D&C 4,11,12,14,15,16,18,31,33 & 75
Headlines/Takeaways:
-Sharing the Gospel is a key requirement of the Lord's plan to save all of his Children
-The Lord will leverage our efforts, he does great things "with the weak things of the earth"
-Sharing the Gospel is a key requirement of the Lord's plan to save all of his Children
-The Lord will leverage our efforts, he does great things "with the weak things of the earth"
-Missionary work brings cleanses our souls (D&C 4:2 & 4, James 5:20)
Overview:
Missionary work is the key work in Heavenly Father's plan to save all his children as realized through the Abrahamic Covenant (all his children living together in peace under the Gospel). Israel plays a key role. The apostasy of Israel left a scattered remnant that was small but strong. As Isaiah prophesied, this remnant would be brought back to Zion on the shoulders of the Gentiles and in the process of being saved by the Gentiles, Israel would save the Gentiles by bringing them the Gospel. That is the gathering and missionary work is that process, writ large.
Lesson 11 discusses missionary work writ small, with the Lord's direction to specific individuals which of course has direct applicability to each of us in our efforts to build the kingdom.
Historical Background on the specific revelations:
D&C 4
-The first revelation of the restoration given by JS to an individual (his Father)
-JS Sr experience many dreams which he viewed as spiritual portents. In one, an angel showed him a beautiful garden but he awoke with no closure. In another he was judged, in another he is locked out of building. Most of these dreams left him feeling fear and hopelessness. Over time he came to believe that the answers to what was missing in these dreams would come from his son Joseph.For JS Sr, Section 4 filled in those blanks, giving him direction. Clearly the Lord had prepared JS Sr and other members of the family to support Joseph when he shared the First Vision and his experiences with Moroni.Overview:
Missionary work is the key work in Heavenly Father's plan to save all his children as realized through the Abrahamic Covenant (all his children living together in peace under the Gospel). Israel plays a key role. The apostasy of Israel left a scattered remnant that was small but strong. As Isaiah prophesied, this remnant would be brought back to Zion on the shoulders of the Gentiles and in the process of being saved by the Gentiles, Israel would save the Gentiles by bringing them the Gospel. That is the gathering and missionary work is that process, writ large.
Lesson 11 discusses missionary work writ small, with the Lord's direction to specific individuals which of course has direct applicability to each of us in our efforts to build the kingdom.
Historical Background on the specific revelations:
D&C 4
-The first revelation of the restoration given by JS to an individual (his Father)
D&C 23
Soon after the organization of the Church, Oliver, Hyrum, Samuel Smith and Joseph Knight Sr visited Joseph wanting revelations. They were each given one separately and these were combined into Section 25 in the 1835 edition of the D&C. Note that Hyrum had been instructed not to preach in an earlier revelation (11:21) but now his "tongue is loosed" (23:3)
D&C 14 (David Whitmer),15(Peter Whitmer),16 (John Whitmer)
Antagonism in Harmony drove Oliver to request the Whitmers to allow them to relocate there to continue to work of translation (in Fayette, NY). Note that the direction and blessings in all of these revelations is quite consistent
1. Serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength
4:1-2 Heart, might, mind and strength points to serving with 100% of our capabilities
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