7/9/2018 -Section 102:1-34

July 9, 2018

Section 102:1-34

Judging Other, Holy Ghost, Revelation Continual, Callings, Influence Our,

This section speaks of the first high council of the church which was organized “for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church or the bishop’s council to the satisfaction of the parties.” In the History of the Church, Joseph Smith’s instructions to the men who served on the high council was “No man is capable of judging a matter, in council, unless his own heart is pure, and…we are frequently so filled with prejudice, or have a beam in our own eye, that we are not capable of passing right decisions….Our acts are recorded, and at a future day they will be laid before us, and if we should fail to judge right and injure our fellow-beings, they may be there, perhaps, condemn us; thee they are of great consequence, and to me the consequence appears to be of force, beyond anything which I am able to express. Ask yourselves, brethren, how much you have exercised yourselves in prayer since you heard of this council; and if you are now prepared to sit in council upon the soul of your brother.” It seems to me that this counsel could be given to all of us. For don’t I see people at church, or hear them express their ideas, and don’t I judge them at that time? This is just one more reason to continue my quest for the gift of charity, and the ability to see those I come into contact, not with my instant judgments and prejudices, but as the Lord sees them---because he truly knows and he truly loves them.

V 23, to me, is simply another example of continual revelation and of the power and importance of the Holy Ghost in our personal lives and our public doings: “In the case of difficulty respecting doctrine or principle, if there is not a sufficiency written to make the case clear to the minds of the council, the president may inquire and obtain the mind of the Lord by revelation.”

And finally, one last quote—this one from an article in the Improvement Era from Feb 1954 that spoke of Melchizedik Priesthood: Responsibilities of High Councilors—but I believe that this also has application to everyone who is called to a position within the church: “High councilors play a vital role in the administration of the stake. Figuratively speaking, they constitute the right arm of the stake presidency. The degree to which they are faithful, efficient, and willing to work determines their value to the stake presidency and goes far in determining the progress made by the stake and ward organizations in which they have been called to serve.”  The way I do my job, effects not just me, not just those with whom, or for whom I work, but it affects the entirety of the ward, or stake or church.

9/13/2021 – D&C 102

In this section we are able to see the minutes of the first high council of the Church. The Lord is slowly helping the saints to the organization that He wants in His Church. The synopsis of this section was quite helpful to me: “1-8, A high council is appointed to settle important difficulties that arise in the Church; 9-18, Procedures are given for hearing cases; 19-23, The president of the council renders the decision; 24-34, Appellate procedure is set forth.”

M. Russell Ballard has taught: “Members sometimes ask why Church membership councils are held. The purpose is threefold: to save the soul of the transgressor, to protect the innocent, and to safeguard the Church’s purity, integrity, and good name.”

V 2 gives a good, concise description of a high council: “The high council was appointed by revelation for the purpose of settling important difficulties which might arise in the church, which could not be settled by the church or the bishop’s council to the satisfaction of the parties.” And v 4 tells us that this council works “according to the law of heaven”. To me, this section seems to be the Lord’s “Robert’s Rules of Order”. 

V 23-24 stood out to me. They speak of how to handle a particular problem where there is not information available. The Lord’s instructions in that case, follow the same principles He gives to us as we work to resolve our personal dilemmas: “In the case of difficulty respecting doctrine or principle, if there is not a sufficiency written to make the case clear to the minds of the council, the president may inquire and obtain the mind of the Lord by revelation.” I have had very few times when I simply have not been able to decide how to move ahead. The most beautiful ending to one of my struggles as to which direction I should go involved whether or not Bob and I should have a sixth child in our family. I certainly prayed about it, but did not feel specific guidance. I read the scriptures, and I read books that had been written by the apostles, but I found no answers for my particular dilemma. After months of struggle and prayer, I waited for a Fast Sunday. I began my day with a pleading prayer. I prayed with no words in the middle of our church meetings. As soon as I brought the kids home (Bob was bishop and needed to stay at church), I got lunch for the kids, and then I took them up to their bedrooms. I put Todd down in his crib, and Jody and Sarah down for naps. Then I took Dylan and Cal into their room. I told them all that I needed to have a long talk with Heavenly Father. They could sleep, or read, or do any very quiet activity. But I didn’t want anyone to come out of their rooms until I opened their doors and invited them to come out. I impressed the importance of their following my instructions exactly. I then went into my bedroom. I put my journal and my scriptures on my bed, I had a paper I had made with two columns on it with all the pros and all cons of having another child, and then I knelt beside my bed. I prayed to Heavenly Father, telling Him of all my efforts to resolve this question. I told Him that I didn’t want to fall into something like the ‘Peter Principle’ where someone is advanced to a position that is just beyond his abilities. I told Him that I didn’t want to have a 6th child, if that would cause me to neglect my other children or harm them in any way. I told Him of my struggles with this and pleaded for Him to help me find the right answer for OUR family. And then things changed. I found myself looking at the pros and cons I had painstakingly put together, and being a little amused at the things I had been so worried about. These deep worries that I had written down suddenly looked like kindergarten work---and I felt a sweet humor that I had been so worried about things that really didn’t matter at all. Then I asked my question point blank: Show we have another baby? Is there a cattle shoot in Heaven where all are children are waiting to come down?—because the last thing I wanted to do was to close that shoot and leave one of OUR children waiting but never able to get out of the cattle shoot. And suddenly I simply knew the Lord had no cattle shoots in the heaven, and that I could choose to go either way. I had my answer! I joyfully thanked the Lord! I had my answer! I had learned so much during my prayer, so much that amazed me and delighted me—how do I describe it?  It was about things are in the heavens. I expressed my deep thanks, I ended my prayer, I immediately reached for my journal and my pen so I could write all that I had learned. But in an instant, all those things I had learned were gone from my mind. I could remember nothing, except that it would be just fine for us to have another child, and it would be just fine for us to continue on with our five wonderful children. And then I went over and sat on the window seat in our bedroom to try to determine which way I should go, now that I had sure information. And then I thought: “what could be more important than bringing a child to earth and raising another kind and productive citizen of Heavenly Father’s kingdom. I felt then, and I feel now, that for that moment in time the Lord had lifted the veil from my mind, for I had learned and understood amazing things. The Lord had tutored me in such a loving, kind, and tender way. That was an amazing, and so appreciated, gift, but it was time for me to get back to my mission for this world that I lived in. I truly felt my Heavenly Father’s sweet love for me. That is a gift I have never forgotten, and I pray that I will never forget it.