Transcript We are Witnesses www.kevinhinckley.com Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries,

We are Witnesses
www.kevinhinckley.com
1831
Ye hear of wars in far
countries, and you say that
there will soon be great wars
in far countries, but ye know
not the hearts of men in your
own land.
And
And that
that ye
ye might
might escape
escape the
power of the enemy, and be
gathered
unto me
me a righteous
gathered unto
people, without spot and
blameless—
Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye
should go to the Ohio
Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and
there you shall be endowed with power from on high;
shall go
do forth
forth among
among all
all nations,
nations and
And from thence, whosoever I will, shall
it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid
up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them
whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand. (D&C 38)
Book of Acts
Written by Luke
Written to Theophilus
Second Book in the
series, the first being the Gospel of Luke
Written to the gentiles, especially the Greeks
Focuses on the resurrection, the Holy Ghost
and its effects on early church.
Acts
The former treatise have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both
to do a teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up,
after that he through the Holy Ghost had
given commandments unto the apostles
whom he had chosen;
When they therefore were come together, they asked of
him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the
kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto
the uttermost part of the earth.
Question
What kind of things
can occur when we
witness without
power?
Power Given
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as
of fire, and it rested upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout
men, out of every nation under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came
together, and were confounded, because that every
man heard them speak in his own language.
From the Kirtland
Temple Dedicatory
Prayer
Let it be fulfilled upon [the Saints], as upon
those on the day of Pentecost; let the gift of
tongues be poured out upon thy people, even
cloven tongues as of fire, and the interpretation
thereof.
And let thy house be filled, as with a rushing
mighty wind, with thy glory.
Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go
out and proclaim thy word they may seal up the law, and prepare the
hearts of thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in
thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their
transgressions, that thy people may not faint in the day of trouble.
(D&C 109)
Power Given
And when the day of Pentecost was fully
come, they were all with one accord in
one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house where they
were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven
tongues like as of fire, and it rested
upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
And there were dwelling at Jerusalem
Jews, devout men, out of every nation
under heaven.
Now when this was noised abroad, the
multitude came together, and were
confounded, because that every man
heard them speak in his own
language.
'Brother George A. Smith arose and began
to prophesy,' the Prophet recorded,
'when a noise was heard like the sound
of a rushing mighty wind, which filled
the Temple, and all the congregation
simultaneously arose, being moved
upon by an invisible power;
many began to speak in tongues and
prophesy; others saw glorious visions;
and I beheld the Temple was filled with
angels, which fact I declared to the
congregation.
The people of the neighborhood came
running together (hearing an unusual
sound within, and seeing a bright light
like a pillar of fire resting upon the
Temple), and were astonished at what
was taking place.' (History of the
Church, vol. 2, p. 428.)
Peter and John
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple
at the ninth hour, for prayer.
And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was
carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple
which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that
entered into the temple.
Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an
alms.
And Peter and John, fastening their eyes upon him, said, Look on us.
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and
walk.
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength.
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the
temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3)
Question
Do we sometimes
think we are just
“blending in”; that
we have very little
to offer to others?
In those “silver and gold” moments, do you
have something to give?
Harold B. Lee
On the west wall of the great Salt Lake Temple,
underneath the center spires, is a symbolic
representation of the constellation of stars
known as "The Dipper" with the pointers
pointing to the north star,
which was said by the
architect of the temple
to represent the great
truth that through the
priesthood of God the
lost may find their way.
(Stand Ye in Holy Places, 251)
Who needs our help?
A psychologist writes:
I remember a family that…were active in the Church, had
several children, and had worked diligently to teach them the
gospel. However, one of their daughters, a beautiful, queenly
girl, began sampling life with a group who did not live up to her
standards. She began accepting drinks at parties, and one thing led to
another. Before long, she became pregnant.
She said that her first thoughts were mercilessly accusing:
“Ruined. Why try anymore? No good man is going to want you. Enjoy life while
you can. Drop out of school. You’re not going to need an education anymore.
Keep your baby and teach her that life is unfair and cruel and that only way to
survive is to look out for number one. Don’t provide your baby with a father.
Teach her to hate men.
You’re not worthy to attend Church anymore. Stay away from the bishop. He’ll
only use you as an example to the other girls of how not to be. You don’t need
that. Come to the single’s bar where you can really be appreciated. There is
work for you there, money to be made, great times ahead.
Ron Zirker (Parents and Teens)