37h - Mormon and Moroni Were Assigned by Jesus Christ to Prepare the Book of Mormon for Future Translation. Moroni's Role #4

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TODAY'S THEME

Painting: Del Parson                                                     Painting: Tom Lovell           

Jesus Christ Speaks with Moroni

Ether 12:23 And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;


24 And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.25 Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.


26 And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

29 And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith; (emphasis added)

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Joseph Smith, who translated the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, by the power of God, and those of faith who humbly read it, have (or will have) learned of its truthfulness and be guided in their lives by its great teachings. Thank you Dear Moroni! And Thank you Dear Mormon! Thank You most of all, Dear Lord!

Painting: Del ParsonJoseph Smith Translating the Plates

I, Neil Birch, am deeply touched by the words from Ether 12 quoted above. I love Moroni and his father, Mormon, for their great devotion to the Lord in bringing about this great book. The Book of Mormon was and still is a key part of the Lord's Latter-day Work in preparing a people to greet Him and the Hosts of Heaven as they descend from the sky on that great day!

Painting: Harry Anderson

The Second Coming

From the very beginning of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was a very powerful tool in the hands of missionaries called to serve in various places in the United States as it was constituted in that day.

By 1837 the Lord, through His Prophet, Joseph Smith, called several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to open missionary work across the Atlantic Ocean in England. Of course, the Book of Mormon became a very important part of the Lord's work there.

 

Photograph: Alex ander L. Baugh

The River Ribble Near Preston, England

On Saturday evening, 29 July, 1837 the Mormon missionaries agreed to baptize fifteen of the eager investigators the following morning in the River Ribble near the tram bridge. There the small but tempestuous rapids on one side of the river partly swirled into a quiet eddy, creating a beautiful pool, edged by a grassy slope. Farther back were large weeping willows and bushes.

Accounts are not clear as to how the missionaries would select the first person to be baptized in England. Elder Heber C. Kimball, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who led the mission, recorded this:

A circumstance took place which I cannot refrain from mentioning, for it will show the eagerness and the anxiety of some in that land to obey the gospel. Two of the male candidates, when they changed their clothes at a distance of several rods from the place where I was standing in the water, were so anxious to obey the Gospel that they ran with all their might to the water, each wishing to be baptized first. The younger, George D. Watt, being quicker of foot than the older, outran him, and came first into the water.

It so happens that the older of the two foot racers at that first LDS baptism in England was 53 year old Henry Clegg who became the second person baptized in England. He is one of my wife, Melva Giles Birch's ancestors. He remained faithful to The Lord and to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the end of his life. Most all of his descendants know all about that footrace to become the first person baptized into the church in England.

You have just learned about the first baptism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England. Thousands upon thousands of members of the church moved to the United States of America, especially in the early years of the Church.

In this the Twenty First Century, the Church is very strong in England. One important indicator of that is that for a good number of years there have been temples there. This is an indication that the Church is firmly strong in that great nation. I'm sure the Prophets Mormon and Moroni are pleased that the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ has a an important role in the growth of the Lord's Church in that Land.

London England Temple

Preston England Temple

The scripture used as TODAY'S THEME of this post is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest of all scriptures. Therefore, after haven given you the opportunity of reading seven of the forty one verses in that chapter, I'm now giving you the opportunity of reading and listening to all 41 verses of it. You won't regret choosing to do so!

Ether 12:1-41

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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 An Item Which Refers To Any Other Blog Post You May Desire To Access): After Reading All of This Paragraph Please Click on the Following: Mormon and Moroni Were Assigned by Jesus Christ, Moroni's Role #3 and Mormon's Role #4 -37h. When You See the Picture of Our Savior Jesus Christ Sitting Next To A Little Boy, Please, Scroll Down In The Index To Your Target Item Or Use The Alphabetic Scrolling Device (When It Has Been Installed.)
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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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.

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Neil Birch