Not Ashamed

Prepare Ye, Prepare Ye

“Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth, for the judgment of our God is come: behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. ” – Section 85:25d

Latter-day revelation is replete with instruction to the church to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior. The very first section, given in November 1831 with instruction to place it as the preface of our Doctrine and Covenants, says that “the Lord is nigh; and the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth; and the arm of the Lord shall be revealed;” But the Lord provided to his saints the means by which safety and refuge would be provided from this coming calamity by speaking unto Joseph Smith Jr. and providing revelations in their time and commandments not a few to be proclaimed unto the world. These revelations and commandments not only warn but also teach the need for a Savior and the establishment of an earthly kingdom – a place of safety and refuge — as a place prepared for the kingdom of heaven to come.

We are recipients of these revelations and commandments but are we really prepared for the coming of the Lord? We have fallen short in preparing a place. What about our personal lives? What must we be about to prepare a place and ourselves? A strong indication I believe lies in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. So important is the instruction contained in this parable that it is specifically mentioned with the Lords own commentary on it in Section 45: “And at that day when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins; for they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived, verily I say unto you, They shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day, and the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; …“

Taking the Holy Spirit as our guide is the key understanding of this parable and critical to our “preparedness.” Our baptisms of water and spirit we know are essential because they place us on the straight and narrow path but unless the Holy Spirit is our guide, we can wander from that path. Contained within the commandments and revelations given to Joseph are “helps and governments” placed within the framework of his church to keep is in the narrow way – to keep us in tune with the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Chief among these helps and governments are the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, study and worship. Each of these can be both personal as well as corporate and we are commanded to participate in them all. Especially important, I believe, are the corporate expressions and yet still too many find the gatherings of the saints either for fellowship or worship far too low on their list of life’s priorities. This makes the body of Christ weak and unprepared for his coming.

One of my favorite Southern Gospel songs is entitled “Every Time the Doors Were Open I Was There.” It begins with the singers recollection of all the various gatherings of the church once attended – every time the doors were open they were there — Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Tuesday evening visitation, Wednesday prayer service, all fellowships bound by love with the statement that church was just part of who the singer was. Then, in a wonderful twist, the song switches to the voice of our Savior who says “every time the doors were open I was there” and then the voice of the Savior puts it in the future tense by saying “every time the doors are open I’ll be there.” It warms my heart every time I hear this song because it has been my life’s experience. I find the presence of God in every assembly of the saints and there is no greater blessing than to be in His presence.

Yes, there are calamities coming, the anger of the Lord is kindled, his sword is bathed in heaven and judgments will be poured out and we still must better prepare for his coming. I would therefore strongly encourage all to invest themselves heavily into the corporate life of the church, certainly in our fellowship opportunities but most especially in every opportunity we have to worship. Make church just a part of who you are. Every time the doors are open … be there … because “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them; even so am I in the midst of you.” (Sec 6:15b) Our work of preparation is best done together as a fellowship bound by love.

Yes, there are calamities coming, the anger of the Lord is kindled, his sword is bathed in heaven and judgments will be poured out and we still must better prepare for his coming. I would therefore strongly encourage all to invest themselves heavily into the corporate life of the church, certainly in our fellowship opportunities but most especially in every opportunity we have to worship. Make church just a part of who you are. Every time the doors are open … be there … because “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them; even so am I in the midst of you.” (Sec 6:15b) Our work of preparation is best done together as a fellowship bound by love.

Hope against Hope

“And it came to pass that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness. … Therefore ye are justified of faith and works, through grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to them only who are of the law, but to them also who are of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, … Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken,”
– Genesis 15:12, Romans 4:16,18

Paul tells us that Abraham believed God. (Romans 4:3) His faith was strong. He didn’t just believe in God. He believed God. The difference is significant and profound. Many profess a belief in God and we are commanded to do so (Mosiah 2:13), but struggle at times with believing what God says or promises that he will do or accomplish. This is especially true when what he declares seems, at least with our poor reach of mind, to be difficult, unlikely or merely metaphorical.

Paul beautifully encapsulates this view of Abraham’s faith at the beginning of Romans 4:18. He says, “Who against hope believed in hope” The contrast between “against hope” and “in hope” teaches us something really fundamental about faith. Most of us will recall the circumstances that Paul is talking about from Genesis: the life of Abraham and Sarah. Sarah [was] barren, Abraham [was] very old, and yet God promises that they are going to have a son—a promise that, from an earthly standpoint, seemed absolutely impossible to ever be fulfilled. This was against hope. This was against the evidence of this world that Abraham believed. His belief, therefore, was in a different kind of hope, a hope not related to the circumstances of this life, but a hope in the God who had made a promise to him, believing that God would be faithful, able to fulfill His promise.

The terms hope and faith are related, but they are not the same. Hope is a desire for something that might be true or might happen, whereas faith is the firm confidence that it is true or will happen. The letter to the Hebrews teaches that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not see.” Abraham had hope when, from a purely human standpoint, there was absolutely no basis or justification for hope. Yet despite what seemed impossible, he believed it would happen as God said. His believe gave him an assurance of what was hoped for which in turn gave him a strong faith. The object of his faith was God, and in particular God’s promise of an heir by Sarah.

In our day, the promises of “a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the most high God” (Sec. 45:12c) seem from an earthly standpoint distant, unreachable, improbable and unlikely. Our belief must be strong against all this hope so that in hope (of God’s promises) our faith is made strong. Abraham confronted the stubborn fact that Sarah was barren by believing God. We must confront the stubborn fact that world is barren and does not seem to be able to give birth to the kingdom of God by believing that God will yet accomplish his purposes.

Abraham did not vacillate between faith and doubt, he did not waver in unbelief. Paul’s words put it beautifully; “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” (Romans 4:20) Just like Abraham, we too can trust in the promises of God, especially in those promises of an earthly kingdom and in his return as king of kings and lord of lords. His word will not return unto him void. Every jot and tittle will be fulfilled.

God’s Sufficient Grace

“… wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all ye may be able to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.” – Section 26:3d-g

We live in the evil day spoken of in Section 26 and it is difficult at times to not be troubled and discouraged. But the message from the Lord is clear, despite the circumstances of our day we are to lift up our hearts and rejoice and gird ourselves with his armor. If we do so the promise is sure, we will be able to withstand whatever comes. He graciously supplies exactly what is necessary. Though we may feel weak, His grace is sufficient.

“I give unto men weakness, that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak thing become strong unto them.” – Ether 5:28

But too often we forget to put on his armor, we endeavor to face life with our own strength and forget the wonderful helps and governments that he has woven into the fabric of his church; worship, ordinance, fellowship among believers, a rich and full canon of scripture found in the Inspired Version, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. These plus the daily spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and study are all there to help us withstand the evil day.

If we are to abide the day, our church life needs to be much more than a hobby that we enjoy from time to time. It needs to be the central focus of our lives. Yes, God’s grace is more than sufficient for our every need, but we must gird our loins, put on the breastplate, shod our feet, pick up our shield, put on our helmets and grasp our swords. Is our relationship with Him deep and trusting enough to draw us to Him during times of difficulty? Are we content to endure weaknesses, insults, distresses, and persecutions for Christ’s sake so that we can be spiritually strong even amid physical and emotional weakness? We must:

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor, put on each piece with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.

Though it is an evil day it is not a day to be troubled or discouraged. God will provide. The foe will be vanquished. The kingdom will come. Take strength in these words of Joseph the Martyr:

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

Service

“… when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”
– Mosiah 1:49

No one in the household of faith would claim that they do not love God. A favorite campfire song challenges us that if we love God why not serve him? Mosiah teaches us that serving God is done through serving each other. There is much that needs to be done in the church both within our branch and within the greater body of Christ.

Some feel, perhaps, that service only belongs to priesthood. But that is not so. The service where priesthood is required, for example in the ordinances, is only a very small part of the service that is needed in the church today. Most of the service that is needed is required outside of the times when we meet for worship. The needs are great. The laborers few.

Each that have entered into the waters of baptism have as we sing “promised to serve thee to the end.” The challenge we each face is putting others before ourselves and serving our fellow man before our own self interests. We are quick to take care of our own needs but slow to think of others. It is in our nature to put self before others. Scripture makes it clear that we cannot serve two masters. As Joshua challenged the children of Israel, we must choose whom we will serve. If our choice is God, then it begins with serving each other.

Serving God by serving others is not something to be tacked onto our otherwise busy schedules if we can afford the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. We should ask every day not what can the church do for me but what can we do for each other and the cause of the Kingdom. Our church experience is not meant to be a hobby that we can pick up or lay down when convenient.

In a few short weeks we will be electing officers for the coming year. There are many roles and responsibilities that need our time, devotion and energies to make our branch vibrant and effective. While taking a responsibility in our branch is only one avenue of service, it is an important one. Please give prayerful consideration to what you might be able to do for our branch, for each other, for the cause of the kingdom.

We were created to serve each other and we are commanded to serve each other. In the latter portion of Matthew 25 there is a description of the nation’s being gathered before the Son of Man and there he separates them. Those that inherit the kingdom he says gave him food when he hungered, drink when he was thirsty, clothing when he was naked and when a stranger took him in. The people wondered how this was and he answered: “inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

When we stand before him, may the Lord say to each of us “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”

Walking in the Light

“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship on with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:5-7

Carrie (Church) Thomas’ hymn “In the Light” is among my favorite restoration hymns. From its opening stanza “What a glorious thing to be, In the Light” to its closing “We shall live and with him reign,” it speaks of the brilliance, beauty and power of the restored gospel. My spirits are lifted each time it is sung. But I’m often challenged by the thought of what it means to “walk in the light.”

C.S. Lewis offers an illustration from his life experience that is worth pondering in this regard: “I was standing today in the dark toolshed. The sun was shining outside and through the crack at the top of the door there came a sunbeam. From where I stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place. Everything else was almost pitch-black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it. Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, ninety-odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences. “

Prophets have been restored, God has spoken from on high and through revelations holy light, the darkness has fled away. The restoration of the gospel is a blessing and a beam of bright light shining in a darkened world. David H. Smith penned “the darkness and the holy light we see.” To those of us that know about and see the glorious beam of the gospels light we are called to more than standing outside of it and admiring its striking presence. We are called to walk within it. When we stand in or walk in the light our lives our illuminated by its brilliance and the glory of God is revealed.

Jesus makes it clear that he and he alone is the light of this dark world: “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. “ (John 8:12)

Walking in the light means we consider Jesus as the only true light in this dark world, and we walk in that light through the illuminating presence of his Spirit in our lives, following his precepts, living in his power, and growing from grace to grace becoming “heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and joint heirs with Christ; possessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in all; being filled with the fullness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.” (Lectures 5:2)

No more in darkness need we walk. Let us not stand outside in dark world and admire the light, let us follow Jesus and walk in the light of God.

The Finished Work of Christ …

The last words of Christ on the cross were; “Father, it is finished, thy will is done” and with these words he yielded up the ghost and died for all mankind. In his great High Priestly prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John he expressed to the Father; “I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, where he bore our sins and absorbed God’s just wrath that was rightly reserved for each of us thus redeeming us, is his finished work. But what does the finished work of Christ mean for each of us in our daily lives? Our moment by moment reality must be based on his finished work, but do we fully comprehend how the finished work of Christ applies to our Christian life? In our day to day struggle, living the Christian life is living in light of Christ’s finished work. It is living in the reality of what Christ has already accomplished. It is living with a deep awareness that Christ’s finished work is the only thing sufficient for our salvation.

We also know that our baptisms (water and spirit) are a necessary condition of our salvation which the Book of Mormon teaches as “the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 13:32). There is a wonderful teaching in the Bible in Romans 6 that if we are baptized into Christ, then we are baptized into his death (verse 3), our old man is crucified with Christ (verse 6), we are freed from sin and live with Christ (verse 7) and we are dead to sin (verse 11). If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor 5:17). Whosoever is born of God does not repeatedly, continually commit sin, for his seed remains in him, and we cannot continue to sin, because we are born of God (1 John 3:9, a wonderful Inspired Version emendation and the literal translation of the Greek).  We are no longer servants of sin, but servants to righteousness (Rom 6:17-18).

In the light of Christ’s finished work (the gospel) and as a covenant people, this is how we should live and Paul does an excellent job in his letter to the Romans explaining how the just should live by faith. Throughout his letter, he systematically unpacks his monumental statement found in versus 16-17 of the first chapter: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed through faith on his name; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” eloquently explaining our dilemma, its solution and how to live.

A generation ago Romans was studied in American law schools in order to teach students the art of presenting an argument. Under the direction of the spirit, Paul addresses our relationship with God, giving real answers to real questions. Without the correction and reproof found in God’s word, we would inherit foolishness in all the central areas of life and this generally begins at the place of what we believe about God. There are many, many examples in our world today of foolishness based on incorrect views of God.

We are finishing a study of “that which is to come” and how we should prepare our lives for the day in which we live. To further our preparation for Christ’s eminent return, we will next study the first eight chapters of Romans as elucidated by the Book of Mormon and latter day revelation to understand how the just live by faith. It is critically important in our day that the finished work of Christ, accomplished on the cross, is rooted deeply in our souls and drives and motivates our choices and actions. Your own prayerful study and contemplation of these eight chapters will enhance our collective study of them.

Perhaps to assuage his guilt, it was with insolence and arrogance that Cain asked God: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” From Cain’s day to ours, this question is asked again and again. We know the answer because Jesus makes it clear that we do have a responsibility to one another:

“For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” — Matthew 25:36-41

King Benjamin also proclaimed:

“And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives, and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how had ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have, one to another? … for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God, I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and administering to their relief, …” – Mosiah 2:36, 42-43

Huge numbers of the global population are forced to eke out an existence in conditions we can scarcely imagine. I’ve seen it personally. There are no words that can describe their circumstances. Our average annual income is greater than 99% of the rest of the world. Many live on less than $1.25 per day. We do not recognize our prosperity … but when compared to the majority of the world, we are very rich.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ and what was done for us at Calvary. That good news should stir us to action. Joseph Smith Jr. lectured that faith is “the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness” and “the moving cause of all action in them.” We demonstrate our faith through our actions. (James 2:15) Sharing out of our prosperity with those that stand in need is a wonderful expression of our faith – especially when it is done out of our love for our fellow man. Being a member of Christ’s Church requires such demonstrations – not in a legalistic sense but as a natural response to the message of the gospel as it has taken root in our lives.

We cannot ourselves take care of all the needs in the world today but we do have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of 38,000 members of the household of faith in Haiti. They, like we did so many years ago, have stepped out in faith but are now cut off from their primary sources of income and stand in great need. Eighty percent are unemployed.

God can add the increase and multiply our loaves and fishes. There is plenty that we can give up to provide food and drink and clothing to those in need. Latter day revelation encourages us to “carry into active exercise the principle of sacrifice and repression of unnecessary wants; … “ (Section 130:7d) Please give prayerful consideration to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Haiti. You can make a difference.

Prepare ye, prepare ye, for that which is to come ….

These words, when ever we read them or ponder them, stir our souls. The holy spirit not only bears witness to their veracity, but also conveys to us a sense of urgency. It must have been something to have been at the special conference of November 1831 when these words fell from the lips of Joseph Smith Jr. How did they respond? How did they react to the news that the Lord was near, his anger kindled, his sword bathed in heaven and his arm soon to be revealed and that they were to prepare for his coming? What did they do? Were they ready? Are we?

When we look at the Church today we might come to the conclusion that the nearly 183 years since these words were given to the church have dulled the urgency felt by the early saints. Why should that be? God has spoken from on high and his word will not return to him void.

It is clear that some will be caught unaware at the Lord’s coming. The math of the parable of the ten virgins suggest to us that 50% of the church will not be ready. Peter made it known that in in our day there would even be scoffers that would question the promise of his coming.

We know well when a storm is coming. We feel the weather change, the clouds thicken, the wind picks up, then we here the sound of thunder and so on. Is is easy for us to discern the face of the sky. We know it well and react in appropriate ways. As we sing in “Redeemer of Israel,” the tokens do already appear, the signs of his coming are evident.  How are we responding to the impending judgements soon to be poured out? Do we discern well “the signs of the times?” Are we ready?

Doug Trahern is going to take a few weeks to teach us about the “Case for Christ,” an important and timely topic to help us better arm our witness against the growing voices who want to discount his divinity, nature and purpose. We must stand firm in our belief and strong in our testimony for surely he is coming to gather the faithful.

After Doug finishes we will take up, in real and practical terms, how we as a people can and should prepare for his coming. There are spiritual and temporal aspects to our preparation and we will consider both. We encourage you to join us in our Sunday School hour for these two important and timely topics.

We want to be among the wise at his coming. Those who will abide the day and have the earth given to us for an inheritance. Those who will multiply and wax strong, whose children will grow up without sin unto salvation because the Lord will be in our midst, his glory upon us and who will be our King and lawgiver.

In many different ways, the Lord is hastening his work. Let us be ready.

… Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments; (Section 81:4c)

Beauty is something that we all understand. It is not something that we have to teach our children. It is woven into our nature. We all know it when we see it. It seems universal. It doesn’t generate argument or debate. It is just appreciated and we feel blessed when we encounter it. You would be hard pressed to find someone that is not moved by the grandeur of the mountains, a sunset on the seashore, or the splendor and array of the autumn colors. But beauty is not limited to what we see in nature. Beauty comes in many forms. Perhaps the most wonderful expressions of beauty are the ones found in our fellowship with each other. We had a wonderful example of that beauty when our friends from the Church of Jesus Christ visited in late October.

I was touched by brother Buffington’s quote and use of Isaiah 52:7 “And then shall they say, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace;  that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation;  that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Abinadi explained the meaning of this verse in the eighth chapter of Mosiah and made it clear that those in any day that publish peace are beautiful: “… how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and for ever!” Brother Buffington came to our branch to bring good tidings, to publish the peaceable things of the kingdom, to say unto us that God reigneth! … it was touching and beautiful. We were blessed. So what can we learn from our weekend together?

Latter-day revelation tells us that we (Zion) are to put on our beautiful garments. That, of course, is figurative language. There is no special suit of clothes that we are to make and wear. What then are the beautiful garments that we are to put on? Our garments are simply who we are. They are our nature and our character. Beauty is not represented in filth. The sinful nature that we inherit by reason of the fall clothed us in filthy rags. They must be washed clean and that can only be done in a special way. Jesus came and died that our garments may be washed in his blood and made white and beautiful. Oh what a blessing!

But it doesn’t end there. Our garments must be kept clean. Our fleshly nature and selfish desires will spot our garments if we do not actively seek to live righteously. We must save ourselves from this untoward generation and hate garments spotted with the flesh. (see Section 35:2b, Jude 23) Repenting and forgiving are spiritual soap and water.

Righteous living begins with love. There are no formulas for righteous living. Love must reign supreme in our lives. We have all come to a knowledge of the glory of God. We know of His goodness and have tasted His love and experienced great joy in our souls. We must always remember what great things He has done for us, humble ourselves, call on His name daily, and stand steadfast in our faith. If we do we will always rejoice and be filled with His love and we will not have a mind to injure one another but we will want to live peaceably. (See King Benjamin’s great discourse in Mosiah 2.) If we love one another and live peaceably, we demonstrate a beauty that cannot be described … only experienced … much like we did over a special weekend just a short time ago.

All of mankind appreciates and is attracted to beauty. The greatest witness of God and His love that He expressed through the gift of His son is the body of Christ. You and I. If we put on our beautiful garments, the world will see God. So let us arise and bring good tidings to others, let us publish the peaceable things of the kingdom, let us declare that God reigneth!, let us “live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12), let us put on our beautiful garments. Let us display the beauty, splendor and grandeur of God by the very lives that we live.

How beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes
How beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure lives so that others may live

How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ

(From Twila Paris’ How Beautiful)

Kingdom Builders …

“Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven.” – Matthew 6:11

For much of Christendom “going to heaven” has been the object of the gospels; “sin” is that which keeps us from getting there; so the cross is about dealing with sin so that we can leave this world and go to a much better place.

There is no question that Jesus came to deal with sin. His cruel death was the only sacrifice that could be made for our transgressions. “While he was on the earth, he offered for a sacrifice his own life for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 8:4) Unique to the restored gospel is the belief that a necessary condition for salvation is baptism (both of water and spirit) by the hand of one with the authority to do so. Our access to his propitiating sacrifice is through the waters of baptism. There we are made clean. It is part of our creed and is framed nicely in our Epitome of Faith and Doctrine:

We believe that through atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

We believe that these ordinances are, first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Holy writ rightfully tells us that Jesus is the embodiment or incarnation of Israel’s God and much of our teaching, preaching, and proselyting is about who Jesus was and what he did for each at Calvary. While true, our message often ends there.

Yes, Christ’s mission on the cross was all about paying the penalty for sin, but it was also about the coming of the kingdom on earth as in heaven. He died not to rescue people from the world; instead he came to rescue people for the world. His mission was not just to form a creed about “how to have your sins forgiven” or “how to get to heaven” but a mission where forgiven people are put to work, addressing the evils of the world in the light of the victory of Calvary.

Also framed nicely in our Epitome of Faith are words about God’s kingdom on earth:

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes, that Zion will be built upon this continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaic glory.

Jesus inaugurated His kingdom through the cross. It is for this world and Jesus will be its King. The wonderful words penned by Parley P. Pratt, “Come, O thou King of kings!” ought to ring loudly in our souls. We should yearn for the kingdom on earth. Our purpose, our aim should not just be to “get into heaven” but to have heaven on earth. The mission of the church, restored in these the latter-days, is to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified and also be a moving force against the powers of darkness; to prepare a bride and a place.

Let us give to God our all and our best and seek first the kingdom of God on earth. Let its realization be what drives and motivates our every, thought, action, word and deed.

“Behold, the field is white already to harvest, therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God; yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God; … Seek to bring forth and establish my Zion.” — Section 12:2-3a