Around and about the Centre Place
By High Priest Paul Gage, Independence,
Missouri
Blessings and greetings to the dear saints in
Australia. Can you believe how quickly time
seems to be speeding past? With all the
conditions throughout the world, there appears
to be indications that God is hastening things to
save the very elect. Jesus told his disciples in
Matthew 24:18-20:
“For then, in those days, shall be great
tribulations on the Jews and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, such as was not before
sent upon Israel, of God, since the beginning of
their kingdom until this time, no, nor ever shall
be sent again upon Israel. All things which
have befallen them are only the beginning of
the sorrows which shall come upon them; and
except those days should be shortened, there
should none of their flesh be saved. But for the
elect's sake, according to the covenant, those
days shall be shortened.”
Although this indicates it is about the Jews, it
certainly seems that the days are being
shortened. The question we might ask
ourselves is “am I one of the elect?” I believe
that this statement does not refer to ‘being
elected,’ but rather to the fact that we elect or
choose to obey God’s commandments and
follow Jesus, who is ‘the Way, the Truth and
the Life.’ To follow him in every aspect of our
existence is not just in word only. We are to
be doers of the word and not just hearers
only. This is the daily calling to each of us regardless of where we live. I can assure you, life as it is, is no easier in the Centre Place than many (if not all) other places in the world. June takes us into the summer months here in
the USA. The time for many retreats, reunions
and camps. All the usual such events are
planned and should take place as scheduled.
Centre Place Restoration School has completed
its 32nd year of operation. The enrolment was
very good this year. You can visit their website
https://cprsgoldeneagles.com/ for all the latest
news.
The Pastors of Zion will conduct their annual
“Summer Series” Sunday night services at
Waldo Avenue Restoration Branch from 9 June
to 11 August 2024. The services will be live
streamed.
The Conference of Restoration Elders held a
good conference in April and is already
working on plans for the trip to Kirtland on 22-
23 September 2024. They have received
approval from the LDS church who recently
purchased the Temple.
Several Restoration Branches have been
meeting for three years in joint services on the
first Sunday and third Wednesday night of
each month. The services, as a whole, have
been good.
The missionary work continues in some areas
with missionaries recently having gone to
Australia, Germany and Africa. Many saints in
parts of Africa are suffering major disasters
due to excessive flooding. Please keep
them in your prayers. God bless.
Job – Trials and faith
By Elder Murray Broughton, Kelvin View
Branch, Euroa, Victoria
Job 1:6-8 “Now there was a day when the
children of God came to present themselves
before the Lord, and satan came also among
them. And the Lord said unto satan, Whence
comest thou? Then satan answered the Lord
and said, From going to and fro in the earth
and from walking up and down in it. And the
Lord said unto satan, Hast thou considered my
servant Job, that there is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God and escheweth evil?”
What a long way we all have to go to be called
‘none like him in the earth, a perfect and an
upright man.’
Job 1:18-19 “While he was yet speaking, there
came also another and said, Thy sons and thy
daughters were eating and drinking wine in
their eldest brother's house; And behold, there
came a great wind from the wilderness and
smote the four corners of the house; and it fell
upon the young men, and they are dead; and I
only am escaped alone to tell thee.”
Job didn’t just lose his family, he continued to
lose his servants, and his camels and sheep,
which were his sources of food and money.
Job 2:7-10 “So went satan forth from the
presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore
boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself
withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then
said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain
thine integrity? Curse God and die. But he said
unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish
women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good
at the hand of God, and shall we not receive
evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
As Job’s wife tempts him to curse God, he
resisted sinning with his lips.
Job 14:14 “If a man die, shall he live again? All
the days of my appointed time will I wait till
my change come.”
Job had a faith, and trials can bring us closer to
God or drive us away. We are here because we
believe Jesus is going to come and there will be
no more pain and suffering. All shall be done
away.
Job 19:19-27 “All my inward friends abhorred
me; and they whom I loved are turned against
me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my
flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my
teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me,
O ye, my friends, for the hand of God hath
touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God
and are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh, that
my words were now written! Oh, that they
were printed in a book! That they were graven
with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever!
For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that
he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth;
And though after my skin worms destroy this
body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, Whom I
shall see for myself; and mine eyes shall
behold, and not another, though my reins be
consumed within me.”
Have you thought about the things you have
had to face? Have you suffered pain or
affliction? I think we all have. I remember being
in terrible pain one morning and brother
Neville took me into Shepparton and I felt
every bump in the road. I thank God. Even the
prophets of old faced the same things as we,
Job certainly did. Things have been said against
us within God’s church, while we are here in
the latter days, which the scriptures have
prophesised about. Because he loves, we shall
live also. With gratitude we thank you, Lord for
all.
The when and where of worship
By Chris Hartshorn, Let Us Worship, 1946
A person may worship his creator while far
away from other people. He may develop his
faculties so that he can commune with God best
when no human sounds break in on his
meditations. The experiences of Moses, of
Elijah, and of Joseph Smith seem to furnish
ample proof of this.
However, it seems quite evident that with the
great majority the worship experience does not
take place in isolation. It is a social act. Many
men believe in prayer who never pray – unless
they are scared. So also scripture reading is
neglected almost to the vanishing point by
many professed Christians who have passed
their teens. As for hymns and other sacred
music, a still smaller number are prepared to
use these acceptably in worship.
Since the days of radio, an increasing number
of persons are excusing their presence from
church by saying that they can worship just as
acceptably at home or in the woods. The
testimony of their friends who know them is
the best answer to this that can be given. It
simply is they don’t. Two good reasons may be
given for this failure: They won’t take time;
they don’t know how to do a job worthy of the
name of worship.
People need help to carry on worship
experience. The place and time are not limiting
factors, but it is important that they have the
help of materials and kindred spirits. “For
where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them”
(Matthew 18:20). This blessed assurance is for
those who make the effort to gather in his
name. Experience teaches that even then we
shall reap only what we sow. The communion
of saints will be ours only to the degree that
we participate. Worship is a social act. There
are no special rewards for onlookers and for
bystanders. Are you willing to help kindle the
Holy fire?
Conscience is said to be a creature of education.
Some people ‘go to church every time the door
is open.’ Others seem to be satisfied with
attendance at the monthly communion service
only. It has been said that some have rationed
their devotional services to Christmas and
Easter.
It is quite evident that there is a soul hunger
which grows by what it is fed on. By
substituting the wrong food, the tastes become
perverted, and the mind or nervous system
demands stimulations of another character. A
normal spiritual growth needs a steady
balanced diet. Morning and evening devotions
in private or family devotions. A system of
balancing our ‘secret prayers’ and family
worship will likely bring the best results.
Wednesday night for our ‘prayers in public,’
and Sunday for the day of rest and worship, to
‘offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto
the Most High’ works out the best balance for
the saints who have made the greatest
contributions to the church.
Matthew 6:6 “But when thou prayest, enter into
thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door,
pray to thy Father who is in secret.”
When the boy, Joseph Smith Jr had his
remarkable experience in prayer in which the
Father and Son appeared to him, he retired to
the woods to pray.
Some of our older members have established
seating habits so that they find their most
satisfactory worship experiences by sitting in
the same pews each time they go to church.
Elder Glaud Rodger was in the habit of
climbing up a steep hill every morning at Glen
Forbes, Victoria, Australia. The folks where
he was staying did not know why he made that
morning trip. After he left for America, they
found these verses on the table. They climbed
the hill and found Brother Rodger had built an
altar of stones.
Farewell thou sacred spot of thought,
I ne’er shall see thee more.
My home’s beyond that rolling sea,
On a fair and distant shore.
Think of me, dear friends, who liveth near,
When this pile of stones you see:
For by its side, in solemn prayer
Thy friend remembered thee.
What does Ephesians 3 say?
By Elder Mark Churchill, Independence, MO
Ephesians 3 is both Paul’s ministry to the
Gentiles, and a prayer for the spiritual power of
the Ephesians.
1 For this cause, I, Paul, am the prisoner of
Jesus Christ among you Gentiles. 2 For the
dispensation of the grace of God which is given
me to you- ward;
Paul calls himself a “prisoner of Jesus Christ”
because he is constrained through his covenant
to serve Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles. It is
widely believed Paul was being held by Nero at
this time and was most likely chained in a
prison, yet he expressed he was constrained by
Jesus. Paul knew God could deliver him in an
instant and was focused on the service of his
risen Saviour. What a lesson for us to ponder.
3 As ye have heard that by revelation he made
known unto me the mystery of Christ; as I
wrote before in few words;
Paul studied under Gamaial and his
understanding of scripture was very sharp.
Paul wants us to unconditionally offer all we
think, have, and are, being 100% aligned to
God’s will. This means coming to the fullness of
the stature of Christ, in spiritual height and
size, and then perfection. Like Paul, when we
do this, the Lord reveals himself unto us. Paul
is sharing by revelation because he was made
privy to the mystery of Christ.
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand
my knowledge in the mystery of Christ,
In Mark 4:10, Christ says “Unto you it is given
to know the mystery of the kingdom of God;
but unto them that are without, all things are
done in parables”. How we manage our gifts,
knowledge, and responsibilities is important to
God. Matthew 13:11 warns “but whosoever
continueth not to receive, from him shall be
taken away even that he hath”. This is true also
in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
Verse 30 reads “But from him that hath not
obtained other talents shall be taken away even
that which he hath received.”
5 Which in other ages was not made known
unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto
his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
The veil was rent and the new law instituted,
giving us access to the father through Christ
Jesus. The Holy Ghost works with the children
of the covenant, empowering the church from
on high.
6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and
of the same body, and partakers of his promise
in Christ by the gospel; 7 Whereof I was made a
minister, according to the gift of the grace of
God given unto me by the effectual working of
his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the
least of all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ;
The core purpose of grace is for the blessing of
God and his cause. We are not to consume our
gifts and knowledge by following our own
desires. God is looking for increase in all he
extends to us.
9 And to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ; 10 To the
intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by
the church the manifold wisdom of God,
We are to be vessels unto honour in Christ and
be about His work through edification.
Ephesians 6:12 enlightens us on the mystery
“for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Philippians 4:13 encourages us to “do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
11 According to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;
Our vision must expand like Enoch’s in order to
see God’s ‘eternal purpose’.
12 In whom we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of Him.
We must develop our faith to be able to see
Christ’s grand vision through our agency and
sacrifices, just as Paul did. What do you truly
have to give to God that was not given to you
by God? Only in the things you choose to
sacrifice do you come close to giving a gift back
to God. However, even in this, it is Christ who
strengthens us. We are eternally indebted to
our Heavenly Father and his son Christ Jesus.
They provide life itself, pay for our repented
sins, give us strength, grace, mercy, and
blessings. The list is truly endless, and lovingly
mostly one sided. How are you going to vote,
by the way you live and act in Christ? Moroni is
very sure of the two different outcomes in
Mormon 4:26:
“And he that shall breathe out wrath and strifes
against the work of the Lord and against the
covenant people of the Lord, who are the house of Israel, and shall say, We will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel, the same is in danger
to be hewn down and cast into the fire; for the
eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on until
all his promises shall be fulfilled.”
13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my
tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For
this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, Let us arise in the new man of Christ, exercising ‘confidence by the faith’ and
boldness to fulfill the ‘fellowship of the
mystery’, as Paul does here.
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named, 16 That he would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man;
Mighty strength in spirit is the blessing we
receive for developing our faith. Who of us
would not accept an opportunity like this to be
a co-worker with Christ and enjoy his
fellowship? Only those who do not understand
the mysteries of Christ. Their ‘heavenly
understanding’ is vacant.
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in
love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fullness of God.
The key to life is Christ dwelling in our hearts.
We are unlearned and need to surrender to the
pattern within scripture, not continue with our
learned ways of enlightenment without the
fruit of Christ. The ever learning are never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2
Timothy 3:1-7 and 9-11 says this best:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come. For men shall be lovers of
their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God, Having a form of godliness,
but denying the power thereof. From such turn
away. For of this sort are they which creep into
houses and lead captive silly women laden
with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever
learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth... But they shall
proceed no further; for their folly shall be
manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. But
thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of
life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity,
patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came
unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What
persecutions I endured! But out of them all the
Lord delivered me.”
We are told over and over that it is necessary to
completely surrender our will to Christ. 1 Cor
1:30 “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of
God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption.” 1 Cor 3:1 “And I, brethren, could
not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as
unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ”. 1
Cor 4:10 “We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye
are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are
strong; ye are honourable, but we are
despised.”
3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, 21
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The love of Christ is an amazing thing which I
hope you have experienced. We become like
Christ and the Father through the fire/refining
process. Have you considered just where this
true Holy charity is looking to resolve, clean
and reside? Take a moment now to pause and
think where. We must embrace this change by
the ‘power that worketh’ by allowing the Holy Ghost to reform our desires through a core change deep within our hearts. This is by the process of repenting of even the smallest of our poor desires and actions.
The Scattered Saints
The Art of Prayer
A prayer is not a monologue,
It takes two responsive beings.
A dialogue between two mates,
Sharing thoughts and hurts and feelings.
Deep personal relationships,
he desires to have with all.
Distant absolute majesties,
are not in His Holy bible!
Prayer should not be mechanical,
repetitive, nor procedure.
While uncomfortable, we should trade,
these with personal disclosure.
Love grows by sharing who we are,
with two way communication.
Healed, renewed, able to love all,
the art’s knowing how to listen.
Prayer List
Please uphold in prayer our brothers and
sisters Ron and Jan Mitchell, Patty Fulton,
Neville and Del Churchill, Kimberly Exron,
Carol Byers, Norman Walker, and Reg Davis.
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