The Quest
To be all that you can be, you must realize, your true eternal potential, self imposed limitations,
maliciously laid stumbling blocks and embrace eternal growth principles.
Eternal Potential; We are all truly sons and daughters of God. God, as our
father, loves us and wants us to be truly happy. This happiness can only be
gained by becoming like Him. God is not bored and simply created man to fill a
void, to require admiration and respect and humor him by obedience or
acceptance as God. The other creatures on this earth do a much better job of
that than mankind. He is not playing a game of hide and seek, having split himself
into two parts, mankind and God, now trying to gain reunification. He has
created mankind with a loving purpose in mind. Like our earthly fathers, God
has created us with the intent that we grow, learn, mature and eventually
obtain all that he has, through obedience to eternal laws. He truly has a plan
for us to return to him, by becoming like Him. The question has been asked, If
God has a plan why haven't all his children been given a copy of the lesson
plan? The answer to that is simple. We have!
The purpose of this earth life is simple. We all
must receive a body and overcome the temptations of carnal man. We must become
masters over the flesh. (sounds like Buddhism) We must take the light of Christ
as our guide. All of mankind must be washed clean through the ordinance of
baptism and the cleansing by fire of the Holy Ghost. (as did Jesus Christ) All
of mankind will be changed from mortal man to immortal man through the
resurrection. These are the required basic steps that make up the purpose of this
life. All of mankind, from the most dedicated Christian, to the aborigine
living on an isolated island having never heard of Christ will be provided with
this basic plan. This life can be likened to military basic training. All of
Gods children will be provided with this basic training. All of Gods children
who embrace the basic training will be given the opportunity to move on to
advanced training, either in this life or the next. All of Gods children, after
receiving the advanced training, and then proving to be true and faithful in
all things, will then become joint heirs to all that he has. We are all truly
Princes and Princesses of God, in training for the throne, future Kings and
Queens if and when we embrace the training program provided and prove true to
the test. This is our eternal destiny.
D&C
84:38; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom; therefore
all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
Titus 1:2; In hope of
eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.
Matthew 25:34; Then shall
the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
John 3:16; For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 14:2; In my Father's
house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.
Limitations; As part of our earthly training all of us have been given
limitations that we must learn to deal with. Many of these limitations can be
overcome. Some limitations, physical, mental or spiritual, cannot be overcome
in this life and must be recognized and worked around. Most of the limitations
that we must deal with are self imposed and must be overcome. For the most part
this means that the carnal, natural man must be overcome.
"Our unique human endowments lift us above
the animal world. The extent to which we exercise and develop these
endowments empowers us to fulfill our uniquely human potential. Between
stimulus and response is our greatest power—the freedom to choose."
7 Habits; Stephen R Covey.
2 Nephi
9:39; 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.
Stumbling Blocks; Stumbling blocks are a common tactic used by humanity to
promote oneself over others. In an attempt to excel above ones pears stumbling
blocks are placed to hamper the progress of others. The very foundation of this
tactic is based on selfishness. Stumbling blocks come in many forms. Some of
the more basic forms are; lies, deceptions and half-truths. In addition to our
fellow man Satan has used this tactic to accomplish his end. He would like no
more than the complete and total failure of Gods plan for us. In an attempt to
accomplish this he places stumbling blocks for all mankind.
Satan's Plan: Dominion of mankind. This being the
first, and last, stumbling block for all of God's creations. The Mahan
Principle, to get gain via dominion or subjugation of men (even through
death). Man was created to be Free. Freedom is a Fundamental Eternal
Principle. Satan's plan is to gain exaltation through the dominion of
mankind by taking away man's freedom . Our first vigil must be opposition
to any system that embraces the Mahan Principle like Marxism, Socialism,
Communism, progressivism
(the veiled path to socialism) all of which are methods to take away
liberty/freedom in the very name of liberty/freedom. The key to this opposition
is understanding the difference between systems that use the Mahan principle
vs. system that are attempts at providing social order and freedom for the
larger whole, at the expense of some individual freedoms. The key to
understanding the difference is asking the question are the actions taken
voluntary or coerced, were the individual freedoms given up (and are able to be
restored) through a democratic process or dictated by an autocrat or via
judicial fiat, the latter of which fits the Mahan system. We must be vigilant
in our embrace of Republican Freedom models.
The most formidable deception used by Satan, as
far as our eternal progression is concerned, is the half-truth of what is truly
required for salvation and exaltation. To reduce the Gospel to a mere
acceptance of the Grace of God, is a very damaging half-truth indeed. I believe
it is this practice that Isaiah is referring to. Isaiah 28:20 "For the bed
is shorter than that [a man] can stretch himself [on it]: and the covering
narrower than that he can wrap himself [in it]."
"Our knowledge and
understanding of correct principles is limited by our own lack of awareness of
our true nature of the world around us and by the flood of trendy philosophies
and theories that are not in harmony with correct principles.......Do not
submit ourselves to any programming that is not in harmony with our basic
center or that comes from sources centered on money-making, self interest, or
anything other than correct principles.." 7 Habits; Stephen R Covey
Neal A. Maxwell,
A Wonderful Flood of Light, p.73 - p.74
"Not only was Jesus a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the
Greeks, but also Jesus' teachings offended many (see 1 Corinthians 1:23; Romans
9:33). Such ancient attitudes have their modern counterparts, because the
things of the Spirit are still foolishness to the natural man. Jesus observed
of Himself and His work, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended
in me" (Matthew 11:6)."
I believe that there has been a falling-away, an
apostasy from the original gospel of Jesus Christ. For over eighteen-hundred
years "orthodox Christianity" has been so effected by Greek
philosophy that its doctrines now include many concepts that Evangelicals
believe to be biblical which in reality have no scriptural basis whatsoever.
The following is a list of items that I feel fall under the title of
non-biblical in origin:
The Trinity: an incomprehensible conglomeration of
the three into one substance, essence, or nature--co-substantial, co-equal, and
co-eternal—remains one of the two most telling legacies of the Apostasy
in Christianity today. The Trinity is based on heresy embraced by the council
at
Matthew 17:5 While he
yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of
the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear
ye him. (is God a ventriloquist trying to deceive man?)
John
John
Acts 7:55-56 55 But he,
being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold,
I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Dispensationalism: The brain child of Lewis Sperry
Chafer is at odds with the teachings of Paul to the Galations. It is clear that
there has been and will be but one way for the salvation of mankind and it is
in and through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The law of Moses was
never intended to bring salvation to the house of
Salvation by GRACE alone: The Positionalist belief
of once saved always saved is in contradiction to the laws and ordinances
required for salvation. Men through their choices decide their final destinies.
God has provided a way for men to repent, endure, learn obedience and cleanse
their robes in His blood. If they choose humbly to obey His commandments and
follow Him, then (and only then) will they have the assurance of the Holy
Ghost. With that assurance, then man knows that they have been saved and will
yet obtain their "full reward" "Not every one that sayeth to me
"Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" it is not all
those who will say unto him in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?" It is not all these whom the Savior will recognize and
acknowledge, and whom he will admit into his presence and into his kingdom; but
it is those that do the will of his Father in heaven; it is those that enter
into the straight gate and that walk in the narrow way, and that persevere unto
the end, denying themselves and overcoming every evil inclination, and bringing
their dispositions into complete subjection to the mind and will of God,
bringing forth the fruits of righteousness; for every tree will be known by its
fruits. No corrupt tree can bring forth good fruit; no good tree can bring
forth evil fruit. We must all maintain the humble attitude Paul expressed in
Philippians 3:12-14.
Matthew 7:21 Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew
Phil
Sanctification Through Overcoming
In the Book of Revelation it is written that he
that overcometh shall "eat of the tree of life," receive "a
crown of life," not be hurt of the second death. He shall receive of the
"hidden manna," a "white stone," and a "new
name," shall have "power over the nations." He shall be clothed
in "white raiments," and his name will "not be blotted
out." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."
(Rev. 3:21. Italics added.) How glorious and rich are the promises to those who
overcome!
Revelation
Equally damaging to our eternal progression are
the events surrounding the second coming of Christ
and our required role therein. Many nurture the common misconception that
preparation for the second coming of Christ is not required. They having
accepted Christ into their life with an open exclamation that Christ is their
savior, think they have now been identified and selected for a secret rapture
that will protect them from all events surrounding the second coming. They
think they have no need to prepare for the deceptions of the Anti-Christ. They
think they have no need of the mysteries of God that will be revealed in
preparation of this great event. They think they have no need to discern from
the miracles wrought by the servants of God and the servants of the
Anti-Christ. They have been deceived.
Isaiah
Isaiah 57:14 14 And shall
say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of
the way of my people.
Ezekiel 3:20 20 Again,
When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity,
and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not
given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath
done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Eternal
Growth Principles; The one thing that all
of humanity will eventually recognize is the fact that there are eternal truths
that govern all things. Many civilizations have tried various rules and
regulations to obtain happiness, but the only true road to happiness is through
adherence to eternal principles. Beyond true happiness, if that is possible,
there is the fact that all things are governed and ruled by eternal principles,
and all things are subject to them. Only through embracing these eternal
principles can we reach our true destiny. The full Gospel of Jesus Christ, with
all its ordinances, rules and regulations, contains these eternal truths.
1 John
5:11; And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.
2 Nephi 25:23; For we
labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to
believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace
that we are saved, after all we can do.
2 Nephi 28:30; For
behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon
line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are
those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they
shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them
that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which
they have.
2 Nephi 31:17-21; 17;
Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and
your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that
ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye
should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of
your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. 18; And then are ye in this straight
and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the
gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and
ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son,
unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by
the way ye should receive. 19; And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have
gotten into this straight and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold,
I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of
Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is
mighty to save. 20; Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in
Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.
Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and
endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
21; And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none
other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the