From: James Hobbs
Pastor's comments in Waldo’s May Newsletter
1Nephi 3:224 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters;
225 And she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
226 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters;
227 Nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth;
228 And their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
229 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together in multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
230 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth;
231 And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
232 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon the great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth,
Today the influence of the great and abominable church is upon all the face of the earth and among every nation, kindred, tongues, and people upon the face of the earth. We are feeling that influence much stronger in the US since the election. The Gospel has been spread to most every nation on the earth either through radio, TV or in person. In verse 229 it says she did gather together in multitudes to fight against the Lamb of God. We in the United States are beginning to feel the effects of that fight. The scripture Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Does one purpose and one heart have anything to do with one accord? Doesn’t one accord mean they were all seeking the same thing? In the book of Acts chapters 1&2 they were expecting that new leader. I am not sure they were expecting the new leader in the way it happened but they knew it was the new leader when it happened. You and I think we want the endowment but we are not sure how it will happen and some will not accept it if it happens in the way it happened in the book of Acts because of our experiences with the charismatic churches. And so there is the statement ‘some fear that Satan will introduce false gifts and they will be deceived.’ Then the Lord asks the question ‘Have I walked with you all this time and you do not know (or trust) My Spirit? I wonder how the saints felt when they gathered in the Kirtland Temple at its dedication and they heard the mighty rushing wind. What was their response? They only received a partial of the promise given them. The point I am trying to get across is that all of the 2001st century Church members came expecting to receive a new leader, the Holy Spirit, whoever He was. They had heard Jesus talk about Him often, but they had never experienced Him. On Pentecost they finally knew what Jesus was saying when He said I and My Father will come and live in you (John 14:20; Col. 1:27). Are we ready to say at Pentecost, ‘Lord, I give my life and will to You so You can come and live in me and do Your work through me?’
A special service will be held at Waldo, on Pentecost, May 23rd from 10:00 am to Noon.
Jim Hobbs
