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Hey there everybody, welcome out to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood, Scott

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and David Durfey here as always. How are you David?

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I'm good, so good Scott.

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It's good to be with you again as always. Our listeners want to know what's happening

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with your mission, Cole.

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Oh well, they're in.

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Papers are in, papers are our stake president sent us a screenshot from his computer that

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said Durfee's papers are ready for assignment. So that was just on Friday I think. And so

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today's Wednesday, so we hope that maybe in the next few weeks we'll have a call.

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You could have a call.

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We'll hopefully get the call this week or next week and we haven't asked to go anywhere

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and in our brief, brief conversation with him.

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Tell me about that conversation you had with him.

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It was, well, I guess it was 45 minutes to an hour. We were in his office and just talked

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about things and the book and his family, my family. It was just kind of an informal

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really conversation and get caught up conversation. And he was very concerned about Chris and

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she was with me of course.

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And so he was asking her lots of questions and expressing his love and concern and it

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was very, very, very, very sweet. He walked us out outside. Anyway, he's just so, so kind,

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so cordial, so, you know, gentle and meek and humble.

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So anyway, I think the only thing I told him was, and that doesn't mean that's will affect

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the call, but I said, Elder Anderson, Chris doesn't do well in heat. You know, she hates

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the hot weather and I don't know, it'd be hard for her to serve where it's really, really

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hot.

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And he said, well, that's, that's really good information. And I said, other than that,

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we'll go wherever the Lord wants us to go and we'll even go there.

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You know, we'll, Chris, Chris, Chris wouldn't want that. We'll go to Egypt where she had

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a sunstroke and almost died. We'll go back to Egypt if that's where the Lord wants us

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to go. But she, her thermometer, I think, has always been broken and she doesn't, she

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just doesn't do well in hot temperatures.

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So that's, that was our only, I think, qualifying thing that I told him. You know, we could

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go on a temple mission, a proselyting mission, a MLS, that's a member leader support mission,

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a teaching mission, a seminary institute mission. So we're excited to find out where

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the Lord wants us to serve. And it'll be a wonderful experience and sacrifice and blessing.

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Oh, you know how that works.

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Yeah.

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Sacrifice is a blessing.

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Sacrifice is a blessing.

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So we're excited to get on with that.

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Yeah, that's exciting. I'm excited for your kind of, we're gonna, I'm gonna miss this

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association, but it was changed. It's still great, but

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Yeah, we'll pick, we'll pick it up. Maybe we'll know when you get back.

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Yeah.

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Well, we've been on a kind of a hot series over the last four episodes so far, Dave,

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where we've been talking about this concept of why I choose to believe and stay in the

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gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a choice. We've talked about many really kind of impactful

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and important type of ideas around it, et cetera. Today, we're going to expand just

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a little bit.

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Yeah. And maybe just to begin with Scott, I've been thinking about the, all of the prophecies

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about the latter days and Daniel's great prophecy and dream that he interpreted of King Nebuchadnezzar

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and Daniel chapter two. And it's just, I just think it's really important for members of

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the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to understand that, that God has promised.

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I mean, I think people get a little shaky and fearful about this, that there is nothing

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to fear and there's nothing to be shaky about. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored

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in the latter days as prophesied. And this is Daniel two 44 scripture. I memorized on

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my mission and it shall never be destroyed. This church isn't going anywhere. It doesn't

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matter how many leave. It doesn't matter how many stay. It doesn't matter how many come

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and go. This church isn't going anywhere. This is the kingdom of God on earth and it's

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here to take us into the millennium to prepare the year for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

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We have prophets, shears and revelators. And if there's a, if there's only a hundred of

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us or a hundred million of us, it's not going anywhere. And I, I know that's true, Scott,

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and it's just really, I think important for all of our listeners to remind themselves

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of that, of that fact, that truth. We'll talk about the difference between facts and truths.

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And I think that's both. It's a fact and it's the truth that the kingdom of God's not going

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anywhere as prophesied. So just everyone needs to keep that in mind as we talk about

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why some people stay. And this isn't new. This isn't new that people leave the church

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and that there's a faith crisis. We do live in a day of deception. We live in a day of

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great deception. It's not the same now as it was when there were all kinds of people

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apostatizing as they, as they went across the plains and people stayed in Missouri and

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people stayed in Iowa and people stayed in Nauvoo and seven of the first 12 apostles

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leave the church or it's not like that. We're in a different day. It's a different circumstance.

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You can't compare this generation with that generation, but there's a lot of people, no

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doubt, who are being deceived and that's prophesied. So this is in Joseph Smith Matthew, in Joseph

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Smith Matthew, in the Pearl of Great Price, verse 22, for in those days, that's these

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days, the last days, there shall also arise false Christ and false prophets and shall

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and shall show great signs and wonders in so much that if possible, they shall deceive

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the very elect who are the elect according to the covenant. So people in the covenant,

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the new and everlasting covenant, people who have been in the temple, people who have received

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temple covenants, those who are in the covenant, the very elect will be deceived. So we shouldn't

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be surprised or shocked by any of this. It's all been prophesied. God's in control. He

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has a plan and my goodness, if people here in along the Wasatch Front or anywhere, anywhere

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where people are having faith crisis, which is anywhere in church, really, I'm sure it's

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in all countries of the of the world. But my goodness, if you could see the number of

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people who are joining the church to replace those who are being deceived and leaving the

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church, you wouldn't be wringing your hands or worried about this. I mean, there is real

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growth in the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, and by the most humble, most prepared,

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most elect, most foredained of God's spirit children to really here in the last the last

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hour, the last quarter, you know, to to help prepare the earth for the second coming. The

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church is in the church has never been stronger. Scott has never been stronger. I'm not I'm

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not saying strength comes in numbers. Although I know the church is experiencing real growth,

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the real strength comes in one's witness and their testimony. President, I really say the

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real strength of the church is in the individual's testimonies in the church. And that is definitely

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growing. It's becoming stronger in spite of all the deception in spite of all of the different

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attacks and programs that detract from the church and seem to be a great temptation and

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test members of the church. Anyway, so though just some preliminary thoughts about that as

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we as we talk about that, and I've been grateful for the positive feedback that I've received

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personally from friends and others who listen to the podcast to say, Hey, I'm really enjoying

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this this part of the podcast. So thank you for that. So let's where do we leave off,

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Scott? Well, I think last time we were together, we were talking about personal experiences.

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I think that, you know, that which was what we called Roman numeral to write. And then

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we moved into our knowledge of in relationship with Godhead Roman numeral three. I think

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that we touched on this a little bit, but probably where we ought to pick up today.

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Yeah. Again, this is based just on a little outline that I put together. And it was I

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just entitled it why I choose to believe and stay in the restored church in the restored

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gospel of Jesus Christ. And Roman numeral number one was evidences and witnesses to personal

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experiences. And now we're on three, right knowledge and relationship with the Godhead.

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Yeah. So as you look at that list, Scott, I've got a B C D E F what's your and G I mean,

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we've got a G what are your thoughts? I had a conversation recently with somebody and

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we were talking a lot about things in the church. There's a lot of there's a lot of

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things that comprise the church. We have the policies, we have the procedures, we have

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the administrations, we have the doctrine, we have a lot of things that really when you

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talk about the church that the church encompasses and envelops all of these things, right? Above

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all of these things, this one is in my by my estimation, Dave, the most important one,

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you know, and I think Jesus concurred with that. You know, we've made reference many

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times to Luke chapter 10 verse 42 where he's talking to Mary and Martha and he makes it

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known there's one needful thing. And that one needful thing is what Mary was doing,

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which was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to his words, right? Learn of me, learn of

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me. Yeah. And I think in the meekness of my spirit. And I know that we have talked a

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little bit about that maybe even in the last episode, but I think it bears repeating that

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there's really nothing more important than to then among any of this, nothing more important

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than a knowledge and relationship with the Godhead.

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Yeah. No, I I agree, Scott. I mean, this is this is what should be our focus. This is

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what should be parents focus in teaching their children. This is what should be the priest

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and leaders focus in teaching their their members, especially those who are struggling,

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but all members, if we if we just really focused on our relationship with the father and knew

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our relationship to him and folks in our relationship with the savior and and understood how he

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purchased us with his blood and we we understood that relationship and then to always have

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the Holy Ghost to be with us, Scott. I mean, this is the ultimate joy of the gospel of

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Jesus Christ and the ultimate purpose for the church is to help strengthen our relationship

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with deity. So I we have a what 1234567 points here. We have one needful thing you mentioned

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and then that's a and then B. And I think this is really important. In fact, I just

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spoke Friday to a large group of seminary and institute teachers and wives up in Salt

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Lake and I I tried to make this point, you know, that the the gospel of Jesus Christ

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is a plan of redemption. It is not a plan of assimilation. It's just so crazy to me,

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Scott, how people in the church try to assimilate or be become some be or act and not even become

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I don't want to say become because I love Elder Oak's teaching on us becoming, but they

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try to act a certain way. It's they get caught up into the performance. They get caught up

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into the the actions or the appearance of what a saint is supposed to look like. It's

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not about assimilation of good habits. It's not about the assimilation of good works.

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The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan of redemption with Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer

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man can merit nothing of himself. The Book of Mormon teaches is all about redemption.

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And if there's any commandments and if there's any covenants and if there's anything that

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we're supposed to do or perform or act like, it ought to be based upon being ransomed,

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purchased and redeemed. It's not about appearance. That's just that really bugs me. And I think

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it I think it bothers a lot of people in the church too that people try to act like there's

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something. It's not about it's not about that. It's not about assimilation. It is all about

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redemption.

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So if somebody's struggling with what does this mean the difference between redemption

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and assimilation, I think we understand redemption. But how would you define then I think you've

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done it, but how would you define it maybe a little more succinctly? What does this mean

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assimilation?

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Well, it's just again, it's just people are trying to assimilate good habits and they

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think that the gospel of Jesus Christ is an accumulation or an assimilation or developing

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a certain quality of life or how you live.

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It's not about it's now I know that's important and I know that that will come out of it that

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those are the fruits maybe those are the fruits of redemption. But it's it's just so sad.

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I watched some stupid ridiculous show the other night about Mormons and it was on it

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was on ABC about a Mormon family and oh, Scott, I couldn't I couldn't even watch it because

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it was just so it really bothered me. Anyway, there are just so many who are going through

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the motions and they see they see it as a as a they try to be cultural Mormons and it

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reminds me you know I I bad I didn't baptize but I I worked with a young man in Minnesota

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who was really impressive at the University of Minnesota and anyway he was a young adult

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and I was the Institute Director there and and he was a bartender and had lived a kind

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of a hard life and and he got baptized. He was baptized after getting something of a

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testimony and but he he didn't quit his job right away and and he went to church and he

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was for really trying hard to be a good Latter-day Saint. I remember him coming into my office

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once and saying, you know, Brother Murphy, I just don't think this is for me. I just

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don't think this is for me because I I know I'm judged because I'm a bartender and because

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I lived and I just this this is the culture just isn't for me and I remember saying to

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him and I really felt the spirit of the Lord. I remember this and he remembers this by the

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way. He looked he looked me up about I don't know six seven years ago. He tracked me down

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and at the Institute here in Orem and told me that he had been a bishop. Oh wow. He's

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been a bishop and he's really strong in the church and anyway, he told me the impact of

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this moment when I felt the spirit of the Lord and I said to him, Bill, just don't focus

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on the culture. Just focus on the doctor and that's assimilation. The culture is the

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assimilation. Just don't don't don't focus on that. Right. Just focus on the doctrine.

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Yeah. Who is God? Yeah. And who am I? And what is my relationship with the father with

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the son and with the Holy Ghost? Just focus on that. And don't worry about that other

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stuff. Well, he did. He did and he became a great Latter-day Saint. Anyway, he's done.

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He's been very successful in them very well in and out of the church. I think it's important

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that we that we really understand what it means. The difference between assimilation

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and redemption. Right. So when we talk about assimilation, what were I just looked it up

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and the definition, Merriam-Webster definition, assimilation refers to the process through

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which individuals and groups of differing different differing heritages acquire the basic habits,

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attitudes and mode of life of an embracing culture. Well, there you go. That's it. Just

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focus on the doctrine and quit trying to fit in and quit trying to be like everybody else.

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Be yourself. Yeah. Be yourself and enjoy. And honestly, Scott, this is the great thing

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about the gospel to me, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is that I can individually,

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personally, I can have a relationship with my Heavenly Father, with my Savior and Redeemer

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and with the Holy Ghost. And really, I know, I know the church is important. I know it's

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a vehicle that carries the gospel to all the world and it has really important roles in

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the work of salvation and exaltation and in caring for the poor and helping to create

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eternal families and then doing missionary work. I understand that. However, trying to

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fit in is, I think, the quickest way to find yourself getting out or, you know, just feeling

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like you want to leave. And I, I just focus on the relationship with deity and just see

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if the gospel of Jesus Christ, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can help you more with

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your in your relationship with the Godhead. I mean, just the, just the very fact that

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you know, because of the first vision that the father and the son are separate and distinct

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should do something for your relationship with deity, right? Knowing how to receive and

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respond and, and follow the Holy Ghost, that should help you in your relationship with

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deity. Those lessons of the character of God, the mission and atonement of Jesus Christ

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and how the Holy Ghost works and how we can receive Him in our lives, Scott. Wow, there's,

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there's no other church or religion that can help you more in your relationship with deity

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than the restored church of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost.

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Yeah. You just got the whole thing. You just absolutely caught the whole thing, right? Our

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relationship with deity administered to us through the spirit of the Holy Ghost, everything

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that you just said, that's what it is. That's what it is. And it's through that that we

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gain and receive the blessings that are promised to us by faithfulness and Heavenly Father's

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church in the gospel. And that's redemption. Right. That's redemption, salvation, exaltation,

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all in one. Right. And it's not about assimilation or fitting in to a culture. Right. That that

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will just come naturally, but people should not worry about that or work at that even.

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It's just, well, so then there, here's the other side of that too, you know, so so many

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of us and I think all of us, maybe some of us at least to a degree have felt this assimilation

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poll where we have felt like a need, I need to assimilate, I need to be more like this

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or them or whatever. But then there's the other side of that where that call or that

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what what seems to be a poll of assimilation is really a turn off for a lot of people too.

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Yeah. In fact, that's that's one of the things that can turn a lot of people away. Is that

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very thing. But again, either way, what's missing in either one of those two scenarios,

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the thing that's missing is the desire and ability to have that relationship with deity

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and make that first. Yeah, that's what's missing. That's good. Yeah. So you know, if

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you're going to try to fit in or try to be somebody, try to be yourself and try to focus

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on your personal relationship with with the Godhead and try to become like Jesus. You

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know, it is about becoming. It's about improving. It's about progressing. It's about growth.

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It's about being a saint. I I understand all of that and there is there is a culture in

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the church, but that's not the that shouldn't be the focus. That's that'll just come naturally

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as you live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But the reason I live the Gospel of Jesus Christ

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is so that I can have a relationship with the deity and I think try to help others to

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have a relationship with their with their Heavenly Father and to feel his love for them.

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That's what it's about. And and his love for them is best evidence and manifest through

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the atonement of his son of his son. Yeah. And it all comes right back to that every

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time. That's what it is all about. That should that should be our focus. I just people go

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to church. I'm sure for a lot of different reasons. I go to church. I like the fellowship.

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But I I think I'm a little bit of an introvert and and you know, it's not it's not what really

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motivates me is the social part of the church. I think I think the reason I go to church

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and I really think the reason we should all go to church is to worship and being a member

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of the true church of Jesus Christ is most valuable to me because it teaches me how and

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who especially who and why and what it answers all those questions about who and what why

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and how I worship. Yeah. It's about worship. You know, and our relationship in rooms of

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recovery and alcoholics anonymous. And one of the principles that we talk about is we

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try there is a principle that we say we practice principles before personalities. You know,

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and I think that that's one of the things that can trip us up in the church through the culture

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is it's you know, we can see it as personalities. We can see it as culture. We can we can term

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it just about anything we want to term it. But the principle is here is is that we are

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redeemed. We are ransomed and all through Jesus Christ, right? And that's our the whole

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purpose of the church is to bring us to him so that we can more fully put on so that we

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can fully put on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and return to become heirs joined heirs with

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him in our Heavenly Father's Kingdom. So there's there's that but there is a culture

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that evolves around it and it's necessary. You mentioned that we have fellowship. I love

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the fellowship to sometimes and sometimes I really don't. Yeah. To be honest, but but

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what I always really love is the relationship and the feelings that come from fostering

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and developing and continuing to feed that relationship that comes to me through my with

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my Heavenly Father. And so principles before personalities, if I get caught up in the culture,

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that's the personality and I can be in trouble. Yeah, I love that principles before personality

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and and I'm saying Scott, doctrine before culture. Yeah, right. Focus on the doctrine.

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I know there's a certain way we need to do things. I know there are policies and procedures

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and details that need to be followed. Right in in administering, for example, the the ordinance

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of the sacrament for sure. There's one prayer. Yeah, it needs to be word perfect. Yeah. And

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those those kinds of details and procedures are really important, right? Absolutely. But

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there it's the doctrine that redeems us. It is and if people would when you read the scriptures,

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focus more upon, for example, I whatever you're reading this week, whatever chapter in any

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book of scripture or section in the doctrine and covenants, any scripture that you're reading,

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what I have, I think just habitually train myself to do Scott is I look for the character

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of God. I'm looking to strengthen my relationship with God as I read the scriptures. I am not

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reading the scriptures any longer to try to find which church is true or which church

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isn't true. Or what should I do about this or what should I do about that? Although I'm

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not saying those are those aren't wrong reasons to read the scriptures. But what attracts

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me most in the in in the verses and chapters and sections I read in the scriptures is what

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can I learn about my Heavenly Father, his character, his attributes and perfections,

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what can I learn about my savior? What can I learn about the Holy Ghost? And how can

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I strengthen my relationship with them? That is the number one thing I look for as I read

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scripture. And I know there's lots of other reasons to read scripture. So I think looking

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for that and training our minds to look for that. And every time I read something about

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the Father, the Son or the Holy Ghost in scriptures, man, it kind of perks me up.

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And I really I really pay attention to it. So I guess what we're saying is it all comes

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down. Your membership in the church really all comes down to this one needful thing,

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which isn't a relationship. You talked about the character attributes

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and perfections of God about being one of the things that you're looking for when you're

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studying scriptures, Dave. Well, if we go back several episodes, many episodes ago, where

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we talked about faith and we talked about faith in the name of Jesus Christ and all

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of that. What you're doing as you're as you're saying all that is you're developing a deeper

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faith. Right. Because even, you know, we read about that in the lectures on faith, right?

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We really must in order for us to have the kind of faith that we need, we really must

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understand the attributes, characters and perfections of God. And and so by doing that,

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you're putting yourself on track to put aside the assimilation possibility and focus solely

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on the redemption. Absolutely, Scott. That's that's what I'm doing. That's what I want

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to do. Right. I I as long as there's a church run by humans who are celestial, it's not

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going to be perfect. But I know God is and I choose to focus on him. Yeah. And and my

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faith is based upon him. My really grounded based foundational faith is based upon my

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understanding and knowledge of who God is, who Jesus Christ is, who the Holy Ghost is

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and who am I in relation in my relation with them? That's that's the foundation. And we

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build upon that foundation is elder bed and our top, you know, our foundation is Jesus

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Christ and we build upon that foundation. It's not the church. It's the church has such

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an important role. I know it's divine. I know the organization is inspired. But as long

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as there's policies and as long as there's procedures and as long as there's different

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methods and ways and means of doing things, and as long as it's organization run by to

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celestial beings, God, I have a testimony of the of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter

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Day Saints. But my testimony is not based upon the church as much as it's based upon

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I know God lives Jesus is Christ. And that's all come to me through the promptings of the

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Holy Ghost. And I think it's important that we talk about what you just said about, you

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know, our leaders are not infallible, you know, and all that stuff too. But I think

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it's also important that we put the mirror in front of our own face, right? It's important

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that we realize true that, hey, I have imperfections to so my response to something, I better

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question that first, because, you know, just from a sense of responsibility, where I personally

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can control my own destiny, my my attitudes and the way that I approach these things,

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isn't necessarily tied as much to how what somebody else does, right in the church, it's

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how I respond to what some but my perception of what somebody else does. And it's important

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that we differentiate by saying my perception because often times, my perception is inaccurate

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of what I think is being said. And so if I choose to take offense, which I have done,

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which I probably will again, but if I choose to take offense, then is that on them? Or

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is that on me? And I really need to not let myself off the hook by saying, hey, the church

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is infallible. It is. And I need to understand it is. But so am I. And I need to understand

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my own infall in how would you say that infallibility? Or whatever I need to understand that about

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myself as well because you know if I don't agree with something or something

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happens or something changes and I've been comfortable in my warm comfortable

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experience and then something changes is that about me or is that about the

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church and I need to know trust me Scott you have not only been offended oh

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have offended oh Dave I am constantly aware absolutely that's true for all I

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know it is I know it is about looking in the mirror yeah you know we've all

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been offended and we've all offended yeah I mean that's just the reality of being

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a member of an organization yeah even even if it's divine yeah you know we're

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we're not if you look at doctrine comes section 76 I remember one religion

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teacher who I have a ton of respect for he he pointed out that the name of the

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church according to doctrine come to section 76 and the celestial kingdom

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will be the church of the firstborn that'll be the name of the church but

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that's the celestial church we're not there yet we have we have so many so

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many weaknesses and so many flaws and so many insufficiencies that the church is

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progressing the church is evolving the church is always changing the gospel

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Jesus Christ doesn't change right and the doctrine the doctrine does right

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yep to be specific God is unchangeable right the redemption and the plan of

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redemption right there's no tweaks there's no tweaks or backups or any

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changes in that plan and that's where I choose to focus my testimony and my

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faith I don't have my faith based on policies and procedures my my faith is

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in the the Godhead and my my love and trust in them so I just that's that's

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what it comes down to so I you know we could talk again about our identity I

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that's Roman numeral number C under this part of the outline constant

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companionship of the Holy Ghost by the way that's a completely unique term to

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the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints quote constant companionship of

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the Holy Ghost nobody else talks about constant companionship of the Holy Ghost

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in any other church or religion that that appears one time in the scriptures

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in doctrine come in section 121 and we believe he's our constant companion if

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you have the gift of the Holy Ghost he is our constant companion I take that

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pretty literally Scott and as we've talked about before on here I used to

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I used to believe as a young missionary it was really hard to get the spirit

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really easy to lose the spirit I'm completely flip-flopped on that it's

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really hard for me to lose the spirit and it's really easy for me to get him

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back I know he wants to be with me I know he seeks and desires to be with me

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he wants to help me and I have to really be stubborn and insolent to do to

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really lose him to to brush him off and not not follow him I I'm sure that you

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know my life's evolved and changed as well and that's just where I'm at in my

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life Roman numeral number E our ability to worship the Father Son and the Holy

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Ghost I've all deepened in my mind and my heart have been strengthened because

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of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I know what it means to

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invoke the name of Jesus Christ I know the difference between having faith in

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Jesus and having faith in the name of Jesus I've learned that that's been a

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much of that's been an important part of my study of the gospel is the

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difference between faith in in Jesus and faith in the name of Jesus and it's

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pretty clear in the scriptures that were redeemed by faith in the name of

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Jesus Christ which includes his covenants his ordinances anyway number

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and earned not number but F in joint confidence in the presence of God and

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knowing by covenant my standing before him as a joint heir with Christ oh man

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that's a that's a temple line right there because of the house of the Lord

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and the ordinances in the house of the Lord Scott we have a special relationship

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with God we have president Nelson said a special love with him a special

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relationship with him because of Hesed the Hebrew word Hesed which there's no

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really English equivalent to translate except maybe has Tyndale translated it

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into loving kindness this loving tenderness this this special binding

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a father's love yeah that we have with with the father right because of entering

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into covenants with him right I read something there they said God loves all

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of his children the same now I know God loves all his children but believe me

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not all of them are in the same standing and I'm not judging or condemning

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anyone I'm just I'm just saying that it's true for parents all parents with

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children at different times in your family life there are some children who

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you just feel closer to than others yeah and it has and it's not based on whether

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you love them or not no you you you do love them and you love all of them and

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you love them unconditionally but it doesn't mean that you feel the same

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relationship with them you know what I mean oh totally yeah totally and this is

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an important I think concept for us to to kind of understand because you know in

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the past we have talked about how our relationships are similar to with God or

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similar to our relationships with fathers here I mean we have we have that

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understanding of family relationships because of the experience we get to have

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here and I and I get that I have kids Deb and I have seven children we have

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sixteen grandchildren and you know we do love them all the same we'd go to the

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wall for any single one of them but but again depending on their walk in life

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depending on just a lot of different things those relationships are sometimes

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a little more trying if I dare say that you know sometimes they're a little

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more difficult a little more tense than other times and it's not because of the

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way I feel that hasn't changed but but but maybe it has more to do with what I

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see as potential that's not being realized right and I think that that may be

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part of our heavenly father's experience to to to know by covenant that you are a

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joint heir with Christ right that you've taken upon yourself the name yeah really

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I mean it's just so easy to say that but that is just so deep of a thought and

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doctrine Scott to to know what it means to take upon yourself the name of Jesus

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Christ as a joint heir with Christ a joint heir Paul talks about that you

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know in the Romans chapter 8 you know he says something like this I'm just

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paraphrasing the Spirit speaks to our spirit the spirit bears witness that we

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can cry out Abba father daddy that we have this kind of a we have a relationship

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a close relationship and and that we are heirs and if heirs then joint heirs I'm

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gonna look that up sorry Romans chapter 8 I just that's what I think it comes

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down to and we talk about a covenant relationship and it's clear that the

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early church understood this and that the role of ordinances and covenants it's

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in Romans chapter 8 verse 14 through 17 Scott you want to read those yeah you

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bet for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God for you

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have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but you have received the

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Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father the Spirit itself bears witness

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unto our spirits that we are the children of God and if children then heirs heirs

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of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may

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also be glorified together I love that what do you love about that every

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everything about it is what I love you know I've been reading again recently in

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King Benjamin you know in and Mosiah chapter 8 you know where they took upon

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them his name and they became his sons and daughters

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five part of his family Mosiah 5 part of his family you know they became part of

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Christ's family by taking upon them his name and I just love that because you

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know through that through I mean we again going back many many episodes go

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we talked about what's in the name you know and what that what entitlements come

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just from having a certain name the entitlements that come by taking upon us

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the name of Christ there's no promises that can out that can outshine those

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promises they're just not there and to even put it that way seems a little bit

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you know I don't know irreverent to even mention it that way but but there are

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no there are no promises greater than that yeah well you know all the human

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family Scott let's yeah let's just talk through this for a minute all the human

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family are sons and daughters of God right spirit yeah spirit sons and

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daughters of God but being a spirit son and daughter of God is not the same

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thing as being a covenant son or daughter of God and the Church of Jesus

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Christ of Latter-day Saints is all about being a covenant spiritual not just

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spirit covenant spiritual child of God through Christ by the covenants and

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ordinances we receive baptism priesthood house of the Lord we become joint heirs

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with Christ and enter into the presence as covenant children of God and that's

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what Paul's really referring to here is it's not it's not enough just to be a

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spirit son or daughter of God it's being covenant children of God right yeah

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and the and the promises that are attached to that are just being of

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Abraham yeah Isaac and Jacob the new and the everlasting covenant there's no

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other there's no other church Scott that really understands the the new and

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everlasting covenant like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that

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ancient prophets have returned to the earth Elijah Elias Moses and others who

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have restored keys priesthood keys that allow us to receive the same ordinances

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and covenants and blessings of Abraham Isaac and Jacob that's why I choose to

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00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:17,000
stay I choose to stay because I want to be in the covenant I want to be on the

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covenant path and I know that it's real I I I know that God has always that's the

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pattern of God that it that he has not changed since Adam and Eve made covenants

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with him and made sacrifice to him and throughout throughout the history of

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this world it is very clear that there is a difference in being a child of

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God and being a covenant child of God yeah and so here's some of those here's

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some of those differences I'm gonna go back to mosaic chapter 5 and I'm gonna

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start at towards the end of verse 6 you have spoken the words which I desired in

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the covenant which you have made as a righteous covenant okay and now in verse

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7 and now because of this covenant which he have made ye shall be called the

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children of Christ his sons and his daughters for behold this day he has

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spiritually begotten you for ye say unto your hearts are changed through faith on

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his name therefore you're born of him and have become his sons and daughters and

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I think that's wonderful but here's here's what we get from that and

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understand oh excuse me and under this head ye are made free yeah you are made

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free free from what and there is no other head where for you can be made you

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have a relationship exactly free from what so you know we come here again

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going back many episodes we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve and how we are

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subject to the effects of the fall both spiritually and physically and all of

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00:49:56,680 --> 00:50:02,040
the effects that that just really separate us from being able to have

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heavenly father and his spirit in our lives and last we take upon us the name

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of Christ and bear his name that we become free free from what not

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completely maybe but freer from the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve free

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from the separation the spiritual death free from the torments that can come to

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us physically because of the physical death sometimes even free through

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free through miraculous change because of his power made available to us through

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his atonement and through the authority which was restored all of those things

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testify and free us from a fallen world yeah freedom liberty liberty I love that

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Scott and that's what it's all about and spiritual did you notice the word

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spiritual yeah in verse 7 spiritual sons and daughters of Jesus Christ because

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we've taken upon ourselves his name and you know what I when I think of the

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the commandment did not take upon her did not take the Lord's the Lord's the

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Lord God's name in vain however that's fourth commandment is stated I think

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about it's the covenant that they're really talking about it's not just

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swearing or cursing or or how you say the name it's what you do with the name

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and how you see your relationship with God and what you do with his name it's

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just it's a really sacred part of my of my worship and my my belief and faith

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00:51:44,440 --> 00:51:51,000
Scott is is that I know that I am a covenant son of of God I'm not just a

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spirit son of God I am a covenant child and son of God and there's a there's

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00:51:57,240 --> 00:52:02,120
another great scripture on this it just came into my mind in third Nephi so let

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00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:07,160
me let's just turn there real quick 30 5 20 I think in third Nephi chapter 20

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00:52:07,160 --> 00:52:12,280
verses 24 this is Jesus speaking by the way so this these are the words of

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00:52:12,280 --> 00:52:22,120
Christ so there really makes it even more precious 30 5 20 I'll read 24 barely I

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00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:26,680
say unto you yay and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after

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00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:34,120
as many as have spoken have testified of me and behold ye are the children of

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the prophets ye are of the house of Israel and ye are of the covenant which

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00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:49,120
the father made with your fathers saying unto Abraham and in thy seed shall all

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00:52:49,120 --> 00:52:55,200
the kindreds of the earth be blessed verse 26 I love this the father having

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00:52:55,200 --> 00:53:02,800
raised me up Christ up unto you first and sent me to bless you in turning away

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00:53:02,800 --> 00:53:12,200
every one of you from his iniquities and this because ye are the children of the

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00:53:12,200 --> 00:53:14,800
covenant

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00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:23,440
Scott there is no place else on earth where I can be a child of the covenant

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00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:30,120
then in the church of Jesus Christ and that's what the restoration of the

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00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:36,360
gospel of Jesus Christ is all about for me it's it's really this is the heart of

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00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:43,320
it it's it's not about the organization it's not about it's not about I'm not

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00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:47,640
I'm not criticizing or anything else I'm not making light I'm not demeaning

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00:53:47,640 --> 00:53:52,160
anything it's not about whether whether I have the priest or I don't have the

494
00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:58,080
priest is not about it's not about the organization it's not about the Relief

495
00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:03,480
Society or young man or young women or primary it's not about a well award

496
00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:07,760
counsel or it's not about the organization or all the meetings or all

497
00:54:07,760 --> 00:54:13,600
the activities or all the policies or all the procedures or whether these

498
00:54:13,600 --> 00:54:18,960
people can do that or these people can do this it's it's not about that to me

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00:54:18,960 --> 00:54:26,680
it's not about that it comes down to one thing and that is I know that I can be a

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00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:31,920
child of the covenant that's what it's about and that I'm a child not just of

501
00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:42,040
God the Father I'm a spirit son of God but I'm a spiritual son of Christ born

502
00:54:42,040 --> 00:54:48,600
again yep by the Holy Spirit yep yep and we've taken his name upon us and

503
00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:57,280
every week we recovon it to always remember him and to take his name upon

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00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:01,080
us still as we keep his commandments align our will with him and all those

505
00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:09,280
other things yeah and if that if that's our focus okay where are you gonna go

506
00:55:09,280 --> 00:55:15,720
just as a reminder of John chapter 6 when Jesus had taught some doctrine to

507
00:55:15,720 --> 00:55:21,160
those around him and the 12 were with him and the 12 those around him found it

508
00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:27,480
hard to to accept and we're leaving and and Jesus said to his disciples he said

509
00:55:27,480 --> 00:55:34,480
unto the 12 this is verse 67 in chapter 6 of John then said Jesus unto the 12 we

510
00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:40,440
also go away and then Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go

511
00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:45,920
thou hast the words of eternal life that's what it's about eternal life

512
00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:53,840
amen which is to know God and Jesus Christ who he has said right and really

513
00:55:53,840 --> 00:55:59,480
know them well and we could go down a long road with that as well but let's

514
00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:04,520
just suffice it to say that it is our invitation to as we go through this week

515
00:56:04,520 --> 00:56:11,200
in front of us to come to know them even deeper with even a greater commitment

516
00:56:11,200 --> 00:56:16,560
in our hearts to follow our Heavenly Father's will and apply that into our

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00:56:16,560 --> 00:56:19,960
lives we're grateful for each one of you for being with us today we hope you have

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a great week and until we're together again be well