Is it well with your soul?

By Patricia Ragan

Is there a drought of the Word of the Lord? Where is the powerful preaching that comes from a deeply rooted knowledge of Christ, and the expounding of truth, the words we need to hear? Where are the powerful sermons that make a person examine their souls? Where are the sermons that strike fear in the heart of the unregenerate church attendee? Where are the sermons that make us yearn to hear more, that make us yearn to make God’s Word our constant companion? Where are the sermons that make us cling to the Rod of Iron because our lives depend upon it? Where is the evidence of daily feasting on the Words of Christ?

I have questioned priesthood and others about their experiences with Christ: Many of them declare, “I’m a sixth generation Restoration Saint,” or “I was born and raised in the church.” I ask them, “Have you had an experience with Christ? Is He your Lord and Savior?” These people look at me as though a “tree had sprouted out of my head.”

I continue to ask: “Did you have an experience like Nephi, like Paul, like either of the Almas, like Enos, like the Brother of Jared?” They look at me nervously.

“These were special people—prophets or apostles,” is their reply.

So I continue to ask: Did you have an experience like the prostitute at Jesus feet, or the woman with the issue of blood, or the woman at the well?

The answer: “These are people with a direct encounter with Christ. We don’t have that available today.”

So I ask again, “What about Cornelius, or the Ethiopian eunuch, or Namaan, or…”

“Stop!” They say. They might add something like this: “My great-great-grandfather had an experience in which he saw a bright light shining on a group of saints at a baptism in the snow in Canada…”

Most are uncomfortable hearing these questions. They don’t want their belief threatened that they will be “grandfathered” into the kingdom. We were born alone, and all of us will face judgment alone—unless our Lord, Jesus Christ, is and has been, our Advocate.

How do we know that we are “true” Christians? We mock the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” We know that a few questions and a prayer at a Billy Graham crusade does not usually result in true discipleship. I quote from a sermon called “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” (http://www.livingwaters.com/helps/HellsBestKeptSecret.pdf ).

In 1991, in the first year of the decade of harvest, a major denomination in the U.S. was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. That is, in one year, this major denomination of 11,500 churches was able to obtain 294,000 decisions for Christ. Unfortunately, they could only find 14,000 in fellowship, which means they couldn’t account for 280,000 of their decisions, and this is normal, modern evangelical results…

Retained is 4.8%, the loss is 95.2%.

Were these people truly converted to Christ? Does the same thing happen in our branches? Have our members really been “born again”? We tend to stay away from that term, but Christ used it: [John 3:5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [John 3:6] That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit. [John 3:7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Alma gives the same message. They knew about the New Covenant early on. He told the people: [Alma 5:24] Now I say unto you, that ye must repent, and be born again: for the Spirit saith, If ye are not born again, ye can not inherit the kingdom of heaven;

Nothing was required of us in our physical births. Our mothers performed the labor for us. In our Spiritual births our participation is demanded. We must come to the knowledge that we are sinners. We must become aware of our sin and repent. We must desire Christ. Jesus is what it’s all about. Coming unto him is shining a powerful light on our lives. It is seeing our sins for what they are. It is regretting them and asking forgiveness. Enos, like Jacob, son of Isaac, had a wrestle with God. In his own words he explains how his soul hungered and he cried unto the Lord until he got his answer:

And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins; Behold I went to hunt beasts in the forest; and the words which I had often heard my father speak, concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication, for mine own soul; And all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came, I did still raise my voice high, that it reached the heavens. And there came a voice unto me saying, Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said, Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me, because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away, before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole. [Enos 1:3-11]

This was not some passive experience. Crying out to the Lord can be exhausting work. Yes, work. It is by faith that we are forgiven. That is God’s job, but the repenting, the desire for Christ’s intervention in our lives, is up to us. Nor is it a one-time thing. The truly born-again Christian will keep his repentance current.

I don’t remember hearing about the Enos experience as a child. At the age of 8, I entered the Pre-Baptismal class. Most of what I learned was church history, church structure, and a couple of class periods about repentance, faith and baptism, including a detailed instruction on the actual baptism itself. I’ve spoken to many in my generation who had the same classes. None of us remember being taught about what part Christ had in the process. We were converted to a church, not a savior!

I was told stories of the Old and New Testaments. I read them myself, but I still had no concept of who Christ was. I had no idea why I needed him. Most of the children, as I was growing up, and into our teens, really had no idea why we needed Christ. As I remember church camp in Kansas City Stake, I remember that most of the conversation centered on social issues. I was sometimes criticized by my peers for taking the religion classes seriously. I had a problem. I wanted to know why I needed Christ, but there were no easy answers.

Where did the church “go wrong”? I believe that in the beginning, converts to the church were already truly converted to Christ. What they heard in the late 1820s and 1830s was not a new Gospel, but the complete Gospel. They came because they were led to it. They entered into the waters of baptism because they saw Christ in the Church.

This was an age when the Bible was read at home and taught in the schools. Children grew up with the realization that Christ was the center of the home. But somewhere along the line, that changed.

Paul says: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). The Jews were raised with the idea that there was ONE GOD. They knew God. They had a foundation. The Greeks, on the other hand, had many gods, one for every season, gender, age, etc. They even had one to spare, the unknown god, in case they had missed one. The idea of a Creator God, or a personal, ONE GOD was foolishness to them. The Jews expected a Messiah. The Greeks expected no such thing. None of their gods could be a savior to them. The God of the Jews was Holy. They sacrificed because it was traditional and because they reverenced HIM. The Greeks sacrificed because it was a party and because they feared death if they didn’t.

The Jews stumbled over the Cross-. They expected a Savior to save them from the Romans and to be their ruler according to the LAW. The traditions of the Law had become more important to them than God. They could not accept that God would come down and become a man, the sacrificial lamb, and die for them. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was able to reveal the message of a Risen Lord to the many Jews who, then, came to the understanding of the truth. For them it was an extension of everything they had been taught. There were many conversions.

Paul found that with the Greeks, this was not so. They had no conception of the truth. The Jewish God was foolishness to them. The early day missionaries had to begin at the beginning and tell them about the ONE GOD who created the Universe, who created them, and in His Mercy, took their place as the great sacrifice to Justice.

In the early 1800s, the people knew Christ. They willingly and joyously came to accept the complete Gospel. They were similar to the Jews, who knew the foundation of Christianity. Today’s society is more like the Greeks. Most families’ lives do not revolve around the Gospel. Most would say that Jesus is not relevant. Materialism has replaced most family altars.

How do we teach newcomers or those who are curious about our church? What is the first thing we tell them? Do we mention Christ? Do we teach Him crucified, and His saving Grace? For how many generations have we been teaching newcomers as though they had already accepted the gospel and as though they had already had the baptism of fire? For how many generations have we simply taught the “differences” between our church and Protestants, or between our church and the Mormons? What does our church have that others don’t? The Book of Mormon teaches Christ. To simply teach that we are different because we have the Book of Mormon is to forget Christ. HE is what it’s all about. None of the Christian converts during the “Apostolic age” had the Book of Mormon. They had Christ. They had the truth, which “got lost” over the years. The Book of Mormon completes that truth.

How do we know that we have been baptized by the Holy Spirit? At confirmation, did we feel the fire of the Holy Spirit? It’s a promise. Nephi fills in “something lost” from the Bible. But, yet, I think we “stumble” over it because we think it does not apply to us.

[2 Nephi 13:16] Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son with full purpose of heart,

This is a heart thing. The full purpose of our heart is to follow Jesus,

acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent.

A thorough housecleaning of our intentions is in order.

repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father, that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism;

We have the example of Enos’ wrestling before God. His repentance was very real.

What name are we to take upon us? The name of a church? No, the name of Christ.

yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word; behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost;

We receive the Holy Ghost in the waters of baptism.

[2 Nephi 13:17] 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.


Notice that there is NOTHING said about “only some” will experience this baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. Also note that the baptism of fire is separate from the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Most are really uncomfortable about the next line: and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. Have you ever had the desire to shout out praises to God, but you were afraid of what others would think or say? Have you ever looked at a sunset and in the awe of the moment, thanked God for the beauty of it, or told Him what a Great God he is?


[2 Nephi 13:18] But behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying, After ye have (1) repented of your sins, and (2) witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water,(3) and have received the baptism of fire (4) and of the Holy Ghost, (5) 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.

How many people do we know who have experienced all these wonderful promises? Would our people be afraid to admit it, if they had?

[2 Nephi 13:19] And I heard a voice from the Father, saying, Yea, the words of my beloved, are true and faithful.

[2 Nephi 13:20] He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.

Enduring. I’ve heard some say that this is akin to hanging on to a rod over an abyss.

[2 Nephi 14:3] And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels, save it were by the Holy Ghost? Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.

Nephi explains the tongue of angels. This is done by the power of the Holy Ghost. They speak the words of Christ.

[2 Nephi 14:4] Wherefore, I said unto you, Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Here, Nephi tells us that if we feast upon Christ’s words, they will tell us what to do. Feasting on the precious Words of Christ, should be a JOY for us. Enduring should be a JOY for us. If we are feasting on His words, we know what we should do, and it’s not a white-knuckle hanging-on-to-a-rod over an abyss fearful thing.

[2 Nephi 14:5] Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye can not understand them, it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

Those I have asked about these verses from Nephi 13 & 14 often say they do not understand them. Nephi explains that we don’t understand because we’re not asking or knocking. I dare say we are not feasting on Christ’s words, either.

[2 Nephi 14:6] For behold, again I say unto you, that if ye will enter in by the way and receive the Holy Ghost, it will shew unto you all things what ye should do.

Again, understanding is available. Those who repent as in the example set by Enos enter in by the way, as Nephi describes, will have the Holy Ghost to guide them.

[2 Nephi 14:7] Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ; and there will be no more doctrine given, until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh.

[2 Nephi 14:8] And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you, shall ye observe to do.

Are the things that Christ, in the flesh, tells us to do, any different?

[2 Nephi 14:9] And now I, Nephi, can not say more: the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men: for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

Nephi mourned for those who would read, but not SEARCH to understand the words he says in plainness.

After the calamity of the three days of darkness after the crucifixion, a voice was heard in the land. Christ spoke:

[3 Nephi 4:49] And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings; and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

The old covenant was fulfilled in Christ’s shedding of blood, His sacrifice for our sin. He asks for a new sacrifice: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. This is accomplished by being humbled at the recognition of our sin and the comprehension of Christ’s suffering in our place at such great cost.

[3 Nephi 4:50] And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me, at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

With this broken-heartedness, and the contrite, humble and, perhaps, even grieving spirit, He baptizes us with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

[3 Nephi 4:51] Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin: therefore whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive; for of such is the kingdom of God.

This is the new covenant. This is the same doctrine that Nephi spoke of. Nephi, having seen Christ in vision, had experienced this life-altering event. Those who believed in his word would also come unto Christ.

I’ll admit it. These things did not occur at my baptism. It happened 20 years later, after I had an Enos struggle and had begun to search the scriptures. I saw the promises. I was hungry for Jesus. I could not get enough. And one night, it happened, as the result of a prayerful question. I was baptized by fire that I can only describe as such JOY that I feared I could not contain it. I was given powerful understanding of things that I cannot express in words. I praised God as I had never praised before. I cannot describe the intensity of the JOY I felt in praising HIM, in praising CHRIST.

[Titus 3:5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Coming unto Christ is a very powerful thing. It is SO powerful that what you are, when you come out of it on the other side, is a new creature. You are no longer the same person you were. Being born of the Spirit is a life-altering event. The sins you once loved, you now hate. Spiritual baptism means that you now have the Holy Spirit residing within you. You will have a new outlook. Many of the things that you did before will have become distasteful to you. As the Holy Spirit guides your life, you will notice things you never noticed before. Your spiritual eyes have been opened. As you read the scriptures certain passages will jump out at you in bold print. You will find meaning in verses you once thought dry. You will begin to weep as you read scriptures that seem to have been written just for you. Some verses will slow you down as you feast on their significance, on the new significance. You will read it over and over and over, gleaning all the flavor and substance from it. There will be so much rich meaning that you find yourself praising God for the words he has given to you. You will have a burning desire to read more. The scriptures will become your best friend. You will take them to bed with you and grab them when you wake up.

We should be hearing powerful Holy Spirit filled sermons from powerful Holy Spirit filled priesthood who know the Fire of the Holy Ghost. We should hold up 2 Nephi 13 & 14 as what to expect at our baptism. We need to hear from priesthood who know Christ intimately. We need to hear those who have experienced Christ first hand. We need to hearken to the words of Moroni:

And now I speak concerning baptism. Behold, elders, priests, and teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized, save they brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it; neither did they receive any unto baptism, save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins. And none were received unto baptism, save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end. [Moroni 6:1-3]


DO YOU KNOW CHRIST? IS HE THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE?