I was blessed to witness three baptisms last week. Although he lives 120 miles from me, it was good to be there with a friend for his baptism. The ordinance was performed by the same man who came from Utah to baptize me. Our community is small and scattered here in California. In fact, for the most part, our communities consist of our own families, or simply a few individuals.
Baptisms are evidence of faith. They demonstrate to the Lord we believe the message delivered by His messenger. The message is the doctrine of Christ without any added requirements. If we have faith in Christ we will be baptized. The requirement for baptism is to repent, to change, to turn to Christ. There is no requirement to believe in any prophet, only that we believe in Christ.
Beware of False Messengers
I suppose an argument can be made that baptism is evidence we believe the messenger, but it is not a requirement for baptism. Only Christ can redeem our souls from hell. Only Christ can give us new life. Only He can forgive sins, create in us a new heart and take away our sorrows. I am grateful for the messenger, but a true messenger will always point us to Christ for our direction.
We are disciples of Jesus Christ. It is He that directs our lives, tells us what to do, teaches us how to bless and serve our fellow beings. Nobody should come between us and our relationship with the Savior – no man, no messenger, no prophet. Any man who insists you defer to him for any kind of direction is not a true messenger. The Holy Ghost is a true messenger. He leads to Christ.
An Offering ONLY for the Savior
When we preach the gospel, we should preach of Christ. We should help people understand how faith in Christ requires daily effort. He commanded us to remember Him always. We do this in part by participating in the sacrament on a regular basis. The sacrament is action on our part that demonstrates to the Lord we do remember him that we may always have His spirit to be with us.
Those two actions – baptism and the sacrament – witness to the Lord our willingness to take His name upon us and keep His commandments. One of His commandments is to pray often. Prayer brings the guidance and direction we need in our lives. It demonstrates submissiveness and our humility before Christ. We offer to Him, and to nobody else, a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
No Church Controls The Holy Ghost
There is no organization that controls the Holy Ghost. There is no organization that controls priesthood. Priesthood is not dependent upon membership in any church. It is independent of Israel, independent of the LDS Church and independent of any man. It is without father or mother. It has always existed and always will. It comes not by the will of man but of God.
The Holy Ghost can and does speak to everyone. Period. Baptists, Lutherans, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jewish, everyone. It doesn’t matter what faith tradition you may claim. The Holy Ghost can and will speak to you. His mission is to testify of truth, no matter the source. No one group or religion can claim to control the Holy Ghost. That is a false and damning concept.
Social Chaos In The Last Days
In a recent post I tried to make it clear Joseph Smith was no fallen prophet. I am convinced he fulfilled his mission under difficult and trying circumstances. He repented when he sinned, was chastised by the Lord for mistakes in judgement and taught what the Lord asked Him to teach. He brought forth the Book of Mormon but was unable to fulfil his desire to bring again Zion.
Just before the Lord appeared to the Nephites, society broke down into tribes consisting of family and friends. Immediately before the Lord’s return we should expect something similar. Don’t be surprised by the coming social chaos. The only safety in the last days will be to flee to Zion. But Zion will not be brought forth by an institution. It will be formed by small groups.
Preserving The Restoration
“It is not God’s purpose to abandon the Restoration. It is His purpose to preserve the Restoration, which at this moment is in terrible jeopardy. The Restoration must be rescued and preserved. If you cannot detect the terrible changes it has undergone and is now undergoing, then you are blind indeed. Shall God forget the work He began through Joseph?
“Shall this now universally downward course be permitted without His hand being bared again? Or should a kind and merciful God take steps to give us a chance to preserve it with His assistance, if we choose to act? There are many willing to act. We only need some indication from God of how to do so. Thankfully, the pattern was given to us through Joseph Smith.
This Action Is Required Of You
“Baptism has always been required from the days of Adam until the present. Baptism is always the sign of acceptance of what God is doing in each generation. From the days of Adam, it will continue through the end of the millennium. Whenever there has been believing people upon the earth, they have always been invited to perform the ordinance of baptism as a sign of their faith.
“Authority was restored as part of the ministry of Joseph Smith and should be remembered. In fact, everything accomplished by the Lord through Joseph should be remembered, preserved and respected. We should not abandon or neglect anything that has been given or commanded by heaven. We should not be forgetful. It is a sign of ingratitude when we forget and neglect.
A Community Of Believers
“No corporate church organization, or man claiming authority should hijack your obedience to God. You are accountable to Him. You are accountable only to Him… When Joseph wanted to know his state and standing before God, he asked God. It is to God alone that you must answer and it is to God you must be grateful. Only before Him must you be humble.
“…true religion, when it is present on earth, always exists as a community of believers. Community is required … to be willing to mourn with those that mourn … to comfort those that stand in need of comfort… and …to stand as a witness to one another of God at all times and in all places. With community, we can …bear one another’s burdens that they may be light…”
Receive The Holy Ghost
The last six paragraphs were edited excerpts from the Phoenix talk. I shared them to demonstrate the need to be baptized anew if we desire to participate in the bringing forth of Zion. Believe in Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost and become as a little child. The Holy Ghost will be given, according to the doctrine of Christ, to any who repent and are baptized in faith.
The authority to baptize was restored through Joseph. He received it by the laying on of hands from John the Baptist. This authority can and was passed down from man to man. I received this authority from my father. Thus, if sustained by a fellowship, I can baptize and administer the ordinance of the sacrament for others. I can also administer the sacrament in my own family.
Administering Ordinances
I administered the sacrament the other day to our little gathering after the baptisms. I felt it was appropriate to do so because of the unique arrangements of our fellowship. We seem to know each other fairly well through our online interactions. As I’ve noted before, I am not worthy to perform baptisms without the sustaining vote of my wife. Those are the Lord’s words, not mine.
As yet, I have not participated in a conference. Some of our group here in Southern California proposed one, but we were unable to gather seven women to authorize any additional brethren. I, along with most everybody on the Internet have been invited to a conference to take place next month in Colorado. Carol and I decided not to attend due to distance. I know many others are.
Grateful For My Local Community
I continue to attend the local ward sacrament meeting each week. I am grateful the Bishop and Stake President allow me to attend. Since I no longer believe many of the things taught in the correlated curriculum I decline to attend Sunday school and Priesthood meeting each week. I have been graciously invited several times by instructors and other members, still my friends.
For the most part I enjoy hearing the talks, singing the hymns and partaking the sacrament. I’ve wondered about the sacrament – I believe those administering it have authority, but I choose to believe the sacrament should be administered with wine, which I do in my home. The wine symbolizes the blood of Christ and the bitter sacrifice. I know this: when He comes again, He will use wine.
Preach Nothing But Repentance
I’ll close with something I’ve shared before but feel to share again. This also comes from the Phoenix lecture. These are the words that rang through my mind all the way home. It was as I was crossing the California border I probably made my mind up I would be baptized, and that I would require to have my name removed from the records of the LDS Church before doing so.
Denver quoted 3 Ne 11:22-28 – The Lord’s instructions to the Nephites on baptism, delivered as some of the first doctrine after He appeared unto them. Denver then said, “I am telling you in the name of the Lord that commandment is renewed again my Him today, to you.” That statement sank deep into my heart. The spirit bore witness that what Denver had taught was from the Lord.
Conferences Directed by the Lord
Immediately following this post, I am going to post an article, a series of questions really, from my friend Lynne. It has to do with the Remnant Family Retreat taking place next month near the Grand Mesa. I have prayed about posting the article. As you will see, the questions are rather direct. Lynne knows more about some of these things than I do. But I have prayed to know God’s will.
The natural man in me hesitated to post them. I don’t believe there is a spirit of accusation in the questions, but they are hard questions to answer. I count Bret as my friend, as I do Lynne. This blog has a wide readership, developed over the years. I have let others use it as a platform to discuss doctrines about which I don’t necessarily agree. With some guest posts, I heartily agree. God wanted this posted.
When Moroni said that he had seen our day and that we had “polluted the holy church of God” he was not talking about the Mormon church. He was talking about the group of believers that had repented and had come unto Christ. They had the Book of Mormon, they had the truth and they believed in God and his gospel. The holy church of God was polluted when a church was organized and recognized by the state and the powers of the world. Does God’s church need to be governed by man’s laws? No. Do we need a building to worship in or hierarchies to control or compel man? No.
Mormon 8:38
38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?
In your post you say that there has always been priesthood, and the holy Ghost has always guided men. This is the truth. The holy priesthood has never been taken from the earth. So if you believe this, why would there need to be a “restoration” of God’s church? Hasn’t repenting and coming unto Christ always been available to all men?
Doesn’t Moroni remind us that through faith all the gifts of God are available, even if just one man on the earth believes?
Moroni 7:36
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
If you’ve taken the time to search into the Book of Commandments and the changes that were made and/or added to the Doctrine and Covenants you will find there is no account of John the Baptist or Peter, James and John coming to Joseph and were later added to the Doctrine and Covenants.
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changingtherevelations.htm
If these extraordinary events occured why did Joseph not mention them when they happened? Why were they added 5 years later to the Doctrine and Covenants?
As you stated in your post, priesthood comes from God and cannot be given from one man to another. If such is the case why would Joseph set up a church approved by the laws of the state, and then claim to have priesthood that could given from one man to another when both practices are against the words of the holy scriptures?
When Moroni visited Joseph Smith he said his name would be had for good and evil among all nations. I know that his name is had for good with the Book of Mormon because he was given a gift from God to translate it, but it’s time to seriously consider what Moroni meant when he said ALL nations would consider him evil as well.
JSH 1
33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
Is it not evil to pervert the right way of God? Did not Christ say that adding anything more to his doctrine was evil?
3 Nephi 11:40
40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.
Prieshood being given by the will of one man to another, polygamy and masonic rituals among many other things have been added to the doctrines of Christ. Is not such perverting the right way of God?
Tim,
I love your motivation to spread truth and light. I struggle with your fixation on the church though. You can gain knowledge without looking at the church. You can see truth without always bringing it back to your relationship with the church. I know that you have a great calling to shake things up, but you can do that just as well if not better if you will stop looking back at the church and only look forward to truth. All truth comes when we are clean enough of emotion and fear so that the Spirit teaches us and it can do it often. This takes a lot of repentance of the judgments we hold. You may think that you have forgiven the church and all those associated with it, but it you had your blog would be quite different. You would stop taking so much about the church and talk about God and accessing Him and accessing a deeper relationship with Him. I hear your voice in your blog and it is quit clean of anger, but there is still judgment and fear there. Those two must also be cleaned up if you want to increase in light and knowledge.
We are all emotionally, spiritually, and even physically divided in our life here on earth and that is just part of being human. It isn’t a bad thing, it is just a thing we have to deal with. The best and fastest way to deal with it is through repentance because repentance brings grace and light. When was the last time that YOU posted on something where you didn’t bring up the church? Why do you feel the need to even talk about it anymore? You can talk about God, light, knowledge, spirit, truth, true principles etc without even referencing the church. The point of this life is to become “one” in ourselves and then with God and then with the community of Christ. To do this takes a ton of repentance and returning to the truth of what we want and how to fill ourselves with it. Zion will be founded on love, not judgment. The church is the church and those who see outside of the box of what the church has to offer will increase and those who don’t won’t. Love will allow more people to see than pointing out the churches weaknesses or the people who lead the churches weaknesses. You have that ability because you have such a power of love within you. You can bypass the judgment if you will love and stop eating from the tree of knowledge and start to partake of the tree of life.
We shouldn’t care if someone is a member or not, it doesn’t matters one whit to God as to what our religious affiliation is, but only if we were obedient to what He instructed the individual to do. We must be clean and hold light and repent of our incorrect beliefs, ideas and judgments of ourselves and others. That is what brings God into our lives and selves. The rest, is as per direction from Him. If you are directed to be baptized a member of a certain church then that is instruction from God that you better follow. If you are directed to stay apart then you better follow Him. For He is the Light and Life of all things – especially us! When we can stop judging each other for our affiliations then we can start to see Zion. But not until then.
I follow your blog and have seen you have the Spirit teach you deep truths that aren’t associated with or correlated to the church. If you will let go of all fear and anxiety of judgment with the church and those who belong to it you will receive more light. Good luck! There is a pattern to gaining light and truth. Have you found it? can you repeat it at will? What does it look like? If you have, teach that, or teach another principle of truth that you find. I believe you have a GREAT power of love in you that others do not hold. Use it and let go of the church soap box.
7 Elevations of Wholeness,
I’ve been pondering your comments for the last day or so. I have felt the Spirit teaching me through some of the ideas you shared. I’m wondering, what do you mean by the following statement:
“You can bypass the judgment if you will love and stop eating from the tree of knowledge and start to partake of the tree of life.”
Does the Lord not invite us to receive greater truth and light, greater knowledge, a greater portion of His glory? Is it possible to partake of both the tree of knowledge and the tree of life?
Excellent question!!! Go to 2 Nephi 2:15 where it says “And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.” as you can see from this scripture the tree of life is opposite the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We often think that we are to discern “good from evil” but that isn’t true, We are to come to Christ and give Him our whole heart, might, mind and strength. We are not to decide and figure things out on our own but we are to be like Christ who did nothing of His own will but always did what the Father asked of Him and always judged (chose) according to what the Father told Him. We have misunderstood that it’s about gaining knowledge and getting discernment when really it’s only about discerning between the voice of God and the voice of Satan. Satan wants us to know and trust and think on our own. God wants us to come to Him and recognize that we can’t know truth on our own because it includes the past, present and future (D&C 93:24-25) Do you really think you can know truth on your own? All judgment is to be taken to the Righteous Judge – God the Father and He is to show us all things that we are to do.
Of course this isn’t done in a moment and it takes us getting clean through a lot of repentance of what we ‘think’ mostly. Because what we think is the great sin, not what we DO. Go research “thoughts” in the book of Mormon and let me know what you find out about the sin of thought. Especially look at Jacob 2 and what He was so upset about with the people at the time he levied his chastisement against them – about multiple wives. He was upset with them concerning their thoughts, not their actions! We think according to the flesh, according to the things of this world and the ‘god of this world’ – even Satan and his teachings. We must get on a higher plane and rid ourselves of all the things satan has administered to us through the precepts of men mingled with scripture, which is most of what we know, and we must learn to get all we know from God. If we do that then it is pure knowledge because it is HIS and not ours or Satan’s.
The tree of knowledge has inherent in it the administration of Satan. Remember Eve partook of the fruit from him? If we get knowledge from GOD then it is clean and pure and will increase as we allow God to give us more and more. It will come as we are clean of our own perceptions and erroneous thinking and feelings that are based on false thinking. For Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and we must get out of thinking it’s our job to get knowledge on our own. That is what caused the fall in the first place. Both Eve and Adam thought they had to know what to do on their own. We confuse the fact that it was a good thing that they fell with how to get back to the tree of life and God. We can’t do the same thing that caused the fall and think that its’ going to remedy the problem of us being out of contact with the tree of life – Gods love! We must stop partaking of the tree of Knowledge in order to partake of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is Gods LOVE!!! His love is overarching in all things and encompasses all things. He provides for us in all things when we are in His love fully. Of course it takes time to get there, but it is the goal! If we want to increase we must change the way we’re going about it! Getting clean through repentance is KEY!!! It’s the greatest key!
I have a blog, if you want to know more or if you’re interested in participating in the classes that teach these things in depth. 7elevations.com
Good luck in your pursuit of the Divine! He is so excited to reconnect with us FULLY, and hoping we’ll figure out why we’re not able to do that as fast as we would like. It all goes back to those two trees!
Karen Prier
Interesting answer but arent we told in d&c, i think, to be agents unto ourselves? What am i not understanding?
You may not be misunderstanding anything.
Tim,
It has come to me very strongly in the past week that nothing really matters except our relationship with the Savior and our fellow man and a corollary to that is that we should love the truth and cling to it with all our heart. I love the things Log has been teaching of late, particularly his emphasis on LIVING the Golden Rule. Of signif. note is that the Golden Rule is the summary statement of the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon at Bountiful. I have taken very careful note of the fact that in the Book of Mormon, the Savior went to considerable effort to declare, repeatedly, the Doctrine of Christ…just before He began His Sermon at Bountiful.
Is there a connection between the Doctrine of Christ and the Golden Rule?
In Nephi’s great sermon on the Doctrine of Christ, he admonished us to “feast upon the words of Christ”.. Are there any more powerful “words of Christ” in all the scriptures than the Sermon at Bountiful and the Sermon on the Mount?
What, exactly, do we believe walking in the “strait and narrow path” consists of?
Is the “strait and narrow path” just a nebulous concept wh. may include being a nice guy and “making nice” in our daily walk, or is it something more? Does our love of truth and our determination to live it in every way open to us have something to do with that “strait and narrow path”?
How important is it for us to LOVE the truth? How important is it for us to acknowledge the truth even when it comes from an unlikely source? How important is it for us to raise our hand or our voice in support of truth? How important is it for us to carefully consider and take heed when a man declares new truths and openly declares that the Lord Jesus Christ has sent him on an errand to deliver or restore truth? Why is it that “many are called, but few are chosen”?
Thank you brother Tim for all you do to spread the truth.
James Russell Uhl
Tim, thank you for your post. I felt it had some power.