Put On the Altar of Sacrifice Any Disobedience.įirst, a consecrated missionary puts on the altar of sacrifice any streak of disobedience he may possess, however large or small it may be. May I discuss some of those, so that hopefully we too might become like Peter and leave our all on the altar of sacrifice. Thee” (Luke 18:18-28). Perhaps we have one or two things which we lack, that we hold back from the sacrificial altar, that prevent us from becoming a consecrated missionary. Peter, overhearing the conversation and understanding there could be no shortcuts to eternal life, no holding back, declared in contrast: “We have left all and followed Sell all thou hast and distribute unto the poor…and come follow me.” But it was too much to ask, and he went away sorrowful, unwilling to put his all on the sacrificial altar. Then the Savior declared, “Yet lackest thou one thing. He had kept the commandments from his youth up. Sometimes good men, perhaps even great men, can’t quite bring themselves to put everything on the altar of sacrifice, and in the course lose their eternal lives. The consequence was devastating – they were struck dead (Acts 5:1-10). Under thelaw of consecration they were to turn over the entire sale proceeds to the church, but secretly they kept back part of the price. The scriptures tell us that they sold a piece of land. Such was the case withĪnanias and Sapphira, his wife. Sometimes there is a temptation to withhold part of the offering. I have all eternity before me, in which to enjoy myself.” (Autobiography of Parley P. And when the Spirit of God is upon me, I think it matters but very little what I suffer, what I sacrificed–whether I secure the honor or dishonor of men, or where I die, if it so be that I can keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with joy. If it is the will of God that I should spend my days in proclaiming this Gospel and bearing testimony of these things, I shall think myself highly privileged and honored. Learning of his call by Brigham Young, he offered the following tender reflections and prophetic insights: “I have desired, after travelling for twenty-five or twenty-six years, mostly abroad, to stay at home and minister among the people of God, and take care of my family but God’s will be done, and not mine. Perhaps he thought, “Haven’t I given all that a mortal could be expected to give? Don’t I deserve to spend some time with my family and friends? Can’t I just relax for a while?”īut Parley P. One can imagine the feelings that must have swelled up in Parley’s heart. Mission– this time in the eastern states. President Brigham Young called him to serve yet another He was hopeful that he could now remain at home and enjoy his family, but suchĮxpectations were short lived. He had just returned from his latest mission in Chile. More than 25 years of almost constant labors. The law of consecration is the law of the temple, it is the law of the celestial kingdom, and it is the law of a celestial mission. The book of Omni records the depth and breadth of that covenant: “Yea, come unto me, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26). Every missionary who has been to the temple has covenanted to consecrate his all. It is a willingness to give every ounce of energy, every conscious thought, and every drop of passion to this work – to submit our will to God’s will whatever it may be. The altar of sacrifice and to hold nothing back. What is a consecrated missionary? It is a missionary who is willing to lay everything on But to those of you who are not quite there, but would like to be, it is you to whom I would like to speak today – about becoming a consecrated missionary. Today I believe we have many more such consecrated missionaries. He said in essence: “Every mission has a number of good, even great missionaries, but most missions only have about five or so consecrated missionaries – those who are willing to lay everything on the altar of sacrifice.” I have long forgotten most of what was said, but an observation made by the president of the Mission Training Center struck me and has remained with me to this day. The training was shorter and simpler then, but the spirit was just as powerful. Many years ago I entered the Mission Training Center as a young enthusiastic It is a classic talk on serving the Lord with all your “heart, might, mind and strength”. This talk was given at the MTC to missionaries who were about to go into the field.
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