Sunday, June 7, 2015

Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit (Moroni 1-10)

Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit (Moroni 1-10)

Moroni 1
Separate yourself from the evils of this world. Always do the will of the Lord especially if it is beyond what you have supposed or previously thought.

Moroni 2
Christ spake to the twelve disciples he chose when he came to the Nephites soon after his resurrection and laid his hands upon them. He called them by name and told them to first, pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus Christ and then they would be able to use the power of God to give the Holy Ghost to those upon which they lay their hands.

Moroni 3
The twelve disciples were called the elders of the church. The twelve disciples ordained priests and teachers. They did it in the manner that was shown them by Jesus Christ. In mighty prayer they called upon the Father in the name of Jesus Christ to be able to use the power of God to ordain. Then right after their prayer they laid their hands upon those who were to be priests and teachers. And the words they used while laying their hands upon them were: “In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest, (or, if he be a teacher) I ordain you to be a teacher, to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end. Amen.” The twelve disciples ordained these priests and teachers according to how God revealed to them the particular gifts and callings of God for each man. The twelve disciples ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost which was received by Jesus Christ and was in them.

Moroni 4
Administering the sacrament. The disciples and priests administered the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church. The whole church knelt down in prayer while an elder or priest prayed to the father in the name of Jesus Christ saying (for the bread): “O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his spirit to be with them. Amen.”

Moroni 5
(for the wine) “O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they may have his spirit to be with them. Amen.”

All those who partook of the sacrament did so even until they were full. Be full in the spirit of the Lord.

Moroni 6
You must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit and witness to the church of Christ that you have truly repented of your sins before you are baptized. You may receive baptism when you commit to take upon yourself the name of Christ with a determination to serve him to the end. Once baptized you are named among the church of Christ.

Christ’s church is a group of individuals who have been baptized and that meet together often. In his church, you fast and pray and speak one with another concerning the welfare of each other’s souls. Iniquity is not permitted in Christ’s church. If you commit iniquities and do not repent of them then your name will be blotted out and you will not be numbered among the church of Christ. Three witnesses are needed to testify against you and your iniquities before your name can be blotted out. If you repent and seek for forgiveness, with real intent, you are forgiven. Meetings and gatherings as a church are to be conducted after the manner of the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost. The power of the Holy Ghost leads you whether to preach, exhort, pray, supplicate or sing.

Moroni 7
Mormon spoke concerning faith, hope and charity. Mormon only speaks after being called to do so by the Lord, Jesus Christ. He spoke with much love and concern for his beloved brethren. He spoke to the church, meaning the peaceable true followers of Christ, those who had hope to enter into “the rest of the Lord”.

You will know a peaceable true follower of Christ because of their good works, doing good with real intent. Doing good without real intent is evil. What rests in your heart truly defines you whether it be good or evil. So, it is very important to know that “a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ and if he follows Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.”

All things good cometh of God and all things evil cometh of the devil. Things that are evil inviteth and enticeth to do evil continually. Things that are good inviteth and enticeth to do good continually. Everything that invites and entices to do good, to love God, and to serve him is inspired of God. Do not mix up that which is evil to be of God or that which is good to be of the devil. As your knowledge increases you will be able to see clearer and clearer even until you know with a surety exactly what is of good (God) and what is of evil (the devil), even a perfect knowledge, “as the daylight is from the dark night”.

You have the spirit of Christ given to you that you may know the good from evil. To judge in the way the Lord would have his children judge is to discern between what is of good and what is of evil. That which inviteth and persuadeth you to do good and believe in Christ is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ so that thru faith and repentance you may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. And when your understanding of things that are good strengthens so will your understanding of things that are evil strengthen. Things that “persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God” you will begin to see and understand more and more to the until that point of which you will know with a perfect knowledge that it is of the devil. This happens simultaneously as you begin to see and understand things that are good to be of God and likewise continuing to the point where you know it with a perfect knowledge.

You must come to understand who Jesus Christ is. What are his attributes? What would he do? As you begin to understand and see things of God, recognizing them as good and things of the devil, recognizing them as evil, you then will be able to judge which path to take. Take head, be very careful that you judge to take a good path, for if you judge wrongfully you will be judged according to that path. You need to search diligently to know Christ and recognize what is good from what is evil. Do that which is good and be sure not to condemn it.

You need to understand and know all good things, thru faith and repentance. God sends messengers to those who have diligently seeked to know him thru faith. Messengers deliver messages from God to you that teach you more about the coming of Christ unto you and “in Christ there should come every good thing”. God speaks to prophets “by his own mouth” and declares things of Christ that are eternal. There are many different ways God manifests to his children, all good cometh of Christ. By visitations of angels and Christ, prophets of old, “our fathers” began to exercise faith in Christ and they did “lay hold upon every good thing”. They learned thru faith all they could with the Holy Ghost, then they learned all they could with visits from angels and then they learned all they could from Christ directly face to face, becoming all things good just as Christ has become. Many are now one with God because of their faith and repentance. Visits from angels and Christ and Heavenly Father are miracles and will happen to all those you diligently (with real intent) seek to know God with an unshaken faith and desire to know and understand him and his eternal ways.

Christ asks you to repent of not coming unto him and being caught up in the world by coming unto him thru faith in him, Jesus Christ, and being baptized in his name and having faith in him that you may be saved. If you receive not these miracles of visitations of angels and Christ himself then you are to blame. Christ does not change, he ceases not to show himself unto those who have faith in him. It is unbelief that prevents you from seeing angels, Christ and Heavenly Father.

Be meek and have faith in Christ. Without faith in Christ you are not numbered among his church. Faith in Jesus Christ brings visitations and Jesus Christ himself, hence without visitations of at least the Holy Ghost and the receipt of the Lord’s messages you are not numbered in his church.

Be meek and lowly in heart, truly humble, asking God what to do and to show you the way. Only he knows the way, therefore, you must ask him and listen to the Holy Ghost for directions. You must have hope, hope to hear God and even see him face to face, then you can have faith in him. You also must have charity. Faith, hope and charity are attributes of Christ. These attributes are what you must learn from him. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believe all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Charity does not fail. Without charity you will fail. If you are charitable like Christ is you will not fail again. You must pray unto the father with all your heart that you will be filled with love, even charity. All of the true followers of Christ are filling their hearts with a completeness of love. In doing this, true followers, become one with God. This is his way.

Moroni 8
Pray continually to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for yourself and others to be as one, being one purpose with the Lord enduring to the end. The Lord Jesus Christ came to this world to call sinners to repentance. He comes for those who are not whole. Children, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they partook of the forbidden fruit, are whole and incapable of sin. One is only capable of sin once one understands good from evil. Therefore, children do not require baptism. After (not before) falling into transgression, as Adam fell, requires repentance and baptism in order to become exalted. Baptism is unto repentance. “The first fruits of repentance is baptism and baptism cometh by faith unto fulfilling the commandments and fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins.”

Remission of sins brings meekness and lowliness of heart. Because next, when you have meekness and lowliness of heart you then will receive visitations of the Holy Ghost and all that are one with God, the comforter. Perfect love endureth by diligence unto prayer until the end comes and all those who have become one with God will dwell with him. Pride destroys nations. If you have pride you must repent. Stay humble to keep the spirit striving with you. Pray for those that are lost in pride that repentance will come to them. Do not put down all power and authority that comes from God by setting up or accepting simpler, seemingly easier paths or ways. Those ways do not lead you to God. Listen to the Holy Ghost in order to stay the way to Christ.

Moroni 9
You must labor diligently to become like God, the Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ. If you cease to labor in faith and repentance then you will be brought under condemnation. This is why you are here on earth in your tabernacle of clay, to conquer all unrighteousness and become like Jesus Christ. Christ has conquered all unrighteousness, as he was shown how from the Father, and you must follow him as he followed the Father. Faith in Jesus Christ, repentance of unrighteousness (things he would not do) and this by becoming as a little child – humbling yourself, being meek, lowly of heart and full of love. Depend on the Lord to guide you. Ask him everything. Follow him.

Be very careful of grievous things that when dwelled upon bring hatred and revenge. Dwell not on grievous things but dwell on things eternal. Dwell on that hope to be as Jesus Christ and the attaining of the glory and eternal life that he has…let this rest in your mind forever.

Moroni 10
Remember how merciful the Lord has been to you and to all men in all times, keep that in your heart. Pray to the father in the name of Jesus Christ to find his truths. Look to see and ask to understand what is of God and what is of man and what is of the devil. It is by the power of the Holy Ghost the Lord, God, manifests truths unto you and this after searching, asking with a sincere heart and with real intent having faith in Jesus Christ. This is how you are to find truth of all things.

Everything that is good is just and true and will never deny the Christ but only acknowledges that he is the way, the truth (the light) and the good. He is love. Deny not the power of God and deny yourself not of faith in God, for it is according to faith that he worketh.

Many gifts are given by the spirit of God and nine are noted here by Moroni: teach word of wisdom, teach word of knowledge, exceeding faith, healing, work mighty miracles, prophesy, beholding angels & ministering angels, speak all kinds of tongues and interpret languages of divers tongues.

Every good gift comes thru the spirit of Christ. These gifts come unto man according to their faith in Jesus Christ and the greater your faith and understanding the greater the gifts. God does not change, so think not that because you have no gifts its God’s doing. He does no such thing. He gives freely to those who have faith. If you have no gifts, you must increase your faith in Jesus Christ for this is how you are able to receive his gifts.

Have hope, not despair. Have faith, not fear. Have charity, not selfishness. Unbelief keeps you from knowing god. It keeps you from the power and gifts of God.

You must not put away your faith, believing to yourself that you need not receive God’s power and gifts, for in doing so you choose fear and where fear is found God is not. If you do this you will die in your sins and you will not be saved in the kingdom of God. Fear in this manner is a sin and putting away faith is just that. Come to Jesus Christ, ask him whatever you should do, everything. Increase your faith and understanding in God and attain each and every good gift and touch not evil nor the unclean. You cannot dwell with God if you are found with any evil ways, thoughts, fears or tendencies.

You must come unto Christ, reaching perfection in all things eternal, denying all things that are ungodly. Once you have denied all ungodliness and you truly do love God with all your might, mind and strength then and only “then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.” When you have reached this perfect knowledge you will know the power of God as God knows it. Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both the quick and dead.

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