D&C Section Ninety Six

The Lord had commanded that Kirtland be built up as a stake in Zion. To fulfill this command, and the building of the temple is at the center of this, the brethren decided they should purchase three farms. Men were assigned to find out how much each of these farms would cost. When the cost was known and the decision to buy them was made, the brethren were undecided how to divide the Peter French farm which they were going to buy for five thousand dollars. Since the farm was going to be divided into lots for church buildings and for members to live on, the Lord appointed the bishop to make that decision remembering that those who lived on those lots were to be members who sought to live by celestial standards. The Lord indicates that the purpose behind all of this was the teaching and spreading of the gospel. If you think about it, every aspect of the church, every organization, has the ultimate responsibility of teaching the Lord's words and gospel.