Endure to the End

Revelation 2–3. “To Him That Overcometh”

1. The Lord’s counsel to each of the seven branches of the Church in Asia follows a pattern:
•  
• He told the members of the branch what they were doing that pleased Him.
• He told them in what ways they needed to repent.
• He told them of the blessings that would come if they were faithful.
• Fill in the chart below with information you find in Revelation 2–3:

City	What They Did That Pleased the Lord	How They Needed to Repent	Promised Blessings
Ephesus (2:1-7)	The recognized false apostles and cast them out	Swiftly, they had forgotten first, works.	They will eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of God
Smyrna (2:8-11)	They heard the words of the spirit.	Some needed to repent of blasphemy, saying they were jews when they were not.	They shall not suffer the second death. Death shall offer them the crown of life.
Pergamos (2:12-17)	For holding to his name and keeping the faith.	They needed to repent that followed other doctrines which were not God’s.	Eat of the hidden manna and learn of things that no man had learned before.
Thyatira (2:18-29)	Works of charity, service, and faith	The people were following a women named Jezebell who was leading them unto fornication.	Power over the nations.
Sardis (3:1-6)	Of the few that had not defiled their garments and lived a pure life.	They needed to repent of their unclean ways and strengthen that which remained.	Their names will not be blotted out of the book of life and they shall be clothed in white.
Philadelphia (3:7-13)	Kept his word and not denied his name	Of lying saying they were who they were not.	They will receive the name of the city of God, which is Jerusalem.
Laodicea (3:14-22)	God loved them and so he chastened them	They were neither hot nor cold. Neither good nor evil. They needed to do good works.	To him that overcome will be invited to sit with God.

2. Write a paragraph about what counsel given to the seven branches of the Church in Asia applies to you today. Which of the promises the Lord gave to the seven Churches most inspires you to seek eternal life? 

He is pleased with a few of them and he has confidence that all can overcome but none of them are perfect. He wants them to improve because they are all struggling and some he doesn’t even have anything nice to say about. He does provide positive feedback first though which really is cool considering their sins. I found it very interesting that he didn’t care for those who were neither hot nor cold, they didn’t even have the guts to do evil and they did no good in return.

3. How does Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, 63:20 give meaning to the phrase "to him that overcometh?

Those that overcome and endure to the end will have eternal life.  You don’t just have to succeed in this life, you have to keep succeeding and you have to keep facing trials. It’s like a long bike race where there is a new stage to complete everyday. The person in the lead may be doing well at the moment but it’s a long race and it’s very unpredictable. Even if we stay consistent and continue to lead our own personal races we will still face challenges that have to be overcome. Overcoming a mountain on one day will give us the confidence to tackle the next one but we still have to tackle it just like we did the last. lds.org/scriptures

Recognizing False Teachers

False Teachings

Throughout this blog I have been presenting you with a selection of biblical teachings. When you go to church you are presented with even more teaching. You get out into the world and someone says, no that’s all wrong. How do you know who is right? This can be especially difficult when comparing two different teachers of the same faith who are teaching contradictive information. 2 Peter has given us some things to watch for in false teachers.

• ·      They deny the Lord
• ·      Evil speaking of those who speak and seek truth
• ·      Covetous spirit, They shall make merchandise out of or use their followers.
• ·      Powered by lust
• ·      Evil speaking of things they do not understand (They slander things they don’t fully know)
• ·      They do not obey God’s commandments
• ·      Speak and practice vanity

False teachers lack humility, they seek to lead you down their path in order to use you to accomplish their pursuit of worldly things. They deny the power of God and do not follow his teachings.

Often people do not know what they are teaching is false. It is up to each individual person to choose the way of Christ and never go back. Returning to the evils of the world after you know Christ is a terrible thing. It would be better that you had not learned of righteousness than to know it and then turn from it. It is not different than a dog having something unhealthy in his stomach. It would be better that he keep it in there not knowing it is harmful than for him to throw it up and then eat it again knowing full well what it is.

2 Peter chapter 2 can be found at lds.org/scriptures in the New Testament.

Hebrews 13: Works of Righteousness

Paul concluded his epistle to the Hebrews with some brief teachings and statements of counsel. 

• How should we treat strangers and those “in bonds”?

We should remember them that are in bonds and do our best to free them from for as they are in bonds we are also. We should always give service even unto strangers for those who have served strangers have unknowingly been serving angels.

• How is marriage looked upon?

Marriage is honorable and is ordained of God.

• What warnings are given about covetousness?

We should avoid covetousness at all costs. We should be satisfied with what we have, and we will never be left or forsaken. We should never leave or forsake others in search of something more. To covet is a sin.

• What is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”?

Jesus Christ, His teachings, his mercy, and his power.

• How are we sanctified?

Christ allowed his own blood to be spilled and died in order to take upon him our sins. Through him we are sanctified that we might return to our father in heaven.

• How do we respond to those who rule over us?

We should follow them that have rule over us who have spoken the word of God, and their faith follow. We should obey them, they will watch over and protect us.

• Who did Paul ask the people to pray for?

For us, or for the children of God. 

Why is life not fair?

Why is life not fair? People often say, “Life isn’t fair. Why do I have to have so many trials? I’m tired of being ridiculed by those who do not keep the commandments.”

Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

When facing trials and adversity it is very important to remember the bigger picture. This life is not meant to be easy, in fact we were sent here that we might have the opportunity to face trials. Trials give us a chance to grow. They give us a chance to learn, to broaden our understanding.

This world presents the unique experience of practicing faith. In heaven we know what is and what isn’t, we have seen God and all his wonders. Here we must act with faith, we must follow Christ without a perfect knowledge, we are given the chance to follow and believe on him without even being 100% sure that he exists. With faith we may feel quite certain that he lives, but in reality we have never seen him and therefore we make a choice to believe. This is much harder.

When we face trials, as was the purpose of our coming here we get a chance to prove to God our faith. Things may be difficult but the more we are tried and the more we persevere the greater our glory in heaven. Just as the scripture says we can be found in praises, honor and glory in the appearance of Christ. When life seems too hard or unfair just remember that we are being given the opportunity to grow and experience increase in heaven, what wouldn’t be fair is if God had just let us remain in our simple unglorified state in the pre-mortal existence. This life is short but its reward extends through eternity.

To read the scriptures referenced please go to lds.org/sciptures

Jesus Christ is Greater Than Angels

Jesus Christ is superior in many ways to many things. He is the Son of God. In the Bible Dictionary "Analysis of Hebrews" Paul teaches the Jews a few things that Jesus is superior to and why therefore they should follow his word.
Jesus Christ, his Law, and his Word is superior to the following according to Paul:

• Angels
• Moses
• The High Priests of Moses
• The Law of Moses

In Hebrews 1 Paul gives us three truths regarding Jesus Christ

1. He is the Son and heir of God
2. He loves righteousness and hates iniquity
3. He will be forever worshipped by God's Angels

Jesus Christ came to this earth on a very important mission, all of the scriptures agree (The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants etc) as in Hebrews 2:9 "...he by the grace of God should taste death for everyman." Christ came here for many reasons, the number one reason seems to be that we may have the ability to return and live with God once again. He conquered death and paid for all our sins. He also experienced all the suffering and burdens of all humanity. He can help anyone with any problem they may face because he has been there. God sent him that he might save and lead his children back to heaven.
I know Jesus Christ is our savior, I know he died for our sins and I know that his love for each and everyone of us is great.
For more information on these scriptures and additional testaments of Jesus Christ I invite you to read the scriptures for your self that you might feel from the spirit their truth and power. lds.org/scriptures

New Testament Solutions to Everyday Challenges

Ever wondered what advice, if any, the scriptures give us for our everyday problems? The scriptures are actually packed with this valuable knowledge, there's no way to cover it all on this blog so today we are just going to focus on the solutions that Philippians has for us.

Ever notice people complaining about petty matters in church and throughout the week, every done it yourself? You're not alone if you have in Philippians we are told to be of one mind with the Saints, we need to all focus on the goal at hand which is to help ourselves and our neighbors achieve eternal life. In verse 8 we are told how Christ lived and we can apply this to our lives as well. He humbled himself, He obeyed, and He sought to serve His Father. In order to become as one mind with the rest of the saints we must live in the same manner.

People often rely on the testimony of others for the own testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are also those who profess that the Word is true but do nothing to love their neighbor or accomplish any of God's commandments. This is not how it should be. As Philippians 2:12 says, "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." We must obtain our own testimony, we cannot believe because Dad said so but because we know and have faith for ourselves that it is true. We cannot expect salvation if we simply profess the Word to be true, we must lead a righteous life and strive through our works to draw nearer to Christ.

If you are considering joining the church, whether it be the LDS church or simply to Christianity you may be apprehensive about losing the support of your family and friends. This is a valid concern and one that has turned many the investigator away from the truth. In chapters 3 and 4 you will find comfort in this problem. We are reminded that Christ is the only way to salvation, he is the only one that can pay the debt for our transgressions and no matter what your family and friends tell you, they cannot offer you such a prize. The joy and happiness accompanied by Christ's love, which is greater than that of one, greatly over shadow anything lost in the process. Remember that Christ sacrificed all for us and we may only sacrifice little for him, no matter the difficulty we may face we will be given strength when we follow the word of God. Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

These are just a scant few of the many wonderful lessons taught in the scriptures, practically every page is packed, sometimes obviously, sometimes not so obviously, with valuable information pertaining to our earthly lives and our lives to come. In 2 Nephi 32:3 we are told why it is so important to read the scriptures and search for the lessons they contain, "...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

The King James Bible containing the New Testament and other scriptural references can be found at: lds.org/scriptures

Live As Saints Should Live

In Romans 13:11 it tells us, "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." nearer is our salvation and it will come sooner than we think. In Ezekial 3:20 a haunting scenario is presented. A righteous man turns to iniquity but he is killed and because he has not been warned, he dies in his sin. We must do good continually because if we turn away from the Lord even for a second we may not get the opportunity to repent and return. In Doctrine and Covenants 14:7 we are told to keep God's commandments and endure to the end. This is how we keep from dying in our sins, our good works forgotten.

Truly understanding how to attain salvation may not be as simple as being told to keep the commandments and endure to the end. What are the commandments and what does it mean to endure to the end? The answers to those questions can be both simple and complicated but Paul has provided us with a good list of things we can do in order to secure eternal life.

• Romans 12:1 "present your bodies a living sacrifice..." or in other words use all the physical and mental talents the Lord has given you in the service of his gospel and his children.
• Romans 12:2 "be not conformed to this world..." renew your mind and prove what is good and acceptable in the sight of God.
• Romans 12:9 "Let love be without dissimulation...cleave to that which is good." Reject that which is evil and celebrate and practice love and good works.
• Romans 12:13 Practice hospitality
• Romans 12:16 "Be of the same mind one toward another..." Try to think of how others think, but also be of one mind in all that you do be of one mind seeking after the same goal in exaltation. Whether you are rich or poor seek to serve your fellow man.
• Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Do not let evil things control your thoughts and actions rather drive out those evil thoughts and actions by practicing and thinking of that which is good.
• Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers..." There is not power but God in the Universe and we are to be subjects to him.
• Romans 13:3 "...do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:" When you practice good you will receive good praise after this life.
• Romans 13:8 "Owe no man anything, but to love one another..." Don't find yourself indebted to your fellow man, the only thing you should owe your neighbor is love and this is because you are and always will be indebted to God, for he gave you all that you have, and love is his law.
• Romans 13:9 Finally follow the simple commandments. Do not kill, covet, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness. Love thy neighbor as thyself and anything which that entails.

We also must remember not to judge one another. This is one of the things entailed in loving thy neighbor as thyself. We should not judge for as Paul wrote we should be bearing one another's burdens and building each other up. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes so who are we to judge another of his mistakes.

It is important to remember that all those we might judge are sons and daughters of God. They are God's to judge and not ours. God can build them up and has forbidden us from doing anything to bring them down.

During this time period Paul often refers to members of the church or followers of Christ as "saints". It is important to note this because it gives us a perspective when reviewing how he teaches doctrine to different groups of people and how he refers to those that believe and follow Christ.

New Testament-Romans