"True Conviction is manifested in boldness."
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
CHAPTER 4
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Peter and John knew that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. This fact they could not deny and even though the mob stood before them in an effort to silence them they stood firm to their witness. This true convertion to the gospel of Jesus Christ was manifested in their boldness in the face of impending danger.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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3 comments:
This reminds me Joseph Smith's example of being a man of true conviction found in Joseph Smith History verse 25
"So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation."
To go off of that, I think sometimes people really have trouble accepting that Joseph Smith is a prophet because claiming that you saw the Father and the Son is such a bold statement: Saying that you saw divine figures is not an everyday experience. At the same time though, in spite of the boldness of the statement, Joseph could not deny what he knew to be true.
I couldn't have said it better if I had said it myself. :) I really like what has been applied to Joseph Smith. Sometimes it seems hard to be bold, but I believe if we truly are rooted in the Gospel of Christ then we can be bold. We have great examples to look up to. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ"
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