Making Things Known Which the Lord Manifested

1 Nephi 2:17 - 18, NC 1 Nephi 1 par. 9

And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.  And it came to pass that he believed in my words.  But behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words.  And being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, I cried unto the Lord for them.

As we look at this experience even though this is account is expanded compared to Lehi's experience is it possible that this part is compressed a bit as well?

Is it possible that some time is passing as these things unfold?

Is it possible that this is not a one day or multiple day or even a week-long event?

Is maybe a substantial amount of time passing like possibly months or a year or more as Nephi is making things known to Sam, Laman and Lemuel?

If we return to Alma and the experiment he proposed for trying the word we can get an idea of what Nephi would have had to do following his initial answer to his petitions concerning the words of his father Lehi.

"Now behold, would not this increase your faith?  I say unto you, Yea.  Nevertheless, it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.  But, behold as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then ye must needs say that the seed is good for behold, it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow...And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment and planted the seed, and it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good...And as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say, Let us nourish it with great care that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit." (Alma 32:29 - 37, NC Alma 16 pars. 

Nephi has been given an initial gift of a soft heart,to believe his father's words.

This we would compare to Alma's analogy that the seed or the word has swelled within Nephi and has become delicious to him.

Now that Nephi knows the word spoken by his father is good he begins to nourish it so that it will grow up in him.

How much time must be taken to nourish the word in oneself?

Would it be a lighning event to nourish the word?

How quickly does a tree seedling grow into a tree?

Why the symbolism from Alma of a tree rather than say grass or a vegetable plant?

Is it possible that Nephi recieved learning and understanding from the Lord because of his diligence to ponder on what he had already received?

"For my soul delighteth in the scriptures and my heart pondereth them and writeth them for the learning and profit of my children.  Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." (2 Nephi 4:15 - 16, NC 2 Nephi 3 par. 6)

The Prophet Joseph stated,

"A fanciful and flowery and heated imagination be aware of, because the things of God are of deep import, and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.  Your mind, O man, if you will lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost Heavens, and search into and contemplate the lowest considerations of Eternal expanse.  You must commune with God.  How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God than the vain imaginations of the human heart?  None but fools will trifle with the souls of men."(T&C 138 par. 18, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 137)

Is it by careful, ponderous and solemn thoughts about what he had received that Nephi was able to receive more?

By experience, practical application of what he received, was Nephi able to understand what he received?

Nephi declared plainly that he pondered upon the words of his father's dream at the time he received his marvelous revelation.

"And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God - and the Son of God was the Messaih who should come - I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see and hear and know of these things by the power of the Holy Ghost,...For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord,..."(1 Nephi 10:17 - 1 Nephi 11:1, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 5 - 6)

If we ponder the things in the scritpures is it possible that questions will come up?

If we ask for further clarification concerning the questions that arise for us does that give the Lord greater opportunity to teach us?

Is the Lord willing to reveal things to individuals that clarify and expand their understanding of scriptural topics they have read that are hidden to others simply because they do not ask?

Are we given scriptures only for the sole purpose of governing our ownselves by the principles there?

Could it be that the scritpures are also given to encourage questions?

When a child is asking their parents concerning anything can their questions be unceasing?

A child might ask, Why is it so?  The parent may respond, Because of xyz.  The child may then continue, Why x? and so forth.

Is this what the Lord desires of us to nurture the word in us?

Does He give us things so that we will ponder, consider  and ask, Why is it so? so that He may respond , Because of xyz in anticipation of us continuing, Why x? so that He may continue to teach us what cannot be written?

Is there holiness imparted from God to anyone who approaches Him in humility and faith asking?

Does an individual have the opportunity to become more holy as they communicate more and more with God?

Does the power of godliness, God's ability to commune individually with each one of us, allow an opportunity to prepare our minds to be firm and steadfast in every form of godliness so that the angels may begin to come and teach us? (Moroni 7: 30, NC Moroni 7 par. 6)

Was Nephi able to have faith that the Lord would show unto him the same things He had shown to his father Lehi precisely because from the beginning of Nephi's inquiries the Lord had always responded to the little things all the way until Nephi questioned concerning this?

Is Nephi's experience in any way similar to Joseph Smith's?

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions I often said to myself, What is to be done?  Who of all these parties is right?  Or are they all wrong together? And if any one of them be right, which is it?  And how shall I know it?  While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse [Epistle of Jacob 1:2], which reads, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upraideth not, and it shall be given him.  Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did to mine.  It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did." (Joseph Smith History 1:10 - 12, T&C 1 JSH part 2 par.3)

Was it the scriptures that inspired Joseph to ponder and ask God for answers?

Nephi declared that the things he shared with Sam, Laman and Lemuel had been manifested to him by God's Holy Spirit.

What is God's Holy Spirit?

How does God's Holy Spirit manifest things to someone?

The Prophet Joseph prepared a series of lectures for the School of the Prophets to teach the participants how to develop saving faith.

Joseph edited these lectures for inclusion in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.  These lectures were the Doctrine part of that canon of scritpure.

In 1835 the entire body of the church, men women and children voted to accept the lectures and the other parts of the canon of Doctrine and Covenants as scripture.

In Lecture Fifth we read the following.

"We shall, in this lecture, speak of the Godhead: we mean the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things - by whom all things were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible, whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space - They are the Father and the Son: The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fullness; The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or rather, man was formed after his likeness and in his image -...possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit that bears record of the Father and the Son, and these three are one, or in other words, these three constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things, by whom all things were created and made that were created and made.  And these three constitute the Godhead, and are one:  The Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power and fullness, filling all in all - the Son being filled with the fullness of the Mind, glory and power, or in other words, the Spirit, glory and power of the Father - possessing all knowledge and glory, and the same kingdom: sitting at the right hand of power in the express image and likeness of the Father - a Mediator for man- being filled with the fullness of the Mind of the Father, or in other words, the Spirit of the Father, which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments.  And all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace and become hiers of the heavenly kingdom and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, possessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in all: being filled with the fullness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one." (T&C 110 Lecture Fifth pars. 1-2)

The Prophet Joseph declared that the Holy Spirit is the Mind or Spirit of the Father.

He declared that Christ possesses a fullnes of the Mind or Spirit of the Father and that anyone who believes on Christ and keeps His commandments the Mind or Spirit of the Father is shed forth upon them.

Could we say that the Mind or Spirit of the Father being shed forth upon a person is the same thing as that person gaining access to or tapping into the Mind or Spirit of the Fahter?

He declared that those who believe in Christ and keep His commandments will grow up from grace to grace and become joint heirs with Christ possessing His same Mind or Spirit.

Is it possible then that when someone communicates with God and receives an answer that they are allowed access to information that exists in the Mind or Spirit of the Father?

Is it by receiving from or being allowed by faith in Christ to tap into this stream of knowledge so to speak that a person grows in capacity to know and understand the Father's Mind?

Is it possible that the Father's Mind constitutes His knowledge and will?

Is it possible that the Father's Mind constitutes more?

Is the Holy Spirit in any way related to the Light of Christ we talked about in the post "The Language of Lehi's Praising part 3?"

When an individual comes into contact with  the Mind or Spirit of the Father in any degree does that contact do more than just convey knowledge and understanding?

Is it possible that this contact also changes an individual imparting holiness to them so they are able to grow in grace?

Wisdom is mentioned here as well.  Is wisdom imparted as an individual connects with the Mind or Spirit of the Father?

In the previous post "God's Way of Teaching?" we looked at what the Prophet Joseph taught about progression.

"We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him.  But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 51)

When the Holy Spirit or Mind of the Father manifests things to an individual is this what is meant by having light from heaven communicated to the intellect?

Was Nephi tapping into this stream of knowledge and wisdom?

If someone grows in their connection to the Mind of the Father do their views become clearer?

Do they experience greater enjoyments as they receive what this seeming fountain of living water has to give?

As someone connects more and more to the Mind of God does their desire for sin leave?

Do they grow in faith?

There are things that cannot be written or communicated man to man concerning the kingdom of God.

"But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his Kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpasses all understanding, in glory, and in might, and in dominion, which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, (connected to the Mind of the Father?) and are not lawful for men to utter, neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him and purify themselves before him, to whom he grants the privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves, that through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, (Mind of the Father?) while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory. (D&C 76:114 - 118, T&C 69 par. 29)

It would appear that the instruction in the government and laws of the Kingdom of God by proper degrees, until a person's mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same is done in no other way than connecting with the Mind of the Father which is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Can we reasonably state then that what Nephi is imparting to Sam, Laman and Lemuel is light communicated from heaven to his intellect by tapping into the Mind of the Father?

Can we state with some certainty that in order to travel along the same path that Nephi is traveling on we must connect or tap into the Mind of the Father?

Is it part of the journey for everyone who would come to God the Father face to face in the flesh to tap into His Mind and by that connection grow in faith,knowlege, wisdom, and holiness; acquiring His attributes until we are able to see the Lord as He is because we become like Him?

We can see that Nephi is developing the same attributes as the Lord on his journey because when Laman and Lemuel reject his words he does not condemn or judge them he cries out to God for them seeking to intercede.  We have addressed this attribute of God in earlier posts, "With All His Heart."

Is it possible that the scriptures, in addition to giving instruction how to live righteously, are given to hopefully cause us to ponder or reflect and ask in faith in order that we may tap into the Mind of the Father to receive from His Mind, by grace, knowledge, wisdom, holiness, faith and so forth in order to make our connection to His Mind stronger and stronger until we can possess the same mind and be transformed into the express image or likeness of Christ, becoming joint heirs with him?

Initially, it would seem that our tapping in is something fragile that can be broken or discarded by our unbelief unless it is nourished and grows by our diligence and heed to what the Father desires to give us.

What a marvelous path.