Category: Christ

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

A talk about the Gift of the Holy Ghost, what it is, what it does, why we need it, and how to receive it. I am using my own words, not LDS jargon, and speaking from my own experiences, and things that have been revealed to me, and things that I have practiced in my own life.

We can read about somebody else’s revelations, but they don’t really become our revelations until we experience them for ourselves and can put them in your own words, so I hope and pray you can take something from what I say, and experience it in your own life and make it real for you by being able to express it in your own words.

I am speaking directly from the transcript I have written in order to emphasize certain words. I found so much material that I had to greatly condense it. Even condensing it, I had to break the talk down into three parts. The entire presentation is a little over 30 minutes long.

Outline

  • Part 1
    • The Difference between Mormons and other churches
    • Both Faith and Works are Necessary
    • Testing the Heart
    • To truly do good, you must also be good
    • The Holy Ghost changes your heart
  • Part 2
    • More Supporting Quotes from Scriptures
    • The Lord’s Invitation to Come to Him is Universal
    • Learning and exercising personal revelation
  • Part 3
    • The Three Voices of Personal Revelation
    • Opposition in All things vs Opposition in Everything
    • Personal Testimony
    • Closing Remarks

Written

Transcript

Videos

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Who Is the End-time Servant?

This paper builds on a previous discussion on the Zion Media podcast on You Tube (https://youtu.be/YUi47tPy6Jc), which showed that the end-time servant is not Jesus Christ, nor Joseph Smith. I won’t repeat that discussion, but I would like to present what I believe to be overwhelming evidence for why this servant is a particular individual. Even if you don’t agree with my choice, I bet you can’t find anybody who fits the role better.

I have been working and praying about this for years. I knew I had it, and the Lord confirmed it, but there were some contradictions that I couldn’t resolve. But thanks to LDC (“Latter-day Chad” on the above podcast), he pointed out some things that I should have noticed, but didn’t. The contradictions are now resolved.

We can never study the fundamentals of the Gospel too much: faith, repentance, baptisms of water, fire, and the Holy Ghost. You should study 2 Nephi 31 and 32 and 3 Nephi 11, constantly and put what you learn into practice. You should live and grow by faith and repentance every day – not repenting of the same things every day, but constantly growing and improving. Like the hymn says, your “knowledge and power of God [should be] expanding”. You should seek earnestly for the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost and your second comforter. I have received both, and I can testify that they are real; the Lord truly wants a two-way relationship with each of us. The First Epistle of the Apostle John teaches that the early Apostles each had fellowship with the Lord and encourages all to do likewise, and enjoy that same fellowship.

We are also encouraged by the scriptures to search them, and to seek to know the mysteries. A mystery is not something you can never know or are not supposed to know. Many mysteries are right there in plain sight in the scriptures. Jesus told us to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. We can trust Him. He will never upbraid us, let us be deceived, refuse to answer, or give us a principle or commandment that we are not prepared to live. In this paper, I will explore one of those mysteries. To unveil it, I will rely on the words of the Lord, given through the prophets, both ancient and modern.

https://john144.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/who-is-the-servant.docx

A “Spiritual Translation” of the Gospel of Thomas

What is the Gospel of Thomas

These are the private sayings, written in Aramaic, of Jesus with his apostles, written before any of the Gospels. They were originally given by Jesus to his closest disciples, written down possibly by Thomas, himself, later translated into Greek, later redacted (edited, added to, reinterpreted) by the Gnostics.

These original sayings of Yeshua (Jesus) were recorded between 30-50 C.E. This was before the writings of Paul, and the writings of the four Gospels. The sayings of the original kernel of Thomas are older and more authentic than the earliest writings of the New Testament. They were reworked by Syrian Gnostics in the second century, who added their own spin to them, and created new sayings of their own. The Gospel of Thomas was found in early fragments, but later in complete form, written in Coptic (a late form of Egyptian language) , with the other gnostic documents found in Nag Hammadi around 1945. The copy we have today is three times removed from the original Aramaic sayings of Yeshua.

Lewis Keizer (See Bibliography.) uses linguistic analysis to unravel the original Aramaic sayings from the Greek and Gnostic reinterpretations of the original. He analyzes the text to determine whether each numbered saying is authentically something Jesus said, or was added by later authors. In each passage, I will note whether he thinks the passage was original, or a later redaction.

Though these sayings of Jesus are mostly familiar, this is written from a higher level of interpretation than you are probably used to. It is based on the original meaning and usage of Biblical words and the inspiration of the Spirit, adopted so that they can be applied in practice today. We’ll use the Holy Ghost to come to an understanding of what these teachings mean to us, today, in the light of the Gospel. My goal is to find the spiritual meaning of each saying for us, today. But this is not my job alone. You need to participate with the Spirit in discerning these mysteries, which are deeper than the superficial lessons you learned in Primary or Bible School. Visualize yourself as one of the Lord’s inner circle, gathered round Him, and the Lord speaking these sayings in your ear, today.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are believed to all stem from an original “Q (Source) Document,” but Thomas predates all of them, but is probably contemporary with Q, forming a true second witness. In the Gospels, the sayings of Jesus are linked together to form a narrative. Thomas is simply a collection of the sayings of Jesus, numbered for convenience.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17OEOt_9r8pHlv9R88sspBQ6-p3tj0WhnXX3eVRkoAlc/edit?usp=sharing

Keys of Knowledge to be Learned from the Endowment

The first thing that you should know about the endowment is that everything is not a literal, but a symbolic representation. The endowment is not a saving ordinance, but it is a symbolic depiction of a saving ordinance which should take place throughout your life as you come to Christ. I pray that as I present some of those symbols and what the Lord has taught me about them that you will see these representations, not as beliefs, but as ways of understanding the symbols. You can understand them on many levels, and there are many ways to interpret them. Use these ideas as suggestions that the Lord can show you the true principles behind them, that you may use them in your life.

We are forced to labor under very difficult circumstances. We are taught by fallible men. We have poorly translated and incomplete scriptures. We have to contend with the vagaries of our language. And, last of all, we are bound by false traditions promoted by false, apostate religions. And yet, the Lord tells us that we have sufficient to enable us to lay hold of the iron rod and walk the path back to Him. Given all this, why should we expect our temple ordinances to be pure and uncorrupted? It’s a measure of our faith that even when given insufficient information, we can still step forward and act boldly and valiantly. None of this is a barrier to the Lord. By His grace, He will compensate for our lack of pure knowledge by giving us pure revelation. The Endowment

Two Kinds of Peace

There are at least two different kinds of peace. There is the peace that the world offers, and there is the peace Christ offers (“not as the world giveth”). The Hebrew word Shalom implies not only peace for wholeness.

What is the true meaning of shalom?

According to Strong’s Concordance (7965), shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full.


You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. Isa 26:3


If you look up the Hebrew for “perfect peace”, this is the translation for “shalom shalom”.

Calling and Election

Brigham Young actually explained the difference between the Second Anointing and the Second Comforter. They are two different things. I have never seen this quote before, but wanted to share it. There are several significant points made here, and I know independently that he is telling the truth.

  • Priesthood is separate from and independent of the church
  • The fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood comes directly from the Lord
  • The second anointing in the public promise. The second comforter is the private fulfilment of that promise. The first is not complete without the other.
  • People who come on “Mormon Stories” and complain that they haven’t seen the Savior in the temple, were not taught this doctrine properly. The second anointing comes about as a “reward”, given by man for faithful service in the church, and/or being connected to the “right” families. The second comforter is given by the Lord himself. If we take the Holy Spirit for our guide, seek and receive personal revelation, and act on it, the second comforter is the destination that this path leads to.
  • Contrary to what Brigham Young says, the second anointing is not a prerequisite for receiving the second comforter.

There are in the Church two Priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and the Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood (1) & C 107: 1). But there is additonal Priesthood that has never been delegated to the Church. The Lord Himself handles this Priesthood and gives it to whom and when He pleases. Man does not call another man to this order, neither does man secure it by the request or selection of any man on earth. The call comes by messenger from heaven requesting designated individuals into the House of God (and it is known to Latter-day Saints as the second anointing), preparatory to receiving the Second Comforter, which completes their ordination. Sometimes this second Comforter is given while in the Temple. Often it does not come until years after, even just at death. But they who have had their second anointings can see the face of the Lord and live, even though being in the flesh, as one sees and talks to another. A Priesthood Issue, p. 8 (See also: J.D., 9:87)

From the Pamphlet “Son thou Shalt Be Exalted” by Dennis Short https://content.byui.edu/file/76183b70-4348-4e74-bd7d-5b823a415513/1/FileMS166_SonThouShaltBeExalted.pdf

In the early history of the Church it was sometimes possible to tell which of the Apostles had made their ordination complete by a careful observance of the way in which they performed certain ordinances. If an Apostle had enjoyed the ministering of the Savior to him personally, and had the Lord lay His hands upon his head, then this Apostle would say, “Having authority given me of Jesus Christ….” If an Apostle had not made his ordination complete he would perform the ordinance in the conventional manner, i.e.: “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I….”

There are other ways to tell whether a man has the Sealing Power or not, by the way in which he prays. Since this is easily imitated, I would reveal those ways, but if you are attentive, the Lord will reveal them to you.

Here is a really old quote from Bruce R. McConkie. He didn’t talk like this in his later years:

Revelations are not reserved for a limited few or for those called to positions of importance in the Church. It is not position in the Church that confers spiritual gifts. It is not being a bishop, a stake president, or an apostle that makes revelation and salvation available. These are high and holy callings which open the door to the privilege of great service among men. But it is not a call to a special office that opens the windows of revelation to a truth seeker. Rather it is personal righteousness; it is keeping the commandments; it is seeking the Lord while He may be found.

God is no respecter of persons. He will give revelation to me and to you on the same terms and conditions. I can see what Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw in the vision of the degrees of glory–and so can you. I can entertain angels and see God, I can receive an out pouring of the gifts of the Spirit–and so can you.

There are goals to gain, summits to climb, revelations to receive. In the eternal scope of things we have scarcely started out on the course to glory and exaltation. The Lord wants His Saints to receive line upon line, precept upon precept, truth upon truth, revelation upon revelation, until we know all things and have become like Him.

Let us press forward in making our callings and elections sure, until, as Joseph Smith said, we shall have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend us, or to appear to us from time to time, and until even He will manifest the Father unto use (See TPJS., p. 151). Improvement Era, December 1969, p. 85

Why I am opposed to organized Religion

I mentioned in a previous post that I have problems with organized religion.

Some people may know this, but not others. I was actually involved in the organization of a Restoration church. It began as a group of in-home fellowships, but we received commandments and authority from the Lord to organize the Priesthood. We had apostles, prophets, patriarchs, evangelists, bishops, and all the offices of the Priesthood. We dedicated a small structure like unto Moses’ tabernacle, dedicated it, and administered temple ordinances. We were doing things and having spiritual experiences, and gifts of the Spirit like the early church under Joseph Smith.

There were two things that soured me on the idea of ANY institutional church.

(1) As Priesthood holders, we had visions, revelations, and other gifts of the Spirit that the LDS church could only talk about. Our apostles had true power and authority from Christ.

(2) Some of the members sought after positions of authority, and as soon as they got it, they wanted to organize an institutional church patterned after the LDS church. We slipped into apostasy, almost immediately. They drove the true servants of God out of the church.

I pondered for years what we did wrong. What was the exact moment when we went astray? I finally identified it as the time we officially organized and incorporated under the State of California. We even received a revelation the warned us that we were “following the arm of flesh”, but we ignored it.

But, through it all, I learned to depend on personal revelation. My journals are full of it.

I support the Lord’s definition of His church.

“Those who repent and come to me.” D&C 10:67

This could be an individual, a family, a small group of people holding regular cottage meetings.

This is such an accurate description of the history of our little group, the Lord could have said this of us, not the Nephites.

3 Nephi 27:3 And they said unto him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.

3 Nephi 27:4 And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

3 Nephi 27:5 Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

3 Nephi 27:6 And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

3 Nephi 27:7 Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

3 Nephi 27:8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

3 Nephi 27:9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;

3 Nephi 27:10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.

3 Nephi 27:11 But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return.

Imitating Christ

Somebody posted to Facebook the other day about a talk given last conference. The speaker said that in order to follow Jesus, we had to “imitate Jesus”. The poster did a great job of debunking this notion, and the entire “gospel of works” by actually teaching the correct doctrine of Christ from the Scriptures.

I just wanted to a brief comment.

Eternal life is not to imitate God, but to know God. Satan imitates God. That’s why he’s able to deceive.

Covid-19 Booster Shot

I received my booster yesterday, and today, I am getting weakness and chills just like last time, though not as severe as the second dose. My body temp is naturally low. Since yesterday, my highest temp has been 98.6, but that feels like a fever to me.

I don’t really care what your opinion is of the vaccine, or of me for taking it. Each person should check in with their own highest source of spiritual light and follow where that leads you. As you may know, I asked the Lord to send somebody into my life, just like Him. He told me a year before it happened that somebody, whom I never imagined or thought of, was on the way. When we first met, the Lord confirmed that this was the person, and He told me: “He’s mine. Take care of him.”

I have promises to keep, and I have been faithful to that promise for 35 years. He is disabled and has no other source of income other than me. I will continue to fulfill that promise and remain alive for as long as I can.