Doctrine and Covenants 72

 

In what meaningful ways has the Lord touched your life or your family through the loving service of a bishop?

"Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 4, 1831. Several elders and members had assembled to learn their duty and to be further edified in the teachings of the Church. This section is a compilation of three revelations received on the same day. Verses 1 through 8 make known the calling of Newel K. Whitney as a bishop. He was then called and ordained, after which verses 9 through 23 were received, giving additional information as to a bishop’s duties. Thereafter, verses 24 through 26 were given, providing instructions concerning the gathering to Zion.

1–8, Elders are to render an account of their stewardship unto the bishop; 9–15, The bishop keeps the storehouse and cares for the poor and needy; 16–26, Bishops are to certify the worthiness of elders.

1 Hearken, and listen to the voice of the Lord, O ye who have assembled yourselves together, who are the high priests of my church, to whom the kingdom and power have been given.

2 For verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient in me for a bishop to be appointed unto you, or of you, unto the church in this part of the Lord’s vineyard.

3 And verily in this thing ye have done wisely, for it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward, to render an account of his stewardship, both in time and in eternity.

4 For he who is faithful and wise in time is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for him of my Father.

5 Verily I say unto you, the elders of the church in this part of my vineyard shall render an account of their stewardship unto the bishop, who shall be appointed of me in this part of my vineyard.

6 These things shall be had on record, to be handed over unto the bishop in Zion.

7 And the duty of the bishop shall be made known by the commandments which have been given, and the voice of the conference.

8 And now, verily I say unto you, my servant Newel K. Whitney is the man who shall be appointed and ordained unto this power. This is the will of the Lord your God, your Redeemer. Even so. Amen.

9 The word of the Lord, in addition to the law which has been given, making known the duty of the bishop who has been ordained unto the church in this part of the vineyard, which is verily this—

10 To keep the Lord’s storehouse; to receive the funds of the church in this part of the vineyard;

11 To take an account of the elders as before has been commanded; and to administer to their wants, who shall pay for that which they receive, inasmuch as they have wherewith to pay;

12 That this also may be consecrated to the good of the church, to the poor and needy.

13 And he who hath not wherewith to pay, an account shall be taken and handed over to the bishop of Zion, who shall pay the debt out of that which the Lord shall put into his hands.

14 And the labors of the faithful who labor in spiritual things, in administering the gospel and the things of the kingdom unto the church, and unto the world, shall answer the debt unto the bishop in Zion;

15 Thus it cometh out of the church, for according to the law every man that cometh up to Zion must lay all things before the bishop in Zion.

16 And now, verily I say unto you, that as every elder in this part of the vineyard must give an account of his stewardship unto the bishop in this part of the vineyard—

17 A certificate from the judge or bishop in this part of the vineyard, unto the bishop in Zion, rendereth every man acceptable, and answereth all things, for an inheritance, and to be received as a wise steward and as a faithful laborer;

18 Otherwise he shall not be accepted of the bishop of Zion.

19 And now, verily I say unto you, let every elder who shall give an account unto the bishop of the church in this part of the vineyard be recommended by the church or churches, in which he labors, that he may render himself and his accounts approved in all things.

20 And again, let my servants who are appointed as stewards over the literary concerns of my church have claim for assistance upon the bishop or bishops in all things—

21 That the revelations may be published, and go forth unto the ends of the earth; that they also may obtain funds which shall benefit the church in all things;

22 That they also may render themselves approved in all things, and be accounted as wise stewards.

23 And now, behold, this shall be an ensample for all the extensive branches of my church, in whatsoever land they shall be established. And now I make an end of my sayings. Amen.

24 A few words in addition to the laws of the kingdom, respecting the members of the church—they that are appointed by the Holy Spirit to go up unto Zion, and they who are privileged to go up unto Zion—

25 Let them carry up unto the bishop a certificate from three elders of the church, or a certificate from the bishop;

26 Otherwise he who shall go up unto the land of Zion shall not be accounted as a wise steward. This is also an ensample. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 72)

And here's the commentary entitled: "The Lord blesses me through the ministry of leaders like bishops." : 

"When Newel K. Whitney was called to serve as a bishop, his duties were a little different from those of today’s bishops. For example, Bishop Whitney oversaw the consecration of property and permission to settle in the land of Zion in Missouri. But as you read about his calling in Doctrine and Covenants 72, you might notice some connections to what bishops do today—at least in the spirit, if not the specifics, of their duties.

For example, in what ways do you “render an account” to your bishop? (verse 5). In our day, “the Lord’s storehouse” can include the donations, service, and talents of ward members (see verses 10, 12). How can you contribute to that storehouse?

How has the Lord blessed you and your family through the service of a bishop?

See also Quentin L. Cook, “Bishops—Shepherds over the Lord’s Flock,” Liahona, May 2021, 56–60."

Through the interview with the Bishop or his counselor whenever I would get my temple recommend renewed I'm rendering an account to my Bishop. I can contribute more to "the Lord's storehouse" as I strive to develop talents, acquire more skills, and increase my income so I can provide more service and increase the amount of my donations. 

I've been blessed by the service of my current bishop here in Bangkok indeed. During that time when I had questions, he listened to me, and so I felt I was heard. I'm so grateful for his understanding. The Lord has truly been blessing me through him. He's truly called of God. Most recently when he discerned I needed a blessing, he told me I needed a blessing and asked if he could give me one. That Sunday we had an interview where he listened to my deepest concerns, and he did give me a blessing. My burden was lightened that day. 

Matthew 22: 15-22; 26: 59-54; John 10: 37-38; Matthew 18: 15; Ephesians 4: 31-32; 2 Timothy 3: 12; James 1: 19

When sharing the gospel has felt hard or risky, how has the Spirit given you courage and direction?

"15 ¶ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way." (Matthew 22: 15-22)

"59 Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;

60 But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,

61 And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Matthew 26: 59-54)

"37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." (John 10: 37-38)

"15 ¶ Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." (Matthew 18: 15)

"31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 31-32)

"12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3: 12)

"19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" (James 1: 19)

And here's the end part of the commentary entitled: "The Spirit will guide me as I proclaim the Savior’s gospel." : 

"In addition to studying section 71, you might also explore how the Savior responded to His critics during His mortal ministry. Here are some examples: Matthew 22:15–22; 26:59–64; John 10:37–38. What do you learn from Him? What additional insights do you gain from Matthew 18:15; Ephesians 4:31–32; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:19?

How might His counsel apply to situations you face today? You might consider ways to peacefully correct falsehoods in your own words. For example, you might start by expressing respect for the other person’s views, and then you could share in a humble and kind way what you believe about Jesus Christ and His teachings. To prepare for these occasions, perhaps you could practice this approach with friends or family members.

See also Topics and Questions, “Helping Others with Questions,” Gospel Library; Dallin H. Oaks, “Loving Others and Living with Differences,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 25–28; Jörg Klebingat, “Valiant Discipleship in the Latter Days,” Liahona, May 2022, 107–10." 

These are the things I learned from the Savior's examples from Matthew 22:15–22; 26:59–64; John 10:37–38:

• He gives clarity by asking questions about the obvious.
• He holds His peace and declares the truth when given the opportunity. 
• He persuades those who don't believe to believe.

And here are the additional insights I gained from Matthew 18:15; Ephesians 4:31–32; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:19:

• He wants me to go to the one who has wronged me and talk to him alone about what his fault. If he listens to me then I gained him as my brother. 
• He wants us to put away all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking with all malice. And He wants us to be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us.
• He gives us a heads-up by telling us that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 
• He admonishes us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

I'm pondering right now how might His counsel apply to situations I face today. When I have some ideas I will update this post. You might have some ideas right now. Go ahead and share it in the comment section below.

There were a couple of situations I got in last year actually. First, a colleague who is a fellow Christian told me she's a member of the Church as well when she learned the name of the Church that I belong.  And in another situation is an interaction with a Buddhist colleague. Will write more details on this later on today. My Christian colleague eventually showed up, and attended the Church service twice so far after I started inviting her. While my Buddhist colleague who was my immediate head at work last year wasn't really able to catch the message of the analogy I shared with her-how people in relation to God got the same attitude as our little 2-3 year old nursery students in relation to us (their teachers). Some of our students would not ask for help and move forward doing something challenging for them on their own and get hurt. People would also do things on their own even when they need help. They don't ask help from God and they get hurt. I shared these thoughts with her because one of our students hurt her hand when she didn't ask for help as she was opening the door inside the Nursery building. My Buddhist colleague found my message weird and shared it with someone who is my other immediate head--She is Christian herself as well and she's the one who told me that my message to my other immediate head is weird. She also said that she is also a Christian and yet she would not talk to others about God like I did to my Buddhist colleague. It's a way of telling me to share no more with others my thoughts about God. I did listen to her. I get it. Both of them don't want to hear about God. Seems like they are not ready to hear the gospel at the moment. Their not being ready to hear my gospel message doesn't stop me from sharing it with others though.