Sunday Reflections: Teachings of Paul to Ephesians

Okay, so I'm loving studying about the Apostle Paul.  He's so awesome.  Thanks to my sister who teaches Sunday School and her excitement about all she is learning to get me excited about it too...because it is just that...exciting!  I think I'll talk about what I've learned in just a few chapters otherwise it will be a very very long post. 

In Ephesians chapter one Paul writes a letter to the saints in Ephesus.  He talks of how saints are foreordained to recieve the gospel (vs 1-9) He then says in vs. 10, "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."

What does this phrase "dispensation of the fulness of times" mean?  Let's ask first...what is a dispensation of the gospel?  According to the Bible Dictionary,
"A dispensation of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. When this occurs, the gospel is revealed anew, so that people of that dispensation do not have to depend basically on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation. There have been many gospel dispensations since the beginning. The Bible suggests at least one dispensation identified with Adam, another with Enoch, another with Noah, and so on with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus with his apostles in the meridian of time.

Okay, so here is the really exciting stuff in the Bible Dictionary that answers the question of what the dispensation of the fulness of times that Paul was talking about means, "The fulness of times is the final dispensation, and began with the revelation of the gospel to Joseph Smith. It is a dispensation of restoration and of fulfillment of the Lord’s plans and purposes since the world began. There are also things reserved for the fulness of times that have not been revealed previously (D&C 121:26–32; 124:41). It is a glorious time, the time in which we live today (see Acts 3:19–21; D&C 27:13; 110:11–16; 112:14–32; 128:18–21; 136:37–40)."

We, my dear friends, are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times that Paul prophesied about.  Yee-haw!  This is cool!  Our Father in Heaven is gathering together in one all things in Christ.  I love vs. 17-23.  Father in Heaven has made Christ the Head of the Church. 

Okay, so that's the message I got from just chapter 1.  Let's go on to Chapter 2 of Ephesians.
Paul teaches the Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ.  He also goes on to teach that the blood of Christ saves Jew and Gentile alike. Once we have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ we are as it says in vs 19, "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"  

Now this next verse is very key to Christ's church on the earth today.  Paul teaches that not only do we become fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God, but we are also (vs 20) "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."
I love this testimony given of Christ by one of His prophets in this dispensation of the fulness of times, President Gordon B. Hinckley, "

The Cornerstone

He is the chief cornerstone of the Church that bears His name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no other name given among men whereby we can be saved (see Acts 4:12). He is the Author of our salvation, the Giver of eternal life (see Hebrews 5:9). There is none to equal Him. There never has been. There never will be. Thanks be to God for the gift of His Beloved Son, who gave His life that we might live and who is the chief, immovable cornerstone of our faith and His Church."

Christ is the head of His Church.  His Church IS built upon a foundation of apostles and prophets today as it was anciently. Just as Paul taught.

What is the importance of being built upon a foundation of apostles and prophets in our day?  Paul teaches in vs 14, "that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to decieve;" 

My dear friends, we do have a church today that is led by Christ through Prophets and Apostles.  How exciting is that????  We do not have to be tossed to and fro.  We can know all of the truth's of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I invite you to click on this link and learn more about God's prophets and apostles on the earth today.  It's exciting!  All the world should know!

The Fire

I have mentioned this before I believe but again it is coming to mind.  Before Kary's stroke I felt like I was just going through the motions when I was at church.  I had a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ but I just didn't feel the fire.  Unfortunately it took an experience like this to light the fire underneath me.  I feel the fire now and I'm grateful.  You can't go through a trial like ours and not want to sing the song of redeeming love for our Savior.  I also think that we have experiences or trials like these to learn and grow...to become better followers of Christ and not keep these experiences to ourselves but to share with others what we are learning.  I want to be like Alma the Younger in vs 9-10 of chapter 9 when he says, "

 9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do ^anot ^bglory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

 10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember ^awhat the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me."

I think most people who have felt the love of the Savior and known the blessings that come from following Him wish they could share the joy and blessings that have come to them through following Him.  I love hearing other's stories of conversion to the Savior and His gospel.  Recently heard Sheila Walsh on the radio the other day and was totally inspired by her story.  We also have trials in our lives to help us be more compassionate towards others who may be experiencing similiar trials to our own.  I'm grateful for the people in my life who share their testimonies of the Savior with me.  I'm grateful for the scriptures that uplift and edify and teach me of God's plan.

I don't really know what the purpose of this post is....these were just some of my thoughts I had as I was studying tonight.

Simple Reflections: The Apostle Paul a GREAT example

So, I studied the lesson for tomorrow's Sunday School Lesson and really enjoyed it.  We have many great examples in the scriptures.  Paul is definitely one of them.  Very interesting to me that he was one who had persecuted the saints and was one who also helped in the stoning of Stephen.  He was on his way to Damascus to further his persecution when he saw a vision of Jesus Christ that altered his life forever.  He became a great witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel. He was a great missionary. Throughout his missionary journeys, he was rejected and persecuted. But Paul stood firm in the faith and courageously bore testimony of Jesus Christ.

I think it is amazing that God would choose someone who had so persecuted the saints, but I think he knew that once Paul gained a testimony of his own that he would not falter.  He was stalwart and true.  He knew that he had seen a vision that day and he could not deny the things that he had seen. He had been called of God and yet still people denied the teachings of Christ taught by Paul.  As Christians, when we read the bible, we think to ourselves, "Why on earth wouldn't those people just listen to Paul?  He's called of God.  He's teaching truth.  Why do they not accept it?  Why do they deny it?  Their lives would be so much greater if they would accept the true teachings of Jesus Christ."  Why do people reject the teachings of Christ?  Maybe they are comfortable in their lifestyle and don't want to have to change because maybe it would mean having to give up certain things they currently enjoy doing.  Maybe it would mean giving up traditions.  I don't know.

The story of Paul also reminds me of the Prophet Joseph Smith who saw a vision of God, the Father, and His son, Jesus Christ.  Joseph also thought of the apostle Paul in his experience.  In his own words this is what Joseph said, "

 23 It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure ^aboy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily ^blabor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter ^cpersecution and ^dreviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.

 24 However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a ^avision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was ^bmad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the ^cpersecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

 25 So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two ^aPersonages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was ^bhated and ^cpersecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me ^dfalsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not ^edeny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation."

Having the knowledge I do of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ I want to be a great missionary like Paul. I want to share my knowledge with those I love and care about most.  Just as I ask why the people in Paul's day rejected his message as an apostle of the Lord, I wonder, " Why on earth won't people just listen to the message restored through Joseph Smith?  He was called of God.  He taught truth.  Why do they not accept it?  Why do they deny it?  Their lives would be so much greater if they would accept the true teachings of Jesus Christ."  Maybe it's because they have not been given the chance to learn more about it.  This is my invitation to all my friends and family:  Will you hear the words of a man that has been called of God, just like the apostle Paul, and find out the truth's of the gospel that have been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith?  There are young men everywhere that have been called as the Lord's servants to teach the truth's of His gospel.... You can click on one of the buttons on the right of this blog or you can contact me with questions you may have as well.

It does take great courage to be a witness of Christ. Paul was a great example of that.  He went from being a persecutor of the gospel to being a great teacher and disciple of Christ.   Through it all the Lord was with Paul and told him to "be of good cheer."   May we all be like the apostle Paul and be witnesses of Jesus Christ in all situations. 

My Daily Scripture

My family and I are currently studying the New Testament and I am personally studying the Book of Mormon. I'm going to post a scripture each day or two that stands out to me in my reading. Tonight I just happened to open to Revelations. Very fascinating book that I'm now excited to get to in our family study, yet a little fearful too because some of the stuff that happens in the end seems kind of scary. I did come upon this page by Bruce R. Mconkie that sums the book of Revelations up pretty well.  Very interesting!  Anyway, that's beside my point.  Here is something from my read in the Book of Mormon tonight: Mosiah 4: 41  These are the words of a righteous King named Benjamin unto the people of his kingdom before he leaves the earth and bestows his kingdom upon his son. He counsels them to serve their heavenly King,

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."  

I like this scripture because part of what motivates me to keep God's commandments is not only my love for God but I truly want to be able to experience never-ending happiness.  I don't think I can really comprehend what that means exactly but I want it.  I think of the times when I'm the most happy which is when I'm with my family and/or  Kary's family and we are having fun just being together.  It's always a let down when we all have to go home.  So a feeling of never ending happiness and never having to have that let down feeling is something I look forward to.

Sunday Reflections: Be of Good Cheer

My Mom's side of the family has a motto that we strive to live by. It is, "Be of Good Cheer!"  We have the quote from Thomas S. Monson and there are several scriptures also that remind us of this. Here are a few of my favorites:

D&C 68:5-6 "Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.

  Wherefore, be of good ^acheer, and do not ^bfear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I ^cwas, that I am, and that I am to come"

D&C 78:18 "And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.  the kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."

John 16:33 “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Marvin J. Ashton wrote, "Good cheer is a state of mind or mood that promotes happiness or joy....With God’s help, good cheer permits us to rise above the depressing present or difficult circumstances. It is a process of positive reassurance and reinforcement. It is sunshine when clouds block the light."

I love that.  In each of these scriptures we are reminded to "be of good cheer" because Jesus is there for us.   We don't have to carry our burdens alone.  We each have burdens or trials that we carry on our shoulders. Life doesn't always turn out the way we plan.  "Things" happen (that's putting it mildly...ha ha) that sometimes we just don't have control over.  Knowing that we have a loving Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ by our side really does provide a way for us to still experience joy.  The Lord will stand by us, he will lead us along.  We have the promise of eternal riches and blessings. This knowledge brings ME personally so much hope, which in turn allows me to feel cheerful and bright about each day and about our future.  If I didn't have this knowledge then I would probably be a cloud of gloom and doom. Life would be plum depressing.  But nope, I choose to trust in Father above and lean on my Savior.  This is what brings me happiness and hope for my family now and the future.

 Let us all "BE OF GOOD CHEER!"

Service

I just have felt so grateful today for the wonderful people who have helped us since Kary's stroke. It is so humbling to think about how good people are and what great examples they are to me and my family of what it really means to love one another and to serve one another. Our neighbors are especially good to us. I don't know what we would do without them. We have complete strangers doing things for us at least on a monthly basis. This morning we had a couple of men from this great community cut our dead tree down and cut off some dead branches off another tree. We've had people bring us vegetables galore, we've had people bring us meals. We've had people lend machinery to fix our leaking pipe. I just really hope everyone knows how grateful we are. Words cannot express the gratitude we feel in our hearts for the love and service rendered to us on a daily basis.

Sunday Reflections: The Book of Mormon

I have mentioned before of my love for the Book of Mormon. One of the General Authorities, Tad R Callister in the the most recent General Conference , spoke of the importance of the Book of Mormon. Click here to read it. He says everything I would want to say but better.  One Christmas holiday my Grandma Mortimer came to stay with us and she talked of her love and testimony of the Book of Mormon.  After hearing her, for the first time, I had a great desire to read the Book of Mormon, and learn for myself what was inside it's pages.  I opened its pages with excitement and read it and it was like a great novel that I could hardly put down. I gained a testimony of this book.  One scripture that stood out to me that helped me gain a testimony that it was written for us in our day was written by Moroni, the book’s last writer, speaking to us he said, ‘Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.’ (Morm. 8:35.)  I have grown to love this Book and have read it many times since that first time.  Each time I gain new insights.  There is always something in it for me.   Answers to prayers, comforting words, and knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I know  many people who are not members of our faith have been taught and told to be afraid of this book.  I think they must not know what is in its pages because if they did they would be trying to share it with everyone.  I challenge all my friends and family to read this book for yourselves and pray about it and you, too, will gain a testimony of it's truthfulness.

 A basic background of the Book of Mormon: "The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture similar to the Bible. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. The Bible principally discusses the lives and teachings of ancient Israel. The Book of Mormon contains the writings of several groups who came to the Americas, including a family who left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. These people were also descendants of the house of Israel. Thus the Bible and Book of Mormon were written by people of the same heritage but in different parts of the world.

Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon is more than a historical account. It contains “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (D&C 20:9): the teachings, doctrines, and prophecies that testify of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. "  This excerpt taken from here.

Here are some scriptures that have helped me in my lifetime:

I was shown this acronym S.M.I.L.E in this scripture , 2 Nephi 9:39 "39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal,"  while I was on my mission to Carlsbad, California.  There were some great times and rough times while serving the Lord and teaching His gospel.  This scripture helped me then and still helps me now to remember to SMILE and keep an eternal perspective.  Having an eternal, spiritual perspective allows us to SMILE because we know that, though this life is hard, if we persevere and endure our trials that God will bless us immeasurably in this life and especially in the life to come.

Also as a missionary these two chapters were the words that equalled the thoughts in my heart.  I underlined almost every verse in the chapters. 2 Nephi 32-33

I have loved this scripture and have felt the Lord strengthen me and help me bear my burdens. Mosiah 24:15, "15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

There are so many passages in the Book of Mormon that testify to me of Christ that I will just pick a couple of the very very many that I have underlined,  Mosiah 3: 17-19, This is an account of Jesus's appearance to the people in America: 3 Nephi 11-18

I guess I just want to say how much I love this book.  I know that it is the word of God.  Again, I invite all my friends and family to read this book and find the knowledge, comfort, and answers to prayers for themselves that I have found.  I am willing to send anyone a Book of Mormon if they want to read it.  Just send me an email kary_sharee@yahoo.com or write me a note on here.  Also, for those of you who are members and would like to share a favorite passage or how you came to know this book is true in the comments...please do!!

Sunday Reflections: Prophet and Apostles

This weekend we have had the opportunity to hear from God's prophet and apostles. I testify that just as in days of old when God called prophets and apostles to be witnesses of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that He continues to call them today to be special witnesses of Christ. Please click here to hear the witnesses of our modern day prophet and apostles of Christ and here to listen to their messages from this weekend and other leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The Spirit has testified to me of the truthfulness of their words.  The Spirit also testifies to me that these men are indeed called of God to be His witnesses in these latter days.  God has promised that thru the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. I invite all my friends and family to listen to the words of the prophet and apostles and pray and ask God for yourselves to know the truthfulness of these men as His witnesses and know of the truthfulness of the things in which they speak.  If you are sincere, and ask in faith, doubting nothing, God will answer your prayers.
James 1:5 --

 "5 ^aIf any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that ^cgiveth to all men liberally, and ^dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 6 But let him ^aask in ^bfaith, nothing ^cwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

There were so many of the words spoken in these last two days that spoke to my heart.  There are many things that I need to improve upon.  Their words offered hope and comfort to me as well.  I'm so grateful that God has given us these men to lead and guide us and help us know the truths of the gospel of Christ. 

Perhaps in the next few weeks I will take a talk given by these great men and talk about how they inspire and help me.