Over the last weekend was the 181st annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As is typical for any General Conference, the messages focused on our Savior Jesus Christ. Every speaker related his or her topic to Christ and finished with a testimony of him, his divinity, his resurrection from the dead, or his sacrifice for us. This fulfilled their special calling from God to act as a special witness of Jesus Christ, "...for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." [Revelation 19:10]
I'm spending this morning reviewing my notes from the first session of conference shown above. The first thing I'd like to do before I can read the transcript is search through my notes for some of the things that were taught about Jesus Christ, especially things that were new to me.
Showing posts sorted by date for query new testament. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query new testament. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Christ's Church
Many people today try to argue that Jesus Christ did not establish a church and was merely a great philosopher. As I help individuals on Mormon.org chat learn about the Lord's reestablished church, it then is often called into question whether he established a church to begin with.
First of all, we learn from the word Christ's apostles chose to use when they translated Christ's teachings to find out something about Christ's Church. I've learned that in the New Testament, they described it with the word ekklesia. According to Strong's Bible Concordance, the word ekklesia, means "a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church."
It is apparent from this definition, that ekklesia or church in the New Testament was the congregation, assembly or community itself, rather than an administration or building. That community is lead by Christ [Eph 1:22] and he set up and organized leaders over it:
As stated in those verses, those leaders and the organization are there to help us become perfect. It's a place to teach others [1 Cor 14:19] and care for the needy [1 Tim 5:16]. As long as we are imperfect and struggle with our weaknesses we will still need that organization Christ established to help us through it.
The Church of Christ, guided by his prophets and apostles, properly answers inquiries about the doctrine in a lawful assembly (Acts 19:39), or General Conference as we call it today. It offers strength and support to families and individuals.
Throughout the New Testament, and in his church today, there are many examples that the church is not exactly what many imagine the word church to mean. Christ's church is a well-organized body of his followers. I've been in places where the reestablished church was just a few Saints worshiping together in a home or office building. Despite the circumstances, there was authority, and modern directions passed down from Jesus Christ through his modern Apostles, for administering his sacrament and uplifting one another.
First of all, we learn from the word Christ's apostles chose to use when they translated Christ's teachings to find out something about Christ's Church. I've learned that in the New Testament, they described it with the word ekklesia. According to Strong's Bible Concordance, the word ekklesia, means "a calling out, i.e. (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both):--assembly, church."
It is apparent from this definition, that ekklesia or church in the New Testament was the congregation, assembly or community itself, rather than an administration or building. That community is lead by Christ [Eph 1:22] and he set up and organized leaders over it:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [Eph 4:11-14]
As stated in those verses, those leaders and the organization are there to help us become perfect. It's a place to teach others [1 Cor 14:19] and care for the needy [1 Tim 5:16]. As long as we are imperfect and struggle with our weaknesses we will still need that organization Christ established to help us through it.
The Church of Christ, guided by his prophets and apostles, properly answers inquiries about the doctrine in a lawful assembly (Acts 19:39), or General Conference as we call it today. It offers strength and support to families and individuals.
Throughout the New Testament, and in his church today, there are many examples that the church is not exactly what many imagine the word church to mean. Christ's church is a well-organized body of his followers. I've been in places where the reestablished church was just a few Saints worshiping together in a home or office building. Despite the circumstances, there was authority, and modern directions passed down from Jesus Christ through his modern Apostles, for administering his sacrament and uplifting one another.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Segullah: One in Thine Hand?
I love the New Testament, especially the four accounts of Christ's life by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Book of Mormon is certainly the Keystone of our religion, and especially important to us as "Mormons." However, I don't believe this detracts from the New Testament or the Old Testament. I found a great post on the blog, Segullah, with a discussion I enjoyed reading about the relationship between the Book of Mormon and the Bible, especially the New Testament:
We celebrate having “two sticks” become one in our hands, right? The Church added the label “another witness of Christ” to the front of the Book of Mormon; wasn’t the Bible the first witness? Aren’t the Bible and the Book of Mormon a team – two witnesses that clarify what have been points of contention for centuries before the Restoration?I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you glean from it that particularly helps you understand the relationship between this diamond and pearl.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Don't Forget What We're Celebrating
