Mormon Direction

I have heard many claim entrenchment in their beliefs about their church, their faith, their particular religion, claiming it is God’s. By these firm beliefs, they claim to have a testimony. Many people hear their testimony and hear they firmly believe what they claim. People have heard these firm beliefs from one Christian denomination to the next. Then, when approached by missionaries from this LDS Church, they hear another claim of firm belief. In response, they then stand in doubt because they cannot discern which is true.

To filter through these firm beliefs and to discern what is God’s truth and what is merely a personal belief, we must first consider that a “firmness” in belief is an expression found in many facets of life. It is not specific to religion, it exists everywhere. The phrase “I firmly believe” is a common phrase used by people to proclaim their stance with something or in regards to something.

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The words of God always speak truthfully and with clarity. When properly understood and applied, God’s word brings wisdom, understanding and even grace and compassion into our hearts.

For these characteristics of God’s word to live inside us, requires proper faith. It requires a sincere willingness to place aside personal issues to seek truth and to experience what God deems necessary to teach us. Believing is not enough because by belief alone, God’s word does not reside inside us, but belief alone provides the needed catalyst to obtain God’s word spiritually.

Having said this, how does the above quote apply or how is it understood? It applies as follows, “How can you have respect for something when you hold issue against it?”

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How many people advocate there are differences between people, upholding the belief that he or she does things differently, how each learn differently and understands differently. Are these claims speaking of the ways of God or just man?

Jesus Christ clearly said that he and his Father are one. The Book of Mormon and the Bible describes this type of unity as one mind and one heart. The Bible speaks of having one mind together. With all these counsels from God about unity, what then of these differences that people so wantonly declare for themselves or others to create separation between each other?

It is true that each person is different. Even with similarities, there are still differences, but God does not teach differences, God teaches unity. True, we are to respect differences between us, even Jesus Christ was different from the Father as the Holy Ghost is different also. All of these are real persons as you and I, yet these three are “one” according to the word of God.

People’s ideas and beliefs about differences also reins strong in attitudes toward God’s word as the belief that people will “interpret” things differently, believe differently etc. Can this thinking lead anyone to God’s teachings about unity and one mind?

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The LDS Church has been active in practicing and promoting good relations between the itself and other Christian denominations. Is this because they want to parlay a good image? Nay, it is the principle of God to be of good service, kind and respectful to others, but in these last days, where God warned us of dark times to come before his Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ returns, is it of value to expect the practice of good relations to continue?

To a certain extent, yes, we must always do good and right, that is the mainstay, yet what else is to occur? As God promised, it is a division. This is the drawing of a spiritual line between the faithful who shall continue with God and the unfaithful, those who are not with God. This division is the removal of the wheat from the tares, which I believe, has already begun.

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Remember the instruction from the scriptures and from Church leaders to study the gospel. It has also been said that we have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to aid and guide us in our lives, but has anyone come to realize the importance of study to increase our knowledge and understanding?

We have been warned by Church leaders that these days shall become darker all around. This is not a trivial counsel in light of the Biblical prophecies for these latter days. This Church has also instructed us to develop our own connection to the light of God and not to depend on others, because in these latter days, it is the degree of light that is within you that will determine your ability to withstand the darkness before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

How many have experienced challenges by others because you are a Latter-Day Saint? How many have felt flustered, or tongue tied, unable to respond or think of answers to deal with the challenge beset upon you? Is there a reason for this floundering?

Yes, remember what the scripture says,

D&C 11:21

Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.

It easier for you to receive a reminder of the truth from God, than it is to learn it in times of challenges or immediate need.

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To pass through the eye of a needle is a metaphor that has troubled me for sometime, trying to understand the meaning and reference used by Jesus Christ, until one day when I was reading a book entitled, “What the Scriptures Teach us about Prosperity” (by S. Micheal Wilcox). The author wrote the book to relate the scriptural teachings about wealth and prosperity. How the enticements of worldly wealth can cause us to fall from grace and loose faith. His book came to a place where he spoke of Jesus Christ using a metaphor of the camel passing through the eye of a needle to reference the burden of riches and condemning aspects of worldly wealth.

Previously I understood that the camel and needle reference speaks of a great difficulty in reference to wealth, but the actual understanding eluded me, despite all the scripture reading I had done. It was not until the camel-needle reference was matched to my own spiritual experiences that I arrived at an understanding of what Jesus meant. To pass through the eye of the needle refers to the trials and tribulations of spiritual life with Jesus Christ. Jesus told the rich prince to give away his wealth to charity and take up the cross and follow him, that was the trial. As the story goes, the rich prince could not do this and he walked away disappointed and that was the tribulation, the prince could not bring himself to accept and endure this sacriface.

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Some believe that all they need is their personal relationship with God as being sufficient for salvation. This of course, is not true.

A personal relationship is to maintain faith and focus to God, yet a personal relationship with God does not, in itself, establish sanctity and holiness just because a person declares it so. A relationship with God must include God as the partner. The head of the relationship is not you, it is God himself. This means he leads and declares what is required for this relationship to work. Thus, a relationship with God will require the fulfillment of important elements, else this relationship will fail.

Any relationship, even that of a marriage, requires both partners to contribute and do their parts into and for the relationship. This is exactly the same for a relationship with God. Without us doing our part, the relationship with God will fail, it will not be spiritual and cannot be sanctified and accepted.

Look into the Bible about the parable of the ten virgins ( Matthew 25:1–12 ). All of them declared a relationship with God as indicated in verse one where all ten were to meet with the bridegroom. This denotes that each believed they had or have a relationship with the bridegroom who is Jesus Christ. The bridegroom required the virgins to prepare themselves with oil in their lamps so they can prepare to meet him. Five did not fulfill this element or requirement of the relationship and because of this, their belief of having a relationship with the bridegroom failed and were called strangers who were shut out or excluded from the kingdom of the bridegroom.

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It was said by Brigham Young that we should endeavour to find truth where ever it is found. In that prophetic counsel, Brigham Young did not mean to blind discernment and judgement as to whether the information found is actually truth or not. Brigham Young gave that counsel to encourage us to seek truth, not grab anything we like, disregarding any discernment if the information is true and consistent with God’s teachings.

The words from Paul the Apostle should always prevail along side of Brigham Young’s counsel. Paul taught that we must “spiritually discern” matters of a spiritual concern, comparing spiritual with spiritual. Sadly to say that the majority of Christians have grossly twisted and undermined that divine counsel from Paul, misunderstanding the meaning of the word spiritual and “spiritual words” as declared by Jesus Christ in John 6:63. Failing to realize that there is a difference in worldly information versus spiritual information, and differences in spiritual information. If there were no differences, then Satan would have no tools to use to misinform and mislead.

Paul’s counsel was to teach us that we must learn the ability and power of spiritual discernment, a skill which will keep us from falling to false worldly information which affects our ability to exercise faith. Remember the words from Jesus Christ, where he said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21–23), this because they do works of iniquity despite their claim to believe in Christ. The importance to spiritually discern, especially in these last days, is imperative and crucial to our spiritual survival and our first defence against false information.

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In the scriptures, Jesus Christ tells us that we can discern the true actions of others by the results of their actions ( Matthew 7:17 ; Matthew 12:33 ; Luke 6:43 ; Moroni 7:5 ). Why is it then that Jesus Christ also teaches not to judge by outward appearances? ( John 7: 24 ). It seems confusing when matching these scriptures together. Unfortunately, many will fail to understand how to use this power of discernment because of this confusion and instead opt out by labeling it as one of God’s untold mysteries. This would be a grave mistake for those who do that, especially in these last days when we must gain the knowledge, skills and experience to discern between good and evil when faced with false miracles and false teachers and prophets, for there shall be many.

As Jesus taught an evil tree cannot bear good fruit, he speaks about any person who commits an evil act and tries to misrepresent it as something different, is revealed to his true intentions by discerning the true nature of the act. In this case, Jesus says that an evil act carries the nature of evil within it.

The judge not by appearances refers to outward appearances and not the inward nature. For us to be able to make a righteous judgement, we must be able to discern the true nature within the act for that judgement to be just and right. Again in the same context of the act as being evil, judgement does not refer to imposing penalty or railing accusation, it refers to the determination or discern of what is true and making your own choice in regards to yourself and for those under your purview. This basically addresses events and situations within a person’s personal life, the place where each person has authority and power to judge, choose and act freely, which is where the freedom and right to choose between good and evil resides.

To relate this to everyday life, Jesus spoke about the discernment of actions, not only of yourself, but of others, in other that a proper address is made rightly and righteously. In reference to your own life, it is the power to address the true nature of events and achieve a resolution, much needed change or change of direction.

Every action committed carries within it, its true nature. This is seen in circumstances created by the action taken. Let me give an example, one that most people do.

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A dishonest man cannot claim honesty.

I have experienced such people, both in and out of the position of authority outside of the Church, but not in this Church, especially not with any person in the position of Church authority.

It seems that those who are not of God, not working to be his faithful are the ones most prone to this dishonest man syndrome. I have experienced this problem a lot with Anti-Mormons and some Ex-Mormons, because once they break the faith, their hearts and minds become focused on wrong things and wrong beliefs.

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