Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost

A gift from God to those who accept it

 We understand that the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, but what exactly is the nature of the Holy Ghost? There is a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants section 130 verse 22 that says "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, the Son also, but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." 

Also, in Galatians 5:22-23 it tells us what the Holy Spirit makes us feel, it says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law." The Holy Ghost is a gift from God that we receive after baptism by the laying on of hands as shown in the picture above. From these two scriptures we understand that the Holy Ghost is a spirit, that can bring us happiness. What are more blessing from having the Holy Ghost? 

There is one scripture that explains more about the Holy Ghost, in a book called "The Pearl of Great Price," which is more scripture that was revealed to Joseph Smith when he translated the Bible, that says " Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment." Moses 6::61 

It that scripture, Jeovah is telling Moses what the Holy Ghost will bring, and he calls the Holy Ghost the comforter. He will give us wisdom, mercy, trust, justice and judgment, but also the truth of all things. That means that with the Holy Ghost we can know the truth of all things, we can know what's right from wrong and truth from lies. Another great scripture, is in John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." So anything that God has told us, we will remember, and it's a lot blessing, but why should we receive it then? Well it actually completes baptism and is necessary for our salvation. It also cleanses us of our sins.
                                            

 "And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.

Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." 3 Nephi 27:29-20

I had the blessing of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost when I was 8 years old, and I can share my testimony that it has always guided my life, told me right from wrong and has helped me stay out of trouble when I was growing up. If we want to live with God, receiving the Holy Ghost has to be part of our lives. Even if we haven't received it, we can still feel it in our lives, when we pray and read the scriptures. Being on my mission and asking people to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if it's true, a lot of times for some reason they chose not to. How else can we know if something really is true, if we don't pray about it? Have you prayed to know if your church or belief are true, even if you feel that you already know? Have you even prayed to know if God exist? If not then I invite you to do so. I remember still when I first prayed to know if the church my parents brought me to was true, and I really did feel the Holy Ghost, I felt it touch my heart telling me it was true, I invite you all to do the same. 

Baptism

                                                                           

Our first covenant with God

 On my mission, one day we found this very nice Christian man who invited us in. He explained to us that baptism was not very important to him. "I already chose to follow Jesus Christ, I already try to be like him. Besides its like me wearing this wedding ring, if I take it off I am still married to my wife, being baptize is just like having a wedding ring," he said. I then looked at him and shared a scripture in John 3:5 saying "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." 

If you look at the gospel so far with faith and repentance, those two prepare us for baptism. It is. Perfect way to show our love for him. He set the example for all of us and we should try our best to be like Jesus Christ, like it says in 3Nephi 27:27 "And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." 

                                     

                                     

 God has always had covenants with his people, for example the 10 commandments Moses received. 

                                     

                                 

                                        

 A covenant means a sacred promise, and as Moses received these 10 commandments he promised he would obey them. The point is that covenants remind us to repent, in Doctrine and Convents section 20:37 it says "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church." Covenants, like baptism, have not changed.

                                       

                                       

 Finally baptism is our passport to heaven, there is no other way to get there unless we are baptize by his name and with the right authority. You could argue that Ephesians 2:8 it says"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." But when we read John 3:5 Jesus Christ clearly says we need to be baptize In order to get inside the kingdom of God. Baptism is how we apply grace to our lives. I would like to end with a scripture in the Book of Mormon Nephi 31:5 "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!"

Let's be baptize, by the right authority, and if we obey we will be one more step ahead than we where before.