Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 68. Most people will recognize this section I think. This is the section where the process of selecting a bishop is talked about. It is also the section where the age of baptism is set forth by the Lord.
But the part that stood out to me was verses 4 and 5. In these verses the Lord is telling Orson Hyde that when he is a missionary and he is impressed upon by the Holy Ghost to speak that he will be speaking scripture. I remember before I was a missionary and I read that verse I didn't understand it at all. How can someone who is not the prophet speak scripture? It just did not make sense to me at the time. However, now I understand that what the Lord is saying is that when someone speaks by the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost teaches that person's spirit.
Have you ever been in a meeting where you felt the Spirit really strongly? Have you ever noticed that it is really easy to concentrate and at times you might even wish you had a pen and pad of paper so you could write something down? Did you have an Aha moment? That is because when a speaker is speaking by the Holy Ghost's influence, the Holy Ghost is able to teach your spirit directly and it is an amazing experience.
Most people who have served a mission before have been on teaching end of such an experience and it is simply amazing. I remember teaching people that I didn't think were even understanding what I was saying to them because to some of the people I taught on my mission Jesus Christ was a very foreign concept to them. And then they would ask a question that would just let me know instantly that they not only were understanding what I was saying, but were hungry for more! It was one of the best feelings in my entire life!
I imagine teaching my children will be a very similar experience but of course I do not know for a fact since my only child is only 6 months old. But when the Spirit teaches directly to another spirit, it leaves an impression that is not easily shaken. If you are an adult who was baptized when they were 8, think back to your own baptism. What do you remember about it? Anything? I remember I was baptized on the same day as 2 girls and that it was REALLY cold outside but the water was very warm. That's it! However, I can describe in detail how I felt about the experience. I bet you are the same. Why is that? Think back to another childhood experience, maybe even one you can remember. Can you recall how you felt? It's not nearly as clear if you can recall it at all is it? That is because in the spiritual experience you are remembering what the Holy Ghost taught you where as in the other non-spiritual experience it's just your own feelings you are trying to recall.
My Father loves to quote an Apostle he once heard or read, I am not sure which. But when I was young he told me that the Holy Ghost speaking to you has a greater impact and lasting impression than a visual revelation. He stated that when you receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon by the Holy Ghost that will stay with you in a way that it would not if an angel had appeared to you and declared the truthfulness of it to you. Now, I have not seen an angel so I cannot test the validity of such a statement, but it sparks of truthfulness and I have not doubted that such a statement is true.
I have often wondered if the reason the Holy Ghost teaching your Spirit is so effective is because your Spirit is not fallible and thus its memory will not fade in time like our earthly memory and brain will. Just a fun little aside. But this is one of those sections that I don't really have the time to discuss all of what it talks about in depth like it deserves so I invite you to read it yourself with the Spirit as your companion and see what the Spirit has to teach you about it. You'll not be disappointed. Until tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment