Temples: articles and tips | FAIR

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Welcome back to Come Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions. My name is Jennifer Roach and today we’re going to talk about baptism for the dead. As you know we’re going through the Come Follow Me readings and addressing common questions that Evangelicals ask about our faith as we go along. Our purpose here is not to fuel debate but to help you understand where your Evangelical friends and family are coming from so that you can have better conversations with them, and perhaps even be able to offer them a bit of our faith in a way they can understand.

I will remind you about the FAIR Conference August 2-4 in Provo, Utah. You can buy tickets and come in person, or you can stream online for free. Go to FAIRLatterdaySaints.org to sign up for streaming. I am speaking on Friday – get this – in between Keith Erekson (Director of Historical Research for the church) and Brant Gardner who has written more books on church history than a normal person will read in their lifetime. So I’m feeling pretty lucky.

Today we’re going to talk more about baptism. We will jump off of Matthew 28:19:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

We covered baptism in a couple of the older episodes of this show in terms of authority to baptize. But today we’re going to talk about the Latter-day Saint practice of baptism for the dead.

First, I will tell you my understanding of the practice before I knew much about the church. I’m sure you’ve heard people say this before, but feel free to snicker anyway. I had heard of the practice as a child, and I don’t know if this was told to me, or if I interred it on my own, but my understanding was that this meant an actual dead body was being dunked under the water. I tried to work out how this might happen for people who had been long dead becaue it didn’t seem likely that they were digging up dead bodies and the best I could do was liken it to the Catholic practice of “relics.” In casual vocabulary we use the word “relic” to mean any old object from another era, but the technical religious definition of it is that it’s a bone, or bone fragment, from someone who was considered a Saint. For example, you can go to many of the Cathedrals in Eurpose and see their relics on display – and they’re usually small shadow-boxes with a very small bone inside. So, I figured maybe somehow “baptism for the dead” was baptizing relics. I don’t know, that’s the best I could come up with. And as crazy as this explanation sounds to Latter-day Saint ears you have to understand that I was a very religiously curious child and teenager, and as soon as I was an adult I was reading every theology book I could get access to – so it’s not like I was uninterested in figuring out how things worked. And if I – a weird religious kid who grew up into a weird religious adult – couldn’t quite work it out, then you can be sure other people have odd understandings of this practice too. Maybe theirs go odd in a different direction – mind went odd in a very concrete way – but I’ve met very few non-LDS people who can clearly articulate what the point of baptism for the dead is. All that to say, we should give our Evangelical friends a break on this one when they don’t understand it very well.

So we’re going to look at the main Evangelicals (and others) have understood, or misunderstood, what is happening in baptism for the dead as a way of helping you see a better path for this conversation.

Universalism

One of the ways they misunderstand this is that they think we are saying: God has no criteria for salvation. If everyone – even dead people who had never trusted in Christ – can be saved, isn’t this Universalism? They would cite something like John 3:5, “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” The problem the Evangeliclas rightly point out here is that traditionally God is either Holy and has requirements to be in his presence, or he is merciful and allows everyone to be saved without any requirements, and there isn’t much in between. This was a real puzzle that needs to be solved. Either God is a monster who damns people to hell even if they never had an actual chance to accept him – or he has a path for everyone to meet the requirements to be in his presence. Before Joseph Smith puts all of this together no one had figured out a way for God to be both holy AND mercifully fair to people who had not accepted him.

So here is some timeline of how God reveals this to Joesph a tiny bit at a time. In 1836 he has his vision where he sees his brother Alvin in the Celestial Kingdom despite never having been baptized (this is D&C 137) – and in 1840 he preaches for the first time that baptism for the dead is a possibility. But we have to go all the way back to 1831 to see where this started.

In 1832 Joseph gets the vision that we now call D&C 76 where he was taught that there are different pasts of Heaven appropriate to the faithfulness of different people. It’s not a binary system of either Heaven or Hell and he starts to understand the requirements for these different areas. I’ll quote from the very best article on this topic, Ryan Tobler’s, “Saviors on Mount Zion,” in the 2013 Journal of Mormon History. He says, “Seemingly mindful of how messy life on earth could be, the revelation confirmed sentiments previously held by Joseph Smith, that God would expect no more than humankind could give. He had written to his uncle in 1833 that “men will be held accountable for the things which they have and not for the things they have not, and this revelation seemed to bear that doctrine out. Here was a God who looked on the heart and acknowledged extenuating circumstances. A full, celestial salvation was available to everyone with a good heart and righteous desires. God would hold nothing back from those who died unenlightened.” In other words, everyone would be given the chance to understand Jesus’ sacrifice, give their lives to God, and follow his commands – even if they were already dead.

But the question is still left – isn’t this Universalism? Are there no requirements for entrance into Heaven whatsoever and all humans who have ever lived go there? Up until this point in history the revelation that Joseph had received hinted at the idea that there was a way through this problem, but it had not been spelled out yet. Joseph was having the principles laid out for him, but he had not yet been given a revelation that put them all together – that doesn’t come until Joseph first teaches about it in 1840. But even before that we start to get some hints.

Again from the same article by Tobler we get, “In an editorial Q&A in the Elders’ Journal, a Church-owned newspaper, he (Joseph) responded to a question about the fate of those who had died without embracing Mormonism. “If Mormonism be true,” asked the inquiry, “what of all those who died without baptism?” The editorial offered a new and suggestive response. “All those who have not had an opportunity of hearing the Gospel, and being administered unto by an inspired man in the flesh,” it said, “must have it hereafter, before they can be finally judged.” It was a reply that opened another dimension of possibilities, since it appeared to extend the scope of human action beyond the grave. If not only gospel instruction, but the “administration” of saving ordinances were somehow available in the afterlife, the shape of God’s designs for saving the dead changed substantially.

So, Latter-day Saints, I know that doesn’t sound shocking to your ears. You’re probably wondering why I’m spelling out what you already know so well….but this is the first time in history where there is a possibility that God can be BOTH holy and fair. It avoids the problem of Universalism which says there are no requirements whatsoever – all are saved without ever doing or accepting anything, and a strict reformed teaching that says: If you don’t have the opportunity to accept Christ before you die, you are out of luck forever because God has strict requirements. The revelations given to Joseph about baptism for the dead solve that problem.

Though Evangelicals are still saying, Wait, not so fast. And the problem they raise here is about agency.

Agency

Their worry – and you can understand it – is that if a member of the church is baptized on behalf of a deceased relative today isn’t that taking away the agency of that person? If you get baptized for them today they’re being allowed to bypass the requirements for agreeing to this whole process. But of course we believe that the dead still have a choice. They can still choose to accept the work done for them – and to what degree they will accept it. Evangelicals will often wonder, “Well, who wouldn’t accept it? If you stand someone on the cliff looking down into Hell, who isn’t going to accept an offer of salvation?” But that’s a very Protestant way of thinking about Heaven. Without Josephs’s 1832 revelation about the various parts of Heaven for the people who accept (and agree to live by) various covenants then none of the work for deceased relatives makes sense – the Evangelicals would be right, anyone would choose Heaven if Hell were placed right in front of them. Instead, the Latter-day Saint conceptualization of this is that each person gets to choose exactly what covenants they want to live by. And yes, living by covenants comes with blessings that are also given, but those who choose to live without the restrictive parts of covenants are not dangled over Hell asking if they want to be saved. They’re being asked: How close to you want to live to God, knowing that there are requirements for holiness placed upon those who want to live closer to him.

They don’t believe in baptism for the dead because they believe the dead who did not place their trust in Christ (even if they had never heard of Christ) go directly to Hell with no chance of ever stopping the eternal torment. So right from the get-go they have a very different version of what is happening. One of the thoughts that kept coming to me when I was taking lessons to join our church was: I never thought I had a choice of what to believe as far as eternity goes. But the idea that God punishes people for eternity, even when they had never heard of him, is cruel and offensive. If I get a choice about what to believe I want to believe the thing that most seems like it is consistent with the character of God – that everyone will get a fair chance.

How our different views on when holiness matters come into play

Now, Evangelicals do something interesting right here. They make a very similar argument that we make about temples. Let me explain. We’re both working with the same ingredients, as it were, but we’re baking very different cakes. Those ingredients are: 1) The problem of sin preventing us from being close to God 2) God’s requirement of holiness 3) The solution of Jesus Christ 4) The need for a physical act to represent a spiritual act – going under the water as death, rising again as Christ rose again. We both agree on the ingredients at play here. But we put them in different order, and it matters.

Evangelicals say 1) the problem of sin 3) the solution of Jesus Christ 4) baptism as symbol of resurrection 2) God requires holiness to get into Heaven – and it is Jesus who provides this holiness ultimately.

Latter-day Saints would agree about this in terms of baptism for living people. But we believe that salvation is available to all, even if they’re dead. So for proxy baptisms, we place things in a different order. 1) the problem of sin 2) the requirement of holiness 3) the solution of Jesus 4) the need for a physical act. It’s that second ingredient “the requirement of holiness” that everything hinges on. Evangelicals view the requirement of holiness as God requiring only holy things in his presence – and what they mean by that is that the only ones allowed into Heaven will be the ones who are holy (because of Christ.) But when we talk about proxy baptisms there is a sense that we are partnering with God to accomplish work for people who can not accomplish it for themselves because they no longer have a physical body with which to accomplish it. Standing in as a proxy requires holiness on our part because it is as if we are standing before God on behalf of this person. Of course, our holiness is Christ’s holiness – it’s not some holiness we pull off on our own. But because we are going to get our own physical bodies involved, holiness is required. I understand why Evangelicals get upset that we want privacy in our temple worship, but the part they’re missing is that this is a, “holiness unto the Lord” issue that we actually agree on – they just apply that standard to holiness after death, and we apply it to helping in the salvation of people who are already dead. We say that temples are, “a place where heaven touches the earth, a place where marvelous blessings are bestowed, and a place where we can feel closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as we strive to become more like Them.”

No one, not Evangelicals and not Latter-day Saints, are saying that holiness doesn’t matter. We would all say that it does. But they would say – in a sense – that it doesn’t matter until they themselves are dead and will be judged. And at that moment it is required. And we would say that if we want to help our dead loved ones go into the presence of the Lord that our holiness is required now.

Well, that is it for today. Next week we’re talking about, “What makes someone an apostle?” and I think you’ll be fascinated by it. I will see you then.

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

Jennifer Roach earned a Master of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and a Master of Counseling from Argosy University. Before her conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she was an ordained minister in the Anglican church. Her own experience of sexual abuse from a pastor during her teen years led her to care deeply about issues of abuse in faith communities.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21 appeared first on FAIR.

On this episode, Nathan Richardson joins for a discussion about the temple Endowment and Initiatory ordinances.

Nathan Richardson is a speech-language pathologist who has published research articles in academic journals. He is also a book designer and has worked for multiple publishing houses, including the BYU Religious Studies Center and BYU Studies, as well as owned his own document design business. He is a frequent speaker at BYU-I Education Week. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in communication disorders from BYU and works for a private family in the Middle East. He designs gospel study aids and a study edition of the scriptures on his website NathanRichardson.com.

Jacob Crapo was born and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served his mission in Upstate New York and was an ordinance worker in the Las Vegas Temple. One of Jacob’s dreams is to help build a temple. He is an electrician by trade but his real passion is helping others access the powers of heaven.

The post Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 4: The Endowment with Nathan Richardson appeared first on FAIR.

On this episode, Rene Krywult joins us for a discussion about whether temple ordinances are sacred or secret.

René Alexander Krywult, a native of Vienna, Austria, Europe, has been a member of FAIR for over twenty years and has been instrumental in founding the German-speaking FAIR group. He is a software developer and project manager for a European financial institution. He is married to Gabriele Krywult, and they have four children and three grandchildren.

Jacob Crapo was born and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served his mission in Upstate New York and was an ordinance worker in the Las Vegas Temple. One of Jacob’s dreams is to help build a temple. He is an electrician by trade but his real passion is helping others access the powers of heaven.

The post Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 3: Sacred or Secret? with Rene Krywult appeared first on FAIR.

Have you ever felt that the gospel is a bunch of things to check off a list? Have you ever wondered what’s up with this “covenant path” that Church leaders talk so much about? If so, join us for this episode with BJ Spurlock as we explore covenants, ordinances, and how God teaches us through symbolism.

BJ Spurlock is a Sunday School teacher in Kentucky, blogs at thingsastheyreallyare.com, and has also written for FAIR and Public Square Magazine.

Jacob Crapo was born and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served his mission in Upstate New York and was an ordinance worker in the Las Vegas Temple. One of Jacob’s dreams is to help build a temple. He is an electrician by trade but his real passion is helping others access the powers of heaven.

The post Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 2: Covenants and Ordinances with BJ Spurlock appeared first on FAIR.

Attending the temple for the first time can be a bit overwhelming. It can seem like a very unfamiliar experience for many, especially because we rarely hear details about what happens there. Understanding the doctrine and purpose underlying the temple will help you be ready and excited to enter the House of the Lord.

The purpose of this podcast is to do just that. We will cover topics such as the Endowment, temple sealings, covenants, ordinances, sacred temple clothing ,and common misconceptions about the temple.

Whether you are preparing for a mission, your own temple sealing, or just desire to receive your own endowment we hope that this podcast will deepen your understanding of the doctrine surrounding the temple.

In this episode, Jacob Crapo talks with Scott Woodward about how the temple and “Plan of Salvation” relate to each other. They discuss what the temple teaches about God’s plan for humanity and how the temple ordinances and covenants play a key role in that plan. Scott teaches religion classes at BYU-Idaho, is a managing director at Scripture Central, and host of the Church History Matters podcast.

The post Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 1: The Plan of Salvation with Scott Woodward appeared first on FAIR.

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Luke 2:22, 27

And when the days of her (Mary’s) purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him (baby Jesus) to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord…And he (Simeon) came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law.

Again we will be looking at a section of scripture in the Come Follow Me readings that corresponds to a common question Evangelicals have about our faith. Last time we talked about how an Evangelical’s value of showing loyalty to Christ makes them suspicious of some of our claims. This week we’re going to talk about the temple – why Evangelicals are skeptical of the need of a temple, why they think that way, and some of the ways you can have better conversations with them that lead to a natural but confident sharing of your testimony.

What Do Evangelicals Understand About Temples?

Many Evangelicals actually have a keen interest in learning about the temple as it is portrayed in the Old Testament. They understand much of the symbolism and value what God was trying to teach through those symbols. They also have a knowledge of how the temple functioned in the New Testament and what role it plays in the story of Jesus. You might find your Evangelical friends or family an interesting source of conversation about the temple as it is talked about in the Bible. Another area of commonality with them is that they believe the temple will be restored in Jerusalem at some future point which is related to the End Times. All of these are great jumping off places for a conversation about temples.

Where Temples Get Uncomfortable for Evangelicals

Despite our commonalities in talking about temples in the Bible, Evangelicals would start to get nervous when we talk about modern-day temples. Here is an example: when I was a girl I lived in California not far from the Oakland Temple.  If you’ve ever seen the Oakland Temple you know it sits high up on a hill overlooking the entire Bay Area of San Francisco. It’s illuminated at night and very hard to miss. We were taught by our leaders that we should avert our eyes away from the temple and not even look at it – despite it being the brightest thing on the hill – because, “strange and evil things happen inside of those temples.” Clearly this was a misguided statement, but it represents the kind of fear Evangelicals have when it comes to our temples. But when you sit down to have a conversation with them about the temple it often boils down to one real question: Didn’t Jesus do away with the temple?

Did Jesus do away with temples?

I’m going to try to explain what most Evangelicals would say about why temples are no longer needed – and why they say it.  If you remember back to our first video in this series, one of the dynamics at play here is that they are trying very hard to show proper loyalty and respect to Jesus Christ. Assuming they have some other motive is going to make a conversation like this harder, not easier. So, assuming their good motives we look at why talk about temples makes them so nervous.

First, you have to understand that Evangelicals prioritize the work and words of Jesus. Despite the numerous times in the Old Testament that the temple is talked about in ways that they can learn from, the ultimate temple story is when the temple veil rips in half during the crucifixion. Matthew 27:51, “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.” The temple veil referred to here is of course the veil that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. In Old Testament days the Holy of Holies was only entered 1 time per year and only by a very special priest and there were very strict rules around this. Normal people certainly didn’t have access to the Holy of Holies at any point during their lives. Evangelicals interpret this verse as if it’s saying that the entire temple is unneeded. They would say something like, “If the veil is ripped, then there is no need to protect the Holy of Holies, anyone can have the special direct access to God that was allowed in that place.” While we would disagree with that interpretation there is something to admire in it. Evangelicals are trying to make it so that every person has as much access to God as they want, and all it takes is a turn of the heart to be in full communion with God. They would say that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we humans no longer need anyone to help us connect with God. And in theory, we wouldn’t disagree with that, right?  We too believe that every human can choose to pray inside the quietness of their own mind and that God will listen.

The differences come when Evangelicals start to make practical applications of this theology. Because the temple veil was ripped in two, there is now no barrier between us and God. and therefore it is not necessary to go to a temple to feel God’s presence, we can access it anytime from anywhere through the Spirit. In their view temples are unneeded simply because no physical space can cause a person to have, or not have, the Spirit. Again, in theory we wouldn’t disagree, but they use this to say that therefore temples are not needed. They see us as putting up a barrier to people who want to be closer to God – when Jesus’ work on the cross took that barrier down. Their hearts are certainly in the right place.

Temple Worship in the New Testament

Even though there is a certain logic to this claim, and a good motive behind it, it doesn’t really pan out .  If the New Testament ended immediately after Jesus’ resurrection, they might have a more convincing claim. However, we have a lot of information about what a life of faith looked like in the post-resurrection world. And that information includes temple worship. Let me show you what I mean.

In Acts 22 we get a fascinating story from the Apostle Paul. First he retells the details of his conversion (we converts love to do this!) and after he’s done he goes on to tell a less well-known story. He tells of visiting the temple in Jerusalem and says that while he was praying in the temple he was, as the King James version says, in a trance. What exactly does that mean? We don’t totally know but Paul tells us that God told him to leave Jerusalem because the people there were not going to receive what he had to say, and that he should go preach to the Gentiles.

For most Latter-day Saints there is nothing at all odd about a story where someone goes to the temple and God communicates to them. If you don’t have a story like that of your own, you certainly know someone who does. Saying, “It’s easier to hear God speak in the temple sometimes,” would not be a controversial statement for a Latter-day Saint to make. But that statement is hard for Evangelicals because they hear us talk about temples and think we’re trying to make it harder to hear God, not easier. At this point in the conversation your Evangelical friend or family member might ask, “Well, then why are there so many rules about who can go in the temple and who can’t?  Don’t you want everyone to hear from God?”  Yes, we do want everyone to hear from God, and we believe that living the kind of life that makes you temple worthy gives you the very best chance at hearing from him. And that having a physical place to go where it’s quiet and everyone is focused on God also gives you a better chance.  It’s not that we want to keep people out per se, it’s that we want to help people construct lives where they regularly hear from God. The requirements for temple entry are an aid toward being able to hear from God, not a deterrent from it. Can God speak to a person anywhere? Of course.  He spoke to Saul, before he became Paul, out on the side of the road. But that same Paul also recognized the value of going to the temple where he could pray and hear from God. It’s taken us to this point to make the connection, but the reality here is Evangelicals and Latter-day Saints all desperately want the same thing – a connection with the Divine. We have some disagreements on how to best facilitate such a connection, but the desire is the same. They’re worried that we’re trying to keep people away from God, but it’s an unfounded fear.

Selective Reading

One of the things you might be starting to notice, even here in Video #2, is that many of the questions that come up for Evangelicals about our faith are born out of focusing on a different set of  Bible verses than we would focus on. Set aside the fact that we have additional scriptures that they don’t have, even if we’re just looking at the Biblical text you can see that we Latter-day Saints focus on different texts, and different details in the text. And for many of the issues we’ll cover in this series one doesn’t even have to look beyond the Biblical text to have a good conversation about our difference. How can this be?  If Evangelicals are sincere seekers of God, how is it that we see things so differently, even when we’re just looking at the Bible? Yes, modern revelation is part of it. We have information they don’t have. But perhaps there is something else going on too. The Bible is a really big book, with a lot of details that are odd to our ears. And most people condense the stories down into memorable parts, they attach a spiritual lesson to it, and sort of put it in the “done” column. They stop thinking about what a passage could possibly mean because they think they have it figured out.  It’s not just Evangelicals that do this – all humans do this when trying to understand large amounts of information, we have to develop a system of shorthand in order to manage it all. We all do some degree of selective reading.  And it really can take an act of humility to take a text and look at it again with fresh eyes.

When I was an Evangelical I never would have picked up the detail about Paul having a vision/trance in the temple. It’s not that I disbelieved it, I just wouldn’t have noticed it because it didn’t fit into the other bits of knowledge I was already trying to build on. I had no real place to put that information because my preconceived idea was already that temples weren’t important. As members of the church sometimes I think we shy away from a very careful reading of the Bible, not out of laziness or disinterest, but because we already have a feast of scripture that is far more explicit about these things in our modern-day scriptures. Understandable enough. But after listening to all of this you can see how having a conversation with a friend who is not of our faith about the Bible actually can lead you to some parts of scripture that perhaps they overlooked – not in a fighting or contentious kind of way, but in a way that reads closely and might see how the pieces are put together differently. I hope that as you are going through the New Testament this year you are doing a close and careful reading of the text – not just assuming that you already know what it says, but with a mind open to the Spirit to see the important details. You might be surprised at how much they bolster your faith and your confidence in talking about your testimony.

Join us next week as we look at another question that comes up in the readings. If you have a specific question that you are hoping will get addressed please contact FAIR directly or email me at [email protected]

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

Jennifer Roach earned a Master of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and a Master of Counseling from Argosy University. Before her conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints she was an ordained minister in the Anglican church. Her own experience of sexual abuse from a pastor during her teen years led her to care deeply about issues of abuse in faith communities.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 2; Luke 2 appeared first on FAIR.

By Elder Kim B. Clark

(An address given at the 2020 FAIR Conference)

I want to begin today with a story about Charlotte, my granddaughter, who is seven years old. Charlotte loves to read, and in recent months she has fallen in love with reading the Book of Mormon. Before the schools were closed she would take the Book of Mormon in her backpack, and read it in the bus on the way to and from school every day. She also loved the Book of Mormon stories for children. One day she came to her mother holding a copy of the Book of Mormon stories for children and asked, “Mom, did these things really happen?” Her mother looked at her, and said, “Yes, Charlotte, they really did happen.”

Charlotte’s question is a wonderful question – did these things really happen? It is not only a question about the events and people in the Book of Mormon, but it is a question about the Lord Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice and resurrection. It is a question about Moroni and golden plates, and about the call of Joseph Smith to be the great prophet of the restoration. It is a question about the translation of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. And, it is a question about living prophets and continuing revelation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

As President Russell M. Nelson has taught, we need to seek powerful, enduring answers to Charlotte’s question and all of its corollaries. This is a pivotal time in our lives and in the Lord’s true and living Church. The Prophet has invited us to transform our homes into “sanctuar[ies] of faith” and “center[s] of Gospel learning.” [1]  He has urged us to “…stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation”, warning us that in the days ahead  “…it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”[2]

These invitations are a call from the Prophet of the Lord to rise up and do better and be better. President Nelson has said:

…we need to do better and be better because we are in a battle. The battle with sin is real. The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord. He is arming his minions with potent weapons to keep us from partaking of the joy and love of the Lord.[3]

Answering Charlotte’s question, and responding with energy and focus to President Nelson’s call, is a journey of faith in Jesus Christ, and in our Heavenly Father. I would like to share with you today something of my own journey of faith, and what I have learned about Jesus Christ, about faith in Him, about testimony, and about the joy of redemption. I want to share with you two stories many years apart.

The first took place in southern Germany. I had been on my mission for two months. It had been a difficult time and I was very discouraged. The language was hard, and we had been rejected and ridiculed and cast out many times. It felt like we were under attack. People had argued with us on points of doctrine, told us we were from the devil, and much worse. I felt the temptations and whispers of doubt about what I was doing. One morning I knelt in prayer and told Heavenly Father of my troubles. It was a heartfelt prayer of real intent. I said to Him, “Heavenly Father, please help me.” As I prayed I heard a voice, as distinct and clear as though someone were standing right next to me. The voice said: Believe in God.

I asked my companion if there were a scripture that said, “Believe in God?” He sent me to the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 4:9.

I sat on the bed and opened the Book of Mormon and read the inspired words of King Benjamin:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.[4]

As I read those words I felt as though King Benjamin were speaking to me. I felt the power of the Holy Ghost in my heart. I knew this was the answer to my prayer. My prayer was: Heavenly Father, please help me. The answer sent me to the Book of Mormon where I received two messages.

So, that is what I did. I decided to get up, eat breakfast, pray and go to work, and keep praying and going to work every day. The trials and challenges did not disappear. And there were times ahead when I would feel attacked again. But I knew what I had heard. I knew the message was from the Lord. And so, I trusted in Him.

That experience was a pivotal moment in my life. But there would be more; here is one from many years later.

The second story took place at a very difficult time for me, for my wife Sue, and for our family. We faced significant challenges and setbacks in our lives, especially in our family. It felt like we were under attack. It felt that way because we were. I was plagued by unsettled feelings, doubts about myself, and temptations to take counsel from my fears. It was a hard time.

One night I had a terrible nightmare. I woke up feeling great anxiety that did not leave when I was awake. I got on my knees and pleaded with Heavenly Father for help. As I prayed, words came into my mind that I knew were scripture:

…for we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, with powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, with spiritual wickedness in high places.[5]

Thankfully, I went back to sleep. When I got up in the morning I looked up the scripture. I had not remembered that it is part of the Apostle Paul’s great statement on the armor of God. This is what I read:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[6]

The message that morning was clear: put on the whole armor of God – no chinks, no gaps, no missing parts. Sue and I were active in the Church. We served the Lord and we sought to raise our children in righteousness. But the Lord called us to rise up, to do better and be better. With that message the Lord put our journey of faith onto a steeper trajectory. At the heart of that journey was this invitation from Moroni:

And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the apostles and prophets have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.[7]

This invitation comes with a promise from the Lord, that I know is true: “Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you. Seek me diligently, and ye shall find me…”[8] “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search with all your hearts.”[9]

I want to share with you today what I have learned about seeking – and finding – the Lord Jesus Christ. What I am going to share did not happen all at once. Beginning those many years ago, the Lord gave us line upon line and precept upon precept. Over the years we have learned that small and simple acts of devotion open our hearts to the Lord, and invite the Holy Ghost to minister to us. We have made these simple things the framework of our lives and I want to share them with you.

I will speak about six small and simple activities, but I have organized them into pairs. That is how I think about them; they are companion activities.

Pair 1: The first pair is prayer with real intent, and feasting on the words of Christ, especially in the Book of Mormon.

Praying and studying the scriptures are companions. As Elder Robert D. Hales once said, “…when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures.”[10]

When we began this journey, Sue and I prayed together and individually and with our family morning and night. We read the scriptures every day. And yet, the Lord taught us that we needed to do better. In time, we learned to pray with more gratitude, with greater faith, and with real intent to do what the Lord wanted done. We felt the Lord nudging us to pray more often, and to pray about everything, as Amulek taught. And we had a prayer in our hearts. There were times when we prayed vocally and in our hearts all day long.

We pondered more, reflected more, and spent more time in the scriptures every day, studying them, keeping a scripture journal and really feasting on them. We learned to prayerfully dig deeper into the scriptures than we had ever dug before. Revelations came as the Lord guided us and blessed us. It really was a feast!

The companionship of prayer and the scriptures became more meaningful and more powerful. They have become crucial elements in the framework of our lives.

Pair 2: The second pair is daily repentance and partaking of the sacrament.

President Nelson has taught:

Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.[11]

The Lord’s call to Sue and me to rise up meant that we had to change things in our lives, we had to repent. The Lord taught us that we should always be asking ourselves two questions: what am I doing I should stop doing? What am I not doing I should start doing?

These questions lead to daily repentance. In the first place, the things we are working on take time and daily attention to them is important as we turn away from old patterns of thought and action, and turn to the Lord for forgiveness, for His redeeming power and for His help to create new, more righteous patterns of life.

Second, we are subject to temptation and we make mistakes. We say things we should not say, or fail to heed a prompting, or do things we should not do. Daily reflection on the day, and daily repentance helps us catch those mistakes before they grow into something far more serious. Daily repentance is a gift of protection and spiritual power from the Lord.

Daily repentance may sound daunting, even discouraging. But repentance is not a dour doctrine. As President Nelson taught, it is liberating and full of hope. I testify that this is true. Repentance is not a distant doctrine in my life. I have felt the joy in daily repentance, when my focus is on Jesus Christ. In those moments of reflection and change I see what I need to do, and I try to do better. With the assurance of the Holy Ghost I feel stronger and I know that with the Lord’s help I can do better and be better.

The ordinance of the sacrament is a wonderful companion to daily repentance. Sue and I have always loved to partake of the sacrament. Yet, as we began asking ourselves those two questions, and as the Lord taught us, our experience in that sacred ordinance changed. The sacrament became more a time of love and gratitude for the Savior, and His Atonement and resurrection. It became more a time of reflection on our repentance, and of renewed covenant making. It became a time to seek the Lord and to find in Him healing power and personal revelation.

In the ordinance of the sacrament we look back on the daily repentance of the week behind, and forward to what we need to do in the week ahead. These companion gifts from the Lord are central to the framework of our lives.

Pair 3: The third pair is ministering to all, and worship in the holy temple.

Ministering is a beautiful principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Savior said:

…whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.[12]

We minister in our families, making our homes sanctuaries of love, and faith and centers of gospel living. We minister in our assignments to our brothers and sisters, and in our callings and to our neighbors and friends, inviting all to come and feel the Lord’s love and enjoy all of His blessings. We minister to those on the other side of the veil, that they might also enjoy the blessings of salvation and exaltation.

In all these opportunities to serve, the Lord has called us to minister in a higher and holier way, with His love and with His power. When we seek revelation and then go and do the work, we find the Lord goes with us. We take upon us His yoke, and He works with us and through us to accomplish His glorious purposes. As we seek to minister to all, we find Jesus Christ, for that is where He is. He ministers to all and He calls us to join Him in His work.

The ordinances and covenants of the holy temple are a powerful companion to ministering to all. We minister to all so that they may walk the covenant path, receive their temple blessings and, as often as they can, be in the presence of the Lord in His House. If they keep their covenants they will be “…armed with [His] power, [His] name [will] be upon them, and [His] glory … round about them, and [His] angels [will] have charge over them…”[13]

Of course, these also are our promises and our blessings. We minister to help others go, but we also go. In fact, we go so that we can help them go. We go to the House of the Lord to serve and to worship as often as we can. We go to claim the great and precious privileges and promises the Lord has given us. The temple is a house of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, order, holiness and revelation. It is a house of miracles. It is the house of the Lord and we will find Him there.

These three companions – prayer and the scriptures, daily repentance and the sacrament, ministering to all and worship in the Holy Temple – are small and simple things. Yet, they bring great blessings. These small and simple acts of faith in Christ work together in a marvelous, even miraculous way. The Apostle Paul taught the Ephesians this principle. Speaking of our day, he wrote:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.[14]

This surely applies to the continuing Restoration of the Gospel in the Lord’s true and living Church. But as Elder David A. Bednar has taught, it also applies to us individually:

…the power of the Savior’s gospel to transform and bless us flows from discerning and applying the interrelatedness of its doctrine, principles, and practices. Only as we gather together in one all things in Christ, with firm focus upon Him, can gospel truths synergistically enable us to become what God desires us to become and endure valiantly to the end.[15]

With Elder Bednar’s statement in mind, please take a moment and see in your mind’s eye these simple things as interconnected and standing as a whole. Can you see what they really are? These acts of covenant devotion are, very simply, the Lord’s work of salvation. I know He connects and unifies them in Him.

If we do these things consistently and diligently, we are doing the Lord’s work! We have to do them every day, and every week, every month, as often as we can, and we have to do them with faith in Jesus Christ. But if we do, we open our hearts to the Lord and qualify for the ministry of the Holy Ghost. The Lord’s work of salvation becomes the unified framework of our lives. It focuses our lives on Him – we pray in His name, feast on His words, turn to Him to repent, remember Him in the sacrament, minister with His power, and worship in His House.

His work of salvation frames our lives, providing structure to our days, our weeks and our months. The plan of salvation becomes the way we see our lives. It becomes the lens through which we see everything around us. The work of salvation and the Father’s plan inform everything we do, at home, at work, in the Church, in the community.

My dear brothers and sisters, I bear witness of Jesus Christ. He is the Living Son, of the Living God. I know that seeking the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and the scriptures, in daily repentance and the sacrament, in ministering to all and in the House of the Lord brings great, great blessings. If we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him, and we will hear His voice. His love, light and power will flow into our lives. He will sanctify us, heal us, change our hearts, and lift and strengthen us by His mercy and His grace. We will do better and we will be better, and the work of strengthening faith in the Restored Gospel will go forward more powerfully than ever before. I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

[1] Russell M. Nelson, “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints”, Ensign, November 2018

[2] Russel M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives”, May 2018

[3] Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better”, Ensign, May 2019

[4] Mosiah 4:9-10.

[5] Ephesians 6:12

[6] Ephesians 6:10-12

[7] Ether 12:41

[8] Doctrine and Covenants 88:63

[9] Jeremiah 29:13

[10] Robert D. Hales, “Holy Scriptures: The Power of God Unto Salvation”, Ensign November 2006

[11] Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better”, Ensign May 2019

[12] Matthew 20:25-29

[13] Doctrine and Covenants 109:22

[14] Ephesians 10:1

[15] David A. Bednar, “Gather Together in One All Things in Christ”, Ensign November 2018

Elder Kim B. Clark was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2015. He was released on October 5, 2019. During his time in the Seventy he served as the Commissioner of the Church Educational System. At the time of his call, Elder Clark was serving as the president of BYU-Idaho.

Elder Clark received a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He joined the faculty of the Harvard Business School in 1978 and was named dean of that school in 1995. In 2005 he became president of BYU-Idaho. Elder Clark currently serves as the NAC Professor of Management at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

Kim Bryce Clark was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 20, 1949. He married Sue Lorraine Hunt in June 1971. They are the parents of seven children, and grandparents of 26 grandchildren.

The post Come, Follow Me Week 23 – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 appeared first on FAIR.

By Nick Galieti

(Originally published on February 11, 2015 as part of our “Rise Up” podcast for youth)

When it comes to living our lives, we have a lot of choices placed before us. We have our choice of schools to attend after high school, or even a choice of career path. Spiritually speaking, we have a choice to make. When viewing the world around him, even Joshua in the Old Testament dealt with this same question. In Joshua 24:14-15 he was speaking prior to his death and reflecting on the different choices that he made in his life when he recorded this often quoted passage:

14 ¶Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

When Jesus Christ was ministering personally on the Earth both in the Old World and in the Book of Mormon lands, he made a rather declarative statement that leaves little room for confusion. A statement that invites the one who hears it, to search their heart and make an assessment of where they are at in their life. In Luke chapter 16:13 or in 3 Nephi 13:24 we read: “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” The bible dictionary teaches us that the word Mammon is Aramaic for “riches.” In other words, this scripture is saying that you cannot serve both God and the things of this world.

In my time with FAIR, and even for some years prior to volunteering, I would come across a variety of people that seemed to struggle with this idea. When I say struggle, it isn’t something that they consciously notice. To a certain extent, we all will have time in our lives where it seems like we might be serving one more than the other. But there are those who “Try to Serve the Lord without Offending the Devil.” It is a concept that was addressed by Elder James E. Faust at a BYU devotional back in 1994. I want to share some of his counsel with you, not only because he says it better than I could, but also because it is important to hear the voice of the Lord’s chosen apostles. They have been blessed with the ability and spiritual capacity to guide us through some tough questions we might have about how to approach our lives. Here are some highlights from that presentation.

In the great universities of the world, one does not often choose to speak of the influence of Satan. Perhaps it is not cool to address this subject, but I choose to do so anyway. Someone said in these few words: “I have heard much about the devil. I have read a great deal about the devil. I have even done business with the devil, but it didn’t pay.” Your generation lives in a day when many things are measured against the standard of social or political correctness. Today I challenge that false doctrine of human behavior. The influence of Satan is becoming more acceptable. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, “The devil is most devilish when respectable”

It is not good practice to become intrigued by Satan and his mysteries. No good can come from getting too close to evil. Like playing with fire, it is too easy to get burned: “The knowledge of sin tempteth to its commission” (see Joseph F. Smith, GD, p. 373). The only safe course is to keep well distanced from him and from any of his wicked activities or nefarious practices.

However, Brigham Young said that it is important to “study . . . evil, and its consequences” (DBY, p. 257). Since Satan is the author of all evil in the world, it would therefore be essential to realize that he is the influence behind the opposition to the work of God. Alma stated the issue succinctly: “For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil” (Alma 5:40).

My principal reason for choosing this subject is to help young people by warning them, as Paul said, “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). We hope that young people, unfamiliar with the sophistries of the world, can keep themselves free of Satan’s enticements and deceitful ways.

I owe my text to Elder Marion G. Romney, who, at a BYU devotional in 1955, stated: “Now there are those among us who are trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil.” This is a contradiction of terms. President Romney goes on:

“Must the choice lie irrevocably between peace on the one hand, obtained by compliance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and contention and war on the other hand?” [Marion G. Romney, “The Price of Peace,” Brigham Young University student body, March 1, 1955, p. 7]

Yogi Berra is reported to have said, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” But it doesn’t work that way. The Savior said,

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” [Matthew 6:24]

Today many of us are trying to serve two masters: the Lord and our own selfish interests, without offending the devil. The influence of God, our Eternal Father, urges us, pleads with us, and inspires us to follow him. In contrast, the power of Satan urges us to disbelieve and disregard God’s commandments.

In another address President Romney continues:

“The consequences of [mortal man’s] choices are of the all-or-nothing sort. There is no way for him to escape the influence of these opposing powers. Inevitably he is led by one or the other. His God-given free agency gives him the power and option to choose. But choose he must. Nor can he serve both of them at the same time, for, as Jesus said, ‘No man can serve two masters: . . . Ye cannot serve God and mammon.'” [Marion G. Romney, CR, October 1962, p. 94]

Here then is the challenge, in what issues do we see this “riding the line,” or trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil. One current issue that is causing some discord or one where one may feel that is walking that line, is the issue of homosexuality or gay marriage. Elder Faust addresses the issue this way:

The Church’s stand on homosexual relations provides another arena where we offend the devil. I expect that the statement of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve against homosexual marriages will continue to be assaulted. Satan is only interested in our misery, which he promotes by trying to persuade men and women to act contrary to God’s plan. One way he does this is by encouraging the inappropriate use of sacred creative powers. A bona fide marriage is one between a man and a woman solemnized by the proper legal or ecclesiastical authority. Only sexual relations between husband and wife within the bonds of marriage are acceptable before the Lord.

Any alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and a woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society. I am sure this is pleasing to the devil. The fabric I refer to is the family. These so-called alternative lifestyles must not be accepted as right because they frustrate God’s commandment for a life-giving union of male and female within a legal marriage as stated in Genesis.

I suggest that the devil takes some delight every time a home is broken up, even where there is no parent to blame. This is especially so where there are children involved. The physical and spiritual neglect of children is one of the spawning grounds for so many of the social ills of the world.

Sometimes these issues are not so charged. Sometimes these issues involve matters of temptations and personal conduct, and not necessarily social issues. Elder Faust continues with this counsel:

I now turn to milder ways of not offending the devil. Nephi has given to us the pattern or formula by which Satan operates:

“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

“And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.” [2 Nephi 28:21–22]

C. S. Lewis gave us a keen insight into devilish tactics. In a fictional letter, the master devil, Screwtape, instructs the apprentice devil Wormwood, who is in training to become a more experienced devil:

“You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. . . . It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. . . . Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” [The Screwtape Letters (New York: Macmillan, 1961), p. 56]

So-called small sins include the challenge to the “sin laws” that seek to control forms of gambling, alcohol, and drug consumption. Some who wish to appear broad-minded say, under the guise of not imposing religious belief, “I don’t drink or gamble, but I don’t think we ought to have any laws to control others that wish to.” This completely ignores the health and social costs to society of the vices. They foolishly argue that laws cannot control human behavior. My long legal career has led me to conclude that all criminal laws have a moral basis.

I now come to some even milder forms of trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil. Having a temple recommend and not using it seems mild enough. However, if we live close to a temple, perhaps having a temple recommend but not using it may not offend the devil. Satan is offended when we use that recommend, going to the temple to partake of the spiritual protection it affords. How often do we plan to go to the temple only to have all kinds of hindrances arise to stop us from going? The devil has always been offended by our temple worship.

I want to add my own voice to the principle and importance of temple work as a way to help protect us even from our own desires that might not fall in line with God’s principles. When one spends time on the internet or in reading material that some would call anti-Mormon, or even material that is is critical of the Church, the leaders of the Church, or otherwise, it can take a toll on our spiritual immune systems. It starts to wear people down and bring a sort of unhappiness into their lives that slowly creeps in, poisoning the spirit of peace. It is the power of the temple and temple service that can cast aside that anger, and helps us to find a place for the peace that comes from feeling close to the Lord.

Elder Faust concludes:

I wonder how much we offend Satan if the proclamation of our faith is limited only to the great humanitarian work this Church does throughout the world, or to our beautiful buildings, or to this great university, marvelous as these activities are. When we preach the gospel of social justice, no doubt the devil is not troubled. But I believe the devil is terribly offended when we boldly declare by personal testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he saw the Father and the Son; when we preach that the Book of Mormon is another witness for Christ; when we declare that there has been a restoration of the fullness of the gospel in its simplicity and power in order to fulfill the great plan of happiness.

We challenge the powers of darkness when we speak of the perfect life of the Savior and of his sublime work for all mankind through the Atonement. This supernal gift permits us, through repentance, to break away from Satan’s grasping tentacles.

We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The apostle James counseled: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). And Nephi states that “he hath no power over the hearts” of people who are righteous (l Nephi 22:26).

Satan has had great success with this gullible generation. As a consequence, literally hosts of people have been victimized by him and his angels. There is, however, an ample shield against the power of Lucifer and his hosts. This protection lies in the spirit of discernment through the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift comes undeviatingly by personal revelation to those who strive to obey the commandments of the Lord and to follow the counsel of the living prophets.

I emphasize that fasting and prayer is a great way to receive the moral strength and spiritual strength to resist the temptations of Satan. But you may say this is hard and unpleasant. I commend to you the example of the Savior. He went into the desert, where he fasted and prayed to prepare himself spiritually for his ministry. His temptation by the devil was great, but through the purification of his spirit he was able to triumph over all evil.

I testify that there are forces that will save us from the ever-increasing lying, disorder, violence, chaos, destruction, misery, and deceit that are upon the earth. Those saving forces are the everlasting principles, covenants, and ordinances of the eternal gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These same principles, covenants, and ordinances are coupled with the rights and powers of the priesthood of Almighty God. We of this church are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers that can and do roll back much of the power of Satan on the earth. We believe that we hold these mighty forces in trust for all who have died, for all who are now living, and for the yet unborn.

I pray that we will dedicate our lives to serving the Lord and not worry about offending the devil. I also pray that through the spreading of righteousness, the evil hands of the destroyer might be stayed and that he may not be permitted to curse the whole world. I also pray that God will overlook our weaknesses, our frailties, and our many shortcomings and generously forgive us of our misdeeds. I further pray that he will bring solace to the suffering, comfort to those who grieve, and peace to the broken-hearted, and I leave this witness and testimony and blessing with you in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

Nick Galieti is an experienced podcaster for organizations like FAIR, LDS Perspectives and Book of Mormon Central, as well as his own podcast, LDS MissionCast. Nick Galieti was recipient of the 2015 John Taylor: Defender of the Faith Award by FairMormon for outstanding service and contributions to Latter-day Saint Apologetics. Since starting podcasting in 2011, Nick has produced or hosted over 800 Podcast episodes.

Nick Galieti is also the author of the books “Tree of Sacrament,” and is a contributor and editor for the volume “D&C 4: A Lifetime Study in Discipleship.” Nick has directed and produced two feature length documentaries on Joseph Smith: “Picturing Joseph,” and “Murder of the Mormon Prophet.”

Nick is a Broadcast and Events Language Producer, and enjoys traveling the world. Nick married his wife, Heidi, in 2001 and they have 5 daughters.

The post Come, Follow Me Week 22 – Joshua 1–8; 23–24 appeared first on FAIR.

(This is from a presentation given at the 2018 FAIR Conference)

Grace, like many English words has multiple meanings. It can mean elegance and beauty. It can mean kindness and courtesy. It can be a title, ‘Your Grace.’ It can be a salutation, “Grace be unto you,” like we read in the in the New Testament, and it can also be a prayer–we’re saying grace. With so many different meanings, no wonder there’s confusion. If we go back to the Hebrew word that was translated as grace, then the word means favor or goodwill given with compassion. No wonder Christians grabbed that word to describe God’s favor, God’s goodwill given with God’s compassion. But Latter-day Saints understand that grace is not just a description of God’s attributes. It is how he engages with us as we strive to attain those very attributes. Listen to what President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said:

He says, “Grace is the divine assistance and endowment of strength by which we grow from the flawed and limited beings we are now into Exalted Beings.”

So grace is the strength He gives us to make us strong. It is the divine help He gives us to make us divine. When I was younger, I always thought that grace was somehow waiting for me at a finish line; that I had to do everything I possibly could to get to the finish line. I had to be down on my hands and knees. I had to be scraping with dirt under my fingernails and then somehow grace would come. But now I understand that grace is not waiting at the finish line. It’s the power that gets me to the finish line. It’s not a light waiting at the end of the tunnel. Rather, it’s the light that surrounds me here and now and moves me to the end of the tunnel.

When I was younger, I kind of felt like grace somehow supplemented my works or that my works somehow supplemented Jesus’s grace as if we had to meet some sort of minimum height requirement to get into heaven. But now I understand that it’s not about height. It’s about growth. So instead of seeing grace as something that supplements or works as something that supplements, I realized we get to heaven, not by supplementing but by covenanting. And the covenant is a warm relationship, a relationship that is greater than the sum of its parts. So instead of speaking about God’s part and my part, now I speak more about God’s heart and my heart, loving each other and being conformed to the same image.

Listen to what Elder D. Todd Christofferson has said: “We do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help. Divine aid can be ours, every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience.”

Now, that said, we have to be a little careful that we don’t let grace become a catchall word for every divine interaction which has happened in a lot of mainstream Christianity. A grace kind of defines everything that God does, everything that He is, every interaction He has in our lives. But we need to keep grace as a word in its place because there’s a whole umbrella that covers the many ways that God interacts with his children. We have answers to prayer. We have tender mercies.

But grace is a little different than that. The reason it’s important to point that out is because we can then recognize grace in our lives even when we don’t see answers to prayer; even when we don’t see tender mercies.

When my son Russell was 16, he always lost the keys to the car. Well, his mom got smart and she made an extra set. So Russell would come home and say, “I lost the keys to the car,” and I’d say, “Mom has an extra set,” and we got through just fine until the day he said, “I lost the keys.” I said, “Mom’s got an extra set.” He said, “Those are the ones I just lost.” And so I said, “Get over here, we’re going to pray.” So we said a prayer and Russell was led to find the keys in a place he’d already looked several times and our family recognized an answer to prayer. Now that kid grew up and became a nurse anesthetist. It’s a little scary if you think about it. “Hey, I know there’s a body around here somewhere. Where did that body go? Oh, mom’s got an extra.” Uh, I mean, it’s a little scary.

He called me when he first graduated and said, “Dad, now we have something in common.”

I said, “What’s that?”

He said, “We both put people to sleep.” I didn’t know how I felt about that one. But when Russell was training, he was assigned to go to a hospital for a rotation that was about five hours from his home in Sacramento and that had them nervous because my little daughter-in-law had two toddlers and a brand new baby. She thought, ‘How am I going to handle this with him gone for days and days at a time?’ The baby wasn’t sleeping well, the baby wasn’t eating well and she thought, ‘I just can’t keep up with this.’ Well, the minute that his rotation started, the baby started sleeping through the night. The minute his rotation started, the baby started eating better and holding down the food and our family recognized a tender mercy. We couldn’t call it an answer to prayer because we weren’t even smart enough to pray for it. God just saw a need and He stepped in and met that need and we recognized a tender mercy.

Now grace is a little different from those blessings because grace or the interactions from heaven that change us; that change us.

It’s the Holy Ghost, acting as the minister of grace, the messenger of grace, who sanctifies us and that’s when we can see God shaping us and transforming us. I know a young man who joined the church in Las Vegas. He was a young teenager when he first started getting interested in religion and he started going from church to church and attending church with a lot of his friends from high school. His stepdad was just furious at him. He said, “You’re young. This is when you’re supposed to be smoking pot and sleeping with girls and drinking.” He says, “Good grief. Why are you going to churches?” But when the kid ended up joining the Mormon Church then his stepdad kicked him out of the house.

A family in the ward took him and helped him get ready for his mission and he was in the MTC preparing to go to Japan. When he wrote me this letter, he was a convert of only a year. He says, ‘Some General Authority just came and told us that we’re supposed to love our parents.’ He says, ‘That’s a hard one for me. How am I supposed to love a man I don’t even like? How am I supposed to love a man that I don’t respect it all? How am I supposed to love a man that I hope I never even see again?’

And then he wrote this, ‘I guess for me right now, love is going to have to mean that I feel sorry for him and that I won’t give up hope that one day maybe he can change.’

That’s grace, when God just reaches into our very hearts and helps us begin to forgive when we think we can’t, helps us begin to open a door to love when we think that door has been slammed shut, when God reaches into our hearts and helps us try once more to break a bad habit that we’ve tried so many times to break before without success. In those moments, we see grace in our lives.

Now, President Nelson has cautioned us to be careful as we use the word atonement because many members of the church say, “Oh, the atonement helped me.” “The atonement comforted me.” “The atonement changed me.” “The atonement blessed me.” And President Nelson reminds us that it’s not the atonement that does that. It’s Christ who does that – through his atonement.

When he cautioned us, his talk was called Accessing the Power of Jesus Christ. We have a name for that power. The name is grace. That is the power of Jesus Christ–that, as Sheri Dew says, “…flows from the atonement.” So the atonement was something that people look forward to and now it’s something we look back on. Jesus’s suffering was real, but it was an event. The thing that allows that event to have continuous force both before and after it happened, is the grace that flows from that atonement, the grace that the atonement makes possible in our lives, and that’s why we call the power, the power of the atonement, an enabling power. If you’re ever reading the scriptures and you come to the word grace, try replacing the word with power and see if the scripture makes a little more sense to you. Now we sing a song in the church. We sing a hymn that says, ‘I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.’ When Charles Gabriel wrote that hymn, confused didn’t just mean ‘baffled’ or ‘bewildered’, or ‘I don’t get it’. Confused also could mean ‘standing in awe, standing in reverent awe of the grace, the enabling power, that so fully he proffers me.’ There’s another word we don’t use very often. We use the word ‘offer’. I can ‘offer’ you this clip, but he would have to come forward to get it. If I ‘proffer’ it to him, I’m putting the prefix ‘pro’ onto ‘offer’, making ‘proffer’, meaning I’m pro-actively offering him the gift. That means I’m going to come down. I’m going to literally put it right in his hand. See, I’m going to make it almost impossible for him to refuse it. That’s proffer.

Well, yes, we stand amazed at the grace Jesus proffers us. Think about the emblems of the sacrament. In many churches, those are offered to the congregation. People come forward to receive them, but not in our church. In our church, those are proffered to us. They are literally placed in our hands even when we’re late and in the foyer, and don’t ask me how I know that, but even then, those emblems are proffered to us. They’re placed right before us. It’s a gift that we almost can’t refuse, and yet, just as we stand amazed at Christ’s gift and how freely he proffers it, He must stand a little amazed at how few people there are in this world who are willing to receive the gift, who are willing to pick up those emblems and internalize them.

In Doctrine and Covenants 88, we read: ‘For what does it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him and he receive not the gift. Behold he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him, who is the giver of the gift.’ In my class the other day, I’m teaching the second half of the New Testament. So we’re talking about grace and I said, “How many of you have ever received a Christmas gift from an aunt or a grandmother, a mother, a father, a cousin, something that you’ve said, ‘Oh, thank you. This is wonderful.’ And then you’ve thrown it out, given it to DI or put it in your closet, never to see the light of day again?” Every hand went up. They all know how it feels to get a gift and then not value it because they don’t use it.

So the way they value the gift is demonstrated by how well they receive and utilize the gift. In the same way Christ knows who values his grace, not who’s given his grace, because he gives that so freely, but he sees who values his grace by looking to see who receives it, who receives that grace and who receives it and utilizes it.

I know a sister who went to the temple for the first time and she came out and I said, “How did it go?”

And she said, “Well, I was kinda disappointed that it wasn’t more focused on the atonement.”

I mean, it sounded to me like she just said, ‘I just walked through a forest and I wish I’d seen a tree.’ I mean, how did she miss the atonement in the endowment? But then I realized, ‘Oh, she was expecting to see portrayals of Christ in Gethsemane; portrayals of Christ on the cross; portrayals of Christ rising from the empty tomb. Instead she saw the story of Adam and Eve.’ That’s when I explained to her something that’s been taught by Sister Marie Hafen and her husband, Elder Bruce C. Hafen in their book, ‘The Consecrated Heart’, and they teach that in the temple, we don’t learn how Christ gives us the atonement, we learn how Adam and Eve and all of us receive the atonement. And how do we receive this gift? The same way they did – by covenant, by entering into a covenant relationship with Christ that allows us more and more and more access to His grace.

Grace is not a one-time gift. Rather it’s a gift that we’re given more and more of as we utilize what we’ve been given. When I think about that, I think about reading books to my grandkids. When my little grandkids were born, the first thing I do is read a book to him. Now everybody in the hospital laughs because I’m holding the baby and I’m holding the book and the book is bigger than the baby, but I read that book to those babies and I don’t care how many people laugh. I know I’m being smart because I want that kid surrounded by language and love and books right from day one, so I read books to them. Now some of those kids are old enough that they can read little books to me and the minute they do, I give them another book. See if they read one book, then I give them more books, and that little exchange helps me understand how Christ gives us grace.

Listen to what we read in 2 Nephi 28  ‘I will give unto the children of men, line upon line, precept upon precept, and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts and lend an ear to my council for they shall learn wisdom and for unto him that receiveth, I will give more.’

My daughter Whitney called me one day and she said, “Dad, I just read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and I think it’s about grace.”

I said, “No, no honey, that’s about money because talents were money, so it’s talking about money.”

She says, “Dad, read it again.”

So I read it again, and with this lens that my daughter had provided, suddenly I started seeing it a little differently. Unto one servant, he gave five talents, or, we could say, five books. Unto another servant, he gave two books, and unto another servant, he gave one book. Well, the first two read their books. So the Lord said, “Well done. You have been faithful over a few books. I will give you many books. Enter into my library.” Now to the other servant, he takes the book away. Why? Because he’s punishing the very servant who needs it the most? No, it’s because the servant already cast it aside.

What good is a book to someone who refuses to read it? We all know the pain of giving away a copy of the Book of Mormon and then having the person reject it. That choice doesn’t say as much about the missionary and the book as it does about the person who has been given a gift that hasn’t been valued, given a gift that hasn’t been utilized. So even if the Lord said, “Well, gosh, third servant, I love you anyway, and so come on, you can go into my library.” Is the servant even going to want to be there? I mean, until she learns to value what she’s been given, until she learns to love what her father in heaven loves, then more books would be burden rather than blessing. And so, even though initially it may seem unfair that those who got more get even more, when we consider how the gift is utilized, how the gift was used, then we see the fairness in having the book taken away from the very one who rejected it. And we can see that this gift of grace must be used. Sometimes, when I teach young people, I compare grace to a scholarship. I say getting grace is like getting a scholarship. It’s not a student loan. You’re not expected to pay it back. It’s not money you’ve earned in a job and saved up. It’s a gift.

The one giving the gift doesn’t want to get paid back. The one giving the gift wants to see the gift utilized. Because simply getting a scholarship does not guarantee learning and getting a scholarship does not guarantee graduation. It facilitates it, and in that covenant relationship with Christ, then His grace facilitates our growth and our change and our transformation. Making covenants is not a declaration that we need works more than grace. Making covenants is our way of acknowledging God’s grace, accepting God’s grace, appreciating God’s grace and showing him that we are ready for more. So a kid comes into the church at age eight and gets the gift of the Holy Ghost. As he makes more covenants, as he renews that covenant in sacrament meeting at the sacrament table, then he receives more. Then he enters the temple and he makes more covenants and he receives more grace. So our works are not in place of faith. Rather, our works grow out of and are an inevitable consequence of our faith.

So for us, the question, ‘Have you been saved by grace?’ is tricky to answer, but not because of the word grace. When someone says, “Have you been saved by grace?”, Latter-day Saints should answer, “Yes, absolutely. Completely. With total gratitude. Yes, yes, yes, yes.” If we have a discussion with nonmember friends, the word to discuss is not grace. That’s something we have in common. The word to discuss is ‘saved’. That’s where we’re different. What does salvation mean to them versus what does salvation mean to us? Our complete dependence on Jesus Christ is an absolute either way, but what is salvation? For many, Christian salvation is just getting to the other side of the wall of heaven. I know a lady in the South who told me, “I’m going to slip Saint Peter a twenty and slide on through.”

That’s her idea of grace. That’s her idea of being saved. That’s what it is – just getting into heaven. But for Latter-day Saints, that’s a little teeny piece of a salvation that is massive – a salvation that doesn’t just include getting to heaven, but becoming heavenly, not just going back to God, but becoming like him. Our salvation is huge and Jesus’s grace is a large enough gift to be able to help us reach salvation in its fullness. So the question to consider is not just ‘Have we been saved by grace?’ but ‘Have we been changed by grace?’ Not just ‘Are we going to be resurrected? Are we going to go back to God’s presence or Christ presence for the judgment?’ Those things are already answered. The question to consider is, ‘How comfortable will we be on that occasion?’

How comfortable will we be when we are expected to live as Christ lives and love as He loves and create as He creates and be as He is? For us, grace is not just about salvation at a basic form, but it’s about salvation that is large enough to include exaltation. For us, grace is not just about justification at a basic level, but it’s about sanctification. Do you remember when Elder Holland spoke in general conference and he talked about how we’re all like a big choir? Do you remember that talk? And he mentioned the sopranos, the altos, the baritones and the basses. And I have a friend who’s a tenor in the word choir, and he said, “All the tenors said they were going to resign. They were all going to quit and have a protest because they were offended that Elder Holland did not mention the tenors.” Well, we remember that talk and a phrase from that talk that has always stuck in my mind is this, ‘Come as you are, but don’t expect to stay that way.’ That’s grace. Come as you are, but don’t expect to stay that way. For us, grace is not a get out of jail free card. It’s not permission to procrastinate and sin. Rather grace is how we can begin to emulate our Savior and not just do as He did, but become as he is. Now for Latter-day Saints, we have to remember that that’s a transition that takes time. We all want it to happen quickly. We want it to happen so fast. We want it to happen Harry Potter style – abracadabra – phssht. I think I just killed you. I don’t know. It’s been a while since I read the books, but I think I just used the wrong spell. We want the change to happen quickly and it doesn’t always happen quickly.

A young man wrote me from the MTC and he said, ‘Where’s God? Where’s God when I need him the most? Why has he abandoned me?’ I wrote him back and I went, ‘What the heck? You are in the MTC! God lives there. He has a room right down the hall from you.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Where’s God?’ he says. ‘I have been here for three weeks and I still don’t speak Spanish.’

Now, do you see what he wants? Poof, you speak Español. Poof. Taco, burrito, enchilada, and poof. You know he wants it to happen quickly. I wrote him back and I said, ‘Look, you didn’t learn English in three weeks when you were a baby, so give yourself a little time and keep working at it. You’ll be fine.’ He writes me back and he says, ‘Don’t we believe in the gift of tongues?’ Do you see what he wants? Poof. Gift of tongues. Poof. Instant. I wrote him back and I said, ‘Yes, we believe in the gift of tongues and sometimes in church history that gift has been instantaneous, but usually not. Usually it’s a gift that’s bestowed over time.’

Grace is a gift that is bestowed over time. Time becomes the medium through which the power of Christ’s atonement is made manifest in our lives. Time becomes the medium through which the power of the atonement is made manifest in our lives.

Now, why? Because God can’t change him instantly. Can’t teach him Spanish overnight. Well, I guess God could, but we have to consider what God’s purposes are. He doesn’t just want that kid to look like he knows Spanish. He doesn’t want him to fake it for a few days. He doesn’t want him to be able to get through the airport and go order food in a restaurant. He wants him to teach the gospel in Spanish. He wants him to testify in Spanish. He wants it to be part of him, and so he chooses to change us over time.

Yeah, but Christ changed water to wine in an instant. But water doesn’t have freewill. Water doesn’t have to choose to be changed. Water doesn’t have to want to be changed – but we do. So the change typically happens over time and slowly but surely, week after week and weakness after weakness, we are transformed.

Have you ever gone to a family reunion or come home from a mission and suddenly you see that everybody’s changed? Have you ever seen that? Have you ever seen a brother get home from a mission and go, “Oh, my gosh, my younger brothers have shot up.”

And little kids say, “No, I’m the same as I was yesterday. I haven’t changed.”  Because they have seen themselves in the mirror everyday so they don’t notice the change, but when you’re away from it, when you step back, suddenly you see the transformation. There are too many Latter-day Saints who feel like, ‘Gosh, I’m not changing. The change that’s happening to me isn’t happening. When is this change going to happen?’ But if we’ll step back and then we’ll realize ‘I’m doing a little better than I was 20 years ago. I’m doing a little better than I was 10 years ago. I’m certainly doing a little better than I was five years ago. At least. Now I don’t try to pretend like it’s not fast Sunday. I may not like it, but at least I’m done with playing the game of eating my breakfast really quick and then saying, ‘Oh, I forgot it was fast Sunday.’ I mean, at least I’m over that, so I may not be where I want to be, but look how far I’ve come through the grace of Jesus Christ. Look how far I’ve come.’

I spoke at a young single adult conference one time in Kirtland, Ohio, and what an experience that was. The young people had their workshops and their food and their dances, but they also got to go to the historic sites. They got to hear these wonderful missionaries testify and teach in these historic sites. It was great. The final day we had a sacrament service right in the Kirtland temple. Now we don’t own that building, so I don’t know who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody, but we ended up with permission to have a sacrament service. There we sang, “The spirit of God like a fire is burning” in the very place that it burned. I mean, we renewed our covenant with Christ by taking the sacrament in the very place where he renewed his covenant with us in this dispensation. I mean, it was just thrilling and when I stood up to speak, I said, “Notice the woodwork. Notice the woodwork around the windows. Notice the woodwork on the pillars. Notice the woodwork on the pulpits. See how intricate and how carefully, how beautiful it is, and how carefully it was done.” Well, then I pointed out that these early saints, they were very careful. They gave it their all, but they were volunteers. They weren’t professional craftsman, they weren’t professional builders and they were poor. They were stretching their resources.

Now, the reason I pointed that out is because earlier in the day they had taken me down into the basement of the temple and I got to see the original support beams underneath the Kirtland Temple. They were laid incorrectly. Not only were they laid horizontally rather than vertically – see a vertical beam can support more than a horizontally placed beam. Not only was that a problem, but they had stretched their resources so thin that they had placed the support beams too far apart from each other and under the heaviest part of the building where the pulpits were-no support beams, none. Now they have them. Now they’ve got steel reinforced things and all this stuff, but not back then. There were no support beams. They’re lucky they didn’t sing, ‘The Spirit of God like a’- whoosh -and just fall right through the floor. Think of how many people crammed into that building during the dedication, not to mention the angels that were on the roof. That building should have collapsed, but the flaws did not keep Jesus from coming and the flaws did not keep Jesus from accepting that building as His. And where there was weakness, He gave strength and He turned that flawed building into a holy temple and that’s what He is doing with us. We just have to be patient. We just have to be patient with ourselves. We just have to be patient with each other as we go through this transformation process that takes a lifetime and more. We just need to be patient.

Brethren, how many of you have ever blessed the sacrament? How many have you ever blown it, said the wrong words? Yeah, girls. You just have no idea how hard it is to read a paragraph. I mean, you just have no idea. So what happens when the little 16 year old is blessing the sacrament? He blows it. He’s blessing the water. It should be the bread. What happens in a moment like that?

He turns to the bishop. Bishop nods his head and the bishop says, “Go one more time.” Well, now he’s really nervous because no one ever listens to the sacrament prayers ever until the priest blows it, and then everybody’s like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t even know there was a problem,’ and so then suddenly everybody’s listening. Well then the nervous little priest blows it again. Well, what happens then? Does the bishop have a trap door? I mean, can he push a button, open the trap door and suck illiterate priests into the basement of the church? No, there is no trap door. The bishop can raise and lower the podium. That is the extent of his power. There’s no trap door. The bishop just nods. The kid starts one more time. Well, what if he blows it again? I mean by now all the teachers are like, ‘Gosh, you’re taking my whole lesson time.’ I don’t know – if he blows it again, he starts again. The bishop cannot excuse the mistake. The bishop can’t pretend it didn’t happen. The bishop has to verify that those words are spoken perfectly. Did you catch that? Perfectly. ‘Oh, the Mormons have such high expectations. They expect perfection.’

Yeah, but not immediately–eventually—and not alone, but with the help, the grace of Jesus Christ. So the bishop nods, the priest starts once more and this is the point when he finally gets it right, it’s counted as perfect for him and for the entire congregation. Let’s remember that lesson and when we slip up, when those we love slip up, when a young kid comes home early from a mission, let’s remember that lesson because we have many, many opportunities to turn to the bishop and to start one more time and one more time after that and one more time after that. When I was in high school, I was on the debate team and it wasn’t because I was any good. Debbie Peterson knows, she was one of my teachers when I was in high school and she knows dang well. She was a student teacher, but she knows dang well I wasn’t very good at debate, but some girls talked me into joining. You know sisters, you have no idea the power that you have in your lives. Some girls say, “Hey, we want you to join the debate team and come be with us,” and I’m like, “Okay,” and I joined the debate team.

So we’d go around the state and we’d do these debate competitions and then at the end of the competition we’d drive back here to Provo, which was my home, on a school bus, but we’d get bored so we’d play a little game. The game was called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Some of you might remember this game. You clap your hands on your legs, you clap your hands, you click your fingers and you get a little rhythm going, and then when you click your fingers, you’re supposed to say somebody else’s name or somebody else’s number. How many know what I’m talking about? Yeah. I tried to explain this to some BYU students the other day and some girl says, “Oh, that’s Big Booty.”

I said, “We called it Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We are obviously more righteous than you.” But whatever you call the game, I think you know how it’s played and when you make a mistake then you had to go to the back of the bus. The goal was to get up to the front. Well, I’d be moving along and people would make mistakes, so I’d start moving up and I think, ‘Wow, this is great. I’m going to win this thing. I’m going to be right up there at the front. I’m going to win this thing.’ And then somebody would call my name or my number and then my brain would freeze. Now it’s not that hard. I mean all you have to do is say three or five or seven. I mean, that’s all you have to do, but my brain would freeze. Then everybody would laugh and they’d send me to the back of the bus and then I’d spend about five minutes saying, “This game is stupid and anybody who likes this game is stupid.”

I’d sing that song for a while and then I’d start moving up again and I’d think, ‘Okay, this time. Last time I blew it, but this time I’m going to do this thing.’ And we’d get all excited and I’d get moving up and then somebody called me again and I’d end up blowing it and being sent to the back of the bus. Now, what I realize now that I didn’t realize then is that wherever I sat on that bus, the bus was still taking me home. Even when I blew it. Even when I got sent to the back of the bus, the bus was still moving me forward. So when you say, “I’ll never do it again,” and then you do it and then you say, “No, I swear I’ll never do it again,” and then you’d do it, we don’t have to look down in shame and we don’t have to look sideways for excuses. “Well, I read on the Internet that Joseph Smith wasn’t a prophet. Well, I read on the Internet that the church isn’t even true and so I don’t have to break my bad habits.” We’ve got plenty of people playing that game.

We don’t have to look down or sideways. “Well, he does it too. Well, she does it too. The church is wrong to have such high expectations.” We don’t have to play that game. Instead we can look up, we can look up for the help that Christ is so willing to proffer us. We can look up for his grace and we can be changed. When we say, “I’ll never do it again,” and we break that promise, even a pinky promise. (you know, I saw a deacon and a beehive fighting the other day and they were fighting over which is stronger – pinky promise or scout’s honor, and I said, “It doesn’t matter because you’re going to break both of them,”) so when you break pinky promise and when you break scout’s honor, and when we struggle with promises made before God, angels and witnesses, we stay on the bus. We don’t get off the bus; we stay on the bus; we stay in the church; we stay in our covenant relationship with Christ and he will get us home. He will get us there.

Grace is not a prize for the perfect. It is the power to help us through the perfecting process. Grace is not a reward for the righteous. It is the source of righteousness. Grace is not a prize, a trophy for the worthy. It is the source of worthiness and it’s real.  It’s a real force and that makes a real difference. It’s not Mulan’s lucky cricket, it’s not self-fulfilled prophecy. It’s not wishful thinking. It’s not luck or coincidence. It’s a real force. I’ve seen it change so many and I see it changing me. I bear testimony of the reality of Christ’s existence, the reality of his atonement and the reality of His grace, and I thank all of you for caring in a world that’s giving up religion, in a world of Latter-day Saints that are caving in to any argument that flits across the computer screen. I’m grateful for those who are working to present Mormonism fairly, to present our faith fairly, for we do not simply believe because we are mindless sheep. We believe because we are making an intelligent choice. We don’t believe we’re earning our way to heaven with our works. We believe that we’re learning to be heavenly with the help of Christ’s grace.

And, as we stay in that covenant relationship, we don’t depend on his part and our part. It’s not a ratio. It’s a relationship and within that loving relationship, we are tutored, we are educated, we are blessed, and we are given grace to be changed. Thank heaven, literally, for the atonement that allows us, instead of being condemned by our mistakes, to be educated and uplifted and made better because of our mistakes. I bear this testimony and all of my gratitude for those who work toward this end in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

More Come, Follow Me resources here.

Brad Wilcox is a professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University and has been the second counselor in the Young Men general presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since April 2020. He is the author of the book The Continuous Atonement and the BYU devotional “His Grace is Sufficient.” Brad grew up in Provo, Utah, except for childhood years spent in Ethiopia, Africa. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Chile and later returned to that country to preside over the Chile Santiago East Mission from 2003 to 2006. He and his family have also lived for a time in New Zealand and Spain where he directed study abroad programs for Brigham Young University. Brad has served as a member of the Sunday School General Board. He and his wife, Debi, have four children and six grandchildren. Reading, writing, teaching, and traveling are some of his favorite things. He loves Peanut M&M’s and pepperoni pizza, but he realizes that doesn’t sound too healthy so he is really trying hard to learn to love salads.

The post Come, Follow Me Week 19 – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19 appeared first on FAIR.