How we should follow the Brethren

Lest anyone be mistaken, I wanted to clarify yesterday's point. I am not advocating ignoring or disobeying "the Brethren." I am not telling anyone to be rebellious and go out on your own, (because that would be trusting in the arm of flesh as much as wrote obedience on the Brethren is trusting in the arm of flesh. My point is best expressed in a quotation from Denver Snuffer's book, "Second Comforter, Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil":

"What this modern revelation specifically tells you NOT to do is to accept someone merely because of position. If it were status alone that mattered, the contemporaries of Christ's day would have properly rejected Him. They had to listen for the voice of truth. It is the same in our day. We must also listen for the voice of truth, whether it comes from unlikely sources or not.

It is always true that "many are called, but few are chosen. No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue priesthood." (D&C 121:40-41.) If your sole source of what you regard as "bona fide" knowledge is the authorities in a priestly group, or in a scholarly discipline, or a philosophical school of thought, then you would be among those who would have rejected the carpenter's son. He came with nothing more than the truth. He came with exactly what he asks you to follow now., armed only with the tools of "persuasion,... long suffering,... gentleness and meekness, and ...love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile-." (Id., vs. 41-42.) He came as he comes now. It is a test. It has always been a test. The test is no different now than it was then. Do you hear Him? Do you listen to Him? His voice resonates in the words the words of His true disciples. They do not resonate in the words of the pretenders and faithless. His voice cannot be faked. The voice of inspiration cannot be breathed into the lifeless words of a false or faithless or disobedient disciple.

The first place to look for the Master's voice is, of course among the presiding authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But they are not entitled to anyone's blind trust. They are ordained to speak with the voice of inspiration, however, and they should be listened to carefully. As the scriptures inform us: "And, behold, and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth- And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord and the power of God unto salvation." (D&C 68:2-4.) The inspired leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are assigned by the Lord to lead His Saints in these latter-days. They are entrusted with keys and authority which is necessary for salvation. If you want to make personal covenants with God, you must do so through His established system for allowing that. And those who are chosen by Him to preside in His Church are entitled to receive the voice of inspiration to assist them in the process. When they do speak with the voice of inspiration, you should hear them as the "voice of the Lord." But, this relates to those times when their voice is inspired by the Holy Ghost. It is possible for any man to err. Joseph Smith confessed his numerous faults and shortcomings, as we have discussed earlier. Certainly no mortal is free from error. Therefore, it is up to you to distinguish between moments of inspiration from the rest." ("Second Comforter, Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil", Denver C. Snuffer, Jr., Millcreek Press, pgs. 228-229)

Several additional quotes from Denver's book are applicable here:

"George Q. Cannon also expressed concern over following men, rather than the voice of the Spirit. He put it in this way: "Put trust in no man. Do not, brethren, purt your trust in man though he be a Bishop, an Apostle or a President; if you do, they will fail you at some time or place; they will do wrong or seem to, and your support be gone; but if we lean on God, He never will fail us. When men and women depend on God alone and trust in Him alone, their faith will not be shaken if the highest in the Church should step aside. They could still see that He is just and true, that truth is lovely in His sight and the pure in heart are dear to Him." (Cannon, George Q. Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, Selected, arranged and edited by Jerreld L. Newquist. Salt Lake City: Zion's Book Store, 1957, p.249.)

When men speak as men, no matter their role in society or church, they are not entitled to your faith. If you give it to them, you are an idolater and following a Telestial standard. When prophets speak by the voice of inspiration, then it is the voice of inspiration you follow. We are disciples of the Master, and not the Master's servants. Brigham Young, once again, made the distinction most clear:

"How...are we to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Can any person answer this question? I can, it is very easy. To every philosopher upon the earth, I say, Your eye can be deceived, so can mine; your ear can be deceived, so can mine; the touch of your hand can be deceived, so can mine; but the Spirit of God filling the creature with revelation and the light of eternity, cannot be mistaken- the revelation which comes from God is never mistaken...When an individual, filled with the Spirit of God, declares the truth of heaven, the sheep hear that, the Spirit of the Lord pierces their inmost souls and sinks deep into their hearts; by the testimony of the Holy Ghost light springs up within them and they see and understand for themselves. This is the way the Gospel should be preached by every Elder in Israel, and by this power every hearer should hear; and if we would know the voice of the Good Shepherd, we must live so that the Spirit of the Lord can find its way to our hearts." (JD 16:74-75)

So you see it is you who are responsible for these things. You cannot defer them to another. Even trusted others cannot be the ones your rely upon for exaltation. Following Christ is a rugged and individual responsibility each must should for him or herself. If you elect to defer to another for your source of truth, then you cannot hope to rise above a Telestial inheritance, for you are among those who "are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they say they are some of one and some of another-some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant." (D&C 76:99-101.) We must follow the Father, and not the messengers of the Son, even if they are truly sent by Him. Worship of anyone or anything other than the true God is idolatry; and, therefore, worthy only of the Telestial beings.

The Gospel requires us to proceed carefully, to be sure. we are required to find the voice of the Spirit ourselves. Every Saint must become, in their own right, a prophet or prophetess. Not to lead others but for themselves. For each must choose for him or herself to find and follow the Master's voice in his or her life. The only sure rock upon which salvation remains to be found is that same rock of revelation which Christ assured Peter was secure to trust. If you follow President Hinckley solely because he is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are following a man. But if you follow President Hinckley because you hear the Master's voice in his counsel and teaching, then you are following the Lord and not the man. There is great difference between the two. One honors the Lord and leads to exaltation. The other misses the mark and makes such followers Telestial. This distinction is pivotal to salvation itself. It is not merely rhetorical, but of such substance if you fail to understand it you fail in the test of mortality itself. This is what we signed up for in coming to mortality. We accepted this challenge and expected it. Now it confronts us. So the test is afoot and must be taken with caution and humility." "Second Comforter, Conversing with the Lord Through the Veil", Denver C. Snuffer, Jr., Millcreek Press, p.231-233)

Wrote obedience to Moses was the reason Israel was rejected by the Lord. Jesus wants all of His sheep to know His voice. To reject His invitation to know Him personally makes a mockery of the Atonement and the tremendous gift of exaltation he offers to all those who diligently seek His face. It is incumbent upon all of us to do so.