Jared Livesey Posted October 12, 2020 Posted October 12, 2020 Mosiah 18 27 And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he hath: if he have more abundantly, he should impart more abundantly; and he that hath but little, but little should be required; and to him that hath not should be given. 28 And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. 29 And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God. And they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants. Alma 5 51 And also the Spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying: Go forth and say unto this people: Repent! For except ye repent, ye can in no wise inherit the kingdom of heaven. 52 And again I say unto you: The Spirit saith: Behold, the ax is laid at the root of the tree. Therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire. Behold and remember, the Holy One hath spoken it! 53 And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you: Can ye withstand these sayings? Yea, can ye lay aside these things and trample the Holy One under your feet? Yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts? Yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? 54 Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another? Yea, will ye persist in the persecutions of your brethren who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit? —and they do bring forth works which is meet for repentance. 55 Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor and the needy and in withholding your substance from them? 56 And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they which shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent. Questions: What elements in the Alma 5 selection are mirrored in John, the Baptist's teachings? What elements in the Alma 5 selection are mirrored in Jacob's teachings? What elements in both selections are mirrored in Benjamin's teachings? What elements in both selections are mirrored in Isaiah 58? It is written that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (1 Ne 10:18) For what reason does God keep counseling and commanding us to distribute whatever substance we have above our immediate needs and do good with it, as we have seen six times by now in this series?
Jared Livesey Posted October 12, 2020 Author Posted October 12, 2020 Addendum - Alma2 again. Alma 34 28 And now behold, my brethren, I say unto you: Do not suppose that this is all. For after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy and the naked and visit not the sick and afflicted and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those which stand in need— I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites which do deny the faith. 29 Therefore if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross which the refiners do cast out —it being of no worth— and is trodden under foot of men. We have seen that if we distribute our excess substance (the stuff we don't have immediate need for) to the poor and needy, &c., then the Lord himself answers our prayers - Isaiah 58. Now we see if we fail to do these things then our prayers are empty and useless. For the logic buffs, this looks like an "A if and only if B" situation, where A is "I distribute my excess substance to the poor and needy and otherwise go about doing good with it" and B is "the Lord himself answers my prayers." Questions: Does the Lord answer empty and useless prayers? (Hint: Moroni 7:6-9) Are there other beings other than the Lord able to answer prayers? (Hint: endowments, 2 Ne 9:8-9) How can we get the Lord himself to answer our prayers and not some other being perhaps imitating an angel of light? What is a hypocrite? What is "the faith"? What does it mean to "deny the faith"?
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