Moroni 10 - Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected in Him: Using Spiritual Gifts

Moroni finished the Book of Mormon with his last words in Moroni 10, building on the words of the books that he had compiled, the words of Ether that he had abridged, the teachings of his father (Mormon), and what he knew would be most important for us to know based on having been given a vision and seeing us what we would face in the. latter-days.

It is interesting then, to see what he felt was MOST important to highlight. We are reminded, too, of what President Russell M. Nelson said in the October 2020 General Conference talk, "Embrace the Future with Faith,": "No other book testifies of Jesus Christ with such power and clarity. Its prophets, as inspired by the Lord, saw our day and selected the doctrine and truths that would help us most."

Some of the themes I saw emerge in the very last chapter of the Book of Mormon were:

1. That we should remember "how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men." (Moroni 10:3)

2. That we should ask God if what we read is true so that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:4)

3. That we should deny not our spiritual gifts nor forget that every good gift comes from God. (Moroni 10:8-18).

4. That faith, hope, and charity are bound together. (Moroni 10:19).

5. That we can "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him" and that if we "love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you." (Moroni 10:32).

I'm grateful for the grace of God in our lives and the opportunity to learn from people that were here on our earth long before us. I think about how amazing it is, and how much love went into making sure that these records were written and then protected until the day that Joseph Smith was able to bring them forth and translate them. 

 I taught in Sunday School today so am going to share some of the most relevant slides related to the scriptures about the Gifts of God in Moroni 10:8-18. You can click on each slide to enlarge the slide if it is too small to read. I have also linked to the full talk below the slides.

First, the verses that talk about the gifts of God:

Moroni 10

Dallin H. Oaks explains that the Spirit of Christ is given to all and is preparatory to spiritual gifts. 

"Spiritual Gifts," by Dallin H. Oaks

I thought it was important that Dallin H. Oaks emphasized here that nobody is excluded from receiving spiritual gifts. I didn't include a slide for this, but in the same "Spiritual Gifts" talk (which I highly recommend), he quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who said, "Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit ... in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness in all these things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no respector of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who seek him and serve him and keep his commandments." (Ensign, January 1979, p.61). 

"Spiritual Gifts," by Dallin H. Oaks

Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families

"I Have a Work for Thee," by John C. Pingree, Jr.

"There Are Many Gifts," by Marvin J. Ashton

In "Spiritual Gifts," Dallin H. Oaks emphasizes that our gifts compliment each other. So read the list of spiritual gifts below, and think of them in terms of that relationship. For example, regarding the gift of testimony and the gift of faith, Oaks says, "Where it is given to some to know and to others to believe on their words, those who know must be responsible for sharing their testimonies. Only in this way can they give those who have the gift of believing on their words something to lean upon as they, too, move towards eternal life." 

"There Are Many Gifts," by Marvin J. Ashton

We can deny our spiritual gifts when we seek to use them in a way that is not focused on charity and humility. For example, the prophet Joseph Smith taught that we should not "speak in tongues expect there be an interpreter present." (Teachings, p. 247). What about trying to lift ourselves above others? This chapter of scripture is ultimately about coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him. We do this as we learn to identify our spiritual gifts and use those spiritual gifts to become more like our Savior.

"Becoming Like Him," by Scott D. Whiting

I thought it was fascinating to learn from a "modern day' leader that this advice came from 1894, but I also laughed at myself for having that reaction because of course, the Book of Mormon leaders are teaching us from a much longer time ago. However, in the quote below George Q. Cannon says that we can't excuse ourselves for our imperfections as justification, but that that the Lord has promised to "give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that eradicate them." 

"Seeking Spiritual Gifts," George Q. Cannon

Moroni 10

Our world this year has been filled with so much sorrow, grief, and blame. It has also been filled with kindness and love. It is with wonder that I am reminded that one of the spiritual gifts we can have are the gifts to allay contention and to promote righteousness. In the fairytales, the good fairies wave their wands and undo evil. How precious is it to know that we have great gifts given to us and that we can do great things that aren't just fairytales? That we can use our gifts to promote righteousness, to diffuse a "bomb" of unkind feelings, to help work miracles among our fellow men? 

"Sisters in Zion," by Henry B. Eyring

"Embrace the Future with Faith," by Russell M. Nelson

"Spiritual Gifts," by Dallin H. Oaks

"Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives," by Russell M. Nelson

I have felt the great emphasis from our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, to seek personal revelation, that it is welcome to all who seek it, and that the more we seek it in an attitude of prayer, pondering, and following in the Savior's footsteps, that the more we will be blessed and be able to have truths revealed to us personally. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I can work to unlock our spiritual gifts to Come Unto Christ. We are five days away from Christmas, and as we look to that sacred day where we celebrate the birth of our Savior on earth, I am amazed to think about the other gifts we can "unwrap" as we diligently seek to have the heavens opened to us.

3 Nephi 8-11 "Arise and Come Forth Unto Me" Come Follow Me Study

A detail from Jesus Christ Visits the Americas, by John Scott
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/jesus-nephites-8ddd1aa?lang=eng

3 Nephi 8-11 covers an incredible moment in the history of the scriptures, when over 600 years of prophecies are fulfilled, regarding the coming of the Savior. When he finally appears, in 3 Nephi 11:8, the people "durst not open their mouths, even one to another ... for they thought it was an angel that appeared unto them."

Then the Savior speaks in 3 Nephi 11:10-11, saying,

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world." 

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." 

When we have no exact timeline on prophecies, imagine how it felt for those that had been specifically warned by Samuel the Lamanite, when the Savior came only 34 years after his warnings.

At first, with some of the early signs, some of the people made excuses, and chose to ignore them, but by 3 Nephi 8, when the great city of Zarahemla caught fire, the city of Moroni sank into the sea, and so forth, there could be no more denying these signs. It says in 3 Nephi 8:24-25, 

"And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren been spared ... And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and hand not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howling of the people great and terrible."

While these great tragedies could have been avoided if the people had only listened to the repeated warnings of the very prophets they killed and ran off, the Lord was always merciful. He repeatedly sent new prophets and gave people the opportunity to repent. I have talked about this in my last few posts so I won't keep repeating the same scriptures again but one of the truths that the scriptures teach me is that it is because our Father in Heaven loves us so much that he kept sending and keeps sending prophets to warn and guide us. The guidance is not unusual or difficult to follow. I think some people depict or think of religious as oppressive or controlling but when you look at the commandments, e.g. love others, don't covet what others have, don't murder, don't be prideful, it's not about oppression about but using our free agency for good.

In 3 Nephi 11:29, the Savior says,

"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 content with anger, one with another."

How are we responding to the great issues in the world today? Do we respond with love and compassion? Or do we respond with contention and anger, and an unwillingness to try to understand another perspective? Do we put labels on our righteousness and condemn another in anger? Do we say, "I'm a Nephite therefore I am more [righteous/fill in the blank] than you?" Or do we say go forth with "a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (3 Nephi 9:20) and look to be more like the Savior in what we say and do? 

I love the analogy of the hen gathering her chickens under her wings repeatedly (3 Nephi 10:4-6). He did that for us, and does that for us, repeatedly and protectively. We have such a loving Father in Heaven, we just have to listen and follow. It's easy to forget but we have a Perfect Example we never did, and we experienced our trials tenfold, thus he has personal empathy and compassion for us. 

We can Come unto Christ as we remember that we have the opportunity and the wish from our Father to be a light unto the world, and to follow in the Savior's footsteps.

Sunday School: Hebrews

I loved reading Hebrews, though it was also a struggle at times. With great effort comes great reward, right? Here are just a small sampling of the slides from my lesson on Hebrews last week, as well as a few comments I wanted to share about them. (Little does the class know I had a TON more slides we didn't touch, ha, and some more that I did share but these are the ones I want to share today.)

Image credit: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/images/rane-christ-nephites-descending-1737019?lang=eng

I showed a picture of Enos who prayed all day and all night to ask forgiveness for his sins. He prayed boldly and with great faith. Someone in the class - "J"- made a comment about how at that time, coming boldly to the Savior was in direct contrast to how rulership worked back then. You did not approach rulers unless requested. I was immediately reminded of my namesake, Queen Esther in the Old Testament, who saved the lives of her fellow Jews by approaching her king, and risking death, to beg him to save her people. It seems odd that it was a big deal for her to go to her husband, unrequested, but that emphasizes the contrast of this scripture - that unlike the leaders of that day, the Lord encouraged us to go to him for his grace and his guidance. 

From the same talk, "Most of us find ourselves at this moment on a continuum between a socially motivated participation in gospel rituals on the one hand and a fully developed, Christlike commitment to the will of God on the other. Somewhere along that continuum, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ enters into our heart and takes possession of our soul. It may not happen in an instant, but we should all be moving toward that blessed state."

Lastly, I love that Hebrews 11 talks about the "cloud of witnesses" that came before us, as it then directly relates to Jesus Christ having suffered so that he could experience all our sufferings. His understanding is/was so infinite that we discussed in class, that may have chosen to suffer not so that he could understand what it felt like, but because he knew we needed that witness of what it felt like. 

"1. Where seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the thrown of God." - Hebrews 12: 1-2.

We had a great discussion in class about how genealogy work and how understanding our ancestors helps us. One sister "A" in class shared how learning about an ancestor with the same health problem as herself gave her a sense that things would be okay. (That is a very condensed summary of how it was explained to the class, partially for privacy reasons.) Another Brother, "A" shared Doctrine and Covenants 128:15 that was a powerful reminder of how our hearts turn to our fathers and our fathers to the children. We are so interconnected with those that have gone before us.

I end with this message from Jeffrey R. Holland given in October 1999 called, "An Hight Priest of Good Things to Come."

Excerpt from talk in this video: