Larger universally applicable principles from the Lord’s warning about the waters in D&C 61

13 And now, behold, for your good I gave unto you a commandment concerning these things; and I, the Lord, will reason with you as with men in days of old.

14 Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters.

15 Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters.

16 And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart.

17 And, as I, the Lord, in the beginning cursed the land, even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof.

18 And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all, that you shall forewarn your brethren concerning these waters, that they come not in journeying upon them, lest their faith fail and they are caught in snares;

19 I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree.  (D&C 61:13-19)

These verses are associated with the experience that Joseph Smith and some of the other elders of the church had as they traveled on the Missouri river and had a dangerous time avoiding canoe turnover from underwater hazards and got in fights with each other over what happened.

 

These are really strange verses and sound very mystical and woo-woo. However, today when I was reading and pondering them, I realized they hold some larger principles that we can still use today.

 

Verse 14 and 17 talk about how some things were first blessed then later cursed, or first cursed then later blessed.  What this says to us is that sometimes things can start out good and then turn bad, or they can start out bad and then turn good.  

 

If we apply this today, this might be like if a travel method starts out as very safe and then over time becomes more dangerous and risky. If handcart travel across the plans started out easy, then became more and more dangerous because of weather or bandits or natural disasters, then that would follow the pattern of verse 14. If something starts out dangerous and then gradually becomes safer, then that falls into a pattern like verse 17.  So the message is that safety conditions can change over time for travel (or anything really) and it is important to notice when that transition happens and not continue to do something that is becoming more and more risky.

 

Verse 15 says the day would come when no flesh would be safe upon the waters.  At bottom this is a statement about RISK.  When something becomes so dangerous that no one is safe when doing it, then it is RISKY.  So we have to notice where risk occurs and it is wise to avoid unnecessary risk. Avoiding unnecessary risk when better alternatives exist is not stupid. It is not cowardly. It is wise.

 

“And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart.” – If the previous verse points out there is risk, then this verse tells us that when a certain method of travel becomes risky, the only protection is being righteous.  Why would this be?  Because someone who is righteous, if they have to do something risky, will be doing it only for a good reason when they have no other alternative, and they will learn about the risk, plan how to mitigate it, and be extremely careful, and also ask for the Lord’s protection. (The story of Thomas S. Monson sneaking the temple ceremony information into Soviet-controlled eastern Europe comes to mind here.)  The Lord sees that sort of activity as worthy of protection.  This is part of the principle that we don’t test the Lord’s blessings of protection unless we absolutely need them because there is no other alternative.

 

“And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all, that you shall forewarn your brethren concerning these waters, that they come not in journeying upon them, lest their faith fail and they are caught in snares” – The key phrase here is “forewarn your brethren.”  When you find out something is dangerous, you don’t keep that info to yourself; you tell others about it too so that they can stay safe. This is one reason why the missionary standards booklet (also known as the missionary white bible) has a section on unauthorized activities because these activities are risky and we want them to stay safe when doing the Lord’s work.

 

“the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof” – This is a very vivid phrase and it captures the imagination. Speculation abounds on what it means. I personally think it is simple. I think “the destroyer” simply means disease because at that time cholera a common deadly disease in river towns. It had to do with a lack of water sanitation and since no one knew germ theory at that time, it would be a long time before that sanitation problem would be fixed.  (Also remember the Word of Wisdom promised that those who follow the principles would be saved from the destroying angel, and we know that good nutrition does help prevent and moderate disease, so there are examples of that terminology being a reference to disease.)

 

Ultimately, the principles in these verses are widely applicable today.  We need to be alert to notice when good activities or travel means turn unsafe and avoid them to mitigate risk to ourselves and others. We need to warn people about danger and risk.

 

There’s a beautiful promise in verse 17 about the good travel methods and can be extrapolated to refer to good activities as well: “even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof.”   Good things (safe travel means, good activities) are for the Lord’s saints and we can enjoy it to its fullest extent and rejoice in it and feel grateful for it and recommend it and be creative with it and make it ours.

 

Just for fun, I’m going to rewrite the above verses to apply to social media and we will see how these principles can transfer.

13 And now, behold, for your good I gave unto you a commandment concerning these things; and I, the Lord, will reason with you as with men in days of old.

14 Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed social media; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed social media.

15 Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe looking at social media.

16 And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to be on social media but he that is upright in heart.

17 And, as I, the Lord, in the beginning cursed TV, even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof.

18 And now I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all, that you shall forewarn your brethren concerning social media, that they come not onto it, lest their faith fail and they are caught in snares;

19 I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree.  (D&C 61:13-19)

Saying that TV used to be cursed but now is blessed seems like nonsense right now, but I did that in this example to show how it illustrates there is always the possibility that something that used to be harmful changes into something good.  Also, hopefully the modernized version gives you a sense of how these principles are more universally applicable than just one little journey of prophets and elders on a midwestern river in the 1830s.

King Lamoni’s prayer for mercy

And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people. (Alma 18:41)

From this verse of prayer it is possible to tell some of the things Lamoni was taught by Ammon, even though the essential elements are only touched on by Moron who abridged the account.

“O Lord, have mercy” – Lamoni had to have been taught about 1) the plan of redemption and 2) about the Lord’s abundant mercy, such that he would feel inspired to ask for mercy.

“According to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people” – Lamoni had to have been taught about all the ways the Lord had had mercy upon the Nephites insomuch that he desired that for his own people. And it is most likely that he was taught about the intermediary role that the high priest (or high priestly king) played in pleading for the people, because he immediately assumes that role by interceding for his own people as well as pleading for himself.

One of the important principles all people have to learn in order to have the courage to ask for forgiveness for their sins is concerning the abundant mercy of God. Without this, we wouldn’t have the confidence to ask for Him to have mercy on us. This confidence is best built by hearing how the Lord has had mercy on others, particularly those who were in a worse case. (This is partly Ammon and his brethren were such great missionaries. They had been in an awful state, and the Lord had mercy on them, so they shared that, so that all those in similar states could trust that they could obtain mercy too.)

Let’s work on noticing the mercies that the Lord has bestowed on us and tell others about them.

Some of Jesus’s Interesting Instructions to the Twelve about Missionary Work

In Matthew 10, Jesus gives His disciples instructions about missionary work. I found v26-28 particularly interesting this time through.

26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (Matt. 10:26-27)

Why emphasize this thing about secrets being revealed? And how is that supposed to help them with their missionary work?

I realized this was a promise that Heavenly Father would reveal to them (the disciples) ahead of time secret things about their listeners. They were to talk about those things and teach principles about those things. That divinely-given knowledge was to be a sign to their hearers that Heavenly Father knew them intimately and that what they were hearing was the truth.

We see a specimen of this in the story of the woman at the well. Jesus told her, “thou has had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband…” (John 4:18).

How would these things be revealed?

·      “what I tell you in darkness” – This was an oblique reference to dreams. Heavenly Father can use dreams to reveal things to His disciples.

·      “what ye hear in the ear” – This is an oblique reference to the still, small voice of the Spirit, which can reveal things as well.

Heavenly Father knows all the details of our lives. He can reveal those things to His servants when He deems it will bring us closer to Him and help us repent.

Mysteries of God

A question I had recently was, "What do the scriptures call mysteries? When the scriptures talk about the mysteries of God, what topics are discussed in that context?" I felt like if I did a survey of the scriptures that referred to "mysteries of God" I might get an idea of what those things are and also how to obtain them.

What follows are notes I made from investigating the scriptures. I think you'll find them illuminating.

Mysteries of the kingdom (Matt 13:11) (given to the disciples to know these)
Mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1)
Mysteries of God (1 Nephi 2:16 (in context of Nephi wanting to know his father was right or not)
Mysteries of God (1 Nephi 10:19) in context of Nephi asking about Lehi’s dream of the tree of life
Mysteries of God (Mosiah 1:3) associated with the things already written in the scriptures
Mysteries of God (Mosiah 2:9) associated with the vision Mosiah had of an angel that gave him a message about the Messiah
Mysteries of God (Alma 10:5) associated with preserving the lives of the Nephites
Mysteries of God (Alma 12:9) about the resurrection from the dead and the judgment
Mysteries of God (Alma 26:22) associated with revealing new things and bringing people to repentance
Mysteries (Alma 37:4) in the scriptures
Mysteries (Alma 37:11) about how the hardened Nephites will be brought to repentance
Mysteries (of God) and secret works of darkness (Alma 37:21) associated with the 24 Jaredite plates
Mysteries  (Alma 40:3) concerning what happens to the soul between death and resurrection
Mysteries of God (D&C 6:7) that will make rich and give eternal life
Mysteries (D&C 6:11) great and marvelous, to bring many to know the truth, to convince others of their error.
Mysteries (D&C 28:7) given to the prophet
Mysteries (D&C 42:61 peaceable things, which bring joy, which bring life eternal
Mysteries (D&C 43:13) to be given because of charitable giving
Mysteries of my kingdom (D&C 63:23) as a well of living water, spring up unto everlasting life
Mysteries out of the scriptures (D&C 71:1)
Hidden mysteries of my will (D&C 76:7-10) from days of old, for ages to come, good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom. Wonders of eternity. Things to come. Things of many generations. Understanding reach to heaven. Secrets of my will. Things eye has not see, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.
Mysteries (D&C 77:6) associated with the book sealed with 7 seals. Revealed will, mysteries, works of god. Hidden things of his economy.
Mysteries of the kingdom (D&C 84:19) key of the knowledge of God, associated with the power of godliness in the ordinances of the church.
Mysteries of the kingdom (D&C 107:19) of heaven, having the heavens opened to them. Enjoying the presence of the Father and Jesus.
God revealeth secrets (Dan 2:28) in association with Daniel telling the dream of the king and interpreting it.  What shall come to pass (v29)
Secrets (Amos 3:7) revealed to the prophets before they happen.

Fascinating, huh?

Looking for the Lord to Come

There’s a scripture I’ve run across that in the past I’ve interpreted as referring to the second coming of Christ, but now I see also fits into the context of missionary work

And the poor and the meek shall have the gospel preached unto them, and they shall be looking forth for the time of my coming, for it is nigh at hand— (D&C 35:15)

This perfectly describes those situations and stories we’ve heard about people who have had religious questions and they reach out to God, pleading for the truth, pleading for something more in their lives. And then, in a few days (or hours, or even minutes) they are visited by the missionaries and are ready to receive the gospel. These people are looking for God to come and bring them greater light, and they see the missionaries as messengers from God. They see God has answered them, and they see the coming of the gospel was so close. All those things are encapsulated in this verse.

How does it help us? It shows us that there are people who are prepared to hear the gospel, and we just need to talk to them and invite them. If they are ready, they will respond. We don’t know what is going on in their lives to prepare people, but there are people who are prepared to hear.

It also tells us that if we are going to help find them, we need to be meek as well. We need to be humble and ready to follow the impressions of the Spirit, even if they seem to not make sense. (If they made sense, why would we need the Spirit?)

Elder Boyd K. Packer and a Story on Gospel Learning

I was reading Elder Packer’s book Teach Ye Diligently yesterday and I ran across a story that I felt has some important things to say.

“When I was a mission president, my assistants and I occasionally checked apartments. Missionaries sometimes have the tendency not to keep their apartments clean, and so every few months we would stop and make some inspections. (This procedure had an interesting side effect. Through the missionary “grapevine,” word would be passed on, and though we personally inspected only one or two apartments, all were cleaned up!)

In St. Johnsury, Vermont, I was surprised one morning at about ten o’clock to find that when we knocked at a door, expecting to make contact with the landlord, an elder answered. He and his companion should have been out tracting.

            I said, “Where’s your companion?”

            “He’s studying in the bedroom.”

            His companion was reading The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. I had read the book, so I commented on it to him, asking, “How will it help you in missionary work?”

            He replied something to the effect that the more you know, the better you can teach. I asked how many other books he had read. He was sitting on an old, high, four-poster New England bed. He reached down, took hold of the bedspread, and lifted it up so I could see several boxes of books under the bed. He had read them all.

            “Where did you get all these books?” I inquired. He indicated that he had a relative who was in the publishing business and that he automatically received all of the books that came off the press relating to the Church. After some conversation I instructed him to box up all the books and send them home. I also instructed him to write to his relative and tell him to send him no more books. For the rest of his mission he would need only the scriptures and one or two other books we prescribed.

            He vigorously protested, insisting that he was learning the gospel and that the more he read, the more he’d be able to teach. I tried to reason with him and finally, with some impatience, I said, “Elder, if you keep on this course, I’ll tell you what will happen to you. You will come to know about many things relating to the gospel and much of it will be useless to you. You will be the kind of individual who goes to a Sunday School class to disturb the class and irritate the teacher by demonstrating your ‘much knowledge.’

            “You will have more factual knowledge than most of the teachers you will meet in the Church. You will want to correct them in every class. If ever a mistake is made, whether it be by a Sunday School teacher, a bishop, a counselor, or a quorum officer, you will correct it. Many mistakes will be made, because in the Church we are all learning as we grow. You will not be called to positions because of your arrogant, know-it-all attitude will disqualify you. You will go through life wondering why you were passed over, blaming the Church and those in it, and eventually shriveling up spiritually.

            “Your problem is selfishness. You are more interested in what will happen to you on your mission than what you can do for others. You already know far more than you need to know to introduce investigators to the gospel and bring them to the point where conversion can take place. Remember, elder, this is not your mission. It is His mission. You will never gain the most important eternal things by the course you are following. You and your companion need to be out now knocking on doors, imparting the milk of the gospel. The meat can come later, and you can learn it later.”

            The elder recognized what he had been doing and sent the books home. There would be time for that kind of study later in life, and I assume that he is now somewhere in the Church possessing an ever-greater knowledge of the factual things concerning the Church and its doctrines, imparting in a gentle way the basic principles to lift many around him.” (p188-190)

I was very much struck by Elder Packer’s ability to predict what would happen to this missionary. The missionary wanted to learn in order to teach, so it would follow that the elder would use what he learned at every opportunity to correct errors. And of course there would be many errors.  But this missionary’s desire to teach wasn’t necessarily out of a desire to benefit others or he would have been out doing missionary work already. It was a desire to look knowledgeable in front of others, a desire to build himself up at others’ expense. That was the selfishness. And at that time, he couldn’t bear to teach and be rejected by investigators, since he knew he would be rejected often, so he was hiding from the prospect of rejection that reading and learning, while claiming it would make him a better teacher. He was afraid to trust the Spirit.

Something else also struck me about Elder Packer’s correction. In his prediction, he says to the missionary near the beginning, “Elder, if you keep on this course….You will come to know about many things relating to the gospel and much of it will be useless to you.”  Ouch.

If we enjoy reading about the gospel and learning much, this challenges us to think carefully about how it’s useful to us.  How does it inspire us to demonstrate greater faith in Christ?  How does it inspire us to change?  How does it help us become better?  

If our readings and learning doesn’t point us toward faith in Christ and personal change, it’s useless to us. And if the readings are pointing us in the right direction, if we don’t decide to do anything about what we’ve learned, we’re only reading for entertainment, not for growth.

Elder Packer also warned the elder, ”You will not be called to positions because your arrogant, know-it-all attitude will disqualify you.”  What’s the principle? Arrogance, know-it-all-ness, (and correcting everybody) is a disqualification for positions.    

I think this hit me particularly hard because I have been (and probably still am) guilty of that arrogance and know-it-all-ness. And I have been stupidly ambitious for position too. I’m less ambitious now than I was because I’ve now had one small leadership position, and I’ve learned how it is all about service and not self-aggrandizement.  But I still recognize some of that rotten ambition in myself. (Bleah)

Why does that stupid part of me think I need position?  It’s because some part of me feels like I need something to validate my importance and worth and thinks position will do that.  But it doesn’t and it won’t, no matter how big the position. 

So why do I think I need something to validate me?  Because somehow I haven’t quite internalized that I am a child of God yet. I know it in my head, but it hasn’t hit my soul.  Obviously, I need to work on remembering that. (Hmm, I think there was a conference talk on that in April…)

[insert struggling noises as I work to internalize my divine nature]

After thinking more about this, it seems to me that I, as a daughter of God, should be learning as much as I can about the gospel, but that I should also work to let it change me. A daughter of God looks for opportunities to serve wherever she is, and sees position as merely a different way to serve. A daughter of God shares knowledge and wisdom to inspire and encourage others. A daughter of God trusts the Holy Ghost to teach and convert. A daughter of God acknowledges what is right in other people’s viewpoints. A daughter of God recognizes others will know much she does not and tries to learn as much as she can from them.

Okay, I’m going to try to be like that.

I think I can learn a lot about what I should do by asking myself, “What would a daughter of God do?”  It goes right along with asking “What would Jesus do?”

Assembling the halt, the outcast, the afflicted

6 In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;

7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. (Micah 4:6-7)

When I read this, it seems to me it is talking about the gathering of Israel, but in curious terms. The halt are the lame, the “driven out” are those who were marginalized or rejected, and the afflicted are those who had some sort of physical or mental problem that was unexplainable or seemingly incurable.  Why speak of these as part of the gathering of Israel in the last days?  

Also, the blessings given to them are interesting and even a little counterintuitive.

As a first instance, the Lord promises that those who were halt will be made a remnant.  The “remnant” in battle terms would be those who make it through war and destruction that killed or scattered everyone else. You’d think that only the fit would survive, but no, the halt do--the ones too lame to run, those who aren’t seen as a threat.

As another instance, the Lord promises to gather those who were driven out and make them a strong nation.  These are the outcasts, the marginalized, maybe even the people who had to leave because they couldn’t accept what was going on.  Or they might have been driven out because they were criminals.  They are so few, so alone…  And the Lord says He will make them a strong nation?  That’s a major miracle for the marginalized to become such a strong institution that it might be called a nation.  It would have to have a justice system, so any criminals would have reformed.

And the afflicted. This could be those with physical handicaps and/or mental illnesses. They are the people who probably had heads shaken over them and hands thrown in the air, saying, “I just don’t know what to do about them! What can I do for them?”   These were often seen as people God was punishing.     But if they are gathered to Mount Zion, then they are obviously being blessed instead of cursed!

All these the Lord says He will reign over in Mount Zion forever. These are people who accept His guidance and commandments. They believe in Him.  Could it be that their handicaps and marginalization and rejections and trials have humbled them enough to listen?

I get some great principles from these verses.

1)   Handicaps, marginalization, and afflictions can prepare us to follow the Lord if they humble us.

2)   The Lord reaches out to all types of people with all kinds of challenges and has the power to make weaknesses into strength.  Once again, the halt (lame)  become the remnant (the ones who survive). The outcast (rejected) becomes the strong nation, able to create unity and social cohesion so that others won’t suffer similarly. The affliected one who previously seemed punished by God becomes the faithful adherent in Zion.

3)   Behind the Sunday smiles, all of us have some problem we need help with. Even those who look like they have perfect lives have hidden challenges. (“In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see.”) We are all broken somehow, all in need of healing, in need of Christ.

In a way, it also prophesies of days when handicaps and affliction would become better understood so that tools and means to cope with them would be created, and people who had these problems would be given the resources to transcend their difficulties and progress further.  Again, all of that shows the Lord doesn’t want to leave any of His children behind, and He reaches out to all.

KJV versus JST: The Eagles gathered Together Over the Carcass

You actually get two analyses for the price of one today. (grin)(It’s all free anyway.)

KJV Matthew 24:27-28	Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:26-27
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.	26 For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.	27 And now I show unto you a parable. Behold, wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together; so likewise shall mine elect be gathered from the four quarters of the earth.

The Joseph Smith Translation makes some significant clarifications to these two verses that help us better understand these particular signs.

Comparing the second coming of Christ to lightning evokes speediness and surprise. Joseph Smith’s translation changes this “lightning” to “light of the morning,” which should remind us of a sunrise instead. The sunrise starts in the east and steadily grows until it can be seen in the west, at which time the sunlight is over the whole earth.  This is a very good metaphor for the growth of the restored church and how it spreads. 

Some might wonder why this sunrise image is used about the coming of the Son of Man if we expect Christ to come with a Grand Entrance suddenly and cleanse the earth of the wicked and set everything in order. 

It seems to me that the coming, with the spread of the church, is needed to prepare people for the Grand Entrance. The world was in apostasy before. If the Grand Entrance came while the whole world was in apostasy, everyone would just be destroyed. Thus, the gospel had to be restored and spread to prepare those who are willing to listen.  And Christ did come to Joseph Smith to get that going. 

The next image Joseph Smith gave clarification on is that of the carcass and the eagles being gathered to it.  Joseph Smith tells us it is a parable that is to be applied to the gathering of the elect. 

This is important intelligence because there is a great portion of the Christian world that does not look at this imagery of the carcass and eagles in a positive way.  They interpret the carcass to mean the decadence and deadness of wicked society and the eagles as heavenly powers bringing vengeance to eat up the wicked. 

Joseph Smith’s translation of this parable makes this image a positive one (though still kind of gross) and it actually teaches some important things about the gathering of the elect. The carcass is the body of the church. There is doctrinal meat there that can’t be found anywhere else, so the parable expresses the church is a place where people can be fed.  Just like eagles (or vultures) seem to have an uncanny ability to spot an animal carcass, the elect will be able to spot the true church with its saving doctrine and priesthood power. They will know spiritual meat when they see it.  Just like eagles are drawn to a carcass in the desert, the elect will be drawn to the body of the church.

The idea of there being a body of the church (rather than a diffuse non-organized grouping of the faithful) is emphasized, as is the gathering process.

I’m grateful to have this clarification from Joseph Smith--Matthew. Having an accurate idea of what to look for helps us to locate ourselves accurately in the timeline of prophecy. It saves us from doubt and uncertainty and know what events to expect and also what is expected of us.  We’re to share that meat and invite others to come. We’re to help spread the light.

How do we do missionary work with solemnity and meekness today?

 

7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say. (D&C 100:7-8)

I did a study on meekness a while back, and I was struck by this scripture that mentions meekness is needed when doing missionary work. Meekness means teachable-ness, so this caused me to wonder in way a missionary (or a member missionary) is supposed to teach the gospel while demonstrating they themselves are teachable?  How do they learn while teaching? Is it only learning from the Spirit, or are they supposed to demonstrate they can learn from the investigator? And if so, what would that look like?

I ran into one answer in Clayton Christensen’s book The Power of Everyday Missionaries on page 26-30. He explained how people are generally not attracted to the church by its doctrines (only around 10% are), but by the promise of finding happiness, meaning, and purpose to their lives. He suggested that when people ask us about the church, we then ask them why they are curious and find out what they know or what they are interested in knowing. He even includes an experience he had discussing with a colleague the disinterest in religion in general society. Christensen asked him, “Why do you think that is?” and wanted to know this friend’s difficulties with organized religion.

Rather than trying to convince Stephen that he needed our church or any church, I said, “Why do you think so many people are exiting rather than entering churches? Are there any big deal-breaking questions that caused you to despair of organized religion because the churches didn’t have answers to those questions?”

Stephen responded that he’d like to take some time to put them together “in a cogent list.”

I said, “I would love to discuss these questions, because I think about this a lot too. And if by chance the LDS perspective shines any light on a question, I’ll offer it to you.” Stephen was amenable, and we set up a meeting early the next week.

At the next meeting I was quite stunned: Stephen had some very good questions—about the purpose of life, if there is one; what is God, if there is one; and so on. He said, “As I went through college and graduate school, the churches I attended just could not answer my questions. So I stopped going to church and have been looking for answers in philosophy and science instead. Frankly, they can’t answer them any better than churches can.”

We started at the top of Stephen’s list. I asked questions about his first question, just to understand why it was important to him, and why he hadn’t been impressed with the answers that others had offered. I then found and discussed answers to that question in the Book of Mormon.

I noticed that he crossed the first question off his list. “Why did you cross it off?” I asked.

“You answered it,” he replied.

We then organized the subsequent lessons with the missionaries around the remaining questions on his list. When we scheduled a time for the zone leaders to interview Stephen for baptism, we listed all of the concepts, doctrines, and practices that are covered in the four lessons. We were delighted that we had covered every one of them, but in a sequence that answered Stephen’s questions. (p28-29)

In the process of trying to understand his friend’s questions, Brother Christensen was demonstrating meekness and solemnity, taking his questions seriously, seeking to hear first before speaking, seeking to understand without judgment or dismissiveness. I suspect that is part of the meekness the Lord asks us to cultivate. (I also notice that Brother Christensen’s friend was honest enough to accept good answers when they were presented to him, rather than trying to go on the attack.)

So if anyone asks us about our church, rather than launching into a recital of our favorite aspects, only telling what we want them to know, we can ask, “Why do you ask?” or “Do you have any questions about religious issues that you’ve been wondering about or that you haven’t been able to get good answers for?”

I love the promise the above scripture gives if we declare the gospel with solemnity and meekness: “that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.”  That is what we need. It’s what we hope will happen so that others can feel and know it. 

What do you think? ?  Is there anything else involved in teaching this way?  What experiences have you had with teaching with solemnity and meekness

Of tenets thou shalt not talk

Some verses in a section directed to Martin Harris:

29 And thou shalt declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains, and upon every high place, and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to see.
30 And thou shalt do it with all humility, trusting in me, reviling not against revilers. 31 And of tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost. (D&C 19:20-31)

I have always wondered about that instruction, “of tenets thou shalt not talk.” The footnote for it goes to 2 Timothy 2:23, which warns Timothy to avoid foolish and unlearned questions. But that doesn't seem to quite square with my intuitive feeling about the word “tenet” and what it means. To me, tenet means a belief or a principle.

I checked my dictionary on tenet, and it says, “a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true; especially one held in common by members of an organization, group, or profession.” That doesn't sound like a foolish or unlearned question to me. And if so, why then does the scripture advise declaring repentance, faith, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost? Aren't those tenets of our faith?

I actually ran into something from a current general conference talk that clarified the issue. Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his October 2016 talk “Sharing the Restored Gospel” said:

We need to remember that ' people learn when they're ready to learn, not when we're ready to teach them.' What we are interested in, like the important additional doctrinal teachings in the restored Church, usually isn't what others are interested in. Others typically want the results of the doctrine, not the doctrine. As they observe or experience the effects of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, they feel the Spirit and begin to be interested in the doctrine. They may also be interested when they are seeking more happiness, closeness to God, or a better understanding of the purpose of life. Therefore, we must carefully and prayerfully seek discernment on how to inquire about others' interest to learn more.

So it sounds like the scripture was saying that in a very abbreviated way—keep to the gospel basics, the first principles. That way we don't force people to drink from a fire hose what should come sip by sip.

Changes at the Lord’s Coming in a section about Missionary Work?

-->

I was recently reading in D&C 133 and noticed the section heading said that Joseph Smith’s history about this section said, “At this time there were many things which the Elders desired to know relative to preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, and concerning the gathering; and in order to walk by the true light, and be instructed from on high, on the 3rd of November, 1831, I inquired of the Lord and received the following important revelation.”  (emphasis added)

Now here are some verses from that section that caused me to ponder:

19 Wherefore, prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom; go ye, go ye out to meet him.

20 For behold, he shall stand upon the mount of Olivet, and upon the mighty ocean, even the great deep, and upon the islands of the sea, and upon the land of Zion.

21 And he shall utter his voice out of Zion, and he shall speak from Jerusalem, and his voice shall be heard among all people;

22 And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.

23 He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

24 And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.

25 And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh. (D&C 133:19-25)

In these verses we are given a picture of some major geographic changes to occur at the second coming:

--the Lord’s voice breaking down mountains such that valleys disappear

--the Lord’s command sending the oceans into the north such that the islands become one land

--Jerusalem & Zion are turned back to their places

--the land is united as it was before it was divided

These are amazing changes, and it makes us excited as we try to imagine what it would be like.

This time as I was reading I found myself asking some questions.  Why is it so important to the Lord to tell us this, especially in connection with missionary work? How would it help the elders preach the gospel?  Further, why does it matter so much to the Lord that He would want to create these changes? Is there something wrong with mountains that He wants to break them down? Is there something wrong with the oceans where they are that He wants to send them north?  Is there room for all that water up north?  (Think Pacific ocean and Atlantic and South Indian ocean all thrown into the northern hemisphere.) Is there something wrong with how the land is now that He wants to bring the continents together again? 

Or is it possible that He’s trying to teach us something different here?

It may be that this stuff is a parable about the spiritual changes in people when He comes to set things right. Since the whole section was in response to questions about missionary work, what do these changes teach us?

In terms of missionary work, mountains are like proud nations that will not listen. Breaking down the mountains is like humbling them. The Lord can do that.

In terms of missionary work, oceans and land are symbolic opposites.  Land is a firm foundation to build on, but the ocean is not. The ocean is shifty, stormy, and unstable.  So if the Lord commands drive ocean away, then it is creating more of a foundation to build on.

If it says Jerusalem and Zion will be turned back into their own place, then that means repentance. (Why would Jerusalem need to be turned back to its own place otherwise? It is where it is.)  This change sounds like the least cataclysmic of the bunch.  If Jerusalem and Zion are doing their best to follow the Lord anyway, it will be the least revolutionary.

How does this help us with missionary work? I suppose it gives us a model for how we should approach it. If the Lord humbles the nations and creates dry land and a firm foundation where none was before, then we need to teach humility and help build gospel foundations on Christ.

Now, this leads to another question—if the Lord wanted us to understand these principles, then why go to the trouble of using such imagery?  Why not just come out and say that our message will humble the nations and give them something solid to build their lives on where they had only uncertainty before?  

I think the imagery shows us how amazing the great changes will be when the Lord appears and teaches. It will have a great effect. But it can perhaps also give a picture of the potential effect we can have as missionaries because we are taught elsewhere that those who receive the Lord’s servants will receive Him too. So the effect the Lord’s teaching has can be also the effect we have as we teach in His way.

Let’s look at some other amazing imagery from this chapter and see how it relates to missionary work.

26 And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence.

27 And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.

28 Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,

29 And in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land.

30 And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.

31 And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence.

32 And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim. (D&C 133:26-32)

What do we make of this? In v23 we’ve been told the great deep would be driven back into the north countries, and if there are people there, they would be in danger. Or we could try reading it more symbolically. 

It is possible that the north countries are being used to represent a state of cold and darkness, near-apostasy and ignorance.  Interestingly, there are prophets among them who have been keeping quiet. A quiet prophet is not a useful prophet, but an inactive one.

But once these people come in remembrance before the Lord, there is a great change there too. Suddenly the prophets in the north start speaking up. They smite the rocks, which could represent the stumbling blocks getting in the way of faithfulness.  They are suddenly warm with the gospel, such that they melt the ice in those around them, and the ice flows in their presence. (Don’t we all want to be the kind of person who warms up the faith of those around us?)

Then suddenly the obstacles they faced are less of a problem. Suddenly their uncertainty vanishes, and they know the way to go, which the Lord prepares, like a highway built in the midst of the ocean. Suddenly their enemies become a prey; it’s as though people and situations that previously frightened and oppressed them become golden opportunities for growth and prosperity and missionary work! (That’s quite a change!) Evil will no longer have any appeal to these people, and they easily resist temptation.

Where life was barren and deserted of the living waters, suddenly there is a fountain springing up in their souls, of doctrine and peace, and spiritual blessings and revelation.

They will bring rich treasures to the children of Ephraim, suggesting they will have much insight and experience to add to the church and be a great benefit to the Lord’s kingdom.

The boundaries of the hills will tremble at their presence. Those at the margins of the church who are less faithful will fear from the powerful warnings these newly activated members will give of the consequences of forsaking the kingdom. Their development will be inspiring and make others wonder if they could ever measure up.

Seen this way, these verses give us insights on the great benefit that newly reactivated members can be to the church and how to reach them. The prophets must break down the stumbling blocks with strong doctrine and testimony, and warm up those with cold hearts.

I won’t rule out the potential for these verses to be literally fulfilled, but I think reading them symbolically with reference to missionary work makes them much more instructive and helpful for our lives right now.  In that respect, they are a great gift of knowledge.