Apostles Easter Thouthts of Christ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Feast of the Passover Symbolism
Did you know that Jesus's birth, the beginning of His ministry and His death and resurection all took place during the Feast of the Passover?
Read the full article here Was It Symbolic of His Coming? by
John P. Pratt, “Passover—Was It Symbolic of His Coming?,” Ensign, Jan 1994, 38
Not only was Passover a prophetic symbol of the Lord’s sacrifice, its timing foreshadowed the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time
Passover Feast:
The day of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. (See Num. 33:3.) The Lord declared it to be an annual holy day in order to remind Israel of its liberation from the bondage of Egypt. (See Ex. 12:17, 42; Ex. 13:3.) It was a day of rejoicing, and even today Passover is practically synonymous with “liberation.”
The Israelites began a one-week celebration called the feast of unleavened bread. (See Lev. 23:6.) The first day was the feast of the Passover, at which the Passover lamb was eaten. It was a special sabbath day of rest.
The Exodus as a Type of His Birth
First: “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Ex. 4:22.) Thus, Israel represented Christ, the firstborn of God. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)
Second, the Lord related the day that Israel was delivered to the birth of Jesus
Third, Israel symbolized Christ, and Egypt the womb, Moreover, there is a Jewish tradition that the Messiah would come on the night of the Passover feast.
Finally, the Exodus was indeed the birth of the nation of Israel; that is, after a long gestation period in Egypt, the nation was literally born on the day it was delivered.
His Coming to Minister at Passover
Following the baptism and temptation of Jesus:
Apparently it was not until the Passover, which followed “not many days” later, that Jesus began to perform miracles openly, marking the beginning of his public ministry..
Levites typified Christ. The Lord told Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn.” (Num. 3:12; see also Num. 8:18.) Because the Levites were thus a symbol of Christ as the Firstborn, perhaps we can also expect to learn part of the pattern of the Savior’s life from the laws given to the Levites. The law of Moses stated that Levites “thirty years old and upward” should enter into the service of the Lord. (Num. 4:3, 23, 30.) Consequently, if the law was symbolic of Him, we might expect that Jesus would also begin his ministry at age thirty.
Cleansing the Temple
The Savior cleansed the temple just before Passover both at the beginning of his ministry (see John 2:13–16) and at the end (see Matt. 21:12–3). That is, part of the prescribed actions at Passover include searching the house for any leaven and putting it entirely outside the house. (See Ex. 12:15.) It would seem that leaven could symbolize false teachings (see Matt. 16:12), hypocrisy (see Luke 12:1), or wickedness (see 1 Cor. 5:7–8), which the Savior put out of his Father’s house, the temple, by “cleansing” it of those who defiled it.
His Coming to the Spirit Prison
His coming to the spirit world was at the beginning of the Passover feast day, the day symbolic of deliverance from the house of bondage. (See D&C 138:50.) This coming fulfilled one Jewish tradition which insisted that the Redemption could take place only on 15 Nisan, as foreshadowed by the Exodus. The tradition is: “God said, ‘Let this sign be in your hands: on the day when I wrought salvation for you, and on that very night know that I will redeem you; but if it is not this night, then do not believe.’ ” A footnote clarifies: “This apparently means: Should a pretended redeemer come at any other time, do not believe him, for the redemption will take place on that day and on no other.”
The Passover Time Pattern
Birth: Thursday, 6 April 1 b.c. Since the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830 members have been informed that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 b.c.
Beginning the Public Ministry: Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30. The most likely date for the feast day (15 Nisan) on which the Savior began his ministry on his thirtieth birthday is Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30.
The Spirit World: Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. Similarly, the most likely date for the Passover feast day on the Judean calendar three years later, at the end of Christ’s ministry, appears to be Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. It would have begun after sunset following the death of the Savior on Friday. Thus, if this view is correct, both the Savior’s ministry in life and in the spirit world would have begun on Saturday, the Sabbath at that time, these particular Sabbaths being doubly sacred by also being the Passover feast day.
Read the full article here Was It Symbolic of His Coming? by
John P. Pratt, “Passover—Was It Symbolic of His Coming?,” Ensign, Jan 1994, 38
Not only was Passover a prophetic symbol of the Lord’s sacrifice, its timing foreshadowed the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time
Passover Feast:
The day of the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. (See Num. 33:3.) The Lord declared it to be an annual holy day in order to remind Israel of its liberation from the bondage of Egypt. (See Ex. 12:17, 42; Ex. 13:3.) It was a day of rejoicing, and even today Passover is practically synonymous with “liberation.”
The Israelites began a one-week celebration called the feast of unleavened bread. (See Lev. 23:6.) The first day was the feast of the Passover, at which the Passover lamb was eaten. It was a special sabbath day of rest.
The Exodus as a Type of His Birth
First: “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.” (Ex. 4:22.) Thus, Israel represented Christ, the firstborn of God. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)
Second, the Lord related the day that Israel was delivered to the birth of Jesus
Third, Israel symbolized Christ, and Egypt the womb, Moreover, there is a Jewish tradition that the Messiah would come on the night of the Passover feast.
Finally, the Exodus was indeed the birth of the nation of Israel; that is, after a long gestation period in Egypt, the nation was literally born on the day it was delivered.
His Coming to Minister at Passover
Following the baptism and temptation of Jesus:
Apparently it was not until the Passover, which followed “not many days” later, that Jesus began to perform miracles openly, marking the beginning of his public ministry..
Levites typified Christ. The Lord told Moses, “I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn.” (Num. 3:12; see also Num. 8:18.) Because the Levites were thus a symbol of Christ as the Firstborn, perhaps we can also expect to learn part of the pattern of the Savior’s life from the laws given to the Levites. The law of Moses stated that Levites “thirty years old and upward” should enter into the service of the Lord. (Num. 4:3, 23, 30.) Consequently, if the law was symbolic of Him, we might expect that Jesus would also begin his ministry at age thirty.
Cleansing the Temple
The Savior cleansed the temple just before Passover both at the beginning of his ministry (see John 2:13–16) and at the end (see Matt. 21:12–3). That is, part of the prescribed actions at Passover include searching the house for any leaven and putting it entirely outside the house. (See Ex. 12:15.) It would seem that leaven could symbolize false teachings (see Matt. 16:12), hypocrisy (see Luke 12:1), or wickedness (see 1 Cor. 5:7–8), which the Savior put out of his Father’s house, the temple, by “cleansing” it of those who defiled it.
His Coming to the Spirit Prison
His coming to the spirit world was at the beginning of the Passover feast day, the day symbolic of deliverance from the house of bondage. (See D&C 138:50.) This coming fulfilled one Jewish tradition which insisted that the Redemption could take place only on 15 Nisan, as foreshadowed by the Exodus. The tradition is: “God said, ‘Let this sign be in your hands: on the day when I wrought salvation for you, and on that very night know that I will redeem you; but if it is not this night, then do not believe.’ ” A footnote clarifies: “This apparently means: Should a pretended redeemer come at any other time, do not believe him, for the redemption will take place on that day and on no other.”
The Passover Time Pattern
Birth: Thursday, 6 April 1 b.c. Since the organization of the Church on 6 April 1830 members have been informed that Jesus was born on 6 April 1 b.c.
Beginning the Public Ministry: Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30. The most likely date for the feast day (15 Nisan) on which the Savior began his ministry on his thirtieth birthday is Saturday, 6 April a.d. 30.
The Spirit World: Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. Similarly, the most likely date for the Passover feast day on the Judean calendar three years later, at the end of Christ’s ministry, appears to be Saturday, 2 April a.d. 33. It would have begun after sunset following the death of the Savior on Friday. Thus, if this view is correct, both the Savior’s ministry in life and in the spirit world would have begun on Saturday, the Sabbath at that time, these particular Sabbaths being doubly sacred by also being the Passover feast day.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
On March17 Relief Society celebrated it's 168th birthday. Relief Society is a world wide woman's organizting for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Watch the video and you will know what this wonderful organization is and what wonderful things happen by being a member of this great organization.
http://www.lds.org/pa/rs/home/rsvideo.html?xml=rsvideo_8911.xml
http://www.lds.org/pa/rs/home/rsvideo.html?xml=rsvideo_8911.xml
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
My thoughts for RS Leadership Training
Relief Society is the worldwide woman’s organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The Relief Society Motto is “Charity Never Faileth” Charity is the pure love of Christ.
“The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us. It is a love which is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering, and above all, forgiving.” President James E. Faust
As woman of God, by our divine nature, we are nurturers!
As daughters of God our greatest responsibility is to HAVE the desire for the ABILITY to LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY!
We must always remember that we are not the judge we are the guardian, the protector, the hands, voice and actions of HEAVENLY ANGEL.
“… when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. ..Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.”
(The Ministry of Angels; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland).
We must always remember as taught in Moroni 7:48 “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Our prayers will be answered and we will receive guidance from the Spirit to be able to minister to those we have a watch care over; our love for them will only mangnify as we serve and teach. We will have the divine gift of seeing them as the Saviour does. We will be blessed with the ability of knowing them and understanding their needs. We will be blessed with all we need to strengthen, teach, comfort, encourage and assist in helping them to qualify for exaltation.
In all that we do our ULTAMATE GOAL is to become one with the Savior, not only spiritually but temporally as well. We must strive to become one with Him as we minister to those He has intrusted us with.
Everything that we Do, every ounce of energy that we USE needs to be in the direction of the Temple which will ultimately lead us to our Savior Jesus Christ and the blessing of exaltation.
We need to pray to BECOME a ZIONS PEOPLE
Moses 7:18
And the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
We as a Relief Society Presidency not only need to know and understand these things but we also need to help our Visiting Teachers know and understand them. The Visiting Teaching program is the key, or as I often say, the heart and soul of Relief Society. IF the VT program is functioning properly we will always be aware of the need of the sister in our care. As the VT COMMUNICATES OFTEN, as she BECOMES a friend, as she ENTERS into the home with a prayer and ability to receive guidance from the Spirit, always with an open heart, she will know the needs of HER sisters. The VT will have a desire, because of her love for this sister, to assists, help,and comfort her friend; then reports to the RS President who in return takes the information that needs more extensive help and reports to the Bishop.
As a RS President we must pray for guidance, and insights into the needs of our sisters. LISTEN to the SPIRIT. These promptings most often come when it is quiet. It is usually most quiet, in the wee hours of the morning. Have a notebook and pencil by the side of your bed so you can write down what you hear. Believe me if you don’t you may and probably will forget.
Take the concerns that can be shared with your counselors to your Presidency meetings. Pray about them, talk about them and come up with a plan. The things that are shared in this meeting are confidential, they should never be share with others. The sacred trust that you have been given is to help this sister not cause more pain. Then and only then are you ready to meet with the Bishop. Listen to him, share with him you thoughts and concerns. Then through the guidance of the Spirit the needed action and assistence can be taken.
The effort of lifting another brings an increase of charity in our own lives. As each sister in our RS opens up her heart in serving and teaching one another charity will grow we will become a Zion’s people united in all things, we will be of one heart, one mind and there will be no poor among us.
The Relief Society Motto is “Charity Never Faileth” Charity is the pure love of Christ.
“The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us. It is a love which is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering, and above all, forgiving.” President James E. Faust
As woman of God, by our divine nature, we are nurturers!
As daughters of God our greatest responsibility is to HAVE the desire for the ABILITY to LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY!
We must always remember that we are not the judge we are the guardian, the protector, the hands, voice and actions of HEAVENLY ANGEL.
“… when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. ..Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.”
(The Ministry of Angels; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland).
We must always remember as taught in Moroni 7:48 “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.”
Our prayers will be answered and we will receive guidance from the Spirit to be able to minister to those we have a watch care over; our love for them will only mangnify as we serve and teach. We will have the divine gift of seeing them as the Saviour does. We will be blessed with the ability of knowing them and understanding their needs. We will be blessed with all we need to strengthen, teach, comfort, encourage and assist in helping them to qualify for exaltation.
In all that we do our ULTAMATE GOAL is to become one with the Savior, not only spiritually but temporally as well. We must strive to become one with Him as we minister to those He has intrusted us with.
Everything that we Do, every ounce of energy that we USE needs to be in the direction of the Temple which will ultimately lead us to our Savior Jesus Christ and the blessing of exaltation.
We need to pray to BECOME a ZIONS PEOPLE
Moses 7:18
And the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
We as a Relief Society Presidency not only need to know and understand these things but we also need to help our Visiting Teachers know and understand them. The Visiting Teaching program is the key, or as I often say, the heart and soul of Relief Society. IF the VT program is functioning properly we will always be aware of the need of the sister in our care. As the VT COMMUNICATES OFTEN, as she BECOMES a friend, as she ENTERS into the home with a prayer and ability to receive guidance from the Spirit, always with an open heart, she will know the needs of HER sisters. The VT will have a desire, because of her love for this sister, to assists, help,and comfort her friend; then reports to the RS President who in return takes the information that needs more extensive help and reports to the Bishop.
As a RS President we must pray for guidance, and insights into the needs of our sisters. LISTEN to the SPIRIT. These promptings most often come when it is quiet. It is usually most quiet, in the wee hours of the morning. Have a notebook and pencil by the side of your bed so you can write down what you hear. Believe me if you don’t you may and probably will forget.
Take the concerns that can be shared with your counselors to your Presidency meetings. Pray about them, talk about them and come up with a plan. The things that are shared in this meeting are confidential, they should never be share with others. The sacred trust that you have been given is to help this sister not cause more pain. Then and only then are you ready to meet with the Bishop. Listen to him, share with him you thoughts and concerns. Then through the guidance of the Spirit the needed action and assistence can be taken.
The effort of lifting another brings an increase of charity in our own lives. As each sister in our RS opens up her heart in serving and teaching one another charity will grow we will become a Zion’s people united in all things, we will be of one heart, one mind and there will be no poor among us.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Earthquake in Chili
I just read this wonderful story in Spiritually Speaking.
An amazing story from President Larry Laycock and his wife, Sister Lisa Laycock head the Santiago Chile East Mission and how they listened to the quiet promptings of the Spirit and prepared their missionaries for the devastating earthquake in Chili. You can read the complete article here.
An amazing story from President Larry Laycock and his wife, Sister Lisa Laycock head the Santiago Chile East Mission and how they listened to the quiet promptings of the Spirit and prepared their missionaries for the devastating earthquake in Chili. You can read the complete article here.
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