The Lord Tries Our Faith

Jehovah revealed to His Prophets: Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
Who was Jesus sent to? Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Jesus Christ taught His Jewish Apostles John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Are the other sheep Gentiles? Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Who has birthrights to the Gospel blessings first? Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.

The Jews descend from Judah, who is a son of Jacob (who is Israel). Jacob had 12 sons. There are 11 other Tribes besides the Jews who are descendants of Jacob or Israel - thus "The 12 Tribes of Israel."

So we see, during and after Christ's ministry, the covenants God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to the 12 Tribes of Israel, are still being taught and delivered to the rightful heirs of the birthright blessings, who are the seed or descendants of Abraham. The Gospel is commanded to be preached to every creature in all the world for the gathering of the lost sheep of the household of the 12 tribes of Israel. Gentiles will be adopted and grafted into the different Folds or Tribes of the Israelites if they are not descendants of the scattered sheep, or rather, if they do not have the blood of Abraham.

Joseph who was sold into Egypt by His 11 other brothers, carries the Birthright Blessings of the Firstborn. Joseph ruled over all of Egypt, which is a gentile nation, and He ruled over the 12 Tribes of Israel at the same time. Joseph ruled long before Moses, who is a descendant of the Tribe of Levi who ruled over God's people as a Prophet; and long before King David, who is a descendant of the Tribe of Judah, who ruled over the people of God as a king.

Even Jesus will go into all the world to preach the gospel and gather His other sheep. Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

The Resurrected Savior appears to the "other sheep" in another part of the world. 3 Nephi 11: 1 And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place. 2 And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death. 3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. 4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. 5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came. 6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: 7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name-hear ye him. 8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. 9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. 11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. 12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven. 13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: 14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. 15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come. 16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: 17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

The Lord personally identified some of the other sheep. 3 Nephi 15: 9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life. 10 Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me. 11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen: 12 Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. 13 And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. 14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem. 15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land. 16 This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: 17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 18 And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them. 19 But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you. 20 And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them. 21 And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. 22 And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching. 23 And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice-that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost. 24 But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me. 16:1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. 2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. 3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.

The Savior taught the Nephites: "But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them" (3 Nephi 17:4). He taught that there are many scriptural records which are yet to come forth: "For behold, I shall speak unto the Jew and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it" (2 Nephi 29:12).  Prophets among many of the Lost Tribes undoubtedly recorded the Savior's words to them. 

The receipt of additional records is contingent upon making full use of that which the Lord has already given us in the Bible and the Book of Mormon: "And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation. Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people" (3 Nephi 26:8-11). 

Ezra Taft Benson taught, "The Book of Mormon is not on trial--the people of the world, including the members of the Church, are on trial as to what they will do with this second witness of Christ" (LDS General Conference, October 1984).  What we do with the Book of Mormon -- both in our homes, and with our friends and acquaintances -- is of great consequence to our own eternal destiny.  

Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon

"You know of my great love for the Book of Mormon. Sister Benson and I try to read it every morning, and we have a great love for that book. The Book of Mormon is the instrument that  God has designed to 'sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out His elect unto the New  Jerusalem.' This sacred volume of scripture has not been, nor is it yet, central in our preaching, our teaching, and our missionary work." Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City, Utah, 5 March 1987

"There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of the iron rod, and one who is not. I promise you that you will have more and better converts in every mission of the Church if you will teach and inspire missionaries to effectively use the Book of Mormon as the great converter." Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents' Seminar, 25 June 1986 

"My dear brothers and sisters, we must flood the earth with the Book of Mormon"  Ezra Taft Benson 

Flooding the Earth
President Ezra Taft Benson gave us the imperative divine mandate to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon. If every member of the Church would share a copy of the Book of Mormon with a non-member every month for a year, the number of copies printed since 1830 would more than double in a single year without any help from missionaries!

If every missionary would give out just two copies of the Book of Mormon a day over the two years of his mission (or 18 months for sisters), the number of copies of the Book of Mormon printed would more than double over the course of a two-year mission -- without any help from members!

Just think of what would happen if members and missionaries worked together in earnest to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon!  Yet our current performance is only one-twentieth of that.

The need for improvement

Is the Lord pleased with our present performance? 

 The Lord tells us that we are under condemnation for our light-minded treatment of the Book of Mormon: 

"And your mind in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion." D&C 84:54-58 

Ezra Taft Benson stated that we are still under this condemnation today, and taught that "The Book of Mormon is the great standard we are to use in our missionary work...It is a great sieve. (See 1 Nephi 6:5)...The Book of Mormon must be the heart of our missionary work in every mission of the Church if we are to come out from under this condemnation (see D&C 84:56-57)" (Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents Seminar, Provo, Utah, 25 June 1986).  He instructed us that we must "flood the earth" with the Book of Mormon. 

Ezra Taft Benson challenged us to prepare: "A great challenge and day of preparation is at hand for missionaries to meet and teach with the Book of Mormon. We need missionaries to match our message" (Regional Representatives Seminar, 4 April 1986). He taught of the bounteous harvest that preparation in our homes, centered on the Book of Mormon, would bring to the mission field: "Would not the progress of the Church increase dramatically today with an increasing number of those who are spiritually reborn? Can you imagine what would happen in our homes? Can you imagine what would happen with an increasing number of copies of the Book of Mormon in the hands of an increasing number of missionaries who know how to use it and who have been born of God? When this happens, we will get the bounteous harvest of souls that the Lord promised. It was the 'born of God' Alma who as a missionary was so able to impart the word that many others were also born of God. (See Alma 36:23-26)" (Mission Presidents Seminar, Provo, Utah, 25 June 1986).  This great challenge, to date, has been largely unmet.  We must do better. 

Even today, I have been surprised to see that in many areas, missionaries reserve copies of the Book of Mormon for contacts who have been highly screened using a variety of unreliable criteria.  In practice, surprisingly few copies of the Book of Mormon are placed.  Proselyting which does not center on the Book of Mormon is neither effective nor inspired: "A missionary who is inspired by the Spirit of the Lord must be led by that Spirit to choose the proper approach to be effective. We must not forget that the Lord Himself provided the Book of Mormon as His chief witness. The Book of Mormon is still our most powerful missionary tool. Let us use it." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 204).  Many difficulties in the mission field with low baptismal rates, poor retention, and the loss of the Spirit have their roots in approaches which emphasize the Book of Mormon only peripherally and make it difficult to obtain. Given the manner in which the Book of Mormon is widely used, it is impossible to be surprised at such difficulties.  We are not using the Book of Mormon as the "great sieve" as we should, nor is it yet at the heart of our missionary efforts. 

Claims that approaches which do not make the Book of Mormon easily available are more economical or effective are unsupportable, and claims that the causes for poor performance in sharing the Book of Mormon lie in logistical or political issues are untrue. Rather, the real barriers consist in issues of attitude and priorities, lack of obedience, and deficiency of the Spirit. 

What you can do

Fortunately, each and every one of us can do our part to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon! 

1. Read the Book of Mormon for half an hour each day (with your family, if possible) as President Benson and other prophets have asked us to do.  New converts who establish this habit early and maintain it consistently are spiritually light-years head of lifelong members who have never developed this fundamental gospel habit.  Meaningful daily scripture reading and application is an essential building block to spiritual growth. 

2. Share the Book of Mormon with your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances on a consistent basis (at least weekly).  Don't just ask them to take a copy and then think that you are done.  Share meaningful passages and insights with them.  Answer their questions with the Book of Mormon.  Loan them copies and suggest specific reading.  Let them know in advance that you will follow up at a specific time.  When you follow up, discuss their reading interactively and share additional insights. 

3. Contribute regularly to the Book of Mormon fund! 

How are we doing?

Total copies of the Book of Mormon printed since 1830: 100,000,000 (as of February 29, 2000)
(enough for 1.6% of the world's population -- assuming only one copy per member)
Copies of the Book of Mormon currently printed each year: 5,600,000 

Average funds spent per LDS member per year on printing of missionary copies of the Book of Mormon: One dollar (and you thought your activity budget was low!) 

Member donations to the Book of Mormon fund did not even cover this small amount, and so most of the one dollar per member per year spent on printing of the Book of Mormon comes from general church tithing funds!
Please contribute to the Book of Mormon fund! 

Over ten people die in the world and significantly more than that number are born for every copy of the Book of Mormon which is printed! 

One Protestant mission group in Florida with only modest resources distributed over 100 million copies of a summary of the four gospels in less than a decade, and is on target to distribute many more over the next decade.  In contrast, it has taken us 170 years to print and distribute the first 100 million copies of the Book of Mormon!  At the rate copies of the Book of Mormon are currently being printed and shared, it will take over 1000 years to reach the earth's present population (assuming the earth's population did not grow at all!)
  

Book of Mormon

Flood the Earth Project

Bible translations: over 2250 languages
Book of Mormon translations (full or partial): 93 languages (~50 full)

 World's Top 100 Languages by Population

Language population data from Ethnologue .  Languages below the top 100 are not listed.  There are approximately 320 languages with over 1 million speakers.

*Note about LDS membership statistics: outside of North America, LDS activity rates are rarely above 30-40%, and are frequently much lower.  Some sample LDS activity rates include: Estonia: 20%, Czech Republic: 25%, Hungary: 28%, Japan: 20%, Poland: 20%, most of Western Europe -- 25%, etc.  Missionary service rates outside of North America average about 10%.  It is important to keep the low activity rates in mind when attempting to draw meaningful conclusions based on raw membership data.