What
It Means to be an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ
The
three witnesses of the Book of Mormon called and ordained the twelve
apostles.
President
Joseph Smith, Jun., said that the first business of the meeting was,
for the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, to pray each one, and
then proceed to choose twelve men from the Church, as Apostles, to go
to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. The Three Witnesses,
viz., Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, united in
prayer.
These
Three Witnesses were then blessed by the laying on of the hands of
the Presidency. The Witnesses then, according to a former
commandment, proceeded to make choice of the Twelve. Their names are
as follows:
1.
Lyman E. Johnson,
2.
Brigham Young,
3.
Heber C. Kimball,
4.
Orson Hyde,
5.
David W. Patten,
6. Luke
S. Johnson,
7.
William E. M'Lellin,
8. John
F. Boynton,
9.
Orson Pratt,
10.
William Smith,
11.
Thomas P. Marsh,
12.
Parley P. Pratt,
Lyman
E. Johnson, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball came forward; and the
Three Witnesses laid their hands upon each one's head and prayed,
separately. . . President
Cowdery then called forward Orson Hyde, David W. Patten and Luke
Johnson, and proceeded to their ordinations and blessings.
. . William
E. M'Lellin's Blessing
. . . John F. Boynton Blessing . . . William
Smith's Blessing
. . . Elder
Pratt gave his hand to President Oliver Cowdrey, and said he had
received ordination
. . .Thomas
B. Marsh's Blessing
. . . Orson
Pratt's Blessing
. . . DHC Volume 2 Chapter 13 page 186-194
We read
that, “The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve
Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the
world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the
duties of their calling.” D&C 107:23 What does it mean to be a
special witness of the name of Christ? The New Testament teaches us
what it means to be an apostle/witness of Jesus Christ.
Am
I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our
Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? 1 Corinthians 9
And with
great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33
Beginning
from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up
from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his
resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was
surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord,
which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou
hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship,
from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon
Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Acts
1:22-26
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein
ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After
that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the
greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last
of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I
am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Corinthians 15:1-9
Each one
of the apostles saw the resurrected Lord and could bear witness of
the name of Christ to all the world. After the three witnesses
ordained the twelve apostles, Oliver Cowdery, gave a general charge
to the twelve that helps to clarify this concept. An unchangeable
God has the same standard in 33 AD, in 1835, and in 2016.
General
Charge to the Twelve.
The
following general charge was given to the Twelve by President Oliver
Cowdery:—Dear Brethren—Previous to delivering the charge, I shall
read a part of a revelation. It is known to you, that previous to the
organization of this Church in 1830, the Lord gave revelations, or
the Church could not have been organized. The people of this Church
were weak in faith compared with the ancients. Those who embarked in
this cause were desirous to know how the work was to be conducted.
They read many things in the Book of Mormon concerning their duty,
and the way the great work ought to be done; but the mind of men are
so constructed that they will not believe, without a testimony of
seeing or hearing. The Lord gave us a revelation that, in process of
time, there should be twelve men chosen to preach His Gospel to Jew
and Gentile. Our minds have been on a constant stretch, to find who
these twelve were; when the time should come we could not tell; but
we sought the Lord by fasting and prayer to have our lives prolonged
to see this day, to see you, and to take a retrospect of the
difficulties through which we have passed; but having seen the day,
it becomes my duty to deliver to you a charge; and first, a few
remarks respecting your ministry. You have many revelations put into
your hands—revelation to make you acquainted with the nature of
your mission; you will have difficulties by reason of your visiting
all the nations of the world. You will need wisdom in a tenfold
proportion to what you have ever had; you will have to combat all the
prejudices of all nations.
He
then read the revelation, and said: Have you desired this ministry
with all our hearts? If you have desired it you are called of God,
not of man, to go into the world.
He
then read again, from the revelation, what the Lord said unto the
Twelve. Brethren, you have had your duty presented in this
revelation. You have been ordained to this holy Priesthood, you have
received it from those who have the power and authority from an
angel; you are to preach the Gospel to every nation. Should you in
the least degree come short of your duty, great will be your
condemnation; for the greater the calling the greater the
transgression. I therefore warn you to cultivate great humility; for
I know the pride of the human heart. Beware, lest the flatterers of
the world lift you up; beware, lest your affections be captivated by
worldly objects. Let your ministry be first. Remember, the souls of
men are committed to your charge; and if you mind your calling, you
shall always prosper.
You have been indebted to other
men, in the first instance, for evidence; on that you have acted; but
it is necessary that you receive a testimony from heaven for
yourselves; so that you can bear testimony to the truth of the Book
of Mormon, and that you have seen the face of God. That is more than
the testimony of an angel. When the proper time arrives, you shall be
able to bear this testimony to the world. When you bear testimony
that you have seen God, this testimony God will never suffer to fall,
but will bear you out; although many will not give heed, yet others
will. You will therefore see the necessity of getting this testimony
from heaven.
Never cease striving until you have
seen God face to face. Strengthen your faith; cast off you doubts,
your sins, and all your unbelief; and nothing can prevent you from
coming to God. Your ordination is not full and complete till God has
laid His hand upon you. We require as much to qualify us as did those
who have gone before us; God is the same. If the Savior in former
days laid His hands upon His disciples, why not in latter days?
With
regard to superiority, I must make a few remarks. The ancient
apostles sought to be great; but lest the seeds of discord be sown in
this matter; understand particularly the voice of the Spirit on this
occasion. God does not love you
better or more than others. You are to contend for the faith once
delivered to the saints. Jacob, you know, wrestled till he had
obtained. It was by fervent prayer and diligent search that you have
obtained the testimony you are now able to bear. You are as one; you
are equal in bearing the keys of the Kingdom to all nations. You are
called to preach the Gospel of the Son of God to the nations of the
earth; it is the will of your heavenly Father, that you proclaim His
Gospel to the ends of the earth and the islands of the sea.
Be
zealous to save souls. The soul of one man is as precious as the soul
of another. You are to bear this message to those who consider
themselves wise; and such may persecute you—they may seek your
life. The adversary has always sought the life of the servants of
God; you are therefore to be prepared at all times to make a
sacrifice of your lives, should God require them in the advancement
and building up of His cause. Murmur not at God. Be always prayerful;
be always watchful. You will bear with me while I relieve the
feelings of my heart. We shall not see another day like this; the
time has fully come—the voice of the Spirit has come—to set these
men apart.
You
will see the time when you will desire to see such a day as this, and
you will not see it. Every heart wishes you peace [emphasis added]
DHC Volume 2 Chapter 13 page194-196
Laying
on hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Christ
gave instructions for baptism. This is in 3 Nephi 11:19-21 And
Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did
kiss his feet. And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And
he arose and stood before him. And the Lord said unto him: I give
unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again
ascended into heaven. And again the Lord called others, and said unto
them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize.
Because
it is not required to confer this authority, Christ did not touch
them. He only said to them, “I give you power to baptize.”
Although the record is incomplete, these disciples in all likelihood
had been ordained previously. But Christ was renewing His church. All
that was needed to obtain the power to baptize was (and is) for
Christ to tell you it is given.
This
is in contrast to the power given by Christ to lay on hands for the
Holy Ghost. For power to do that, Christ must touch a man. Later in
the record, when Christ actually gives power to give the Holy Ghost,
the account stresses Him touching them: And it came to pass that
when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched
with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even
until he had touched them all, and spake unto
them as he touched them. And the multitude heard
not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but
the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy
Ghost. And I will show unto you hereafter that this record is true.
3 Nephi 18:36-37 [emphasis added] The promise to show “hereafter”was
written by Moroni: And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall
call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have
done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your
hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it,
for thus do mine apostles. Moroni 2:2 [Laying on hands for the
Holy Ghost is an ordinance belonging to an “apostle” or witness
to whom Christ has ministered and empowered.]
In
our dispensation the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost was likewise only an ordinance to be performed by and “apostle”
upon whom Christ laid hands: The duty of the elders, priests,
teachers, deacons, and members of the church of Christ—An apostle
is an elder, and it is his calling to baptize . . . And to confirm
those who are baptized into the church, by the laying on of hands for
the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, according to the scriptures;
D&C 20:38, 41, PTR p. 506-507
The LDS
practice does not limit the laying on of hands for the gift of the
Holy Ghost to those whom Christ has touch resulting in confusion
about the ordinance.
How are you taking that same challenge
today? Do you desire precisely the same thing as the people of Moses
did and rely on a prophet/teacher, who indeed speaks with God, to act as a
middle man between you and God? Are you removed from God or stand afar off?
Are you too fearful to draw near unto the thick darkness to find God and speak with Him, as a man speaketh to another. Do you lack sufficient faith to boldly come before God yourself? Are you
missing the fullness of the gospel, the testimony of Jesus, what true
messengers are declaring, and the everlasting covenant? (D&C 76:98-106) Are you satisfied with merely the telestial world and the associated glory …
again, worlds without end?!
