Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 12: “The Gathering of My People”

The Lord is gathering His people
The gathering of the house of Israel is another prominent theme in the Doctrine and Covenants. As the restoration commenced and missionary labors began early in this dispensation, the ancient prophecies began to be fulfilled. Those prophecies foretold a day in which Israel would be gathered in and the gospel blessings would be available to them again as they exercised faith and obedience.

·The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “All that the prophets…have written, from the days of righteous Abel, down to the last man that has left any testimony on record for our consideration, in speaking of the salvation of Israel in the last days, goes directly to show that it consists in the work of the gathering” (TPJS, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 83)

·D&C 45:71, 10th Article of Faith—both indicate that the gathering has a physical and a spiritual component to it.

Spiritual: Learning the gospel, coming unto Christ, baptism, reception of the Holy Ghost, keeping the covenants—gathered from the world to the Church.

Physical: gathering in specific locations (Ohio, Missouri, Utah) and in the various stakes of Zion that now extend throughout the world.

·D&C 29:1-2, 7-8 tells us more about the purposes of gathering that included assembling the Lord’s elect “to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked”.

·D&C 110:11 (and the section heading) explain that the authority to direct the gathering is vested in specific keys of the priesthood and that those keys were restored to the earth at a specific time and place.

·What began with the gathering of a few people in New York has grown to a world-wide gathering process involving millions. D&C 33:7; 38:40; 39:11; 88:81 specify our responsibilities to assist in this great and glorious work.

The Saints gathered in Ohio (1831-1838) (1839-1846)

The first direction that the Lord gave to latter-day saints to physically gather was given in December 1830, eight months after the Church was organized. D&C 37:3 told Joseph to have them leave New York in favor of settling in Ohio. (For maps see pgs. 29, 31 in Class Member Study Guide)

·D&C 38:31-32; 39:15 reveal the purpose of the Ohio gathering. D&C 95:8; 105:33; 110:9 provide insight on how the Saints were “endowed with power from on high” while in Ohio. In part, endowments were given through appearances of the Lord and the restoration of priesthood keys in the Kirtland temple.

·D&C 38:24-27 His people were counseled to prepare for the gathering by being virtuous, loving each other, and becoming unified as a people. The Lord has often stressed that His people must be one.

·D&C 38:34-39 gave other counsel on the Ohio gathering (i.e., the appointment of brethren to look after the temporal welfare of the poor and needy Saints and administer to their relief, governing the affairs of the property of the church) and a promise of “riches” was made in verse 39—accompanied by a warning that they should not become prideful as the Nephites of old.

·During the January – May period in 1831, the majority of the Saints traveled the 300miles to Ohio after disposing of their farms. The changes required great sacrifice, financially and in other ways, on their part as they obeyed and helped build the kingdom on earth. (For more on the challenge—including the Knights, Lucy Mack Smith, and Brigham Young, see Our Heritage, pgs. 18, 19, 23)

The Saints gathered in Missouri (1831-1838)

Locating and establishing the city of Zion, or New Jerusalem, was a major objective of the early Saints who had read the prophecies of Isaiah and Nephi. When Joseph Smith received revelation that Missouri was the site of the city of Zion, that state became the second gathering place in this dispensation. (D&C 63:24, 36-48)

·Sept. 1830 – New York: The Lord revealed that the site of the city of Zion was “ on the borders by the Lamanites”, leaving the specific location to be identified later. D&C 28:9

·Sept/Oct 1830 in New York: In D&C 30:5-6; 32:1-3, the Lord called four missionaries to preach to the Lamanites. They became the first Church members to go to Missouri.

·Feb. 1831 in Kirtland: In D&C 42:62, the Lord said he would reveal the location of the New Jerusalem in his own due time.

·D&C 52:2-5, 42-43. June 1831 in Kirtland: Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and others were given a mission call to Missouri and the Lord promised to consecrate Missouri for an inheritance to His people.

·D&C 54:8. June 1831 in Kirtland: The Lord directs that the Colesville New York saints to continue on to Missouri rather than stopping at Kirtland. They did so and were joined by others. Their story is told in pages 37-39 in Our Heritage.

·D&C 57:1-3. June 1831 after the prophet’s journey to Missouri: Revelation named Independence, MO, as the center place of the city of Zion. A temple would be built there.

The Saints now gather to the stakes of Zion in their own lands
In 1847, Brigham Young led the Saints west into the Salt Lake Valley and numerous saints continued to migrate to Salt Lake and Utah until the middle of the 20th century. In 1972, the Saints were counseled by Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “[The] revealed words speak of…there being congregations of the covenant people in every nation, speaking every tongue, and among every people when the Lord comes again… The Place of gathering for the Mexican Saints is in Mexico; the place of gathering for the Guatemalan Saints is in Guatemala…and so it goes throughout the length and breadth of the whole earth. Japan is for the Japanese; Korea is for the Koreans;…every nation is the gathering place for its own people.” (Conf. Rpt., Mexico and Central America Area Conference 1972)

According to Elder Packer, in April 1973, President Harold B. Lee, in effect, announced in general conference that ”…the pioneering phase of gathering was now over. The gathering is now to be out of the world into the Church in every nation.” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 71) This is partly due to the fact that the Church’s resources became sufficient to establish stakes and build temples in many areas of the world.

In times past, the Saints needed to gather together to strengthen each other and find refuge and protection from the world. Those objectives can now be met through the established stakes of Zion.

President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Presently, Israel is being gathered to the various stakes of Zion…A stake has at least four purposes:

[Stakes are] to unify and perfect the members who live in [their] boundaries by extending to them the Church programs, the ordinances, and gospel instruction.
Members of stakes are to be models, or standards, of righteousness
Stakes are to be a defense. They do this as stake members unify under their local priesthood officers and consecrate themselves to do their duty and keep their covenants…
Stakes are a refuge from the storm to be poured out over the earth.” (Ensign, Jan 1991)

Temple building was an essential part of gathering in Kirtland, Missouri, Nauvoo, and Utah. It continues to be essential. Temple work makes its own special contribution to the gathering of the Saints. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “What was the object of gathering…the people of God in any age of the world?…The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation…It is for the same purpose that God gathers together His people in the last days, to build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowments, washings and anointings” (History of the Church, 5:423-24)

Forwarded from the James E. Neumann Institute

Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 11: “The Field Is White Already to Harvest”

Resolve to strengthen the kingdom of God through diligent service, including faithfully sharing the gospel with others.

In February 1829, Joseph Smith’s parents visited their son and Emma in Harmony, Pennsylvania. D&C 4 was received by the Prophet for his father, Joseph Smith, Sr. Other members also asked Joseph to inquire of the Lord for them. The principles in the subsequent revelations pertain to all of us who serve in the kingdom.

“Serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength”
D&C 4:1-2 includes requirements for those who serve in the Lord’s kingdom. This suggests total dedication to His service. To realize what it means to be totally committed, we should understand why we are sometimes less than fully committed, and then consider carefully how we can improve our commitment to serve with devotion.

Joseph Smith, Sr. devoted his life to serving the Lord, as this account shows: “Joseph Smith, Sr., was filled with the testimony of the truth, and was always anxious to share it with others. He was almost sixty when he made the tedious journey…to carry the gospel to his father and mother, his sisters and brothers. Soon after his return [home,] he was imprisoned for a small debt of fourteen dollars, rather than deny the divinity of the Book of Mormon and be forgiven the debt! He was cast into a cell with a condemned murderer and left for four days without food. Later he was transferred to the prison workyard where he preached the gospel and converted two persons whom he later baptized. He was in prison a full month before his family was able to obtain his release”. (E. Cecil McGavin, The Family of Joseph Smith [1963], 68)

It would be well for us to follow his example of devoted service.

Prepare to serve the Lord
Throughout the D&C, the Lord counsels us in how to prepare ourselves to serve him. Some of the attributes he desires us to have include:

·D&C 4:3; 11:8 - Desire is necessary to be called

·D&C 4:5-6; 12:8; 18:19 – We need to have faith, hope, charity, love, singleness of purpose, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, humility, and diligence.

·D&C 11:6, 20 – Obedience is essential. Seek to advance the work and keep the commandments faithfully and fully.

·D&C 4:7; 31:12 – Prayer (asking) helps us in serving the Lord and avoiding temptation.

We should select one of these attributes and prayerfully strive to improve it.

·D&C 11:21 – We can have the power of God unto the convincing of men, but before we declare the word, we must seek to obtain it.

“The field is white”
Throughout the D&C, the Lord communicates a sense of urgency about spreading the gospel message. This is because the purpose of the work is that stated in D&C 100:4—“the salvation of souls.”

D&C 4:4; 11:3; and 33:3 compare missionary work to a field that is ready for harvesting. Why is this an appropriate analogy?

The Lord warned the elders not to be idle or bury their talents and said that they should “go forth” rather than “tarry”. (D&C 60:13; 75:3)

Elder Henry B. Eyring related the following experience: “It’s easy to say ‘The time isn’t right.’ But there is a danger in procrastination. Years ago I worked for a man in California. He hired me; he was kind to me; he seemed to regard me highly. I may have been the only Latter-day Saint he ever knew well. I don’t know all the reasons I found to wait for a better moment to talk to him about the gospel. I just remember my feeling of sorrow when I learned, after he had retired and I lived far away, that he and his wife had been killed in a late-night drive to their home in Carmel, California. He loved his wife. He loved his children. He had loved his parents. He loved his grandchildren, and he will love their children and will want to be with them forever. Now I don’t know how the crowds will be handled in the world to come. But I suppose that I will meet him, that he will look into my eyes, and that I will see in them the question, ‘Hal, you knew. Why didn’t you tell me?’” (Ensign, Nov. 1998, 33)

“Open your mouths and they shall be filled”
In the D&C, the Lord gives direction on what we should teach and how we should teach as we share the gospel. He also encourages us to speak without fear and he will help us when we feel inadequate.

·D&C 11:9; 15:6; 18:6; 31:3-4; 33:10-11; 42:12, and 52:8-9 provide us with what to teach including repentance and baptism, modern-day revelations, principles in the Book of Mormon and Bible, and things as prompted by the Spirit.

·D&C 18:20-21; 38:41; 42:6, 14; and 100:7-8 tell us how to teach—speak the truth in meekness and mildness, with the voice of a trump, and do not teach unless you have the Spirit with you. One important principle is to avoid contention when we preach and teach the gospel. We need to be both bold and meek as missionaries.

·D&C 30:11; 30:5; 33:8-11; 60:2; 19:38; 33:12-14. The Lord repeatedly exhorted elders not to “fear man” because He is with us. We must open our mouths as prompted or the Lord will be angry with us.

·D&C 11:21; 14:8; 31:3. If we are concerned about lack of ability in teaching or speaking, the Lord can help us overcome those fears if we will obtain His word, pray in faith, and ponder upon the things we are inspired with by the Spirit.

·Samuel Smith may have felt that his first mission was a failure, but it was a true success when the later results became known. His placement of books with Phinehas Young and John P. Greene was a tremendously important event. Think about what we can learn from such experiences about missionary work.

The Lord promises great blessings to those who labor in His service.

·D&C 4:4; 11:3; 75:5 remind us of the blessings of laboring diligently in the Lord’s service including everlasting salvation, a crown of honor and glory, immortality, and eternal life.

·D&C 18:15-16 remind us that we will have great joy with those we bring into the Church.

·D&C 31:5; 84:60-61—our sins shall be forgiven and our families will be blessed.

·D&C 31:7; 109:55-57—People’s hearts will be opened including those of royalty as well as the poor as we spread the gospel all over the world.

·D&C 31:11; 84:85; 100:5-6. We will be given inspiration as we need it if we will treasure up the word of the Lord in advance.

·D&C 31:13; 75:9-13; 84:88 teach that we have the blessing of the Lord being with us—around us and going before us, and the Spirit will be in our hearts

·D&C 71:9-10 teach that no weapon shall prosper against us and our critics will be confounded.

·D&C 84:80 promises that we shall be strengthened, not be weary, the Lord will watch over us continually, and we shall not be hungry or thirsty (temporal needs will be met).

·D&C 100:7-8 contains the Lord’s promise that the Holy Ghost will bear witness of what we say.

Forwarded from the James E. Neumann Institute

Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 10: “This Is My Voice unto All”

Elder Jay Jensen described a time when he was looking in the scriptures for comfort when he came to Section 3. He said: “When I read a verse, I often insert my name in it. I did so with verse 5 and found the help I needed to remove my gloomy feelings: ‘Behold, you [Jay Jensen] have been entrusted with these things, but how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were made to you [Jay Jensen]’ (D&C 3:5) The words ‘remember also the promises’ struck me with unusual power….During those four days I had focused on nothing but problems. I had not stopped to consider one single promise” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 80) Elder Jensen then reviewed in his mind the promises given to him in his patriarchal blessing, in the blessing when he was set apart as a mission president, and in the scriptures. By doing so, he was able to find the strength and comfort he needed.

Nephi counseled us to liken the scriptures unto ourselves, so putting our own names in the scriptures is one method of doing that. It can allow us to apply counsel from the Lord to individual Saints in the D&C to ourselves.

In a July 1830 revelation directed to Emma Smith, there are three themes that we will focus on this week.
1. Husbands and wives should support and comfort each other.
The revelation included counsel to Emma about her responsibilities to her husband. D&C 25:5 helps us understand how husbands and wives can help each other in times of difficulty.

The Prophet Joseph taught wives that they should treat their husbands “with mildness and affection. When a man is borne down with trouble, when he is perplexed with care and difficulty, if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur—if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings” (TPJS, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 228). The Prophet taught husbands, “It is the duty of a husband to love, cherish, and nourish his wife, and cleave unto her and none else; he ought to honor her as himself, and he ought to regard her feelings with tenderness” (Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, 61)

D&C 25:14 counsels Emma to “Let thy soul delight in thy husband”.

Joseph and Emma supported each other during many afflictions. In 1842, Joseph was in hiding because his life was threatened, but Emma visited him. He later said: “With what unspeakable delight, and what transports of joy swelled my bosom, when I took by the hand, on that night, my beloved Emma—she that was my wife, even the wife of my youth, and the choice of my heart. Many were the reverberations of my mind when I contemplated for a moment the many scenes we had been called to pass through, the fatigues and the toils, the sorrows and sufferings, and the joys and consolations, from time to time, which had strewed our paths…Oh what a commingling of thought filled my mind for the moment, again she is here…undaunted, firm, and unwavering—unchangeable, affectionate Emma!” (History of the Church, 5:107)

Joseph and Emma experienced the tragedy of losing children including four infants who died in four years. Of their eleven children, only four lived to late adulthood. During difficult times in Kirtland, when Emma’s newborn twins died within hours of birth, the grieving parents adopted the Murdock twins, Joseph and Julia. Sis. Murdock died shortly after the births.

Lucy Mack Smith described Emma’s characteristics that enabled her to support her husband during challenges. “I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she had had to endure… She has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman” (History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley [1958], 190-91)

2.We should be meek and avoid pride.

In D&C 25:14, Emma was commanded to “continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride”. Similar instructions were given by the Lord to others:

· D&C 23:1 warned Oliver Cowdrey against pride.

· D&C 38:39 warned the Saints

· D&C 90:17 was addressed to the First Presidency

· D&C 98:19-20 admonished the Kirtland Saints

Pres. Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition’” (Ensign, May 1989, 4)

Pres. Benson explained how pride affects our relationship with God: “Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s…in the spirit of ‘my will and not thine be done.’ Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled… Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s” (Ensign, May 1989, 4)

Pres. Benson also explained how pride affects our relationship with others: “We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them… Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride… Another face of pride is contention. Arguments, fights, unrighteous dominion, generation gaps, divorces, spouse abuse, riots, and disturbances all fall into this category of pride.” (Ensign, May 1989, 4)

As Latter-day Saints, we should overcome pride and cultivate a spirit of meekness. Pres. Benson counseled: ”The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. It is the broken heart and contrite spirit… We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives” (Ensign, May 1989, 6-7)

The following scriptures cite blessings that come as we choose to become humble and meek:

· D&C 1:28 promise strength, heavenly blessings, and—from time to time—knowledge

· D&C 19:23 promises peace

· D&C 112:10 promises that the Lord will lead you and answer your prayers

· D&C 124:97 promise receipt of the Spirit, manifestations of truth, and inspiration for what to say

3.We should rejoice and be of good cheer.

The Lord admonished Emma and others to rejoice:

· D&C 25:13 - cheerfully cleave unto the covenants

· D&C 29:5 – He is in our midst and is our advocate with the Father

· D&C 61:36 – He is in our midst and has not forsaken us

· D&C 68:6 – He is with us, stands by us, and we should bear testimony of him

· D&C 78:18 – the kingdom is ours and the blessings thereof

· D&C 136:29 - our souls may be joyful if we call upon the Lord

Elder Marvin J. Ashton counseled: “None of us will escape tragedy and suffering. Each of us will probably react differently. However, if we can recall the Lord’s promise, ‘for I the Lord am with you’, and we will be able to face our problems with dignity and courage. We will find the strength to be of good cheer instead of becoming resentful, critical, or defeated. We will be able to meet life’s unpleasant happenings with clear vision, strength, and power…. What a joy it is to see someone of good cheer, who, when others because of an unpleasant happening or development live in angry silence or vocal disgust, meets the situation with cheerful endurance and good spirits” (Ensign, May 1986, 66)

Try reading the scriptures with the intent of applying the messages of the scriptures to your individual circumstances. The Lord’s many admonitions to be of good cheer remind us that we can find peace and joy regardless of our circumstances.

Forwarded from the James E. Neumann Institute