From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 3/29/2019
Dear Ones,
In the summer of 1991, two sliced stones were found on our reunion grounds which is located near Little Sioux, Iowa. We call it A Holy Place. One of the stones has five slices, the other has seven. The two sliced stones shaped like small loaves of bread were found lying on the surface of the ground. Although both stones were sliced, the slices were still intact, a miracle in itself.
These unique stones testify of Jesus; the Bread of Life. The stones are crying out as Jesus said in Luke 19:39-40. Jesus fed five thousand with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:9-13). On another occasion he fed 4000 with seven loaves and a few little fish (Matthew 15:32). He is the Bread of Life.
On August 6, 1997, I accompanied a group of young people on a pilgrimage to the Sacred Grove at Palmyra, New York. This is the place of the first vision of Joseph Smith, Jr., which he received in the early spring of 1820. It was here that Joseph saw two personages one pointing to the other, saying, “This is my beloved Son, hear him” (History of the Church, Vol. 1, page 9). It was the same voice that spoke out of a cloud to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matthew 17:4-5).
While we were in the Sacred Grove, Wesley Swift, age 15, asked me to come with him to look at a pile of rocks. Wesley seemed to be curiously interested in these rocks. I wondered why? Later I realized it was the Holy Spirit that had prompted his interest. I decided to walk to the top of the pile to take a closer look. As I stood on the top of the rocks, I looked down and saw an unusual, flat gray stone protruding above the rest. With a little effort I was able to pull it free. I was surprised when I discovered another naturally sliced stone like the ones found at our reunion grounds back in Iowa!
The stone I was led to find at the Sacred Grove of Palmyra had only two slices that fit together like two pieces of sliced bread.
I held in my hand replicas of the tables of stone given to Moses on Mount Sinai.” And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of testimony were in his hand; the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written” (Exodus 32:15).
The first four of the Ten Commandments speak of our relationship with God (Love the Lord is engraved on the back of the stone on the left). The last six deal with our relationship with our neighbor (Love thy neighbor is engraved on the back of the stone on the right).
Jesus was asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:35-40).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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The Great Commandments
“Then one of them, a lawyer, tempting him, asked, saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:34-39 IV; 22:35-40 KJV).
John, the beloved apostle, seems to be the ultimate authority on love, which is the supreme virtue we need to seek. Without love in our hearts we cannot keep the great commandments. The Scriptures clearly indicate that John loved Jesus more than any of the others of the twelve. During the last supper, Jesus said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked on one another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?” (John 13:21-25).
Apparently John never left Jesus’ side at any time during the Lord’s final hours. John was with Jesus in the palace of the high priest while “Peter stood at the door without” (John 18:15). John was standing by the cross, as the death of Jesus drew near. “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy Mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27).
Keeping the great commandments requires us to love God and neighbor. Having love for God and neighbor in our hearts should be one of our highest priorities. The natural man loves himself. As it is written: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, for ever and ever; But if he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child . . . ” (Mosiah 1:119-120).
Many years ago, I heard a minister say: “It takes years to build a man of God who loves his fellow-man.” I have learned that in the presence of the Holy Spirit, within an hour, or even within minutes, we can be filled with love for our God and neighbor. The key is to “always have his Spirit” with us! (Moroni 4:4).
While teaching at a Sr. High camp a few years ago, I asked, “Have any of you felt the presence of the Holy Spirit? One person raised a hand. Next I asked, “How did you know it was the Holy Spirit? The answer given was: “I felt a celestial love for people.” Is there a better answer? Enos wrote: “I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren” (Enos 1:12). John wrote: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren, He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14).
I may pray, “Lord, I love you,” but if I do not love my brothers and sisters, I am a liar! “If a man say, I love God, and hateth [does not love] his brother, he is a liar . . . ( 1 John 4:20).
If we keep the second great commandment we have kept the first! In reality the only way I can prove my love for God is by loving you! This is similar to that which was said by King Benjamin: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 1:48).
It can be truthfully said, when you love your fellow-beings, you also love your God.
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