"Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father." John 6: 46
God will choose whom he will and men will deny it. They will find reasons why not to believe them and their reasoning may be well thought out and logical but this does not change the plan in which God uses to reveal truth unto men. Jesus Christ, the greatest of them all, was still somehow found guilty of treason and heresy but there are few Christians today who would subscribe to such an idea. Having written that, there are many who have taken the role of the Jews and use their reasoning to condemn the things that they do not understand today. They pit the restored gospel up against their own knowledge and they consider their wisdom above the revealed word of God.
Isaiah saw a day when the wisdom of men would be proven folly.
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." Isaiah 29:13-14
The precepts of men have prevailed for centuries. Ideas like the Nicene Creed would perish along with any other man made theory about the doctrines and gospel of Christ. We are living in a great time with the light of the gospel taught in its purity or neither you or I have the full story. Without prophets, both of us would be in error and neither of us would be correct... but the Lord has begun this mighty work... the stone which has been cut out of the mountain without hands continue to roll forth throughout the whole earth and will continue to do so with or without our consent.
I only prefer that I am found helping to push or pull this great stone foreseen by Daniel instead of watching it from the sidelines, arms folded, and wondering what all of the fuss is about.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
In other words, during the days of the many European Kingdoms as represented by the iron mixed with miry clay, would this kingdom of the Lord then be established. We just have to but track the kingdoms from the Babylonians on down the line until there were "many kingdoms" round the world. The Spaniards were not united with the English... the French were separate from the Portuguese... all in fine, were the kingdoms in which Daniel saw and it would be during the existence of these kingdoms that we would see this great work. If Christ had not set this great work up, it would be everlastingly too late for the prophecy in which Daniel saw should come forth. There are no longer many of those kingdoms. The stone has already begun to break these kingdoms up. This work has already begun.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
The prophecies of Daniel would come forth and all be fulfilled or he is not a prophet.
"How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints."
D&C 121:33
It is my desire that you no longer aim to prove these things to be false... but that you seek to learn from God in heaven that they are true. Be not like unto the Jews who continuously questioned Jesus and ultimately found him guilty of heresy. You will always find something that you don't agree with but it is not the labor of men to bend the will of God to their understanding of it... but the other way around.
I testify that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration... that Thomas Monson is the Lord's representative today. He is the steward of modern Israel and we continue to be directed by prophets. The Lord has chosen these men to be his representatives until the time in which Jesus Christ shall return. We look forward to the day when he does. There is much to do in the Lord's vineyard. It is my prayer that someday we will work along side one another in this great work.
Showing posts with label latter-day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label latter-day. Show all posts
Friday, January 22, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Proving Colossians - Scriptures are not meant for "Private Interpretation" or to be read out of Context
On one of my YT video threads, I had just a Book, Chapter and verse to review. I'm not criticizing him for leaving the scripture. It's a wonderful verse but it, in kind, is an example of 'scripture mining' and reading them out of context. In this blog entry, I attempt to bring this scripture to life as it was left on my comment thread as still born.
Take Col 2:8 for example; let me give you a full and complete background for it.
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8
Who: Paul is writing. To whom? The Church in Colossae, or the Colossians.
Why? Or what problems were they facing in that early church?
The warning was written to the saints or members of the church as Colossians and in this verse, he counsels them to avoid the traditions of their day; from the article, "Unearthing Ancient Colossae in Southern Turkey: theology and archaeology in dialogue." by Michael Tanner, we learn,
"Some Colossian Christians had become very attracted to the ascetical and religious practices of local folk religions. The exact nature of these practices is uncertain though it is clear that they contained a mixture of pagan elements and Jewish ascetical practices, combined with the worship of local and foreign deities."
(ie, Roman or Greek Gods... Zeus, Jupiter, etc...)
Let's apply this apples to apples comparison to our day;
What Paul warned the the Colossian Church about could very well equate to our celebration of Christmas and Easter. Now I like both Christmas and Easter but not for the reasons we see them portrayed.
Christmas = Family and Presents ... or it is a time to reflect on Jesus Christ; his birth, life and resurrection.
Easter = A bunny who hides eggs for the world to find?
or we take time out to reflect on Christ's suffering for our sins, his death, and resurrection on the 3rd day.
Or we celebrate this to the "Letter of the Law" like Orthodox Christians do and reject it altogether... but I see no harm in having special days of the year to reflect on the life of Christ...
In addition:
The thinkers who lived in Colossae were into philosophy, science, astronomy and all manner of intellectual thinking. Paul wrote this letter to the church in order to help them fortify against the ideas that were espoused by those men of the City which did not support God as being the supreme being.
They thought they knew of themselves and their wisdom of the cosmos trumped the understanding of God's people and his prophet, Peter... or the 12 Apostles, as well.
Such "Theorists" of Evolution, "Big Bang" and other non-creationist ideas prevail in our world today compare to the "great thinkers" in Colossae and is an "Apples to Apples comparison."
However, the more powerful the "telescope," the more support through evidence proves that the universe is "Galaxies without End" and denotes the hand of a "Great Creator" vs a big bang.
http://www.compassreview.org/summer02/8.html
Conclusion;
Scriptures are not meant for private interpretation. They are not just words you can apply as a "Blanket CoverAll" over things that disagree with your assessment of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I invite you to read scriptures in context. As I've said before, they are not just words to interpret. It was written for the church and canonized in scripture. Canonization does not mean blanket cover over all themes based on the understanding of the "reader." You were neither alive during their day nor are you a member of Paul's congregation. The Church of Jesus Christ of "Latter-day Saints" claims to be a modern counterpart to the early church & of the same organization. Just because your understanding of the gospel differs from Latter-day Prophets does not mean that we are not a modern extension of the early church.
I could do the same thing for you about Galatians 1:6-9... just about any other with proper preparation and study into the "context." What happens when people actually read the scriptures in the proper context, is they lean towards accepting the "True Gospel of Jesus Christ." as it is taught by modern prophets because those folks quickly realize that understanding prophecy is beyond them and an accurate understanding of the scriptures were best held by the prophets who wrote them. Those people yearn for the understanding of the prophets and imagine what it was like to sit down at Peter's feet to learn doctrine... and then they question to themselves, "Could those guys [Mormons] really have a prophet or not? But as long as you rely on your own understanding, which is limited to the understanding of men, it's a never ending cycle of "I know better because this verse says this..." or "My pastor says this..." never putting your own credentials or the credentials of others in check.
But if you interpret them privately or accept the private interpretations of your pastors and colleagues, they are just words that are hoped to befuddle or debunk the LDS church given without power or precedent. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church on the face of the earth that claims revelation from God through his prophets. I testify that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of the Lord and the prophet of the restoration. That Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and the current steward in Zion. I know that I learn the Gospel at the foot of prophets and I testify that priesthood authority is held by those men as well as myself, being an Elder in this church... the same sort of Elder found mentioned of in James 5:14
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Take Col 2:8 for example; let me give you a full and complete background for it.
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8
Who: Paul is writing. To whom? The Church in Colossae, or the Colossians.
Why? Or what problems were they facing in that early church?
The warning was written to the saints or members of the church as Colossians and in this verse, he counsels them to avoid the traditions of their day; from the article, "Unearthing Ancient Colossae in Southern Turkey: theology and archaeology in dialogue." by Michael Tanner, we learn,
"Some Colossian Christians had become very attracted to the ascetical and religious practices of local folk religions. The exact nature of these practices is uncertain though it is clear that they contained a mixture of pagan elements and Jewish ascetical practices, combined with the worship of local and foreign deities."
(ie, Roman or Greek Gods... Zeus, Jupiter, etc...)
Let's apply this apples to apples comparison to our day;
What Paul warned the the Colossian Church about could very well equate to our celebration of Christmas and Easter. Now I like both Christmas and Easter but not for the reasons we see them portrayed.
Christmas = Family and Presents ... or it is a time to reflect on Jesus Christ; his birth, life and resurrection.
Easter = A bunny who hides eggs for the world to find?
or we take time out to reflect on Christ's suffering for our sins, his death, and resurrection on the 3rd day.
Or we celebrate this to the "Letter of the Law" like Orthodox Christians do and reject it altogether... but I see no harm in having special days of the year to reflect on the life of Christ...
In addition:
The thinkers who lived in Colossae were into philosophy, science, astronomy and all manner of intellectual thinking. Paul wrote this letter to the church in order to help them fortify against the ideas that were espoused by those men of the City which did not support God as being the supreme being.
They thought they knew of themselves and their wisdom of the cosmos trumped the understanding of God's people and his prophet, Peter... or the 12 Apostles, as well.
Such "Theorists" of Evolution, "Big Bang" and other non-creationist ideas prevail in our world today compare to the "great thinkers" in Colossae and is an "Apples to Apples comparison."
However, the more powerful the "telescope," the more support through evidence proves that the universe is "Galaxies without End" and denotes the hand of a "Great Creator" vs a big bang.
http://www.compassreview.org/summer02/8.html
Conclusion;
Scriptures are not meant for private interpretation. They are not just words you can apply as a "Blanket CoverAll" over things that disagree with your assessment of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I invite you to read scriptures in context. As I've said before, they are not just words to interpret. It was written for the church and canonized in scripture. Canonization does not mean blanket cover over all themes based on the understanding of the "reader." You were neither alive during their day nor are you a member of Paul's congregation. The Church of Jesus Christ of "Latter-day Saints" claims to be a modern counterpart to the early church & of the same organization. Just because your understanding of the gospel differs from Latter-day Prophets does not mean that we are not a modern extension of the early church.
I could do the same thing for you about Galatians 1:6-9... just about any other with proper preparation and study into the "context." What happens when people actually read the scriptures in the proper context, is they lean towards accepting the "True Gospel of Jesus Christ." as it is taught by modern prophets because those folks quickly realize that understanding prophecy is beyond them and an accurate understanding of the scriptures were best held by the prophets who wrote them. Those people yearn for the understanding of the prophets and imagine what it was like to sit down at Peter's feet to learn doctrine... and then they question to themselves, "Could those guys [Mormons] really have a prophet or not? But as long as you rely on your own understanding, which is limited to the understanding of men, it's a never ending cycle of "I know better because this verse says this..." or "My pastor says this..." never putting your own credentials or the credentials of others in check.
But if you interpret them privately or accept the private interpretations of your pastors and colleagues, they are just words that are hoped to befuddle or debunk the LDS church given without power or precedent. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church on the face of the earth that claims revelation from God through his prophets. I testify that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of the Lord and the prophet of the restoration. That Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and the current steward in Zion. I know that I learn the Gospel at the foot of prophets and I testify that priesthood authority is held by those men as well as myself, being an Elder in this church... the same sort of Elder found mentioned of in James 5:14
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Either Joseph was a masochist or he endured the worst in the cause of the Lord's kingdom.
Docterine and Covenants secion 38:30 gives me strength;
Revelation of the Lord given to Joseph Smith
"I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.
Most people forget to factor in the "Adversary" when they examine the many... (I'd say COUNTLESS) accusations against the church as they pass it off for wisdom. If we are the true church of Jesus Christ, we could expect no less from Satan; his angels; and they who subject themselves unto him... could we?
Does one think that Satan would stand idly by and just let folks wander into our church at their own free will and choice? I suggest that Satan desires no one to be happy; he desires that all men might be miserable like unto himself; never have I seen a force rise up against another church as I see being mounted up against the Mormon church.
Even you would have to agree on this wise; the very existence of my church is cause for excitement not only in your own congregation...but world wide.
Would you ever find workshops, books, pamphlets, basement meetings, church house groups, prayer circles, signs and other printed material, rally's, parades, dedicated time during Sunday School to discuss another churches teachings, talk shows, "You Tube" channels, study groups, discussion groups, towns, communities and many other means of folks organizing themselves to come up against... the baptist church?
No, but the LDS church gets this sort of attention and then some.
Yet all of these things and more combine up against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do they not? I am willing to suggest that if the LDS church (or Mormons) were not in existence, the rest of the catholic, protestant and other new age thinking would actually be quite bored with no one to pick on.
You may disagree with many of the words of this prophet of the restoration, but one revelation you would have to acknowledge is simply this;
He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
Joseph Smith History 1:33 -
Joseph never denied these things either for one of two reasons;
1) He was masochistic and the idea of being utterly hated by the world, being beaten, cursed at, falsely accused, denied, tarred and feathered, and one day killed was something exciting to him; not to mention that his reputation would be felt for generations for good or for evil and it would bring conflict to his childrens childrens childrens children...
(but it would probably be a majority of evil spoken against him and his descendants)
or its all true and that any attempt to thwart the work of the Lord would be designed and carried out by the Devil through him, his angels and they who subject themselves unto him be it unwilling, unknowing, or being fully aware of the damage they seek against the Lord.
We'll let God be the judge and let him set things right when we're all up at the bar of judgment and if brother Joseph stands along side Jesus Christ as one of his greatest testators, I'm sure many will have hoped they hadn't remained ignorant of his prophetic calling...
Revelation of the Lord given to Joseph Smith
"I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.
Most people forget to factor in the "Adversary" when they examine the many... (I'd say COUNTLESS) accusations against the church as they pass it off for wisdom. If we are the true church of Jesus Christ, we could expect no less from Satan; his angels; and they who subject themselves unto him... could we?
Does one think that Satan would stand idly by and just let folks wander into our church at their own free will and choice? I suggest that Satan desires no one to be happy; he desires that all men might be miserable like unto himself; never have I seen a force rise up against another church as I see being mounted up against the Mormon church.
Even you would have to agree on this wise; the very existence of my church is cause for excitement not only in your own congregation...but world wide.
Would you ever find workshops, books, pamphlets, basement meetings, church house groups, prayer circles, signs and other printed material, rally's, parades, dedicated time during Sunday School to discuss another churches teachings, talk shows, "You Tube" channels, study groups, discussion groups, towns, communities and many other means of folks organizing themselves to come up against... the baptist church?
No, but the LDS church gets this sort of attention and then some.
Yet all of these things and more combine up against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, do they not? I am willing to suggest that if the LDS church (or Mormons) were not in existence, the rest of the catholic, protestant and other new age thinking would actually be quite bored with no one to pick on.
You may disagree with many of the words of this prophet of the restoration, but one revelation you would have to acknowledge is simply this;
He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
Joseph Smith History 1:33 -
Joseph never denied these things either for one of two reasons;
1) He was masochistic and the idea of being utterly hated by the world, being beaten, cursed at, falsely accused, denied, tarred and feathered, and one day killed was something exciting to him; not to mention that his reputation would be felt for generations for good or for evil and it would bring conflict to his childrens childrens childrens children...
(but it would probably be a majority of evil spoken against him and his descendants)
or its all true and that any attempt to thwart the work of the Lord would be designed and carried out by the Devil through him, his angels and they who subject themselves unto him be it unwilling, unknowing, or being fully aware of the damage they seek against the Lord.
We'll let God be the judge and let him set things right when we're all up at the bar of judgment and if brother Joseph stands along side Jesus Christ as one of his greatest testators, I'm sure many will have hoped they hadn't remained ignorant of his prophetic calling...
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