking in an April 2018 general conference address President Russell M. Nelson said:

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)

I have had trials, but nothing compared to the ones mentioned here. I can only pray that I will have the faith and testimony to survive spiritually when more difficulties come alone. I also hope that I have the compassion to help others when they face adversity and together, we will all help each other endure and overcome our afflictions.

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Is the Bible All the Word of God We Have?

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe “the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God (Articles of Faith 8). We love the Bible, but we believe that the Lord speaks to all of his children and many of their written words have been recorded as scripture. We also believe that the Lord continues to speak to his prophets today and their words are scripture (Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38). Thousands of years prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon, the Lord knew that when that many would try to disprove the Book of Mormon by saying that the Bible was all that is needed. He told an ancient American prophet:

And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. (2 Nephi 29:3-13)

Many Christians will point out that John in his book of revelation said that anyone that adds to the Bible would be cursed. (Revelation 22:18) but John was referring to the prophecies contained in that one book, not the entire bible. The Bible as we have it was not published until hundreds of years after John’s revelation was published. If what John wrote about adding to the bible is to be taken literally to mean the bible, then we would have to discard everything after the writings of Moses because he said the same thing about his writings (Deuteronomy 12:32). It is foolish to limit the Lord’s ability to call prophets and speak to us and give us revelation to help us with our needs today.

The Book of Mormon is a second witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ. The title page declares that it was:

Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God. . . to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations. (Book of Mormon – Title Page)

The Bible as we have it today has been changed many times and was subject to mistranslation and interpretation by those who wrote the ancient texts. John Wycliffe was the first to completely translate the Bible into English in the 14^th century. William Tyndale was the first to print the Bible in English in 1525. King Henry VIII commissioned the “Great Bible” that was taken mainly from Tyndale’s version of the old and new testaments. Several other versions of the bible were also published (the Geneva Bible and the Bishop’s Bible are two examples). In 1604, King James I commissioned the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, made up of 47 scholars, to publish a new translation of the Bible and in 1611 the King James Bible was published and became the official version used by most Christian churches. The purpose of the King James Bible was to overcome the “perceived problems of earlier translations”. Each of these Bible versions differed in which books were included in the compiled texts. (History of the King James Version)

Because the Bible was subject to the interpretations of the men that translated the texts, errors and misinterpretations were included in the bible. The Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God and is correct and without error. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book”. (Why is the Book of Mormon the Most Correct of Any Book on Earth?)

Back to my original question – is the Bible all the word of God that we have? My answer is no. The scriptures testify that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If that is true then if he called and spoke to prophets anciently why would he not do so today? Our testimony is that he does speak through his prophets today and those words are recorded and published as scripture. Not only do we have the Bible, but we have the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We also have the Doctrine and Covenants (which is a compilation of the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith) and the Pearl of Great Price which contains the writings of Moses and Abraham and other writings from the Prophet Joseph Smith.

All of these prove that “I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?” (2 Nephi 29:7)

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Witnesses of Christ

Conference weekend for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is always a great uplifting weekend but this conference was especially exciting. Three new Apostles were sustained in the Saturday afternoon session. This is the first time since 1906 that three new apostles were sustained in the same conference and only the fourth time since the quorum’s formation in 1835. With the death of Elder L. Tom Perry on May 30^th 2015, President Boyd K. Packer on July 3, 2015, and Elder Richard G. Scott on September 22, 2015 there were three vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve. Another historic significance is the three new apostles will be the 98^th, 99^th, and 100^th apostle since the restoration of the church in 1830 (see Deseret News Article)

The three new Apostles (in order of ordination) Elder Ronald A. Rasband (formerly of the Presidency of the Seventy), Elder Gary E. Stevenson (formerly of the Presiding Bishopric), and Elder Dale G. Renlund (formerly of the First Quorum of the Seventy).

In the first chapter of Acts the remaining eleven Apostles met together to chose a new apostle to replace Judas. The scripture tells what qualifications the person needed:

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. (Acts 1:21-22)

To qualify to be the newest member of the twelve in the ancient church, the person needed to be a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.

To the modern church the Lord Jesus Christ gave this description for the calling of an apostle:

The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling. (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23)

Thus an apostle is a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world. The members of the Quorum of Twelve and the First Presidency are sustained by the members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as prophets, seers and revelators. The First Presidency is comprised of the president of the church (the senior apostle) and two counselors (also from the Quorum of the Twelve) thus in total there are 15 apostles that are at the head of the church. Apostles serve full-time for the remainder of their lives. President Boyd K. Packer said “When the call came, each has put down his nets, so to speak, and followed the Lord." (“The Twelve”)

President Packer told of an experience he had with President Spencer W. Kimball in Copenhagen, Demark when they went to visit the Vor Frue Church, where the Thorvalsen statues of the Christus and of the Twelve Apostles stand. He said:

To the front of the church, behind the altar, stands the familiar statue of the Christus with His arms turned forward and somewhat outstretched, the hands showing the imprint of the nails, and the wound in His side very clearly visible. Along each side stand the statues of the Apostles, Peter at the front to the right and the other Apostles in order.

Most of our group was near the rear of the chapel with the custodian. I stood up front with President Kimball before the statue of Peter with Elder Rex D. Pinegar and Johan Helge Benthin, president of the Copenhagen stake.

In Peter’s hand, depicted in marble, is a set of heavy keys. President Kimball pointed to those keys and explained what they symbolized. Then, in an act I shall never forget, he turned to President Benthin and with unaccustomed firmness pointed his finger at him and said, “I want you to tell everyone in Denmark that I hold the keys! We hold the real keys, and we use them everyday.”

I will never forget that declaration, that testimony from the prophet. The influence was spiritually powerful; the impression was physical in its impact.

We walked to the back of the chapel where the rest of the group was standing. Pointing to the statues, President Kimball said to the kind custodian, “These are the dead Apostles.” Pointing to me, he said, “Here we have the living Apostles. Elder Packer is an Apostle. Elder Thomas S. Monson and Elder L. Tom Perry are Apostles, and I am an Apostle. We are the living Apostles.

“You read about the Seventies in the New Testament,and here are two of the living Seventies, Elder Rex D.Pinegar and Elder Robert D. Hales.”

The custodian, who up to that time had shown no emotion, suddenly was in tears.

I felt I had had an experience of a lifetime.

“We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.” (“The Twelve”)

It is our testimony to the world that we do have modern prophets and apostles, special witnesses of the name of Christ to all the world. When the Lord Jesus Christ called the Twelve Apostles anciently he gave them the priesthood authority to govern the church. Peter, James and John (the First Presidency of the ancient church) came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in May 1829 and gave them the keys of the same priesthood they had been given. Since that time there has been an unbroken transfer of those priesthood keys to the present time. President Thomas S. Monson has all those keys as do all of the other Apostles today.

The Lord has called his modern apostles and prophets and has given them the priesthood keys, the same as he did in the ancient church. Christ is the head of this church and Kingdom of God on the earth today. The Holy Ghost bore witness to me again as I raised my hand to sustain the newest apostles and the other prophets, seers and revelators. These prophets and apostles are not just for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but for all the world. The Lord has called them so their teachings are the same teachings that the Lord Jesus Christ would give us if he were here speaking to us for he has said “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken…whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38). I invite you to watch or listen to what these prophets and apostle have said by going to the October 2015 general conference web page. 

Your comments and questions are welcome.