“Ye are not sent forth to be taught…” — 1971
— “YE ARE NOT SENT FORTH TO BE TAUGHT” — 1971 —
In a revelation to the early elders of this dispensation, the Lord declared, “Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands….” (Doctrine and Covenants 43:15). My first missionary companion, Elder Robert Fillmore, helped me learn and remember this principle in a direct and forceful way.
While proselyting on a given day in Palmerston North, New Zealand, we met a woman who belonged to a small, spiritualist Christian sect which espoused many odd beliefs, including divination and Saturday worship. This woman was a fiery adherent to this faith, and she invited us into her apartment to supposedly expose the errors of our ways and preach the “truth” to us. We attempted to teach a discussion to her but found this to be a fruitless endeavor, as she had a spirit of contention. We offered her a copy of the Book of Mormon, which I don’t remember if she accepted or not, and she then offered us some literature which explained the beliefs of her sect. Thinking that it would be wise to be informed about the various ideologies I would encounter on my mission, I took her literature. As soon as we were out of eyesight and earshot of the woman’s apartment, Elder Fillmore “reproved me with sharpness, being moved upon by the Holy Ghost.” He didn’t quote the very pertinent scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 43:15-16, which tells us we are “…not sent forth to be taught…”, but he emphatically made the same point in his own words. He stated that we would be wasting our time and the Lord’s time if we concerned ourselves with all the various creeds and sects of Christendom and their doctrines, and that we should simply and humbly deliver our message with the Spirit, rejoicing if it was accepted and moving on if it was not. He politely but convincingly informed me that I should deposit the woman’s literature in the next available garbage receptacle, which I did. That sobering lesson served me well for the rest of my mission and has served me well since.
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