Revisiting the Calling and Election Made Sure

Revisiting the Calling and Election Made Sure:

The Disturbing Introduction:

The subject of making one's Calling and Election Sure keeps coming up over and over again, because it is an integral part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Gospel of Christ. Day after day all across the globe, Latter-day Saints and LDS General Authorities are having their Calling and Election Made Sure.

There are a couple of things about this process that disturb me though, things that are being misapplied or done incorrectly by some.

It bothers me on so many different levels whenever someone comes online or goes public and says, “I just made my Calling and Election Sure”.

Why does it disturb me?

These are things that are between the person and the Lord, and the person is only permitted by the Lord to reveal the details of the situation to a few that the Lord directs the person to speak to about it – NEVER to the general public. Whenever the LDS General Authorities have their Calling and Election Made Sure or receive the Second Comforter or receive the Second Endowment, the Lord commands them not to speak about it in public. They can talk about it in private to a few members of their family and to a few LDS friends that they have been given permission to speak to them about it. That's it.

The True Pattern is that the Lord will command the individual who has received these things to reveal it in private to only certain people, and only one on one. The Lord seldom gives the command to reveal these things in public, unless the Lord is trying to establish a new dispensation of the Gospel.

I Did It:

It seriously bothers me whenever a person says, “I made my Calling and Election Sure.” Why? Well, that mortal fallen person did NO such thing at all. What does it mean for something to be Sure? It means that it is permanent, Eternal, and Everlasting. Is there a mortal fallen person on this earth who can make anything permanent, Eternal, and Everlasting? Is there a mortal fallen person who can make anything Sure? NO!

So, who is the one who is making the Calling and Election Sure? It is God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They are One. They are united in the decision. They are the ones who can make a Calling and Election permanent or Sure. No mortal man can do it.

There are many different callings that God the Father can give. When is the calling completed or made sure? When God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost declare that the calling has been completed, finished, or made sure. They become Sure when they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. There are many different Elections that God the Father can give. These Elections become sure when God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost make them Sure, and not a moment sooner.

Being baptized into the LDS Church is an Election. When we are baptized into the LDS Church, we receive an election or an offer or an ordinance granting us the right to enter into the Celestial Kingdom of God. So later on during our journey, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost can reveal to us that we will receive Eternal Life in the Celestial Kingdom. But, when does this promise really, truly, and honestly become Sure? It becomes Sure the moment we enter into the Celestial Kingdom, and not a moment before. If you have already entered into the Celestial Kingdom, then it's a Sure thing.

Misdirection:

The next thing that bothers me about all of this is that the ones who are out there in public telling us that they have had their Calling and Election Made Sure are also telling us that we will no longer need the LDS Church, the LDS General Authorities, and the LDS Ordinances once we have had our Calling and Election made Sure. NO SO! Nevertheless, these people are out there trying to build a following and trying to convert people to their personal cause, while at the same time telling us that the LDS General Authorities have lost their way and have been rejected by Christ.

The Latter-day Saints I have met (and the former Saints I have read about) who have had their Calling and Election Made Sure are still in the LDS Church while they are also in the Church of the Firstborn. They work through the LDS Church to bring people into the Church of the Firstborn.

You might notice that I don't quote scripture all that much. Have you ever wondered why? It's because all of the LDS apostates and all those who have been excommunicated from the LDS Church quote the Book of Mormon, D&C, Bible, and other LDS Scriptures; and then, they twist the words, distort the ideas, and change the meaning so that none of what they say matches with the Official LDS Church Doctrines or the interpretations of the LDS Scriptures that we have received from the LDS Apostles over the decades. What good is it to quote the LDS Scriptures if the only intention is to distort or change their true meaning?

What good is it to have one's Calling and Election Made Sure if it is Satan who making it Sure? Can Satan make any of these sacred things permanent, Eternal, and Everlasting?

Quoting Scripture:

Now, I am going to quote a scripture with the intent of revealing its true meaning rather than with the intent of distorting or changing its meaning.

Ephesians 4: 9-15:

9 Now that he ascended (Jesus Christ), what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 And he (Jesus Christ) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

Who is the one who gave us Apostles, Prophets, Missionaries, Bishops, Teachers, and Deacons?

Jesus Christ is the one who gave us these people.

When did Jesus Christ give us these people?

Well, we know for certain that Jesus Christ gave us Apostles, Prophets, and a First Presidency during the time of Christ, during Christ's mortal ministry.

When else did Jesus Christ give us Apostles and Prophets and Bishops? Well, Jesus Christ gave us these people once again during the Restoration of the Gospel of Christ in 1830.

Who gave us Moses?

Christ Jehovah.

Did Moses have a First Presidency? Who might have been Moses' counselors in the First Presidency at the time? Did Moses have a Quorum of Seventy or Seventy Melchizedek Priesthood holders or Seventy Ordained Elders at his disposal at the time of his Gospel Dispensation? Yes. What happened to those Seventy Elders? They were taken up Mount Sinai and introduced to the Lord face-to-face.

We know that Enoch was the President of the Church of Christ during his lifetime. We know that Enoch finished or completed a City of Zion, a full completion of the Gospel of Christ or the Church of the Firstborn. So, let me ask you some questions. Did the City of Enoch have Temples? Did the City of Zion have Melchizedek Priesthood holders? Did the City of Enoch have a First Presidency of the Church? Did the City of Zion have a quorum of Twelve Apostles? Did the City of Zion have a quorum of the Seventy?

If the City of Zion had any of these things, then who would have given these things to them?

Christ Jehovah.

Over and over again, Jesus Christ gives us Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, Missionaries, Teachers, Patriarchs, and so forth.

Why?

Ephesians 4: 12 says first of all, “For the Perfecting or the Completing of the Saints.”

Now wait a minute here! How can a bunch of mortal, fallen, imperfect men ever Perfect the Saints? How's that even possible?

It becomes possible on the merits and the grace and the power of the One who gave the Apostles and Prophets to us.

Don't ever let the fact that the Apostles and Prophets are fallen, mortal, and imperfect men drive you away from the One who gave them or the Church of the One who gave them.

So many Latter-day Saints get hung up on the fact that their Bishop is imperfect or the LDS Apostles are imperfect, so much so, that they willingly and deliberately walk away from the One who gave us the Apostles and Prophets.

Jesus Christ's Atonement is powerful enough to compensate for the inadequacies and imperfections of the LDS General Authorities. Trust that it is so. This is what it means to have Faith in Christ. Trust and believe that Christ can perfect us and save us and exalt us through the guidance of our LDS Leaders and despite the imperfections of our LDS Leaders. This is what it means to have Faith in Christ. Trust that Christ is powerful to save.

The Example:

I once ran into a person who claimed to have had his Calling and Election made Sure. I believed that he was the Real Deal, the Genuine Item, until that person started mocking and ridiculing the testimony, witnesses, assistance, and love that I had received from my local Ward Leaders and the local Latter-day Saints. When that person told me that is was relying upon the arm of flesh and trusting in the arm of flesh whenever I was sustaining my local LDS Ward Leaders or sustaining the LDS General Authorities, I knew for a fact that that person was also mocking the One who had given me the Apostles, Prophets, Bishops, and LDS Missionaries. The person had revealed to me his true nature and his true mission. His goal was NOT the perfecting of the Saints. His goal was NOT to complete or finish the Saints. His goal was NOT to build my testimony of the LDS Prophets and the LDS Church. His goal was NOT to convert anyone to the LDS Church. He had something else in mind.

Let me share another useful tidbit. Whenever a Stake President and the High Council of the Stake excommunicates a member of the LDS Church, what do they tell that person after the event? To they tell that person to shut up, go away, and never come back? Or do they tell the person to come to church next Sunday? There is a whole revelation right there for those who are willing to look and see.

Building the Church of Jesus Christ:

So why else did Jesus Christ give us LDS Apostles, LDS Prophets, LDS Bishops, LDS Missionaries, and LDS Church Members?

Well, what's next on the list in Ephesians 4: 12?

The work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ.

Jesus Christ gave us Apostles and Prophets to work the ministry, to run the missionary work, and to build the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The body of Christ is the Church of Christ. What does it mean to edify? It means to build. Jesus Christ gave us Apostle and Prophets to build the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to organize and lead the missionary work to all the world. That's one of the reasons Jesus Christ gave the Apostles, Prophets, and Bishops to us.

To Bring Us to God the Father:

Why else did Jesus Christ give us the LDS Apostles and the LDS Prophets?

Well, Ephesians 4: 13 gets into the very sacred reasons why Jesus Christ gave us these men and commanded us to sustain them. In this verse, we see things like becoming One with God the Father, being completed or perfected or finished by Christ, having our Calling and Election Made Sure by the Holy Spirit of Promise, receiving the Second Comforter and the Second Endowment, and returning home to the Celestial Kingdom?

How do all of these things become possible?

They become possible through the Apostles and Prophets and the LDS Church that Jesus Christ gave us.

To Keep the Doctrine of Christ Clean, Pure, and True:

Why else did Jesus Christ give us Apostles and Prophets?

Ephesians 4: 14 tells us that Christ gives us the LDS Apostles and the LDS Prophets to keep the Doctrine pure and sound. The Apostles and Prophets are periodically commanded to correlate or to organize and expound on the Doctrine of Christ so that these Prophets form a united front, so that the Saints are not exposed to false doctrines or easily deceived. Thus, you will see correlation taking place among the Apostles and Prophets, an attempt to keep the Doctrine of Christ clean, united, pure, and true. The Apostles and Prophets will often give us inspired interpretations or explanations of the LDS Scriptures.

Therefore, whenever you encounter anyone who is claiming to have had his Calling and Election Made Sure or claiming to have received the Second Comforter, and then that person starts mocking and ridiculing the LDS General Authorities, then you know with a surety (it is a sure sign) that that person's current message is NOT coming from the One who gave us the Apostles and Prophets in the first place.

It is NOT a pure message, clean message, or true message, if the message is telling us to reject the Apostles and Prophets that Jesus Christ gave us.

The Divinely Established Pattern:

I have periodically stated that I have encountered Latter-day Saints who I believe have had their Calling and Election Made Sure, have received the Second Endowment, and have received the Second Comforter. I think it would be helpful to discuss the pattern or the way in which these various discussions have taken place.

My missionary companion and I were visiting with an elderly LDS sister who had never been married and had never had children; but, she had received her Temple Endowment. While my companion was in the other room talking on the phone with his family, this lady came up to me and said to me, “The Lord has told me to reveal some things to you.” She then told me about some of the visions, revelations, manifestations, and experiences she had had throughout her life.

What was the pattern or the key? First of all, this sister was commanded by God to tell me her story. Second of all, this whole conversation took place in private. There was nobody else there besides me and her. Third, there was an implied understanding that none of this would be spoken of in public until after she was dead; and most certainly, I would never mention her name in public should I ever discuss or mention what she told me. This lady should be dead by now, and I will never mention her name in public; but now, I feel guardedly free to talk about this experience whenever I am impressed upon that I should do so. Notice what I did here. I didn't go into all the details of the discussion. Instead, I used the discussion to serve as notice or guidance of the pattern or the key that was involved in it all.

Notice the Pattern:

Another example. I periodically converse with a Latter-day Saint who has had some of these kinds of sacred experiences, like a Calling and Election Made Sure, or the Second Endowment, or the Second Comforter. These conversations are very interesting in that this person will periodically take a break to pray and ask the Lord what he or she can reveal to me and what should be kept private for now. What is revealed to me is very detailed and very informative and extremely inspirational. Every one of these conversations takes place in private. It's just between me and this person. It's for nobody else.

Another very important thing to notice is that I have no proof and have never been told whether this person has in fact had the Calling and Election Made Sure or received the Second Comfort or any of that. Why? Over and over again during our conversations over the weeks, months, and years, the Spirit of God commands me NOT to ask this person if any of these things have happened to this person. The person does not have a right or the permission to even tell me if any of these things have happened; and, the Spirit of God tells me not to even ask. So, I never ask.

I might ask God some questions; but, I never ask the person to confirm or deny any of these sacred things, because those things are between the person and the Lord, and they are none of my business. Instead, I patiently wait for God to command the person to tell me what God wants that person to tell me; and, I am satisfied with that. I trust that there will be more told to me when I am ready to receive more.

Notice that I refuse to mention this person's name. I will never mention this person's name in public. That's just simply understood. Furthermore, notice that I never went into any of the details of what was said to me, because what was said to me was for me alone. What I am wanting to show here is the True Pattern of it.

Every time anything like this happens to me, and it has happened quite a bit, the person will come up to me in private and say, “The Lord told me that I'm supposed to tell you something.” Then the person delivers the message; and then, the person and the Spirit confirm to me that the message is for me alone. I'm to never mention the name of the person; and, I'm to take the message to the grave with me, unless God commands me to do otherwise. Whenever I have been commanded to reveal the sacred message(s) in detail to someone else, it has typically been after the story-teller was dead and it is ALWAYS person to person in person.

Whenever I do mention it in public, it is usually to show the Pattern of it, or the way God intends for this to work. I don't go into much detail about what was actually revealed to me, certainly not while the person is still alive.

Conclusion:

The thing I can tell you is that to this very day there are Latter-day Saints and LDS General Authorities who are having their Calling and Election Made Sure, have received the Second Endowment, and have received the Second Comforter because I have read some of their writings or have met them in person.

It is also very useful to note that I have no problem discussing in public the things that I have NOT received from the Lord and His Saints. However, I refuse to reveal in detail the sacred things that I have received from the Lord and His Saints. It's a learning process, and it's an extremely important lesson to learn.

I have given you some life-saving keys, patterns, types, and signs here in this essay; but, they will only have value to you if you choose to make them your own. Be wise as serpents, or be as wise as the serpents.

When it comes to the things that have been revealed to me, this is very important and very sacred material, but it is for me alone. You have to go get your own. All good things in their own due time according to the Lord's Timing!

Please don't let anyone lead you away from the LDS Church and the LDS General Authorities. Be wiser than that, please! I have been there already, and trust me, it is no place that you want to go. Let the Apostles and Prophets lead you to the One who gave the Apostles and Prophets to us. Trust that the Lord Jesus Christ knows exactly what He is doing and why He is doing it.