Come, Follow Me, May 18, 2025 "Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts, D&C 46-48
Come, Follow Me
D&C 46-48
Quotations
Used
A “The Spirit of Christ is
given to all men and women that they may know good from evil, and
manifestations of the Holy Ghost are given to lead earnest seekers to
repentance and baptism. These are preparatory gifts. What we term spiritual
gifts come next.
“Spiritual gifts come to those who have received the gift of
the Holy Ghost. As the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, the gifts of the Spirit
‘are obtained through that medium’ [the Holy Ghost] and ‘cannot be enjoyed
without the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ …” (Dallin H Oaks, “Spiritual Gifts,” Ensign,
Sept. 1986, 68).
C “The Apostle Paul specifies
three gifts that Elder Neal A. Maxwell and others have termed the “cardinal”
gifts: faith, hope, and charity. He indicates that of all the gifts of the
Spirit, these three are abiding.
“Those who say that
spiritual gifts no longer exist do not understand the full implications of the
Atonement and its power. Moroni, concluding his father’s portion of the plates,
declares that “he that denieth these things [the gifts of the Spirit] knoweth
not the gospel of Christ,” imagining up unto themselves a changeable god, “a
god who is not a God of miracles” (Mormon 9:8–10).
“There is a great
need for these gifts in the day-to-day lives of the Saints. Indeed, members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, both male and female, are
commanded to seek after and obtain the gifts that come after they have obtained
the initial gift of the Spirit, the gift of the constant companionship of the
Holy Ghost. Refusing to do so, thereby leaning on the arm of flesh, is
considered by some to be a manifestation of a lack of spiritual understanding.
(Church Education System, Religious Educator Vol. 6 No. 2 · 2005)
D “If any of us are imperfect,
it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I
imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me
the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my
duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious
man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So with all the
gifts of the Gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say,
‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the
reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to
give gifts that will eradicate them. If a man lack wisdom, it is his duty to
ask God for wisdom. The same with everything else. That is the design of God
concerning His Church. He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For
this purpose He gives these gifts, and bestows them upon those who seek after
them, in order that they may be a perfect people upon the face of the earth,
notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the
gifts that are necessary for their perfection” (“Discourse by President George
Q. Cannon,” Millennial Star, Apr. 23, 1894, 260–61).
Elder Cannon also
stressed the need to seek after the blessings of the gifts of the Spirit with
pertinent language:
“How many of you .
. . are seeking for these gifts that God has promised to bestow? How many of
you, when you bow before your Heavenly Father in your family circle or in your
secret places, contend for these gifts to be bestowed upon you? . . . Or do you
go along day by day . . . without having any feeling upon the subject, without
exercising any faith whatever; content to be baptized and be members of the
Church, and to rest there, thinking that your salvation is secure?” (Quoting
George Q Cannon, Church Education System, Religious Educator, Vol. 6 No.
2 · 2005)
“To find the gifts
we have been given, we must pray and fast. Often patriarchal blessings tell us
the gifts we have received and declare the promise of gifts we can receive if
we seek after them. I urge you each to discover your gifts and to seek after those
that will bring direction to your life’s work and that will further the work of
heaven” (Robert D Hales, “Gifts of the Spirit,” Ensign, Feb. 2002, 16).
Additional
Items Referenced
·
Referring to D&C 46:9-12:
Moroni 10:19:
“. . . that all these gifts of
which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long
as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of
men.”
·
Referring to D&C 46:9 “. . . and him that seeketh so to do. . .”
Elder Jeffrey R Holland in his April 2016 General Conference talk put special emphasis on these few words. He included a comment that the beauty of the Gospel is that we get points for trying, even if we don’t always succeed.
·
Notations to D&C 46:13-27:
13 [Not
included in either of the other two]
14 [Not included in either of the other two]
15 [The gift of leadership, including understanding
and skillfully using the various organizations of the Church to save souls]
16 [Gift of being able to distinguish between true
philosophies and false philosophies, good ideas and bad ideas, wise counsel and
foolish counsel, whether something is from God or from some other source]
17 [Not Section 89, rather it is the gift of having
wisdom, seeing through the façade, and getting to the root cause. It includes
the gift of seeing ahead to the ultimate consequences of a particular course of
action]
19 [Physical and Spiritual]
20 [Physical and Spiritual]
21 [While the spectacular is possible, I think this
applies more to the “less obvious” like perhaps the lessening of contention,
the impression to call someone who has an urgent need to talk, the sudden
inspiration to solve a problem on an assembly line, the avoidance of a traffic
accident, the calming of a child and discomfort, and so on]
23 Elder Stephen L Richards said that this gift
consists largely:
“of an acute sensitivity to impressions – spiritual impressions, if you will – to read under the surface as it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to find the good that may be concealed.”
26 A summary statement about the various gifts:
27 This last one is different in that it is not
universal in its application.
Moroni in 10:14 tells us of a Gift that is not mentioned in
the other two scriptural accounts:
14 And again, to another, the beholding of angels and
ministering spirits;
·
Quotation relating to D&C 46:13-27
“Let me mention a few gifts that
are not always evident or noteworthy but that are very important. Among these
may be your gifts—gifts not so evident but nevertheless real and valuable.”
He then goes on to list about 16,
among them are:
the gift of asking; the gift of
listening; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding vain
repetition; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of caring for others;
the gift of being able to ponder. (Elder Marvin J. Ashton “There Are Many
Gifts,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 20).
Additional
Information
·
Reading
·
“Spiritual Gifts”, Dallin H Oaks, Ensign,
Sept 1986
·
“Gifts of the Spirit”, Robert D Hales, Ensign,
Feb 2002
· “Gifts of the Spirit” By Craig K. Manscill, BYU Religious Studies Center, Religious Educator Vol. 6 No. 2 · 2005 [Very extensive]
·
D&C 46 Background
In addition to these exclusionary practices, some of
the new Church members were exhibiting unusual behaviors as part of their
worship. John Whitmer recorded:
“Some would fancy to themselves that they had the
sword of Laban [see 1 Nephi 4:8–9], and would wield it as expert as a
[soldier], … some would slide or scoot … [on] the floor, with the rapidity of a
serpent, which the[y] termed sailing in the boat to the Lamanites, preaching
the gospel. And many other vain and foolish manoeuvers that are unseeming, and
unprofitable to mention. Thus the devil blinded the eyes of some good and
honest disciples” (in The Joseph Smith Papers, Histories, Volume 2:
Assigned Histories, 1831–1847, 38).
·
D&C 46:3–6. “Never … cast any one out”
President Russell M. Nelson of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:
“Because we invite all to come unto Christ,
friends and neighbors are always welcome but not expected to take the
sacrament. However, it is not forbidden. They choose for themselves. We hope
that newcomers among us will always be made to feel wanted and comfortable.
Little children, as sinless beneficiaries of the Lord’s Atonement, may partake
of the sacrament as they prepare for covenants that they will make later in
life” (“Worshiping at Sacrament Meeting,” Ensign, Aug. 2004, 28).
·
D&C 46:8
Elder David A Bednar:
“The Lord determines if and when we receive all spiritual gifts, but we must do all in our power to desire and yearn and invite and qualify for such gifts. As we increasingly act in a manner congruent with the character of Christ, then perhaps we are indicating to heaven in a most powerful manner our desire for the supernal spiritual gift of charity.” (Elder David A Bednar, BYU-Idaho Religion Symposium, January 25, 2003)
·
D&C46:23, 27. The gift of discernment
Through the gift of the Holy
Ghost, we can qualify for guidance and spiritual insight to discern or to see
things clearly.
President George Q. Cannon
explained why it is important for Church members to seek the gift of
discernment:
“The gift of discerning of spirits not only gives men and women who have it the power to discern the spirit with which others may be possessed or influenced, but it gives them the power to discern the spirit which influences themselves. They are able to detect a false spirit and also to know when the Spirit of God reigns within them. In private life this gift is of great importance to the Latter-day Saints. Possessing and exercising this gift they will not allow any evil influence to enter into their hearts or to prompt them in their thoughts, their words or their acts. They will repel it; and if perchance such a spirit should get possession of them, as soon as they witness its effects they will expel it or, in other words, refuse to be led or prompted by it” (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of George Q. Cannon, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist [1987], 157).
·
D&C 46:24. The gift of tongues
Elder Robert D. Hales summarized
some cautions regarding the gift of tongues:
“We are told by prophets in this
dispensation that revelation for the direction of the Church will not be given
through the gift of tongues. The reason for this is that it is very easy for
Lucifer to falsely duplicate the gift of tongues and confuse the members of the
Church.
“Satan has the power to trick us
as it pertains to some of the gifts of the Spirit. One in which he is the most
deceptive is the gift of tongues. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young … explained
the need to be cautious when considering the gift of tongues.
“‘You may speak in tongues for
your own comfort, but I lay this down for a rule, that if anything is taught by
the gift of tongues, it is not to be received for doctrine’ (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 229).
“‘Speak not in the gift of tongues
without understanding it, or without interpretation. The devil can speak in
tongues’ (Teachings, 162).
·
Satan Imitates the Gifts of the Spirit
How can we discern between the
true gifts of the Spirit and Satan’s imitations?
Satan can imitate the gifts of
tongues, prophecy, visions, healings, and other miracles. Moses had to compete
with Satan’s imitations in Pharaoh’s court (see Exodus 7:8–22). Satan wants us
to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers.
They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for
the gift of discernment. The devil himself can appear as an angel of light (see
2 Nephi 9:9).
Satan wants to blind us to the
truth and keep us from seeking the true gifts of the Spirit. Mediums,
astrologers, fortune tellers, and sorcerers are inspired by Satan even if they
claim to follow God. Their works are abominable to the Lord (see Isaiah 47:12–14;
Deuteronomy 18:9–10). We should avoid all associations with the powers of
Satan. (Gospel Principles, Gifts of the Spirit)
·
We Must Be Careful with Our Gifts of the
Spirit
How can we respect the sacredness
of spiritual gifts?
The Lord said, “A commandment I
give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither
speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your
profit and for salvation” (D&C 84:73). We must remember that spiritual
gifts are sacred (see D&C 6:10).
In return for giving us these gifts, the Lord asks that we “give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing [we] are blessed with” (D&C 46:32). (Gospel Principles, Gifts of the Spirit)
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