D&C Section Seventy Four

Here is one of the first sections of the D&C that came about because of a question Joseph had concerning something he found in the New Testament. In the early church, evidently there was a movement among the members that when one spouse converted to the church, they left the marriage if the other spouse didn't also convert. Verse 1 is the scripture Joseph is asking the Lord about. The Lord's counsel is for the spouse to remain in the marriage because they will be a blessing to the non-member spouse. The other point of the revelation is that children are innocent and in the time of Paul it was no longer necessary to keep the law of Moses, especially circumcision, as it no longer was a sanctifying ordinance for the male child.

D&C Section Seventy Three

Joseph and Sidney's efforts to counter Ezra Booth have been successful in the immediate area. Booth was afraid to meet with Joseph but I think he was terrified to face Sidney Rigdon in debate over what he was claiming about the church and Joseph. Sidney was a formidable speaker; Booth was a no-show. Unfortunately, it didn't stop Booth from spreading false lies and rumors in the outlying areas. These claims stirred people up in opposition who up to that time had been friendly. In this revelation, the Lord tells Joseph that he can resume his work on the New Testament and that until the next conference in 15 days, he should also continue preaching the gospel when and where it is practical.

D&C Section Seventy Two

The prophet went back to Kirtland with Sidney Rigdon and received this revelation. In Section 41, Edward Partridge had been called to serve as a bishop in Missiouri. Now Newell K. Whitney is called to serve as a bishop in Ohio. In this section, the duties of a bishop are given and they are:
1. Look after the welfare of the members.
2. Keep the Lord's storehouse. This is now done by the presiding bishop of the church who is responsible for all of the tithe and fast offerings.
3. Receive the funds of the church. We turn in all of our tithing and fast offerings to the bishop.
4. Provide temporal assistance using the fast offerings. In earlier days, fast offerings were more often in the form of food.
5. Provide certificates of verification. These have evolved into the bishop being a judge in Israel and also our temple recommends.

Other duties will come in later sections. I can remember being immediately filled with a feeling of love and concern for my ward members the very first day I served as a bishop. Over the years I served, I became more and more aware of the mantle that descends on a bishop while he serves. There is no way that a bishop can do his job without the help of the Lord. When I was released, I immediately felt the loss of that mantle and was amazed at how different I felt without it. I had a feeling of being lost, weak and alone. There was no doubt that the mantle was real.

D&C Section Seventy One

After he returned from Missouri, Ezra Booth apostatized form the church and now has the dubious honor of being the first person to publish false articles about the church. He sent articles and letters to the newspapers in the neighboring cities and towns that were filled with lies that inflamed the people against the church. As a result, the Lord in this revelation commands the prophet to stop translating the Bible and to go out and proclaim the gospel for a time. The Lord's instruction to him was no different than what the missionaries receive today, teach the gospel using the scriptures and bear testimony by the power of the Spirit. Then it is up to the person hearing wether they will accept the truth or not. The prophet challenged Ezra Booth to meet with him in public and debate the things Booth had been claiming, but Booth always refused or when he agreed did not show up. He was a coward. I like the statement of President Heber J. Grant when he said that no one has ever done anything "that has injured this work of God. I look around, I read, I reflect, and I ask the question, 'Where are the men of influence, of power and prestige who have worked against the Latter-day Saints?' They have faded away like dew before the sun."

D&C Section Seventy

This section goes with Section 69 and is a continuation of the Lord's giving responsibility to those in Missouri for the publication of the revelations and the funds of the church. The Lord expects all of us to consecrate all that we have to his kingdom so that we can be equal. I look at it this way. By being willing to share or give all that we have, we are preparing ourselves to receive all that the Lord has. If we are willing to give all, we can receive all. It's true in all aspects of life. The more we want out of life, the more we have to give our all. The more each member of a team gives of himself, the more team is going to achieve. The Lord wants us to have all the blessings possible, but also recognizes that any great bestowal must be preceded by a like effort. It's not like he's just saying, give everything you have to the church for the church's good. The church will be blessed and the members through the church, but in the end, all of the blessings come to the individual.

D&C Section Sixty Nine

Oliver Cowdery has been appointed to take the revelations to Missouri where
the printing press has been set up so they can be published. It was
important that along with the Book of Mormon, the revelations be published.
The Book of Mormon was evidence that God was speaking to a prophet again
through new scripture, and the revelations were evidence that God had
bestowed the keys of authority and apostleship upon man again. Revelation,
new scripture, and authority are three things that are necessary if God were
re-establish his church once again on the earth. Without these, it would
only be a man made church. Those who attended the four conferences of the
church that were held in November all felt that these revelations would show
people that these three things were evidence that the church had been
restored.

Because the journey is about a thousand miles through sparsely populated and
sometimes dangerous land, and because they felt the revelations were of more
worth than all the riches of the world, and because Oliver Cowdery would
also be carrying money with him for the church in Missouri, the Lord
appointed John Whitmer to travel with Oliver. The Lord also tells John that
he is to continue making a history of the church.

D&C Section Sixty Eight

This section contains three very important teachings. The first one is one
that I wonder if I truly understand its significance but not in the way we
normally think. The verse is no. 3; it's about the priesthood, and it
basically says that when someone speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, it
is scripture, it is the mind, will and word of the Lord." We all know that
we should carefully consider the things that are said in general conference
and at other times by our prophets. But on a personal level, when we are
moved by the Holy Ghost, those personal thoughts and words are personal
scripture for us. They are only for us and not others, for the ward or
church in general. But they are things that can be very sacred to us and we
should preserve them in our journals for the inspiration of our descendents.
I'm afraid my journal would be a bit thin and of that is because I fail to
recognize when I'm being prompted by the Spirit and cast aside those
thoughts.