6/2/2017 - Section 35:8-25

June 2, 2017 

Section 35:8-27

Lord’s Strength, Seek, Knock, Ask,  If-Then Scriptures, Weaknesses Bring Growth, Leaders Pray For Them, Scriptures Follow Them, Scripture Study Always, Obedience Rewards Of, Christ Love and Tenderness,

In v 8 Christ is fortifying those who believe in Him by again revealing not just His power, but also His “action plan”. “For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, unto all those who believe on my name.” The phrase ‘mine arm is not shortened’ suggests (according to Notes and Commentary D&C 1:14) that His power is not limited in any way and that He will use His arm and make it felt, especially in these last days. (see also D&C 133:3)

V 11 reinforces the fact that the scriptures continually prompt us to seek, to knock, and to ask with a sincere desire to really know. The scriptures also say that if we do this with faith (and He includes the father who said: ‘Yea Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief’) and patience, we WILL be taught. Then this verse gives the opposite side—the things that will happen IF we don’t follow the path that leads back to Him: “But without faith shall not anything be shown forth except desolations…” The scriptures often speak to us in If…then…language. This is an example of that. We are shown what either of our choices will take us to in our journey.

V’s 17 & 18 shows if the If…then…for Joseph Smith: “And I have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him; (our weaknesses often force us to relay on the Lord, thus we internalize the paths He has given us in the scriptures) And I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world, and the things which shall come from this time until the time of my coming, if he abide in me, and if not, another will I plant in his stead.) Then v 19 is to us: Wherefore, watch over him that his faith fail not, and it shall be given by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, that knoweth all things.” (That prompts me to keep the leaders of the church (ward, stake, and the general authorities) in my prayers that we all may have our faith strengthened.)

V 21 is a promise to all those who search His scriptures and try to follow His commands: “For they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming; for they shall be purified, even as I am pure.” What a beautiful promise in return for our study and our efforts to incorporate the things we learn and understand into our daily lives!

His encouragement, and promises, continue in v 24: “Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish.” This makes me think of that quote…I don’t know who said it… “Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says: “Oh no!  She’s awake!”

And then the Lord ends this section with such love and tenderness: 26 & 27: “Lift up your hearts and be glad, your redemption draweth nigh.   Fear not, little flock…” I feel His tenderness and love deep within my heart, and I am so thankful for that feeling…no, that knowledge.

4/10/2021 – D&C 35

Heavenly Father is certainly leading this six month old Church step by step. This section is directed to Sidney Rigdon, a Baptist preacher who kept searching for something more.

I found information that explains Sidney’s journey so well: “Sidney Rigdon had been ordained a Baptist minister in 1821. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Reformed Baptist movement of Alexander Campbell. Those who followed Campbell were eventually called Disciples of Christ or Campbellites, and they earnestly looked for a restoration of New Testament Christianity. Sidney Rigdon gained a reputation as an influential Reformed Baptist preacher in Mentor, Ohio, and in surrounding communities, including Kirtland. Sidney’s commitment to a restoration of New Testament Christianity prepared him and his followers to listen intently to the message brought by the missionaries from New York. When Sidney Rigdon received a copy of the Book of Mormon from the missionaries, he began an intense study of it. His son later remarked that Sidney became so engaged in reading the Book of Mormon that “he could hardly lay it aside long enough to eat his meals. He continued to read it night and day until he had read it through and then he thought about and pondered over it” (John W. Rigdon, “Lecture on the Early History of the Mormon Church” [1906], 18, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; capitalization and punctuation standardized). Once he was convinced of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, Sidney said to his wife, Phebe, “‘My Dear you have followed me once into poverty, are you again willing to do the same[?]’” She responded, “I have weighed the matter, I have contemplated on the circumstances in which we may be placed, I have counted the cost, and I am perfectly satisfied to follow you. Yea, it is my desire to do the will of God, come life or come death” (in The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 1: July 1828–June 1831, 213, note 91).” And this also gives us a glimpse into his wife and their good marriage.

The Rigdon’s had truly understood just what their decision to join the Church would mean to their lives: “Furious with Sidney and Phebe’s conversion to the newly restored Church, many members of Sidney’s former congregation of Reformed Baptists who were not among those who accepted the missionaries’ message refused to let the Rigdon’s move into the new house they had built for them and wanted nothing more to do with them. Having lost their source of income, home, and many of their friends and associates, Sidney and Phebe moved their family to Kirtland to live with other recently baptized members of the Church.” (Come Follow Me Study Guide)

V's 2 & 4 give us the starting line when we are searching for the Lord, saying that belief in Christ is the first and most important step. Then the Lord turns his words directly to Sidney: “…I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard they prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work.” (v 3) The Lord knows each one of us and closely watches over all of us. When we come to Him, he already knows us. And there are times when he works in our lives to prepare us—in strength and in knowledge and in desire-- for what is to come. And those things that the Lord leads us to are the very things that will build us, and hopefully others.

In v 5 he speaks of the good efforts of Sidney, and then explains where and how his work can become even more productive: “Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost” In v 9 & 10 the Lord tells him the power that He can give to his servants as they become closer to Him. And he follows up in v 11 with an important note to us all: “But without faith shall not anything be shown forth…” We have to be ready to receive the gospel. If we don’t have faith, then we should take other smaller, but important, steps—and that is to have hope and desire—for those are the stepping stones to deep faith.

The Lord then tells Sidney that Joseph is the man: “And I have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him; And I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world, and the things which shall come from this time until the time of my coming, if he abide in me, and if not, another will I plant in his stead.” (v’s 17-18).  This reminds me that my weaknesses often push me forward to better rely on the Lord.  The leaders of the Church will also have weakness for they are simply people. Hopefully working to overcome their weakness will help them, with the Lord’s help, to rise up and to grow the way the Lord would have them grow. V19 explains that we are to pray for our leaders that they may continue to strengthen their faith and their works. And I think it’s important for me to ask for those that very same guidance and blessings in the time I live in. 

The Lord knows the hardships that they will all go through. I love things He says as he ends this revelation: “Keep all the commandments and covenants…and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good”; “lift up your hearts and be glad”; “Fear not little flock”

In my studies today, I found several quotes that I do not want to forget:

Elder Henry B Eyring: “Your life is carefully watched over, as was mine. The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give. You will not recognize those opportunities perfectly, as I did not. But when you put the spiritual things first in your life, you will be blessed to feel directed toward certain learning, and you will be motivated to work harder. You will recognize later that your power to serve was increased, and you will be grateful” (“Education for Real Life” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 18–19).

The Lord taught Sidney Rigdon that “miracles, signs, and wonders” are given in response to faith (D&C 35:8; compare D&C 63:7–12). It is important to remember that miracles and wonders “should not be regarded as deviations from the ordinary course of nature so much as manifestations of divine or spiritual power. Some lower law was in each case superseded by the action of a higher” (Bible Dictionary, “Miracles”). Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described two types of “genuine miracles”: “First, miracles worked by the power of the priesthood are always present in the true Church of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon teaches that ‘God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles’ (Mosiah 8:18). The ‘means’ provided is priesthood power (see James 5:14–15; D&C 42:43–48), and that power works miracles through faith (see Ether 12:12; Moro. 7:37). … “A second type of genuine miracle is the miracle worked through the power of faith, without specifically invoking the power of the priesthood. Many of these miracles occur in our Church, such as by the prayers of faithful women, and many occur outside it. As Nephi taught, God ‘manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith’ (2 Ne. 26:13; see also 1 Ne. 7:12; James 5:15)” (“Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001, 8–9). Elder Oaks further explained why some miracles may not happen even when our faith is sufficient: “I have been speaking of miracles that happen. What about miracles that don’t happen? Most of us have offered prayers that were not CHAPTER 14 198 answered with the miracle we requested at the time we desired. Miracles are not available for the asking. … The will of the Lord is always paramount. The priesthood of the Lord cannot be used to work a miracle contrary to the will of the Lord. We must also remember that even when a miracle is to occur, it will not occur on our desired schedule. The revelations teach that miraculous experiences occur ‘in his own time, and in his own way’ (D&C 88:68)” (“Miracles,” 9).