Seek First the Kingdom of God

I will read a few verses from the 28th chapter of Second Nephi: ¶

"And, now behold my brethren I have spoken unto you as the spirit hath constrained me, wherefore, I know that they shall surely come to pass. ¶

"The things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especialy unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel. ¶

"For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other, Behold I, I am the Lord's; and the others shall say I I am the Lord's. And thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord." ¶

Those who profess in the world to be ministers of Christ, are fulfilling this prophecy to the very letter. It appears that the ministers who profess to be the teachers of Christ's doctrine in this city and other parts where our people are located, have made a specialty of preaching the doctrine that the gifts and blessings which follow the believer have been done away. The Lord has said that certain signs should follow the believer, and this people knows that these signs and that these blessings which were to follow a true faith, a true repentance, a true baptism, and a true laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, are found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. When men who profess to be ministers of Christ stand up and teach the people otherwise they are manifesting the spirit of anti-Christ— they are teaching anti-Christ doctrine. They are not teaching the doctrine that Paul referred to when he said: "Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." They are not preaching that Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation unto them that believe. They are preaching the doctrine and are representing the churches that have been built up to the honor of men— to the honor of Peter, of Paul, of Luther, of Zwingle, and other reformers— men who lived in former times. They are not teaching the one faith, the one Lord and the one baptism which Jesus preached when He was upon the earth. Just so long as God acknowledges His Church upon the earth the signs will follow the believer. I am glad to know that this is an individual work; that we have not to depend upon the testimony of Peter, of Paul, of Mark, or of Matthew, or any of those who lived in the days of Christ, to enjoy and have a testimony of this work. I thank God that every one that has arrived to the years of accountability, can know that this work is of God. When men seek to teach the people that these gifts have been done away, that they were simply necessary to establish the Church in ancient times, and that they have now been done away, they deny the scriptures. We are told in holy writ, "seek ye in the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and see if they are not they which testify of me." The scriptures testify that these signs should follow the believer. Peter taught it upon the day of Pentecost, telling the people if they would repent of their sins, and be baptized for the remission of them, they should receive the Holy Ghost, and these gifts would be made manifest unto them. When Peter and the other Apostles stood up before the people they taught the doc trine of the Lord Jesus unto them; but today men say these things are done away. It has been taught in the world, and in some of the sectarian churches in this city within the last few weeks that Abraham was an ignorant man; that God overlooked sin and crime in his case because of his degeneracy and ignorance. It is remarkable that we live in a time when those who profess to be the followers of Christ will ridicule the man whom the Lord held up and called righteous, and call him degenerate and ignorant; he who was held up through the mission of Christ as a perfect man, the father of the faithful. There are anti-Christs among this people; we hear anti-Christ doctrine from time to time — doctrine which is not in accordance with any of the scriptures that have been handed down to us, nor in accordance with the teachings of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our people should be warned of these doctrines, the doctrines of devils and of men, that are taught in some of the congregations of the world today by those who profess to be the followers of Christ — Spiritualists, Christian Scientists and others. Those who advocate them claim that they are Christ's. But they do not teach the doctrine of Christ? They deny the cardinal doctrines our Savior taught while He was upon the earth. Why don't they teach the one Lord, the one faith, and the one baptism that was taught by our Savior and His disciples? Why is it that they deny faith in the true and living God — a God with body, parts and passions. How is it that they deny these things? Why do they deny true baptism? Jesus says, "Except ye are born of the water and of the spirit ye cannot enter into the kingdom of God." If they believe in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, why do they spiritualize away the resurrection, the fundamental doctrine which Jesus taught while He was upon the earth? I say our people should beware of them. Where can you find Latter-day Saints that have become discontented with our doctrines, that have joined any of these sects that have been instituted by men, if they have been faithful and kept themselves free from the sins of the world; there is a cause for apostasy; there is a cause for sin; there is a cause for rebellion; there is a cause for disobedience. They do not come by chance. It is all right to prove all things and hold fast to that which is good, but we should be established in the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ; we should have a testimony of the divinity of this work, for it is God's work and He will see it through. He will cause that it shall triumph over everything that is man-made; and He will choose those things which seem to be naught to bring to naught those that be. God bless you. Amen. ¶