Friday, January 11, 2013

135: WARNING VOICE IN MILDNESS AND MEEKNESS

"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people,
and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor".
"Let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor,
in mildness and in meekness"
"and lift a warning voice unto the inhabitants of the earth;
and declare both by word and by flight that desolation shall come upon the wicked."

Doctrine and Covenants 88: 81. 38:41, and 63:37.

Testify of what?
Warn people of what?
What does a warning voice in mildness and in meekness sound like?
What is the desolation that will come?
Who are the wicked?

Below is a trailer for the movie, "The Impossible". I think it is very symbolic on many levels. We see a family enjoying a vacation as if all is well,  and yet, like a thief in the night...their reality of their aweful situation blindsides them.
The title of the movie, "Impossible" is interesting. If you take the word IMPOSSIBLE, and add an apostophe between the first two letters which is I'M (Note: an apostrophe looks likes the Hebrew letter, yod. This small letter looks like an arm or a hand reaching down from heaven)..
the word IMPOSSIBLE now reads I'M POSSIBLE.
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Yes, Babylon fell. History repeats itself. Babylon will fall again. We, today, are at a worse situation than even ancient Babylon was then – but think these things are not possible because of our pride. What is coming is so sad and it did not have to be this way. But people have made their choices.
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"However, The battle we are all called upon to fight is not external. Some people spend their time stirring people up to alarm them about carnal security. They are trying to sell something. There are fortunes being made by proponents of fear. But the audience for such things are only being distracted from a much greater, more immediate battle. Until the internal condition of the individual has been conquered and brought into alignment with heaven, there is no amount of political, social, economic or military security which will matter in the long run.

I think it more advisable to seek for and listen to the Lord, and secondarily those teachers who will convert you to the Lord; rather than any other advice or movement advocated by those promoting causes. Teachers ought to point to Him. Not to themselves. No one but the Lord is coming to rescue you; and no group will be able to overcome error apart from Him. Ultimately the battle we each face is the Lord's. We must cooperate with Him for Him to be able to win it. When He does, however, the victory is ours for we are the ones who He redeems.

The path back to the Lord's presence is an individual one. It is not likely to be accomplished while in an audience. There is no "support group" needed. It is you. What goes on inside you. What you love most. He will one day associate with a group in a city; but that group will be comprised of individuals who have previously met Him."

excerpt from a blogpost written almost exactly one year ago to the day. LINK
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Sidenote:
I really liked this excerpt from a Letter written by Joseph Smith:

Dear Brethren in Christ, and companions in tribulation:


"Let the elders be exceedingly careful about unnecessarily disturbing and  harrowing up the feelings of the people. Remember, that your business is, to preach the gospel in all humility and meekness, and warn sinners to repent and come to Christ. Avoid contentions and vain disputes with men  of corrupt minds, who do not desire to know the truth. Remember that “it  is a day of warning, and not a day of many words.” If they receive not  your testimony in one place, flee to another, remembering, to cast no reflections, nor throw out any bitter sayings.  If you do your duty, it will  be just as well with you, as though all men embraced the gospel."


Joseph Smith Letter to Brethren Abroad, December 1833 LINK

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful--wow.

I've been doing some research about WWII. I don't happen to believe that there were good guys and bad guys in the classic sense; in my opinion, war is a racket, and there are good guys and bad guys on both 'sides'--

But as I have been studying these things I realize that if/when this kind of thing happens again it will be that much worse, because our society is more decayed now than then, in some ways. But there is also a polarization; there are more righteous people now, I think--or more people who are more righteous and more people who are less righteous; the poles are more populated--the opposite poles, if I am making sense--

with those of each 'hue'. The best are better than they were; the worst are worse than they were, perhaps.

But the waiting for it, the wondering when it will hit and how to help people--

is difficult, no matter how close you stay to the Lord. Pride? Ha! I think even less of my own abilities than I do of the power of the society in which I live, and to me that is puny--

Anonymous said...

The Holy Spirit warns us in a 'still (calm) small (quiet) voice. I agree that we should do the same as we try to warn others about our awful situation today and of our necessity to believe in and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit doesn't give the whole awful picture of how bad things are, all at once, but line upon line, here a little and there a little. Heavenly Father gives us more light and knowledge as we show we can handle, accept, appreciate and act upon what we already have been given. Then he continues to give us more and more light until we have a perfect knowledge and can see things clearly, so we aren't deceived.

The more knowledge we gain the more love we can gain, the more love we have the less we will be deceived by evil or falsehoods or false prophets, especially in the Church.

Joseph Smith said that those with 'perfect love' cannot be deceived, because then they understand something the Adversary knows nothing about, 'love'; and when we possess Christlike love, we see very clearly truth from error and right from wrong and who is righteous or unrighteous, and who has true love or not.

Joseph also taught that those who have their names written in 'the Lamb's book of life' have perfect love and thus are assured Exaltation, because they cannot be deceived.

Perfect Love was something even Joseph Smith had to work to try to achieve.

I also agree that when we find our message or testimony is not well received and those around us don't want to know the truth, (for truth usually requires waking up and responsibility and repentance) we should move on, to those who are looking for and will appreciate more light and who are willing to repent and see things as they really are.

For those who don't want to wake up usually get upset if you try to turn on the light.

While most people I know are good, kind and honorable church going people, it seems that they are all easily deceived to support and do evil, yet don't realize it and still feel very righteous and right, especially if they are active in Church and callings. (D&C 45 & 76)

I don't think I know of any person or even church leader today who seems to really believe in, let alone live, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, though they all say they do. They all seem to support and do evil and the opposite of what Christ taught, yet don't see it nor do they 'want' to see it.