From: Francis Harper
wbfrmsup@iowatelecom.net
Francis Harper Message for 8/2/2019
Dear Ones,
I have a beloved brother in Christ who lives in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. We became acquainted at the first “Barn Reunion,” which was held in 1997. Christians from many areas and denominations attended these reunions.
“Brother Victor” had been a communist, and an alcoholic before his conversion. His wife Barbara had asked him for a divorce as a Christmas gift one year! During their visit at our home earlier this year, Victor told me that one of his former drinking buddies had asked him to come to his place to do some welding for him. As they were traveling to do the welding, Victor had a captive audience so he began to witness of Jesus. His friend became agitated by this and said with some disgust; “Don’t give me any of this Jesus stuff, you used to be normal, like the rest of us.” His friend did not realize he was complimenting Brother Victor! Being “normal” in today’s world, is less than what the Lord expects of us.
I urge you to be different; peculiar. John wrote: “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2). If we become like Jesus, we may be ridiculed by some of our neighbors but this should not deter us from striving to be more like him every day.
Lehi, a prophet who lived in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity was given a vision in which he saw some people who had partaken of the good fruit of the tree of life who “cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.” And Lehi beheld “a great and spacious building . . . and it was filled with people . . . and their manner of dress was exceeding fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come . . . and were partaking of the fruit. And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those who were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost . . . And great was the multitude that did enter that strange [great and spacious] building. And after they did enter that building they did point the finger of scorn at me, and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not . . . for as many as heeded them had fallen away” (1 Nephi 2:70-84).
Our granddaughter Whitney, had two spiritual dreams in 2011. She was only 15 at that time. In the first dream she was in a shopping mall with some of her friends. She also saw a person there who was dressed in a white flowing robe. She recognized that it was Jesus. In the second dream she was in the same mall but she was not accompanied by her friends. But the person dressed in white was there. She interpreted the dream to mean that your friends may abandon you but the Lord never will! He is the friend that “sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). “What a friend we have in Jesus.” He is our best friend!
Whitney was comforting a friend Hannah, who was weeping. Hannah was often bullied due to her Christian faith and daily walk. As a result of her compassionate concern for her friend, whom other girls habitually picked on, Whitney was called a “traitor.” This experience prompted her to put a message on Face Book, February 8, 2012, saying, “I will stand for right, even if I have to stand alone. I hate to see people hurting, and seeing people do nothing about it. Well, that is not me! I’m gonna try to make a difference in peoples’ lives even if I’m standing alone without my friends, because really, I am not alone, because God is always with me.” “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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Becoming A Peculiar and Sanctified People
“Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. . . . and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 13:4; 14:2).
The Lord’s people will always be a minority and a minority is powerless if it conforms with the majority. Only by becoming peculiar, will the children of God fulfill their calling. Paul wrote, “I beseech [plead, beg] you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, . . . be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [know] what that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is” (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul counseled: “. . . ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them; and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).
In a latter day revelation, God’s people were admonished: “Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon (Doctrine and Covenants 108:4-b).
God does not call us to a monastic lifestyle, or to live in a monastery! We are called to be in the world, but not of it. There were saints even “in Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4:22). Being in the world and not of it is a mighty challenge for the humble followers of Christ. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her [Babylon], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).
Far too often we are not the peculiar people we are called to be! We tend to be like the chameleon, blending in with the world around us. If we were accused and taken to court for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict us?
Are we like the salt that has lost it’s savor? Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor, wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall thence be good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:15 IV; 15:13 KJV). The Lord is counting on his peculiar people to be the salt of the earth.
Heaven forbid that we become as the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the days of Jesus, who called “themselves of the Holy City but they did not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of hosts” (1 Nephi 6:9). They did not rely upon God for his strength and wisdom. And when he [Jesus] was come near, he beheld the city [Jerusalem], and wept over it” (Luke 19:40 IV; 19:41 KJV).
Let us be as the more humble part of the people in the days of Helaman, son of Alma, He wrote: The more humble part of people “did fast and pray oft, and did grow stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 2:31).
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