Luke 10:1-24. “The Lord Appointed other Seventy Also”

I have learned a lot about the apostles but I really never studied about the seventies; and this assignment gave me the chance to learn more about this office in the church.  Here are some thoughts from my study of the Seventies.

During his ministry on Earth, Jesus Christ appointed seventy men to go in pairs to certain regions around the area.  He gave them counsel and instructions on what to do.  He gave them authority to heal the sick, to bless each house they entered with peace, power over the enemy, and to preach the gospel.  He also told them not to get distracted on their tasks when he said “Salute no man by the way.”  He told them nothing would harm them under their ministry. 

Articles of Faith 1:6 says that “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church.”  The church has currently eight quorums of the Seventy.  The first and second quorum act as general authorities which means they can serve anywhere around the world.  The remaining quorums act as area seventies where they exercise authority in the area they serve only.  The seventies are called, just as in mentioned in Luke 10, to serve in different areas to build the church, to serve others and bless those that receive them.  It is amazing to see how the church that Jesus Christ organized during his ministry on Earth is the same church I am a part of today.   

In other scriptures, the priesthood shows the existence of this office as members that are special witnesses of Jesus Christ, preach the gospel, aid in the growth of the church around the world, and devote their fulltime to their calling.  The Seventies are an essential part of the church; I know this because it was Jesus Christ who appointed them.      

Matthew 18:1–14. “Become as Little Children”

I can’t help to think of my almost 3 month-old baby boy Liam when I read these scripture passages.  In the next few years he is going to grow older but before that, he will be innocent and clean of sin.  He will be submissive to my commands whenever I tell him to do something.  He will obey my voice, he will need me to guide him through the next years of his life because he can’t make it on his own.  He is my responsibility and as his mother I want him to reach his greatest potential here in life.  


So how are we like little children?  Well, just like my child, we have a loving Heavenly Father that loves us, and that will guide us through this journey here on Earth.   Heavenly Father wants the best for his children, and the best is the highest degree of glory in Heaven.  But we can’t make it there without his help and blessings.  Liam is growing up trusting me; he will know that I will guide him through his first few years of life.  He knows I won’t put him through any type of harm and that I won’t give him any tasks that he won’t be able to accomplish.  We are the same way with our Heavenly Father.  He is walking right besides us every step of the way and he will guide us back to Heaven if we don’t let go of his hand.  This is how we are like little children, because we depend on his blessings and other ordinances to accomplish things here on Earth.  


In Doctrine and Covenants Chapter 78:17-18 says that as little children, we can’t understand the great blessings that he has for us.  But if we let him guide us, he will help us understand and he will guide us in every step of the way.  Along those steps of the way we will receive many great blessings from him.  


Mosiah 3:19 lists the ways we are to become like little children.  It says we must become submissive, meek, humble, patient, and full of love.  When becoming submissive, it says that we should be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”  I think that becoming like little children can sometimes be a challenge because there are other qualities that are opposite to the ones mentioned above that can take over and are much easier to acquire.  For example, it is easier to become offended, than to forgive; it is easier to become prideful than to become humble and submissive.  This is why looking at my baby boy reminds me of how once I was like him, innocent and totally submissive to my mother’s command.  I know that I can become like a little child again.  I know that the qualities mentioned in verse 19 will bring many blessings for me and my little family.  The opposite qualities will prevent us from growing spiritually and also from the blessing that Heavenly Father wants to give us.  Working on this qualities day by day will help me become closer to the way I need to be.    

John 6. The “Bread of Life” Sermon.

I love the “Bread of Life” sermon because it teaches me more about the role of my Savior.  Here are some thoughts based on some questions I answered:

Before the Savior preached the sermon on the bread of life, a miraculous event took place.   A big number of people followed the savior where he noticed that they had nothing to eat.  So he took five barley loaves and two small fishes and after blessing it, fed five thousand men (without counting women and children).  After the miraculous event, many people were seeking Jesus, but not because of the miracle that he performed or because they wanted to follow him, they were looking for Jesus for the wrong reasons. 

Unlike the people that were seeking the Lord for the wrong reasons, something that motives me today to “seek” the Lord is a need to fulfill my spiritual hunger.  He has the spiritual bread that will fulfill all my spiritual needs.  I won’t look for him whenever I need help, I will follow him instead.  If I just came to Jesus whenever I needed something, I would be seeking him for the wrong reasons, like those people were. 

After Jesus noticed that those people were looking for him not for the right reasons, he taught them about the bread of life.  He taught them that He was the bread of life and to believe in him.  He told him to seek for eternal things and not temporary things. 

In Mathew 6:19-21 Jesus teaches us to build treasures up in heaven where no moth or thieves will steal it, instead of building treasures here on Earth where moth or thieves could take it.  This is similar to what he said in John 6:27 about the “meat that perisheth” and “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.”  In today’s world, a lot of people work hard only for those temporary riches that will stay here on Earth after death.  Today, people focus on earthly riches that they will not take after they die.  People that live the gospel understand that they must work to build up their treasures in Heaven, which is eternal life with our eternal families.  That is a big difference between the people that seek treasures here on Earth and the ones that work here on Earth to build up treasures up in Heaven: they live the gospel.

After the sermon of the bread of life, many people chose not to follow the savior anymore!  What a sad choice they made.  They refused to accept Jesus as the bread of life.  The response of his apostles was different though.  Peter testified to Jesus that he knew he was the Christ and that he had the true gospel with him.  What enabled Peter and the other Apostles to say this was their testimony of Jesus Christ.

An example of someone with a great testimony of Christ like Peter is Nephi.  He did everything the Lord asked him to because Nephi had a testimony of him.  Another example is the many converts of the church.  They must accept Jesus Christ as their savior and many of them gain a strong testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

John chapter 6 teaches that following Jesus Christ, even when is not convenient, will bring us eternal life.  Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, because he is eternal life.  Through his atonement and sacrifice we will be able to have eternal life if we endure until the end.  We can choose to accept the Lord as the Bread of Life or we can choose to stop following him like some people did.  In the end, is our eternal choice.           

Mathew 13:24-48: The Lord Often Taught with Parables.

After reading the definition of parable in the Bible Dictionary, I came up with my own definition.  A parable is a form of teaching in which the truth is covered by a story.  The person that is seeking the truth will find the principles and meaning that the story is conveying.  To a person that does not want to seek or know the truth, a parable is just a story with no meaning or principles behind it.  The beauty of teaching with parables is that a person must be willing to seek new knowledge, or else it will just be a regular story. 

There is a parable that describes the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that is the parable of the mustard seed.  The Lord Jesus Christ compares the kingdom of heaven to a small seed of mustard.  A mustard seed is about 2mm in diameter, but that tiny seed can become a full grown tree that sprouts with many branches.  He continues saying the seed will grow to a tree where birds can come and lodge in the branches of it.   The true church was once again established here on earth by Joseph Smith with humble small beginnings.  Today the church has millions of members worldwide.  The church started as a mustard seed and today it is a tree full of branches. 

One reason the church is still growing today is because there are missionaries called to all parts of the world to share the gospel.  They are the birds that come and lodge in the tree.  Birds take seeds and spread them.  They plant a small seed of mustard in people’s hearts which could grow to a mature tree, with roots so deep nothing could tear it down.  Once the Holy Ghost confirms to them the gospel is real, they are able to share and preach the gospel either by serving a mission or by becoming living examples of the gospel. 

There are many members that are willing to give up world fame and recognition to maintain their membership in the church because they have a different perspective.  Members of the church have an eternal perspective while non members have a worldly perspective.  As members of the church, we know what our ultimate goal is in life.  This is a good comparison to the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.  Once you have that Pearl of Great Price, you will do anything to keep it, even if it means to give up certain things. 

There are many reasons members choose to leave the church.  From my personal experience, many members leave because they choose to become offended by something another member said.  Another big reason why members leave the church is because trials become harder to overcome and it is easier to walk away than to endure.  Those reasons remind me of the parable of the sower.  They are the seeds that do not grow roots.  Since they have no roots they are easier to fall.  At the end of every story from members that leave the church, it comes down to being a choice.  A person can choose to become offended, a person can choose to be defeated by a trial, and a person can choose to walk away from a problem.  Sometimes it is easier to walk away from something than to fix it.  It takes humility, perseverance, and endurance to stay in the church.  It is easier to become prideful.

I can’t see myself ever leaving the church, because I love the gospel.  I can’t see my life without the gospel.   The gospel is my Pearl of Great Price.  I am blessed to have it, and I won’t do anything that will make me loose that Pearl of Great Price.  I am willing to do whatever it takes for me to receive the blessings of the gospel.  The gospel brings a happiness and balance to my life that nothing else can.  I have been blessed with accepting family.  I haven’t had to make great sacrifices in order to enjoy the gospel.  I know what I am willing to do if it came down to choosing between the gospel and other things.  I know what I need in my life in order to be happy and have balance in this chaotic world.

I think the net in the parable of the net cast into the sea represents the gospel.  The kingdom of heaven here on earth is the blessings of the gospel (going to the temple, service to others, family).  When the parable talks about casting the net into the sea, I think of the gospel being spread all over the world.  The sea is the world, the sea has many different kinds of fish, and just like world has many different kinds of people.  I think being gathered unto the net represents the gospel getting to every single person in the entire planet and finding out who endured until the end and who didn’t.  That is represented by gathering the good and casting out the bad from the vessel.  There won’t be excuses when the gathering happens because the net will reach everyone.  It is not easy to endure until the end, but it is not impossible either.  With Heavenly Father on our side, we can overcome anything and reach our potential here on Earth and beyond Earth.  

Mathew 8-9, Mark 2: Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God’s Power

I was asked to fill this table to show the types of miracles Jesus performed and who demonstrated faith during the miracle.

Reference	Miracle of the Work	Who demonstrated Faith
Mathew 8:1-4	Cleansed a leper	The leper demonstrated faith by letting Jesus know that if it was his will, the Lord could make him clean.
Mathew 8:5-13	Healed a palsy	The master demonstrated faith by telling Jesus that he didn’t even have to go there, that his word would be enough to cure his servant.  Jesus did as the master said because his faith was great.
Mathew 8:14-15	Healed Peter’s mother in law from a fever	She performed faith by believing that he had the power to heal her (even though is not mentioned there)
Mathew 8:16	Cast out devils and healed the sick	I am assuming that the sick showed faith by asking to be healed and by knowing Jesus had the power to heal them.
Mathew 8:23-27	Calming the storm	They didn’t demonstrate faith, they asked to be saved out of being scared to die.  Instead of asking for him to make the storm stop.
Mathew 8:28-34	Casting demons out	none
Mathew 9:20-22 Mark 5:25-34	Healing of the bleeding woman	The woman demonstrated faith by knowing she could be healed by just touching Jesus’ garment.
Mathew 9:27-31	Healing of two blind men	The blind men performed faith by knowing Jesus could heal their sight.
Mark 2:1-12	Healing of the man with palsy	The man with palsy

Knowing that the Lord has the power to heal the sick, make a storm calm, and cast out demons shows that he has the proper authority to perform all of those miracles.  Even though I was not there to witness any of those miracles, those assure me that he did perform those miracles and that he still lives.  His miracles are evidence of what faith is and how I can show faith during difficult times.  Faith is not believing in something, is knowing with certainty of what is to come.  All of the miracles he performed, the people knew that he had the power to heal them, and because of this, Jesus was able to heal them.  He cannot heal or help someone that doesn’t want the help, or doesn’t know of his capable power to heal them.  We have the power by exercising faith, and Jesus delivers that power through his miracle.  If we had no faith Jesus could not perform his amazing miracles on us.  He still has the power to cast out demons and calm storms and move mountains.  But the healing miracles, those examples show how I can exercise faith when I am sick and I receive a blessing from a priesthood holder.