April 1–14
Matthew 16–17; Mark 8–9; Luke 9
“Thou Art the Christ”
A testimony of Jesus
Christ comes by revelation.
What modern
attitudes toward Jesus have you noticed?
The world today is confused on exactly who and what Jesus is. Yet some hold very passionately to what they believe. Even within the Church I have seen different opinions on the Savior and what He can do for us.
Satan loves nothing more than to cause confusion while people think
they are doing good and in the right.
What Others Have
Said:
Ezra Taft Benson
"Several years ago, a
number of prominent theologians were asked the question, What do you think of
Jesus? Their replies startled many professed Christians. One asserted that a
'true Christian' must reject the resurrection. Another admitted that New
Testament scholars were so divided on the question that one cannot say anything
certain about the historical Jesus. Another scholar and teacher of Jesuit
priests explained, 'It is difficult to say in our age what the divinity of
Jesus can mean. We are groping now for a way to express it-we just don't know.'
("Easter 1966-A Quest for the True Jesus," Newsweek, April 11, 1966,
p. 72.)
"In a public opinion
poll conducted by George Gallup, Jr., seven in ten adult American respondents
said they believed in the divinity of Christ. But 90 percent of these said that
Jesus is divine only in the sense that He embodies the best that is in all men.
(Church News, October 23, 1983.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints consents to no such ambiguity in relation to our position regarding
Jesus Christ." (Come unto Christ [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983],
2.)
George Q. Morris
"It seems easy for
some people to appraise Jesus Christ and put him in his place as no doubt a
very great Teacher and a great Prophet, a man who lived a wonderful life. The
'wise and the prudent' have a way of doing this. I rather think the humble and
the meek accept him as the Redeemer of the world. He said: 'I thank thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.' (Matt. 11:25.)
"The Lord Jesus
Christ is not on trial before the world. Men should understand that. The world
is on trial before the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will have to account for the
attitude taken toward him and his message." (Conference Report, April
1955, Fourth Day-Morning Meeting 101.)
Peter said it best, He is the Christ! He is our everything. We each need
to have the spirt of revelation as part of our lives. We cannot afford to be
parents or even people in this world without it.
I value the relationship I have with my Savior and my friend. I value
the Come Follow Me program that has GREATLY increased the spirit in our home
and has allowed my wife and I to draw closer together and our children and
grand children as well. Revelation works a bit differently for each person and that is what makes it great and true.
Boyd K. Packer
The Holy Ghost speaks with
a voice that you feel more than you hear. It is described as a "still
small voice." And while we speak of "listening" to the
whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by
saying, "I had a feeling ..."
...Revelation comes as
words we feel more than hear. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who were visited
by an angel, "Ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his
words."
The scriptures are full of
such expressions as "The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of
our understanding were opened," or "I will tell you in your mind and
in your heart," or "I did enlighten thy mind," or "Speak
the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts." There are hundreds of
verses which teach of revelation.
We do not seek for
spectacular experiences. President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the many who
"have no ear for spiritual messages ... when they come in common dress.
... Expecting the spectacular, one may not be fully alerted to the constant
flow of revealed communication." ("Personal Revelation: The Gift, the
Test, and the Promise," Ensign, Nov. 1994, 60)
Joseph Smith
A person may profit by
noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when
you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of
ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon;
(i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God,
will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it,
you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in
Christ Jesus. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by
Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 151.)
Spencer W. Kimball
I say, in the deepest of
humility, but also by the power and force of a burning testimony in my soul,
that from the prophet of the Restoration to the prophet of our own year, the
communication line is unbroken, the authority is continuous, and light,
brilliant and penetrating, continues to shine. The sound of the voice of the
Lord is a continuous melody and a thunderous appeal. For nearly a century and a
half there has been no interruption.Man never needs to stand alone. Every faithful person may have the inspiration for his own limited kingdom. But the Lord definitely calls prophets today and reveals his secrets unto them as he did yesterday, he does today, and will do tomorrow: that is the way it is. ("Revelation: The Word of the Lord to His Prophets," Ensign, May 1977, 78)
Marion G. Romney
"Without the gift or
revelation, which is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, there could be no
Church of Jesus Christ. This is apparent from the obvious fact that in order
for his Church to exist, there must be a society of people who individually
have testimonies that Jesus is the Christ. According to Paul, such testimonies
are revealed only by the Holy Ghost, for said he, '. . . no man can [know] say
that Jesus is the Lord. but by the Holy Ghost.' (See 1 Cor. 12:3.) In the 46th
section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord specifically lists such
knowledge as one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, as follows: 'To some it is
given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God' (D & C
46:13.) Everyone who has a testimony of Jesus has received it by revelation
from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a revelator, and everyone who receives
him receives revelation."Wherever and whenever revelation is operative, manifestations of other gifts of the Holy Ghost are prevalent." (Conference Report, April 1956, Afternoon Meeting 69.)
"Think of that. At one point in our eternal progression, each one of us is going to have to answer the question, Who is Jesus Christ? We are told that every eye shall see, every ear shall hear, and every knee shall bow, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (see Philip. 2:10-11); 'When all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God' (Mosiah 27:31)
"...What think ye of Christ and whom say ye that he is? Many Christians profess to follow Jesus Christ but do not know him: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (John 17:3).
"Many profess to be Christians and yet do not believe that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God, indeed, the eldest son of God the Father. Men are willing to follow some of his teachings but do not recognize the divine, eternal purpose and the significance of his life to all mankind. 'What think ye of Christ?' and 'Whom say ye that I am?' These were questions asked by Jesus to make men think, so that he might teach them who he was, that they might use their own free agency, come to their own conclusions and commitments, follow him, and gain a testimony that he is the Son of God, our Redeemer.
"Using the sacred scriptures we can know Jesus Christ. He is more than a great teacher; he is the Messiah. He was willing to lay down his life for us; he is the only one who could, as these scriptures testify." (Ensign, May 1979, 77)
Howard W. Hunter
"The Lord's
invitation to follow him is extended to more persons than those who are
ordained as special witnesses. The call is individual and personal, and it is
compelling. We cannot stand forever between two opinions. Each of us must at
some time face the crucial question: 'Whom say ye that I am?' (Matt. 16:15.)
Our personal salvation depends on our answer to that question and our
commitment to that answer. Peter's revealed answer was 'Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.' (Matt. 16:16.) Many, many witnesses can give the
identical answer by the same power, and I join with them in humble gratitude.
But we must each answer the question for ourselves-if not now, then later; for
at the last day, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus
is the Christ. Our challenge is to answer correctly and live accordingly before
it is everlastingly too late." ("An Apostle's Witness of
Christ," Ensign, Jan. 1984, 69)"Jesus did not want erroneous or careless thinking done by his trusted Twelve. For instance, He did not want them following Him because they thought He was Elias! It reflects the precision that the Lord wants from us intellectually and spiritually-right reasons as well as right answers and right conduct!" (We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ, 163)
Testimony and
Conversion
Ezra Taft Benson
A most priceless blessing available to
every member of the Church is a testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and
His Church. A testimony is one of the few possessions we may take with us when
we leave this life. (Come unto Christ, p. 11.) Ezra Taft Benson
To have a testimony of Jesus is to
possess knowledge through the Holy Ghost of the divine mission of Jesus Christ.
A testimony of Jesus is to know the divine nature of our Lord's birth-that He
is indeed the Only Begotten Son in the flesh.
Teachings of, p.465-466
Teachings of, p.465-466
Revelation
President Kimball taught: Revelations will probably never come unless they are desired. I think few people receive revelations while lounging on the couch…I believe most revelations would come when a man is on his tip toes, reaching as high as he can for something which he knows he needs, and then there bursts upon him the answer to his problem
Richard G Scott. “Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy.”
These are sobering times. You are going out into a world that is different than the world I faced when I was 19…You won’t survive spiritually unless you know how to receive revelation…I don’t know whether you know how to receive revelation, but you won’t survive without it.
Dec 2005 BYU Hawaii Graduation
Richard G Scott
I believe that we often leave the most precious, personal direction of
the Spirit unheard because we do not respond to, record, and apply the first
promptings that come to us. Impressions of the Spirit can come unsolicited when
we are in need or in response to urgent prayer.
. “Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy.”
The patterns of revelation are not dramatic. The voice of inspiration is
a still voice, a small voice. There need be no trance, no sanctimonious
declaration. It is quieter and simpler than that
“Let Not Your Heart Be
Troubled”BYU Devotional 9-28-81
Richard G Scott
Personal communication with God through the Holy Spirit is a reality. To me it is as literally real as life itself and far more precious than all of the treasures of the earth.
“Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy.”
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith taught that every man and woman should seek the Lord for
wisdom, that they might get knowledge from Him who is the foundation of
knowledge; and the promises of the gospel, as revealed, were such as to
authorize us to believe, that by taking this course we should gain the object
of our pursuit.
Teachings: Joseph Smith, 267-68
God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known
unto the twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is
able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor,
Know ye the Lord; for all shall know Him.
Teachings: Joseph Smith 268
The patterns of revelation are not dramatic. The voice of inspiration is
a still voice, a small voice. There need be no trance, no sanctimonious
declaration. It is quieter and simpler than that
“Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”joy, sometimes to tears. Many times my emotions have been made tender and my feelings very sensitive
when touched by the Spirit. "The Holy Ghost causes our feelings to be more tender. We feel more charitable and compassionate with each other. We are more calm in our relationships. We have a greater capacity to love each other. People want to be around us because our very countenances radiate
the influence of the Spirit. We are more godly in our character. As a result, we become increasingly more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus able to comprehend spiritual things more clearly."
("Seek the Spirit of the Lord," _Ensign_ Apr. 1988, p 4)
himself to [people] who are prepared for such manifestations." The Savior spoke of this principle of preparing to receive personal revelation. He shed light on the things that we must do to properly prepare: "It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins [repents] and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name [prays], and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments [obeys], shall see my face and know that I am" (D&C 93:1). To properly prepare to receive personal revelation, we must repent, ask through prayer, be obedient, search the scriptures, fast, think pure thoughts, and develop a spirit of reverence… Prophets, seers, and revelators have described this process of receiving personal revelation through the nlightenment of the mind: "When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you," said the Prophet Joseph Smith, "it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus." Elder Marion G. Romney said, "This is a very common means of revelation. It comes into one's mind speaking words and sentences."
President Harold B. Lee further taught, "When there come to you things that your mind does not know, when you have sudden thought that comes to your mind, if you will learn to give heed to these things that come from the Lord, you will learn to walk by the spirit of revelation."… The most frequent confirmation of the Spirit comes to us as peaceful feelings. The Spirit indeed "showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom" (D& C39:6; see also D&C 36:2; D&C 42:61; D& C 111:8).
President Brigham Young quoted these words of the Prophet Joseph Smith:"They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits-it will whisper peace and joy to their souls." Feelings of peace are promptings and proof that the Spirit is bearing witness to us in response to our petitions. (address given on 20 May 1997 at Brigham Young University
Dallin H Oaks
In its more familiar forms, revelation or inspiration comes by means of
words or thoughts communicated to the mind by sudden enlightenment, by positive
or negative feelings about proposed courses of action, or even by inspiring
performances, as in the performing arts. As President Boyd K Packer has stated,
“Inspiration comes more as a feeling than as a sound”
BYU Devotional 9-28-81
Gordon ß Hinckley
Personal communication with God through the Holy Spirit is a reality. To
me it is as literally real as life itself and far more precious than all of the
treasures of the earth.
Richard G Scott. “Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy.”
Gordon B Hinckley
We believe all that has been revealed. We believe in all that is now
revealed. We believe the Lord will yet reveal many great and important things.
Now we have a great body of revelation which guides us in the everyday conduct
of the affairs of the Church. Situations arise where we feel we need guidance.
When those conditions happen, we discuss the matter, pray about it, perhaps
fast about it, and go to the Lord about it. It is like the experience recounted
by Elijah, who needed help on a problem and went to the Lord, and a great wind
occurred and the Lord was not in the wind. Then an earthquake, and the Lord was
not in the earthquake. Then a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And then
a still, small voice. That is the way it works. ( Interview with Mike
Scheartl of Fox Network News, December 11, 1996.)
Ezra Taft Benson,
"We hear the words of the Lord most often by a feeling. If we
are humble and sensitive, the Lord will prompt us through our feelings.
That is why spiritual promptings move us on occasion to great joy, sometimes to
tears.
Many times my emotions have been made tender and my feelings very sensitive when touched by the Spirit.
"The Holy Ghost causes our feelings to be more tender. We feel more charitable and compassionate with each other. We are more calm in our relationships. We have a greater capacity to love each other. People want to be around us because our very countenances radiate the influence of the Spirit. We are more godly in our character. As a result, we become increasingly more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus able to comprehend spiritual things more clearly."
("Seek the Spirit of the Lord," _Ensign_ Apr. 1988, p 4)
Many times my emotions have been made tender and my feelings very sensitive when touched by the Spirit.
"The Holy Ghost causes our feelings to be more tender. We feel more charitable and compassionate with each other. We are more calm in our relationships. We have a greater capacity to love each other. People want to be around us because our very countenances radiate the influence of the Spirit. We are more godly in our character. As a result, we become increasingly more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus able to comprehend spiritual things more clearly."
("Seek the Spirit of the Lord," _Ensign_ Apr. 1988, p 4)
Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–10; Luke 9:28–36
What happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
Bruce R. McConkie
"Our Synoptic authors
make brief mention of-in reality it is scarcely more than an allusion to-what
happened on the [Mount of Transfiguration] when they and Jesus spent a sacred
night enwrapped in the visions of eternity. This blessed night was one of those
seeric periods when the mysteries of the kingdom, 'which surpass all
understanding,' are shown forth to souls who are in tune with the Infinite. So
marvelous are such revealed truths that it is 'not lawful for man to utter'
them, 'Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen
and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit.' They are reserved by the Lord
for those prophets and seers who, 'while in the flesh,' are yet able 'to bear
his presence in the world of glory.' (D&C 76: 114-18.)
"In the providences
of the Lord the saints know some things that the world does not know about the
spiritual outpouring of divine grace that fell on the Mount of Transfiguration.
But even latter-day revelation does not set forth the full account, and until
men attain a higher state of spiritual understanding than they now enjoy, they
will continue to see through a glass darkly and to know only in part the
visionary experiences of the presiding officers of the meridian Church. That
which is known, however, singles out this night as one of the most important
and glorious in the lives of those who saw within the veil and who heard the
voices of the heavenly participants." (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem
to Calvary, 3: 54.)
'The priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Moses, and Elias [Elijah, in other words] gave the keys to Peter, James, and John, on the Mount when they were transfigured before him. The priesthood is everlasting-without beginning of days or end of years; without father, mother, etc. If there is no change of ordinances, there is no change of priesthood. Wherever the ordinances of the gospel are administered, there is the priesthood.... Christ is the Great High Priest; Adam next.'
Jeffrey R. Holland
"Then heavenly
messengers appeared, bestowing upon this First Presidency every needful key for
their ministry...The moment passed. The vision ceased. Peter still had many
lessons to learn in the days ahead-of political loyalty and personal
forgiveness, of material sacrifice and fruitful service...But whatever lay
before him, the transfer of authority was now complete. Endowed with power from
on high and armed with the certainty of his conviction, he descended with Jesus
into the valley of the shadow of death." (However Long and Hard the Road,
98.)
"Luke's account
indicates that the three apostles did not witness the beginning of this
marvelous transfiguration. They were heavy with sleep, as they would later be
at Gethsemane, but they were suddenly startled into wakefulness (Luke 9:32).
Then they saw and heard. In the darkness of the night they saw an intense light
and the glorified form of their Lord. Beside him, in that same glory of light,
were the two ancient prophets.
"Though it may be
difficult for us to understand, Jesus himself must have been strengthened and
sustained by Moses and Elijah in preparation for the suffering and agony ahead
of him in working out the infinite and eternal atonement of all mankind. In a
few days an angel from heaven would again strengthen him when he would sweat
great drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane."The three chosen apostles were taught of his coming death and also his resurrection, teachings that would strengthen each of them in the eventful days ahead." (A Light unto the World [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 11-12.)
What are the “keys of the kingdom of heaven”?
The “keys of heaven” are simply being able to
act for God here on earth. It also means being able to know for certain what
the Lord would have us do. Basically revelation. Men in places of stewardship
and authority need the correct permission to act out what the Lord would have
them do. Prophet, Apostles, Stake Presidents, Bishops have the authority to do
what the Lord wants done. I as a father have authority to receive what the Lord
would have my family do but I do not need the Keys to do that for them. Keys to
me are related to Priesthood authority and responsibility.
Like Peter, we can have the Holy Spirit make
known to us the divinity of Christ that will in turn change our lives and
actions.
Joseph Smith
"Jesus in His
teaching says, 'Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.' What rock? Revelation." (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, 274)
"By that He meant
that as Simon's name 'Peter' means rock, so this testimony that comes by
revelation shall be the rock upon which Christ's Church shall be built. Because
when one receives such divine assurance in his soul that the gospel is true, no
views of men, nor waves of temptation nor 'the power of hell' can deprive him
of it. You remember when Jesus first met Simon, He said He should be called
'the Rock.' Ever since then it would seem that Jesus has been waiting for the
time when Peter's testimony would be like his character-expressive and firm.
That time has come; and Peter is now prepared to receive a greater
responsibility." (Ancient Apostles, 48.)
"If there be those
who believe falsely that his Church was to be built upon the Apostle Peter to
whom he spoke, remind all such that the Master said on another occasion that
he, himself, was the 'stone' which men had rejected that was now to become 'the
head of the corner' (Matt 21:42; Eph 2:20; Col 1:18) or the head of the Church.
A church founded upon Peter or upon any other man would not be the Church of
Jesus Christ but the church of Peter or that of any other man upon whom it was
founded." (Decisions for Successful Living, 64 - 65.)
James E. Talmage
"Jesus said to him
'thou art Peter,' adding, 'and upon this rock I will build my church.' In the
course of the general apostasy subsequent to the ancient apostolic ministry,
the Bishop of Rome laid claim to supreme authority as the alleged lineal
successor to Peter; and an erroneous doctrine gained currency to the effect
that Peter was the 'rock' upon which the Church of Christ was founded. Detailed
consideration of this inconsistent and infamous claim cannot be undertaken
here; it is sufficient to say that a church founded or dependent upon Peter or
any other man would be Peter's or the other man's church, and not the Church of
Jesus Christ. (See The Great Apostasy, chap. 9; also 3 Ne. 27:1-8; also
chapter 40 herein.)" (Jesus The Christ, 341)
Bruce R. McConkie
"These keys, as we
are aware, are the right and power to preside over the kingdom which is the
Church. They enable the legal administrators who hold them to perform the
ordinances of salvation so they will be binding on earth and sealed in heaven.
Unless, for instance, a baptism performed on earth has efficacy and force in
heaven, it will not admit the penitent person into the eternal heaven, which
his soul desires. These sealing keys were, in fact, given to Peter, James, and
John about a week later, when they climbed nearby Mount Hermon to meet with
Moses and Elijah and to participate in the glory of the Transfiguration. Later
they were given to all of the Twelve, so that all had the power to bind and
loose both on earth and in heaven. (Matt. 18:18.)" (The Millennial
Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, 125.)
"In that marvelous
bestowal of authority the Lord gave to his apostles the keys of the holy
priesthood, whose power reaches beyond life and death into eternity. This same
authority has been restored to the earth by those same apostles who held it
anciently, even Peter, James, and John. ("The Marriage That Endures,"
Ensign, May 1974, p. 23.)
"We have been, this
afternoon just before we came here, to the Church of the Apostles . . . where
is found the original Christus statue by Thorvaldsen. It was the statue in this
church here in Copenhagen which was copied in marble in Italy and which is on
Temple Square in Salt Lake City. It is beautiful. . . . And then on either side
of that beautiful chapel are the carved figures of the Apostles, [including]
Peter, with the keys in his hand. I don't think the people who have
responsibility for that church understand the significance of those keys, but
for us they are real, they are genuine. . . . Those are the eternal keys of the
priesthood which have been restored under the hands of Peter, James, and John,
and also, Moses, Elias, and Elijah, the great keys of the dispensation of the
fulness of times, the keys which have the fulness of the priesthood in them.
They are the keys of the fulness of the priesthood as the Lord uses the word in
the 124th section of the Doctrine and Covenants-those keys which are exercised
in the House of the Lord. (Denmark Copenhagen Missionary Meeting, June 14,
1996.)" (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 472.)"
Matthew 17:14–21; Mark 9:14–29
When seeking greater
faith, I must first hold on to the faith I already have.
What did the
Spirit teach you as you read about this miracle?
This story really hit home. Think of the Apostles who had failed to heal
the child, think what they must have felt. Think of the fathers thoughts that
here the apostles were unable to do the miracle yet he still asks Christ. Did
his faith waver a bit? I don’t read that in the reaction. How many of us look
and dwell on the negative of things around us. We tend to think what we don’t have
rather than what we do. Elder Holland's talk listed here is a great one to
really listen to and study.
Also I think we tend to take giving blessing not serious enough. I have
thought why we don’t have mighty miracles of healing when we lay our hands on
people. Why don’t we have the Matthew Cowley type of faith? Still working
through the answers but I think it has to do with our own faith and trust in
our relationship with God. Also I believe these events are still happening but
are not widely shared since they are private and kept close to people’s hearts.
And that is how it should be.
How has Heavenly Father helped you increase your faith?
Every day I see the help that I am given. I have seen even the simplest
of requests receive help from on high. This has been able to let me change that
I believe the Father is in my day to day efforts to knowing that He is. This is
great comfort as I see new challenges come up as well as I watch my 11 yr. old daughter
and my grandchildren enter into this world that at times really scares me.
What can you
do to build upon the faith you already have?
Remember what knowledge and faith I already have. Study, pray serve.
Truly care about wanting to increase my faith I think is key in having it
happen.
What Others Have
Said:
Gene R. Cook
"Alma explains
beautifully some of the characteristics of faith. As we study these
characteristics, we need to remember that faith is something we know very
little about. The Lord says that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can
say to a mountain, 'Remove hence to yonder place,' and it would remove. (Matthew
17:20.) This teaches me that I must have something less than that, perhaps, and
that I know very little about it. Thus, I continue the search to understand
what it means to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that you, too,
will take this as a beginning point to greater study, meditation, and prayer to
understand faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As you do so, the Lord will reveal
to you further knowledge about these important principles, for he has promised,
'If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge
upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things-that
which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.' (D&C 42:61.)"
(Living by the Power of Faith, 28.)
"I believe there are
basically two kinds of faith. The kind of which I have spoken-faith that God
lives and rules in the heavens-sustains us in life's challenges. It enables us
to endure without yielding, and bear the trials common to us all. This faith
has characterized the lives of this people all through their history. It is a
great legacy to inherit and to bequeath.
"There is another
kind of faith: more powerful, less known, infrequently observed. This faith in
God compounds our ability to accomplish our righteous desires. It is the
creative, and generative kind of faith. This is the faith save for the exercise
of which things would not happen. This is the great causative force in human
lives. This is the faith that moves mountains." ("A Prophet's Faith,"
Ensign, Nov. 1975, 23)
Matthew Cowley
"Sometimes I wonder
whether there aren't many people who die because we don't exercise our
priesthood right. Maybe not, I don't know. When the disciples tried to cast the
dumb spirit out and couldn't do it, Christ came along and...said, ' . . this
kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.' (Matt. 17:19, 21.) They hadn't
done enough you see. They hadn't exercised the priesthood enough. And so I
wonder if some of us are the same way.
"Of course there are
times when you don't have time to fast much; you don't have time to pray much,
emergencies, you have to rush. But on the other hand I think if we have a
little time, and we intend to go and bless someone, it doesn't do any harm to
do a little fasting." (Matthew Cowley Speaks, 149.)
Matthew Cowley
"And so, remember we
have great opportunities. Great opportunities to bless. Sometimes I wonder if
we do enough in our administration of the sick. You know when the Apostles
tried to cast out an evil spirit, they couldn't do it or they didn't do it. The
Master came along, and he immediately cast out the dumb spirit. Then the
Apostles said, 'Why could not we cast him out?' And what did Christ say? 'This
kind goeth not out but by prayer and by fasting.' (Matt. 17:21.)
"Sometimes we rush
in, administer to a person, rush out, and say, 'Well, he won't make it. I know
he won't.' Of course, we have to, in case of an emergency, go immediately.
Sometimes I wonder, if we have a little time, if we shouldn't do a little
fasting. 'This kind cometh not out save by prayer and by fasting.'
"A little over a year
ago a couple came into my office carrying a little boy. The father said to me,
'My wife and I have been fasting for two days, and we've brought our little boy
up for a blessing. You are the one we've been sent to.'
"I said, 'What's the
matter with him?'
"They said he was
born blind, deaf, and dumb, had no co-ordination of his muscles, couldn't even
crawl at the age of five years. I said to myself, this is it. I had implicit
faith in the fasting and the prayers of those parents. I blessed that child,
and a few weeks later I received a letter: 'Brother Cowley, we wish you could
see our little boy now. He's crawling. When we throw a ball across the floor,
he races after it on his hands and knees. He can see. When we clap our hands
over his head, he jumps. He can hear.' Medical science had laid the burden
down. God had taken over. The little boy was rapidly recovering." (Matthew
Cowley Speaks, 245 - 246.)
"...the plan of
salvation [is] a system of faith-it begins with faith, and continues by faith;
and every blessing which is obtained in relation to it is the effect of faith,
whether it pertains to this life or that which is to come. To this all the
revelations of God bear witness." (Lectures on Faith [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1985], 7:17.)
"...in the search for
light, truth, and knowledge, almost everyone may have at one time or another
some private questions. That is part of the learning process. Many are like the
biblical father of the child with the 'dumb spirit' who pleaded with the
Savior: 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.' (Mark 9:17, 24)"
(Reach Up for the Light [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1990], 25.)
"As we inventory
whatever our personal hesitations, reservations, or equivocations are, it is
better to acknowledge them honestly while meekly indicating to God that, though
we understand somewhat the doctrine of faith, we need help in practicing it.
'Lord, help thou my unbelief' (Mark 9:24)." (Lord, Increase Our Faith
[Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 7.)
"We do not need to
wait for perfect faith to have enough faith to begin building Christ-centered
families. When the apostles could not cast an evil spirit out of a boy, the
father carried him to Jesus, who gave him a piercing challenge: 'If thou canst
believe, all things are possible.' The father, knowing the imperfect state of
his faith but also his desire for more, cried out, weeping, 'Lord, I believe;
help thou mine unbelief.' (Mark 9:23-24.) Jesus did not rebuke him or say,
'Come back when you have more faith.' He healed the child.
"The scriptures show
us examples of families with whom Jesus interacted during his premortal and
mortal ministries. They had hearts willing to receive him even if their
circumstances were not ideal. They had faith and yearned for more. They
sacrificed, served others, prayed, fasted, and pondered the promises of the
prophets."What is our Heavenly Father's work and glory? It is 'to bring to pass [our] immortality and eternal life.' (Moses 1:39.) The work of salvation goes on despite imperfect circumstances and imperfect faith. 'I am come that they might have life,' the Savior explained, 'and that they might have it more abundantly.' (John 10:10.) His task was not only to give life to the dead, miraculous though that was, but to give increased life to those living with less than flourishing faith, less than vibrant hope, less than burning charity.
"He accepts our imperfections even as he challenges us to rise above them. He loves us even when we are not very lovable. He rewards even a struggling faith with miracles." (Aloha! [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 9-10.)
"I feel, my brothers
and sisters, that in our work, and our callings also in our homes, that we
individually need the spiritual power, the strength, the guidance, and the
blessings that fasting and prayer will obtain. (Recounts the story of Mark
9:14-29.)
"It seems to me, my
brethren and sisters, particularly my brethren holding the Melchizedek
Priesthood, that when we are called to administer to the sick who are sorely
afflicted, if we would humble our souls through fasting and prayer, we would be
close to our Heavenly Father and have claim upon him for the blessings to those
we love and seek to help." (Conference Report, October 1951, Morning
Meeting 124-125.)
