To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.

com

#3 On 1 December 1837, seven months prior to the reception of section 119, Edward Partridge, John Corrill, and Isaac Morley were appointed as a committee to adopt a plan whereby revenue could be raised to defray Church expenses. Their report, given the following day, proposed a voluntary tithing program to assist the poor, #2 Though it is little known, the command compensate Church leaders for serthat the Saints pay one-tenth of their invices while attending to Church busicrease annually required a greater sacrifice ness, and pay for other related Church of property than that required by the law of expenses. The donation, which was to consecration and stewardship, as practiced be based on assets, not income, conin the early days of this dispensation. sidered widows not having assets over In the law of consecration, after the $75 exempt, and it provided for a Saints put their substance and properties be- yearly inventory with the Church fore the bishop, they received a stewardship bishop. to provide for their needs. Later, if from their The voluntary contribution initiasteward ship they had more than was neces- tive apparently was never implesary for their support, or in other words, a mented, but it undoubtedly served as a residue or a surplus, then they would conprelude to section 119. (Lyndon Cook, The tribute surplus to the Church. The great dif- Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 237-38) ference in the law of tithing is that it re#4 Elder James E. Talmage: Do quires the Saints to pay a tenth of their inyou know that the soil can be come before any expenses are met, not sanctified by the tithing of its from their surplus after their needs have products? The land can be sanctibeen satisfied Consecration is a higher law fied. There is a relationship beonly when it extends beyond that which is temporal and involves dedicating all of one's tween the elements and forces of nature and the actions of men. (CR, October 1929) time, talent, and energies that may be needed to building up the Lord's kingdom. The consecration of property was the Lord's means to teach the Saints that all things are

#1 President Joseph F. Smith: ...the law of consecration... was not properly kept, and inasmuch as people are under greater condemnation when they keep not the laws that are given them, the Lord in His mercy withdrew from the Latter day Saints the law of consecration, because the people were not prepared to live it, and as long as it was in force and they kept it not they were under condemnation. The law of tithing was given in its place. (CR, October 1899)

his. In reality very little revenue was generated from the surplus that could be used for the building up of the kingdom of God.
(Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, 935-36)

#8 First Presidency Statement in 1911: The entire receipts and disbursements are accounted for in the most complete detail. An auditing committee composed of men well known in the community for their independence of character and business integrity, not of the leading Authorities of the Church #6 President J. Reuben Clark: thoroughly inspect and report annually upon ...the Church has a Council on the them. The funds thus received are not the Distribution of Tithes, made up of property of the president of the Church or the First Presidency, the Council of his associates, nor of the Presiding Bishopric, the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. This nor of the local bishops. They belong to the Council considers the proposed budget of Church and are used for Church purposes, the Church, which is itemized under general including the building and maintenance of headings, and then approves and authorizes temples, meetinghouses, schools, colleges, such expenditures as it deems proper. universities and other structures, the aid of A subcommittee of the Council on the the poor and afflicted, the extension of misDistribution of Tithes then makes the desions abroad and the help of new colonies at tailed appropriations from the sums aphome, and sundry other objects and but a proved and authorized by the Council. This small amount is used for the support of persubcommittee is known as the Committee on sons devoting their whole time to the service Expenditures, and is made up of the First of the Churchy, and that not out of the tithPresidency, three members of the Council of ing, but from the proceeds of investments the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric. A made with profit. This includes the presiChurch Building Committee acts under the dency and other Church leaders. (Joseph F. direction of the Committee on Expenditures. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, John Henry Smith, CR, April 1911)

#5 President Heber J. Grant: "I have never made a dollar on which I did not pay tithing. A president of the stake begged and pleaded with me to quit paying tithing. He said I did not owe any tithing until I got out of debt. Would not that have been a fine record for a man who now stands as president of the Church, not to have paid tithing for thirty-two years? I have had friends beg and plead with me to take bankruptcy, saying that I would never live long enough to pay my debts. "If there is any man living who is entitled to say, 'Keep out of debt,' his name is Heber J. Grant. Thank the Lord that I was able to pay it all, and pay it all without asking a dollar discount from anyone. I do not believe I ever would have paid it if I had not been absolutely honest with the Lord. When I made any money, the first debt I paid was to the Lord." (Gospel Standards, 59)

The Financial Secretary to the First Presidency acts as the secretary of the Committee of Expenditures. (CR, April 1948) #7 Elder Robert D. Hales: It is remarkable to witness this council heed the Lords voice. Each member is aware of and participates in all the councils decisions. No decision is made until the council is unanimous. All tithing funds are spent for the purposes of the Church I bear my testimony of the Council on the Disposition of the Tithes Without exception, the tithing funds of this Church have been used for His purposes.
(CR, Oct. 2002)

#12 Isaiah counseled, Hide not thyself from thine own flesh [your own family]. That is, love them, pray for them, and fast for them. We expect the Lord to stand by our children despite their waywardness. Would He not, therefore, expect the same of us? Our willingness to sanctify ourselves through fasting and prayer in behalf of our children, and our continuing to love and reach out to them, serves to repair relation#10 The Prophet Joseph Smith ships. Through fasting and prayer we sanctaught: Let this be an [example] tify ourselves to become, according to to all saints, and there will never Isaiah, the repairer of the breach. That is, be any lack for bread: When the fasting and prayer empowers us to repair poor are starving, let those who have, fast one day and give what they otherwise would anything that has torn the relationship apart. Concerning our becoming repairhave eaten to the bishops for the poor, and ers of the breach, Elder Bruce C. every one will abound for a long time. Hafen taught that we, through fastAnd so long as the saints will all live to this ing and prayer and applying the principle with glad hearts and cheerful counAtonement of Jesus Christ, gain tenances they will always have an abun( power to repair even generational family dance. HC 7:413) problems and to stop the intergenerational #11 Bishop John H. Vandenberg flow of affliction, which plagues one generaThe repairer of the breach, The tion of our family after another. These genrestorer of paths to dwell in. erational problems are often the reasons our ( Isaiah 58:912.) To me this is a prom- children are presently suffering. Some damise to those working with the aging family traits reduce agency and conmembers of the Church who are in need tinue to afflict several generations of a famphysically and spiritually, they that shall be ily. But by means of the sanctifying principles

#9 President Brigham Young: You know that the first Thursday in each month we hold fast day. How many here know the origin of this day? Before tithing was paid, the poor were supported by donations. They came to [the Prophet] Joseph and wanted help, in Kirtland, and he said there should be a fast day, which was decided upon. It was to be held once a month, as it is now, and all that would have been eaten that day, of flour, or meat, or butter, or fruit, or anything else, was to be carried to the fast meeting and put in the hands of a person selected for the purpose of taking care of the poor. If we were to do this now faithfully, [said President Young] do you think the poor would lack for flour, or butter, or cheese, or meat, or sugar, or anything they needed to eat? No! there would be more than could be used by all the poor among us. (JD 12:115)

of thee, or that you may be able to help themto do what? Build the old waste places, and as you help them to build thou shalt raise up the foundations of (their) many generations (to follow); and then thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach. In other words, you have helped them overcome their weaknesses, to restore their souls, to bridge the gap through reactivating, rehabilitation, and restoring the path for them to walk in. (CR, April 1963)

of faith, fasting, prayer, and diligence, these negative traits can be halted and severed. Repairers of the breach can seek heavenly power to ensure that those harmful traits will never again distress subsequent generations. Elder Hafen said we can fill the void left by a former generation and raise a new foundation for the next, thus repairing the breach in the intergenerational linkage: They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach; the re-

storer of paths to dwell in.

(Isa. 58:12)

(Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, The Belonging article/5880/1

Heart: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family Heart, 119.) also: http://ldsmag.com/

#13 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: Fasting in the proper spirit and in the Lords way will energize us spiritually, strengthen our self-discipline, fill our homes with peace, lighten our hearts with joy, fortify us against temptation, prepare us for times of adversity, and open the windows of heaven. (CR, April 2011)

Other thoughts too great not to include:

Elder Melvin J. Ballard: Do we not hope and expect to have an inheritance in the celestial kingdom, even upon this earth in its redeemed and sanctified state? What are the terms under which we may obtain that inheritance? The law of tithing is the law of inheritance. It leads to it. No man may hope or expect to have an inheritance on this celestial globe who has failed to pay his tithing. By the payment of his honest tithing he is establishing a right and a title to this inheritance, and he cannot secure it upon any other terms but by complying with this and other just requirements; and this is one of the very essential things. (CR Oct, 1929, p. 51) Elder LeGrand Richards: It is not uncommon for a man in this life to pay money for ten to twenty-five years to purchase a small plot of ground for his use while he lives upon the earth. Should he be less interested in acquiring an eternal inheritance? (A Marvelous Work And A Wonder, p. 368 -9) Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: My brothers and sisters, the measure of our offering to bless the poor is a measure of our gratitude to our Heavenly Fathera measure of our willingness to consecrate ourselves to relieve the suffering of others. There is an easy formula for figuring out our own financial stewardships here on this earth. We need to use our money to raise our families, to educate ourselves, to prepare for the future, and to build up the kingdom, but oftentimes, we give our kids (or ourselves) more material blessings than what is necessary or even good. Whenever there is a choice to be made, we can say to ourselves, Is giving money to the poor more important than (fill in the blank)? And if the answer is yes, pull out that donation slip and stick the money in the envelope. As we do so, not only will the poor be blessed, but we will be blessed as well. Elder Marion G. Romney said, Dont give just for the benefit of the poor, but give for your own welfare. Give enough so that you can give yourself into the kingdom of God through consecrating of your means and your time. (CR, April 2001) Elder J. Reuben Clark: I am a firm believer that you cannot give to the Church and to the building up of the kingdom of God and be any poorer financially. I remember a long time ago, over 50 years, when Brother [Melvin J.] Ballard laid his hands on my head and set me apart to go on a mission. He said in that prayer of blessing that a person could not give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return. Thats been my experience. If the members of the Church would double their fast-offering contributions, the spirituality in the Church would double. (Welfare Agricultural Meeting, 3 April 1971)

D&C LESSON 17 OUTLINE

In the past few weeks weve covered, albeit loosely, the Law of Consecration and the Law of the Sabbath. Today were supposed to cover the laws of tithing and of the fast. Since time is always a problem, Id like to skim over tithing since its talked about a lot more. And then well hopefully be able to get into more depth on fasting. ~What year was the Church organized? (1830) ~Was tithing instituted at that point? What law were the Saints commanded to obey? (consecrationwithin 8 months of being organized, see section 42) ~Were the Saints successful in living this higher law as a people? (no) ~So what law was, mercifully, given in its place? (tithing) Quotation #1 ~Which law required a greater sacrifice of property by the Saints: consecration or tithing? (its counter-intuitive, but tithing) Quotation #4 Under the law of consecration, the Church really struggled financially, mainly because most members felt they didnt have any surplus. Remember, in the 1830s the whole nation suffered a financial depression. Times were hard! On Decmeber 1, 1837, Edward Partridge, John Corril and Isaac Morely were appointed as a committee to figure out how to raise revenue to defray Church expenses. Quotation #3 bold That committee was formed in late 1837. Joseph moved from Kirtland to Far West, Missouri early in 1838. Soon it was a bustling city, with Saints gathering from all over. The Lord even approved the construction of a temple! (see section 115) But all of this required money. In his journal Joseph prayed: O! Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requires of the properties of thy people for a tithing? Joseph then wrote Answer, followed by the text of D&C 119. (The Papers of Joseph Smiht, ed.
Dean C. Jessee, 2:257)

D&C 119:6 Quotation #4 ~When we are in dire straits financially, wouldnt t be wise to postpone living the law of tithing? Quotation #5 ~Does anyone have anything theyd like to ask, or add to our discussion on tithing? One last concept on tithing:

~Under the law of consecration, who was responsible for receiving and dis- 2 persing the properties offered to the Lord? (the bishop) ~Did this hold true for tithes as well? D&C 120 Quotation #s 6 & 7 ~Is that itare just the First Presidency, the Twelve and the Presiding Bishopric involved in making sure the tithes are used only for the Lords purposes? (There is also an Auditing Committee, from which a representative ad dresses the Church at each General Conference) Quotation #8 Okay! Shall we move on to the Law of the Fast? First a brief history: ~Was fast day always held on the first Sunday of the month? (no) Quotation #9 ~Does anyone know why and when it was changed to Sunday? President Joseph F. Smith had a son named Hyrum who served a mission in Britain in 1896. Hyrum wrote his father about how the British saints had to get excused from their employment with a loss of pay in order to attend fast meeting. Some worked in the coal mines, and would have to go home to bathe and change clothes. This loss of time and compensation was a great hardship for most. So Hyrum asked his father why fast meeting couldnt be held on Sunday. Here is an excerpt from the minutes of a meeting of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve held November 5, 1896: President Joseph F. Smith introduced the subject of fast meetings, suggesting that a change of the time from the first Thursday to the first Sunday in each month would probably be beneficial. This was endorsed by President George Q. Cannon, and after other brethren had spoken on the subject, it was decided that the Tabernacle services would be dispensed with on the first Sunday of each month, and that the saints in this city as well as in the country wards, should have the privilege of meeting in their meeting houses at 2 oclock P.M. to observe fast day. (Improvement Era, Dec.
1956)

On to the purposes of this law. Its human nature to look for complicated answers to our problems, to look beyond the mark for new and exciting solutions , rather than accept what has already been revealed. Remember the lesson of the Israelites and the fiery, flying serpents? ~What was the antivenin Heavenly Father provided to save the lives of those who were bit? (to look at Moses brass snake, which was suspended on a pole. The scriptures tell us: because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. (see 1 Ne. 17:45)

That said, lets revisit the easy and simple principles of fasting an prayer. Just like looking at the brass serpent, fasting properly is a principle of power. On the board: (red) POWER TO: A PROPER FAST INCLUDES: Quotation #10 ~So what do fast offerings give us power to do?

-have abundance Isaiah gives a masterful discourse on fasting found in chapter 58. Lets turn to it, remembering that most of Isaiahs writings are poetryvery difficult to translate, and full of powerful images. Lets start with verse: Isaiah 58:6 ~What does a true fast give us power to do? -overcome our sins What a great image? As sinners, do we not feel tied up, heavily burdened, and yoked like a beast of burden? Proper fasting can free us from the burdens of sin. (show pictures of donkeys and oxen) Before we get to far into the blessings, we need to understand some of the components of a true fast. A true fast isnt just going without food and water for 24 hours, is it? Isaiah 58:7 -fast offering -being charitable -dont give up on family Isaiah 58:9, 2nd half In a talk by Bishop Vandenberg in 1963, he helped clarify this verse: ~What is the yoke? (wickedness) -repent ~What might be the putting forth of the finger? (accusing others) -forgive others ~speaking vanity? (being prideful rather than humble & teachable) -be humble Isaiah 58:10, 1st half ~What does it mean to draw out [our] soul to the hungry? Can we be hungry emotionally? Spiritually? (to be other-centered) -other-centered ~to satisfy the afflicted soul? (to really be there for others, to do whatever it takes, like the good Samaritan) Now back to the blessings Isaiah 58:8

~What does Thy light shall break forth as the morning mean? 4 -filled with the Spirit ~Is health only physical? -physical, spiritual & emotional health ~What does thy righteousness shall go before thee mean? (our righteousness will ensure good things in the future. Hope. -righteous paths ~the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward? (spiritual protection on every side) -spiritual protection Isaiah 58:9 ~What is the promise? -prayers answered Isaiah 58:10 -darkness turned to light Isaiah 58:11 -constant guidance of the Holy Ghost -soul like the Garden of Eden where you have experienced spiritual and emotional drought and starvation, the Lord will make you like the Garden of Eden. As you drink from the Living Waters, you will become the same: a spring capable of giving never-ending nourishment to those you love. (Larry Barkdull, http://ldsmag.com/article/5880/1) Now verse 12 is a really exciting one: Isaiah 58:12 ~Any idea what this is talking about? What is a breach? (a break, or gap) ~In this Second Estate, is there a breach between us and our Father in Heaven? (spiritual deathin our sinful state we cannot cross the breach except through the Atonement) Quotation #11 -we can be a repairer of the breach So we can be a repairer of the breach by serving those around us, through missionary work, and also within our own families. Elder Bruce C. Hafen gave some comforting insights: Quotation #12 Let me conclude with this quote by Elder Wirthlin: Quotation #13 And who wouldnt want that? In the name of.

Charolais oxen in a head yoke at the Sandwich Fair in Sandwich, New Hampshire, pull a stoneboat loaded with cement blocks in the 6' elimination pull