3 Nephi 19:1-12

19:1-9 - Jesus ascends into heaven and “the multitude did disperse, and every man did take his wife and his children and did return to his own home.” It’s interesting because, I don’t know if it was this verse or one from King Benjamin’s speech, but this was one of the verses referenced when HN talked about horses in the Americas. He used this verse to demonstrate that there was some liberties taken because he says, if this verse is to be taken literally, then that means that every Nephite man had a wife and children and a home, he says to be literal, then there has to assumed that there wasn’t any single adult Nephite men, there were no married couples without children, there were no married couples with a single child, there were no families that didn’t have their own home, yeah so I could go on and on, but this is the point that he makes, that these details can’t be taken literally, anyways, just thought that I would comment on that. I guess it can be assumed that all this happened on the first day because “it was noised abroad concerning Jesus; and insomuch did they send forth unto the people that… they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude.” The people desired that all their friends and neighbors should be there when Jesus came back the next day. When “the multitude was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his brother whom he had raised from the dead, whose name was Timothy.” Ok, so one thing we have to remember here is that even though I’ve been spending months on this section, technically it’s only transpired in the last 24 hours. The people who were running to tell their neighbors, they are all still reeling from the storm and total destruction that befell them. When we come to Nephi and his brother Timothy, who was raised from the dead, it goes back to reference 3 Nephi 7:19 that was from when Nephi was preaching repentance to the people and were encountering all types of persecutions, and his brother Timothy was apparently “stoned and suffered death by the people,” and it’s assumed that it was because he was testifying of the people’s wickedness. Timothy suffered martyrdom and his brother Nephi restored him to life, so it makes sense that he would be among the chosen apostles. I think it’s interesting to see what happens when the people showed up and Jesus wasn’t there yet, the twelve apostles take the initiative and “they did cause that they should be separated into twelve bodies. And the twelve did teach the multitude… and when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken-nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken- behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus.” Very interesting that they did that, instead of just waiting around, which if probably what I would have done. What did they pray for, they tell us “they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.” It’s interesting because I think about what I desire most, and wonder, is it the Holy Ghost? Is that what I should desire most? I desire to be a good mom, is having the Holy Ghost with me better than that? Well, let’s think if I have the Holy Ghost with me, that means that I’m living relatively righteously, listening for the Holy Ghost’s guidance gives me pause to stop and think about my situation, am I being too harsh with my kids? Am I being too easy with them? Asking for the companionship of the Holy Ghost also makes me more aware of the environment that I’m creating because if I’m screaming at the kids, then the Spirit is driven away, if I listen to bad music, it’s driven away. Elder David A. Bednar teaches in an October 2010 general conference address entitled “Receive the Holy Ghost,” “We first should desire, yearn for, and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost. You and I can learn a great lesson about righteous desires from the faithful disciple of the Master described in the Book of Mormon: ‘And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus… And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them. Do we likewise remember to pray earnestly and consistently for that which we should most desire, even the Holy Ghost? Or do we become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and take for granted or even neglect this most valuable of all gifts? Receiving the Holy Ghost starts with our sincere and constant desire for His companionship in our lives.” So even here we learn of the importance in seeking, diligently, the companionship of the Holy Ghost and that it would be a top priority. The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “There is… a difference between the gift of the Holy Ghost and the enjoyment of the gift. All saints after baptism receive the gift or right to the sanctifying power of the Spirit; only those who are worthy and who keep the commandments actually enjoy the promised reward. In practice, members of the Church enjoy the companionship of the Spirit from time to time as they manage, by obedience, to get in tune with the Infinite. The actual enjoyment of the gift of the Holy Ghost is a supernal gift that a man can receive in mortality. The fact of its receipt is a witness that the saints so blessed are reconciled to God and are doing the things that will assure them of eternal life in the realms ahead.” I had never considered that as members of the church we only have the Spirit with us “from time to time,” I thought that as long as we weren’t doing something absolutely terrible that we’d always have that gift and guidance at the same strength all the time. I guess it would make sense though, just like God doesn’t force Himself on us, the Holy Ghost wouldn’t either, so that makes total sense. The more we seek him out the more he is around us, the less importance we give him, the less he will be around us. The IM continues by quoting President Heber J. Grant as teaching, “I have little or no fear for the boy or the girl, the young man or the young woman, who honestly and conscientiously supplicate God twice a day for the guidance of His Spirit. I am sure that when temptation comes they will have the strength to overcome it by the inspiration that shall be given to them. Supplicating the Lord for the guidance of His Spirit places around us a safeguard, and if we earnestly and honestly seek the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord, I can assure you that we will receive it.” On my way into work sometimes I pray, and when I do I ask to be guided by the Spirit so that I can make good choices and do good work, but do I show that I want the Spirit with me when I actually get to work? Do I make lots of noise? Do I complain? Do I listen or engage in maybe less than appropriate conversation? Yeah I do, and that’s not conducive to having the Spirit with me. But even though I might pray for the Holy Ghost sometimes once a day at most, I don’t do it twice a day like President Grant has counseled, and I surely don’t act like I’m pursuing the companionship of the Holy Ghost many times throughout the day. The IM finishes this section by quoting President Marion G. Romney as teaching his four-point program for companionship of the Spirit, “If you want to obtain and keep the guidance of the Spirit, you can do so by following this simple four-point program. One, pray. Pray diligently… Second, study and learn the gospel. Third, live righteously; repent of your sins… Fourth, give service in the Church.” I like the definition of “repent” as “to turn away from,” so we can read the third point as “live righteously; turn away from your sins.” I find that that is much more descriptive and personal for me.

19:10-12 – After the apostles had pray for the gift of the Holy Ghost, “they went down unto the water’s edge, and the multitude followed them. And it came to pass that Nephi went down into the water and was baptized. And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.” The IM explains this by quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, “When Christ appeared to the Nephites on this continent, he commanded they to be baptized, although they had been baptized previously for the remission of their sins… The Savior commanded Nephi and the people to be baptized again, because he had organized anew the Church under the gospel. Before that it had been organized under the law… For the same reason Joseph Smith and those who had been baptized prior to April 6, 1830, were again baptized on the day of the organization of the Church.” I remember learning about the few instances of rebaptism in the book the Articles of Faith, and I remember this being one of the times discussed. I wonder if it was because Jesus had set forth a new type of gospel, a new law, and the Nephites had to enter into that covenant with the knowledge of the new law.