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TODAY'S THEME
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In the Arnold Friberg painting above, Nephi's Left Hand is on His Father, Lehi's red turban. All are looking at the Liahona which was unexpectedly left in front of Lehi's tent during the night. It is a device which was considered a gift from the Lord intended by Him to Instruct them in His ways and guide them across The Arabian Peninsula and then across oceans to their promised land which is known today as Central America! The Liahona, along with several other ancient devices, was shown by the Angel Moroni to the Three Witnesses and Joseph Smith at the time he appeared to them in our day! I, Neil Birch inserted the above painting primarily to show a picture of Nephi, son of Lehi because a painting just showing Nephi by himself wasn't available. I like having the Liahona shown in the painting with Nephi because of its being an item which works through the power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, therefore it is the same type of message mentioned in the following scripture regarding the communication by the angel of the Lord, through that same spirit, to the Prophet, Nephi, son of Lehi. |
Book of Mormon: 1Nephi, 14:9 And it came to pass that he, (an angel) said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. (clarification and emphasis added)Just a quick question I've just inserted for each one of you who might be viewing this post about 24 hours after I first published it:
If, as some mistakenly propose, Joseph Smith or someone else in the year 1829 had actually put together the Book of Mormon deceptively, how would Joseph or anyone else at that time in this world's history, ever have had the sense or even courage about them to make up or invent such an item as the Liahona? I could see somebody in our day of computers and I-pads, etc. doing that, but not in the time when Joseph Smith was actually translating the sacred and inspired words off of the golden plates provided him by the Angel Moroni! Enough said! Lets return to the words I published Tuesday morning at about this time: (Please read the instructions found in the two paragraphs below the following map link before clicking on it!)Adjustable World Map Showing Locations of Various Key Programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presently, throughout the world.
The above map, which you will notice, can be adjusted to show various key elements (facilities) of the work being provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the entire earth in 2011 A.D.. Adjustments can be made simply with a mere click of your mouse.
Please view each Facility by itself, therefore you must click off of a Facility before clicking on a different one. I have inserted this map at this point in this post to illustrate what was related to us through the words of the Prophet Nephi, in verse 14 above, regarding the church of the Lamb of God being scattered upon all the face of the earth.
You will notice that not all facilities have been made available throughout the world at this point in time, but availability of key facilities (such as chapels in which church meetings are held) continues to increase! Numbers of Temples have increased significantly along with some other facilities.
It was also prophesied by the angel to Nephi that the numbers of members of the Church of the Lamb of God in our day would be (relatively) small. There are 14 million members of the LDS Church with the total population of this earth being about: 6.91 billion, therefore while His true church is spread all over the earth, just as the angel prophesied, The Church of the Lamb's numbers are relatively small (as I've just shown you), as also was prophesied. However, I must remind you that this church began in 1830 with just six members. This growth rate has increased this church's population from that small number to fourteen million in just 181 years and is continuing to increase quite rapidly. This is a sure sign that the Lord is guiding this church as it continues to fill the role the Lord gave it. Remember what the angel of the Lord said:
"there are two churches only,"One is the church of the lamb of God and the others are combined together make up the Devil's church. Please note: It was an angel of the Lord who said that by the sacred power of the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation, not a modern day Mormon.
Now I want you to notice the the very last part of that verse from the Book of Mormon I quoted at the beginning, which was prophesied by the angel of the Lord:
"and they were armed with righteousness and the power of God in great glory." (emphasis is mine)Now, I would like each of you readers to read the following article excerpted from the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Utah (U.S.A.), dated March 6, 2011). It is by Jerry Earl Johnston. In this and in following articles you will view in this post you will come to recognize that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints strongly puts righteous living as being much more important than financial gain and worldly glory!
The Crucial Importance of Righteous Living.
I would like you to read another article about the BYU Honor Code and athletics which at first is similar to the one you have just read, however it adds significant information and insights so I urge you view this article also.
After reading this article linked by Doug Robinson of the Deseret News please consider clicking on the link found in the box (on the first page and also on the second page, labeled: From the Archive) please click on the fourth item in that box located on the left side labeled: Danny Ainge expressed views on BYU Honor Code -March 3, 2011.
(Please note that Danny Ainge was a champion basketball athlete at BYU (Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah (U.S.A.) and is currently President of the Boston Celtics Professional Basketball team and presently serves as a Mormon bishop. I hope you will not skip over this one!
After you click on the DeseretNews link which is three short paragraphs below, please click on the last of the four selections listed in the box on the left side of that article which has Danny Ainge's name in it, look for the link: Boston Sports Radio Program. and click on it!
(A tip: stay on the page where you see pictures of a white coach and a black athlete on the screen because the double verticle bar you'll need to click on when you desire to exit that interview is on the lower left hand corner of that screen! If you don't click on that bar when you are finished listening you will have difficulty returning to my post. There will be more for you that is specially interesting later on in my post!
Please note that after you have clicked on that Radio Program link you will first hear an advertisement or two and then the Radio interviewer asks Danny Ainge several quick questions about his Celtics' basketball team. Then they will discuss the BYU honor code violation which held back BYU's basketball team from advancing as they had expected it would. You will find that interview very interesting and impressive!
It is a Surprise that BYU Drew a Line at All!
Whenever you have heard all you want from the somewhat long but very interesting and insightful interview with Danny Ainge you should click out, and return to the previous link/s. After finishing this post I felt very positively about all that Danny Ainge had to say about the BYU Honor Code. Besides his having been a very successful BYU Basketball team player, his being presently an LDS bishop of the LDS ward he and his family live in gives him some very special insights into the subject.
After hearing the Danny Ainge interview regarding the BYU Honor Code, I recommend that you view an informative video about the "star player" (Jimmer Fredette) of the present BYU basketball team who lives by the BYU honor code and highly values and lives by the standards of his church. His attitude, in our present day world, is highly unusual for a talented and successful college athlete and is very admirable! After clicking on the link just below, please be patient for just a few seconds while the lady announcer briefly tells of several other features before getting to the one on Jimmer Fredette.
You will want to exit that link at the end of the brief video interview with the KSL Radio/TV Sports News Reporter, Greg Wrubell which immediately follows the one about Jimmer Fredette.
Jimmer Mania
We have been reviewing the righteousness of the Church of the Lamb of God (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) spoken of by the Angel of God who revealed many things to the ancient Book of Mormon Prophet, Nephi, that were meant to benefit each of us.
It is a great and unique righteousness that causes the LDS Church owned and governed Brigham Young University to put upholding their students' Honor Code above the huge amounts of money earned by having a winning Basketball Team.
Please also remember what Danny Ainge said about the BYU basketball player who was suspended by an honor code violation: The University, its faculty members and that player's former team mates continue to show their love and concern for him which could help to lead him in due time to finish his education at BYU and even possibly be restored to the BYU Basketball team when he has fully satisfied the honor code requirements made of him.
Also,That unique righteousness is shown in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints having brought about and continued for many decades the magnificent (non-profit) Mormon Tabernacle Choir featured every Sunday Morning on Television and Radio from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. It can be experienced by TV throughout the United States of America on many television stations in that nation. Also, the choir and orchestra members are not paid for their practices and performances. It is their church calling.
My and my wife Melva's present LDS Church calling is spending about five hours each week at a new and very large hospital located not very far from our home, in visiting and cheering up members of the LDS church who are patients there. That time is spread over each Sunday morning and in our case on each Wednesday evening of each week.
Sunday mornings after attending a one half hour Sacrament meeting together with our leaders and the fifty one other older couples, along with ambulatory patients and hospital staff members who are available to attend, each pair of couples go to an assigned floor of the hospital.
Each pair of two married couples work together on Sunday mornings with the two men, both bearing the Melchizedek Priesthood, administering and providing the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to those LDS patients who say they desire that, who are patients on the particular floor to which they happen to be assigned on that particular Sunday morning. Assigned areas usually vary each Sunday as does the matching of couples.
This is a very enjoyable calling and My wife and I are glad we can do this service without being paid for it. The smiles of the patients and their kind words are well worth the effort!
Please click on the following link to review through a Video what the Mormon Tabernacle choir, made up of many faithful and righteous Latter-day Saints, along with the Orchestra on Temple Square, is planning to do regarding an upcoming Tour this summer (2011) You will find this very exciting:
Summer of 2011 Annual Tour of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
I promise each of you readers of this post that you will continue to be amazed at the humble righteousness of (most) Latter-day Saints. Perhaps you will remember some of them who live near you or perhaps work with you. Consider getting to know them better. They will welcome your increased friendship!
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DISCLAIMER
This website is not owned by or affiliated with the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church.
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TO ACCESS NEIL BIRCH'S BLOG INDEX: To Either Read the Full Index Item Which Refers To This Blog Post, (Or To Search The Index For Any Other Blog Post You Desire To Access), After You Have Read All of This Paragraph, Please Scroll Back Up And Click on the Following: The Latter-Day Saints Are to be Armed with Righteousness -Post 42l. When The Picture of Our Savior, Jesus Christ Sitting Next To a Little Boy Comes Onto Your Screen, Please Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use the Alphabetical Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed).
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Have You Really Read the Book of Mormon?" Legal /Statement. Thank you for visiting. The author retains intellectual property and creative licensing rights. Permission to use or reprint must be given in writing. © Est.2008 Neil Birch Legal /Statement.
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I deeply appreciate your readership and hope you found very beneficial, that which was presented to you in this blog post.
If you have any questions about what you have read or viewed in this post or in any previous posts of mine, or if you even have a curiosity about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and or its teachings, please e-mail me. I'm Neil and my e-mail address is: jneilmelva@gmail.com. If you contact me I'll get back to you just as soon as possible.
I invite you to let your friends and relatives know about this blog if you think they would be interested in it. Please be advised that I also have an additional blog. It is in Spanish: Its content is translated from the English in this blog:
Neil Birch
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