4/26/2017 - Section 20:1-8

April 26, 2017

Section 20:1-8

Revelation Specific to Our Situation, Revelation Our Reaction, Missionary Behavior,

This section (9 June 1830) on church organization and government, along with section 22, was the first to be formally sustained by the membership of the church and were referred to as ‘Articles and Covenants of the Church”. Joseph Smith wrote, “In this manner did the Lord continue to give us instructions from time to time, concerning the duties which now devolved upon us…”

The Church was officially organized April 6, 1830. In the Apr 1973 Gen Conf, President Harold B Lee said: “April 6, 1973 is a particularly significant date because it commemorates not only the anniversary of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this dispensation, but also the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.”

When the Church was organized Joseph Smith was designated the first elder of the Church. He stated, “I will inform you that it is contrary to the economy of God for any number of the Church, or any one, to receive instructions for those in authority, higher than themselves; therefore you will see the impropriety of giving heed to them; but if any person have a vision or a visitation from a heavenly messenger, it must be for his own benefit and instruction; for the fundamental principles, government, and doctrine of the Church are vested in the keys of the kingdom.” (History of the Church, 1:338)

V6 tells us that after Joseph repented for what he referred to as ‘foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature….no one need suppose me guilty of an great or malignant sins. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been….” And then v 7 describes the effect the information ‘an holy angel’ gave to him: “And gave unto him commandments which inspired him.” And the important thing is that Joseph followed through on those commandments with humility, sincerity, and faith. (v 6)

3/1/2021 – D&C 20:1-30

Joseph Smith wrote about this section:  

“In this manner did the Lord continue to give us instructions from time to time, concerning the duties which now devolved upon us; and among many other things of the kind, we obtained of him the following {D&C 20}, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation; which not only gave us much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day up0on which, according to His will and commandment, we should proceed to organize His Church once more here upon the earth.” (History of the Church 1:64)

And the synopsis of this section defines it as a “revelation on the church organization and government”.  

In v 1 the Lord tells us the exact day on which he wants His church to be established. In the April 1975 Gen Conf, President Spencer W Kimball told us that “Christ was born on the sixth of April. Being one of the sons of God, and His Only Begotten, his birth is of supreme importance.”  

By the time this section was given Joseph, and Oliver had both received the priesthood, and had both been ordained as apostles, and now the church was ready to be organized as the priesthood was in place. Joseph had completed the translation of the Book of Mormon “Which was given by inspiration and is confirmed to others by the ministering of angels, and is declared unto the world by them.”(v 10) It has been at least 10 years since Joseph’s prayer in the sacred grove. He has learned much, and his spiritual ‘skills’ have been honed—as should have happened because the book he translated contained “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also.” (v 9)

The next verses (11-15) speak of the power of the Book of Mormon. I know I have written, as my mother has, the power of the personal revelation that came to her as she read that book seeking to know if it was true. In her humble search, she experienced the ministering of angels, and she never forgot that.

Joseph had certainly never organized a church. But then he had never expected to translate ancient scripture which was meant to help us thousands of years after it was written. V’s 17-21 list the things the Book of Mormon has solidly told us: 1) There is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting (v 17);  2) God is the framer of heaven and earth and all things which are in them  (v 17). 3) God created physical bodies—Adam and Eve, and let us know that we are created in His image. 4) He gave those first two people His commandments that would make their earth life truly productive: ‘That they should love and serve him, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship.” (v19) 5)  Then in v 20 He warns us of the consequences is we disobey those commandments. 6) One of Christ’s reasons for coming to this earth was to be our teacher and our exemplar. “He suffered temptations (as we would too) but gave no heed unto them.” (v 22) AND he gave us the atonement which is an amazing gift and ‘hand-up’ that is ever available to us. We can believe in Christ. We can believe in the words of the Lord’s prophets. And then there is also the Holy Ghost is also available always available for us to reach out to—we just have to learn initiate that partnership, and to listen and to go forward with patience and hope.  

V 25 gives us our promise, and hence our ‘game plan’: “as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name and endure in faith to the end, should be saved” (v 25) And it didn’t matter if we had or hadn’t seen or heard Christ in person, for the Lord explained that if we believed.