Parables of Matthew Thirteen Part 4: The Mustard Seed
The parables of Matthew thirteen reveal to us some of the grandest endtime truths Jesus ever uttered. Truths for our day. Our Lord chronicles for us certain events of the church age by using veiled language; i.e., a sower sowing seed, a mustard seed, leaven in a loaf, treasure hid in a field, pearl of great price, the dragnet, and a scribe.
Parables of Matthew Thirteen Part 3: Our Church Fathers
After the decease of the twelve apostles, “Church Fathers” began to surface, to take prominence within the Christian community. Most of these men came from philosophy backgrounds, and these men essentially wanted it both ways. They wanted to be philosophers and prophets. (Oil and water don’t mix; never have, never will. Neither will philosophers and prophets.) Men such as Origin, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus, Ignatius, Augustine, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Arius, Aquinas and Athanasius—all Church Fathers.
Parables of Matthew Thirteen Part 2: The Church and the Kingdom
The parables of Matthew thirteen reveal to us some of the grandest endtime truths Jesus ever uttered. Truths for our day. Our Lord chronicles for us certain events of the church age by using veiled language; i.e., a sower sowing seed, a mustard seed, leaven in a loaf, treasure hid in a field, pearl of great price, the dragnet, and a scribe. Read part one on the Parables of Matthew Thirteen here.
Parables of Matthew Thirteen Part 1: An Overview
The parables of Matthew thirteen reveal to us some of the grandest endtime truths Jesus ever uttered. Truths for our day. Our Lord chronicles for us certain events of the church age by using veiled language; i.e., a sower sowing seed, a mustard seed, leaven in a loaf, treasure hid in a field, pearl of great price, the dragnet, and a scribe.
What’s our Lord getting at?
3 Ways Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
Christians everywhere say that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus even said this of himself. But what does this mean? Is it merely bringing the physically dead back to life or is it something more?
The Son does what He sees the Father do
Then answered Jesus saying unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you: The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. -John 5:19
This is a famous scripture in Brighamite Mormonism within the Latter Day Saint movement, I was always taught growing up that this referred to God the Father once being a human man. Jesus somehow saw the Father live His mortal life, and was doing the same. This idea never fully made sense to me for several reasons, but primarily because I was also taught that Jesus was created as a spirit baby after the Father’s mortality. Speaking to a friend this week I was enlightened to a new way of understanding this scripture, and in turn all scriptures.
The Faith to Move Mountains and the Wisdom to Leave Them Be
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” -Matthew 17:20-21
Dear Brothers and Sisters, my mind is moved to write to you to address your great faith that you have in the Lord in a time when you will need it, and also to add a word of wisdom to that wellspring that you draw from. At this time, a great plague is moving across the land and the governments of every nation, kindred, tongue and people are in turmoil and confusion. At this time, we must remember what we have learned from the Gospel.
On the Last Days
Recently a number of people have asked that I pray on the current threat of the coronavirus or COVID-19. After praying on this, I received revelation that we should study the following list of scriptures and revelations.
The Sealed Book of Mormon & Kabbalah Presents Solutions
“The Nephite people, taking then, by their highest sentiments, banished from their midst all resentment that came from the evil one, beginning with sorrow and rancor, then anguish and fear, anger and covetousness, lasciviousness, and many others derived from Satan; and whenever an adverse feeling to the Heavenly gifts was identified, a record was made of it for the purpose of being worked out at Church meetings in general, for the purpose of being replaced by the noble sentiments derived from the greater Gift, coming from the name of our God, one at a time, until he strife between the brethren ceased to exist, and there were no more quarrels among the Nephite people… Therefore, it became necessary to keep a record of those who have the desire in their hearts to fulfill this Law, and after, to be individually analyzed in relation to the spiritual state and faith of each one to the promises of God and the building of Zion.” Acts of the Three Nephites (A3N) 8:1, 11a
As I read this scripture, my comment here is that I know that with God all things are possible. The United order will not succeed, as have so many attempts have failed. This is due to the necessary revelation regarding the spiritual psychology that is not clear or understood. The personal psychology of every individual needs to be evaluated, not just in men but also in women and in families, for the issues regarding the individuals and families to be resolved.
Are You “White and Delightsome?”
The following is is from The Mormon Yeshiva, reprinted with permission.
“And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure (white) and a delightsome people.” (2 Nephi 30:6)
It still amazes me at how often this subject comes up. The other day I was talking with a young man who was struggling with certain subjects in regard to the Book of Mormon. He stated that the Book of Mormon was “racist” and as such could never believe in a God who is a racist.
Soul Mates: the Question of Eternities
“I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go…” -Songs of Solomon 3:4
Many people avoid the topic of soul mates because it can be problematic. What happens if one’s “soulmate” isn’t the individual we marry? What if our “soulmate” rejects us? Looking at soulmates like this debases the true definition of the term.
What’s in a Name
Vayeitzei 2020
Genesis 28:10-32:3
The Sages teach us in this parasha story which refers to events that transpired with Jacob: in Ecclesiastes there is a verse that talks about the sun rising and setting. The sun set early so that Jacob would have to sleep in Beth-El on his way to Haran, and it rose early on him in order to heal him on his journey to Haran. Upon reading this report by the Sage I could see that Jacob’s story is about our own soul’s life journey.