Saturday, April 27, 2013

15: Seek Earnestly the Best Gifts

Reading Assignment for Sunday, April 26, 2013

Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 15

Doctrine & Covenants 46

Articles of Faith 1:7

Our Heritage:

Pages 42-42: Subheading Battle of the Big Blue, Knight Administration

Pages 47-48: Heading Haun's Mill Massacre, Amanda Smith Revelation

Page 63:        Heading The Martyrdom, Prophesy of Dan Jones Mission
Brigham Young described how he sacrificed to respond to the Prophet’s call to gather: “When we arrived in Kirtland [in September 1833], if any man that ever did gather with the Saints was any poorer than I was—it was because he had nothing. … I had two children to take care of—that was all. I was a widower. ‘Brother Brigham, had you any shoes?’ No; not a shoe to my foot, except a pair of borrowed boots. I had no winter clothing, except a homemade coat that I had had three or four years. ‘Any pantaloons?’ No. ‘What did you do? Did you go without?’ No; I borrowed a pair to wear till I could get another pair. I had travelled and preached and given away every dollar of my property. I was worth a little property when I started to preach. … I had traveled and preached until I had nothing left to gather with; but Joseph said: ‘come up;’ and I went up the best I could.

ESTABLISHING ZION IN MISSOURI

At the same time the Saints were striving to build the kingdom of God in Kirtland, Ohio, many members of the Church were undergoing struggles in Jackson County Missouri.

Newel Knight, president of the Colesville Branch, immediately gathered his people.

Emily Coburn related, “We most truly were a band of pilgrims, started out to seek a better country.”1 At Wellsville, Ohio, they boarded a steamboat and, using the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers, traveled to Jackson County, Missouri. The captain of the steamboat said that they “were the most peaceable and quiet emigrants they had ever carried west; ‘no profanity, no bad language, no gambling and no drinking.'"

  
They were very poor and did not even have tents to protect them from the elements while building cabins. They were also almost entirely without farm implements until teams were sent more than 200 miles east to St. Louis to obtain them.



When the Saints were forced to leave Jackson County, they took temporary settler to the East in Clay County, but were forced to move even further north to Caldwell (Far West, Haun's Mill 30 Oct 1838) and Daviess (Battle of Crooked River/ Gallatin 6 Aug 1838) Counties until Governor Boggs Extermination Order of 27 Oct 1838 forces 8,000 Saints to cross the Missouri and move east to Illinois


Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve taught that gifts of the Spirit 
"can lead us to God.  They can shield us from the power of the adversary.  They can compensate for our inadquacies and repair our imperfections."

Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve said,
“Spiritual gifts are distributed among the members of the Church, according to their faithfulness, circumstances, natural abilities, duties, and callings; that the whole may be properly instructed, confirmed, perfected, and saved” (Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt, comp. N. B. Lundwall [1953], 571).

Saturday, April 13, 2013

13: "This Generation Shall Have My Word Through You"

Reading Assignment for Sunday, April 14, 2013

Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 13

Our Heritage, pages 23–25, 41, 58.

23-25:  Read Section:       Revelations Received in the Kirtland Area
41:       Read Subsection: Destruction of the Book of Commandments
58:       Read Subsection: The Standard Works'


JOSEPH SMITH'S ROLE IN THIS DISPENSATION 

 


 




Joseph Smith Holding the Bible, 1844 (Approximately 38)
Sutcliffe Maudsley, Pen-and ink on paper

MANY ANCIENT AND LATTER-DAY SCRIPTURES HAVE COME THROUGH JOSEPH SMITH
“What I have received from the Lord, I have received by Joseph Smith” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1941], 458)

D & C 5:10

D & C 1:40-41

Moses 1:40-41

2 Nephi 3:11-15

Introduction to D & C 67

Introduction to D & C 69


The Book of Mormon 1830

 (The bulk of the translation of this book from an ancient record occurred in the spring of 1829 when Oliver Cowdery showed up on Joseph's doorstep and told him he was there to help in the work of translation having learned of the project as a school teacher boarding with Joseph's parents.)



Book of Commandments 1833 
(Published in Independence, Missouri. Salvaged printed pages were bound after mob destroyed William W. Phelps printing press) 

Doctrine & Covenants 1835 
(Added about 40 revelations to Book of Commandments and published as D & C)

    
Pearl of Great Price 1851
(Published by Franklin D. Richards, British Mission, as a missionary tract. Just over 60 pages)



Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible

Here is an example of how were learned so much more about an Old Testament prophet by the expanded information in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

The Joseph Smith Translation’s references to Enoch are greatly expanded to include his teachings, visions, and prophecies as recorded in Moses 6:21–68 and Moses 7:1–69

The Bible's only references to Enoch are in Genesis 5:18-24, Luke 3:37, Hebrews 11:5, and Jude 1:14-15 . 

Elder LeGrand Richards "As far as our record show, [Joseph Smith] has given us more revealed truth than any prophet who has ever lived upon the face of the earth" (Ensign, May 1981, 43).


PRECIOUS GOSPEL DOCTRINE RESTORED THROUGH JOSEPH SMITH

Subject
Scriptures in the Bible
Scriptures Given through Joseph Smith
Physical nature of the Godhead
Our creation in God’s image
Apostles and prophets
Melchizedek Priesthood
Aaronic Priesthood
Mode of baptism
The gift of the Holy Ghost
Premortal existence
Baptism for the dead
Resurrection
The three kingdoms of glory
Eternal marriage
Our potential to become like Heavenly Father