A RELIGION WORTH WHILE

The feeding of the five thousand.

In a desert place in Galilee, Jesus performed one of the most impressive and awe inspiring miracles recorded in His whole career. A multitude of the five of approximately five thousand people had gathered to hear Him teach. All the day He had instructed them, and explained to them the law of the Gospel of salvation. Then the evening drew near. The people were tired and hungry; but there was no adequate supply of food available. The apostles would have had Jesus send the multitude away. But He asked how much bread was to be found amongst them. The apostles reported five loaves and two fishes. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, "looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided He among them all. And they did eat and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men."

The meat that endures unto everlasting life.

This wonder-rousing miracle Jesus performed just before He left Galilee forever, and while His popularity was at its height. One can easily imagine how the people marvelled at what Jesus had done. And yet, a miracle of feeding, more wonderful even than this, has Jesus performed in turning the hearts of men toward Him. It is really not so very strange that this Man, who could change water into wine, and open the eyes of the blind, and cast out devils, and still the tempest, and raise the dead to life again, should be able also to multiply five loaves and two fishes so as to feed a multitude of men. He who is endowed with infinite power might easily be able thus to collect the elements and to increase the quantity of available food. This was a miracle of the physical world, calling into action some natural law with which we are not yet acquainted. But in His ministry and death and resurrection, Jesus has performed a spiritual miracle more wonderful even than this. Jesus Himself considered the spiritual conversion much more significant than the physical achievement. John records the fact that the people sought Jesus again after this great miracle; and when they found Him, He said to them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed. . . . I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." It may be said now that the whole world has heard of Jesus, and that most of it has learned to look to Him as its Savior. New life and spiritual light has Jesus given to the world. But while the world has learned to recognize Jesus, the teachers of the world have perverted His doctrine so much that the people hardly know which way to turn. They hunger still, and they thirst for the true teachings of Jesus; they are looking still for the true Church of Christ, with a religion worth while. What Jesus taught.

The history of the growth and spread of Christianity in the world reads almost like fiction. Jesus Himself established His Church upon the earth. We have learned that He called and ordained twelve apostles, and others whom He called "seventy." He taught the fundamental principles of the Gospel—faith, repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the many duties that devolve upon faithful Church membership. Jesus revealed in His own person the personality of God the Father, and taught clearly the true relationship existing between the Father and His children. Jesus taught plainly, too, the duties that men owe both to the heavenly Father and to their fellowmen. In short, Jesus revealed and taught to His apostles, and to the peoples of the Holy Land, all the principles of the Gospel necessary for a life of righteousness upon the earth. And when He ascended to heaven, He left with the apostles the authority of the Holy Priesthood, an organized church, and the Gospel, the plan of salvation. The Church of the apostles possessed the three essential marks of the true Church of Christ.

The acts of the apostles.

After the departure of Jesus, the apostles began strenuous missionary labors. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost came upon them, and through their testimony of Christ risen, many who heard them believed and were baptized. From that day forth, the apostles traveled and preached and baptized and confirmed. Many miracles, too, did these apostles perform, in literal fulfillment of the promise of Jesus that they should be able to do the works that He had done. And everywhere in their missionary travels, the apostles organized branches of the Church—or Churches as they were called. To carry on the work of the churches the apostles ordained high priests, seventies, elders, bishops, priests, teachers, deacons,—the regular officers of the priesthood—and left these officers in charge of the local ministry while they themselves continued their larger service. But it must not be imagined that the apostles met with no opposition. On the contrary, wherever they went, the apostles found enemies, and were maligned and persecuted. Often they were haled before magistrates and governors, and not infrequently they were imprisoned. But they persisted in preaching, and in bearing their profound testimonies. Finally most of the apostles were done to death by their enemies. Peter, it is said, was crucified at Rome. James was beheaded. John was banished to the isle of Patmos. Andrew was bound to a cross and thus slain. Philip was crucified. Bartholomew was flayed alive. Thomas was pierced by a lance, Matthew was killed with a battleax. James, the Less, was beaten to death. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows. Simon was crucified. Mark was dragged to death in the streets of Alexandria. Paul was beheaded by order of Nero. Barnabas was stoned to death by the Jews. Thus the apostles and the chief leaders of the apostolic church were all tortured to death—save one—and sealed their testimonies with their life's blood. The various churches scattered here and there in the land were left with only their local leaders. The great apostasy.

After the passing of the apostles, troubles arose among the local churches, and it was not long before a complete apostasy had taken place. Strangely enough, while the apostles organized all the local churches in full, they did not perpetuate the quorum of apostles. Dissension therefore arose among the churches themselves as to which one was the chief and leader of all. Then, after some years of unpopularity and persecution, the Christian church was suddenly raised to favor by an edict of Constantine the Great. To satisfy now the desires of the heathens, many pagan customs were taken into the Christian service. The doctrines of the church were corrupted; the ordinances and ceremonies were perverted; the church organization was distorted. In a relatively short time, the accepted Christian church of the world was no longer like the church that Jesus Himself had instituted. It lacked all three marks of the true church. It denied continual revelation. It had lost the authority of the priesthood. It preached a corrupted Gospel.

The restoration of the Gospel.

After many years of spiritual darkness and of strife, the Lord again revealed His will to man. A boy was chosen to become an inspired prophet, an authorized leader, and a divinely instructed teacher. To Joseph Smith appeared the risen Redeemer as He had appeared nearly two thousand years before to the apostles at Jerusalem. To Joseph Smith were revealed anew all the sublime teachings that Jesus had presented during His own ministry upon the earth. Upon Joseph Smith was conferred the Holy Priesthood, with all its keys and authorities, and through him was established anew the Church of Jesus Christ. It is founded upon the doctrine of revelation; it is fortified and directed by the complete organization of the priesthood of God; it is guided by what Jesus Himself taught—by the Gospel in its fulness, omitting not a single detail that Jesus made a part of the God-shaped plan. To us is given the religion worth while, the bread of life.

A religion that satisfies.

And the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ—commonly called Mormonism—is destined to conquer the world, for it meets and satisfies all the needs of human kind. In the first place, Mormonism is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the perfect presentation of what Jesus taught. We have learned in the preceding lessons many of the truths that He gave to His followers. The world has considered these truths, too, but has not comprehended them. This truth, however, nearly the whole world has learned to accept: Jesus is the Christ, the bread of life. His teachings are true. Any religion that would aspire to conquer the world must, then, be based at least upon what Jesus taught. But Mormonism is that very truth itself, restored with power and authority, and favored with the living presence of "the bread of God . . . . which . . . . giveth life unto the world."

A comprehensive religion.

Then, Mormonism is comprehensive; it accepts and includes all truth, no matter whence the knowledge of that truth may come. It renews the teachings of Jesus concerning right living and right thinking. It emphasizes the necessity of acquiring a full knowledge of truth—the necessity of reading and studying, and of gaining intellectual power. It outlines what Jesus taught of man's duties in life—his duties toward God: his duties toward his fellowmen; his duties to himself. It prescribes anew man's obligations and responsibilities in the family, in the state, and in the Church. In short, Mormonism meets every need in physical life, in mental life, in economic life, in social life, in spiritual life. You have heard people speak of a one-day religion—of a religion remembered on Sunday and forgotten on the other six days of the week. Mormonism is not such a religion, for the doctrine of Jesus is not such a doctrine. Mormonism—or what Jesus taught—is a practical religion that enters into the work of every day—into every calling and profession no matter how humble or exalted that calling or profession may be. It teaches that every day should be a Christ-like day. It teaches that we should partake freely every day of the bread and water of life everlasting, and take less thought of the loaves and fishes that fill but satisfy not. Mormonism is both a system of religion and a system of ethics; for so are the teachings of Jesus. The whole man must be saved. Mormonism—or what Jesus taught—holds forth such ideals and such standards of life—physical and spiritual—that the noble, unselfish aim of Jesus may be accomplished. Only a religion thus enwarped and enwoofed in what Jesus Himself has taught, can hope to conquer the world.

A Church of authority.

It is the duty of everyone to learn to know God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. To teach men to know God was in part the mission of Jesus to this earth. But such knowledge will not come through the mere satisfying of the bodily appetites. That religion is not worth while which feeds only loaves and fishes. The hunger which must be satisfied is the hunger of the spirit. That religion only is worth while which guides and directs in temporal life, and affords complete satisfaction and contentment in the intellectual and spiritual life. Mormonism does this; for it is what Jesus taught. In no other church than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may one find today the uncorrupted teachings of Jesus and the authority of His priesthood. Mormonism is distinctly, then, the religion worth while.

The bread of life.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the Christ, the Savior of the world. He is the Keystone, of our salvation. He is our Master, our Teacher, our Friend. He has restored His Gospel to us with all its blessings and privileges. Him will we follow, and His commandments will we keep; for it was He Himself who said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

THE REFERENCES

Mark 6:30-44. John 6:22-35.

THE QUESTIONS

1. What is the bread that endures unto everlasting life?

2. What did Jesus leave with the apostles?

3. How did the apostles carry on the work of Jesus?

4. What happened to the Church after the apostles had passed away?

5. How was the Gospel of Jesus Christ restored to the earth?

6. Why will Mormonism ultimately conquer the world?

7. In what sense is Mormonism a comprehensive religion?

8. Show that Mormonism is what Jesus taught.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.—Eccl. 12:13.