re: Acts 10:7-8, President Thomas S. Monson
has advised us to “never postpone a prompting” (October 2012 Conference Report
[CR]; April 2005 CR; October 1999 CR; June
1997 Ensign).
re: Acts 10:11–14; 11:1–3; 13:42 -46; . . .
. . . The Prophet Joseph
Smith once said: “[I have had] great difficulty in getting anything [new] into
the heads of [the members]. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a
corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beedle…. [S]ome of them will … fly to pieces like glass
as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions.” (Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,
520.)
. . . President Brigham Young said: “I am … afraid that this
people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for
themselves of God whether they are led by Him.
I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security,
trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless
confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation,
and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for
them-selves … that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the
whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether [they] are walking in the
path the Lord dictates, or not.” (Discourses of Brigham Young,135; quoted,
e.g., by Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Apr 1972 CR,
and by President James E. Faust, Oct 1989, CR.)
. . . President Joseph F.
Smith said: “[We must build] upon the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for we cannon build upon error and ascend into ... the kingdom of our God” (October 1917 Conference Report,
3).
. . . President Harold B. Lee
said: “You may not like what comes from the leaders of the Church. It may
contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may
interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen … with patience and
faith, the promise is that ‘… the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness
from before you.’” (Teachings of
Presidents of the Church: Harold B.
Lee, 84-85.)
. . . Elder Richard G. Scott
has said, “[We] have the responsibility to determine if there is any part of [our]
culture or traditions … that must be discarded….. I have found how difficult this
is as I work to overcome some of my own incorrect traditions. Culture and traditions become an inherent part
of us. They are not easy to evaluate objectively. Carefully study the
scriptures and counsel of the prophets to understand how the Lord wants you to
live. Then evaluate each part of your life and make any adjustments needed … to
set aside deeply held convictions or traditions that are not in harmony with
the [Gospel].” (April 1998 Conference Report.)
. . . Sister Susan Bednar recently suggested that we
should “always look at what [w]e learn [from secular sources] through the lens
of the Gospel, and never look at the Gospel through the lens of what [we] learn
[from secular sources]” (“Elder and
Sister Bednar: Face to Face,” May 2015, www.lds.org,
46:50).
Regarding Acts 12:1–4, President
Joseph F. Smith said, “There never should be a day pass but all [members of] the
Church should lift up their voices in prayer to the Lord to sustain [their
leaders]” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 211; quoted in New Testament: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 127).
Regarding Acts 15 . . .
. . . Elder David A. Bednar
has said: “[Some may] have the mistaken notion that every element of revelation
coming to the ward, [stake, or Church councils] has to come through the [presiding
officer]. By virtue of his keys, he has to acknowledge it and affirm it, but he
doesn’t necessarily have to be the only vehicle through whom it comes.” (November 2010 Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting.)
. . . Elder D. Todd Christofferson
has said, “Council deliberations often include a weighing of canonized
scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in the end,
just as in the New Testament Church
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