SERMON: Be of One Heart and Mind

Be of One Heart and Mind

“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”

 Genesis 7:23

 

The church helps us be of one heart and mind (Genesis 7:23). Christ said, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). He knew that we would need the church, its prophets and leaders, its organisation, and his teachings if we were to be of one spirit with him. Paul taught that the church is “For the perfecting of the saints,….till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God” (Ephesians 4:12-13)

Argument and contention should not exist among the saints. The Lord said to the Nephites, “And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” ( 3 Nephi 11:28-29).

Members of the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ who are not in harmony with the church invite the spirit of apostasy to creep in to their lives. If latter day Mormons do anything contrary to the standards of personal righteousness that the church has laid down then they are in spiritual apostasy and they need to repent, since all true Latter Day Mormons speak the same thing and they have no divisions among them, and they are joined together in the same mind and in the same spirit.

Personal apostasy usually occurs by degrees. When we beguine to criticise the church and its teachings, we then “become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for us” (D&C 78:10). We do not follow the commandments, and before we are aware, we are inactive and disbelieving, and we leave the church. We would ask that all those rebellious spirits would stop and ask themselves the questions that need asking such as: Are my actions and my critical nature having the effect s of bringing me closer to Christ, to God, to virtue, to prayer, to eternal life with God. Those in rebellion should ask themselves "what have I gained by my criticism? Peace, Joy, growth or have I merely satisfied my own pride?

Latter Day Mormons should remember the story of the people in the book of Jeraneck who when they did not live in harmony with God ended up loosing sight of the truth "My time in the north countries is soon at an end and although it has been a time that I shall never forget a larger part of the people have fallen in to error and they have fallen away from the teachings of the church and their God and they have fallen foul to the worshipers of the evil abomination Odinon (BofJ 15:72)

 

So with this in mind it is so very important for us to come to terms with the fact that the wise Latter Day Mormon will not take the first step in separating themselves from the church, as many do through apostasy. The wise Latter Day Mormon will pray frequently and regularly, read their scriptures, and generally stay close to the Lord. He will diligently fulfil his church and family duties and will follow Lord in all things. As members of The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ our safe guard against apostasy, then is to be faithful to the church, be fully committed to the building up of the kingdom, and live in harmony with righteous principles. Enoch’s people, for example, “were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness” (Genesis 7:23). After the Saviours visit to the Americas, the Nephites “did walk after the commandments…they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Nephi 1:12, 17) Let us also “be of one mind” so that we may “Live in peace” (2 Corinthians 13:11)