There Are Save Two Churches Only

 1 Nephi 14:8 - 10, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 27

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Remember thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea. And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is the Devil. And he said unto me, Behold, there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.

The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim 1 Nefi 3 par. 27

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Do you remember the covenants of the Father unto the house of Isra’el? I said unto him, Yes. And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is HaSatan. And he said unto me, Behold, there are only two assemblies: the one is the assembly of the Lamb of Elohim, and the other is the assembly of HaSatan. Wherefore, whoever belongs not to the assembly of the Lamb of Elohim belongs to that great assembly which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.

Given that the great and a marvelous work the Father is going to accomplish leaves us each personally receiving "everlasting" consequences either on the one hand or on the other according to our personal response to His great and a marvelous work, would it be important to carefully and thoughtfully consider this part of Nephi's vision?

From as far back as I can remember I have always looked at this part of Nephi's vision and determined that what Nephi was recording here had to do with an earthly institution referred to as the church of the Lamb of God and then all other earthly institutions being part of the great and abominable church.

Several events in life, and the passage of time, and personal reflection, have modified my understanding of what Nephi is recording here.

What I present is again my own present understanding of what constitutes the church of the Lamb of God and what constitutes the only other church; which is the whore of all the earth.

Would the following definition revealed to the Prophet Joseph apply to the church of the Lamb of God?

Behold, this is my doctrine: whosoever repents and comes unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declares more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me. Therefore, he is not of my church.  And now behold, whosoever is of my church and endures of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. (D&C 10:67 - 69, T&C Joseph Smith History Part 10 pars. 19 - 20)

Does this definition match what the Lord taught the Nephites when He appeared to them here in the Americas following His resurrection?

And again, the Lord called others and said unto them likewise, and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them, On this wise shall ye baptize, and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them: behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying, Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name, for behold, verily I say unto you that the Father and the Son and the holy ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. And according as I have commanded you, thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there hath hitherto been, neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there hath hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the Devil, who is the father of contention; and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another, but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.   Behold, verily, verily I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me — and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the holy ghost beareth record of the Father and me — and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men everywhere to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved, and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily I say unto you that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father. And whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also, and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the holy ghost. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the holy ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me, for the Father and I and the holy ghost are one. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Verily, verily I say unto you that this is my doctrine. And whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establisheth it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil and is not built upon my rock, but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell standeth open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. Therefore, go forth unto this people and declare the words which I have spoken unto the ends of the earth. (3 Nephi 11:22 - 41, NC 3 Nephi 5 pars. 8 - 9)

Can we see the same principles expressed in both statements that allow us to determine that in both the Lord is talking about His church?

Did the Lord in both statements declare that repentance is necessary?

Did the Lord warn in both statements to not declare anything more or less than what He was declaring?

Did the Lord declare in both statements that it is necessary to endure to the end?

Did the Lord clearly declare in both statements that whoever would do what He was revealing would be built upon His rock and the gates of hell would not prevail against them?

Could it be said that both statements by the Lord are referring to the same thing?

I believe so.

To the Nephites, the Lord declared that the above is His doctrine.

Is it reasonable to assume that to be obedient to the doctrine of Christ is to come into His church?

I believe so.

If there are save two churches only then isn't it critical to properly understand and to be obedient to the directions of the Lord to be a part of His church, the church of the Lamb of God?

I would like to use the statement of the Lord to the Nephites in talking about the church of the Lamb of God because He reveals more detail at that point as He is declaring how someone becomes part of His church.

From the Lord's statement to the Nephites we can see that certain elements must exist for an individual to be a part of His church or in other words to comply with His doctrine.

First:

There must be individuals who have had the Lord give them power to baptize.

And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude) and commanded him that he should come forth. And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord, and he did kiss his feet. And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. And the Lord said unto him, I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into Heaven. (3 Nephi 11:18 - 21, NC 3 Nephi 5 par. 7)

And again, the Lord called others and said unto them likewise, and he gave unto them power to baptize.(from 3 Nephi quoted above)

Now I have a question here.

Didn't Nephi have authority to baptize before this time?

And now it came to pass that there were many who heard the words of Samuel, the Lamanite, which he spake upon the walls of the city. And as many as believed on his words went forth and sought for Nephi; and when they had came forth and found him, they confessed unto him their sins and denied not, desiring that they might be baptized unto the Lord. But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were angry with him, and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall. But the spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones, neither with their arrows. (Helaman 16:1 - 2, NC Helaman 5 par. 17)

The above is a reference to Nephi son of Helaman.

Upon his departure Nephi son of Helaman entrusted the following to his son Nephi.

Now it came to pass that the ninety and first year had passed away, and it was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; and it was in the year that Lachoneus was the chief judge and the governor over the land. And Nephi, the son of Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem. Then he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth. And his son Nephi did keep the record in his stead, yea, the record of this people. (3 Nephi 1:1 - 3, NC 3 Nephi 1 par. 1)

If I am not mistaken this is the very same Nephi who received the following.

Now it came to pass that the ninety and first year had passed away, and it was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; and it was in the year that Lachoneus was the chief judge and the governor over the land. And Nephi, the son of Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem. Then he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth. And his son Nephi did keep the record in his stead, yea, the record of this people.  And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words. For so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily, and in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people. And the people saw it and did witness of it and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles in the sight of the people in the name of Jesus. (3 Nephi 7:15 - 20, NC 3 Nephi 3 pars. 9 - 10)

Is it reasonable to assume that this Nephi ,who's father was baptizing prior to departing, who received all the sacred artifacts from his father, and had power to raise the dead, and received the ministry of angels daily also received the authority to baptize like his father?

Wasn't baptism a necessary ordinance even between the time of Samuel the Lamanite and the appearance of the Lord to the Nephites?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This strong and positive answer of Jesus, as to water baptism, settles the question: If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever: (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pg. 264)

If Nephi did already possess authority to baptize then why is the Lord specifically state here that He is giving Nephi power to baptize?

What is happening here?

Is it important that I take notice of this item?

Is there anything I could learn about the Lord and His ways by searching for an understanding of what is taking place with the Lord giving authority to baptize to an individual who already has been given authority to baptize?

Second: 

The ordinances that are part of the church of the Lamb of God must be clearly set forth.

Don't we see this here with the Lord's words to the Nephites?

On this wise shall ye baptize, and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them: behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying, Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name,

Once the ordinance is established, does it have to remain unchanged in order to have power to save?

What were Isaiah's words concerning the altering of ordinances?

...The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore has the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left... (Isaiah 24:1 - 15, OC Isaiah 7 par. 1)

How about the Prophet Joseph.  Does he echo the same teaching?

We all admit that the Gospel has ordinances, and if so, had it not always ordinances, and were not its ordinances always the same? (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 59)

And again, God purposed in Himself that there should not be an eternal fullness until every dispensation should be fulfilled and gathered together in one, and that all things whatsoever, that should be gathered together in one in those dispensations unto the same fullness and eternal glory, should be in Christ Jesus; therefore He set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 168)

The power, glory and blessings of the Priesthood could not continue with those who received ordination only as their righteousness continued; for Cain also being authorized to offer sacrifice, but not offering it in righteousness, was cursed. It signifies, then, that the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed; otherwise their Priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing.(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 169)

What has the Lord declared concerning this today?

 Do not change the words of the covenant, for to change an ordinance is to break it. (Isa. 24:5.) (Opening Remarks, Covenant of Christ Conference, Denver Snuffer, pg. 2) 

If my religious tradition is involved in changing ordinances how should I feel about that?

If to change an ordinance is to break it can a religious tradition that changes the ordinances of God and therefore breaks those ordinances be a religious tradition that is part of the church of the Lamb of God?

Is it possible that this is why the Lord clearly declared to the Nephites for their benefit and ours, "And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establisheth it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil and is not built upon my rock, but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell standeth open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them"?

If a religious tradition changes the ordinances the Lord has established are they declaring more and less than what the Lord declared?

Third: 

The command is given from heaven to believe in Jesus Christ and repent and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.

This was the command from the Father to all men that the Lord declared to the Nephites.

and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men everywhere to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved, and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily I say unto you that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father.And whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also, and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the holy ghost. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the holy ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me, for the Father and I and the holy ghost are one.  

Don't we have another witness of this in the record Nephi left of his conversation with both the Father and the Son?

And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water to fulfill all righteousness, Oh, then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water? And now I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfill all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he sheweth unto the children of men that according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments. Wherefore, after he was baptized with water, the holy ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove. And again, it sheweth unto the children of men the straitness of the path and the narrowness of the gate by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. And he said unto the children of men, Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? And the Father said, Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. And also the voice of the Son came unto me, saying, He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the holy ghost like unto me. Wherefore, follow me and do the things which ye have seen me do. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ by baptism — yea, by following your Lord and Savior down into the water according to his word — behold, then shall ye receive the holy ghost. Yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the holy ghost, and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.  But behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying, After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the holy ghost, and can speak with a new tongue — yea, even with the tongue of angels — and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me. And I heard a voice from the Father saying, Yea, the words of my beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And now my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved. Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shewn unto me: that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the holy ghost. And then are ye in this straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life. Yea, ye have entered in by the gate, ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son, and ye have received the holy ghost, which witness of the Father and the Son unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way, ye should receive. (2 Nephi 31:5 - 18, NC 2 Nephi 13 pars. 2 - 3)

So we can clearly see that part of entering into the church of the Lamb of God is the process of believing on Christ, repenting or turning to face Him, being baptized according to the ordinance He established, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

We can also see that we must endure in what we have received to the end of our lives.

Now, another question.

Weren't many if not all of the Nephites present here with the Lord already baptized previous to this time?

What is going on here?

Why, if they had already been baptized by one with proper authority to baptize (Nephi and probably others), would they need to be baptized again now?

Baptism has always been required from the days of Adam until the present. Baptism is always the sign of acceptance of what God is doing in each generation. If He acts again now (and He is), then we need to recognize that and respond. Baptism is a mandatory sign of penitence; turning and facing God, and then walking in a new path. From the days of Adam, it will continue through the end of the millennium. Whenever there has been believing people upon the earth, they have always been invited to perform the ordinance of baptism as a sign of their faith. (Forty Years In Mormonism, Lectures 1 - 10 Combined PDF, Downloads, Denversnuffer.com, pg.320

Is this something that I ought to seriously look at and consider if I am to be able to find myself as a part of the church of the Lamb of God?

Fourth:

All who are part of the church of the Lamb of God must become as little children.

Why?

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from them who think they are wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes. Because, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man knows that the Son is the Father, and that the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it. And he turned himself unto the disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them. (Luke 10:21 - 24, NC Luke 8 par. 6)

Does the above have any relation to this statement from the Lord?

... And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. 

Why does the Lord use the terms babes and children in the above references?

Was the Lord referring to His disciples as the "babes"?

I believe so.

Does that give new meaning to the statement the Lord made that if someone was guilty of offending one of His little ones it would be better that a millstone be set about their necks and they be drowned in the depths of the sea?

What are the qualities that "children" and "babes" possess that allow them to receive a message God has sent?

Consider the following.

Believe in Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and become as a little child. There is no more inquisitive a creature on the planet than a little child. That’s who you’re to become. You should hunger and search for understanding. This is all of the doctrine. There is no more doctrine. This is not all of the teachings, this is not all the tenants, these are not all of the precepts, this is not all of the covenants, this is not all of the commandments, and this is not all of the principles, but it’s all of the doctrine. There is no more doctrine than this…

We have this absolutely schizophrenic set of pictures in our head about the Lord. On the one hand, He is this limp-wristed, happy-go-lucky, permissive chap who sashays about blessing everyone with fairy dust. And on the other hand, we have this stern, unapproachable, distant, galactic ruler who just can’t be troubled by any of us and He says, This is His work and His glory, to save you. Not merely to save and preserve you, but to bring about your eternal life and your exaltation. That’s what He’s about. Get rid of the junk in your heads and let the scriptures speak to you. As Joseph said, Look, everything in them can be a mystery if what you have done is barred the information from getting through to you by the door that you have erected from the traditions that you have been handed. Many of you have been handed traditions from very good and very well meaning and very honorable Latter Day Saint parents who ought to be commended and praised for the effort that they made with you.

However, I don’t care if your parents were nigh unto God or the devil himself, the fact of the matter remains that we all have the freedom to choose to leave behind whatever it is that becomes the door against which the Savior has to knock, hoping that you’ll hear his voice. We have to become as a little child, because it’s only the little children who are willing to open themselves up and become vulnerable enough to believe and then hopeful enough to act on that belief, so that they develop faith and then persistent enough to ask again, and again, and again… are we there yet, are we there yet? ("As a Little Child", Podcast 72, Denver Snuffer.com)

I would invite everyone to listen to or to read the full transcript of the podcast "As a Little Child", podcast #72.

I believe it has great application to being a part of the church of the Lamb of God.

If we become people who thirst and hunger for truth, light, and understanding; if we become people who are inquisitive and willing to let the words of the Lord inform us instead of reading our traditions and learning into His words then won't the rest of the human family, those who consider themselves wise and prudent, look at us as though we are unlearned children?

How did the Pharisees and Sadducees and the Scribes and the Professors of the Law look at Christ and His followers? 

Didn't the Lord declare in an above scripture that God reveals things that are kept hid from those who consider themselves wise and prudent to babes and children?

Would the above give new meaning to what Isaiah prophesied?

For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them... (2 Nephi 13:1 - 11, NC 2 Nephi 8 par. 7)

Fifth:

There are no contentions among those who belong to the church of the Lamb of God concerning doctrines, principles, ideas, philosophies, anything in life.

And there shall be no disputations among you, as there hath hitherto been, neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there hath hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the Devil, who is the father of contention; and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another, but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

What did the Prophet Joseph observe in his day concerning all the churches?

...But so great was the confusion and strife amongst the different denominations that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. My mind at different times was greatly excited; the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all their powers of either reason or sophistry to prove their errors, or at least to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.  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 are right? Or are they all wrong together? And if any one of them be right, which is it? And how shall I know it? ... (JSH 1:8 - 14, T&C, Joseph Smith History, Part 2, pars. 2 - 3)

What image do the conditions of strife, confusion, great and incessant crying, making people think they were in error, using the powers of either reason or sophistry to prove errors, disproving all others, war of words, tumult of opinions, bring to mind?

Does such a condition exist today in every area of life?

Can we see it all around us in education, business, politics, philosophies, religion, etc.?

According to the Lord who is the author of such a condition?

Why would the Devil want to stir up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one against another?

What is the result of such contention and anger?

Can't we clearly see from the Book of Mormon and from world history what the disastrous end results are of any contention among peoples and nations?

If I want to be a part of the church of the Lamb of God then how should I view all my brethren; who are all people of the earth?

Be of one heart, and regard one another with charity. Measure your words before giving voice to them, and consider the hearts of others. Although a man may err in understanding concerning many things, yet he can view his brother with charity and come unto me, and through me he can with patience overcome the world. I can bring him to understanding and knowledge. Therefore, if you regard one another with charity, then your brother’s error in understanding will not divide you. I lead to all truth. I will lead all who come to me to the truth of all things. The fullness is to receive the truth of all things, and this too from me, in power, by my word, and in very deed. For I will come unto you if you will come unto me. (T&C 157 par. 3)

As I understand things this is the condition I find myself in presently.

I desire to heal you from an awful state of blindness so that you may see clearly my will, to do it. I promised to bring unto you much of my gospel through the Book of Mormon and to provide you with the means to obtain a fullness of my gospel, and I have done this; yet you refuse to receive the truth, even when it is given unto you in plainness. How can you who pursue the truth yet remain unable to behold your own weakness before me? (T&C 157 par. 16)

I am in an awful state of blindness that the Lord must heal me from so that I may see clearly His will to do it.

I have the Book of Mormon to provide me with a means to obtain a fullness of His gospel.

I must behold my own weakness before the Lord if I am going to be able to receive the truth in the plainness He has given it.

If such is my situation, and I believe it is, then at best I am only able to share some ideas and insights I have received and allow all others to decide whether they agree with my present understanding of things or not.

Because I find myself in my present predicament, would it not be a great profit for me to listen to and consider the insights and thoughts and present understandings of others?

Don't I need to hear and consider other points of view and insights for my own well being?

I believe that I do in reality err in understanding concerning many things.  The Lord is the only one who can fix that.  I am powerless to fix that beyond prayerfully searching out and considering and being obedient to His words as I presently understand them.

I, however, have all the power required to decide to come to Christ and all the power required to view all people and their insights and points of view with charity so that regardless of our errors in understanding we will not be divided.

If the church of the Lamb of God contains many people who all may have different understandings of things then shouldn't we expect that there would be a great diversity of teaching and opinions shared in such a church or such a community?

Can such a diversity exist without a war of words and tumult of opinions?

I believe so.

Didn't the Lord declare that the only powers given to those who are His saints are the powers of persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, and pure knowledge?

Under the circumstance of these above listed powers couldn't hugely diverse ideas in all areas of life be brought forth without a war of words and tumult of opinion, or in other words contention?

Can coercion exist where the above listed powers exist?

If I find myself in a religious tradition where there is coercion or control, can that religious tradition be a part of the church of the Lamb of God?

If my religious tradition does not tolerate or allow diverse ideas thoughts and points of view concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ can it be said of my religious tradition that it is part of the church of the Lamb of God?

I try to use the term "religious tradition" instead of the term "religion" to describe, for my own understanding, ideas, philosophies, traditions, beliefs, creeds, knowledge, etc. that affect the way people live in their daily walk because I do not see either the church of the Lamb of God or the great and abominable church of the Devil as institutional any more.

My present understanding is that a person may belong to any religious or secular denomination or institution they choose and still be a part of the church of the Lamb of God because to belong to His church only requires one to come to Him, repent, be baptized to receive the Holy Ghost, and become as a little child.

My present understanding is that a person may belong to any religious or secular denomination or institution they choose and still be a part of the great and abominable church of the Devil by opposing those things established by God to be a part of the church of the Lamb.

We got an extensive warning. Moroni inserted his warning about the last-days gentiles in Mormon chapter 8, beginning at verse 32: 

"Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins. O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the 3 revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled. Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you. Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted." 

In the warning he makes no exception for some latter-day church. He makes no exception for any latter-day organization of any kind. There may be a few who are the humble followers of Christ that are mentioned in the Book Mormon (see, e.g., 2 Ne. 28:14), but they are not mentioned as part of an organized congregation.  

They are not identified as part of an institution. When the faithful are gathered at the end they are gathered as individuals, not as congregations. Christ said through Jeremiah, "I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion. " (Jer. 3:14.) He has never promised to take those belonging to an institution. There is no such thing as collective security. The Book of Mormon preaches against such an idea. We are just as vulnerable to the misapprehension that we are safe and "saved" because of status as are any other group of people. 

We are bound together to fellowship, bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those who mourn, testify to one another, and help comfort those in need. (Mosiah 18:9.) Fellowship is indispensible to Christianity. But salvation comes one-at-a-time when we render an account of our lives. (Luke 19:12-26.) It is our relationship to and our connection with God that matters. And you cannot form that through me or through some other man, nor through the groups to which you belong. The groups to which you belong are a place to render service. They are place where you can sacrifice to help others. It does not matter if that group is Methodist, Presbyterian, Latter-day Saint, or one of the fellowships that has been organized. That is of little consequence. You can be a Christian soul wherever you are, serving whoever you happen to be in company with. ("Zion Will Come", Moab Conference Talk, Downloads, Denversnuffer.com, pgs. 2 - 3)

Because of what I share above and because of life experience I have come to the present understanding that I must stand for myself in doing those things the Lord has declared to be a part of the church of the Lamb of God.

I cannot expect that because my association or membership in any group, institution, etc. will give me security that I am part of the church of the Lamb of God.

For me this is a very serious matter because I believe what Nephi is saying here.  There are save two churches only.

If I understand Nephi correctly, my actions really do matter at this point in world history to the convincing me of everlasting peace and eternal life on the one hand or to the everlasting blindness of my mind and hardness of my heart unto the bringing me unto destruction and captivity both spiritually and temporally according to the destruction and captivity of the devil.

There is no middle ground here.

In spite of how broken and blind and full of stain I am, I still, as a weak living eye witness of the Father's great and a marvelous work that is now going forth, invite everyone to come unto Christ and partake of His goodness and enter into His church the church of the Lamb of God and endure to the end that you may be saved in the kingdom of God.