LDS Freedom Forum

Onsdag wrote: ↑June 12th, 2018, 9:40 am

drtanner wrote: ↑June 6th, 2018, 11:30 pm President Nelson

My dear young brothers and sisters, these surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today.

Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!

When we speak of the gathering, we are simply saying this fundamental truth: every one of our Heavenly Father’s children, on both sides of the veil, deserves to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They decide for themselves if they want to know more.

Genuinely interested to hear what you have done or plan on doing to help gather Israel.

I truly hope your thread doesn't get derailed as mine did wherein I asked people to share what they were doing to follow the Prophet, but alas I can see it already happening. Everyone quibbling over semantics of what the "gathering" is, or discussing the merits of it is even appropriate to "follow" a Prophet of God, and little or no sharing of what they are actually and actively doing to participate in this latter-day work. Such a lost opportunity.

Now, to answer your question and try to do my part to keep this thread on topic. I do not share these things for purposes of self-aggrandizement. Rather, I do so to let my light shine forth and to encourage others in doing the same, as Jesus Christ himself has asked us to do (Matthew 5:16; 3 Nephi 12:16). For what it's worth, since I started my thread, I have been pressing forward, putting my shoulder to the wheel, lengthening my stride, and engaging more fully in the cause of Zion.

I went through the temple for the first time for my own endowment last month. In the couple of months before that, in preparation for this great event, I have gathered just over 100 names and with the help of a few friends have done all of their baptisms and confirmations in the temples of God. Since my endowment I have shifted gears and am now doing the other ordinances for these individuals, but I have also continued to find and gather more names. I have spent hours and hours in the temples doing this work - it has become my priority, my great love, and my passion. I have been serving in the temples not only for my own family names but I've been helping complete strangers (though they're not really strangers as we're all family) and others do sealings and initiatories. I have just now written a letter to the First Presidency to try getting a restoration of temple blessings for my deceased and excommunicated father.

I have continually been reading the scriptures, studying and listening to the Prophets, Apostles, and other General Authorities, from past General Conferences. And I regularly revisit this most recent General Conference as our Prophet has counseled us to. I have lived for every word that has proceeded forth from the mouth of God through His chosen servant, President Russell M. Nelson, and have strived to be strictly and quickly obedient. When he first issued his invitation a month ago for the youth to prepare for the youth fireside in June by daily reading the Book of Mormon and to pray for our hearts and minds to be prepared to receive his teachings at that time - I took up the challenge and did so as well, in spite of the fact that I'm no longer one of the "youth." And when he and his wife spoke at the youth fireside I immediately and wholeheartedly took up their challenge and invitation then as well.

I have been cutting back on "screen time" and social media in general, even before President Nelson's challenge was issued. And when I do post things to facebook I try and share only things that will help advance the cause of Zion and strengthen her stakes. If there is a bunch of garbage in my newsfeed I quickly pass by and move on to other things. If a friend posts "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" then I will "like" it and try posting my support of it. I have tried to encourage my friends to be better and do better, without trying to be condescending or patronizing.

I have been praying for the missionaries, and specific missionaries I am acquainted with. I have been trying to mail them, email them, and in general support, strengthen, and encourage them. I have been trying to do missionary work myself - first by example, but also by opening my mouth and sharing my faith and testimony. Most especially I have tried to reach out to family who have left the Church and share with them. Without really planning to I rather suddenly took two weeks off from work and drove to Texas and Colorado to visit with these family members with the hopes of perhaps somehow reaching out to them and to invite them back into the fold. Unexpectedly I had the opportunity of visiting with a cousin and sharing with her non-member husband more about the gospel and our faith. I have reached out to an old friend and potential investigator via email to try getting back in touch and continuing my missionary efforts with them (I don't know that they'll ever receive it or respond as it's an old and possibly discarded email address, but still). I have tried to be a better example to my coworkers of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I am trying to learn another language or two with the goal and hopes of being able to share the gospel and my testimony with people of other cultures.

I have been trying to be of more service and open to opportunities to serve. Sometimes at great personal sacrifice. I have tried to be more loving, more kind, more forgiving, more patient, more disciplined - in short: more Christ-like. I have done a lot of soul searching and evaluating my life, my heart, mind, desires, motives, and the path of my feet. I have tried to make course corrections as needed, and embrace changes, even hard changes, that will sanctify and simplify my life. I have been drinking deeply from the fountain of all righteousness and I'm loving it!

Truly did President Nelson speak when he said that we can each be a "part of something big, something grand, something majestic!" The latter-day work and kingdom of God is rolling forth in power and great glory preparatory to Jesus Christ's second coming. Are you sleeping through the Restoration?

The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, "the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God will gather together all things that are in heaven, and all things that are upon the earth," "even in one," when the Saints of God will be gathered in one from every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue, when the Jews will be gathered together into one, the wicked will also be gathered together to be destroyed, as spoken of by the prophets; the Spirit of God will also dwell with His people, and be withdrawn from the rest of the nations, and all things whether in heaven or on earth will be in one, even in Christ. The heavenly Priesthood will unite with the earthly, to bring about those great purposes; and whilst we are thus united in one common cause, to roll forth the kingdom of God, the heavenly Priesthood are not idle spectators, the Spirit of God will be showered down from above, and it will dwell in our midst. The blessings of the Most High will rest upon our tabernacles, and our name will be handed down to future ages; our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize; a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family. (May 2, 1842.) DHC 4:608-610. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 231)

Onsdag wrote: ↑June 12th, 2018, 9:40 am

drtanner wrote: ↑June 6th, 2018, 11:30 pm President Nelson

My dear young brothers and sisters, these surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today.

Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!

When we speak of the gathering, we are simply saying this fundamental truth: every one of our Heavenly Father’s children, on both sides of the veil, deserves to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They decide for themselves if they want to know more.

Genuinely interested to hear what you have done or plan on doing to help gather Israel.

I truly hope your thread doesn't get derailed as mine did wherein I asked people to share what they were doing to follow the Prophet, but alas I can see it already happening. Everyone quibbling over semantics of what the "gathering" is, or discussing the merits of it is even appropriate to "follow" a Prophet of God, and little or no sharing of what they are actually and actively doing to participate in this latter-day work. Such a lost opportunity.

Now, to answer your question and try to do my part to keep this thread on topic. I do not share these things for purposes of self-aggrandizement. Rather, I do so to let my light shine forth and to encourage others in doing the same, as Jesus Christ himself has asked us to do (Matthew 5:16; 3 Nephi 12:16). For what it's worth, since I started my thread, I have been pressing forward, putting my shoulder to the wheel, lengthening my stride, and engaging more fully in the cause of Zion.

I went through the temple for the first time for my own endowment last month. In the couple of months before that, in preparation for this great event, I have gathered just over 100 names and with the help of a few friends have done all of their baptisms and confirmations in the temples of God. Since my endowment I have shifted gears and am now doing the other ordinances for these individuals, but I have also continued to find and gather more names. I have spent hours and hours in the temples doing this work - it has become my priority, my great love, and my passion. I have been serving in the temples not only for my own family names but I've been helping complete strangers (though they're not really strangers as we're all family) and others do sealings and initiatories. I have just now written a letter to the First Presidency to try getting a restoration of temple blessings for my deceased and excommunicated father.

I have continually been reading the scriptures, studying and listening to the Prophets, Apostles, and other General Authorities, from past General Conferences. And I regularly revisit this most recent General Conference as our Prophet has counseled us to. I have lived for every word that has proceeded forth from the mouth of God through His chosen servant, President Russell M. Nelson, and have strived to be strictly and quickly obedient. When he first issued his invitation a month ago for the youth to prepare for the youth fireside in June by daily reading the Book of Mormon and to pray for our hearts and minds to be prepared to receive his teachings at that time - I took up the challenge and did so as well, in spite of the fact that I'm no longer one of the "youth." And when he and his wife spoke at the youth fireside I immediately and wholeheartedly took up their challenge and invitation then as well.

I have been cutting back on "screen time" and social media in general, even before President Nelson's challenge was issued. And when I do post things to facebook I try and share only things that will help advance the cause of Zion and strengthen her stakes. If there is a bunch of garbage in my newsfeed I quickly pass by and move on to other things. If a friend posts "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy" then I will "like" it and try posting my support of it. I have tried to encourage my friends to be better and do better, without trying to be condescending or patronizing.

I have been praying for the missionaries, and specific missionaries I am acquainted with. I have been trying to mail them, email them, and in general support, strengthen, and encourage them. I have been trying to do missionary work myself - first by example, but also by opening my mouth and sharing my faith and testimony. Most especially I have tried to reach out to family who have left the Church and share with them. Without really planning to I rather suddenly took two weeks off from work and drove to Texas and Colorado to visit with these family members with the hopes of perhaps somehow reaching out to them and to invite them back into the fold. Unexpectedly I had the opportunity of visiting with a cousin and sharing with her non-member husband more about the gospel and our faith. I have reached out to an old friend and potential investigator via email to try getting back in touch and continuing my missionary efforts with them (I don't know that they'll ever receive it or respond as it's an old and possibly discarded email address, but still). I have tried to be a better example to my coworkers of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. I am trying to learn another language or two with the goal and hopes of being able to share the gospel and my testimony with people of other cultures.

I have been trying to be of more service and open to opportunities to serve. Sometimes at great personal sacrifice. I have tried to be more loving, more kind, more forgiving, more patient, more disciplined - in short: more Christ-like. I have done a lot of soul searching and evaluating my life, my heart, mind, desires, motives, and the path of my feet. I have tried to make course corrections as needed, and embrace changes, even hard changes, that will sanctify and simplify my life. I have been drinking deeply from the fountain of all righteousness and I'm loving it!

Truly did President Nelson speak when he said that we can each be a "part of something big, something grand, something majestic!" The latter-day work and kingdom of God is rolling forth in power and great glory preparatory to Jesus Christ's second coming. Are you sleeping through the Restoration?