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. Minutes of the Committee for Unity
Met at the home of Albert Fike, Sr,
May 13, 2000
Meeting of May 13, 2000 held at the home of Albert Fike, Sr. located at 555 NW 1511 Rd, Holden, MO. Members present were Joseph F. Smith, Jack Evans, Gary Wheeler, William Whenham, Dwight Deitrick and Wayne Bartrow. Absent were Leroy L. (Buddy) Ormsbee and Peter Gould. The chair asked Bro. Bartrow to act as secretary.
The meeting was called to order by the chairman, Bro. Smith, and Hymn #280 was sung. Following this, prayers were offered by each in turn. The chair opened with remarks indicating that some members of the committee had come under severe condemnation since the Kirtland services were held. He expressed his personal belief that the message delivered by Bro. Wheeler at Kirtland was not of the Lord. Bro. Wheeler responded by bearing his testimony of how the message was given and stating for the record that he was not its author. In addition, he said that it had been confirmed to him by a number of individuals after it had been presented in the Temple and that following the services, many more had told him they agreed with it.
Bro. Bartrow asked him why this message was not shared with the committee since it was received April 3 and delivered April 30. he answered that he was not directed to share it with the committee. Bro. Whenham added that Gary should not be criticized for failing to do something that is not required in advance. He said we have no policy or criteria for revelation given to anyone on the committee, therefore Bro. Wheeler was not required to share it in advance of the service, where it was delivered to everyone.
Bro. Smith expressed his belief that personal agendas continue to be promoted by some, particularly Bro. Wheeler. He stated that Bro. Whenham has refrained from addressing these divisive issues at unity events, but that Bro. Wheeler has not. He has continued to advance issues that are counter-productive to the cause of unity.
Bro. Evans shared that he received no confirming testimony of the message delivered by Bro. Wheeler at Kirtland. he advised that there are at least 28 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants which have equal merit in importance as sections 17 and 104.
The chair at this time indicated that the men who presided over services at Kirtland were not derelict in their duty and on the contrary, performed their tasks there well. He reminded the committee, that elders in charge are to conduct meetings over which they preside, as they are led by the Holy Ghost, not according to opinion polls.
Email correspondence to the committee from Bro.'s Mark Deitrick and Doug Hatten was the next topic of discussion. Bro. Bartrow stated that he had not responded to the allegations and complaints directed against him and that he did not intend to. He expressed his surprise and disappointment with the spirit in which they were written. In reviewing the Kirtland services in retrospect, he would not alter any of the direction which he gave when presiding over the prayer service on Friday evening.
Bro. Dwight Deitrick made a recommendation that the committee hold a priesthood conference to address some of these differences, as well as others which are apparent. After discussion, the committee agreed and the dates of June 10-11 were set. This information will be included in the next unity newsletter which should be mailed sometime this coming week.
The chair introduced some input from Bro. Gould which included this question: "How do we progress in spite of the differences that prevail among us? It will be one of the items on the agenda of the June priesthood conference to be held in Geneseo. Bro. Evans suggested that we allow the priesthood to determine the order of the conference based upon what they consider our priorities should be in this effort. At this time Bro. Smith offered prayer and we suspended the meeting for lunch.
After a lunch prepared by our hostess, sister Leta Fike, we reconvened with prayer offered by Bro. Evans. Questions under consideration were - Where do we go from here? Is our job to set the church in order? How will we come to a common understanding? What priesthood offices within the Church of Christ will we recognize? Can we address these issues without causing a division in the unity movement? Is it time to further organize and is a General Assembly the way to accomplish that?
Bro. Whenham shared his testimony that there is no other way acceptable to God to set His church in order except through the calling of a General Assembly. However, he does not believe that the time is right for the calling of one now. Instead, he offered the recommendation that this committee go on record in acknowledging the need to hold a General Assembly when it is deemed appropriate. he sated that this was given to him an undeniable revelation from the Lord as His will and way. Bro. Bartrow expressed that he could not support a motion to set the calling of a General Assembly as an objective of the Unity Committee and reminded everyone that we had already adopted a vision statement, mission objectives and goals to achieve them in 1998.
At least three items will be addressed at the June priesthood conference in Geneseo.
1) Bro. Wheeler asked to speak to the message given at Kirtland, OH.
2) Bro. Gould's question: "How do we progress in spite of our differences?"
3) Bro. Whenham will address the General Assembly issue.
The priesthood conference will convene 10 am on Saturday, June 10, 2000.
In respect to reunion, addition speakers are being sought and junior and senior high teachers are needed. Bro. Smith will not be able to participate until Tuesday. Bro. Deitrick asked that no pets be brought to the reunion grounds. No further business was introduced. Hymn #51 was sung. A closing prayer was offered by Bro. Whenham and we adjourned.
Wayne A. Bartrow, acting Secretary - Committee for Unity.
The following letters were sent to the Unity Committee for their consideration in the above meeting:
Peter P. Gould - Secretary.
Letter to the committee from Doug Hatten - May 6, 2000
To the Committee for Unity,
Dear brothers, I would like to take this opportunity to write you regarding some concerns I have for the Unity Movement in general and specifically the Committee as you are leading the people in this effort.
The initial idea behind the Unity Movement was to "set our differences aside." I believe the purpose was so that we could learn to worship and work together, so that we might build up the Kingdom.
I am afraid that the idea of "setting aside our differences" has mutated into something it was not meant to be. Setting aside our differences should not mean we ignore the voice of God, or dispose of revelation from the past because of disagreements upon the wording, i.e. the D&C, or ignore what are purported to be revelation because not everyone believes in them. And it should not mean that we would automatically ignore or set aside ideas that present themselves because we deem it controversial, or a cause of possible division.
If this is what the Unity Movement is about, then it will become meaningless in its quest. It will be unity with men, but not unity with God. Unity with God is our foremost concern brothers. And if we are asking God for His direction, and really want to hear His voice, I am confident that at some point He will reveal to us things, or ask us to do things that may be controversial. The ministry of Jesus was constantly controversial, and rejected by the "religious leaders" of His day. If we follow God, many people will reject us, even those who call themselves Latter-Day Saints.
We should not be dismissing anything controversial, but rather coming together to discuss these things, even "reasoning together" in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I am confident that He can bring us into greater Unity and greater purposes if we let Him. To do this we must be open, setting aside our personal biases. We cannot do this by pushing aside anything that disagrees with our particular theories and theologies. If we do this brothers, then we will have inevitably dismissed what God has for us, because He will challenge us all on many of our philosophies and traditions. In fact, in order to do His work, we may be required to go against some of what we currently hold to be true. Many things we may currently hold as truth may turn out to be in fact tradition and lack of understanding on our part. If we choose to disbelieve something because we do not understand it, or because it conflicts with our opinions, then we are doomed.
I am concerned because we should not be simply ignoring or putting off what is purported to be revelation simply because it does not match our preconceived notions of what God would or should bring at this point. I have reason to believe that many of the Saints have attempted to put God in a box, and have imagined for themselves a god in their own image, or in other words, "they have imagined God as they would see Him, not as He really is." God has worked with us in this fault for a long time now, and the day has come that He is no longer willing to do this. The Holy Spirit will soon begin to work in ways that many of us will not fully understand, or which goes against our "tradition" and if we are not careful we will end up rejecting God and persecuting Him and His servants even as ancient Israel, becoming Pharisees ourselves. This is the danger we face. I do not believe that we have to be in the dark. He is willing to share with us, and teach us, and we should be well informed as to how He is working, but we must be open to hear His voice now, and come to recognize it even when it goes against our own understandings sometimes.
We all have baggage from our previous institutions of religion, and they can be idols before the Lord, and these vain traditions shall be our undoing if we are not careful.
We cannot rely on scripture alone to supply us with the proper judgement concerning spiritual manifestations or revelations, because it will not be the word of God, but our INTERPRETATION of scripture that will ultimately be upheld. We must also use the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, always keeping in mind that our own viewpoint may be skewed and that we may hold some false understandings ourselves. Because some thing we see or hear does not match our understanding does not mean that it is not right, or true, or of God.
[Sec 50:8d] Behold, ye are little children, and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.
"Most heresies are the result of men trying to carry to logical conclusions that which God has only revealed in part."
God needs to correct us on many things. If we are not open for this, we can become subject to a religious spirit. This spirit will cause us to reject the things of God, without us even realizing it. We will believe we are upholding truth, and working for God, protecting the sheep from false prophets, but we will in fact be fighting against God and killing His prophets.
I am concerned because I know of at least four incidents in recent times in which a spiritual manifestation was presented at a Unity Movement event, and the reaction of the committee seemingly was to ignore it. Later in telephone conversations or in emails, there seems to be attempts to explain the manifestations away, or discourage people from believing them for various reasons. It appears to me that our own judgement has been exercised rather than seeking the Lord.
Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn't there be additional witnesses sought? And haven't there been additional witnesses to some of these things? Shouldn't we be obeying God's counsel on how to deal with these manifestations, rather than apparently hoping they disappear?
The D&C is very clear in this manner. In RLDS section 50 the following direction is given:
[Sec 50:7a] Wherefore, it shall come to pass, that if you behold a spirit manifested that you can not understand, and you receive not that spirit, ye shall ask of the Father, in the name of Jesus, and if he give not unto you that spirit, that you may know that it is not of God; [Sec 50:7b] and it shall be given unto you power over that spirit, and you shall proclaim against that spirit with a loud voice, that it is not of God; [Sec 50:7c] not with railing accusation, that ye be not overcome; neither with boasting, nor rejoicing, lest you be seized therewith: [Sec 50:7d] he that receiveth of God, let him account it of God, and let him rejoice that he is accounted of God worthy to receive, and by giving heed and doing these things which ye have received, and which ye shall hereafter receive; [Sec 50:7e] and the kingdom is given you of the Father, and power to overcome all things, which is not ordained of him;
It is also shown in the scriptures that no man can do this, unless he be pure in heart and righteous before God.
[Sec 50:6c] And again, verily I say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may chase darkness from among you, for he that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is least, and the servant of all: [Sec 50:6d] wherefore, he is possessor of all things, for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life, and the light, the spirit, and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father, through Jesus Christ, his Son; [Sec 50:6e] but no man is possessor of all things, except he be purified and cleansed from all sin; and if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus, and it shall be done: [Sec 50:6f] but know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask, and as ye are appointed to the head, the spirits shall be subject unto you.
Thus, those who stand and preside over a service must be prepared and in such a condition that they can exercise their privilege and duty to walk in the confidence needed to have this discernment. What I have often seen instead is man walking in the wisdom of man, unprepared to perform their duty as God has ordained it.
Brothers, this should not be.
I do not say this to discourage you nor stand in judgement over you. This is not just about what happened at the Kirtland Temple. This is about every time it has happened in the past, and it is about being prepared for what will come in the future.
I feel it is my duty as a Teacher to bring these concerns before you. I am bringing this to your attention because I see need for improvement, and because I have all hope that we can defeat satan in his attempt to paralyze this movement through a spirit of fear. I am also bringing this to the Committee as a body because I love all of you individually.
When Gary gave what he did at the Kirtland Temple, I was instructed to bare witness to the truth of it. Indeed most every word spoken had been given to me the night before. The only part I cannot say I received before hand was the sentence about the two sections of the D&C. Thus I stood and bore witness that "many" of the words that were spoken by him, I had received the night before. The portion of the word regarding the D&C I had no specific witness of before that morning, but I am prepared to believe it. Or should I say, I have no reason to disbelieve it. I see nothing contrary in that section of text, but I will inquire of the Lord. I hope you do the same. At the time I stood, I was primarily focused on the greater portion of the text, of which I had been given the previous night. When I heard those words I had the burning of the bosom. I testify to you that God required me to stand and confirm.
I do not know all things, but can only say that during Gary's reading, the Spirit bore witness to me of the truth of it. I knew of a truth, that God would not speak, or manifest Himself in the manner desired by the people, nor give additional direction because many were ignoring and even openly disobeying much of His word already given. This is truth, and I cannot say this was directed at the general membership only, but I received knowledge that this was true of the leadership as well.
All of these things came to me in great force during the Saturday night service after I had prayed this prayer, "Lord, will you hear the plea of your people and speak?" I shared this experience with others from the Michigan group that night, and others bore witness that they had received a similar thing.
I also remember that Saturday night at the Temple, God had presented another thought to me as His Spirit flooded my mind. The concept was that although He would not manifest Himself as many had hoped, He would speak through the sharing of a written testimony of His word given previous to this gathering. Of a truth, this is what occurred. This leads me to believe that God has indeed spoken.
After Gary read those words, I heard the Spirit tell me that if I did not stand and bare witness to the truth of those words, that someone else would have to. After the service I had as many as 10 people, many whom I do not even know, thank me and tell me that they too had received confirmation. Many told me that God had said to them that if someone else did not stand and confirm it that they would have to. Brothers, here we find more than two or three witnesses. Perhaps they are wrong, but they cannot simply be ignored because it does not fit your idea.
This I must also share with you the Committee. I do so in all humbleness and do not desire to bring any hurt to any of you. You are my Elder brothers and I still look to you to lead us. I must share this though, as it is required of me. I pray you will receive it in love. As the Hymn was sung after Gary's testimony, and I prepared myself to testify, I received additional word from the Lord, and it was directed specifically to the Committee. It was not directed toward any individual, but as a representative body of leadership. I was not to share it in the Temple service, but rather in private.
I was given to know that the Committee was to be admonished because they have previously received revelation from the Lord and had dismissed it, and therefore rejected it. Because of this, the Committee, as a body, will receive no further revelation until repentance comes to pass.
Whether this be of God or not, it is in your hands to seek out. I am simply delivering what I believe is the word of the Lord. Perhaps I am deceived. But I do not believe so. At the very least, you should consider it.
The Lord is beginning to work mightily with many of His servants and His Spirit is beginning to pour forth, and knowledge is increasing and the power of God is becoming more and more manifest in many circles, groups, and individuals at this time. Of a truth, the Spirit has revealed to me that very soon the scripture will be fulfilled which says, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh" Acts 2:17
The floodgates are about to burst wide open. A trickle of the Spirit is already beginning to pour forth over the walls, and upon many who hear His voice. Soon the outpouring of His Spirit shall be so great, it shall shake the Kingdom of Man to the very foundation, and only the Kingdom of Christ shall remain standing when it is finished, but remember that the shaking shall first begin in the church.
Despite the outpouring of the Spirit in some places, much of Christ's church, and indeed, this particular Unity Movement seems to have ground to a halt somewhat (spiritually speaking). The Unity Movement seems to have been stagnant for about a year now. Why is this?
Nearly 300 people from all over came and prayed their hearts out to God, asking for direction, asking for Him to appear to them, to speak to them, to comfort them. They sought guidance. They pleaded with Him. If we would believe that Gary's message is not of the Lord, then this means God choose not to answer the people's prayers at that time. And if He did not answer their prayers and comfort them at the Temple services, the question which begs to be answered is, why?
Gary's message would seem to have answered the question. But if you reject the message, then we still wonder why nothing significant happened? I have been to many Wednesday night prayer services in small branches, and to many retreats and reunions in the recent past where great outpourings and manifestations of God's spirit were present. I have come to expect it whenever people are gathered to hear His voice, and are sufficiently humble. I would have found it strange that God did not give any kind of an answer there at the Temple itself, if it had not been for the fact that the Lord let me know Saturday that there would be no "manifestation" and the reason why.
Some of you may say God will answer later. I do not believe so. God has spoken, and we have not heard. He has commanded us and we have neglected to obey. He has given us wisdom and direction, and we have not heeded. There is no more word of the Lord until we repent.
Whether Gary's message was from God or not, one observation can be made about the Temple gathering. You must confess - the Lord was strangely silent considering the circumstances. The Book of Mormon explains that if miracles cease, it is due to unbelief. Does this apply to us?
Both times I prayed out loud in the Temple, I was directed by the Lord to conduct spiritual warfare in my prayer. I was directed to pray against satan, and to pray for deliverance for His people. I discerned that many of the saints were under attack right in the midst of the Temple. Why?
I believe the church is entering into the last half of the sifting period. The sifting will become very intense from this point forward, and God's spirit will begin to pour out in ever greater abundance among the few who are obedient and hear His voice. Yet in many places, and with many Saints, there will come a brutal spiritual attack as they reap the harvest of their disobedience. This will be a time of great confusion. God will work miracles with His true servants, and many who are supposed to lead the people will see these signs and miracles and will claim that it is satan working. Only those who are in tune with God will know and have peace. Those who have not been in tune will be lost, and many members who have unprepared leadership will suffer. The priesthood were called to be an example unto God's people, but the day now is when many of the membership are becoming the example to His priesthood, because many of those who have been called to serve have sought their own way rather than God's.
I believe that God's Spirit has largely ceased to work in any abundance in this Unity Movement for about a year now. After the experience at Kirtland, I was reminded of another purported revelation ignored or discounted by the Committee, which was given about a year ago. It was instruction given concerning the redemption of Zion, the Storehouse and a Bishop to be appointed. This revelation was given about a year ago, and since then I have seen little or no progress in this movement. I dug this revelation out, and read it again, and was reminded of something I heard from the still small voice of the Holy Spirit during the Saturday night service at Kirtland. This I had also shared with some of the Michigan group after the service Saturday night. Here is what I received:
"Where is My storehouse which I have commanded to be built? If you would have done as I commanded, that there may be meat in My house, I would have proven whether I would open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
Now as I ponder these things, I wonder again at what was given a year ago, Feb. 13, 1999, through Elder Peter Gould.
"Behold, these counsels are of me and this wisdom is for your salvation, saith your Lord:
"You are of one faith, one hope, one baptism. You are of one church but not one body, because of the divisions which have and will arise among my people; and this, because you have not obeyed my voice, saying: ye must be one in temporal things and I will make you one in spiritual things.
"Do you not know my sons, that without the consecration of all that you have, and are, and desire to be, you cannot obtain the fullness of my glory? And except ye consecrate all, even ALL, unto me, the land of Zion cannot be redeemed.
"You ask why the weakness and death and decay both physical and spiritual have entered into the body. You ask why the work does not progress. Is it not because you are weak? You receive into your bodies the recompense of your deeds. I have called you unto wisdom and strength but my wisdom you have neglected to heed, and the recompense of sorrow and weakness both in mind and body you receive by pollution of your bodies with the meats of wickedness and death.
"Hear now, saith the Lord, If you would prosper it must be according to the counsel I have given.
"If you would have wisdom and strength to stand in the face of judgement and adversity gird up your loins even the loins of your minds. Put away the evil imaginations from your hearts and take hold of wisdom even the Word of Wisdom, which I have given. Keep my sabbaths also, and in doing these things you shall receive of the promise of the blessings of strength and wisdom and intelligence beyond the veil yea, even the mysteries of the kingdom shall be made known unto you.
"I have warned and forewarned you of the perils of meats in the last days how that all tables would be full of vomits and pollutions of wickedness.
"If you would be one appoint a storehouse in the land of Zion and my servant Randall Porrett shall be ordained as bishop and keeper thereof and ordained as a judge in the land of Zion. Let him take with him two counselors in whom is found the spirit of revelation with humility and meekness.
" And now I say, inasmuch as my servant Randall shall receive these things, he shall cleanse his house of all that offends my Spirit and devote his whole heart to the service of my people, and covenant before me to faithfully execute this office and calling, and to abide in wisdom according to my commands. And these things shall he do or he shall not be accepted by my people.
"Now I say unto you, my servant Randall: Behold, thou shalt receive the consecrations and offerings from among my scattered sheep as many as will heed these things and consecrate all unto me with a covenant and deed even as I commanded my servant Edward And thus he shall be thy example in all things for he was faithful, but my people rebelled.
" And now, I say unto you my servants heed these things and take up the work where the first elders did begin but my people in Zion did rebel, and thus they were driven off because they were not worthy of an inheritance in Zion. And because charity was found lacking in them behold the laborers in Zion did cease.
"Take heed to pray always that you may be delivered from temptation and adversity.
"Keep these sayings and the destroyer shall pass over the homes of the faithful but if not, the desolation of thy houses shall be great.
"Learn the parable of the lilies, and so shall the laborers in Zion be restored and the things of this world be turned upside-down.
"Even so, Amen."
I didn't write this letter because I have all the answers, and I do not write it to stand in judgement of you. I write this as a brother, to my Elder brothers in love. I am concerned, so, I have addressed those concerns with you.
I have many more questions than answers, but I believe in a God who will provide those answers if we are open to it. My hope is that we can come together soon, and explore these concerns, and find the answers to them.
The Lord has told us that His people perish for a lack of vision. We need clearer vision brothers. The Lord can and will provide this direction if we let him, but this will require that we get out of the way, and let Him lead. We cannot afford, at this late juncture, to allow our traditions and opinions to lead us. If we do, then it shall be as Jesus said, the blind leading the blind.
God bless
Your brother in Christ,
Doug Hatten
3500 Simken Dr. Apt 2
Lansing, MI 48910
(517) 272-7363
email: runcreek@tir.com
Letter to the committee from Mark Deitrick - May 2, 2000
MESSAGE TO UNITY COMMITTEE
Gentlemen,
I do not have an e-mail address for all of you so I would
appreciate it
if those of you who receive this would see that the other
committee members
get a copy. As much as possible, I'm addressing this to you as a
body of
men and not as individuals. If there is anything that I say that
obviously
would point to one or another of you, then you can address it
among
yourselves the next time you get together. However, I believe
that the
things I will be talking about don't apply to individuals because
it is
apparent that when they act, they are doing so under the blessing
of the
other committee members because we never hear any objections from
them.
There are a lot of ways I could preface this letter and I suppose
if I was
looking at creating a dialogue I should bring up all of the good
things the
unity committee has done before I voice any criticism - however,
I guess
I'm pretty much beyond hearing the same old things so I'll just
cut right
to the heart of the matter. I have now sat in on a number of
unity prayer
meetings where at least five times - FIVE TIMES -someone has
arisen and
brought a message purporting to be of the Spirit or to be the
words of
Christ. In each of these situations, the majority of you men did
the "see
no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil - or what I call the deaf,
dumb, and
blind monkey act" and went right on with the service as if
you had heard or
seen nothing. What in the world is going on here? I guess I was
under the
assumption that you all came out of the RESTORATION movement and
were all
grounded in the RESTORATION gospel - you know, the one where it
is believed
that Christ can and does still speak to us today! You guys are
acting like
you are all a bunch of Protestants who have never seen anything
like this
happen before and like you don't have a clue as to how handle it!
Again I
ask, what is going on here? You guys are acting like someone has
set you
up to be the "protectors" of the people or something -
like you don't dare
let anything happen that might "offend" someone or
interfere with your
agenda - that's right, I said AGENDA. You all talk like others
have
agendas and don't even see that your wants and desires for unity
have
become just as much of an agenda as what anyone else has - and
just as
dangerous in being YOUR will and not the Lord's. Since when have
we been
counselled to IGNORE the word of God? Oh yeah, I know that some
of you say
that in each of these occasions it wasn't the word of God...
Well,
congratulations on being the only ones within the Restoration
with the
ability to make that judgement! And I can only assume that you
are the
only ones with this ability since you haven't allowed anyone else
an
opportunity to speak in these occasions. I really loved the two
times when
someone actually managed to squeeze in the time to
"confirm" the message as
being of the Holy Spirit JUST before one of you makes a statement
to the
fact that we are desiring the Lord to speak to us. And then
there's the
time a man speaks - purporting to be the words of the Spirit -
and nothing
is not only said about it, but you continue to ask for prayers
that the
Lord will speak to us! UNBELIEVABLE! What church are we members
of
anyway - The First Baptist???!!! Did I miss it when it was
decided that we
are to start proclaiming that the Lord only speaks to us today
through what
has already been written??!! Is it the priesthoods'
responsibility today
to IGNORE??? When a message claiming to be of a divine nature,
given
through a priesthood member - and even confirmed by another
priesthood
member, is ignored - and time is not given to seek further
confirmation as
to its divinity or not, then the question needs to be asked,
"Under what
spirit are these services being presided over - the Holy Spirit
or the
spirit of man?" I'm sorry, but I'm at the point to where I
don't believe
that God would be allowed to speak in a "unity" prayer
service. There were
different types of blessings received by many at Kirtland this
weekend -
but it's sad to realize what might have been... I myself received
a
blessing of sorts from the Lord this weekend. I would call
chastisement
from the Lord a blessing - as long as I heed what's been given.
What's
ironic is that much of what was convicting me as I believe the
Lord was
speaking to my mind, was along the same lines as what was given
in Gary's
message - and at about the same time. You know, I just don't know
what to
think anymore. I don't know what to think of you men - and I know
some of
you very intimately. You act like a bunch of men running scared -
like
you're in over your heads and you don't know what to do. I look
at this
weekend and I feel sorry for a lot of people. I'm thankful to God
that
many this weekend were able to move beyond the regimented prayer
services
and still come before God in humbleness and humility - possibly
because of
advance preparation... I don't know, but I'm thankful. Their
prayers moved
me. But I feel sorry for a lot of people also... many went away
saddened
or disturbed - and again, it might have been because of their own
preparation. I don't know. But, it could also have been by what I
perceived to be prayer services that were very well planned and
timed out
but left little room for the workings of the Holy Spirit. But you
may be
asking, who in the heck does he think he is? And you're right.
I'm
nobody. And my perceptions may be totally out of whack. And my
total
commitment to Christ and to the Gospel may be only miniscule
compared to
some of your commitments. But, I'm a nobody that believes in
speaking up
when I think something's wrong - and right now, I think you men
are heading
down a dangerous path that leads to great visions getting
narrowed into
tunnel vision. If you're still reading, I only have a couple of
other
comments. One, please don't EVER interrupt someone's prayer again
in a
prayer service because of time constraints. If you get out your
scriptures
and read I think you will find that quite often it's possible
that a
communication is going on between people and God. I think you
will also
find that God might be answering back. And I think you will find
that many
times it is possible that the Holy Spirit is directing the
conversation
from the "earthly" side. And since your actions have
shown that you aren't
necessarily the best judges of whether something is Spirit
directed or not
- I wouldn't presume to interfere with and interrupt people's
conversations
with God if I were you. And if that isn't reason enough, then I
will
remind you that there are other ways to remind people of time
constraints
without being rude, and I will also mention that there are many
of us
sitting in the congregation actually listening to the words of
the prayers
being offered and we don't appreciate OUR time being interrupted
with your
interjections! If you were to do the right thing, Lamar Shaw, who
spoke a
little longer than others, but not as long as some, and who drove
over a
thousand miles to have that conversation with his Heavenly
Father, should
be receiving an apology. I hope the next time you find yourselves
in a
prayer service and someone stands and says, "Thus speaketh
the Spirit...",
I hope as your hands begin to fly up to cover the eyes, ears, and
mouth,
that you stop! And then calmly ask the Lord for confirmation. If
you don't
receive it, please have the humility and humbleness to recognize
that their
are others present who might - and they might not even be on the
committee!
Finally, I will say again that I'm a nobody. I'm just probably
the most
unimportant, unworthy member in the body. But I'm going to try to
do
better, I'm going to keep trying to spread the Gospel if the Lord
doesn't
tire of my poor excuses and my pride. But without trying to sound
self-important and prideful, I want you men to realize that you
are
nobodies also. Maybe better than me, but we're all still poor
excuses of
what the Lord would have us be. You've been put into positions
that have
given you some power - and you can make all of the objections to
that
statement you want - it won't make it any less true. As a matter
of fact,
the power you exercise isn't too far removed from that which the
Seventy
and Apostles had as governing bodies in different groups I've
been
associated with. When the committee was first formed I said on
the floor
that day that I feared what it could become -through no fault of
yours, but
because of what the people would allow. That's why I said what I
did about
seeing good men go down that road before. Lose whatever agendas
you might
have for the church and give more than lip service to wanting
God's will.
Don't be afraid to tackle tough subjects - it may very well be
that that is
part of God's plan to sift the wheat from the chaff. Don't make
certain
words and subjects like "General Assembly" taboo. If
you do that, then
where is our forum to discuss and learn? Where does it say in the
scriptures that we aren't to discuss things to come to agreement?
As much
as we desire unity and know that Christ wants a unified church,
it may well
be that we will find that His ways are truly not our ways. I've
said
enough, and you might have decided that was true after reading
the first
ten lines, but I'm going to say what I think. I feel so strongly
about
this that I will not sit in another unity prayer service under
your
direction if nothing changes. I don't mean to offend, but it's
how I feel.
I totally accept and appreciate your ministry, but I just believe
that
your beliefs (and I don't have a clue as to what they are)as to
how things
should be done in "unity" services and activities are
detrimental to your
own causes. I get little out of them and often go away from them
lacking.
When I hear your testimonies of how wonderful and powerful they
are, then I
wonder at how barren of the Spirit your services must have been
in the
past. I've sat under the power of the Holy Spirit in great
abundance with
some of you in the past and ... well, I just don't know what to
say. I
hope you aren't offended - I hope you aren't saying, if you think
we're
doing such a bad job then why don't you take it and see how easy
it is - or
any of those kinds of things. You chose to be in the seats your
in, no one
twisted your arms. I grant you that the committee has evolved
somewhat
from its original intentions - but I think that was to be
expected. You
took the job and you're doing the best you can - and I'm grateful
that you
do it. But I feel that you should take some time and discuss
whether or
not some changes need to be made. I obviously feel that I'm right
in
writing this or I wouldn't be doing it; however, once again I
will
acknowledge that my ideas and opinions are only worth the same as
the man
standing next to me - so please, ask outside of your circle and
see if
others feel as I.
Most Sincerely,
Mark Deitrick
Letter to the committee from Peter Gould - May 8, 2000
My own testimony:
My personal testimony regarding this message:
When I first received a copy of this message I was immediately troubled by it, and set it aside for a couple days to pray that the Lord would prepare my heart to receive the message if it was given of Him. I read it again, later, and as I read, I found that there was no single statement in the message which I did not already believe to be true. I was also aware that others would interpret the message differently than it appeared to me in meaning and this still bothered me somewhat, even though I was entirely at peace with the message itself. I continued to seek the Lord to have a clearer testimony concerning it. I felt impressed that I should look for the chiastic structure in the message, and I believe I was shown the structure below by the Spirit of God. This clear chiastic structure was a strong witness to me that this message was not the work of a man.
A couple days later while driving south from the job-site I had been working at in Canada, I was suddenly overcome with a flood of the Spirit of God, and the words poured out from my heart – "He leadeth me, Oh blessed thought! Oh words, with heavenly comfort fraught". As these words filled my soul with peace and comfort, I was immediately caused to remember the message through Gary, and I believe it was an additional witness, that this message holds a great key to our being led by His spirit to accomplish this work. It was also impressed on me that we must begin to agree upon the commandment of God, and commit to keeping them, just as we have been commanded for the elders to meet together to "agree upon my word", and to "note with a pen" how to act, that we may begin to do these things.
Peter P. Gould
==============================
Message through Gary Wheeler:
I have prayed about the gathering to the Kirtland Temple planned for April 29 and 30, 2000, sponsored by the Association for the Unity of the Restoration Saints. On the morning of April 3, 2000, I began to pray more earnestly and expectantly, and I immediately received the following message from the Lord. Also, the Lord has reminded me of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:8. "For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." He also reminded me of his words in Isaiah 65:24. "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." The message I received is given now. Gary Wheeler.
If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear the voice of the Lord. My law is given in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. Why do my people want me to speak to them when many of them do not accept what I have already said?
You do well to gather together and seek greater unity, but how can you be unified with me when you as a people deny my words to my face many times. Stop fighting against my word given by the two prophets Joseph Smith.
Stop saying you are waiting on direction from the Lord, when it is I, the Lord, who am waiting on you to repent, and believe, and obey my words which I gave a long time ago. You do not allow me to lead you when you refuse to heed my word. I want to speak to my people and lead them when they are willing to listen to my voice. When you do not heed that which I have already given you, why should I speak again just to add to your condemnation? If you, as a people, will turn from your own way and follow me more fully, I will lead you out of your ignorance and confusion with great joy. Take heed to that which has already been given and then I will add to it, line upon line, precept upon precept, as I see fit, according to your need.
Section 17 and Section 104 were arranged as numbers 2 and 3 in the original Doctrine and Covenants, by my servant Joseph and others, because of their great importance in governing the Church.
If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear my voice today, that you may carry my work forward and be prepared for the great day of tribulation which is nigh at hand. I am your Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love those who hearken unto my words. Amen.
==============================
Message – chiastically diagramed:
By careful and prayerful consideration of this message, the following chiastic form present in the message through Gary Wheeler became apparent:
A-) If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear the voice of the Lord.
B-) My law is given in the book of Doctrine and Covenants.
C-) Why do my people want me to speak to them when many of them do not accept what I have already said?
Central) You do well to gather together and seek greater unity, but how can you be unified with me when you as a people deny my words to my face many times. Stop fighting against my word given by the two prophets Joseph Smith.
C-) Stop saying you are waiting on direction from the Lord, when it is I, the Lord, who am waiting on you to repent, and believe, and obey my words which I gave a long time ago.
Parenthetical Aside – a parallelism, with a central point and future promise:
a --) You do not allow me to lead you
b --) When you refuse to heed my word.
a --) I want to speak to my people and lead them when they are willing to listen to my voice.
b--) When you do not heed that which I have already given you, why should I speak again, just to add to your condemnation?
a--) If you, as a people, will turn from your own way, and follow me more fully, I will lead you out of your ignorance and confusion with great joy.
b--) Take heed to that which has already been given and then I will add to it, line upon line, precept upon precept, as I see fit, according to your need.
End of Parenthetical Aside:
B-) Section 17 and Section 104 were arranged as numbers 2 and 3 in the original Doctrine and Covenants, by my servant Joseph and others, because of their great importance in governing the Church.
A-) If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear my voice today, that you may carry my work forward and be prepared for the great day of tribulation which is nigh at hand. I am your Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love those who hearken unto my words. Amen.
==============================
Consideration of the main body of the message:
Before looking at the chiastic mapping of this message, I would like to note a few items about chiasms found elsewhere in the scriptures. Most of them have a central theme, that is pointed to by the chiastic structure. Consider this example:
THE COVENANT OF THE RAISING UP OF A "CHOICE SEER" TO RESTORE THE "RIGHTEOUS BRANCH" TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE MESSIAH -- IINephi 2:5 - 12
A – The covenant to Joseph
"For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph, which was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord, which he made unto Joseph; wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day."
B – A promise from God to "raise up" a righteous branch from the loins of Joseph
"And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; Not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off; never the less, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel;"
CENTRAL – the Messiah to be revealed to them in power in the latter days
"That the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light; yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom."
B – A promise from God to "raise up" a choice seer from the loins of Joseph
"For Joseph truly testified saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, which shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. Yea, Joseph truly said, Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins."
A – The covenant to the fathers (i.e. Joseph)
"And unto him will I give commandment, that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with they fathers."
In this example we see clearly that the structure of this portion of the prophecy "points" to the central message of importance, which is that the house of Israel would be brought to a knowledge of the Messiah, being liberated from the captivity of the darkness which binds them down. Note that before the central idea is the introduction of the matter starting with the fact that God had made certain general promises to Joseph (the son of Jacob). These covenants culminate with bringing of the knowledge of the Messiah to his descendants in the "latter days" – which is the central theme. After the central theme there is a discussion of some of the specifics of how this will be accomplished beginning with the raising up of a "choice seer", and the word that he would do, which would result in the great deliverance that is promised here. This is the general pattern of chiastic structures in the scriptures. The statements before the central theme are to introduce the center, and the statements afterward tend to give specifics of how these things are to be accomplished.
Now consider the message above given through Gary. Looking at the structure of the revelation as diagramed above, we can look at the message without the parenthetical statements, which will help get the outline of the main over-all message as follows:
A-) If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear the voice of the Lord.
B-) My law is given in the book of Doctrine and Covenants.
C-) Why do my people want me to speak to them when many of them do not accept what I have already said?
Central) You do well to gather together and seek greater unity, but how can you be unified with me when you as a people deny my words to my face many times. Stop fighting against my word given by the two prophets Joseph Smith.
C-) Stop saying you are waiting on direction from the Lord, when it is I, the Lord, who am waiting on you to repent, and believe, and obey my words which I gave a long time ago.
(parenthetical aside – remove from here, to make the main chiasm more clear)
B-) Section 17 and Section 104 were arranged as numbers 2 and 3 in the original Doctrine and Covenants, by my servant Joseph and others, because of their great importance in governing the Church.
A-) If you will hear the voice of the Lord, then hear my voice today, that you may carry my work forward and be prepared for the great day of tribulation which is nigh at hand. I am your Savior, Jesus Christ, and I love those who hearken unto my words. Amen.
============================
What is the message?
A-) If we want to hear what the Lord has for us, all we have to do is open our ears to Him.
B-) He has given us direction as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants.
C-) Why do we cry for him to speak more, when we do not accept what is already given?
Main Point: - These three items "point" to the central theme which tells us that it is a good desire in the Lord’s eyes for us to seek unity, but unity among us can only be achieved if we will stop fighting against the direction given through two prophets – both named Joseph Smith. The main question that we need to ask in response to this central message is this: What direction have we been "fighting"? Since this is the central point of the message, it is the central question to answer. What revelations given through brother Joseph Smith Jr are we "fighting" as an association? We each must answer, but also this whole unity effort must answer if we are to proceed. We now proceed to the specifics which are given to help fulfill the central purpose.
C-) We are commanded to no longer say that we are waiting for the Lord to direct us, because he has given more than sufficient direction for us in the past. This commandment is elaborated upon in the parenthetical aside, considered below.
B-) We are called particularly to pay attention to the guidance in sections 17 and 104. Section 17 contains the "Articles and Covenants" of the church. These articles were to be the base-line beliefs and teachings of the church, and their importance was noted in their placement in the first D&C. We should note that these Articles and Covenants of the church are referred to in other commandments for the guidance of the church. If we are to begin to operate as the church established in April of 1830, then we need to examine these Articles and Covenants of the church, and begin to live by them. Section 104 contains the instructions of the Lord relative to the establishment of the various quorums of the church, and presidents for each of these quorums and for the church. If we do not establish these quorums and presidents, then this revelation is effectively denied – to the Lord’s face. If these revelations contain the relative information necessary to establish the proper order of the church, and we continue to say that we are waiting for the Lord to speak on the matter – are we not "fighting" against these things, and need to repent?
A-) In summary, if we wish to hear the Lord’s voice, we must open our understanding and hear, and by doing so we well be blessed and prepared for those things shortly to come to pass.
==============================
Consideration of the parenthetical aside:
The parenthetical hangs off of "C’" and as such it is meant to clarify the command - "Stop saying you are waiting on direction from the Lord".
" C-) Stop saying you are waiting on direction from the Lord, when it is I, the Lord, who am waiting on you to repent, and believe, and obey my words which I gave a long time ago."
Parenthetical Aside – a parallelism, with a central point:
a --) You do not allow me to lead you
b--) when you refuse to heed my word.
a--) I want to speak to my people and lead them when they are willing to listen to my voice.
b--) When you do not heed that which I have already given you, why should I speak again, just to add to your condemnation?
a--) If you, as a people, will turn from your own way, and follow me more fully, I will lead you out of your ignorance and confusion with great joy.
b--) Take heed to that which has already been given and then I will add to it, line upon line, precept upon precept, as I see fit, according to your need.
End of Parenthetical Aside:
This aside to the text is to clarify the direct command which is given in this message – "Stop saying you are waiting…" It is in a triple a – b parallelism which makes it chiastic as well. The first point (a-b statement) basically says that we should stop saying that we are waiting, because we aren’t allowing God to lead us when we refuse to heed what we have been given. The central of this aside continues by showing that the Lord WANTS to lead us if we show ourselves willing to listen, BUT when we refuse to heed his direction, it only brings us under greater condemnation for him to speak and given additional guidance. This is central to the "aside" – that God wants to direct us more fully, but he does not desire to bring us under greater condemnation. The third a-b statement specifies what we must do, to obtain the promise that he will begin to lead us if we repent of our disbelief, and when we heed what is already given. THEN he will add to what we have already been given – "line upon line, precept upon precept". All three of these a-b statements are given to clarify the command – "stop saying you are waiting…". After this, the message continues with the other specifics we must focus on to progress in our efforts.
==============================