This was prepared as a talk to be given in a Sacrament meeting at our ward in Metz, France, but because of time constraints, I gave another. See French translation. This is a condensed version of a previous post.
Several years ago when I was released as a Bishop in our ward in Sandy, Utah, in 1985, I was thinking what my church experience would be going forward, and turned in my scriptures to D&C 11. I was not looking for this particular section, but that is where I found myself when I opened my scriptures. I began reading, and as I did I was enveloped in His Spirit. I had never before nor after, experienced anything like this. I began reading, or more accurately listening to the words I was seeing.
1. "A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.
2. Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word.
I had read these words before, but this time I was hearing His voice in His words as if He was reading them to me!
3. Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the Kingdom of God.
4. Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God.
As I listened I was overcome with the desire to thrust in my sickle, and to be called of God, but I did not understand what He meant.
5. Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.
At this point it was even clearer that He was speaking to me, and as I was caught up in His spirit, I could hear His voice in these words:
6. Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion.
I was not mindful of asking, but perhaps my wondering what I was to do going forward, was the reason for being directed to these verses. He asked me to keep His commandments and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. It would take me years to fully comprehend and be prepared to be called by Him. I had thought that His commandments were the outward things that I had been doing, but I was wrong.
7. Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold he that hath eternal life is rich.
The light was now more discernable. My mind was enlightened by the truth, the light and His spirit as I saw and heard His words! I was excited, but also fearful to hear more.
8. Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you; and, if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
As I look back on this verse I have come to realize that the next words I heard were the link to what He meant by 'doing much good in this generation.'
9. Say nothing but repentance unto this generation. Keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.
His specific call to say nothing but repentance meant that I needed to know what He meant by repentance, not what I thought it meant. I was impressed that it would mainly be to members of the church to whom I would say nothing but repentance, but it would be years before I would learn why.
At the time of this revelation to me, I did not know all that the call entailed, but the experience was so powerful that I could not deny that I was to be called by God. I knew that He would tell me exactly what I was to do.
The next words caused me to know that I was receiving this as a personal revelation!
10. Behold, thou has a gift, or thou shall have a gift if thou wilt desire of me in faith, with an honest heart, believing in the power of Jesus Christ, or in my power which speaketh unto thee;
11. For behold, it is I that speak; behold, I am the light which shineth in darkness, and by my power I give these words unto thee.
He was speaking to me! It was His voice I was hearing! It was very personal. And the instructions were getting more specific, but there were admonitions to ensure that I did not take this lightly.
12. And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good--yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
I knew it was His spirit that I was to trust, and I was experiencing His spirit at that moment! He then promised me the fruits of His Spirit, and at the same time admonished me to put my faith in Him.
13. Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;
14. And then shall ye know all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.
It was then that He told me the tools I would need in order to do His works of righteousness, and how I was to use the tools.
15. Behold, I command you that you need not suppose that you are called to preach until you are called.
16. Wait a little longer, until you shall have my word, my rock, my church, and my gospel, that you may know of a surety my doctrine.
17. And then, behold, according to your desires, yea, even according to your faith shall it be done unto you.
This was what I was supposed to do--search, treasure up and receive His words and know of a surety His word, His Church, His Gospel and His doctrine. He was to be my Rock. But then again for the third time He said.
18. Keep my commandments; hold your peace; appeal unto my Spirit;
19. Yea, cleave unto me with all your heart, that you may assist in bringing to light those things (words) of which have been spoken--yea, the translation of my work (the Book of Mormon); be patient until you shall accomplish it.
Obviously I was not being asked to assist in the translation since that had been completed, but to assist in teaching what I would learn of His words in the Book of Mormon. He again tells me that is my work.
20. Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength.
This was the fourth time He told me to keep His commandments, but then He said, and this became my work.
21. Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed, then if you desire, you shall have my spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.
But...?
22. But now hold your peace; study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, or that which is now translating, yea, until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto.
I did not comprehend all that He was telling me, but I knew that it would take me many years to obtain "all" that He had revealed to us, with the promise that more would be added.
23. Behold thou art Hyrum, my son; seek the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added according to that which is just."
24. Build upon my rock, which is my gospel;
25. Deny not the spirit of revelation, nor the spirit of prophecy, for wo unto him that denieth these things;
26. Therefore, treasure up in your heart until the time which in my wisdom that you shall go forth.
The verse about Hyrum caused me to pause. If He was speaking to Hyrum why did I feel that he was speaking to me? Because he was!
27. Behold, I speak unto all who have good desires, and have thrust in their sickle to reap.
As I recount this experience, it is colored now by the fact that I have done and continue to do what He asked of me. I have spent the latter part of my life obtaining His words, teaching them and doing what I was called to do in this revelation to me. And He has blessed me with the spirit of revelation and the spirit of prophecy. As I write this and see all that I have learned, His last few words of this Section are a sweet testimony of the promises He kept.
28. Behold I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world.
29. I am the same who came unto mine own and mine own received me not;
30. But verily, verily, I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in my name, Amen."
I want to say that as soon as I had this experience I went home and began immediately to more consciously seek to obtain His words, but I did not. In fact, it would be many years before I really caught the vision of what D&C 11 was all about for me personally.
I needed to recognize this revelatory experience as my Road to Damascus experience and hear God's voice telling me to "give heed to [His] word" and to experience my own lost and fallen state and my need to repent or to turn to Him.
And I needed to quit searching for riches. Only then could I be prepared to teach others as I obtained His words. Without experiencing my own lost, fallen and sinful state, and my redemption through Him and His atonement, I would be as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals trying to say nothing but repentance to others without experiencing and receiving His gift of repentance.
I would re-read D&C 11 many times after this experience, but without the same effect, and I wondered why. I learned later that it was because I had not yet kept His commandments, and had not yet quit searching for riches.
"Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20). He had to teach me that to repent means to turn to him and rely wholly upon His merits and righteousness, not my own, and then validate that repentance by enduring in faith in Him to the end.
I also learned that it was not necessary to repeat the same feelings every time I read D&C 11. He had spoken to me and I had heard His voice in His words. I could not deny it, and the more I did what He called me to do, the more fully did D&C 11 open up to me. He also reminded me that I need not ask again. "Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten your mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou has been enlightened by the Spirit of Truth.... Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:15;23;36).
I knew that this was a direct revelation to me, which is the purest form of the word of God! There is no doubt!
But the paradox was that I would have to search His words to know what it meant to repent and then 'keep His commandment' by repenting. I then realized why he told me multiple times to keep His commandments. He knew I needed to repent and turn to Him before I could do the work He was preparing me to do. He knew that I did not completely understand the doctrine of repentance. It was only after having taken a path that many said would take me off the strait and narrow way, that I began in earnest to follow the admonition I had received on that day when I was released as a Bishop. I needed to be repenting, and no longer be under the bondage of sin. I needed to be redeemed and under grace.
Only then could I spend the rest of my life obtaining, giving heed and teaching His words and saying nothing but repentance unto this generation. However, by searching to find how I could avoid the justice of God and receive His mercy, I was doing the searching and treasuring up of His words.
As I have sought to obtain His word, He has blessed me as He promised. He did give me more than one gift, and I received these gifts, and rejoice in them, and in Him who is the giver of these gifts. I continue to experience His light, His spirit and His voice in His words. I share His gifts to me with others. My mind has been enlightened and my soul has been filled with joy. I know of a surety His doctrine, His gospel, His rock. I know of a surety that His church is made up of only those who are repenting. I put my faith in Him and rely alone upon His merits.
He is the sole source of light and knowledge in my life.
I know of the darkness within me and the darkness that is in the world, and yet I follow His light which shines in the darkness.
I realized that He has hidden many things as a test for us to see if we are willing to search out His words like the treasures they are.
I now know that as part of the Lord's Great and Marvelous work, He will bring forth additional records, and that the bringing forth of these records will cause an irrevocable division among the Ephraimite Gentiles. Those who have feasted upon His words will gladly receive more, but those who have not, will not believe His words.
As Joseph Smith said a man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge, and that we must receive personal revelation. Keep in mind that when we search and hear His words we are being taught by Him. His words are truth, light, spirit, even the spirit of Jesus Christ, and we can hear His voice in His words (D&C 18:33-36).
And I say unto you, 'Hear ye Him!'
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