From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 10/26/2018
Dear Ones,
We express our love for God by loving our neighbors. “If a man say, I love God, and hateth [does not love] his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also” (1 John 4:20-21). In other words, the two great commandments actually become one. We cannot love God without loving our neighbors.
The second of the great commandments is: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:38 IV; 22:39 KJV). This is a very difficult commandment for most of us to keep. We tend to be self-serving, instead of being the servant of others. Jesus said, “whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister. And whosoever of you will be the chiefest [greatest], shall be servant of all” (Mark 10:43-44). “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 1:49).
A great reward is promised to those who serve their fellow men. “. . . I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me; I was sick and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in; or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25: 36-41 IV; 25: 35-40 KJV). The righteous shall inherit “life eternal” (Matthew 25:47).
The greatest service we can render to our neighbors is to introduce them to Jesus; the source of abundant life. He said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
Quite often, however, before we will have an opportunity to introduce Jesus and his everlasting gospel, the immediate physical and temporal needs of our neighbors must be met. We need to be ever alert to see the unseen troubles and concerns of our daily acquaintances. We may have our own cares with which to deal making it difficult to see the needs of others.
Our branches and congregations should have a reputation for being friendly and caring. The saints of the Sinamangal Restoration Branch in Kathmandu, Nepal, have proven themselves to be a people who care. During my visit at the branch in 2012, several shared their testimonies with me. Among them was Sita Baral. Sita is a widow with a 16 year old son. She is very concerned about her son’s education, knowing that in the future he will be her only means of support. Sita told me her sad story. Her husband was killed by a hit and run driver and his body was not identified for 26 days! During that period she didn’t know what had happened to him. Sita and her son had no shelter or bed, and very little to eat during this difficult time. When her husband’s body was finally identified and she was notified, she entered the 13 day Hindu mourning fast. So for 39 days she had very little to eat. She went to a church to get help, but no one offered to assist her until she found the Sinamangal Restoration Branch. She said she and her son have been richly blessed since their baptisms. In addition to being blessed in physical ways, they have received love from the saints and have been given the strength and hope of the gospel. They have found Jesus, who is “able to succor them” (Hebrews 2:18). She often requests administration for her son, Sanjeev, and herself.
My Love to All,
Francis Harper
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Becoming Good Neighbors
The second of the great commandments is “Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:38 IV; 22:39 KJV). A lawyer asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:30 IV; 10:29 KJV). Jesus answered this question by relating the parable of the good Samaritan. Every person we meet is a potential neighbor. It is not likely the man who fell among thieves was acquainted with the Samaritan who befriended him. The Lord is the friend of every person on earth. He invites “all to come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female. And he remembereth the heathen, and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 11:113-115). The final words of the parable of the good Samaritan were: “Go, and do likewise.” In other words, we should be a good neighbor to every person; black or white, bond or free, male or female.
How many of us are good neighbors? Have we ever passed by persons who have been spiritually or emotionally wounded? Have we been so busy we did not notice them? Perhaps we noticed them but were unwilling to spend the time and effort it would take to help them? What will it take to qualify us as good neighbors? Jesus was a blessing to every person he met.
I was privileged to be a member of the Restoration Branch [RLDS] at Ames, Iowa, during the early 1950’s. I recall saying to the people there, “I would not hesitate to invite any person, even the President of the U.S.A., or the Queen of England, to join us in our gatherings for worship and fellowship. I was confident all would be blessed because the Holy Spirit was there. I presently attend the Woodbine, Iowa, Restoration Branch. A recent guest said to me after attending a Sunday morning service with us; “There is passion here.”
Following Isaiah’s experience at the temple in Jerusalem, wherein he saw the Lord, he heard the voice of the Lord, saying “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:1-8). Obviously, Isaiah fulfilled his commission to deliver the Lord’s message to the people of his nation; his neighbors.
Enos had a similar experience when he went to hunt beasts in the forest. He said: “And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul . . . and there came a voice unto me saying, Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed . . . Now, it came to pass that when I heard these words, I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren . . .” (Enos 1:5-12).
There’s a pattern for us in the experiences of Isaiah and Enos. In the presence of the Lord we recognize our need for his forgiveness. When we come to him with humble and contrite hearts seeking his forgiveness, he will forgive us. “Yea, and as often as my people repent, will I forgive them their trespasses against me” (Mosiah 11:139). After the cleansing we can be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will “feel a desire for the welfare of our brethren.” We will be good neighbors!
I will never forget my experience at a Lord’s Supper Service I attended as a student at Iowa State. I thought I was a pretty good guy until the Holy Spirit touched my heart during this hour of worship. After my heart became broken and contrite, I felt what I described as “a glorious release;” a sense of a cleansing and forgiveness of my sins. I was filled with love, peace and joy.
After this blessed hour, I went to work as the cashier at the Memorial Union Cafeteria. During the days preceding my encounter with the Holy Spirit, my mind was so occupied with my own concerns that I hardly noticed the people passing by, except to collect their cash! But now I noticed I was sincerely interested in each person as they stopped for a moment to pay for their food. I do not know if they noticed a difference in me, but I sure did! Within an hour, I had become a caring neighbor! When we are filled with the Spirit this invariably happens; we become good neighbors.
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