speak, for thy servant heareth

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speak, for thy servant heareth

• Khinckley1_at_yahoo.com

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True Story?

• It was time for sacrament meeting to begin and a
  mother couldn't find her son. She searched all
  through the meetinghouse then she looked
  outside. Finally she found him sitting on the
  curb with his head in his hands. "Son, we have to
  go in now," she said. "Church is about to start."
• "I don't want to," he said.
• "Why not?"
• "Because nobody likes me. Nobody cares if I'm
  there or not. I'll bet you can't give me one good
  reason why I should."
• "Oh, yes, I can," said the mother. "You're the
  bishop!"

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Elder Eyring Questions

• A few may wonder about the requirement to listen
  to other people at church and ask, "Why do I
  have to get my directing and teaching from
  somebody else? Why can't I go to God for myself
  and get my own revelation? Why can't I have the
  Holy Ghost inspire me? Why does every call to
  lead, in fact, call others to listen? Why are we
  all, therefore, called to listen? Why should even
  a prophet have a home teacher?"

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Elder Eyring Continues

• Clearly, my problem and your problem is to hear
  the word of God from and through imperfect
  teachers and leaders. That is your test and mine.
  And it is our opportunity. All of us--today, next
  week, and for the rest of our lives--are going to
  be sitting somewhere while someone leads us or
  teaches us who will seem weak and simple because
  they are human, like us.
• God has said that if we are going to make it home
  again, we must not only hear his voice privately
  by our own effort, but also through the voice of
  his servants who, when the speak by the power of
  the Spirit, speak as if it were his voice.

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President Hinckley

• Unless there is loyalty toward the bishop and
  stake president on a local level, there will
  be an absence of harmony, there will be
  suspicion and hesitation to serve with
  fidelity, there will be that kind of division
  which is always destructive of faith.
• Let it ever be remembered that no President
  of this church, no counselor in the
  Presidency, no General Authority, no member
  of a stake presidency or of a bishopric or of
  an elders quorum presidency is there because
  he wished to be there and requested the
  privilege. Each is there because he was "called
  of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of
  hands by those who are in authority, to preach
  the Gospel and administer in the ordinances
  thereof."
• Loyalty to leadership is a cardinal requirement
  of all who serve in the army of the Lord. A house
  divided against itself cannot stand. Unity is
  basic and essential

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From Judges to Kings- Flawed Leaders
Eli
Samuel
Saul
David
Solomon
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Eli, The High Priest, and his sons

• 12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial they
  knew not the LORD but they were temple
  priests!.
• 17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very
  great before the LORD for men abhorred the
  offering of the LORD.
• 22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his
  sons did unto all Israel and how they lay with
  the women that assembled at the door of the
  tabernacle of the congregation.
• 23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things?
  for I hear of your evil dealings by all this
  people.
• 24 Nay, my sons for it is no good report that I
  hear ye make the LORD's people to transgress.

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Question

• If we set a bad example in our calling, how does
  that effect other church members?
• How do we avoid not being negatively effected by
  a church leaders flaws?

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Can you really do better?

• DC 675
• Your eyes have been upon my servant Joseph
  Smith, Jun., and his language you have known, and
  his imperfections you have known and you have
  sought in your hearts knowledge that you might
  express beyond his language this you also know.

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Samuels Call

• 1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord
  before Eli.
  And the word of the Lord was
  precious in those days
  there was no
  open vision.
• 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple
  of the Lord,
  where the ark of God was, and
  Samuel was laid down to sleep.
• 4 That the Lord called Samuel and he answered,
  Here am I.
• 5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I for
  thou calledst me.
  And he said, I called not lie
  down again.
• 6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And
  Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am
  I for thou didst call me. And he answered, I
  called not, my son lie down again.
• 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither
  was the word of the Lord ye revealed unto him.
• 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third
  time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said,
  Here am I for thou didst call me. And Eli
  perceived that the Lord had called the child.
• 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down
  and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt
  say, Speak, Lord for thy servant heareth. So
  Samuel went and lay down in his place.
• 10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at
  other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel
  answered, Speak for thy servant heareth.
• 11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do
  a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of
  everyone that heareth it shall tingle.
• 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all
  things which I have spoken concerning his house
• 13 For I have told him that I will judge his
  house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth
  because his sons made themselves vile, and he
  restrained them not.

• Note
• Like Samuel, sometimes the Lord speaks to us
  muliple times before we
• recognize His voice and,
• 2) and commit to listen.

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Question-

• When the Lord is trying to communicate with us,
  why wouldnt we recognize it?

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Elder F. Enzio Busche

• There seems to be, inside of us, the
  capability to be spiritually illiterate, in
  spite of the brilliant knowledge that we may
  have about the facts of the Restoration, the plan
  of salvation, and the organizational part of the
  restored gospel.

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Old Christian Preacher

• If you will here stop, and ask yourselves, why
  you are not as pious as the primitive Christians
  were, your own heart will you, that it is neither
  through ignorance nor inability, but purely
  because you never thoroughly intended it!

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Elder Busche Cont
Especially of church members and leaders who have
offended us!!!

• In my humble understanding, it can be said
  that there are only two elements that separate
  us from the Holy Spirit
• First, our lack of desire to repent, and
• Second, our lack of desire to forgive.