On what have you built your foundation?

[Amonhi]

If you don't want to be preached to, (Fredrick for example, ;) ) then you might as well not bother reading this...

Most of us know the primary song about the wise man and the foolish man who build their houses. The Foolish man built his house on the sand and the wise man built his house on the rock. Then the rain came tumbling down. The rain came down and the floods went up. The floods hit the sand and washed the sand and the house away. The floods hit the rock and the house on the rock stood still.

Everywhere I see people building their foundations on sand and they think they are building on a rock.

Some people build their foundations on a church saying the church can never be wrong... Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses and even Mormons do this. The problem with this is that Church can and are wrong and do bad things or things which are not morally sound. It happens because of the imperfect people who operate and run and make decisions for those organizations.

Some people build their foundations on the leader of a group. They say, the Pope can't be wrong or the Prophet/President can't ever lead the church members astray, or Billy Graham never teaches false doctrine, or Denver Snuffer has spoken to God and isn't guessing so he can't be wrong on anything...etc...

The problem is that all of these people have been wrong on some level. They don't know everything and they will make mistakes and have made mistakes. As the lord teaches in Ezekiel 14,

9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.

So, how do you know if you are built on a sandy foundation? It is easy actually... You just imagine what you would do if your church were proven false or your prophet/pope were to fall in a way you knew was wrong, like teach false doctrine or have an affair or something or do something you know is wrong. There are a few responses I have heard people say to such a scenario:

1. "That could never happen!" - This person has built their foundation on sand and when something like that happens or they learn something already happened in the past, their foundation is swept away out from under them and they fall hard.
2. "I am sure that they did the right thing, I just trust them." - This person has built their foundation on sand and rather than fall they will justify the church or leader or whatever they built on so that they can stand even though the flood swept their foundation away, they went with it and closed their eyes to remain in blind or lying ignorance while the flood sweeps them away. These are probably the most foolish because they can't see or bare the truth that stares them in the face.
3. "So what?" - These are not built on that particular foundation and so if it falls, they will not fall with it and it will not effect them or their testimony/knowledge.

What is the right foundation to build on? Well Christ is the rock, right? So we build on Christ?

Well, not according to most peoples understanding...meaning that if most people were to build on Christ, their understanding of how to accomplish that is flawed and the result is that they fall back on a group or organization to tell them what Christ said. This in turn makes them feel like they are building on Christ when in fact they are building on a man or set of men whom they feel speak for Christ/God.

Follow this line of scriptures and see if it clarifies how we build on the Rock of Christ from which we cannot fall...

Helaman 5:12 - And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Who is Christ?

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

What is the truth?

D&C 93:24-25 - And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
25 And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.

Intelligence is knowledge of truth. This is also God's Glory. It is also our glory, whatever portion of truth/intelligence/glory we will accept.

D&C:93: 36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.

Whatever principle of intelligence/truth/glory we attain will stay with us.

D&C 130:18-19 - Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.

The Intelligence/Truth/glory that we gain or allow our bodies to be quickened and live by in this life will rise with us in the resurection and determine what kingdom we are placed. (We actually are progressing through the kingdoms now, while we are alive and whatever kingdom we have progressed to before we are resurrected is the kingdom we will be assigned to based on our glory which is the result of the intelligence we gained or truth we accepted during our probation...)

D&C 88:28-32 - They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.
29 Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
30 And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
31 And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
32 And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.

So, to built on Christ, we must build on truth because Christ is the Truth. And that is what progresses us through kingdoms.

When you build on truth, and someone comes and proves or shows us where our beliefs or leaders or church or whatever is wrong, because we are built on truth, we simply and happily accept the truth as fast as we can learn it and progress on. We are not stuck on people or organizations or books or histories which prove to be false, or riddled with issues. We don't care if a particular person teaches something false, we simply accept the truth and dismiss the errors and move on. It doesn't matter if a person was right 90% of the time or 10% of the time. We find the truth and accept it as best we are able and build on that until we learn a higher way or gain more truth that succeeds and replaces what we used to think was truth.

Rather than becoming upset because someone showed us where our prophet was wrong or our church, we celebrate that we found more truth than we had before. It doesn't mean that our personal Snuffer has to be right all the time to be a true prophet or that our Amonhi can't make a mistake or he was always wrong or our Monson leads the the church to build a Mall or become the largest land owner in a given state, etc.

Our testimony is not built on people or positions but on truth. This is the rock on which if we build we cannot fall. This is Christ, the truth that does not lie. This is the spirit of truth that will teach us all things. This is the truth that increases our intelligence and the light that helps us to see clearly while others wade through mists of darkness created by their own minds.

In regard to our religion, I will say that it embraces every principle of truth and intelligence pertaining to us as moral, intellectual, mortal and immortal beings, pertaining to this world and the world that is to come. We are open to truth of every kind, no matter whence it comes, where it originates, or who believes in it. Truth, when preceded by the little word "all", comprises everything that has ever existed or that ever will exist and be known by and among men in time and through the endless ages of eternity. And it is the duty of all intelligent beings who are responsible and amenable to God for their acts, to search after truth, and to permit it to influence them and their acts and general course in life, independent of all bias or preconceived notions, however specious and plausible they may be.

If any person in the religious world, or the political world, or the scientific world, will present to me a principle that is true, I am prepared to receive it, no matter where it comes from.

We are after the truth. We commenced searching for it, and we are constantly in search of it, and so fast as we find any true principle revealed by any man, by God, or by holy angels, we embrace it and make it part of our religious creed.

A man in search of truth has no peculiar system to sustain, no peculiar dogma to defend or theory to uphold. He embraces all truth, and that truth, like the sun in the firmament, shines forth and spreads its effulgent rays over all creation. If men will divest themselves of bias and prejudice, and prayerfully and conscientiously search after truth, they will find it wherever they turn their attention.

If there are any good principles, any moral philosophy that we have not yet attained to, we are desirous to learn them. If there is anything in the scientific world that we do not yet comprehend, we desire to become acquainted with it. If there is any branch of philosophy calculated to promote the well-being of humanity, that we have not yet grasped, we wish to possess ourselves of it. If there is anything pertaining to the rule and government of nations, or politics, if you please, that we are not acquainted with, we desire to possess it. If there are any religious ideas, any theological truths, any principles pertaining to God, that we have not learned, we ask mankind, and we pray God, our Heavenly Father, to enlighten our minds that we may comprehend, realize, embrace, and live up to them as part of our religious faith. Thus our ideas and thoughts would extend as far as the wide world spreads, embracing everything pertaining to light, life, or existence pertaining to this world or the world that is to come.

There is no man nor set of men who have pointed out the pathway for our feet to travel in, in relation to these matters. There are no dogmas nor theories extant in the world that we profess to listen to, unless they can be verified by the principles of eternal truth. We carefully scan, investigate, criticize, and examine everything that presents itself to our view, and so far as we are enabled to comprehend any truths in existence, we gladly hail them as part and portion of the system with which we are associated.

If there is any truth in heaven, earth, or hell, I want to embrace it; I care not what shape it comes in to me, who brings it, or who believes in it; whether it is popular or unpopular, truth, eternal truth, I wish to float in and enjoy." - "Chapter 23: Eternal Truth," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 209

If we will do this, then we will build on the rock from which we cannot fall. When we cannot fall, then we qualify for the blessing of our Calling and Election made sure which is to be guaranteed eternal progression in the Celestial Kingdom because we have learned how to eternally progress by seeking unlimited truth rather than learning to be damned by seeking churches or leaders in which our progression is dependent upon the limited progression of others. (Meaning if you build on the church or prophet of your choosing, you can only progress as far as they have and no more and at the pace they progress and no faster...)

In the name of Truth, Amen,
Amonhi

[Original_Intent]

That is awesome Amonhi!

Can I just add that in the temple we are to consider ourselves as Adam and Eve. Without going into the deeper meanings of this, is this an instruction that means "only while you are in the temple" or does it mean "all the time"? I think it means all the time!

So, who did Adam build his foundation on. The old movies with the clergyman, I think he was a well intentioned and good preacher. But Adam said No, he was waiting for messengers from Father.

Consider yourself as Adam and Eve!

The clergyman did not represent leaders of "other" churches, he represented leaders of ALL churches! He possibly serves a purpose if he brings lost sheep to their master - but he is NEVER to be relied upon as the source! Saying that Adam was a prophet and different rules apply is false doctrine! As at confirmation we are instructed to receive the Holy Ghost, so also are we instructed to...

Consider ourselves as Adam and Eve!

Building on the foundation of the rock is exactly seeking messengers from Father - persistently! Accept no substitutes!

Of course as we fellowship with each other, we bear testimony, there is the opportunity for spirit to spirit communication! What a great blessing! But those sacred experiences always should point us to building on the rock!

Thanks again, Amonhi!

[TannerG]

Perfect! Thank you for sharing. As a teenager I was confused why the only spiritual confirmations I could receive were about the Savior. Now I am grateful and a little more understanding.

[Ezra]

Amen.

Great post.

Matthew 11.

6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Coupled with
2nephi 28

28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.

If you find yourself in a place where you are becoming offended and it doesn't matter the reason. Know you are offended because you are in the wrong. Anger is not his way. Contention is not his way. Pride in your thoughts of being on the right side is not his way.

[Robert Sinclair]

My foundation has been built upon a knowledge of God obtained from reading all of the Scriptures I could find from all the different families of God including some the oldest books believed to have ever been written of Enoch.

I use especially this "One Stick" given unto Ephraim as a great "Urim and Thummin" to see and understand the things that have been and that are, and are yet to be.

I advise my fellow family members to do a minimum of a book report on the words of Jesus Christ which I have done myself from Matthew Mark Luke John and 3rd Nephi and the D&C then the balance of the "One Stick" and the Book of Enoch also. To meditate upon these words of Jesus Christ day and night until they are written upon the table of your heart. But this is not all, you should give yourself to mighty prayer and fasting which I myself am still working on to have his spirit to be with you always.

Just some brotherly advice from an older brother who has been around for awhile. ♡

[iWriteStuff]

I just wanted to say thank you for the grammatically correct phrasing of your question. So rare to see proper English these days....

[Robert Sinclair]

Got to watch for the older ones who's spelling and correctness is not quite right, and look deeper into their hearts. ♡

[freedomforall]

So Christ claims to have a church. What is its name? What is His church? What does it consist of? What does a person have to do and become to be in His church? Does His church have Apostles and Prophets? Does His church teach us that we can be saved in our sins, or from our sins? How are sins removed? Is repentance a one time event?
Does He award Calling and Election to just anyone that wants it? Or are there certain standards that must be applied first? Is so, what are the standards?
Who are the numbered sheep of the Lord? By what code of ethics do they live by?
Aside from calling and election, what qualifications must be met before a person can enter the Celestial Kingdom? In other words, what must a person become before gaining C&E. Which church provides these requirements for those seeking them so they can be fulfilled? I mean, I don't see a sign anywhere saying, come on in and get your C&E, and a man sitting behind a desk with a high stack of certificates. Therefore, there must be some church around that can help us get to this high realm, right? Or is it a do it yourself kit peddled by someone claiming to of Jesus?

Again, which church, the same church Christ told us would come forth in the last days that would have much of His gospel, also containing the plain and precious parts that were removed from the bible?

1 Nephi 13:34
34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.

Which church has this promised information?

Can all requirements be met without a church, its leaders or the covenants the Lord expects we live by?

[Robert Sinclair]

Just ask the Jews he's coming to them for sure. ♡

[Robert Sinclair]

This gospel of being equal they have already been taught in their High Holy Days of what is called "The feast of tabernacles". ♡

And of Atonement for their wrongs during the day of Atonement. ♡

These days are coming again soon along with the signs promised in the book of Joel. ♡

I guess they have suffered long enough. ♡

[brrgilbert]

God Bless.

[Reggie]

Quickly - without providing explicit supporting documentation, as only those who are prepared will receive this.

As Amonhi has stated previously, Intelligence is Light and Truth or, in other words, Light and Knowledge. In an earlier posting, it was pointed out what type of knowledge was required (as Truth.) According to the definition of Truth . . . it is a knowledge of past, present and future -- it is experiential knowledge. When substituted into the definition of Intelligence, then, it is Light and "experience." By attaining further light through our experience . . . a "gathering" process is attained. The process of perfection and growth is realized when a "joining" occurs and light cleaves unto light - in a "becoming one." We will see "The Truth" when we become one with Him.

Joseph Smith stated, as he received a tremendous amount of truth in the restoration upon which a tremendous amount of revelation can be based, that the mind of man is co-eternal with God. Earlier in another posting, it was pointed out from D&C 88 that there is no space in which there is no kingdom . . . intelligences everywhere - even in minutia. The Father and The Son, with complete corporeal discipline (no technology) are able to transcend space, being in and through all things. (Greater than Galaxies to smaller than atoms) Too, through Their corporeal capacity, they are able to translate through time - moving through it; past, present, and future. (See D & C 130 and 2 Peter with respect to time "dilation" and "compression.") Through the fore-mentioned "transcendency" and "translation," all power is attained. This is a feeble example of how ,(in instances when a hierarchy of servants/angels are not utilized,) every individual prayer can be heard and answered by Deity and how Christ can be in and through all things. Secondly, things physically are patterned after things spiritually. Note that within the mind of man - in addition to memory, sensory, and imaginative capabilities dealing with the time domain - identification has been given in the realization that right brained people are "spacially" oriented and tend to do well with art, music, etc; whereas left brained people do much better in the sequential, ordinal, logical structured; "temporal" domain. Being within the mind of man, it would appear that the capabilities of "transcending" space and "translation" through time lay dormant. This attests to the fact that we are gods in embryo, if we but learn how to ascend to be like the Savior.

A quick note about "black holes" and the danger inherent in fission. A black hole, being at the center of galaxies, my be the "intelligent" domain through which "transcendency" to subatomic structures may be realized. It should be noted that, again, in D&C 130, the earth in its sanctified and immortal state will be a crystal Urim and Thummim for inferior kingdoms like the one upon which God dwells. Note that there are interesting optical characteristic with a "crystal" globe. (Light can be received from all directions and concentrated to the center point.) However, note that a "SMALL" white stone will act as a Urim and Thummim pertaining to "higher order" kingdoms. Please note, as well, the geometrical differences between "planetary" sized "stones" and "palm" sized stones. This infers that higher order kingdoms may be / are geometrically minute in comparison with inferior kingdoms of greater size. (Is it any wonder that photons behave strangely / "intelligently" when observed as particles.) Considering this information, the idea of using a linear or cyclic accelerator to "separate" or smash these "particles" in an attempt at fission may be inherently "evil, destructive, and catastrophic." The Sun utilizes the opposite reaction or "gathering" in the process of fusion. "Separation" versus "Gathering" Again, please do not "scatter" the fold.

In accordance with Section 121, an attempt has been made to share "pure knowledge" (verse 42) so that you may recognize priesthood and revelation are alive and well within the LDS Church. Herein are offered and will continue to be offered "truths" that are hopefully self-evident so that you may realize how God spoke to Joseph Smith and that the heavens are "open" to members of the Church. Please do not burn the bridges that brought you to a point where you could understand greater things. Don't destroy or deny the lower rungs of your "Jacob's ladder." You will find yourself without a firm foundation. Change your direction - repent and gather back to the fold - there will be more and greater revelations and YOU are needed! We must become ONE through the sealing power or the earth will be utterly wasted! Let him who hath an ear, hear. Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator having the keys of the Oracles of God and the COJCOLDS needs to be supported. Use your fast offerings to relieve the suffering of the less fortunate and tithing to build the Kingdom of God. Judgement is meant for identification and NOT condemnation.

Reading this reminded of how I felt when I read D & C Section 88. I love that section. Verse 20-22 kind of sums that up:

20 That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.

21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.

22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

The Law of Christ is that we shall love our neighbor as ourselves. Gal 5:14. And if it is such that we cannot be merciful to others faults and short comings, especially those in the church and over it, then we ourselves cannot be sanctified. And if we fail to seal the family of man to one another, we have failed to empower that family to become sanctified because power cannot flow through a broken circuit. Neither can that sealing happen without the proper keys and authority.

And as far as that foundation, keys and authority goes, I stand with Paul who told the Galatians who were following after others claiming authority:

1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Galatians 5:20 Lays out some of the works of the flesh which were being manifest then; and as I see it now.

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

My foundations are not in the church, neither are they in TSM, nor any other man. The Spirit has clarified for me where the keys and authority lie for the direction of God's Kingdom. No one else on this planet has the right to speak for God to the direction of the kingdom. I don't care if they have seen God even as Moses saw God. Until he gets to be the President of the COJCOLDS, noone is in that position.

Where I have found truth, I do accept it. That is how I know that the power and authority to seal families together resides in the LDS church even now. I have done that work for 40 years. Even when I was on the outside of the church, I was sending in work for my family to be sealed because I knew it was truth. The fact that we go round and round with this notion of foundation, keys, authority, etc. just underscores what is happening here: variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. Let there be peace within the kingdom. Let us bear one another's burdens and stand fast in our place, though whirlwinds blow all around us and the church. Let not those winds blow in the church. Yes, take truth where we find it. But, if we are built on the foundation of Christ there will be no dissensions among us. We will all stand with our backs to the church and the sword of truth in our hands to defend it. If there be problems within, the Spirit of God like a fire will burn it out: Perhaps not until after the trial of our faith. :ymhug: