Tuesday, August 25, 2015

STAYING IN THE MAINSTREAM OF THE CHURCH (AND KINGDOM OF GOD)

Got this off FB from the group, Among LDS Friends (ALF), I think.  An awesome group of striving Saints.

Truly, the way to enter in is very narrow and few there be that find it:
We've all probably heard the statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie,
“The proper course for all of us is to stay in the mainstream of the Church."
I think people confuse "MAINSTREAM of the Church" with "MAJORITY of the Church".
Elder McConkie went on to add:
"Let me remind you to stay in the course chartered by the Church. It is the Lord’s Church, and he will not permit it to be led astray. If we take the counsel that comes from the prophets and seers, we will pursue the course that is pleasing to the Lord."
So, the MAJORITY of the Church who DON'T have food stored feel justified because they think MAINSTREAM means MAJORITY: "Since the MAJORITY aren't worried about it I must be in the MAINSTREAM of the Church."
But according to Elder McConkie, to be in the MAINSTREAM, means to TAKE the COUNSEL that comes from the prophets and SEERS. So in reality, the MINORITY of the church are the ones in the MAINSTREAM of the Church.

2 comments:

  1. Love the above. 3 Prophets have called 1 year of Food, water, fuel and clothing Storage a Commandment. Do it because God loves you and has asked you to do it!:

    “How Often do Church members arise early in the morning to do the will of the Lord?...How often do we say, ‘Yes, I will obey the COMMANDMENTS to store food and to help others, but just now I have neither the time nor the money to spare; I will obey later’?... While we procrastinate, the harvest will be over and we will not be saved. Now is the time to follow Abraham’s example; now is the time to repent; now is the time for prompt obedience to God’s will.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.174)
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    First Presidency Letter dated June 24, 1988 which was read in Sacrament: "We continue to encourage members to store sufficient food, clothing and where possible, fuel for at least one year. We have not laid down an exact formula for what should be stored. However, we suggest that members concentrate on essential foods that sustain life, such as grains, legumes, cooking oil, powdered milk, salt, sugar or honey, and water. Most families can achieve and maintain this basic level of preparedness. The decision to do more than this rests with the individual.
    "We encourage you to follow this counsel with the assurance that a people prepared through obedience to the commandments of God need not fear." (First Presidency letter read in Sacrament Meetings, June 24, 1988, Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson)
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    Prophet President Monson September 2014 Ensign titled Are We Prepared: Are we prepared for the emergencies in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the COMMANDMENTS of God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the Lord?


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  2. Food storage and preparedness goes back many prophets. Pres. Harold B. Lee as an apostle was originally tasked to put the welfare program into order in 1936 to help Church members suffering from the devastating effects of the Great Depression in the United States. We have been admonished, encouraged, counseled since that time to be prepared both spiritually and temporarily. We don't hear much at Conference anymore about food storage - I believe the time has passed that most can afford a huge investment with the increased cost of commodities. We can still begin - but we have chosen a very shaky time to start. Hopefully, most have either family storage shared or older family members who took the counsel seriously.

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