Guest Post: Come Follow Me: John 2–4 “Ye Must Be Born Again”

Guest Post by KMeldauc

Click for French Translation/Traduction en français

With priesthood being such a hot topic within the Church right now, I hope we all feel a little more familiar with what it is and how it works. Lets be optimistic and say that we did.

So now that we recognize all this great priesthood power and authority in our midst, what are we going to do with it?

Give Birth.

Wait. What?

Did you think I was going to say baptism? Baptism is the beginning of our new spiritual life. In that way, baptism is a birth.

Baptism is the third principle and first ordinance of the gospel, performed by immersion using the authority of the priesthood. Baptism is a richly symbolic ordinances with beautiful layers of meanings. It is symbolic of not only birth but also death and resurrection. So lets talk about these symbols.

The Symbolism of Baptism

ON THE BOARD

1. Birth

2. Death

3. Resurrection

1. Birth

From the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith manual, Joseph Fielding Smith seemed particularly taken with the parallels between physical birth into our mortal life and spiritual birth of baptism which begins our conscious and accountable spiritual life. He taught that:

“Baptism is also a birth and in the similitude of the birth of a child into this world.” (JFS, sec 1)

Every child that comes into this world is carried in water, born in water, and of blood and of the spirit. So when we are born into the kingdom of God we must be born in the same way: by baptism born of the water; through the shedding of the blood of Christ cleansed and sanctified; and justified through the Spirit of God, for baptism is not complete without the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You see the parallel between birth into the world and birth into the kingdom of God. (JFS, sec 1)

I really can’t say how familiar Joseph Fielding Smith was with the birth process, but his mother, Julina Lambson Smith, was one of the first trained midwives in the Utah territory and she herself had eleven children. So I’d guess given his mother’s work, Joseph Fielding Smith might have grown up with slightly more familiarity or awareness of mortal birthing. I find his reverence and recognition of the significance of mortal birthing to be touching.

Of course Joseph Fielding Smith was not alone in making the symbolic association of baptism with birth.

There is Moses in Moses 6: 58-60:

“That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

“For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified.” …

And of course, most famously Jesus Christ speaking to Nicodemus

John 3:3-8

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

You may want to ask your class for their insights into the experience of mortal birth as it relates to spiritual birth–even if class members haven’t given birth themselves, many people have given a lot of thought to that experience and may have interesting ideas to contribute. Here are some prompt questions:

Is birth easy? Is every birth the same? How are births different? Are there areas of struggle or trouble? What spiritual effort and emotion is exerted by the birther? of the one that is born? How important is the timing of the birth? What happens when the birth is too soon or late?

Relate these experiences of physical birth to baptism/spiritual birth.

2. Death

ASK THE CLASS: In what ways is baptism symbolic of death?

-we are buried in the water

– no air

-laid down/back.

– most fonts are below ground

– Death is an end. Meant to be the end of our sins, our past life.

– Death is a time of progression as we learn by studying the plan of salvation

– We are eventually risen up with the assistance of the priesthood-power of God (this moves us to the next section)

TALK amongst yourselves TIME

Have everyone turn to their neighbor. How do you remember Feeling when you were baptized? Try to ask them to talk more about their spiritual impressions and experiences rather than specifics like there were red napkins. Let people talk for 5 minutes. Longer is better so they can have time to remember and share.

Joseph Fielding Smith taught:

It (Baptism) is in the similitude of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of all others who received the resurrection. (JSF sec 1)

My Story

I was baptised when I was eight years old. I can remember many things about my baptism. I remember receiving a lot of instruction on how to get baptised and someone had told me I HAD to close my eyes, something about chlorine, don’t want red eyes etc, etc. It was totally typical advice but I remember wanting to experience and remember as much of my baptism as I could. So motivated by a mixture of curiosity, a desire to know, and a dash of rebellion, as soon as I went under the water I intentionally opened my eyes. In the brief moment under water, I saw these amazing patterns of bright light rippling over every surface. They danced over the tile, the font, the white clothing, and my skin. I felt filled with this incredible sensation of beauty and happiness and an other worldly goodness. And then I was back up, out of the water and back to reality. My family and so many people were congratulating me and everything moved on to talks, and piano music, and puff cheetos, and picture taking recording my red rimmed eyes. While the festivities were nice and fun, they weren’t anywhere near the same feeling as the spiritual experience.

You can see those light patterns in just about any swimming pool, it’s not like they in and of themselves are special. But I feel blessed that God gave me a sweet moment of beauty and a spiritual outpouring that I could treasure. I believe God “reaches our reaching” and my desire to know and understand as much as I could -in the silly kid way of keeping my eyes open- was answered by a sincere and loving spiritual response.

Another Story

My father told me a story of a man that he baptised on his mission. After he came up out of the water he stood completely still, not moving. My dad asked if he was okay and after a pause he lifted his head and said yes. Later the man told my dad that he had felt so filled by God’s love for him and a sense that He was pleased with his decision. He said he hadn’t moved because he didn’t want to disturb that feeling, he wanted to savor it.

Another Story

I have a good friend that has a daughter. This daughter, we will call her J, has been terrified of water since she was very young. As J grew older she continued to dislike getting wet. She had a particular phobia of putting her head under the water. My friend and her husband did all the usual things, talked to her about it, regularly took her to the pool, did swim lessons but the intense fear remained.  As J approached the age of eight her parents became concerned about how J would feel about being baptised. J approached them and told her parents that she wanted to be baptised but she was still terrified of going all the way into the water. They prayed together as a family that J would be able to have the comfort and assurance she needed. As the day grew closer, J was still feeling anxious so they asked a wider circle of family and friends to pray and fast. At J’s baptism, J was afraid but harnessing a huge amount of faith and trust she went into the water and was baptised.  A year later I had J in my primary class. We were discussing baptism and J shared that while she had been afraid she felt that God was proud of what she was choosing to do and that gave her strength.

While I think while many of us probably do not have the same sort of fear and trepidation with water that J had, I think a whole lot of us may have a good amount of fear and uncertainty about death. Death is the great unknown. It’s scary. It will happen to all of us and to the people we love.

As I’ve talked to many people about their baptisms, I’ve been impressed by how often many feel filled by the Love of God. There is an outpouring of the spirit. A great sense that God recognizes us in that time and is “well pleased” with our efforts and decision, following the same pattern Jesus Christ established when he began his earthly ministry with baptism. (Matthew 3: 16-17)

Reverse engineering the symbolism, I like to believe that death will be a similar time for us. It will be a time that God welcomes us and receives us with Love and approval.

Historically, as referred to in section 2 of the lesson, many in the Western world have believed that death is a dark night or even worse, a time of fire and brimstone and suffering for even the most helpless and innocent. In our time, I believe there are many that are uncertain or feel that there is an empty nothingness or haunted ghostly loneliness when we die. I believe that what we learn in our experiences of baptism refute these beliefs with an inspiring hope.

You might also want to ask for people to share their own spiritual experiences from their baptisms.

3. Resurrection

ASK: In what ways is baptism symbolic of Resurrection?

– We are lowered into death then risen using the power of the priesthood/power of God

– We leave behind a past life and take on a new life

– We are changed and perfected

Romans 6:4 –

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Joseph Fielding Smith taught:

“Baptism is literally, as well as a figure of the resurrection, a transplanting, or resurrection from one life to another—the life of sin to the life of spiritual life.

All men and women … need repentance. … They are in spiritual death. How are they going to get back? By being buried in the water. They are dead, and are buried in the water and come forth in the resurrection of the spirit back into spiritual life. That is what baptism is.4”

One of my favorite poems is Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry. The last lines entreat:

…………..Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

I love the idea of practicing resurrection, of asking God to help me to bring back areas of my testimony or spiritual life that may have faded, become weakened, even died.

Alma asks 5:26:

“And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”

Sometimes I know to Alma’s question my answer is Yes! But other times it is a nope, I’m not feeling it right now or I’m hurting and sad/sick, please help me!

So what can we do to bring back to life the parts of ourselves that may have faded or died?

How can we be spiritually restored and healed? (Repent, Renew our covenant of baptism with the sacrament)

Joseph Fielding Smith makes it clear, we don’t have to be baptized over and over.

(They say they do not know why it is, since baptism is for the remission of sins, that a man does not have to be baptized every time he commits a sin. Do you see the reason? As long as a man sins and stays within spiritual life he is alive, he can repent and be forgiven. He does not need to be baptized to be brought back to where he already is. JFS sec 4)

Activity

Look over the conditions for baptism as described in Lesson 12 of Preach My Gospel. Ask yourself if in your current spiritual state if you feel ready to qualify for baptism. If there are areas where you feel weak, think about how you could change.

Qualifications for Baptism

• Doctrine and Covenants 20:37:

• Humble themselves before God.
• Desire to be baptized.
• Come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits.
• Repent of all their sins.
• Be willing to take upon them the name of Christ.
• Have a determination to serve Christ to the end.
• Manifest by their works that they have received the Spirit of Christ unto a remission of their sins.

• First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve:

• Make sufficient changes in their lives to qualify as commanded in Doctrine and Covenants 20:37.
• Develop faith in Christ.
• Repent of transgressions.
• Live the principles of moral worthiness.
• Live the Word of Wisdom.
• Commit to pay tithing.
• Receive all the missionary lessons [lessons 1–4 on the Teaching Record and associated commitments].
• Meet the bishop or branch president.
• Attend several sacrament meetings. (“Statement on Missionary Work,” First Presidency letter, 11 Dec. 2002)

The Covenant of Baptism

This is the section that probably relates the most directly to a Relief Society audience since many or most of the people in your class will have made the covenant of baptism several years ago. While the covenant may have been made in the past, the fulfillment of the covenant is meant to be part of our daily life.

In the waters of baptism we covenanted that we would keep these commandments; that we would serve the Lord; that we would keep this first and greatest of all the commandments, and love the Lord our God; that we would keep the next great commandment, we would love our neighbor as ourselves; and with all the might that we have, with all the strength, with all our hearts we would prove to Him that we would “live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God;” [D&C 84:44] that we would be obedient and humble, diligent in His service, willing to obey, to hearken to the counsels of those who preside over us and do all things with an eye single to the glory of God.

We should not forget these things, for this commandment is binding upon us as members of the Church.8

When we are baptised in the water, we promise to keep the commandments, to obey the law. It is “the works” part of salvation. But we know that we can not be saved by works alone. So no baptism is complete without The Gift of The Holy Ghost which provides the divine spiritual assistance in our daily lives, what others might call the “Grace”

As Joseph Fielding Smith teaches: for baptism is not complete without the baptism of the Holy Ghost (JFS sec 1)

In 2010 Elder Bednar gave a conference address “Receive The Holy Ghost”

Baptism by immersion is “the introductory ordinance of the gospel, and must be followed by baptism of the Spirit in order to be complete” (BibleDictionary, “Baptism”).

The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that “baptismis a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered. The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 95–96).

So what does that mean for our day to day living?

Praying, studying, gathering, worshipping, serving, and obeying are not isolated and independent items on a lengthy gospel checklist of things to do. Rather, each of these righteous practices is an important element in an overarching spiritual quest to fulfill the mandate to receive the Holy Ghost. The commandments from God we obey and the inspired counsel from Church leaders we follow principally focus upon obtaining the companionship of the Spirit. Fundamentally, all gospel teachings and activities are centered on coming unto Christ by receiving the Holy Ghost in our lives. (Bednar 2010)

You and I should strive to become like the stripling warriors described in the Book of Mormon, who did “perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them. …

“… And they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 57:21; 58:40).

If you are like me, you might be asking but how were the stripling warriors able to so “strictly remember the Lord their God from day to day” without a “gospel checklist”? I’m joking. Kind of. I do love a good list.

Maybe it’s a good reminder that Joseph Fielding Smith gives that we should focus of keeping the great commandments to 1. Love God and 2. Love our neighbor as ourselves since all the other laws and the prophets hang on these two laws. Two guiding commandments to keep the covenant. I might not need a list for that.

 QUESTION:

What are some real day to day ways we can keep the two great commandments?

How does having the companionship of the Holy Ghost allow us to better keep these commandments and fulfill our covenant? (Hint, think of President Monson’s Oct 2013 conference talk “We Never Walk Alone” about the Homemade bread)

Can you think of other examples of people you know that fulfill their baptismal covenant in their daily living? You don’t have to share names, but can you share what you know they do?

What can we do to actively receive the Holy Ghost?
FINISH

I believe that baptisms are a sacred and holy time.

My dad is a convert. He was a teenager living as an ex-pat in South America when he decided to get baptised. His family was skeptical but respected his decision. He had pondered and read The Book of Mormon for months. He prayed and decided to be baptized. He felt like it was a decision that he made between himself and God. He didn’t think anyone else would care. He felt like few people at church knew him or even spoke his language. He was amazed at how many people came and cared and welcomed him into the church.

I have remembered his story and like to try to go to baptisms when I get the chance. Again and again I am amazed at the powerful spirit that can be found at a baptism.

This lesson plan is adapted from The Teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith: Relief Society Lesson 13: Baptism, originally published on June 3, 2013.

Author’s note:

The last couple of weeks The Teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith manual has hit the topic of priesthood HARD. Honoring Priesthood Keys. Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. With priesthood being such a hot topic within the Church right now, I hope we all feel a little more familiar with what it is and how it works. Lets be optimistic and say that we did.

So now that we recognize all this great priesthood power and authority in our midst, what are we going to do with it?

Give Birth.

Leçon de la Société de Secours n°13 : Le baptême

Le baptême est le troisième principe et la première ordonnance de l’Evangile, fait par immersion et par l’autorité de la prêtrise. C’est une ordonnance riche en symboles avec beaucoup de signification. Il symbolise non seulement la naissance mais aussi la mort et la résurrection. Parlons de ces symboles.

Le symbolisme du baptême

1. La Naissance

Dans le manuel, Joseph Fielding Smith semble insister sur les parallèles entre la naissance physique dans cette vie mortelle et la naissance spirituelle du baptême qui marque le début de notre vie spirituelle. Il a enseigné :

“Le baptême est aussi une naissance et une similitude de la naissance d’un enfant dans ce monde”

“Tout enfant qui vient dans ce monde est porté dans l’eau, et naît dans l’eau et de sang et de l’esprit. Ainsi quand nous naissons dans le royaume de Dieu, nous devons naître de la même façon : naître dans l’eau par le baptême, être purifiés et sanctifiés par l’effusion du sang du Christ et être justifiés par l’Esprit de Dieu, car le baptême n’est pas complet sans le baptême du Saint-Esprit. On voit le parallèle entre la naissance dans le monde et la naissance dans le royaume de Dieu”

Je ne sais pas à quel point Joseph Fielding Smith connaissaient le processus de l’accouchement, mais sa mère, Julina Lambson Smith, était l’une des premières sages-femmes diplômées du territoire d’Utah et avait elle-même onze enfants. Je dirais donc que Joseph Fielding Smith a peut-être grandi avec un peu plus de familiarité avec la naissance et l’accouchement. En tout cas, je trouve que sa révérence et sa reconnaissance de la signification de l’accouchement sont touchantes.

Joseph Fielding Smith n’était pas le seul à faire le lien entre le baptême et la naissance. Par exemple, il y a Moïse 6:58-60 :

58 C’est pourquoi, je vous donne le commandement d’enseigner libéralement ces choses à vos enfants, disant:

59 Que c’est en raison de la transgression que se produit la chute, laquelle chute apporte la mort, et, étant donné que vous êtes nés dans le monde par l’eau, le sang et l’esprit, que j’ai faits, et qu’ainsi de la poussière est sortie une âme vivante, de même vous devez naître de nouveau d’eau et de l’Esprit, dans le royaume des cieux, et être purifiés par le sang, le sang de mon Fils unique, afin d’être sanctifiés de tout péché et de jouir des paroles de la vie éternelle dans ce monde et de la vie éternelle dans le monde à venir, la gloire immortelle.

60 Car par l’eau vous gardez le commandement; par l’Esprit vous êtes justifiés, et par le sang vous êtes sanctifiés.

Et aussi Jésus Christ qui parle à Nicodème dans Jean 3:3-8:

3 Jésus lui répondit: En vérité, en vérité, je te le dis, si un homme ne naît de nouveau, il ne peut voir le royaume de Dieu.

4 Nicodème lui dit: Comment un homme peut-il naître quand il est vieux? Peut-il rentrer dans le sein de sa mère et naître?

5 Jésus répondit: En vérité, en vérité, je te le dis, si un homme ne naît d’eau et d’Esprit, il ne peut entrer dans le royaume de Dieu.

6 Ce qui est né de la chair est chair, et ce qui est né de l’Esprit est Esprit.

7 Ne t’étonne pas que je t’aie dit: Il faut que vous naissiez de nouveau.

8 Le vent souffle où il veut, et tu en entends le bruit; mais tu ne sais d’où il vient, ni où il va. Il en est ainsi de tout homme qui est né de l’Esprit.

Vous pourriez demander d’autres idées sur la relation entre la naissance physique et le baptême.

2. La mort

De quelles manières le baptême est-il symbolique de la mort ?

– nous sommes submergés dans l’eau

– il n’y a pas d’air

– nous sommes couchés sur le dos dans l’eau

– la plupart des fonds baptismaux sont souterrains

– la mort est une fin, la fin de nos péchés et notre vie passée

– la mort est un moment de progression, comme nous l’apprenons par l’étude du plan de salut

– nous somme levés à l’aide du pouvoir de la prêtrise de Dieu

Est-ce que vous vous souvenez de vos sentiments lors de votre baptême ? Pensez à vos impressions et expériences spirituelles de ce moment.

Joseph Fielding Smith a enseigné :

C’est une similitude de la mort, de l’ensevelissement et de la résurrection de Jésus-Christ et de toutes les autres personnes qui sont ressuscitées.

Mon père m’a raconté l’histoire d’un homme qu’il a baptisé pendant sa mission. Après qu’il est sorti de l’eau, il est resté complètement immobile. Mon père lui a demandé s’il allait bien, et après un moment l’homme a levé la tête et a répondu que oui. Plus tard l’homme a dit à mon père qu’il s’était senti rempli de l’amour de Dieu pour lui et qu’il avait senti que Dieu était content avec sa décision. Il a dit qu’il n’avait pas bougé car il ne voulait pas chasser ce sentiment. Il voulait le savourer.

J’aime croire que la mort sera un moment similaire pour nous. Ce sera un moment où Dieu nous accueille et nous reçoit avec amour et approbation.

La section 2 de la leçon nous rappelle que beaucoup croient que la mort est une nuit obscure, ou, encore pire, un état de feu et de soufre et de souffrance pour même les plus innocents et les plus impuissants. Je crois qu’aujourd’hui il y a beaucoup qui sont incertains ou qui croient qu’il y une grande vide ou de la solitude quand nous mourons. Je crois que ce que nous apprenons par l’intermédiaire de nos expériences de baptême nous remplit d’espoir.

3. La résurrection

De quelles manières le baptême est-il symbolique de la résurrection ?

– Nous sommes submergés dans l’eau et puis levés par le pouvoir de la prêtrise de Dieu

– Nous quittons notre vie d’avant et prenons une vie nouvelle

– Nous sommes changés et perfectionnés

Romains 6:4 –

Nous avons donc été ensevelis avec lui par le baptême en sa mort, afin que, comme Christ est ressuscité des morts par la gloire du Père, de même nous aussi nous marchions en nouveauté de vie.

Joseph Fielding Smith a enseigné :

« Le baptême est littéralement, en plus d’un symbole de la résurrection, un transplantement, ou une résurrection d’une vie à une autre : d’une vie de péché à une vie spirituelle… Tous les hommes et toutes les femmes… ont besoin du repentir… Ils sont spirituellement morts. Comment vont-ils revenir ? En étant ensevelis dans l’eau. Ils sont morts et sont ensevelis dans l’eau et se lèvent dans la résurrection de l’esprit pour retourner dans la vie spirituelle. C’est cela le baptême. »

Alma 5:26:

« Et maintenant, voici, je vous le dis, mes frères, si vous avez connu un changement de cœur, et si vous avez ressenti le désir de chanter le cantique de l’amour rédempteur, je vous le demande: pouvez-vous le ressentir maintenant? »

Que pouvons-nous faire pour ressusciter ce désir en nous ? Comment pouvons-nous être rafraichis spirituellement et guéris ? (Se repentir, renouveler nos alliances de baptême)

Joseph Fielding Smith nous dit clairement que nous n’avons pas besoin de se faire baptisés plusieurs fois :

J’ai entendu certains de nos jeunes gens, et d’autres moins jeunes, parler du baptême. Ils disent que, si le baptême est pour la rémission des péchés, ils ne voient pas pourquoi un homme ne doit pas être baptisé chaque fois qu’il commet un péché. En voyez-vous la raison ? Tant qu’un homme pèche et demeure dans la vie spirituelle, il est vivant, il peut se repentir et être pardonné. Il n’a pas besoin d’être baptisé pour être ramené là où il est déjà.

Activité

Lire les conditions pour se qualifier pour le baptême qui se trouver dans la Leçon 12 du livre Prêchez mon Evangile. Demandez vous si vous vous sentez qualifiées actuellement pour le baptême. Notez vos faiblesses et comment vous pouvez vous renforcer.

Les qualifications du baptême

• S’humilier devant Dieu
• Avoir le désir d’être baptisé
• Venir le cœur brisé et l’esprit contrit
• Se repentir de tous ses péchés
• Etre disposé à prendre sur lui le nom du Christ
• Avoir la détermination de servir le Christ jusqu’à la fin
• Manifester par ses œuvres qu’il a reçu l’Esprit du Christ jusqu’à la rémission de leurs péchés
• Changer suffisamment leur vie pour se qualifier selon Doctrine et Alliances 20 :37

• Développer la foi en Christ
• Se repentir des transgressions
• Vivre les principes de dignité
• Vivre la Parole de sagesse

• S’engager à payer la dîme

• Recevoir toutes les leçons missionnaires
• Rencontrer l’évêque ou le président de branche
• Assister à plusieurs réunions de Sainte Cène

L’alliance du baptême

“Dans les eaux du baptême, nous avons fait alliance de respecter ces commandements, de servir le Seigneur, d’observer le premier et plus grand commandement de tous qui est d’aimer le Seigneur notre Dieu, de respecter le plus grand commandement suivant qui est d’aimer notre prochain comme nous-mêmes et de lui prouver, de tout notre pouvoir, toute notre force, de tout notre cœur, que nous vivrions « de toute parole qui sort de la bouche de Dieu » [D&A 84:44], d’être obéissants et humbles, diligents à son service, disposés à obéir, à écouter les recommandations des personnes qui président sur nous et de tout faire en ayant l’œil fixé uniquement sur la gloire de Dieu. Nous ne devons pas oublier ces choses car nous, membres de l’Église, sommes tenus d’obéir à ce commandement.”

Comme nous l’enseigne Joseph Fielding Smith, le baptême n’est pas complet sans le baptême du Saint-Esprit.

Dans un discours de la conférence générale d’octobre 2010, Elder David A. Bednar nous a enseigné sur le Saint-Esprit :

« Le baptême par immersion est « la première ordonnance de l’Évangile et doit, pour être complet, être suivi du baptême de l’Esprit. » Joseph Smith, le prophète, a expliqué que « le baptême est une sainte ordonnance qui prépare à recevoir le Saint-Esprit ; c’est là le canal et la voie par lesquels sera administré le Saint-Esprit. Le don du Saint-Esprit par l’imposition des mains ne peut se recevoir en vertu d’aucun autre principe que celui de la justice » (Teachings: Joseph Smith, p. 95-96). …

« La prière, l’étude, les réunions, le culte, le service et l’obéissance ne sont pas des éléments isolés ou indépendants figurant sur une longue liste de tâches d’Évangile à effectuer. En fait, chacune de ces pratiques justes est un élément important d’une quête spirituelle globale pour répondre au commandement de recevoir le Saint-Esprit. Les commandements de Dieu auxquels nous obéissons et les conseils inspirés de nos dirigeants de la prêtrise que nous suivons se concentrent principalement sur l’obtention de la compagnie de l’Esprit. Tous les enseignements et toutes les activités de l’Évangile sont fondamentalement centrés sur le fait d’aller au Christ en recevant le Saint-Esprit dans notre vie. »

Nous devons nous efforcer à devenir comme les guérriers d’Hélaman décrits dans le Livre de Mormon, qui « obéirent et s’appliquèrent à accomplir avec exactitude chaque commandement; oui, et il leur fut fait selon leur foi» (Alma 57:21)

QUESTIONS :

Que pouvons-nous faire dans notre vie quotidienne pour avoir le Saint-Esprit avec nous ? Que pouvons-nous faire pour le recevoir activement ?

Comment le Saint-Esprit nous aide-t-il à garder les commandements et à garder notre alliance de baptême ?