Doctrine and Covenants
Section 163
 

Section 163 Text
     English
     Español
     Français

Study Series
     Adult Commentaries
     Youth Aliyah Lessons
     Children Aliyah Lessons
Discernment

Bob Kyser

Discernment Activity

Discernment is a way to draw closer to God by seeking answers to our concerns and questions. Remember, it is God’s call, not mere decision making that we seek. This practice may be helpful as you speak and listen to the Holy Spirit:

  1. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Take two to three deep breaths and let them out slowly. Notice as your body and mind begin to feel quiet. Let go of everyday concerns and problems.
  2. Slowly read Doctrine and Covenants 163:5b with the substitutions in bold print. Read it a second time. Listen for one to two minutes: “To accelerate the work of sharing the gospel, my congregation should be closely associated in implementing wholistic evangelistic ministries. We are the forerunners of Christ’s peace, preparing the way for apostolic witness to be more readily received in our community.”
  3. Focus on the first sentence. Read it slowly and notice what draws your attention. Sit with what floats into consciousness. Attend to images, words, and feelings.
  4. Read the second sentence. Is there a word or thought that draws your attention? If so, ponder it a few moments.
  5. Focus attention on congregational activities: classes for all age groups, youth ministry, worship services, missionary endeavors, and community outreach efforts.
  6. Look at members, friends, neighbors, and priesthood. What impressions float into consciousness?
  7. Focus on congregational relationships and giftedness. Listen for what the Spirit may be saying to you in words, images, or feelings. “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently…” (Psalm 37:7).
  8. Close with expressions of appreciation.

—Margaret Swartzendruber
Saginaw, Michigan, USA

For Further Reflections and Discussion

  1. As we reflect on the meaning in Doctrine and Covenants 163:5b–c, the phrase “…preparing the way for…” appears to dwindle in importance as one reads on rather quickly to calling and assignments for specific priesthood offices. Are we all “forerunners” of Christ’s peace? If so, how are we continually preparing ways for apostolic witness? Is there groundwork that needs to be done in each congregation? How might individuals and congregations prepare?
  2. The author suggests our ministry may require new “wineskins” to prepare us for the journey ahead. How much of our congregational work is focused on maintaining the status quo? For what reason? Is it to keep church doors open? At what point do we sense a call to do something different? What would need to happen for us to move from our places of ministerial security and comfort? What kind of change is required for us, both individually and as a congregation? What are some of the more obvious impediments to change?
  3. The author asks if there is something missing in our evangelistic ministry. Are you prayerful about how God calls you to minister to others? If so, how frequently do you pray and for how long? Do you fast while praying? Would you be willing to begin this process? In what ways could your congregational relationships be deepened? List three possible “new openings of ministry.” Who are the change agents in your midst who might begin this process?
  4. Identification of individual and group spiritual gifts may open new avenues of ministry. How would this “pave the way for apostolic ministry”? With each small change, a congregation takes one step toward growing and becoming. Even as individuals pray and ponder what is needed in congregations, the people and congregations slowly begin to grow and change. Why might your congregation be wary of this kind of change? What can you do to counteract that?
  5. Does your congregation require a new “wineskin”? If so, begin to identify the parts and pieces. Might there be others who would agree? Who would you ask for help and support? Map out some beginning steps.

Forerunners of Peace

by Bob Kyser

To accelerate the work of sharing the gospel, the Twelve and the Seventy should be closely associated in implementing wholistic evangelistic ministries. The seventy are to be the forerunners of Christ’s peace, preparing the way for apostolic witness to be more readily received. Procedures regarding the calling and assignments of the Presidents of Seventy and members of the Quorums of Seventy shall be developed to facilitate the maximum level of collaboration with the Council of Twelve. The Twelve, the Presidents of Seventy, and the Quorums of Seventy should spend sufficient time together to ensure a mutual understanding of evangelistic priorities and approaches. —Doctrine and Covenants 163:5b, c

My personal reflections on the above scripture passage almost immediately have brought two other biblical references to mind. The first speaks of consistency in the call for forerunners of Christ’s peace, while the second implies consideration of a departure from the norm.

As I have considered the implications of this paragraph of Doctrine and Covenants 163, a connection emerges with Luke 10:1, 5 IV.

After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face, into every city and place where he himself would come. …And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace to this house.

There is something inherent in being a disciple of Jesus Christ that calls one to go in advance of Christ’s “coming” to share with people and communities a blessing of peace that impacts their lives. In this situation, thirty-five teams left their physical association with Jesus to witness of Christ in the places where he was to come. We receive the commission again today.

The second scripture is from Matthew 9:23 IV (9:17 others): “New wine must be stored in new wineskins.” This raises a concern for me. It would seem so easy to lift out and up the name “forerunners of Christ’s peace” as descriptive of the ministry of the seventy without probing more deeply into the possible new meaning of this call in this day and time. Does it mean for the seventy just to keep doing what we have always done and for disciples fellowshipping in the Community of Christ to keep maintaining their present expression of witness? I am thinking that in this passage there must be “new wine” to be discerned and lived out in the witness of the church. It is this new meaning and application that I would like to explore.

Accelerate Sharing the Gospel
This passage contains instruction to specific people, namely the twelve apostles and the seventy. However, it also lifts up principles for every disciple and the entire church. It is not a paragraph to be skipped because the reader is not a member of a specific priesthood quorum. The challenge is for the church to be engaged to a much greater measure in sharing the good news of the gospel in places and with people and situations where the church has yet to go. There is an urgency inherent in these words that calls the Twelve and Seventy to lead by example, as well as each disciple reaching out to another person who is seeking for meaning and hope in their life. It sounds the imperative to speed up the rate at which disciples witness of new life in Christ and seekers experience it in ways that help to heal divisions and make relationships whole.

Are we being reminded once again that the time for hesitation is past?

Implement Wholistic Evangelistic Ministries
For several generations, while methods and media have changed, the intent of sharing the story of the church has remained basically the same. Scripture, gospel principles, basic beliefs, doctrinal statements have all been used to convey information that will persuade people to live out their faith and commitment to Christ in the church. Testimonies of spiritual experiences have witnessed the reality of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Invitation to baptism and lifelong discipleship continues to be critical in the church’s response to the Great Commission.

Does this provide an adequate definition of “wholistic evangelism”? Is there something missing? The answers to these and other related questions may well be found in an understanding of sharing the elements of faith in a way that touches all aspects of a person’s being. One example would be that of relationships. How does our “missionary message” impact a person’s relationship with parents, children, spouse, relatives, co-workers, and friends? How might we intentionally help people discover their individual spiritual gifts and provide opportunities for them to share those gifts within and without the walls of the church?

Similar exploration relates to life areas of health, purpose, priorities, acceptance, and self-esteem, which impact a person’s ability to become a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. Are we prepared to embrace the concept of discipleship formation and make the changes necessary to become a follower in action as well as word?

Being the Forerunners of Christ’s Peace
Let’s revisit Luke 10. According to this scripture, those seventy missionaries (or seventy-two in some translations) were sent to every city and place where Jesus was to go. They were to be in the communities as well as the houses of those who lived there.

Regardless of their reception, they were to announce that God’s kingdom was available to them. While it might not be accurate to assume that they did not go to the synagogues, the focus seems to be in the cities or communities where the people who needed the blessing of peace and the coming kingdom resided.

I recently returned from a missionary trip to South America. It is apparent to me both by listening and observing that in Bolivia the primary mission of the church there is expressed in the context of community. The disciples there sense a call to go into a community, neighborhood, or group of people to live and serve with them. Needs and resources are identified.

The work of making a community sacred is supported by the giftedness of those who live in that community. The identity of the Community of Christ emerges gradually as those living in the village or city come to understand why members of the church have come to their community to teach their children, make more-nutritious bread available, and empower already existing economic organizations to improve the quality of life for all. The opportunity is present to form a faith community made up of entire families and neighborhoods. I am not suggesting that this approach has been perfected but this understanding of mission is worth considering.

If this insight was applied to the ministry of the seventy as forerunners of Christ’s peace it could well require a new “wineskin” that might include the following:

Would this be enough to create a new wineskin for the ministry of the seventy and the support of the church for that ministry? It could certainly be a start. What else might we consider?

It seems apparent that the seventy can only be forerunners if they leave their places of ministerial security and comfort and move sacrificially into the mainstream of community life and struggle.

Prepare for Apostolic Witness
There is an important relationship between the phrases “be the forerunners of Christ’s peace” and “preparing the way for apostolic witness to be more readily received.” The word “apostolic” carries the meaning of “being sent” to witness and doing so with conviction and the authority of firsthand experience. Having experienced the peace of Jesus Christ as individuals, congregations, and communities, the apostolic witness bears an integrity that will merit being heard. In addition, as seventy and co-disciples work at transforming communities into places of equality and hope, the receptivity of people will be heightened.

Recently I was a recipient of this preparation. While on a missionary trip to Lima, Peru, I was scheduled to make a home visit one evening. Missionary elders had been leading study sessions with this family and an invitation had been extended for us to come to their house while we were in Lima. Specifically we were to participate in anointing with oil and offering a prayer for healing of the grandmother, who was unable to walk.

In the course of the visit I bore my testimony of how strongly I felt the Holy Spirit connecting us together. Language, cultural, and geographical barriers had been overcome. I had come as a stranger to this house, and this family had extended to me the blessing of hospitality. It seemed as though I had been in that home on numerous occasions. There was a feeling of closeness with this family I had just met a few moments before. We all felt this so very strongly. It was apparent that preparation had been made for apostolic witness. I saw the potential for witness and response in that home.

It is clear to me that one of the gifts of seventy ministry is the spirit of discernment. The seventy is to discern missionary opportunities and where the witness of the Twelve might be best received to assist in maximizing that initiative. Then they prepare accordingly.

Similarly inherent in the ministry of the Twelve is having the vision of the new places where the mission of the church needs to go and “sending” the seventy to begin the new opening. This relationship is lived out in relationships with individuals, families, neighborhoods, community organizations, and specific population groups.

Realigning the witness of the apostles and seventy is a tangible response to this prophetic insight. Again, the principle applies to each disciple and to every congregation. As we all work together preparing, witnessing, and affirming the missionary gifts of each other, the peace of Jesus Christ is shared more broadly and effectively.

Let’s Start Running
I believe we—disciples, apostles, seventy—need to start running ahead, freed of concerns for our sense of security that we might be open to discovering a deepened faith in the Christ who sends us. We need to discern where it is that Christ is planning to be present, and minister in those places (which certainly will not be limited to established congregations of the Community of Christ). We need to experience firsthand the peace of Jesus Christ in our own life and that of our family.

As we are running ahead, we need to have something to share when we go into the homes of those who receive us. Running ahead is part of the preparation, and preparation is part of the running ahead. Those in the houses are waiting for our testimony of the blessing of Christ’s peace! Let’s go!