Repent
For the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand
There are thousands of podcasts, websites, and blogs dedicated to commentaries on scripture, and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are thousands more dedicated to the Come Follow Me curriculum. Why? Why are so many so eager to promulgate their faith and their own interpretations of scripture?
I suppose that it is a good thing that many people desire to share their faith and their own interpretations of scripture. Certainly there are many good people who simply desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of the joy that it has infused into their own lives. Furthermore, the Lord commissioned his disciples to preach the Gospel to every creature, and the internet enables us to fulfill this commission in ways heretofore unimaginable.
There are many wonderful voices that preach the Gospel and proclaim the truth throughout cyberspace. There are many wonderful efforts to share the glad message of our Savior Jesus Christ with the world. This is one reason why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends missionaries to every corner of the earth. This is one reason why, long ago, the Lord sent me to beautiful southern Italy. This is perhaps one reason why, long ago, I felt drawn to the Holy Land (see also here).
I believe that for the most part, we who share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, do so because we love the Lord and because we feel called to do so. For good reasons, there have been revivals of Christian faith, such as the thousands who were recently baptized in Brazil. It’s also no accident that The Chosen has attracted hundreds of millions of viewers.
But in the midst of these voices, these revivals, and these programs, who will truly listen to and follow the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus taught that He is the Good Shepherd, that His sheep hear His voice, and that His sheep follow Him. Jesus knows His sheep and His sheep know Him. Jesus even taught His disciples in the Old World that He has other sheep (including the seed of Joseph in the New World, the lost tribes of Israel, and so forth) who would also hear His voice and follow Him, and that there shall be one fold and One Shepherd.
Why, then, do I share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in The Torch?
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.
And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!
Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.
And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! (D&C 18:10-16)
Notice that the Lord didn’t call us to create the most popular podcasts, websites, and blogs to garner the most views or to make the most money. (In fact, the Lord expressly forbids the practice of priestcraft) The Lord called us to cry repentance unto this people in order to bring souls unto Him.
This is one of the main things that stood out to me in my study of the Doctrine and Covenants (in the Come Follow Me curriculum) this morning, namely that the Lord, through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Urim and Thummim, counseled Oliver Cowdery to “say nothing but repentance unto this generation.” (see also “We Can Do Better and Be Better”)
I have many more thoughts and insights to share about my daily study of the Doctrine and Covenants, but the most important thing is that we are called to cry repentance unto this people and to say nothing but repentance unto this generation in order to bring souls unto Christ. Not coincidentally, this is precisely what the Lord Himself preached from the beginning of His ministry:
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
I’ll save my other insights and commentary on my daily study of the Doctrine and Covenants for future posts, but whatever I share, my hope is always to encourage each of us, myself included, to repent, and to listen to and follow the voice of the Lord, the Good Shepherd, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.