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17: "My Law to Govern My Church" (Doctrine and Covenants 41–44)

Sun Apr 18 17:40:25 EDT 2021
Episode 17

Have you ever heard the words, “law of consecration” and felt a little apprehensive? If so, you’re not alone. And in this week’s discussion of Doctrine and Covenants 41–44, we’re going to answer some questions you may have had about the law of consecration and take down some misconceptions about what it really means to live God's law.

Find full episodes of the Sunday on Monday study group here. Start your free trial of Deseret Bookshelf PLUS+ here.


Show Notes

Tammy 0:00

So because I got married a little bit older, I already had kind of a lot of stuff. And so I decided that I wanted to have a "food storage shower." And when I met my husband, in his food storage, all he had were Spaghettios with meatballs and mustard. And to this day, he claims that still all we need, I'm not even kidding. I have since added much to our food storage, including bottled meat, because my mom and my aunt, they teach classes on food storage. I mean, they know everything about food storage. You could say my family is all things food storage. Well, one day in passing, after clearing like 20 bottles of preserves, I mean, we worked all day to do meat and vegetable, everything. My mom said, in passing, "Well, having this much will be helpful when you donate it during the Law of Consecration." Can you hear like the record go Errrrr? I was like, "Come again?" Bad-attitude Tammy was quick with, "Yeah, I don't think so. I'm not sharing all of this work." Well, in today's discussion of Doctrine and Covenants, sections 41 through 44, we're going to take a look at a law that is going to kind of encourage me to share my food storage. All right, I will. As well as many other laws in today's discussion.

Welcome to the Sunday on Monday Study Group, a Deseret Bookshelf PLUS+ Original brought to you by LDS Living where we take the "Come, Follow Me" lesson for the week and we really dig into the scriptures together. I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now if you're new to our study group, we just want to make sure that you know how to use this podcast so please follow the link in our description. That's going to explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your "Come, Follow Me" study for the week just like my friend Lauren from Arizona, who is a camp director this year. Hello! Best calling ever! So good luck, Lauren, as you prepare for Girls' Camp. Another awesome thing about our study group, and this is my favorite thing for sure, is that each week we're joined by two of my friends, so it's always gonna be different, a different combination of people. And so today we have an oldie but a goodie Sharon Staples, you know her, and then we have a new friend, Ashlie Mortensen. Hi, ladies!

Sharon Staples 1:53

Hi, Tammy. Nice to be with you again. This is great. I'm looking forward to it. Especially looking forward to listening to Ashlie and her input. So this will be an exciting session.

Ashlie M 2:02

I'm so excited. I'm starstruck by both of you. So I'm so glad to be here.

Tammy 2:07

Well, this is kind of a cool thing about Ashlie. Ashlie and her husband started Latter-day Home, which brings you all of the cool goods that Deseret Book sells for your home, like pillows, blankets, sayings, art. Isn't that right, Ashlie?

Ashlie M 2:19

I'm using all my pillows in my pillow fort right now. They're all packed around me.

Tammy 2:23

Oh my gosh, that's so fun. I love that. And she is in a pillow fort, just in case you're wondering to conceal the sound, which I think is awesome. How did you guys start Latter-day Home? Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Ashlie M 2:33

My husband, Owen, has been creating artwork for well probably his entire life. But I would look around our house and I would hear, you know, messages from the Prophet about having a picture of the temple or a picture of the Savior in our home. And I just hadn't found something that resonated with me. So I kind of started hassling and I said, "You need to do some religious artwork." And he, kind of is in the field that he was in it was kind of like, "I'm not sure that's the direction I want to go." But I didn't let up. I just kept hassling and hassling. And so we really decided that if that was something that we were looking for, and we wanted that inspiration in our home, that there were probably others who were looking for kind of a similar look and feel. So we used the contacts that he had and we pulled all of that together and started Latter-day Home. And it's been the most wonderful thing that has happened for our family, I think.

Tammy 3:23

Oh, neat!

Sharon Staples 3:24

That's wonderful.

Tammy 3:25

I'm wondering, is there a product that stands out to you?

Ashlie M 3:28

There was so much time and thought and prayer that went into each of them, but the last line that we did, the "Gathering Home" collection, the colors and the messages, just really resonated at a time when we weren't able to gather and thinking about what other things could "gather" mean? How do we gather, even if we can't get together physically?

Tammy 3:51

Oh, my gosh, Ashlie, I'm going to come back to you later on today. Because there's a whole section we're studying today about gathering and why we gather. That's going to be perfect! I can't wait!

Ashlie M 4:00

Perfect.

Tammy 4:01

Okay, well, if you want to know more about my guests and see cute pictures of them and their families, you can get all of that information in our show notes, which are found at LDSLiving.com/SundayonMonday. Okay, you two, how do you feel about these chapters?

Ashlie M 4:14

Oh, I'm really excited.

Tammy 4:17

Oh, and I don't know if you guys could hear but Sharon says she feels a little overwhelmed. Sharon, why are you overwhelmed about these chapters?

Sharon Staples 4:22

We have 41, 42, 43, 44 with such significant direction for the Church. And all those revelations came within a few short months of one year, 1830. And there's so much in these chapters to digest and to learn about the Church and what was going on at the time. But to do all that? The Church was only 10 months old, when things started popping. And I just think it's amazing that that kind of revelation of that magnitude came that fast to the prophet to guide the Saints in those days.

Tammy 4:57

So young to get all this.

Sharon Staples 4:58

So that's what overwhelmed me was I started looking at the dates and I thought 1830, 1830, 1830, 1830. My goodness gracious!

Tammy 5:07

And here we are February 1831. And all these revelations will be given in the month of February, back to back.

Ashlie M 5:14

I've kind of noticed something similar, Sharon. The thing that I thought was so interesting, and it kind of actually makes me think about President Nelson right now. But there was so much happening at the time that they needed all of this. We might be able to get on the phone and make sure that things are running the way that they need to. But Joseph might not talk to people for several months. And so all of this had to get out really, really quickly so that it could be dispersed throughout the Church. That's kind of how it seemed to me.

Sharon Staples 5:38

Right.

Tammy 5:39

Yes! Excellent. Excellent. Thank you, both of you. Okay, so with that then, friends, grab your scriptures, and let's dig in to chapters 41 through 44. So to start out this episode, I just had to play this song because this song reminded me of the background and history of why we have section 41. So when I play this little bit of this song, I want you guys to tell me, "What era do you think of? Or what kind of people?" Here we go. "Let the sunshine. Let the sunshine in."

So does that sound familiar to you?

Sharon Staples 6:27

Not me. That's out of my genre. I have no idea who they were, what they were saying. Nothing. Blank.

Tammy 6:34

A blank?

Ashlie M 6:35

Well, my daughter's so much better with the music eras and everything than I am, but I'm thinking 60s?

Tammy 6:40

Yes. 100%? What kinds of people listen to that kind of music, when you're thinking of them swaying back and forth. What are they called?

Sharon Staples 6:47

Hippies.

Ashlie M 6:47

Yeah.

Tammy 6:49

Perfect. It totally made me think of the hippies, because you're not going to believe the context for this section of the Doctrine and Covenants. So the Saints in Ohio, they began to interpret scripture on their own, and they decided to live their own version of the Lord's law, which they called "Common Stock." And they actually referred to themselves as "The Family." And this is so interesting to me, because they believe that everything of everyone's was fair game. So there's actually a story in Church history by a man by the name of Levi Hancock, and I recommend you looking him up because he has a very impressive history. He's visiting the Saints in Ohio, who had begun to call themselves "The Family" living this Law of Common Stock, and he wrote that a man by the name of Herman Bassett, one of the members of this Church, or of the Church, he took Levi's pocket watch and just sold it. And Herman later explained, "Well, it was all in the Family. Your watch is my watch." Isn't that crazy? Can you imagine someone taking your car and selling it because we're living the Law of Common Stock. So when Joseph found out that this is how some of the Saints were living in Ohio, because they're starting to gather to Ohio, he received Section 41. And the move to Ohio, this is kind of cool, we shared this back in Episode 2. Remember the story we talked about Lucy Mack Smith traveling with the saints via the Erie Canal into Fayette? How she stood up and rebuked everybody. This is the context for that story. She's now with the Saints in New York, and they're coming down the Erie Canal, moving to and living in Ohio. Okay, so we know the background for Section 41. And now the Lord is going to speak to his Saints because He wants them to know what His law is. They've tried to come up with their own version of a law. And I love this because it's what we talked about in the very beginning, like all of this stuff needed to be known. And so the Lord's like, "All right, now I'm going to set up my law so my Saints can know really what they should be living by, and it's not Common Stock." Kind of, we'll get to that. This is so fun. So, Sharon, would you just read verse 1 for us in Section 41?

Sharon Staples 8:41

Certainly. "Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I curse, that have professed my name, with the heaviest of all cursings." Uh-oh.

Tammy 8:58

Just, yes. Thank you, Sharon. So let's break this verse down. The Lord starts out by saying that He delights in blessing us. So knowing that about God, how does it affect the way you view him?

Sharon Staples 9:12

He's on my side. He wants to bless me and help me and so, as he is kind to me, I become more kinder to him and kinder to other people. Because it's a positive loving. "I want to bless you, I want to help you," that kind of thing?

Ashlie M 9:26

Tammy, I think you've pointed out before too about how, because of the religious practices of the time, what perception the Saints might have had of Heavenly Father at the time, and frankly, we still have some of those thoughts and feelings about Heavenly Father: punishes and He might be difficult, but to know that more than anything else, He just wants to bless us. That's so enlightening.

Tammy 9:48

Absolutely, and especially He's saying this to a group of people who are trying to find their own blessings. They're trying to get their own stuff, like take care of themselves. And I think, I love how the Lord's like, "No, I'm gonna bless you. You don't need to take anybody else's watch and sell it." And then he sets it up with those who hear him. And then those who don't hear him and Sharon, why did you say "Ohh" at the end of that verse?

Sharon Staples 10:11

Oh, the cursing. I mean, it's the heaviest, heaviest of all cursings. I don't ever want to be there. I don't want to go there. I don't want to see it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to be anywhere near it. So I don't know what that is. I don't know what that is. But I don't want it, whatever it is.

Tammy 10:27

I totally agree. And so verse one, He's like, "Just hear me. Hearken and hear, and I'm gonna bless you for it." And it's a great way to set up what He's about to teach us in these sections. The key to Section 41, and Sharon, we talked a little bit about this. Who is the main person in Section 41 that we're taught about?

Sharon Staples 10:45

The beloved Edward Partridge.

Tammy 10:47

Yes. Tell us about him.

Sharon Staples 10:50

My gosh. What a, I mean. First of all, the Church was 10 months old. He had been a member of the Church for two months.

Ashlie M 10:58

Oh, wow. I didn't realize it was was that—

Sharon Staples 11:00

Yeah, he was called to be the bishop which means overseer. And he was asked by the prophet for him and Lydia to leave their hat shop and move to, I think, Missouri to be the bishop. There was no Handbook. There was no set of instructions. There was no predecessor. There's no previous prophet that says, "Oh, this is how you do it." They just threw him in the pond and said, "Swim." And bless his heart, he swam until it killed him. He died at age 47. He just wore himself out.

Ashlie M 11:22

Oh, wow.

Tammy 11:35

In fact, history says he died of exhaustion. That's all we know about him.

Sharon Staples 11:39

That's exactly right. And the Lord said of Bishop Partridge: "He was like Nathaniel of old, in whom there is no guile. He was pure of heart."

Ashlie M 11:49

I loved that.

Sharon Staples 11:51

And so he left his wife, Lydia, and five children, ages 6 to 20, and did what the Lord commanded him to do. And started, hinted at, tried to start the Law of Consecration. He suffered beatings, tars and featherings, hurtful insults. When he notified Lydia, he said, "You need to bring the children to where I am, and you will be subject to much suffering." Man, I would have said, "Ah, have a good time, Ed. You know, I'll see you, you know, after the sufferings. I don't want those cursings or any of that," I would say.

Tammy 12:27

Let me know when the blessings come.

Sharon Staples 12:29

Yeah, right. Exactly.

Tammy 12:31

Well, let's read the verses about Edward Partridge. And Ashlie, will you read verses 9 through 11? Here are the verses you want to highlight and mark, and then we'll give you some stuff about Edward.

Ashlie M 12:40

Absolutely. "And again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge; and I give a commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop unto the church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the church; To see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws in the day that I shall give them. And this because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile."

Tammy 13:09

Thank you. And it's kind of neat, highlight verse 11, the part where it says "in whom there is no guile." It says that on his headstone in Nauvoo. I went there when I was in Nauvoo. I don't know why? It just was so important to me to find Edward Partridge's headstone. And his original headstone says that: "In whom there was no guile." And that's what Joseph said about him. So let's title this section. The title for Section 41 is "A True Disciple of Jesus Christ, First Bishop of the Church." And so you can memorize that you remember where it is in Section 41, the first Bishop of the Church. So that's our title. So if you notice throughout section 41, often the Lord refers to what's called "my law." He says, "my law" in verses 3, 4, 5, and 10. And the reason he says this so many times is that section 41 is given in preparation for Section 42. So in the next segment, we're going to see what "The Law" the Saints needed to be prepared to receive.

Segment 2

Tammy 14:13

So I got my bachelor's degree in sociology, and I can remember learning a word in my program called a more. So a more, this is so interesting, it's spelled M-O-R-E-S, like Moore's, but it's pronounced Moray. It's a social norm that's widely observed within a particular society of culture. And mores determine what's considered morally acceptable. So for instance, it's not morally acceptable to be nude in public. Alright, there you go.

Ashlie M 14:41

I guess certain places.

Tammy 14:42

So yes, I'm sorry. Yeah, I've shattered some dreams for some of you. It's not socially acceptable to pick your nose and eat it. You know, just kind of basic things like that. Did you guys, I asked you guys to think of any mores? Was there anything that came to your mind of any social mores?

Ashlie M 14:54

I don't know why but when I think of mores, I think of moors, like a ship mooring. And kind of like anchoring. And so I think I've always thought of mores as anchors like, what are the things that we kind of hold to and kind of keep our society sort of in check? And I actually, having said that, I have some big concerns about some that I think that we're kind of losing a little bit. I really think that mutual love and respect, I think that's something that probably for centuries was a big deal. And if people don't really hold to that as much as they used to. Belief in a higher power, and working together, I just think all of those are things that really have been kind of anchors of society, and we're losing a lot of those.

Tammy 15:33

Oh, wow, that was good.

Sharon Staples 15:34

Yeah, I was a little more basic in mine, I thought of funeral potatoes. I mean, a more a is that we, we prepare a meal for the grieving family and their friends afterwards. And I thought, well, that's more that's not been in the scriptures anywhere that says you must prepare a family meal for the mourners. The other one was not dating until you're 16 or older, little things like that, within the church, that are mores. So there are several, and I'm sure many of our listeners could think of many more in their society. And their society, throughout the world, is going to be different than ours. And they're going to have different customs, but acceptable in their society, but are not commandments.

Tammy 16:16

Perfect. Oh, both of you. That was excellent. Because what you just said, is making me think of the Saints at this time, because they had started to set up a structure of their own mores. Like it was morally acceptable to take somebody's stuff and sell it. And so what's interesting is Section 42 for me was the section of God's mores. This is God's law, Section 42, He is going to teach us everything we need to know about His standards for personal behavior, and His standards for social organization. The title for this section is "Law of the Lord to His Church." That's all it is: "Law of the Lord to His Church." And He is going to tell us what His exact law is. That's why in Section 40, when He keeps saying, "I'm going to give you my law, my law, my law, and here it is," here is His law. Now, this is interesting, because Section 42 was given in two parts. So you need to know this, as the Church leaders sought to know the Lord's direction concerning the growing Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith received revelation, recorded verses 1 through 72 first. So verses 1 through 72, he first received, then two weeks later, on February 23, he's going to receive verses 73 through 92. So if you want to draw a little line after verse 72, just know that this section was received two weeks apart. And that's in the section heading, you can see that right there. So we're going to go right into Doctrine and Covenants, Section 42, verses 1 through 29. And this is interesting, because there's a couple of firsts for us, as members of the Church, in this section. And as we start in this section, I just want to know, "What did you guys mark at the very beginning? Anything stand out to you in verses 1 through 29?"

Ashlie M 17:58

My goodness, this is something that I'm noticing is, in a lot of the sections in D&C, it starts with "hearken" and then this particular section that we're studying, every single section begins with "hearken."

Tammy 18:11

Ashlie, tell me why that stands out to you.

Ashlie M 18:14

Has it become so common to us, that we just kind of gloss over it?

Tammy 18:18

I think you're right.

Sharon Staples 18:20

But President Nelson is doing the same thing today. It says, "hear him." What President Nelson is saying is "hearken!" "hear him!" And there are some particular scriptures that we'll get to pretty soon where that is significant about hearken and hearing him.

Tammy 18:37

Great insight. In fact, is there anything else that struck you about these verses?

Sharon Staples 18:44

Well, there were three or four things. One is that the elders were directed on how to go out two by two.

Tammy 18:51

Let's read it. It's verse 6. This is one of the first I talked about. The first time this is mentioned and, Sharon, will you read that for us?

Sharon Staples 18:58

"And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God." And I wrote down four things in going out "two by two": they were to preach the gospel, they were to declare the word like angels, they were to invite all to repent, and they were to baptize all willing souls.

Tammy 19:26

And that's found in verses 6, 7, and 8.

Ashlie M 19:29

I do think there there are some things in the Gospel that can only be learned in conjunction with others. You know, there are certain things that we can't learn about ourselves if we're alone. You know, we really need to be learning to work together with others and put others' needs above our own. And I think Heavenly Father has much greater purpose and understanding of what it means to be combined and linked with another.

Sharon Staples 19:54

Great insight.

Tammy 19:55

Thank you, Ashlie. Well, and it's it fulfills the law of witnesses, which we've talked about before, dating back to the Old Testament where you have to have at least one other person to witness of what's being said and what is truth. It can't just be your own word. And let's go to verse 11. Because here's what you do "two by two" as missionaries, and I really love verse 11. Ashlie, will you read that for us?

Ashlie M 20:16

"Again I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church."

Tammy 20:32

Yes, now that teaches us an interesting thing. So you can't just self-appoint yourself to be a missionary, right? I mean, every member a missionary, yes, 100%, but to be called, sent forth as a missionary, next to this—and in our show notes, I included this—but next verse 11, I wrote "men and women." President Oaks actually talked about this in his 2014 General Conference talk called "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood." And I just loved it. Because speaking of women in the church, who are missionaries, he said, they have the "authority of the priesthood," and I love how he says, quote, "What else would it be?" unquote. And it just shows that verse 11 is to men and women who are called as missionaries. So cool.

Ashlie M 21:12

I love that it's so obvious to him. I think it's in Section 121, where it says that the understanding of the priesthood will descend on us like basically like the dew. It's coming a little bit at a time for the rest of us. But I love that there are some that understand it so well.

Tammy 21:27

Yeah, perfect. Here's another first, and this is verse 9. And I'll read this. It says, "Until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the New Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be gathered in one, that ye may be my people and I will be your God." Highlight that phrase, "New Jerusalem." This is the very first time that it is used in the Doctrine and Covenants. We learned about it last year in the Book of Mormon in the Book of Ether, but it's the first time it's introduced to the Saints here, and the Lord is teaching them about the New Jerusalem. We're going to talk about that extensively later on in the Doctrine and Covenants. But there's some important things we need to just kind of know about this, because this is the Zion that will be established in Missouri, which the Saints of this dispensation will be gathered. And that city is going to be called the New Jerusalem. And it's going to be built upon the American continent, Article of Faith, number 10. It was so interesting, in the commentary that I read, the New Jerusalem will be built by the descendants of Joseph who was sold in Egypt, and its center place will be in Jackson County, Missouri, and in the shownotes, I've included all of the quotes and scripture references, so you can look this up. But the Lord promised here, that the location of the New Jerusalem will be revealed in the future, and then we're not going to get it until Doctrine and Covenants Section 57. So we're going to talk a lot more about the New Jerusalem when we get there. But in ancient Jerusalem, we have a city which Lehi fled, that's also going to be built up. But the Jerusalem in Israel will not be called the New Jerusalem. That's reserved for here in America. So I thought it was kind of interesting. Any other thoughts or things you want to add to that?

Sharon Staples 23:01

No, I'll wait till 57. Just go ahead.

Ashlie M 23:03

Oh, I just knew that you ladies would know what Jerusalem meant. But I had to look it up. And I loved that it is "City of Peace."

Tammy 23:12

Thank you!

Ashlie M 23:13

I keep coming back to this thought, equating Heavenly Father with peace. That's what He is for me and for all of us. And, you know, if this is His, if Zion to Him means peace, that's totally where I want to be.

Tammy 23:25

Oh, my gosh. Well, just when she said that, Sharon, did you break down Jerusalem? Yeru-shalom. Yeah, that's "City of Peace."

Sharon Staples 23:33

It is.

Tammy 23:33

That's so cool. Yeru-shalom.

Ashlie M 23:37

So that's the extent of my Hebrew.

Sharon Staples 23:39

It's a start, Ashlie. You're on the, you're on the path.

Tammy 23:41

Excellent. Okay, so let's go now, we're going to go to some of the best verses in verses 1 through 29. I really, I mean, we've done so many. But these are awesome. Because we have an IF and THEN. I love an IF and THEN and it's in verse 14. Sharon, will you please read that? And then ladies, I want to hear your thoughts.

Sharon Staples 23:56

"And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach."

Tammy 24:05

Boom, there it is.

Sharon Staples 24:07

Boy, and I can testify to that. And I'm sure Ashlie can too. In teaching, each of us have taught Primary, Young Women, Sunday School, Relief Society. If the spirit isn't there, you're toast. You have to have the spirit and what is equally important to me is in the verses that follow, the significance of the Holy Spirit.

Tammy 24:26

Oh, for sure. And actually, will you please read verse 16 and 17 for us, Sharon?

Sharon Staples 24:31

"And as ye shall lift up your voices by the Comforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good; For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son."

Tammy 24:48

So I want to know, what stood out to you about those verses?

Sharon Staples 24:52

I don't think we pay enough attention to the significance of the influence of a Holy Spirit. It teaches, it guides, it comforts, it enlightens, it enhances, it—the list goes on and on and on. And I think it's neat that one of his other names is "Comforter." That to me is a warm blanket, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, my mother's arms around me. That's just all of those things.

Tammy 25:20

There's something so endearing about that. Thank you, Sharon.

Ashlie M 25:23

I love that. Okay, so this phrase, I'm noticing this a lot: "by the prayer of faith." So it's not by prayer. It's not by faith. Is there some significance to the term "by the prayer of faith"?

Tammy 25:37

Ashlie, I love that you just asked that question, because I'm going to take us back to the week we talked about Lectures on Faith. Here's what my thoughts are, when it says "by the prayer of faith," because one of the things we learned in Lectures on Faith is that faith is a verb. Faith requires action. When we talk about "I have faith in God," we often mean, "I have faith that God will do something for me because I believe in him." But in Hebrew, that's not what it means. And we talked about this word "faith" in Hebrew. It's emunah, which means "I believe in God, so I'm therefore going to act as proof that I believe in him. And my actions are what create my faith." And so when we have right here "by the prayer of faith," it's an action associated with the word "faith." "I'm going to pray, I'm going to act, I'm going to do, proving that I have this faith, and hope that God answers my prayers." I love you brought that phrase up: "by the prayer of faith," "by the action of faith." And so when you read "faith without works is dead," 100% you have to be willing to act and move and do in order to have faith in this Being that you're calling upon. So has there ever been a time in either one of your lives when you've taken action, and the Holy Ghost has helped you to receive revelation?

Ashlie M 26:55

I have recently been thinking about our, what I had learned from last conference and been seeking kind of some inspiration for some things that are going on. And I feel like the Spirit has continually been taking me back to "Let God prevail." And so I've kind of been coming to understand what that means for me, and what does it mean to allow God to be the most important influence in my life. And I have felt the Spirit teaching me what that means, and bringing thoughts to my mind, and then helping me learn how to implement those things. One of them is being patient, being understanding, listening, like we've been talking about. And I think the Spirit has been helping me to learn how to do that.

Sharon Staples 27:41

And I think what you're doing then is you're putting into practice the "prayer of faith."

Tammy 27:47

I think that's exactly it. Wow. Thank you, Sharon. And thank you, Ashlie, that was a beautiful example. Awesome. So all we need to know now for the rest of these verses, verses 18 through 29, if you just want to mark those, these are God's mores for the commandments. And we're not even going to have time to go over them. But as you read the commandments, the Lord will give the commandment and then He'll take it up a notch. Those are God's mores. This is how He wants us to view His commandments, on sort of a higher law. Okay, well, we're just going to go on then into the next segment. And we're going to study more of the Lord's standard for personal behavior and social organization for us and everybody else. It's so cool.

Segment 3

Tammy 28:36

So going back to my story about my bad attitude with the canning. I'm curious, are you guys into food storage? Do you like to do that?

Sharon Staples 28:44

Yes, I do. I don't like to do it, but I do it. And we can everything. We bottle pizza sauce, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce, B-six juice, tomatoes, pickles—

Tammy 28:55

I've never seen anything like it. I'm just going to tell you, I've been to Sharon's house when canning season happens. They have a huge garden, not to mention fruit trees. I mean, when they say they can everything: grapes, apples, vegetables, and you name it, Sharon bottles it. For sure.

Ashlie M 29:09

That's amazing.

Tammy 29:10

It is. It's incredible.

Sharon Staples 29:13

That's another comforting thing. In the middle of January or February, and there's a snowstorm and I want to have tortilla soup. I don't have to go to the local store. I can just go to my pantry and I have tortilla soup right there. So it's being prepared. It's "if ye are prepared, you shall not fear." And when the snows come, if they ever do in Utah, then we're prepared.

Tammy 29:34

Okay, so how do you feel about sharing your food storage then?

Sharon Staples 29:37

Oh, yeah, we do. We share. Share all the time.

Tammy 29:40

Yeah, you're way better than me.

Ashlie M 29:41

You're amazing.

Sharon Staples 29:42

Well, because we have so much. And if you're going to do two bottles, you might as well do 20. I mean, you know, it's like you're having two children, your might as well have six. Not quite the same, but—

Ashlie M 29:52

No. The work is exponential.

Sharon Staples 29:54

Yeah, right.

Ashlie M 29:54

You have to go to a lot of work!

Sharon Staples 29:56

Yeah.

Tammy 29:56

Listen, when I bought all my spaghetti sauce or salsa, I hoarde it. I ration. I'm like, "Alright, we can only have this many." I mean, it's—

Sharon Staples 30:04

You just need to do more!

Tammy 30:06

I do a ton though! I'm like so, just, I want to be careful with it. And it's just precious to me because I worked so hard on it.

Sharon Staples 30:14

I know.

Tammy 30:15

Well, going back to my story at the beginning about the Law of Consecration, when my mom said that to me, and I was devastated. What is the deal with the Law of Consecration? Like, why is it so hard? Why might it be difficult to live this law?

Ashlie M 30:26

I think growing up, every time I heard of the Law of Consecration, I felt like it was something that was imposed upon the people. And so to think of it differently this time and realize that actually, these were people who wanted this. The Lord was just coming in and saying, "There's a better way to do this, and it involves accountability, it involves—where are my notes—stewardship and agency. And the fact that those were aspects that were missing from what they had created. What they had created would ultimately collapse, it would not withstand the test of time. And knowing that the way that our Heavenly Father suggested they go about doing things, that's something that will live that way into eternity.

Tammy 31:11

Thank you, Ashlie. And I love the three things you said: stewardship, accountability, and agency. In fact, write that somewhere in your scriptures next to verses 30 through like 36, I think. This is sort of our intro to the Law of Consecration. We are going to definitely dive into it deeper when we get further on in the Doctrine and Covenants, but we talked about how section 42 has a lot of firsts, and this is the first mention of this law. So here's what we need to know a little bit about this Law of Consecration. So Sharon, will you please read the definition of consecration and then a quote by Elder Christofferson?

Sharon Staples 31:47

Consecration: the act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God by certain rights or solemnities. That's the definition. And Elder Christofferson said, "To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes."

Tammy 32:13

All right, thank you. So let's look at this law. Go to Section 42, verse 30. I'm just going to read this right here. "And behold, thou wilt—" Let's just highlight "thou wilt." Right there, right out of the gates. What does this wording imply to us?

Sharon Staples 32:30

It's a commandment.

Tammy 32:31

Thank you. Yep. Here's something that he wants us to do. "Thou wilt" and here's what he wants us to do. "remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support..." "Thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken." Now, this is serious, right?

Sharon Staples 32:55

Well, and not only that, but President Hinckley said it is still in effect. In his teachings, of Gordon B. Hinckley in 1977 says it's still in effect, and Bruce R. McConkie says, The law of sacrifice is a celestial law and the law of consecration is a celestial law. We will not always have it and not totally. And we do it with our humanitarian offers. We do it with our tithes and offerings, we do it with help with missionaries. The church has organized a way of consecrating.

Ashlie M 33:29

Is this even more fundamental, is this part of our stewardship as part of our baptismal covenants?

Tammy 33:35

Yes. Ashlie, I have to have you read this quote by Spencer W. Kimball, and then I want you to talk to us about this.

Ashlie M 33:43

"Consecration is the giving of one’s time, talents, and means to care for those in need—whether spiritually or temporally—and in building the Lord’s kingdom."

Tammy 33:53

Thank you. So how are we living the law today? What do you mean when you said, does this go into our baptismal covenants? Tell me more about that.

Ashlie M 34:02

So I had an experience walking downtown in Salt Lake recently with my son. And there was a gentleman who appeared to be in a rough situation. And we talked about things that we are doing and might be able to do for this individual. And, and we talked about how we tried to help individuals financially. But what are we doing with our time? And are we spending time with those who might need our attention, to find out how did this gentleman get in this situation? What might he need to pull himself out of the circumstances that he's in? And I think sometimes we're so free with giving of our resources, but do we give of our time and our attention? Do we give our love and do we make space in our lives, in our homes, for all of those around us? For our families, for our friends, for those that we don't know, for those in need, and we may not always understand others' circumstances or what their needs are, but our Heavenly Father certainly does.

Sharon Staples 34:59

And I think that, for me, that punctuates the difference between the word "giving" and the word "generous." Many of us are very generous with our means. But we're not very giving of ourselves.

Ashlie M 35:14

Yeah, I think that's a good distinction.

Sharon Staples 35:15

Giving our time, our talents, our inconvenience. Our extra good coat that we had, I mean, we're good at, you know, perhaps paying tithing and our fast offerings and those things, and that's being very generous. But are we actually giving?

Tammy 35:32

I like that significance, Sharon.

Sharon Staples 35:34

What tears my heart out is in those nations where they desperately want to give and cannot, because they don't have. And I think that's where our material generosity comes in. If we can be as generous as we can, with our monies, so that they can have some free time to give. I want the Saints in war-torn, terrible countries to have that sense, that feeling, that goodness, that closeness to God of giving. And I don't think you can give if you don't have and so I'm not downplaying financial assistance. That's the start.

Ashlie M 36:17

That's an excellent point.

Tammy 36:19

Well, playing off of what both of you have said about giving of our time, I have a personal question for both of you. Has there been a time when you have been blessed? You personally have been blessed by someone who is willing to give their time or their talents or their means to help you?

Sharon Staples 36:34

For me, in living in an LDS community, it's ongoing. My neighbors, ward members, friends are always giving. Can we mow your lawn? Can we help you weed? You know, "I'm going to Costco. What do you need?" "I'm going to the grocery store. What do you need?" I mean, it's constant. It's not just one time when somebody gave up his or her whatever. But I think the blessing of living in an LDS community is generally the spirit of giving is constant.

Tammy 37:07

That's a great example.

Ashlie M 37:08

It's so true. I feel the same way as Sharon. I think it feels like others are constantly offering and giving. I'm not sure that I'm always great at receiving.

Tammy 37:20

That's the hardest part of it.

Ashlie M 37:21

Well, it is. And I had an experience when there was one Christmas when we didn't have anything. We were the recipients of some donations from the ward. And it was the most humbling experience. And that's probably something we need to get a little bit better at.

Sharon Staples 37:40

That's such an excellent point, Ashlie, and I'm so aware of that. I have the same problem of being gracious enough to receive their giving. And that's the hard part for me. I can give. I have a harder time receiving.

Tammy 37:56

Well, and there's a unique word in this Law of Consecration. As it's being introduced in verses 30 through 36, I love the word that it equates in verse 32. Right, I'm just gonna read part of this verse till I get to the word that stood out to me. So he's talking about the donations, or what you're going to consecrate, "after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the consecration of the properties of my church..." What word did He use to describe what we give?

Ashlie M 38:25

Oh, my goodness, I didn't realize that before.

Tammy 38:28

Isn't that fun?

Ashlie M 38:30

Wow.

Tammy 38:31

That you're receiving someone's testimony of Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, of the inspiration they had to do something for you. And it's not within our wheelhouse to turn that down. I don't think anyone you know, when someone gets up on their testimony on Sunday, nobody's like, "Sit down!" You might think that, but you wouldn't do that, because you're receiving what they have to give you from the pulpit. But how powerful that that consecration is a testimony.

Ashlie M 38:55

That's incredible.

Sharon Staples 38:57

I'll read that scripture again and again with a new understanding. Thank you, Tammy. That's just great.

Tammy 39:02

Well, it stood out to me the first time. I didn't know that till I was reading for this lesson. I'm like, it's called a testimony! Isn't that incredible? All right, I'll give my food storage. You bet I will, because I do have a testimony of food storage so I will share that. I will share that testimony with everybody who needs food, that food storage is essential, and we were prepared. And so it just changed for me, it changed the way I viewed my food storage. I'll give. I will. And I'll do more, Sharon, so that I can give—

Sharon Staples 39:31

What you need to do, what you need to do this year is find lids. There are no lids anywhere.

Tammy 39:35

I gave you lids last year. We had extras.

Sharon Staples 39:38

I know. And we used them all but we don't—

Tammy 39:39

Because my smart husband bought extra. He knew. He prophesied. He's like, "We're gonna run out of lids," and he went and bought some. So, great discussion.

Ashlie M 39:46

Can I ask you a really quick question?

Tammy 39:47

Yes.

Ashlie M 39:48

Okay. Go back to verse 33. "... that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants." I mean, maybe it's not a question. Maybe it's a Wow! Like, I think our Heavenly Father understands that there's more in life than just needs.

Tammy 40:06

Yes. And that's what the "residue" is for, which is so awesome. You see that word often there. Like everything we have in excess is to help supply that. And I think you're right. And it won't be crazy, superfulous wants?

Ashlie M 40:18

No, it's true. But I think, but really, I think He's trying to say, "Look, we have abundance. There is so much that everybody's needs can be met. And there's extra."

Tammy 40:27

Ah, Ashlie, I love that you just pointed that out! Everyone, mark that. That is sooo good. So good. In light of that word "residue," that is important to know. Thank you. Okay, well that was incredible. That was a great discussion. Any other thoughts? Anything you want to share about the word "testimony" or anything else in the Law of Consecration that stood out to you?

Ashlie M 40:46

Can I share two thoughts?

Tammy 40:47

Yeah.

Ashlie M 40:47

The one thing is that just recognizing that as we come closer to the Savior, and as we gain a better understanding of the gospel, and of our Savior's life, the Law of Consecration is something that we will want. And we will give because we want to, and not because we're being compelled to give. And then the other thing I think, is interesting is that everything we have is from our Heavenly Father. And the fact that we are sharing these things is part of our stewardship. We may have the responsibility for certain assets, or you know, whether it be our time or our resources, but we're merely asked to decide how to distribute those things. And I think it's just a shift in our mentality, you know, recognizing that we don't own anything that we have, even our own selves, are gifts from our Heavenly Father, and seeking personal revelation on how those things can and ought to be used is part of receiving direction from Heavenly Father.

Tammy 41:45

Boy, amen.

Sharon Staples 41:46

And I think when the Lord talks about in these sections, the "mysteries," you know, that we read about, the "mysteries of God." And my understanding of the mysteries is that people who do not understand the Spirit, are not led by the Spirit will not understand why we do baptisms for the dead, they won't understand food storage, they won't understand any of those things, because they have not received a testimony of those principles. And it's when you receive a testimony of those principles, that there are no more mysteries.

Ashlie M 42:20

That's such a good point.

Sharon Staples 42:22

If you don't understand, it's a mystery. Why do the Mormons do this? Why do the Latter-day Saints do this? Why do— And we answer, "We do it because we have a testimony of it. And we have a testimony of it because we have the prayer of faith. And we have the Comforter, and we have the discernment, and we have all of those things that reveal the mysteries that are not mysteries to us anymore.

Ashlie M 42:45

That's true. And there's some preparation and commitment required.

Sharon Staples 42:48

Absolutely.

Tammy 42:50

And this law is preparation. This law is preparing us to live with God and live this Law and make us a greater people. I love how this whole discussion ends with verse 38, the Law of Consecration. Ashlie, read that for us.

Ashlie M 43:06

"For inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me."

Tammy 43:11

There it is. The whole reason and God's testimony of this Law. So, thank you. Thank you, both of you. Okay, that ends our discussion of the Law of Consecration. So the Lord's standard for personal behavior is going to absolutely help us and others. And in the next segment, we're going to go over verses 43 through 93. To find out lastly, what he has to teach us. And this, I think, will be pretty tender for some of us.

Segment 4

Tammy 43:44

We are going to start right in with section 42. And we're going to look at verses 41 through 51. And Sharon, can you tell us a little bit about Joseph Smith at this time, just to give some context for these verses?

Sharon Staples 43:54

This whole 41 through 43 has confirmed my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that he in a few short days, organized a church that is still in effect and growing, what 16 million people. The laws in 42 still stand. It's like the constitution for the LDS Church. It's an amazing document, section 42 is just an amazing document to guide us. It's obvious that he received inspiration. He didn't make it up. You can't make up that stuff. He was promoting extremely different ideas than what was the norm, what were the mores, what were the teachings that were going on at the time. And he did it boldly and he put it in print. And he testified to it and he called people to do the work. Well, I, you can't make this stuff up. I mean, you couldn't do a soap opera.

Ashlie M 44:59

I don't think you could convince a 20-something-year-old man to do all this. I just don't think—

Sharon Staples 45:06

No.

Tammy 45:06

No. Or to take the time to ask these questions. Every time a question came up, Joseph was like, "Let me ask God. Let's see what He has to say about it." So, Sharon, I'm glad that you brought that up because in Section 42, the verses we're going to study now, verses 40 through 51, this is some pretty important stuff. And I said it was tender when I began because I think for many of us, we read these, at least for me, it was pretty tender, some of these verses. And so let's just get into these verses, I brought a little kind of a "show and tell" and I want to show this to you, and you describe to the audience what I'm showing you, okay? I had a dear friend who made this for me, and she made one for my daughter when she went on a mission. And it's just incredible. Can you tell what this is?

Sharon Staples 45:51

It's a consecrated oil holder.

Ashlie M 45:52

Oh yeah.

Tammy 45:53

It is. It's made of wood. It's just beautiful. And then you screw off the top.

Ashlie M 45:58

It's gorgeous.

Tammy 45:59

You screw the lid off the top, and then inside is the little vial. There's my oil well. So my friend gave this to me. And she gave one to my daughter, just in case someone with the Melchizedek Priesthood doesn't have oil to bless the sick or those who are afflicted, which is what section 42, verses 43 through 44 is all about. And we're going to talk about the oil and this idea of faith and this healing. So can we just read, starting in verse 43? And Ashlie, will you read that for us?

Ashlie M 46:28

I will. "And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy."

Tammy 46:43

Now all of these verses, how would you sum up these verses we're going to discuss right now? What is He teaching us? What law?

Sharon Staples 46:50

I think it's the law of faith.

Tammy 46:52

You're totally right, Sharon. This is the law of faith. This is the Lord's law concerning blessing of the sick and having faith. So as we look at these verses, and it is the Lord's law of healing the sick, there are some pretty significant things that come out of these verses. And for me, it was verses 46 through 48. And I want us to read these, because if anyone has had an experience where they have fasted and prayed for someone to live, and they have or they haven't, I just think these verses are pretty significant. And Sharon, will you read verses 46 through 48?

Sharon Staples 47:26

"And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them; And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter. And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed."

Tammy 47:50

Thank you. When you go to verse 46, and it says that "those who die in me shall not taste of death," highlight that word "death," it's speaking of spiritual death. You will not die a spiritual death because you're dying in Christ, which is so beautiful. But I think what stands out to me the most is verse 48, and it always has. Will you please highlight verse 48? Highlight it, mark it, circle it, all that good stuff. And here's what this verse says: "And again, it shall come to pass that he that have faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed." I remember Elder Oaks using this exact verse, and teaching me this powerful principle which I had not understood until that day, and it kind of, it reframed the way I view death, and why sometimes prayers don't get answered. And I love this quote by Elder Oaks. And Ashlie, will you read this quote for us from him from this conference talk?

"Young men and older men, please take special note of what I will say now. As we exercise the undoubted power of the priesthood of God and as we treasure His promise that He will hear and answer the prayer of faith, we must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is. This principle is taught in the revelation directing that the elders of the Church shall lay their hands upon the sick. The Lord’s promise is that 'he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed' Similarly, in another modern revelation the Lord declares that when one 'asketh according to the will of God … it is done even as he asketh.' From all of this we learn that even the servants of the Lord, exercising His divine power in a circumstance where there is sufficient faith to be healed, cannot give a priesthood blessing that will cause a person to be healed if that healing is not the will of the Lord. As children of God, knowing of His great love and His ultimate knowledge of what is best for our eternal welfare, we trust in Him.”

Thank you.

Sharon Staples 50:03

Boy, that's powerful.

Tammy 50:04

Tell me why, Sharon. Tell me some of your thoughts.

Sharon Staples 50:06

Oh my gosh, it's so reassuring and clarifying of the Lord's hand in each of our lives, our lives and our death. Just reassuring that I need not fear, that I need not fear death. My life is in His hands. My wheel should be His will. I just need to trust. I need to have faith.

Ashlie M 50:29

I love President Nelson's story about that, about being in the airplane and in the dive. And he, he wasn't afraid. Even though things worked out. He wasn't worried.

Tammy 50:39

Yeah, he said he was just ready to die. This is how it ends. Okay. Well, and I wondered if either of you have had an experience where you did pray that someone would be healed, and they didn't, because there might be some listening to this, that these words are hard to reconcile.

Sharon Staples 50:54

Oh, absolutely. My mother, friends, you know, family members I prayed for, and some, you know, were healed and are living, and others were not. And it's going to happen to all of us. We're all going to lose a loved one. It's how we approach the understanding of the Lord's will, the Lord's timetable, the Lord's consecration of our bodies and our souls that's significant, that's important, that counts.

Ashlie M 51:27

I have an experience and I hesitate to share it because it certainly pales in comparison to losing a loved one. So in my last year of high school, I contracted mono, and I didn't get better for some time. And it was decided after a while that I might, the diagnosis would be chronic fatigue syndrome. At the time, certainly my parents would have fasted and prayed about it. And I know that I did at the time, and for years after, I prayed for healing. And it didn't really come in the way that I thought. And I don't experience it all the time. But you know, I think there are some residual things that I deal with. But the answer sometimes can be that this is just something you're going to deal with for a while.

Tammy 52:16

Ashlie, you said a little minute ago, you said the answer didn't come in the way I thought it would. How did it come?

Ashlie M 52:24

I think there have been multiple times over the years where I've been thankful for what I've learned through the process. There are times when I've been able to understand the experiences of others when I wouldn't have otherwise. And so maybe it was more of a healing of my heart than a healing of my body.

Tammy 52:47

That's a great example. I love that you've been able to see that.

Ashlie M 52:51

I mean, this pales in comparison to losing someone that you care about. But I do think there are a lot of people that do deal with long-term suffering, and not that I am suffering. But you know, there are a lot of times when that answer is just going to be, "This is something you're going to deal with."

Tammy 53:09

What's so great about your experience, and when you said, "My answer didn't come the way I thought it would, but here's what I got." Going back to Section 42, if you look at verses 49, 50, 51 it's interesting because it says, "He who hath faith to see shall see. He who hath faith to hear shall hear. The lame who hath faith to leap shall leap." And you know, you kind of start to question your faith, "Well, then maybe I don't have enough faith to be healed." And then I love how in verse 52, "And they who have not faith to do these things..." And I don't think it's necessarily saying, "Well, if you don't have the faith to do it," it's saying, "And if that doesn't work for you, like if you don't get healed, and you don't get to see," I love how it says, but those who "... believe in me, have power to become my sons [and daughters]; and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities." I just love this idea of "You might not be healed, but if you keep believing in me, you will be my children, you will be my sons, you will be my daughters." And going back to what you said, Ashlie, you'll learn what needs to be learned. Like it won't all be for naught. Thank you for sharing that experience. I appreciate that. Okay, well, then we have in the rest of these verses. Gosh, there's so much and we can't even cover it. But here's what you need to know, in verses 78 through 87, you can mark those "This is the relationship of the law of the Lord to the law of the land." And then we have verses 83 through 93, which is "The proper way of holding disputes." You can kind of write that to the outside. Of all the rest of these verses in here, is there anything you guys marked that we haven't covered that you'd like, that just really stood out to you? They're like, "Oh, I like this verse." Is there anything?

Sharon Staples 54:39

So gaining knowledge for me is, of course being an educator, it's a priority in my life. It's gaining knowledge of all things: of the earth, of the heavens, of the seas, of the scriptures, of God's will.

Tammy 54:53

Excellent, thank you, Sharon. Great verse.

Ashlie M 54:56

I think it's interesting, verse 67. "And ye shall hereafter receive church covenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem." I love here that the word "established" is used. And I think covenants are a way to ground us, to anchor us, to set us up, to prove us. And I think if we can look at them as a blessing, as an anchor, something that ties us to our Savior rather than it's just something we have to do.

Sharon Staples 55:23

One thing that came to my mind is on my mission, and even since my mission, which was back in aught two and aught three [2002–2003], people accused me of being a communist if I were living the law of consecration. But President Joseph Fielding Smith in the church history and modern revelation explains the difference.

Tammy 55:49

What's the main difference would you say?

Sharon Staples 55:50

Agency. In the communism, you have no agency. The government determines what you will do and what you won't do. In the Gospel, we determine, we choose. So I think that the number one principle is the difference is agency.

Tammy 56:08

I'm gonna include that in our show notes for those of you would like to read more about this because it is a very powerful article, I've read it. And it's important to read, it's important for us to know the difference. So I'm glad you brought that up. I wish section 42 could have been the whole entire episode, because there's just so much that we didn't get to cover, which is really unfortunate. But for those of you listening, go and read it, mark it, and share with us throughout this week things that stood out to you that we weren't able to cover. Because I'd love to know what was significant to you in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 42. Because this concludes our discussion of the law of the Lord to his Church. And we have to move on to the other sections that we're supposed to talk about this week. So we're not totally done with our episode, because in the next segment, we are now going to be introduced to another law and some duties that are specifically for us.

Segment 5

Tammy 57:04

Okay, here we go. We are in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 43. Now this is some interesting backstory, some background for this section. And it comes from the Journal of John Whitmer. So at this time, and you can read a little bit about it in the section heading. So I'm just going to give this to you, there was a woman by the name of Mrs. Hubble. And in February of 1831, this woman claimed to be a prophetess. And she professed to have many revelations. She knew the Book of Mormon was true. And she also said that she should become a teacher in the church. And according to John Whitmer's journal, he wrote, quote, "She appeared very sanctimonious and deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocrisy." And so that is the whole purpose for Section 43. Is that then Joseph Smith went and prayed and said, "All right, what do we need to tell the saints about a Mrs. Hubble, or the Mrs. Hubbles in our life?" Because all of us are going to come up against this, at some point. We are going to hear things from the Mrs. Hubbles of the world. So we have to remember though, about five months earlier, the Lord already kind of taught this doctrine to the Saints in New York. You remember when Hiram Page claimed to receive revelations for the Church through a seer stone? But what's interesting is that many of the Kirtland Saints, they were unaware of this doctrine, because only a handful of those Saints from New York had arrived to Kirtland by this time. So they didn't understand, they didn't have that doctrine yet. So they're coming from New York down to Ohio. They have a Mrs. Hubble in their midst, and they don't know what to do with this information. Okay, but let's just take a second. We're gonna pause right here for just a minute to clarify something because I just want us to know that it wasn't a bad or wrong thing for women, at that time, to receive personal revelation or believe in the Book of Mormon, just like today, it's not bad. But what Mrs. Hubble was doing was the same thing that Hiram Page had done. Both were claiming to be receiving revelation for the Church. And like we said, Aliah said, "Stay in your own lane." And we know from Section 28, that the only person that can receive revelation for the church is the Prophet. So the title for Section 43 is called "Law of Leadership and Duties of Members." The Lord is going to teach us His "Law of Leadership" again, reinstate here, and "Duties of His Members," which I think is perfect because it comes right after He teaches us the "Law of the Lord." So here's what I want us to do. Let's look at Section 43, and we're going to read verse 3 and then verse 5. Sharon, will you please read those two for us?

Sharon Staples 59:25

"And this ye shall know assuredly—that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me. And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments."

Tammy 59:47

Thank you. And I just kind of wanted to know your thoughts and get your feedback on this. Like, why do you think people are persuaded to believe in others?

Sharon Staples 59:56

I taught philosophy for a number of years, and I would have students come in and say, "These philosophers, they make so much sense. And you know, I'm trying to make sense with the Gospel. It doesn't ring true, the Gospel seems a little less true now that I'm reading all these philosophers." And so I would ask them, I say, "How much time do you spend studying the philosophers for this class a week?" They'll say, "Oh, two or three or four hours." It was a hard class. "And how much time do you spend reading the scriptures?" And they'd stop dead, because they are not investing in the scriptures with equal amount of time and interest and inspiration and guidance as they are the philosophies of the world. And for me, that's the distinction. If you listen to outside voices, and you don't listen to the still, small voice, you're in trouble. You need to listen to the still, small voice, even if you don't understand. If I don't understand a principle of the Gospel, I say to myself, "Okay, you don't like this, you don't think it's right. Pray about it." So I wanted to be in tune with what the Savior had to say to me about this particular principle, especially before every worthy member, male member could receive the priesthood. I struggled with that on my mission, because part of the people I taught were of black descent, and I could not tell them that they could have the Priesthood when they joined the Church. And I thought, "This isn't right, this isn't right!" But I knew that they would, because I'd prayed about it enough, and read the scriptures enough and listened to conference talks enough. So I countered the influence of outside forces, by subjecting myself to the influences of the Gospel and the Spirit, the holy comforter.

Tammy 1:01:53

That's it, Sharon. That is how we avoid the Mrs. Hubbles in our life. It's all about the voices. That is so powerful! In fact, I love that you just shared that experience because Doctrine and Covenants, Section 43 is going to now give us some information about preparing for the Second Coming. And there's a verse that really stood out to me, and it goes back to what you just said, it's about the voices that we hear. Okay, I want you two to listen to this recording, I have something else for you guys to listen to. And I just want you to tell me what you hear. That's it.

[overlapping voices]

Sharon Staples 1:02:23

It's too fuzzy.

Ashlie M 1:02:36

I couldn't get anything out of that.

Tammy 1:02:38

Yes, so confusing. Now that compilation of voices, they were many voices that you've heard before, but it was just really difficult to decipher. And this section tells us about voices that we need to hear. And then it tells us how we can hear them. I'm gonna read verse 25 and I want you to tell me how many voices you hear that we're supposed to listen for? You ready for this? Verse 25 says, "How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!" How many voices?

Sharon Staples 1:03:36

Oh my gosh, one.

Ashlie M 1:03:41

Okay, that was my thought because you list all those voices and you think that that would sound like a cacophony, right? But it doesn't. It sounds like a beautiful chorus because it's all the same thing.

Tammy 1:03:52

Yes, that is awesome. And there's so many voices that we have to be able to hear before He comes. I love how He just tells us in verse 43, "let me tell you how you're going to hear those voices." And Ashlie, it goes back to your pointing out the word "hearken." Look at verses 34 and 35. He teaches us the best way that we can to hear all of these voices so that they become very clear to us. And it doesn't sound like a cacophony, like you just said Ashlie. Sharon, will you read verses 34 and 35? And as Sharon reads these. in your scriptures mark what it is the Lord is telling us to do so we can hear these voices and be prepared.

Sharon Staples 1:04:28

"Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds. Be sober. Keep all my commandments. Even so. Amen."

Tammy 1:04:47

Alright, let's dissect these two verses because they're so good.

Sharon Staples 1:04:51

What came to my mind is years ago, years ago, when cell phones were just coming on board, there was a man with one particular cell phone company. He would be on a mountaintop, he'd be on the valleys, he'd be in the ocean, he'd be in a room, he'd be in a hospital, and he had this device up to his ear. And he would say, "Can you hear me now?" And I think the Lord is saying that His patience is waning. "Oh, you nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you? Can you hear me now?" "How often have I called upon you?"

Tammy 1:05:27

Give us the verse you're reading.

Sharon Staples 1:05:29

Verse 24 [and 25]. "O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together? How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants? How often I have sent the thunderings and the lightnings and everything? Can you hear me now?"

Tammy 1:05:44

Because if you can't hear me now, here's what you do to hear me. And that's what you just read, those two verses. Is hearken, that's the first one. So listen and obey to these words. "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world." Then we have "Treasure these things up in your hearts." Like what does that mean when you hear that? What do you think?

Sharon Staples 1:06:04

They are tender mercies. They're his tender mercies to me. Sharon, be sober, share and keep my commandments. And "the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds."

Tammy 1:06:19

Oh, and you know what? So I looked up what "solemnities of eternity" means and it's pretty cool. Okay, so this was really beautiful, the solemnities of eternity. These are sober facts of eternal life and eternal death. There'll be no changes in the conditions and terms of our fate after the resurrection. And I looked this up. This is in the study book that I use, they said this, "There will be no additional leniency for those who intentionally were not paying attention or could not be bothered with Jesus or His Atonement. No special arrangements or second chances, not for the wealthy, the popular, the pretty, the powerful, the educated, the spoiled, or any other class who think themselves special. It is up to us now to adapt ourselves to the immovable, unchangeable, non-negotiable realities of the universe, the solemnities of eternity." And when he introduces himself, "I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world." That is his way of just saying, "Let the laws that have been set forth, my law, who I am, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, rest upon your minds." And to let that rest upon your minds, that's like a meditation skill right there. Like, let it sit and think about it, and treasure it in your heart. And then when he says, to be "sober," we've talked about this word before. It means to not be under an influence of passion of any kind, and of what the world may be saying to you. Like, let it go, just free yourself of all of this, all these outside voices, and listen to the one voice that's the most important, like you said, Ashlie, that one voice.

Ashlie M 1:07:48

If we can't hear him now, why? What things do we need to eliminate? What do we need to cut out of our lives in order to be able to make space for Him? In order to be able to listen and hear him?

Sharon Staples 1:08:01

Absolutely. And what struck me about that is verse 8. Going back to that in [section] 43. It says, "a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given." And I've written in there, "Listen to Conference."

Tammy 1:08:22

Thank you. That's absolutely perfect. In fact, in the next segment, we're going to talk about one of the reason why the Lord's asked us to assemble or gather his people. So thank you, Sharon, that was perfect.

Segment 6

Tammy 1:08:43

Okay, we're just going to go right in, we're gonna read the section heading of Doctrine and Covenants 44. So I'll read this one. Here we go. "Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon, at Kirtland, Ohio, in the latter part of February 1831. In compliance with the requirement herein set forth, the Church appointed a conference to be held early in the month of June following." Highlight "in compliance with the requirement herein set forth." Let me tell you what that requirement was that they complied with. The requirement was, the Lord made a call for all the missionaries who were out to come back from their missions and gather in Ohio. The Lord's point and purpose of this was He said, "I don't need you out finding converts. I need you in Ohio right now to build up the Church here. Because we need converts here. Because we need resources. We need land to build on. We need help." And so they called in all of the missionaries to come back into Ohio. And that is what section 44 is entirely about. In fact, the title for Section 44 is "One Reason the Lord Gathers His People." That's what it's called: "One Reason the Lord Gathers His People." And there are so many good reasons why the Lord gathers His people. As we read the reasons why the Lord gathered the people here in 1831, I want us to think about how it applies to us today, the benefits of why the Lord gathers us today. So let's look at this. Let's look at these verses. We've kind of talked about it a little bit before and, Sharon, you talked about it with General Conference, how the Lord gathers us and how we assemble together. Let's read verses 2 and 5. And in these two verses, I want us just to kind of mark what it is that the Lord says the benefits are of gathering. And Ashlie, will you please read 2 and 5? Sorry, I think we want 2, 4, and 5.

Ashlie M 1:10:29

"And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together. And many shall be converted, insomuch that ye shall obtain power to organize yourselves according to the laws of man; That your enemies may not have power over you; that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws; that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people."

Tammy 1:11:01

Thank you, what did you mark? What are some of the blessings and benefits of gathering?

Sharon Staples 1:11:05

Well, receiving and pouring out of the Spirit.

Tammy 1:11:08

Perfect.

Sharon Staples 1:11:09

And what struck me was the Lord's understanding of how the Church needed to be protected. I just think it's amazing that that little phrase in there was, "Okay, don't create any laws that I haven't given you. Because you're ratifying my laws, not creating your own."

Tammy 1:11:31

Powerful, Sharon.

Ashlie M 1:11:32

That is interesting.

Tammy 1:11:33

Wow. I love that you thought that out so well. That's excellent.

So Ashlie, I just have to bring this up then because you said that one of the products you love the most were the "Gathering Home" products. And we've talked about how we gather every six months for General Conference, and we gather every Sunday as members to participate in partaking of this, you know, the sacrament together, but what is it about gathering for you?

Ashlie M 1:11:55

It's part of our nature. But I think I also didn't, until section 44, I I don't think I understood some of the reasons why. It's so interesting to see here that the Lord is teaching us that when we gather together, many shall be converted, that we can obtain power to organize ourselves, that our enemies may not have power over us, that we can be preserved, that we can be enabled to keep his laws, and that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people. I think gathering has always been important to us. And certainly, it's a principle of the Gospel. But I think until reading this, I didn't understand some of the reasons why.

Sharon Staples 1:12:33

It goes to the old wartime adage of President Lincoln: "United we stand, divided we fall." My testimony is strengthened by others' testimonies. So I need others around me who have strong testimonies of the Gospel to help me build mine. And I'm hoping that mine will help build them. So I think family is a gathering, a ward is a gathering, a community, a block party, whatever it is, it's sustaining one another.

Ashlie M 1:13:06

And I think we love physically gathering. But gathering spirits, gathering hearts and minds is a power that we probably can't even comprehend.

Sharon Staples 1:13:17

Well, President Nelson said for us to pay attention to the gathering. He's gathering!

Ashlie M 1:13:26

Absolutely.

Sharon Staples 1:13:27

He wants us to gather.

Ashlie M 1:13:28

That's a good point.

Tammy 1:13:28

That's what I was going to say though. As much as we love to gather, and we see the benefits on this small level. We want everyone to feel loved. We want everyone to have the Spirit poured out on them. We want everyone to be free of their enemies. I mean, the benefits for us here is what the Lord wants for all of His children. And so here we are, we are gathering on a huge, grand scale and we've been invited to participate. And so yeah, that is what this is all about. The reasons the Lord gathers His people and why He is gathering before. And it's so interesting to me that this section would come right before Section 45 because Section 45 is entirely about the Second Coming. And it's like it's preparing us, like He's teaching us the powers of gathering, and then He's gonna say, "You need to gather before I come. And then after I come, we're going to still engage in this work of gathering and temple work and all of that." And so I just, it's so powerful to me and then ending with verse 6, the power in this because going back to my bad attitude about sharing my food storage, I read verse 6, and then I went, "You know what? That is why we gather because then we can become one and it's easier to live the Law of Consecration with people that you know and love." And verse 6 says, "Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen." And "all things" is the Law of Consecration, and I want to take care of the poor and the needy. You bet I do. And when we gather with everyone, it's just easier to help those that you know and love. And I think that's the point of gathering. Oh, you guys, that was perfect. Thank you!

Sharon Staples 1:15:08

First time in my life I've ever done anything perfectly.

Tammy 1:15:11

Well, you did it.

Ashlie M 1:15:12

I'm sure you've done lots of things perfectly.

Sharon Staples 1:15:15

I'm gonna write it in my journal. Tammy said I did it perfectly. Ashlie and I did it perfectly. [cheering]

Tammy 1:15:21

This was such a good episode. Everything you brought to the table was awesome. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Okay, that's the end.

Ashlie M 1:15:27

No, thank you.

Tammy 1:15:28

So here's what I want you to do, just kind of look back over everything we studied, and let's talk about what our takeaways were from today.

Sharon Staples 1:15:34

In addition to everything that we've talked about, I've enjoyed so thoroughly studying these sections. I'm just overwhelmed and impressed and confirmed in my testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that he received these laws, and wrote them down and believed in them and promoted them. And then the laws listening to conference, the law of consecration, obey my commandments, time and time again, He's telling us, "If you do these things, if you do these things, you will be mine."

Tammy 1:16:12

Excellent.

Ashlie M 1:16:13

I love President Nelson's teaching about how every single thing we do to help others make and keep their covenants, everything we do for people, whether it be on this side of the veil or the other, contributes to the gathering of Israel. You know, everything that we've just talked about in all of these sections, all of this contributes to the gathering of Israel, to letting God prevail. It's just the most deepest desire of our hearts as we come to love our Savior. That's what we want. And I think that's my takeaway.

Tammy 1:16:45

Excellent takeaways, both of you. Thank you. My takeaways were what both of you shared in Section 42 when I opened it up and said, "Okay, were there verses you marked?" And Sharon, you shared verse 61. Because, Sharon, you talked about receiving knowledge upon knowledge, that we may know the mysteries and peaceable things. There's so much in these verses, it's so hard to decide, like, what are we going to talk about? And so I was grateful that you both—

Ashlie M 1:17:09

We could've talked like three more hours.

Tammy 1:17:11

Oh, easily!

Sharon Staples 1:17:13

I think, at the conclusion of our discussion together, that Tammy and Ashlie, when we go back to Missouri, I want to be in your wagon train.

Ashlie M 1:17:21

Oh, my goodness, I'm totally looking for you guys. Save me a spot.

Sharon Staples 1:17:24

If you let me hold on to the back of your wagon, and just walk along, I would just love it. So thank you for your insights and your input and for sharing, and for everything that we've talked about today. So I just, I just want to be in your wagon train when we go back.

Tammy 1:17:39

Well, ditto. Ditto. Thank you for being our guests today, both of you. I love you both. This was so fun. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For those of you who are listening, we would love to hear what your big takeaway was from this episode. Now, if you haven't already joined our discussion group on Facebook or on Instagram, just go do it. It's so fun. It's a great place to ask questions as you study and I try to answer any questions I can throughout the week. Then every week, at the end of the week, on a Sunday, we ask for what your big takeaway was. So go on Sunday, after church, just get on social media, and find the post and then comment on the post that relates to this lesson to let us know what you've learned. I would love to know what you guys learned from this discussion. I read all of yours and I just love hearing what you're learning. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode on LDSLiving.com/SundayonMonday. It's not a bad idea to go there anyway, because that's where we have the links to all of the references that we've used, which were so many, and a complete transcript of this discussion, so go check it out. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is the Deseret Bookshelf PLUS+ Original brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall, and today our incredible study group participants were Ashlie Mortensen and Sharon Staples. And you can find more information about these ladies at LDS Living.com/SundayonMonday. Our podcast is produced by Katie Lambert and me. It is recorded and mixed by Mix at Six Studios and our executive producer is Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week. And you need to remember this, that you are God's favorite.

Sharon Staples 1:19:05

Tammy when the COVID is over, you need to have one big party and invite all the participants—

Ashlie M 1:19:09

How fun would that be?

Sharon Staples 1:19:11

—of the podcast.

Tammy 1:19:13

I've thought about that.

Sharon Staples 1:19:13

And we can hug each other and thank each other for the insights and inspiration.

Tammy 1:19:18

I totally agree. We'll have to have all, we'll just have a big old party with all of our guests and say "thank you" and meet each other in person. Yeah, that's a great idea.

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Title for Section 41: A True Disciple of Jesus Christ—First Bishop of the Church

Song: "Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In)" by the Fifth Dimension 

Background of Section 41: 

"Even before their conversion to the gospel, some of the Saints in the Kirtland area had been trying, under the leadership of Sidney Rigdon, to live primitive Christianity—the pure and original Christianity of the New Testament—by following the teachings of the New Testament and nothing else. When they read in Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–35 that the ancient Saints "were together, and had all things common," they formed a communal society called "the family" and practiced group ownership of all individual resources. They called this arrangement having "common stock." When Sidney Rigdon joined the Church, he went to Fayette and invited the Prophet to Kirtland, but Joseph sent John Whitmer instead, and Sidney stayed in Fayette to act as scribe for the Prophet. Though most of "the family" in Kirtland had since joined the Church, they were still involved in living with "common stock" when John Whitmer arrived from Fayette to preside over the community. John, seeing the problems created by common stock, wrote to the Prophet and requested that he come to Kirtland. Joseph inquired of the Lord and was told to go quickly" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 41," Deseret Book).

Levi Hancock: "John Whitmer added the following information to Joseph's account: 'About these days Joseph and Sidney arrived at Kirtland to the joy and satisfaction of the Saints. The disciples had all things common, and were going to destruction very fast as to temporal things; for they considered from reading the scripture that what belonged to a brother, belonged to any of the brethren. Therefore they would take each other's clothes and other property and use it without leave which brought on confusion and disappointment, for they did not understand the scripture.'3 For example, when Levi Hancock was visiting 'the family,' Heman Bassett, one of its members, took Levi's pocket watch and sold it. He later explained that he had thought 'it was all in the family.'" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 41," Deseret Book).

Lucy Mack Smith to the Saints moving to Ohio:

Quote: “And even if this were not the case, where is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Do you know that all things are in his hands? He made all things and still rules over them, and how easy a thing it would be with God if every Saint here would just lift their desires to him in prayer that the way might be opened before us. How easy would it be for God to cause the ice to break away, and in a moment’s time we could be off on our journey; but how can you expect the Lord to prosper you when you are continually murmuring against him?" (Lucy Mack Smith, "Where Is Your Confidence in God?" At the Pulpit 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women).

What does the Lord delight in?

Hearken and ahear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all bblessings, ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I ccurse, that have dprofessed my ename, with the heaviest of all cursings (Doctrine and Covenants 41:1).

  • Blessings

Edward Partridge: 

  • He was baptized on December 11, 1830, just two months before being called as a bishop.
  • Edward was successful hat maker before he moved to Missouri. 
  • Edward told his wife Lydia that if she moved to Missouri with him there would be "many privations here which you and I have not been much used to for years" (“Family Record,” p. 7).
  • He suffered beatings and was tarred and feathered.
  • At age 46, Edward died of exhaustion.
  • The Lord said of Edward in Doctrine and Covenants 41:11 that he was like " Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile."

(See Dean Jessee, "'Steadfastness and Patient Endurance': The Legacy of Edward Partridge," June 1979 Ensign)

And again, I have called my servant aEdward Partridge; and I give a commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bbishop unto the church, to leave his merchandise and to cspend all his time in the labors of the church;

10 To see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws in the day that I shall give them.

11 And this because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto aNathanael of old, in whom there is no bguile (Doctrine and Covenants 41:9–11).

Edward Partridge's Headstone:

Edward Partridge's Headstone

Find A Grave

Title for Section 32: The Law of the Lord to His Church

Mores: The fixed morally binding customs of a particular group (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Section Heading for 42:

"Revelation given in two parts through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, February 9 and 23, 1831. The first part, consisting of verses 1 through 72, was received in the presence of twelve elders and in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise previously made that the 'law' would be given in Ohio (see section 38:32). The second portion consists of verses 73 through 93. The Prophet specifies this revelation as 'embracing the law of the Church.'"

Verses 1–72: Received first

Verses 73–93: Received second

Hearken, O ye elders of my achurch, who have assembled yourselves together in my name, even Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world; inasmuch as ye believe on my name and keep my commandments (Doctrine and Covenants 42:1).

  • Hearken = Listen and obey

Talk: President Russell M. Nelson, "Hear Him," April 2020 general conference

Church "firsts" listed in this section:

Missionaries preaching two by two: 

And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, atwo by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a btrump, declaring my word like unto angels of God.

And ye shall go forth baptizing with water, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall abuild up my church in every region—(Doctrine and Covenants 42:6–8).

  1. Preach gospel
  2. Declare the word like unto angels
  3. Invite all to repent
  4. Baptize all willing souls

11 Again I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to apreach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be bordained by some one who has cauthority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church (Doctrine and Covenants 42:11).

  • Men and women

Quote: "We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood. Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties" (President Dallin H. Oaks, "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood," April 2014 general conference).

45 Let thy abowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let bvirtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy cconfidence wax strong in the dpresence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the edews from heaven (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45).

New Jerusalem:

Until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the acity of the bNew Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be cgathered in one, that ye may be my dpeople and I will be your God (Doctrine and Covenants 42:9).

Quote: "This is the first use of this phrase in the Doctrine and Covenants and refers here to the Zion to be established in Missouri, to which the Saints of this dispensation will be gathered (see vv. 35, 62, 67; D&C 45:64–66; 84:2, 4; Articles of Faith 1:10). That city will be called New Jerusalem (see Ether 13:3–8; D&C 133:53–56; Revelation 3:12; 21:2), and it will be built upon the American continent by the descendants of Joseph who was sold into Egypt, with its center in Jackson County, Missouri (see D&C 84:2–4; 3 Nephi 20:22; 21:23–24; Ether 13:4). The Lord promised here that the location of the New Jerusalem would be revealed in the future, a promise fulfilled in Doctrine and Covenants 57:2–3 (see also D&C 28:9; 45:64–66). Though the ancient Jerusalem, the city from which Lehi fled, will also eventually be built up, it will not be called 'New' Jerusalem because it has existed from ancient times (see Ether 13:5)" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 42," Deseret Book).

Hebrew: Jerusalem = City of Peace

If and Then:

14 And the Spirit shall be given unto you aby the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the bSpirit ye shall not teach (Doctrine and Covenants 42:14).

  • If you receive not the Spirit, (then) ye shall not teach
  • Prayer of Faith: Faith is a verb and requires action. A Hebrew word for faith is Emunah, which means to show faith through action and actions create faith. 

Importance of Teaching with the Holy Ghost:

16 And as ye shall lift up your voices by the aComforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good;

17 For, behold, the aComforter knoweth all things, and bbeareth record of the Father and of the Son (Doctrine and Covenants 42:16–17).

God's Mores: 

18 And now, behold, I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not akill; and he that bkills shall cnot have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.

19 And again, I say, thou shalt not kill; but he that akilleth shall bdie.

20 Thou shalt not steal; and he that astealeth and will not repent shall be bcast out.

21 Thou shalt not alie; he that lieth and will not repent shall be cast out.

22 Thou shalt alove thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt bcleave unto her and none else.

23 And he that alooketh upon a woman to lust after her shall deny the faith, and shall not have the bSpirit; and if he repents not he shall be cast out.

24 Thou shalt not commit aadultery; and he that committeth badultery, and repenteth not, shall be ccast out.

25 But he that has committed adultery and repents with all his heart, and forsaketh it, and doeth it ano more, thou shalt forgive;

26 But if he doeth it aagain, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out.

27 Thou shalt not aspeak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm.

28 Thou knowest my laws concerning these things are given in my scriptures; he that sinneth and arepenteth not shall be bcast out.

29 If thou alovest me thou shalt bserve me and ckeep all my commandments (Doctrine and Covenants 42: 18–29).

Intro to the Law of Consecration: 

30 And behold, thou wilt remember the apoor, and bconsecrate of thy properties for their csupport that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken.

  • Thou wilt = commandment

31 And inasmuch as ye aimpart of your bsubstance unto the cpoor, ye will do it unto me; and they shall be dlaid before the ebishop of my church and his fcounselors, two of the elders, or high priests, such as he shall appoint or has appointed and gset apart for that purpose.

32 And it shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, and after that he has received these testimonies concerning the aconsecration of the properties of my church, that they cannot be taken from the church, agreeable to my commandments, every man shall be made baccountable unto me, a csteward over his own property, or that which he has received by consecration, as much as is sufficient for himself and dfamily.

  • Testimonies: When we give, we are sharing our testimonies. When we receive, we are receiving testimonies.

33 And again, if there shall be properties in the hands of the church, or any individuals of it, more than is necessary for their support after this first consecration, which is a aresidue to be consecrated unto the bishop, it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his wants.

  • Wants: Our Heavenly Father will take care of not only our needs but our wants.

34 Therefore, the residue shall be kept in my astorehouse, to administer to the poor and the needy, as shall be appointed by the bhigh council of the church, and the bishop and his council;

35 And for the purpose of apurchasing lands for the public benefit of the church, and building houses of bworship, and building up of the cNew Jerusalem which is hereafter to be revealed—

36 That my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall acome to my btemple. And this I do for the salvation of my people (Doctrine and Covenants 42:30–36).

  • The law of consecration involves accountability, stewardship, and agency

Consecration: The act or ceremony of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God, by certain rites or solemnities.

Quote: "To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes" (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Reflections on a Consecrated Life," October 2010 general conference).

Quote: "The law of sacrifice and the law of consecration have not been done away with and are still in effect" (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Deseret Book).

Quote: "The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws" (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, "Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice," April 1975 general conference).

Quote: "Consecration is the giving of one’s time, talents, and means to care for those in need—whether spiritually or temporally—and in building the Lord’s kingdom" (President Spencer W. Kimball, "Welfare Services: The Gospel in Action," October 1977 general conference).

38 For inasmuch as ye ado it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me (Doctrine and Covenants 42:38).

Consecrated Oil Holder:

Consecrated Oil Holder:

Law of Faith:

43 And whosoever among you are asick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be bnourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild cfood, and that not by the hand of an enemy (Doctrine and Covenants 42:43).

Healing of the Sick:

46 And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not ataste of bdeath, for it shall be csweet unto them;

  • Death = Spiritual death

47 And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter.

48 And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath afaith in me to be bhealed, and is not cappointed unto death, shall be dhealed (Doctrine and Covenants 42:46–48).

Quote: “Young men and older men, please take special note of what I will say now. As we exercise the undoubted power of the priesthood of God and as we treasure His promise that He will hear and answer the prayer of faith, we must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is. This principle is taught in the revelation directing that the elders of the Church shall lay their hands upon the sick. The Lord’s promise is that “he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed” (D&C 42:48; emphasis added). Similarly, in another modern revelation the Lord declares that when one “asketh according to the will of God … it is done even as he asketh” (D&C 46:30).

"From all of this we learn that even the servants of the Lord, exercising His divine power in a circumstance where there is sufficient faith to be healed, cannot give a priesthood blessing that will cause a person to be healed if that healing is not the will of the Lord.

"As children of God, knowing of His great love and His ultimate knowledge of what is best for our eternal welfare, we trust in Him" (President Dallin H. Oaks, "Healing the Sick," April 2020 general conference).

Sometimes we have to live through long-term illness and afflictions no matter our faith.

49 He who hath faith to see shall see.

50 He who hath faith to hear shall hear.

51 The lame who hath faith to leap shall leap.

52 And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have apower to become my bsons; and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt cbear their infirmities (Doctrine and Covenants 42:49–52).

Verses 78–87: Relationship of the Law of the Lord to the Law of the Land

Verses 83–93: The Proper Way of Holding Disputes

61 If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive arevelation upon revelation, bknowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the cmysteries and dpeaceable things—that which bringeth ejoy, that which bringeth life eternal (Doctrine and Covenants 42:61).

67 And ye shall hereafter receive church acovenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here and in the New Jerusalem (Doctrine and Covenants 42:67).

Quote: "In this revelation the Law of Consecration is stated definitely as the law on which the New Jerusalem is to be built. This law is given for the benefit of the poor, for the building of Zion and the work of the ministry. … Through this celestial law (Consecration) the Saints are to become the covenant people of the Lord. We cannot enter into the fulness of the covenants pertaining to Zion until we have reached the point where we can live such a divine law. Those who cannot abide the law of tithing cannot partake of this law of consecration, or the higher law and they will be deprived of an inheritance when the inheritances are divided" (Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:185; see also Enrichment L.).

Title for Section 43: Law of Leadership and Duty of Members

Background for Section 43:

Quote: "In February 1831, a woman known only as Mrs. Hubble arrived in Kirtland declaring that the Church and the Book of Mormon were true and that she was a prophetess receiving revelations from God. John Whitmer recorded the events as follows: 'About these days there was a woman by the name of Hubble who professed to be a prophetess of the Lord, and professed to have many revelations, and knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that she should become a teacher in the Church of Christ. She appeared to be very sanctimonious and deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocrasy: others however had the spirit of discernment, and her follies and abominations were made manifest. The Lord gave Revelation that the Saints might not be deceived which reads as follows'1 —Doctrine and Covenants 43" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 43," Deseret Book).

Only the Prophet Can Receive Revelation for the Church:

And this ye shall know assuredly—that there is anone other appointed unto you to receive bcommandments and revelations until he be taken, if he cabide in me.

But verily, verily, I say unto you, that anone else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead (Doctrine and Covenants 43:3–4).

The Voice We Should Listen to:

25 How oft have I acalled upon you by the mouth of my bservants, and by the cministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of dthunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of efamines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a ftrump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of gmercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the hriches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an ieverlasting salvation, but ye would not! (Doctrine and Covenants 43:25).

How to Hear His Voice:

.

34 Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the aSavior of the world. bTreasure these things up in your hearts, and let the csolemnities of deternity erest upon your fminds(Doctrine and Covenants 43:34).

Quote: "These are the sober facts of eternal life and eternal death. There will be no changes in the conditions and terms of our fate after the resurrection. There will be no additional leniency for those who intentionally were not paying attention or who could not be bothered during the days of their probation. There will be no special arrangements or second chances—not for the wealthy, the pretty, the powerful, the popular, the educated, the spoiled, or for any other class who may think themselves "special." It is up to us now to adapt ourselves to the immovable, unchangeable, nonnegotiable realities of the universe—the solemnities of eternity" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 43," Deseret Book).

35 Be asober. Keep all my commandments. Even so. Amen (Doctrine and Covenants 43:34–35).

  • Sober = Not under an influence of passion of any kind

And now, behold, I give unto you a acommandment, that when ye are bassembled together ye shall cinstruct and dedify each other, that ye may know ehow to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given (Doctrine and Covenants 43:8).

24 O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a ahen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye bwould not!

25 How oft have I acalled upon you by the mouth of my bservants, and by the cministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of dthunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of efamines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a ftrump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of gmercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the hriches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an ieverlasting salvation, but ye would not! (Doctrine and Covenants 43:24–25).

Title for Section 44: One Reason Why the Lord Gathers His People

Section 44 Heading: 

Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon, at Kirtland, Ohio, in the latter part of February 1831. In compliance with the requirement herein set forth, the Church appointed a conference to be held early in the month of June following.

  • Requirement = All missionaries to return to Ohio.

Quote: "By the end of February 1831, there were not enough Ohio Saints to consecrate sufficient land to support all the new converts that would soon be coming to Kirtland expecting to receive stewardships. An obvious solution to this problem was to call the full-time missionaries from their various fields of labor and reassign them to the Kirtland area to increase the number of local converts with local resources to consecrate (see vv. 1–4). Thus, instead of producing converts who left everything somewhere else to come to Kirtland and strain the meager resources there, the elders would find local converts who could provide additional resources for the gathering Saints. The shortage of resources in Kirtland at that time was also one reason why many arriving eastern Saints were sent on to Jackson County, Missouri" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 2, "Doctrine and Covenants 44," Deseret Book).

And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my aSpirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together (Doctrine and Covenants 44:2).

And many shall be aconverted, insomuch that ye shall obtain bpower to organize yourselves caccording to the laws of man;

That your aenemies may not have power over you; that you may be preserved in all things; that you may be enabled to keep my laws; that every bond may be broken wherewith the enemy seeketh to destroy my people (Doctrine and Covenants 44:4–5).

Benefits of Gathering:

  • Outpouring of the Spirit
  • Power to organize
  • Enemies have no power
  • Will be preserved in all things
  • Will not be destroyed

Behold, I say unto you, that ye must avisit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received. Amen (Doctrine and Covenants 44:6).

Quote: "Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” worldwide devotional for youth, June 3, 2018).