How Blessed Are They Who Have Labored Diligently in His Vineyard

~ Richard Rowley

The Earth is the Lord’s vineyard and souls that have yielded to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and become true followers of His Son, Jesus Christ, are the desired fruit. One last harvest will occur in the last days before Christ’s return.

“…The day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh. And how blessed are they who have labored diligently in his vineyard; and how cursed are they who shall be cast out into their own place! And the world shall be burned with fire.” (Jacob 6:2-3)

Questions:

-Do you see this last harvest occurring in our world today?

-Is the wheat being separated from the tares as described in Christ’s parable? (see Matthew 13:25-30)

-Will the world be burned by literal fire according to this prophecy?

-Is the unveiled presence of God like a burning fire to all that is corrupt?

This Is the Last Time I Shall Nourish My Vineyard

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob quotes the words of the prophet Zenos (who is not found in the Old Testament but likely had writings in the Brass Plates) regarding the last days before Christ’s Second Coming.

“And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.” (Jacob 5:70-71)

Questions:

-How many in the world are laboring in God’s vineyard with their might?

-What is the significance of the servants being few?

-Do you believe that Christ’s Second Coming will occur soon?

-Would many reprioritize their life focus is they believed a labor was available to them that would yield eternal fruit?

Latter-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators

“The saints of the Most High are not yet, as a people and with organized congregations, established upon all the face of the earth. When the day comes that they are, they still will not compare in [earthly] power with the forces of evil. Even then, as Nephi foresaw, ‘their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw’ (1 Nephi 14:12)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 55)

The Spirit Speaketh of Things as They Really Are, and of Things as They Really Will Be

~ Richard Rowley

The Spirit has always testified of Jesus Christ. Before His birth, the Spirit testified of Him as Jehovah and as the coming Messiah and Savior. After His birth the Spirit now testifies of Him as the Savior who has worked out the Atonement in all of mankind’s behalf. Those who earnestly sought and obtained God’s Spirit before Christ’s coming—including the Nephite prophet Jacob—received a clear witness and understanding of who He would be and what He would do.

Writing about Christ sometime around 500 B.C., Jacob recorded the following about the power of the Spirit:

“…Beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him…He that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.” (Jacob 4:12-13)

Questions:

-Do you believe that true prophets (and their followers) who lived centuries before Christ had a clear understanding of who He would be and what He would do?

-Do you believe that you can have a clear understanding of who Christ is and what He has done through the Spirit?

Seek Not to Counsel the Lord, But to Take Counsel from His Hand

~ Richard Rowley

After teaching about God’s perfect power and knowledge, Jacob emphasizes a point that should be obvious but is easily missed by those of us living in the fallen world.

“…Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold…he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God.” (Jacob 4:10-11)

Questions:

-How often does God reach out to individuals to guide them in the right direction through His Spirit? How often do those individuals respond and follow the Spirit?

-What causes a person to reject or ignore the direction of God’s Spirit?

-Where can one find the counsel the Lord has given to those on earth in written form?

-Did you just read a portion of His counsel in bold above?

-Why not start drawing on His great wisdom, justice, and mercy today by listening to the Spirit and reading His written word with an open heart?

-Is there any counsel from God more important than that which He has given to be reconciled to Him through His Son’s Atonement?

-How joyful is the consequence of being reconciled to God through Christ’s Atonement? What does it mean to be part of the First Resurrection?

Earth Was Created by the Power of God’s Word

~ Richard Rowley

The Book of Mormon testifies (through the teachings of the prophet Jacob) that God created the earth and the life upon it by the power of His word.

“…By the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word.” (Jacob 4:9)

Questions:

-How many see the earth and the life on it as a creation of God?

-Does the fact that it is a fallen creation (including the people of the earth) cause some to feel that God is distant or doesn’t exist?

Latter-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators:

“Think of our physical sustenance. It is truly heaven-sent. The necessities of air, food, and water all come to us as gifts from a loving Heavenly Father. The earth was created to support our brief sojourn in mortality. We were born with a capacity to grow, love, marry, and form families.

Marriage and family are ordained of God. The family is the most important social unit in time and in eternity. Under God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless association with beloved members of one’s family.” (Russell M. Nelson, “Thanks Be to God”)

No Man Knoweth of God’s Ways Save It Be Revealed unto Him

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob teaches that revelation is essential to begin to understand God’s ways.

“Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.” (Jacob 4:8)

Questions:

-How much false belief about God has come into being through the ages due to men and women relying on their intellect more than on revelation from God himself?

-Based on Jacob’s teachings, is a lifetime long enough to understand God intellectually?

-Can the Holy Spirit testify to one’s heart what one’s mind cannot yet understand (so it is possible to develop a meaningful relationship with God within a lifetime)?

-If someone despises the idea of receiving divine revelation, how likely is he or she to gain an understanding of who God really is?

All the Holy Prophets Had a Hope of Christ’s Glory Before His Coming

~ Richard Rowley

The Nephite prophets, including Jacob, had a clear understanding of Christ’s central role in the Father’s plan hundreds of years before Christ came to earth. Jacob explains that this was true of all true prophets who lived before Christ.

“…We knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. Behold they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name and also we worship the Father in his name.” (Jacob 4:4-5)

Questions:

-If all of mankind’s hopes rest on Christ’s redemptive power, how likely would it be that the Holy Spirit testified of Christ to all the true prophets who came before Christ?

Look unto God with Firmness of Mind and Pray with Exceeding Faith

~ Richard Rowley

The prophet Jacob describes the power that comes to those who are pure in heart, look to God with firmness of mind, and pray with exceeding faith:

“…I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.” (Jacob 3:1)

Questions:

-What does it mean to be pure in heart? How can one obtain purity of heart?

-Do some expect remarkable blessings without looking to God with firmness of mind and without praying with exceeding faith?

-Do some keep their head bowed stubbornly in sorrow rather than receiving the pleasing word of God and rejoicing in the power of His love?

Whoredoms Are an Abomination Before Me

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob is given revelation from the Lord that the Nephites are beginning to rationalize sexual misconduct based on the actions of David and Solomon.

For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. (2 Jacob 2:23-24)

Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For, if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. (2 Jacob 2:27-30)

Questions:

-Is a society always cursed when the lure of unbounded sexuality is succumbed to and leads to a multiplicity of crass encounters that harm the souls of the participants?

-Were the men who are being called to repentance in the above verses letting their sexual desires overcome their basic decency toward many of the women around them? And, were they using the practice of plural marriage in their culture’s past as a cover for doing so?

-Are there others in the past, besides David and Solomon, who have practiced plural marriage without God’s sanction?

-When has God sanctioned plural marriage? What does the passage above suggest about why He would do so?

-Do you believe God sanctioned plural marriage as practiced by modern-day prophets such as Joseph Smith and Brigham Young? Or, do you believe they were acting on their own motivations against God’s will? What do you have for reference in judging their motivations?

The One Being Is as Precious in His Sight as the Other

~ Richard Rowley

Jacob teaches that those who have treated others poorly—due to a misguided mindset where wealth and achievement are evidence of being superior to others—are acting sinfully in God’s sight. He then provides the reason why this is so.

“…The one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.” (Jacob 2:21)

Questions:

-How many treat others in a way that is consistent with the truth that every person is equally precious in God’s sight?

-What kind of spiritual power comes into a person’s life when they consistently repent to the standard of thought and conduct provided by this verse?

-Do you believe that the highest path in life (and the greatest source of joy and peace) is to glorify God?