Is it just a coincidence that a person who continues in a certain sin succumbs to physical problems directly linked to that sin?

Tuesday Evening Scripture Study on Skype ... Topic Question:
Is it just a coincidence that a person who continues in a certain sin succumbs to physical problems directly linked to that sin? Or people that make fun/get angry/get upset of others that have a certain aliment or affection/disability end up with a similar problem? Likewise, people who we are determine to avoid because of disagreements, we end up needing their help or somehow they are put in our path again? Could this be divine intervention? (Paraphrased discussion)
Galatians 6 : 7; II Corinthians 9 : 6-7; Malachi 3 : 10 ... the principle of sowing and reaping. How many of us have heard the old expression "what goes around comes around"? The concept is also discussed in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 5:49-50, Alma 7:42-44, and other passages.
The attitude of one's heart is important ... notice the term "cheerful" in 2 Corinthians 9:7
Psalms 119 : 67, 71; II Chronicles 7 : 13-15; Revelation 2 : 20-23 ... the purpose of affliction in our lives. God allows us to be afflicted so that we will turn back and draw near to Him. If we drift away in the good times, what is He to do to keep us close? He does not afflict us to be mean, but He allows affliction in our lives to bring us to repentance and restoration. In Psalm 119:67, 71 the writer says "67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. 71 It is GOOD for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. And in the BoM, in Helaman 4, Nephi was so discouraged by the wickedness of the people that he asked the Lord to afflict them with a drought, to bring them to repentance, which worked....for a while.
Proverbs 16 : 18; Ezekiel 30 : 6; Hosea 5 : 5; I Timothy 3 : 6; Daniel 4 : 30-320 ... the sin of pride. Pride in our hearts separates us from God and brings our destruction. 2 Nephi 12:14-18 is another illustration.
II Samuel 12 : 9-14; the sin of David with Bathsheba ... God, thru the prophet Nathan, told David that his punishment would be harsh and specific to the offense. The sin of adultery was punished by David's son Absalom openly committing adultery with David's concubines. David caused Bathsheba's husband to be killed at the battlefront, and God told him that the sword would never depart from his house; the deaths of his sons Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah were a result of the conflict.
Nathan's statement to David in verse 14 ... "You have given the enemies of the Lord occasion to BLASPHEME" is particularly telling ... and parallels Alma 19:17. The world is watching for the tiniest slip-up on the saints' part. They will reap the consequences of their blasphemy, but we will also reap for our part in it.
Matthew 26 : 52 ... the arrest of Jesus. Peter took his sword and swung it, cutting off the ear of the High Priest's servant. Jesus told him to put up his sword, and uttered those well-known words "for all they that take the sword shall perish by the sword".
Mosiah 9 : 20-25 ... The execution by fire of the prophet Abinadi, and his prophecy of the judgements that would result on the perpetrators ... "ye shall suffer, as i suffer, the pains of death by fire."
I Nephi 5 : 187-209 ... The pride, anger, and rebellion of Nephi's brothers Laman and Lemuel during their voyage ... they were so wrapped up in that pride that it took them four days to realize that "the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish, save that they should repent of their iniquities;…" and so set in their determination that "....there was nothing, save it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts"
Acts 9 : 8 ... Saul of Tarsus knocked down on the road to Damascus and reproved by Jesus ... since he had been spiritually blind to the Messiah, he experienced physical blindness for 3 days Alma Jr. (Mosiah 11:163ff.) had a similar experience, rendering him helpless and speechless for two days and two nights ... he had walked about speaking many words to harm the church.
Isaiah 33 : 1; Revelation 13 : 10 ... the sin of deceitful conquering nations
Helaman 5 : 25-29, 41, 48 ... the sin of lusting after material possessions/wealth ... God put a specific curse on this land, for when the Gentiles forsake Him and seek after wealth for wealth's sake, their riches would be cursed so that NO MAN would EVER redeem them, and they would be left to mourn. Then, it was the idea of burying a cache of coins to protect them from enemies until the owner could get back to them. Now we have the stock market, and a great deal of our wealth is virtual (cyber) rather than real. How secure is that? One click of a mouse by a hacker ... and *poof*. One nuclear device, detonated 180 miles over our heads, will produce an electromagnetic pulse that will render every electric/electronic device nonfunctional ... at which point we will find ourselves living in the 7th century ... or worse.
I Corinthians 11 : 28-34 ... the consequences of taking the Sacrament unworthily
Hebrews 12 : 5- 8 ... we have seen that the Lord punishes the guilty. This passage explores the concept of a loving Father God, who chastens His beloved children to keep them in the right way. If a person is not being chastened by Him, that person is NOT His child.
Deuteronomy 28 : 58-61 ... the consequences to Israel of not keeping the covenant they had made with God
Revelation 3 : 16-19 ... the consequences of being lukewarm in the faith.
How could we recognize we were being chastened if the punishment or affliction is not related to that sin?
Helaman 5 : 83-84, 89-90 ... a righteous condemnation comes on the wicked, and as we have seen God has a way of making the consequences sharply illustrate the sin for both unbelievers and saints.
Psalms 103 : 10 ... the repentant sinner is forgiven, and not punished according to his/her deeds because of MERCY.
Moroni 7 : 11, 14 ... everything that inviteth and enticeth to do good is of God ...
And to muddy the water a bit--
John 9:1-3 ... the man blind from birth ... the Jews had a hard-and-fast doctrine that whatever bad happened to you, you had it coming to you, which fed into that Pharisaical self-righteousness. Even the disciples assumed that either the parents or the man HIMSELF had sinned (but he was BORN blind!) ... Jesus countered that in this case, the whole purpose was to show the glory of God by his miraculous healing.
If you are having trouble and affliction in your life, you may not know why and God may not tell you specifically why ... but just draw near to your Father no matter what.
Hope this brings encouragement to you all as it has to me. Have a blessed week!

Idol Worship

Sermon Topic Sunday 1/27/13 Idol Worship
There will be a great end-time deception sent by God (2 Thessalonians 2:11 and Isaiah 66:4), People will bow down and worship the IMAGE of the beast (Revelation 13:12, 15).
The enemy wants to DRAW God’s children away from God. A former Wiccan stated that the one thing that pleases the enemy more than anything else is when he wins away the children of Christian parents.
What is an idol? … an image regarded as an object of worship, a false god, a person or thing blindly or excessively adored.
Exodus 20:4-6 … 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity7 of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
God does not want ANYTHING to take His place … He made the earth, and hangeth it on nothing (Job 26:7) … as the joke goes, He told the scientists who said we don’t need Him any more, “Get your own dirt!”
From the beginning, man has wanted an image of God to pay homage to and worship, to see and touch. They also wanted His name; though they did not have it until God revealed it to Moses (Exodus 3:14) … Joshua even mentioned the gods that the people had served “on the other side of the flood” (Joshua 24:15)
John 4:20-24 The Samaritan woman at the well asked Jesus about which location was the correct one for worshipping God
Exodus 32:1 The Israelites in the wilderness decided that Moses wasn’t coming back, and asked Aaron to make gold calf for them to worship (probably the Egyptian god hathor, which they would have been very familiar with).
Galatians 4:4-6 God’s image would be represented on earth in the due appointed time of the Father. He did show the Brother of Jared that representation on the mountain (Ether 1:80-81)
Colossians 1:15, 19 Who is the Image of the invisible God … in Him should ALL fulness dwell
Joshua 24:14-27 The Israelites under Joshua made a solemn covenant with God that they would worship no other god, and set up an engraved stone as a witness
2 Kings 18:4 Hezekiah had to destroy the brass serpent of Numbers 21:8-9 because the people were worshipping it
Many idols became a snare to the … Ishtar (Easter, the pagan fertility goddess … her worship was associated with the “groves” of the Old Testament); Baal; Molech (which demanded infant sacrifice); the Jews of the exile were forced to bow down to the image of of Nebuchadnezzer, and the Roman empire forced all its subjects to bow down to a statue of the emperor.
Isaiah 1:2-4 … rebellious Israel has gone away backward; Isaiah 2:7-8 the land of Israel is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands
Mormon 2:16 The description of how far the once-righteous people had fallen … sacrificing captured prisoners to their idol gods
In the Old Testament, God’s fury was swift and catastrophic; His justice was appeased by divine sacrifice (the Blood of Jesus) and is held at bay by mercy
Alma 16:210-217 the sacrifice must be an INFINITE and ETERNAL sacrifice, a great and last sacrifice, to fulfill the Law of Moses, and bring about mercy
The New Testament church faced a plague of idol influence … pagan Gentile idol gods were numerous and EVERYWHERE. Acts 19:24-35 … worshippers of the Roman goddess diana (Greek artemis) in Ephesus … verse 27 in particular, the manufacturers of idols of diana were concerned about the loss of their business, and incited the riot that followed. (The apostles also had to deal with the question of eating meat from an animal which had been sacrificed to an idol god, and then served at a banquet or sold in the marketplace msl)
1 John 5:21 Little children, KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS.
Romans 1:20-23 mankind changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into images of corruptible humans and animals.
Acts 15 The Jerusalem Council discussed the problem of what the Gentile believers needed to observe to avoid offending Jewish believers … one stipulation was to avoid fornication, which was not only a personal problem but also a part of idol worship
These days, many people acknowledge that Jesus lived, but they speak of “the Jesus I know” rather than follow Jesus the Messiah of Scripture. And there are many pagan cultures around the world that worship idols and created things.
2 Timothy 3:1-4 mankind in the last days are lovers of pleasure (and of themselves msl)
We actually worship another golden bovine creature … the statue of the bull on Wall Street … our wealth is often our idol, but most of it is not real but virtual (cyber) … one click of a hacker; an EMP weapon, and *poof*
We are even still looking for the Ark of the Covenant. (what would we do if it were found? msl)
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers … how can God’s people fellowship with the enemy’s?
Alma 16:235 The Lord dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous….
No tool or man-made device can change the mind, or the heart of man, to love God … it is your decision to obey and come to the untooled (Exodus 20:25) altar of God
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 and Jeremiah 31:33 … God will write His love on our hearts instead of His law on stone

Do you think all people that give their life during the tribulation will go to Heaven?

Tuesday Evening Scripture Study on Skype
Topic question: “Do you think all people that give their life during the tribulation will go to Heaven? Like people who believe in God that not go to church or have but are not willing to take the mark. They may have never set foot in a church but they know it’s wrong and evil.”
The key Scripture referred to here is Revelation 13:15-16 15 And he (the false prophet msl) had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast would both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their forehead: (this is where the number 666 is introduced msl)
Scripture references: Who are the redeemed?
Revelation 14:4-5 … refers to the 144,000 of Israel 14:12-13 … they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Moroni 8:3 msl) Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth….and their works do follow them
Revelation 20:4 Those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the Word of God, and had not worshipped the beast nor received the mark
1 Peter 4:13 We WILL suffer tribulation and persecution for Christ … let us rejoice. Judgement will come to those who persecute, and glory awaits us.
Acts 21:11,13 Paul told that he will suffer persecution … he welcomes it.
Revelation 2:10 The message to the church in Smyrna … you will be persecuted; stand strong and be faithful (John 15:18-16:3 also plainly tells us we will be hated and persecuted msl)
John 15:13; Alma 24:72; 1 John 3:16; Mark 8:34-37; John 12:25; Matthew 16:25; Matthew 10:37-39 … all telling us that Jesus has called us to lay down our lives, and everything we have, for Him and for our brothers and sisters in Him; that we may gain eternal life in the end. (Plus some good commentary from Bible expositors)
Acts 16:31; 2 Peter 3:9; Alma 8:90-92, 96; Matthew 1:21, 1 Peter 3:20-21; John 3:5 and 15:1-4, 9-13; Romans 8:9, 24; Moroni 7:25 and 10:15; 2 Nephi 11:44 and chapter 13; 1 Corinthians 1:21 and 15:1-2; … How are we saved? The Lord has laid out THE WAY of salvation for us, as plainly as can be.
About those who don’t go to church … Hebrews 10:24-26; Alma 4:6; 3 Nephi 8:51; Moroni 6:6 … we are COMMANDED by our Lord and by Scripture to meet with one another often, and not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. (We should be glad to do this! msl) (Why does God command us to meet together? Ephesians 4:11-13, especially v. 12: for the BUILDING UP [the actual meaning of the Greek word translated “edify”] of the saints. We’re out there all week being torn down by the world, the flesh, and the enemy; and need to build each other back up msl)
Rev. 14:5; 20:4 … the 144,000; and those who were beheaded for their witness … Mosiah 9:40 Our command to stand as a witness AT ALL TIMES for God, even if it means our death … the results will be so much better than those of Titus 1:16 … those who profess to know God but in their works deny Him.
Mosiah 8:56; Alma 2:26; 1 John 2:5 … keeping the Word and commandments of God, and preaching it to others
2 Nephi 12:16; Moroni 7:3; Mormon 4:48; Matthew 7:14, 21-23 … humble followers of Christ evidenced by a peaceable walk with other people … filled with His love, and purified even as He is pure. These true followers are few … the way is narrow, and few actually choose to walk in it. Many will try to claim to know God, but He knows His true followers, and those who try to enter into the Kingdom on false pretenses are choosing a sorrowful eternity.
Great question! Keep them coming, they make for some good meaty studies. Have a wonderful week!

Thankfulness

Sermon Topic Sunday 1/20/13
Thankfulness
We have a God who is to be praised. The angels around His throne are in constant praise (Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8-11) … and the incense in the Tabernacle, Temple, and at the Throne represents the prayers of the saints.
We would like to appreciate the wisdom in thanking our God.
When God makes a statement, it begs the question: am I into this, and doing it? … The Lord looks upon our hearts.
His Word is full of praises to His holiness.
God’s Holy Spirit gives a person joy (Galatians 5:22-3) thus to be filled with thankfulness … for example, the survivors of the crucifixion catastrophe in the Americas. They had been the more righteous of the people, and fully repented during the disaster and darkness. Their terror and sorrow was replaced with joy when the light returned (3 Nephi 4:64), and when Jesus arrived (3 Nephi 5:17). Jesus was also filled with joy looking around at them and knowing their hearts (3 Nephi 8:22 and 13:7).
Proverbs 16:1-9 We all devise our own plans and ways, and consider ourselves right, but the Lord weighs our spirits, and if we choose Him, He directs our steps and gives us answers.
We live in time, He is outside of time.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-4 We give thanks to God for you … many of Paul’s letters begin with thanks to God for the people of the Church … 2 Thess. 1:1-4 …bound to thank God for you
Our thankfulness to God should come out in our choices (He directs our steps)
Philemon 1-6; Colossians 1:1-5 … again Paul is thanking God for the believers.
We are devising our plans, God is directin our steps … He is worthy of all praise.
Hebrews 13:12-21 He suffered outside the gate so His blood atoned for sin … let us join Him outside the gate.
The enemy knows who you are, and would hinder and trap you if he could … God is to be thanked for protection against him.
The sacrifice of praise is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to Him. Are we doing this?
Do good and communicate (Greek “koinonia”, fellowship, sharing) right, for God is well pleased with such sacrifices.
Submit to those who are in authority over you … the God of peace make you perfect (Greek “katartizo”, complete, adjusted, mended, restored) in every good work.
Romans 6:17-19 God is to be thanked, because look where you were, and where you would have been without Him; and appreciate where you are now by obedience.
1 Peter 2:9 The royal priesthood, the chosen generation … to show forth His praises … a holy nation, a peculiar people. We may not be popular with the world … in fact Jesus promised us that we would be hated by the world … but we will receive blessings from God.
Colossians 3:12-15 The elect of God … exhibiting thankfulness to our Lord
Psalm 107:21-22 O that we would praise our God and thank Him for His goodness … the whole psalm is on this theme
Psalm 95:1-7 Let us sing praises and thanksgiving to the Lord, for He is great.
2 Nephi 14:11-12 Hearken to the Spirit which teaches us to pray … the enemy teaches us to not pray … faint not, and don’t do anything unto the Lord without praying, that he will consecrate your performance to the welfare of your soul … are we teaching our children and friends that he is the source of our existence and blessing?
3 Nephi 8:50-52 watch and pray always lest we enter into temptation … pray in our families that our children be blessed (a very strong tradition and practice among the Jews).
Alma 16:238 Live in thanksgiving daily … so you are not led away by the enemy
We cannot buy a blessing … they are freely given to those who love, thank, and obey.
God bless all of you and have a great Monday!!

Who were the religious leaders of Christ's day?

Tuesday night Scripture Study on Skype
Topic was "Who were the religious leaders of Christ's day?"
Based on the question "....why is Christ also so against the scribes?" based on the frequent occurrence of the phrase "the scribes and Pharisees"
A Scribe is considered by us to be someone who writes, and the Hebrew word for scribe indicates this.
The study also considered the other offices of the Jewish congregation, and that some offices changed their characteristics after the Babylonian destruction and exile.
The High Priest: originally the eldest son of the eldest son etc. of Aaron, the first High Priest. The only one allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, only on the Day of Atonement. During the post-exilic, pre-Christ era, under the Greeks and Romans, the High Priesthood became a political office.
The Chief Priests: directly beneath the High Priest. The highest-ranking, the captain of the Temple, supervised the Priests and Temple activities. Other Chief Priests had charge of daily and weekly services, the treasury, and the Temple vessels.
Ordinary Priests: along with the Chief Priests, all descendants of Aaron. They were divided into "courses" to take turns serving in the Temple (John's father Zacharias was of the Course of Abijah). The Priests took care of the altar fires, the incense and unleavened bread offerings, and killing sacrificial animals.
The Levites: Other descendants of Levi, not thru Aaron. Lowest in rank, they served as guards, doorkeepers, and singers/musicians. They were originally charged with carrying the components of the Tabernacle.
Elders: Older men who were given authority among the people because of their age, experience, and wisdom.
Pharisees: a group that appeared after the exile. They were disgusted with the idolatry of the pre-exile Jews, and held themselves "broken off" the people at large (which is what the Hebrew word "pharez" indicates). In Christ's time they had made the Law of Moses into an incredibly complicated system of traditions, and prided themselves on their righteousness.
Sadducees: A group of priests who had the attitude of the Pharisees, but rejected all Scripture except the Pentateuch (first five books), and did not believe in the Resurrection, or in angels. That's why they are sad, you see. They and the Pharisees were enemies, except when they had a common enemy like Jesus.
The Scribes of the New Testament were the explainers and interpreters of the Law, as well as transcribers of Scripture, and were part of the Sanhedrin or Council. They held complete sway over the thoughts and religious practice of ordinary people. Since they held such authority, and taught falsehood and worked evil, they came under condemnation from Jesus; and along with the Pharisees conspired to eliminate Jesus. They conspired in His arrest, mocked Him at trial, helped to demand of Pilate His crucifixion, and continued to persecute His followers after His death and resurrection.
Great question and answer. Keep them coming!

Our Day Of Probation

Sermon Topic Sunday morning 1/13/13, Elder Adam Porter.
Our Day Of Probation
Do we assume how much time we have in this life -- making long-term plans?
Do we seek to wrong sources to find out the length of his life -- such as psychics, fortune-tellers and astrologers?
We need to prepare within the time we have, for the next life
Hezekiah was told that he would die of his illness, and asked the Lord for more time -- he was given an additional 15 years, during which his son Manasseh was born, who succeeded him as king -- and turned out to be one of Judah's most wicked kings.
Most people -- even many Christians -- believe that there have been billions of years before us, and will be billions of years after us. What does the WORD say?
God always was, is, and always will be ... When we go to be with God, we will know ALL ... unlike the little we know in this life.
The father of lies has brought many beliefs & practices, conditions & cultures among men. We cannot judge the final state of others ... this is the meaning of Matthew 7:1, judge not lest ye be judged, for with whatsoever judgement you measure out, you will be judged. We need to testify to others about the power of God in our lives.
The whole world once knew of the One True God and His Salvation -- we have rebelled and sought other sources of salvation.
2 Nephi 1:105-109 (genetic tracing of the entire human race goes back to one man and one woman ... Adam and Eve's perfect DNA, authored by God, allowed Cain and his siblings to marry each other) They were given time to repent WHILE IN THE FLESH ... God gave the commandment that ALL were lost and must repent. We must live according to what we know is true.
2 Nephi 1:95-99 There IS a God, and an opposition in all things. We each act for ourselves.
Alma 9:40-43, 47-51 --- this life is the probationary period. The plan of REDEMPTION has made the resurrection possible ... we are preparing to meet God, and for that endless state, which is beyond our comprehension ... God is timeless, and we live these lives in time.
So that man could know what he must do, God sent angels to conmverse with them ... He made the plan of redemption known to them, and gave them commandments, and they were in a state to act for themselves.
John 9:4 (the man born blind) Jesus said "I must work the works of Him Who sent me while it is day -- the night cometh when no man can work.
2 Nephi 13:31 (and John 14:6) -- there is NO OTHER WAY of salvation.
Matthew 7:1 -- we do not condemn others, we are only allowed to be fruit inspectors.
1 Thess. 5:5-9 be children of the light and of the day -- don't let that day overtake you as a thief in the night -- be sober and awake. Put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation (see also Eph. 12). Each of us needs to work out our salvation with faith, repentance, and baptism (water and the spirit).
John 11:9-10 walk in the DAY -- Jesus is the Light of the world (also John 8:12)
we must go on in faith to maturity, and as we grow together, we discover our gifts and use them to edify (build up) our brothers and sisters in the Church.
1Nephi 2:62-9 The Rod of Iron ... again talking of that probationary state. The mists of darkness arise, trying to make us go astray ... those who held the Rod got to the Tree Of Life, those who did not hold onto the Rod, didn't.
1 Cor. 15:40-54 raised in INCORRUPTION ... we cannot hope for eternal glory when we stand before God unredeemed and uncleansed.
Alma 16:226-237 -- The scriptures testify ... do not harden your hearts ... this life is your time to repent, don't procrastinate! You will not repent when face to face with God; whichever spirit has you when your last breath departs your body (Holy Spirit or the enemy) has you for all eternity. God does not dwell in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous. Be in an attitude of worship all 7 days of the week.
Mosiah 3:8-21 -- the people had made a covenant; they were born of Christ, and are His children ... there is no other way or name by which we can be saved (there are those who say "we're all God's children" -- even those who have made no covenant with God nor come to Him by faith, repentance, and baptism).
1 Cor. 2:9 -- we can't imagine what God has waiting for us -- but God reveals them by His Spirit, which is the proof of God's love and the earnest of our inheritance.
Eph. 1:10-14 The Holy Spirit of promist ... the Comforter (John 16:7ff)
An excellent sermon by our brother Adam. Have a blessed week!