Prophetic Topic

Those who reject the living prophet will not progress and will bring upon themselves the judgments of God.

“Notwithstanding, literally speaking, that all knowledge comes from God, yet when it has been revealed, all men have not believed it as revelation at the time. …

“Noah was a perfect man, and his knowledge or revelation of what was to take place upon the earth gave him power to prepare and save himself and family from the destruction of the flood. This knowledge, or revelation, … was not believed by the inhabitants of the earth. They knew Adam was the first man, made in the image of God; that he was a good man; that Enoch walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, and was translated to heaven without tasting death. But they could not endure the new revelation: the old we believe because our fathers did, but away with new revelations. And the flood swept them away. …

“The same principle … was signally manifest among the Jews when the Savior came in the flesh. [They] boasted of the old revelations, garnished the sepulchres of the dead, gave tithes of mint and anise, made long prayers for a pretense, and crossed sea and land to make proselytes, but yet when the new revelation came fresh from the mouth of the great I Am himself, they could not endure it—it was too much. It showed the corruptions of that generation, as others before, and they cried, away with him; crucify him! …

“Once more, the same course and language were used when the Book of Mormon came to this generation. The old revelation, the old patriarchs, pilgrims and apostles, were blessed. We believe in them, but the new ones we cannot abide.”22

“The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth’ [see Hebrews 11:38], and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.”23

“I have not the least idea, if Christ should come to the earth and preach such rough things as He preached to the Jews, but that this generation would reject Him for being so rough. … Many men will say, ‘I will never forsake you, but will stand by you at all times.’ But the moment you teach them some of the mysteries of the kingdom of God that are retained in the heavens and are to be revealed to the children of men when they are prepared for them, they will be the first to stone you and put you to death. It was this same principle that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, and will cause the people to kill the prophets in this generation.

“Many things are [inexplicable] to the children of men in the last days: for instance, that God should raise the dead; [they forget] that things have been hid from before the foundation of the world, which are to be revealed to babes in the last days.

“There are a great many wise men and women too in our midst who are too wise to be taught; therefore they must die in their ignorance, and in the resurrection they will find their mistake. Many seal up the door of heaven by saying, So far God may reveal and I will believe. …

“It always has been when a man was sent of God with the priesthood and he began to preach the fullness of the gospel, that he was thrust out by his friends, who are ready to butcher him if he teach things which they imagine to be wrong; and Jesus was crucified upon this principle.”24

“Woe, woe be to that man or set of men who lift up their hands against God and His witness in these last days: for they shall deceive almost the very chosen ones!

“… When a man goes about prophesying, and commands men to obey his teachings, he must either be a true or false prophet. False prophets always arise to oppose the true prophets and they will prophesy so very near the truth that they will deceive almost the very chosen ones.”25

“In consequence of rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Prophets whom God hath sent, the judgments of God have rested upon people, cities, and nations, in various ages of the world, which was the case with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, that were destroyed for rejecting the Prophets.”26

William P. McIntire reported: “[Joseph Smith] prophesied that all those that made light of the revelations that were given, and of him and his words, would ere long cry and lament, … saying, Oh! that we had hearkened to the words of God and the revelations given.”27

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Confirmation

Today , I was blessed to be able to stand with a magnificent body of men , all holding the Priesthood of God , and lay our hands upon the head of my daughter and confirm her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and give unto her the gift of the Holy Ghost. This wonderful experience is something I am glad I was able to be a part of ! In our church we follow all the attributes of how Christ had set up His church when he was God in the flesh , so if you were to search your scriptures to find the truths of what I have been speaking of you will find that , the Apostle Paul taught that after Baptism by water , then comes the Baptism of the Holy Ghost by the laying of hands. How great it is that we are blessed to have the true church of Christ restored to us in this the latter days , and by the proper Priesthood authority we have been given the ability to perform necessary ordinances to be able to return to our Father in Heaven . I am pleased that I was given an opportunity to join the true Church of Christ, I think that some of us in this life have the opportunity pass before us but unfortunately we allow our own judgment to out weight the Spirits. Once I was told by someone close to me ,that they were concerned about my salvation, because I had joined the Mormon faith . I have thought about that statement so often and have inquired of the Lord through prayer to be instructed from the greatest teacher, and you know I can only say ....... It is unfortunate that someone with no knowledge of how our faith truly believes can make a statement that in its self limits the power of God. Think on that if you will. I believe in the truth that is witnessed by the Spirit , my mind is open to what He has to teach and my heart is receptive to the Love He shows by His warm touch when His Spirit testifies of the truth to my spirit. I love our Father in Heaven , I love my Savior Jesus Christ , and I love the Holy Ghost ...my companion. I am blessed and you can be too . I have had the hand of the almighty work in the life of my Family as well as in my own so much , I could fill this web page to its capacity with stories of how faithful works brought righteous rewards.

Baptism

Never before in my life , other than her birth could I have been more please in being part of my daughter , Alex's life. Today she entered the waters of baptism and arose from them a new person , a refreshed body of Christ following flesh! I have encouraged my children to follow the precept of the Church in which we follow, but never have I forced it . Alex , like her elder brother Garrett, live with there Mother and there life in the Gospel is somewhat difficult from time to time . Being raised with two different set of standards can be confusing to a child and what is even harder is dealing with parents that don't even get along. My beautiful Daughter took the lessons from the Missionaries all on her own, that was hard for me , being the Elders Quorum President , I was always wanting to help with the lessons but felt that it would be best if she did them on her own. I must say that I was rather impressed by her ability to retain the information she was given, and what is even better is she chose on her own to be baptized. She really pushed the issue of Baptism with her mom and even though her mother felt it wasn't necessary , Alex pushed more to get her permission, she explained that even though she was baptized at birth it didn't count because children aren't supposed to be baptized when there little because there not accountable for there wrong doings . Also there has to be proper priesthood authority to baptize. Just as John the Baptist held that authority, that Jesus Christ set out to be Baptized by him , meant that He , John held a Hugh responsibility, The Priesthood of God. I am blessed to be able to hold that Priesthood , the very same that John the Baptist held , that very same that Jesus Christ held. With that Priesthood Authority I was blessed to be able to Baptize my daughter , some day I hope that I can baptize my son Garrett, and in two more years, if they choose , I will baptize my twins. How great a day that we had in the Lord , by his strength and all authority we were able to have a wonderful experience. Thanks to all who participated , the help was great and the talks were fantastic , my wife worked so hard on her talk to sound as great as it did . She truly has aspired to make Alex's life in this family like it would be if Hope was her mother, I will say that she impresses me with her love for those children!

Just A Thought

I see the loving, the striving, not the defects. I see the conquest of your particular battle and count it a victory.

GOD

Our Duty To God

Brethren,
I call upon each of you at this very moment as representative of the Lord Jesus Christ ,and your Your Heavenly Father calls upon you as the great Priesthood holders of this , the last dispensation, to go forth and proclaim the very Gospel in which we so fervently believe in. I was inspired to call upon you as the Home Teachers to go forth and teach, preach, expound, exhort, and baptize , Just as Doctrine and Covenants 20:50 directs as does 20:45-54 proclaims the very purpose of the Priesthood ,and the duty thereof.
I would exhort each of you to take this opportunity to look into your own heart as to that in which the Lord would have us do. We as Priesthood holders have a solemn duty to God , Our Families at home , And the Families in the Branch and Branch boundaries, to go forth and administer to the needs of all people through Home Teaching . It needs to be established that it is not about the number of families you manage to home teach in a month but how well you teach when you are with your families.Brethren, I know that it seems as though the only thing we seem to talk about is home teaching , I know that sometimes it gets repetitive , But we need not underestimate the importance of our responsibilities . We are not merely bodies that fill seats on Sundays but more so the pre-ordained Priesthood holders of a great majestic Power. And when wielded in righteousness we have been given the ability to move mountains , literally . Doctrine and Covenants section 121:34-37.Our Heavenly Father has extended a call to all men , We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have accepted that call when we entered the waters of baptism,took upon the name of Jesus Christ , and vowed with the Oath and Covenant established in Doctrine and Covenants section 84 . This promise we made is not to be taken lightly , but literally. It has been proclaimed in the beginning description of section 84 that "Men gain eternal life through the oath and covenant of the priesthood" . I pondered personally for some time the importance of what section 84 stated in its fullness and before accepting the responsibility of the priesthood I was asked if I truly understood that responsibility. With the promise of my unfailing service to Our Heavenly Fathers work fresh on my lips and the agreement to go forth abiding by its precepts instilled in my mind, I humbly accepted a calling to be part of the greatest work to ever unfold in our time, in this dispensation.
Brothers I would ask that you would take the time to review the scriptures listed here today, I would ask you to review the oath and covenant section of the Doctrine and Covenants , and apply these principles in our daily lives. I need to remind myself and need to be reminded from time to time that this work is the work of the Lord and not my own , I speak as a representative as do you of He that Atoneth for all mans sin. It is my understanding that we are to do all we can to be like the Savior, To try and obtain the very attributes of Christ Jesus. I know that with every ounce of my being that we as priesthood holders need to do all that is asked of ourselves in order to glorify the Kingdom of God. Since the teachings of the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price , from the beloved Prophet Joseph Smith through the teachings of the inspirational Prophet Thomas S. Monson we have been taught to spread the Gospel to every nation, kindred, and, tongue. We are all missionaries in this great work.
Brethren I pray that you will look upon this ,that which has been laid before us this day and accept a call again in the name of Jesus Christ, to go forth and do the very best we can at magnifying our callings as Home Teachers and Priesthood holders. I can promise you without any doubt that if you will give your whole heart to the will of the Father and His work, You will be blessed beyond belief. It is my testimony to each of you that the Spirit of the Lord requests your attention in these the last days, and that you have been commissioned to fulfill an executive priesthood duty.
As your President of the Elders Quorum, I would like to extend my love to each one of you and to let you know that your Heavenly Father is mindful of us all , as I will also try to be . I ask that you would please accept my appreciation for all that you do , and for taking the time to magnify your callings. If there is anything I,or my counselors can do or anything you would like to see done, changes perhaps that you think need to take place, please let us know . I will be happy to speak with anyone, as will any member of this presidency.
I leave you with a word from the Doctrine and Covenants section 121:45 "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."
I say these things with love and with you in mind , and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.



Sincerely,
President Jason M. Calton
Elders Quorum

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

Perfecting The Saints

Perfecting The Saints

The thought had come to my mind as I was praying as to what could be addressed to you wonderful Brethren whom majestically hold the Priesthood , then it came to me , Perfecting the Saints. Brethren ,as a worn out record will play on and on in most cases even when the sound begins to distort we still listen. Imagine the words of the angel Moroni when he visited young Joseph Smith in his bedroom the night he was answered of his prayers . How diligent was the angel Moroni ? Could he simply have spoken once and the impression alone would have surely been forever burned into your memory as it was for young Joseph, But still the importance was so great that the words were spoken over and over . In our most recent copy of the Ensign, President Henry B. Eyring comments in his talk "Safety in Counsel" that and I quote " One of the keys to recognizing those warnings are that they are repeated. For instance , more than once in general conference , you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third." The Apostle Paul wrote" In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established"(2nd Corinthians 13:1), This is so true in this work that is laid before us this day.
Let me first start by saying how grateful I am of each of you for your undieing Faith in our Heavenly Father and His work , That you as Priesthood holders have not only stepped up to the plate when it comes to fulfilling our duties , but yet you've surpassed the expectations of the Stake goals . How marvelous is that when we ponder on how skilled we truly are in this work.
To start off with the topic of Perfecting the Saints one must ask himself , Is this truly necessary? Have we not already spent much time in quorum meetings and scripture studies? Haven't we spent a lifetime fulfilling the callings we have been given ? I would say to you yes you have ! I would then ask you is all well in Zion? Is the Lords work finished? Have there been all the souls saved needed to be saved? Have we shared the blessed message of the restored Gospel to all those we come into contact with on a regular basis? I would answer nay! The reason for the importance of perfecting the saints is not meerly another topic of discussion , but rather a lesson that needs to re-taught over and over . If the Lord taught the principles of the Three fold mission to His prophets to teach to us, and the prophet taught it over and over until one day it reached your classroom, I would have to say it was an important topic to expound upon. The reason for the need to talk about this goes far beyond what I can simply put into words , If I had the words of every man , I still would be tongue tied when it comes to speaking on the importance of our Heavenly Fathers work. You see if we are not skilled in perfecting one another and go forward diligently striving to be better saints , then we will not be able to do the other two parts of the three fold mission! It starts here, It ends here. We must be absolute in our determination to be as good as we can, Imagine if you will for a moment ........If the Prophet Joseph Smith was doing what ever he felt was the thing to do and hearkened not the Spirit ,he would surely not been able to Baptise for the dead or even preach the Gospel effectively, let alone build this great church up again upon the face of the Earth ,by the Hand of God. Think of all those great leaders and men that have gone before us they truly must have been trying to perfect one another as well as themselves.
We are taught the importance of trying to be Christ-like ,In fact in " Preach my Gospel " Chapter 6 is all about Christ-like attributes .Was not the Savior Himself the perfecter of all man kind? Doesn't His example alone make you want to strive to be your very best . He spoke unto Simon Peter and Andrew and said unto them " Follow ME , and I will make you fishers of men " , He himself was Perfecting the saints . The importance of this attribute and 1st fundamental of missionary work was evident from the beginning with the Saviour. In 3rd Nephi the Savior said " Become as He is". So my question to you today is are you trying to be like He is? Are we doing all that is needed so that we are worthy of being able to go forward with the other two parts of this plan.
We have been expounding on the topics lately of Missionary work , a great deal on learning how to "return and report" and the importance of fulfilling our duties to God. These topics are being addressed and taught because we are facing perilous times before us in these latter days. We must be fortified and edified with and by the Spirit of God so that we can go forth to help one another. This Quorum has been asked to do the very same thing that every other Quorum in this Great Church has been asked to do. The question I think we need to ask ourselves , me included , is that are we doing all we can to be the best we can be? Are we striving to do the best at Perfecting the Saints ? Are we striving to perfect ourselves ? I know that we are , I also know that like that old record , we must keep on playing even when the music gets distorted. That to me means that we must have repetition in lessons and even though these letters from the leaders of this quorum are meant to be uplifting and inspiring we don't all see it that way , nor do we all think the same way when it comes to understanding the Gospel , that is why it is so important to always keep an open mind and heart , This way the Spirit can directs us as to what we should do.
Brethren, it is my prayer that we can continue to grow as a quorum , in love and respect for one another , that we may be able to lean upon one another when there are times less than desirable . I pray that we can become closer as a brotherhood and grow to rely on each other for support . I love each of you ! I pray that you each may feel my love for you and that my words will be taken as I intended for them always to be heard , with compassion and charity in my heart. When these things can be achieved in this quorum I promise you that you will feel the Hand of the Almighty God working within our quorum and that His Spirit will speak to us just as I am talking to you to you now , and with that will come a better understanding of what is in store for us and then we can truly begin to appreciate the importance of His work.
I leave you with this and say these things in the name of the one whom saved us all from all sin , even Jesus Christ our Savior , Amen.

President Jason M. Calton
Elders Quorum Wauseon Branch

Letters From The Past

STEWARDSHIP INTERVIEWS

Brethren , we as the Elders Quorum would like to express to you , our Brethren the deep sorrow that we feel as these interviews are not being done . To often , I feel as though the idea of having to stay after Church on Sunday is not appealing to most of us, and seems rather burdensome . It is my Prayer that you will examine a few points of Doctrine with us as well as a testimony or two on the importance of these stewardship interviews . Before we get into that though , understand that , this Quorum or Priesthood does not belong to this Presidency , but to you . We have been called to help in the Lords work not dictate it to you , It is not our intention to force you to do anything you don't want to do , But it is our responsibility to guide and direct you in the way the Lord would have His work preformed . So before we go on , let us be ever mindful that this work is not just expected of you , it is required by (OUR) Heavenly Father , who has set up this work the way He sees fit.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 72 : 3-4 "And verily in this thing ye have done wisely, for it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward to render an account of his stewardship in both time and eternity.4 For he who is faithful and wise in time is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for him of my Father" I feel as though this truly testifies of the importance of this work. We as Home-teachers , are we not stewards over those families we teach? Is it not our duty to report our findings in those families homes back to our district leader? Shouldn't the Leaders of the Church know of the welfare of those Members whom we visit? Doctrine and Covenants Section 51 : 19 " And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life." Sounds like a great Promise to me !
The work of the Lord was never explained as easy or slothful , it requires devotion and love . Sacrifices seem so astronomical to those of us that view our beliefs as a religion. I am here to tell you that being a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , is not a religion , But more so a way of life . We have a huge amount of responsibilities, that most so called Christians can't even fathom , not because we simply feel like placing callings or responsibilities upon one another so that we have a task to do ,but because in this "Life Style" we all have chose to live, We are required to carry the Responsibilities of leading ever possible soul back unto Christ , and not just for Sunday but for all eternity. So let me ask , are the sacrifices we make to do the work and will of our Heavenly Father , are they as large as a Sacrifice as the Atonement of Christ? Are we being asked to lay down our lives for all man kind or are we being overzealous in our thoughts on our own responsibilities, thinking perhaps that we already do enough.
Brethren , please understand that it is not our intent to chastise you for your absenteeism to your Stewardship Interviews or lack of Home-Teaching , But rather our Duty to God . We have been told that "My house is a house of order" , I know for myself....I don't want to be the one not do the will of the Father when it comes time for Judgment. If the work , His work requires me to sacrifice some time, and I feel I could be doing something else then I believe I need to do some repenting.
Our Heavenly Father gave Adam , Our earthly Father Stewardship over all things ! Could you imagine if Adam would have decided to do something else besides report back to Our Father in Heaven and tend to the needs of His people.
Our stewardship interviews are an obligation of bearing His Priesthood. We took that responsibility upon us when we were ordained. It is our duty to render an account of our stewardship that we have because we hold the Priesthood of God. 'Return and report' is an essential and eternal principle...think of what we learn about the order of the Priesthood in the Holy Temple. Every Priesthood holder returns and reports his actions; and this applies to us as well, for we hold that same Priesthood.

The Elders Quorum Presidency
President Jason M. Calton
1st Counselor Matthew G. Richmond
2nd Counselor Jim L. Pratt

What I would Die For

The fact of the matter truly is that most of say we would die for something ,but I ask you would you truly die for that which you believe in? I know that with all that is within me that I would most certainly have laid my life before Pontius Pilate at the counsel before the Pharisee's to save His life .No time in my life have I been more clear of that statement than I am at this moment . I have come to understand that living a life full of vain ambitions and worldly affects mean nothing in the grand vision of things, My Savior gave me the breath that I breath , He made it possible to choose if I would stand for what I believe or would falter on those proud morals most of us use so loosely . I love Jesus the Christ , He is my advocate with the Father , the Creator of this world, and my Shepard . At the moment he was asked "are you this king of the Jews , this Jesus of Nazareth... His response , you say that I Am ,for this cause was I born , to this end came I into the world". With freedom at his fingers He spoke no more when they wanted His blood.So I ask do you know what you would die for? Would it be for the desire of your heart? The thing you have never been able to grasp? Would it be the center of your very moral fiber that is in jeopardy when you choose the wrong decision .........I pray you choose the right . I have thought deeply upon the subject of what I would Die for and the fact is I hope that most of the things I would list would be the same as yours , but the real question still remains in my mind .......Would you take the place of the Savior if asked ? Is your Faith strong enough to be there if Father calls on you? I question myself some day's , but I aspire always to be the very best I can be , I try to be like Christ as much as I can , I'm so human though that even though I aspire to be like Christ I fail. The trick is to learn from those failures and not repeat them again. I would die for my Family , I would ask to take there place if it were possible .......I only hope I will be able to be that strong when the day comes that I am asked " Do you know this Christ " " Are you a Christian "? I can if effect lay my life down for the things, the moral fiber , the Gospel of Christ in which I believe in therefore laying my life down for Christ to build up His Kingdom on the Earth today. So I say again ...Do you know what you would die for . If you can figure that out then the Gospel of Jesus Christ will fill your very soul!

What it is we live for .

I can't say when it was exactly when I first realized what it was that I lived for . I believe it was shortly after coming to be a member of this Church , with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost , my senses were enticed to be more receptive to the Gospel. I have always loved the Lord, I just never realized that I was able to be loved as much as He wanted to love me ! I believe that there is a time in a persons life when they are more inclined to have an opened mind and a willing heart to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit , some sooner than others , some are raised within the walls of the LDS faith and even they have to still gain there own testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, But mostly if willing , Our Father in Heaven will knock at our hearts door. I spent alot of time pondering upon weather this was something that my family and I should get into , any choice that we make that requires a complete life makeover is scary and with Satan's help seems impossible ! As I began to read the Scripture more regularly , and my heart became more filled with the Holy Spirit , I began to feel a change taking place within me , a feeling that I had something more important to live for than just me . See the fact is that I know most of us out there are selfish , its ok to admit it ,we wouldn't have the word in our vocabulary if there weren't people to pin it on, My point however is that I was selfish in thinking that the only persons salvation I should be focused on was my own. I did not care about my Wife's relationship with God , and honestly being raised Pentecostal , I never thought much about others relationship to God either , I can't really remember being taught to worry about others relationship with the Lord . I don't even think I was concerned with what my Kids believed , as long as it wasn't Satan worshiping ! I found though through this lifestyle that I now live ( I call it a lifestyle because its so much more that a religion , I'll expound upon that at a later date) I can be free of the past and no longer am burdened with selfishness or more importantly what my Family does believe in , Because we believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ! What do I live for ? I live for God the Father , His Son , my Savior Jesus Christ , and my companion the Holy Ghost, but I live for my Family so much , Because I'm blessed to have an Eternal Family. These things not only do I live for but also I would die for . When you can figure out What it is you would die for then you will truly begin to understand your purpose on this earth .

words to ponder

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did." When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence..... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

Talent shows

The talent that is within by our youth is amazing! I witnesses a Farly large amount of children along with my 5 year old twins, show there stuff tonight as they did what it is they do best . From playing the piano, to karate chopping boards , and the occasional skit of comedy about vegetables , I must say I was impressed by there bravery.