Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Worldwide Online Fellowship Meeting

I was asked to post the following announcement:

Worldwide Online Fellowship Meeting
September 9th @ 9 AM PDT (UTC-07:00) 
Please forward to any fellowships that might want to participate.
Hosted by the AZ/TX Fellowship
MEETING LINK:
-- or --
Join by phone
1-844-621-3956 United States Toll Free
Access code: 736 492 695
DETAILS:
ALL are invited to view the live online WEBEX meeting, however, to be efficient with time, we ask that you choose one representative from your fellowship as the spokesperson to take 5 - 7 minutes to relate the following:

• What fellowship activities are working best in your fellowship and are yielding the most light

• What gospel focus areas are working best in your fellowship and are helping to harvest the most light

The principles of gathering as fellowships and discussing these important matters are based upon the following talks, which we recommend you review to prepare for this meeting (talks located  at http://restorationarchives.com/library/snuffer.php ):
Constitutional Apostasy - Denver Snuffer 6-7-13
What that really meant at the beginning…was that independent sovereign and equal states could experiment. You could have the state of Utah with a state religion called Mormonism or Latter-day Saintism. And you could have…like they did with the citizens of Massachusetts…a tax that was imposed by the state…collected by the state… to be turned over to the church. You could do like the LDS church used to do with employees of ZCMI… that is they had a payroll deduction for tithing. And they deducted it directly and paid it to the Church.
They could do that to all of you in the state of Utah if we still had what we had originally. And if you didn't like that…then you could go to Idaho. Because in Idaho they worship the potato. [laughter] I know because I grew up there. And if you found it detestable to worship a potato, you could go to Wyoming and worship a cowboy. But every state was intended to be an experiment in sovereignty and in freedom. And the aberrations that would appear…the strange concoctions that the states would create of themselves…is just fine. Because the citizens of Vermont could say…I am sick of this government. And they could pack up and they could move to Rhode Island. Or they could move to Virginia. Or they could go to Ohio. And sooner or later…some state…like Texas is doing now…could say come here! We're not going to tax you out of existence. We're going to issue you a side arm when you come into the state…and were going to let you shoot out of your car…every road sign you see. And we will replace them because we have oil money and we can buy new road signs. Come to Texas!
And so people from Massachusetts can look down their nose at the folks in Texas. And they could say… They are ne'er-do-wells…they're hicks. And the people in Texas can say…Thank God we're in Texas and not in Massa-damn-chusetts. [laughter] We should be so diverse…we should be so dissimilar…we should be so non-uniform. That growing up in the United States…there should be at this moment…50 different experiments underway using the freedom the people have to choose. To design for themselves… the way in which they would like to be governed. And those 50 different ways will ultimately… some fail…some succeed…some turn into Nirvana. And the states are going to look around and say… Hey that's good! And they are going to form their own experiment in democracy by what they see working.
And they are going to form their own experiment in democracy by seeing what's failing…and by saying…Well, that didn't work! Look at that mess!
Christian Lecture #2 - Denver Snuffer 10-19-17
Because original Christianity was peacefully diverse the differences found in the earliest forms are somewhat preserved in our New Testament. I’ve got a question from the website. I’m reading you the question that came in: Is it possible Paul and Jesus taught two different gospel messages? There is debate such is the case, or is it Paul expressed the message differently than Jesus did? In other words, did Jesus elaborate more content and less terminology, justification, reconciliation, grace, et cetera, and Paul did the opposite?
It seems Christ, Peter, James, and John’s messages were sublime and easy to understand, whereas Paul’s letters are difficult to understand and require fitting the pieces together. Let’s take a look at those two witnesses.
Paul was a strict pharisee who followed the law. Paul persecuted Jesus’ followers, even assisting when Stephen was killed for his testimony of Christ. He had a great many things to regret. Everything in his life before his conversion to Christ gave him a context for understanding Christ and Christ’s message. Paul wanted grace, reconciliation, and justification because he needed these to have hope.
Peter was a fisherman but he walked alongside Christ for years. He saw Christ heal the sick, heard him bless the children, saw him walk on water. He knew that storms were quieted by Christ’s word. He saw the dead rise, and stood on the Mount of Transfiguration when the Father declared Christ was His Son.
Peter was as qualified a witness as Paul to testify Christ was the promised Messiah but we cannot expect two witnesses with such different experiences and from such different backgrounds as Peter’s and Paul’s to provide us identical testimonies of Christ. Both Paul and Peter understood and explained Christianity according to their background experiences, training, and culture. So long as they agreed on Christ’s doctrine and accepted Christ’s law that was enough. They were both Christian and provided us with truth.
Lecture 10 - Preserving The Restoration - Denver Snuffer 9-9-14
If a fellowship has significant numbers who still attend meetings, then meet in your own fellowship before or after the three-hour block, or on another day of the week.
If in your fellowship you don't think you know enough to do anything else, get together and read the scriptures out loud. Have your children study scripture. Teach them to use written copies of the scripture, not electronic devices. Studies show comprehension is greatly reduced by using electronic versions instead of printed books. Do not cripple your children by having them use computer-based scriptures. Get them their own copies and have them study them. Ask them to research subjects using their scriptures. Walk them through the parables of Christ and teach them to see symbolism as something familiar. Get them to consider analogies and types as tools used in scripture. Help them to reason a problem through using the scriptures as a guide.
In the early church, in this dispensation, when they got together, one of the things done regularly was everyone in the meeting prayed in turn. Everyone prayed. The meeting would last until all present had prayed. They called it a “Prayer Meeting,” oddly enough. One of the early brethren and didn't like that. He didn't feel like he could pray vocally around other people. There is a revelation admonishing him that he needs to pray.
If you don't have any wisdom to impart to one another, get together and pray. Get together and read the scriptures, but don't get together and read out loud out of any recent publication from Deseret Book. It has become little more than a vanity press, offering bright covers to serve up hollow slogans inside.
If we are going to begin again, it must be in conformity with the Doctrine of Christ, it must be taught by the spirit of truth, and it must follow the pattern and warnings given in Kirtland for us to follow.
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When I say “unpleasant” it is probably an understatement. 
If there are a thousand different fellowships, each will have a unique challenge. You are asked to proceed without being correlated, free to work out your own way to follow the Lord. There will be some people who are “complainers” who will bring complaints with them into your groups. They need your love and patience. You may be able to help them overcome a life-long personality issue that can be cured only by your kindness to one another. Do not be discouraged by the problems. Prayerfully confront them. Do not ignore or hide them. Confess them openly and be patient with one another in finding the solution. Some people have suffered from lifelong abuse by religious authorities, including their parents. They have never had a healthy religious experience. The fact they remain willing to try is itself cause for hope and encouragement. Help them. Love them. Let them find peace among you, for that is what we are asked to do: Be willing to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, stand as a witness to one another of God at all times and of all places, and bear one another's burdens that they may be light. Suspend judgment and give such assistance as you can to one another. Maybe what they will need most is your listening ear and open heart.

4 comments:

  1. FYI... This webex is not working via phone or computer.
    Sincerely, Andy andybouch@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is working for me. Just copy and paste it into your browser.

      https://curvature.webex.com/curvature/j.php?MTID=mac32dd28f00b4a898b0ed10072a75789

      Delete
  2. I heard there was a recording. Anyone have a link?

    ReplyDelete

Hey everyone,

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If you commented and it hasn't appeared, try sending from a different browser, or device, or use the "Contact Me" tool to reach out to me personally. Sorry for the problems! The blogger platform, though free, seems to have problems.