"We must both learn what these signs are and then identify them
correctly when they occur. They can and will strengthen our faith in
Christ and His prophets, if we know the scriptures. Just as in the days
of Noah, a way is already prepared for the escape of the Lord’s elect
Latter-day Saints, if they are in tune with His prophets."
~~H. Aldridge Gillespie (Quorum of the Seventy)
Careful...this is false doctrine and doesn't hold true with cannon scripture. You must be in tune with God and His spirit (2 Nephi 4:34) seeking knowledge, light and truth from Him or you will be led astray!
ReplyDelete- D&C 76:98-104
Quentin L. Cook made the following comment about following the prophet in the 2008 April Conference session:
DeleteIn Doctrine and Covenants, section 21, speaking specifically of the prophet, the Lord declares:
“Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
“For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”
Why on earth do you believe that statement contains false doctrine? The Lord providing a way for the righteous to escape is absolutely consistent with scripture...it's a pattern repeated over and over again!
Deletethe doctrine he disagreed with is "being in tune with the prophet" no that the Lord will provide an escape. We are to be in tune with God, not the prophet.
ReplyDeleteWe are entitled to confirmation from the Holy Ghost that what the prophet is saying/doing is the mind and will of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteOnly those who are in tune with the Holy Ghost will even believe at all that prophets are holy men called of God to lead God's people. You have to believe in prophets to begin with. Before that, you must believe there is a God in Heaven who calls them to speak to you on His behalf. So, when you see President Monson and hear him speak, does the Spirit testify to you that you are listening to a prophet of God? If so, you are required to accept his words as if the Lord is speaking to you and the Church directly and walk in obedience to the counsel given.
It takes faith in God to ask God in sincerity if a certain man is HIS chosen prophet and "should I follow him?"
The Lord and His prophet are basically one as long as the prophet is walking in holiness before God. Splitting hairs on this is unnecessary. Folks need to understand that it is impossible, IMPOSSIBLE to have the Spirit of God as your companion without the accompanying FIRE of God that has burned out of you all that is unholy. The Lord, our God, will NOT pour out his Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) into unclean vessels that have not been cleansed by HIS FIRE first and that fire must ever remain burning. We all need this or we cannot abide His presence. Our God is a consuming fire that consumes ALL that is unholy before him. It is impossible to have one without the other and anyone who tells you different than this doesn't know God's Word. The Levite priests' bare feet should've been burned up walking up to the altar but were not. It is historical fact that over 300 temple priests didn't come out alive from the temple and were consumed by God's fire for walking in unholiness before Him. Do you walk in God's fire and His Spirit? It feels like a flame burning in the chest constantly I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ. amen.
P.S. Please see Helaman Chapter 5 and take note of the miracle in the prison. Repentance, FIRE, and then the Holy Ghost enters them. And then take note of the nature of the FIRE. Oh to have heard the voice of the Father that day!
ReplyDeleteWe are to be in tune with God and His spirit and follow the prophet.
ReplyDeleteMy intention is not to be argumentative but this topic is one I've thought about often. No where in the scriptures are we told to "follow the prophet" or "trust" the prophet or "rely" on the prophet. It is ever and only God. We are actually cursed if we do these things. I believe it is a false doctrine and am concerned when we teach our primary children to sing those words. I don't think this concern is splitting hairs. It is vital that we understand correct principles and remove from ourselves the precepts or false traditions of men. I believe, and understand from the scriptures, that as the prophet speaks, we are to listen for the words of God and seek discernment and confirmation to know when the prophet is speaking God's words. 1 Kings 13 is one scripture that verifies this. God bless us all as we seek to follow Him.
ReplyDeleteWell Said Presh, I couldn't agree more! Praise God and follow Him as the scriptures teach. The very elect will be lead astray in these last days...why? Because we lean too much on the arm of flesh and do not make the need connect with He who we must come to know, not know about, but really know. Those who will be in Zion will know Him and will not say, "know ye the Lord?" All men/women in this mortal state can and will make mistakes, including those who lead us, so the wise counsel by Nephi, Alma, Mormon, and Moroni is to follow the Lord and seek His will in our lives.
DeleteDear Presh, why would you believe that we do not need to follow the prophet? Don't you realize that prophets speak the words of Christ. If you are looking for scriptural references, here they are:
DeleteD&C 21:4-5
4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
D&C 1:38
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
Amos 3:7
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Saying that we do not need to follow the prophet, all we need to do is follow Christ is like saying "I don't need to read and live by the principles taught in the scriptures, all I need to do is follow Christ. I don't need to read the Book of Mormon or the Bible or the words of Isaiah, all I need to do is follow Christ"
The scriptures are the words of Christ revealed to us by a "prophet" and the counsel that is given to us today by modern day prophets is the counsel that the Lord would have us hear and follow today.
When you listen to conference and hear the words of the Lord's prophet and his apostles, don't you feel the Spirit? That is the witness from the Holy Ghost that what they are saying is true and are the words of Christ. If you are not feeling that Spirit then you need to get down on your knees and pray for that confirmation. If you pray with a sincere heart I promise you that you will receive that confirmation.
Ask yourself:
Do I sustain Thomas S. Monson as a prophet, seer, and revelator of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do I sustain the other Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?
If your answer to these questions is no, then you are on a very dangerous road my friend and you need to repent. Please pray about this very sincerely. If your answer is yes, then you need to follow the prophet and apostles.
I also agree with Presh on this topic. We do not follow another human even those called of God. The scriptures you presented all talk about giving heed to, but not following. Servants including angelic ministers of God provide messages that we then seek to validate the truth of FROM God, not man.
ReplyDeleteThe mantra taught in the church today was not a part of the restitution under Joseph Smith. It echos a similar tone we heard from Lucifer in the per-existence, who wanted us to follow him, because he promised he could get us through the coming trials.
"For these are they who are of Paul, and Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and some of another..." (D&C 76:99-100) Are we of Christ or Thomas Monson/First presidency/Quorum of the Twelve?
Should we be developing faith in Christ or are we developing faith in the leaders of this church? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
My answer to those questions. However, everything we hear over the pulpit in conference is not necessarily the words of Christ, that is why we need to be discerning. Joseph Smith himself said that he's not always speaking as a prophet. There have been contradictions in conference talks over the years - not a lot, but they have been there. I'm just saying we need to discern when they are speaking God's words and when they are speaking their own words. I believe we are in dangerous waters to "rely on the arm of flesh." It is our responsibility to receive confirmation that what they are speaking is the Lord's will.
ReplyDeleteI will add that I always assume our leaders to be speaking truth, but if there are things that feel "off" or seem to contradict what I believe or what I've read in the scriptures, I don't blindly obey/follow but seek confirmation. I think that's wise.
ReplyDelete