In this time of Christmas, we are reminded of the important things in life for ourselves and most importantly toward others.
The following video is a message for Christmas, one of the heart and of the Spirit, godly in nature and a life message
If you wish to view this video directly on the YouTube site - http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages#p/c/4A73DDEE675FBC39
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.
A new update to Mormon Messages entitled, Book of Mormon: An Introduction, narrated by Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, spoke about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, stating that this book are the words of ancient prophets of God, spoken by the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation.
Can we believe this?- The answer is Yes, it is believable, as it is also believable that the Bible is the word of God.
The Book of Mormon is as believable as the Bible.
Many outside the Church, even those who disaffected from the Church would deny my statement that the Book of Mormon is as believable as the Bible. Those that doubt or deny will claim that the Bible is clearly the word of God, but not the Book of Mormon, but have they really thought about it?
Many who read and believe the Bible do so by their personal choice. Many have not researched the Bible or read history or seek historic evidence of its existence in past centuries, but they still believe. They have not sought out physical proof that Jesus lived on this earth and died on the cross, yet they simply believed it when they read it. They may believe the words spoken by others, by a local pastor or friend who speaks to them about their local Christian church. For a large number of these people, what it comes down to for them, is they simply believe. An act of mind and heart that is no different for those who simply believe the Book of Mormon.
Some may claim that the Bible is backed up by historic fact, proven that it was written by ancient people, but none of these temporal claims can prove it is the word of God.
Please read that last sentence again, it said that no historic evidence can prove the Bible to be the word of God and no historic evidence can prove the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
For anything to be the word of God must be proven by the Holy Spirit, not by historic evidence.
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.
Within the Bible, Apostle Peter had said in 2 Peter 1:20, that private interpretation does not qualify as scriptural knowledge nor does it provide the mind of the Lord. Peter continued to say that scriptural knowledge and knowing the mind of the Lord is when a man of God is “moved” by the Holy Ghost.
To be moved by the Holy Ghost clearly sets out the state of mind and heart of a person who receives revelation from God. Since the Holy Ghost does not have a physical body as ours and does not exist in this temporal realm, he then “moves” us from the spiritual realm. The Holy Ghost does this by his power more so than he enters into us, because the Holy Ghost has many people to inspire, even at the same time so he cannot be in one person to inspire and also inspire another a far distance away. Hence he “moves” us by his power which he affect many at the same time. This example was proven in the Bible at the Pentecost, where many were moved by the Holy Ghost at the same time.
Having said that, what then is the value of personal opinion? - There can be only one truth, not many truths and personal opinion has unfortunately been falsely believed as truth.
I am sure that many remember this doctrine spoken of by Joseph Smith and that is still reverberating throughout Christiandom today. How this doctrine, that God was once a man, upset so many people and their false doctrines, that no person outside the Church was able to read the Bible properly to see that same doctrine within its bindings.
My other website named “innerlightvision.com” holds the Biblical explanation for this famous doctrine spoken by Joseph Smith. It shows, by the Bible, how God the Father was mortal like us and became exalted and he showed or taught Jesus Christ the same thing. The example of this doctrine was actually given by Jehovah-Jesus Christ who clearly proclaimed that he followed the will and example of the Father in heaven, doing only what the Father had done.
Simple concept and most importantly, Biblical, meaning that the Bible holds that very doctrine for other Christians to read and learn.
Please attend that web page at: http://www.innerlightvision.com/article/God-was-once-a-man.php
To be a Latter-day Saint (a Mormon to the world), requires each member to be a good example. This is unquestionable, in that the example expected of each member is clearly laid out by the gospel, Church and Church leadership. Such is the example that even the contenders against the Church cannot deny its value, but instead they try to diminish it through distractions into things that take the eyes and mind away from the truth of the Latter-day example that signifies and designates the Saints as true Christians. The example, when faithfully given, is supported by the Holy Spirit of God, enhanced, giving power to influence the hearts of others toward the Father in heaven and the Son, Jesus Christ.
Example lost is when members of the Church choose to sin, create contention or issue, or take up a wide and varied path that is not of the faith. These will loose the power of the example and the power of the Spirit that was with them.
The example as a witness and the power from the Holy Ghost is completely lost when those members choose to disaffect from the Church, join other churches or be of no church, who may or may not turn face to fight against this Church, but in all disavow themselves from anything truly spiritual and even deny or reject the workings of the Holy Ghost. Then the example they make in their lives, no matter how good they profess it to be, is only of themselves, bearing a power to others that is no greater than an opinion or personal favour, thus having no influence for God, because they have chosen to reject the one true witness of God, the Holy Ghost.
A true Christian example is a witness and this is spiritual. It cannot be anything else and certainly not of ourselves or our own beliefs. An example is to be a witness to others of the Spirit, power, glory, grace and perfection of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.
An example lost will no longer be a witness for God because this person has forsaken it for one of the world, what the world accepts and decrees. A world who knows not the Spirit of God nor anything truly Holy.
Example lost is a sign to others that these persons are not of Jesus Christ, not of his Church because the example given by them will be good of the world, but not the good of the Spirit and not of Salvation.
A simple concept came to me today, so simple that it can boggle the mind.
The simple concept was as follows. For hundreds of years during the time of the Old Testament (BC), certain men prophesied the coming of Jesus Christ. Many ancient scrolls that prophesied of Christ were confirmed as existing before the birth of Jesus.
Then after Jesus Christ was born and grew into a man, he came and announced himself as the Son of God and Saviour of mankind. He performed miracles and many visions were seen to pinpoint Jesus as the Son of God. After his crucifixion, he rose from the dead and appeared before his followers, proving he was the one crucified and risen.
These events and especially what Jesus had clearly stated of himself is astonishing to say the least. The thought was that how can a man, who proclaimed himself as the Son of God, with all other evidence proving who he was, end up still denied today?
I have heard and read many personal opinions of the man we call Jesus Christ and many discount his divinity and attribute him to a minor complement, that he was a wise and good man and that was all. Just a “good man”, that was it. All the rest Jesus was and still is excluded.
