“She Informed Me that She was No Longer Attending the LDS Church”

Posted on by Jared

After reading this brief account related by Camille Fronk Olson, consider sharing your thoughts.

Do you feel this young lady had a point?

How do you feel about her decision?

What would you have said to her?


 Continue reading →

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What Does it Mean to Be Baptized by Fire and the Holy Ghost? Part 3

Posted on by Jared

Click Here for the Table of Contents

The prophet Joseph Smith taught that we progress in the principles of the gospel like climbing a ladder.

He said: “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top and so it is with the principles of the Gospel – you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation.” [1]

Certainly, being born again by receiving the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost is a significant step towards exaltation.

The Savior said: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. John 3:7 Continue reading →

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What Does it Mean to be Baptized by Fire and the Holy Ghost? Part 2

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I asked two questions about king Benjamin’s people at the end of part one, “Was this their first experience with repentance?” and “Was this their first experience with the Holy Ghost?”

I think the obvious answer is no. The people of king Benjamin had established the church and built a temple many years prior to receiving a remission of their sins as recorded in Mosiah 4:3. They followed Christ by living the same gospel principles we do today. They had faith in Jesus Christ, repented, received baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Book of Mormon says they had prophets and holy men and “…they did speak the word of God with power and with authority…” However, with all this they had never fully completed their baptism covenant by receiving a remission of their sins until the day king Benjamin had gathered them together.  They had repented and had experiences with the Holy Ghost but they had never received a remission of sins by fire and the Holy Ghost.

Remember, we learned in part 1 that the Savior taught that a remission of sins comes through the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:2), therefore, we can conclude that a remission of sins and repentance are not the same thing, and “fire and the Holy Ghost” and the gift of the Holy Ghost are not the same. King Benjamin’s people experienced something new, something they had never before experienced. It’s evident from this account that there are dimensions of repentance, and the Holy Ghost being taught in these chapters, that invites our study.

This is a new idea for most of those who are reading this, so I’ll repeat it for emphasis. The Book of Mormon teaches the doctrine of “forgiveness” and the doctrine of “remission of sins” are different, separate kinds of experiences. The Book of Mormon also teaches that the Holy Ghost is manifested in different ways—three to be exact. Continue reading →

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What Does it Mean to Be Baptized by Fire and the Holy Ghost? Part 1

Posted on by Jared

The objective of all who are baptized by water should be to receive the baptism of the Spirit. Otherwise, our baptism is incomplete. Baptism has two parts: baptism by water and baptism by the Spirit. (Please reread these three sentences several times.)

The prophet Joseph Smith emphasized the importance of being baptized by both water and the Spirit saying, “You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half—that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (History of the Church, 5:499).

He also stated, “The baptism of water, without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it, is of no use; they are necessarily and inseparably connected” (History of the Church, 6:316).

Speaking to missionaries on this subject, Elder Boyd K. Packer said: Continue reading →

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Would You Pray for Gentrie? She’s 14 and Hasn’t Eaten Food by Mouth Since Christmas ’09

Posted on by Jared

I learned about a young lady (Gentrie Hansen) who has a medical condition that is very difficult to hear about; let alone for her to deal with each day. Please click on the link below and go to her website. I hope you will leave a message on her Guestbook after reading about her ordeal.

She is in my prayers, I hope she will be in yours too.

Click here

www.fight4gen.com

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O Have Mercy, And Apply The Atoning Blood Of Christ—Pt 6

Posted on by Jared

This is Part 6 in a series of articles on repentance. They are based on my experiences. I am writing with the hope that others who are seeking the Lord will find something meaningful to aid them in their journey towards obtaining a remission of their sins.

Click here to access the series of articles.

After becoming active in the church I had supposed my life would be relatively free of difficulty thereafter. This incorrect understanding of the Lord’s plan came about because of misinterpreting the scriptures.

I was familiar with the scriptures that spoke of the blessings the Lord bestows on His followers (Mosiah 2:41) but I didn’t understand that trials and difficulties could also be considered “blessings”. Continue reading →

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O Have Mercy, And Apply The Atoning Blood Of Christ—Pt 5

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This is Part 5 in a series of articles on repentance. They are based on my experiences. I am writing with the hope that others who are seeking the Lord will find something meaningful to aid them in their journey towards obtaining a remission of their sins.

Click here to access the series of articles.

I was now fully engaged in breaking away from the moorings of the worldly life I had been living. I was excited about embracing my new life as a follower of Christ. I enjoyed attending church and learning about the gospel and church history. However, it soon became apparent to me that my knowledge and understanding of the gospel was that of a somewhat disinterested fourteen year old. That was about the time I and left church activity, thinking I was a second class spirit from the pre-mortal world. I felt this way because I wasn’t born into the covenant. I’d learned at church that Heavenly Father sent His best Spirits to homes where they would be born into the covenant. My dad wasn’t a member, and mother never attended church. Disbelief in the church wasn’t why I left; it was because of disbelief in myself. I’ve learned since then that well meaning people can teach unintended doctrine, which can be destructive to “faith”.

My desire to increase my understanding of the gospel was helped when I went with a few members to a book store. It was very small, having less than 25 or 30 books. I bought all I could afford and was determined to read each and every book as quickly as possible. I found a novel way to do this. I volunteered for duty no else wanted. I would take the night shift on every holiday. This way the work was slow, allowing me time to study and I could also avoid all the holiday parties. Continue reading →

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O Have Mercy, And Apply The Atoning Blood Of Christ—Pt 4

Posted on by Jared

This is Part 4 in a series of articles on repentance. They are based on my experiences. I am writing with the hope that others who are seeking the Lord will find something meaningful to aid them in their journey towards obtaining a remission of their sins.

Click here to access the series of articles.

I know something about the process of repentance because I’ve utilized it many times. With that said I would like to share with you a few things that I’ve learned along the way.

The Lord has made it clear what needs to be done in order to repent, and part of the process of repentance is confessing our sins (Mosiah 26:34-36). I found that confessing sins to the Lord is one thing, but confessing sins to another person was very difficult for me. Continue reading →

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O Have Mercy, And Apply The Atoning Blood Of Christ—Pt 3

Posted on by Jared

This is Part 3 in a series of articles on repentance. They are based on my experiences. I am writing with the hope that others who are seeking the Lord will find something meaningful to aid them in their journey towards obtaining a remission of their sins.

Click here to access the series of articles.

One of the greatest obstacles I had with repentance is feeling “unworthy” because of backsliding. With some sins I was able to repent and wasn’t troubled thereafter, with other sins I struggled. At times I felt the Lord must have been worn out with me. He knew how many times I had tried and failed in my efforts to keep some of His commandments. It went something like this: I would knee before the Lord and say, “I am going to repent of (fill in the blank)”. I would then exercise my will power; I would do well for a period of time, only to end up backsliding. After doing this numerous times I realized repentance wasn’t always easy. I was embarrassed, and thought for sure the Lord considered me a loser.

This kind of thinking led to two kinds of behavior: Continue reading →

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O Have Mercy, And Apply The Atoning Blood Of Christ—Pt 2

Posted on by Jared

This is Part 2 in a series of articles on repentance. They are based on my experiences. I am writing with the hope that others who are seeking the Lord will find something meaningful to aid them in their journey towards obtaining a remission of their sins.

Click here to access the series of articles.

The first example came from a man named Smith, Sergeant Smith. He was about 10 years my senior, married with a small family. His objective in life was to increase in military rank. To accomplish his goal he let the men in our unit know that he would make sure we had a good time, if we helped him get promoted in rank. We soon found out that he had an ample supply of liquor at his home. On the weekends those who did his bidding were invited to his place to party. There was good food, a well stocked liquor cabinet, and a fridge full of beer. I was worried that my commitment to repent would be side tracked. However, after going to a few Sergeant Smith’s parties I observed some things that redoubled my determination to change (repent). It soon became apparent that he didn’t care very deeply about anyone at the party—including his wife and children. The positive impression he initially made was lost when I saw the smallness of character he actually possessed by the way he treated his wife. Continue reading →

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