Other Sheep

Other Sheep

As I explained in my last post, The Book Of Mormon is a story about a family who leaves Jerusalem around 600 BC, travels to the coast of the Arabian peninsula, builds a ship, and is led by the Lord to the Americas. Within a few years of arriving this family divides themselves into two peoples who eventually become two nations. One the "Nephites" who believe in the revelations of God, and Two the "Lamanites" who believe that their fathers were tricked into leaving Jerusalem and were robbed by their brother of their rights and their property. Over the next 600 years we have recorded stories of wars, secret crime organizations, temples, kings, missionaries, prophets, famines, plagues, miracles, industry, etc.

     The climax of The Book Of Mormon is when Christ appears to the Nephites in America after his ascension into heaven in Jerusalem. In about 34 AD he teaches this piece of scattered Israel many of the same teachings he taught to his followers in Jerusalem including the sermon on the mount. In the Bible, Christ teaches  

"16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." 

(John 10:16)

     In The Book Of Mormon Christ teaches

 "21 And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (3 Nephi 15:21)

     Jesus then goes on to teach that he loves all of God's children and he had even more people to visit around the earth.

     I believe that Jesus did appear to the people in ancient America and that he isn't limited in what he can do just because we are limited in our knowledge of it. I know that Christ is our shepherd and that he will keep us safe from the dangers around us if we follow him.

     After Christ's brief appearance to this nation the Nephites lived in complete peace for over 100 years. 

"and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God." (4 Nephi 1:16)

The BOM.com

What does The Book of Mormon Teach?

The spirit has been telling me to make this blog for a while now. In this month's issue of the Ensign I saw an article about "small and simple blogs". I decided it was time to follow my prompting and create a small and simple blog (especially after coming up with the awesome title "The BOM.com")!

The Book of Mormon is my favorite book. I try to read it every day. It always lifts me up, inspires me, and intrigues me. I have read it many times and always seem to learn something new every time I study it.

My goal here is to write a post once a week highlighting a teaching from The Book of Mormon. I am not a scholar and I do not claim to know everything about the book but I do know that it is the word of God. My obvious intent is to inspire people and to hopefully educate people who are curious about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as people who are curious about what The Book of Mormon is all about.

So I guess if this is my first post I have to teach something...

My little girl just woke up so I'll have to make this one brief. 

 23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we  know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

Reference: The Second Book of Nephi, Chapter two, Verse twenty three (2 Nep 2:23)

Wow! This one little verse teaches so much. Nephi is the first character introduced in The Book of Mormon. His father is a prophet in Jerusalem around the time of Jeremiah. The Lord warns his father Lehi to take their family out of Jerusalem before Babylon invades and destroys Jerusalem as they knew it. Lehi's family is led by the Lord out of Jerusalem and by boat to the promise land (somewhere on the american continent). After Lehi dies Nephi becomes the primary ruler and teacher of his people. He becomes the new prophet. The Nephites, as they are called, build a temple like the one built by Solomon in their homeland and worship God. 

In this verse Nephi is teaching his people. Nephi addresses the reason he is keeping his record. To convince his children and his people to believe in Jesus Christ and God the Father. This verse stresses the importance of keeping records, whether it be prophets writing down the word of God like they have since the beginning of time or individuals keeping a journal with their testimony in it so their children can read it later and know that their parents believed in God. It teaches the importance of sharing these things with "our brethren" or in other words the importance of doing missionary work and spreading Christ's gospel. It teaches that we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ or that through Christ we can be brought back into the presence of the Father. It stresses the importance of the doctrine that only though the grace of Christ can we be saved. It also stresses the importance of doing all that we can do to follow the Savior.

What a beautiful verse. I hope that someday my kids can look back on my journal and perhaps this blog and know that their dad believes in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.