Rika Ito McIntyre 信仰ー 私の改宗について

　信仰ー 私の改宗について My Faith - Conversion Story - I am a Mormon!

あれは私が東京の専門学校の入学試験のために夜遅く、勉強している時期でした。ある朝、眠い目をこすりながら自転車で通学中の私の隣を車が勢いよく通り過 ぎていきました。その時、危なく体のバランスを崩し倒れそうになった

私は、ハッとして、しっかり眠気が覚めました。もしかしたら、車にはねられていたのか もと。その日の夜は朝に起こった事が頭から離れず、もし今日死んでいたらどうなったんだろう。両親は悲しむだろうか、妹たちもこんな自分勝手な姉でも悲し んでくれるだろうか。死んだら今まで勉強してきたことが無駄になってしまう。そこから私は、なぜこの世に、生まれてきたのだろうと誰に聞いたらよいのかも わからないような大きな疑問を持つようになっていました。そんなある日、道端に無料英会話と書いたチラシを見つけ、東京の外語学校に行こうと思っていた私 は、さっそく友人を誘い参加してみました。その英会話ではアメリカから来ている若い先生達が親切に英語をそれぞれのレベルに分けたクラスで教えてくれまし た。数回通った頃、学校のクラブの先輩もここに集っていることを知り、彼女が私を日曜日の集会にも誘ってくれました。その時、いつもは楽しく英語を教えて くれてる先生達が末日聖徒イエスキリスト教会の宣教師として福音を教えるために日本に来ているのだとわかりました。そして彼女たちが教会の事について話し 始め、３つの質問をしてきたのです。１．私たちは生まれる前にどこにいたのでしょう。２、なぜこの地上に生まれてきたのでしょう。３．私たちは死後どこへ 行くのでしょう。その質問を聞いたとき私は、この人たちは私が探していた答えを持っていると感じました。それ以来、私はこの教会のお世話になっています。 ニックネームでモルモン教会と呼ばれたりもしますが、正式には末日聖徒イエスキリスト教会と言います。この教会に出会ったおかげで日々変わりつつある社会 のモラルに惑わされることなく、（実際、高校の同級生数人の友達は卒業後妻子持ちの方に誘われて付き合うこになって、困ってると）　私の好きだった、宝塚 のモットー、清く、正しく、美しく（？）を保ち、今の主人と出会い家族を持てたことが、大きな祝福の一つと感じています。皆さんの中にも、夜空を見て宇宙 の広さを感じるとき、大自然の雄大さを見るとき、この世には人間が作り出せない、それ以上のものがあると感じるときがあるかもしれませんね。また人生に対 して、虚しさを感じたり、人が信じられなかったりする人もいるかもしれません。そんな時は、私たちの霊の父である、神様（天の父）、そして私たちの霊の長 男であるイエスキリスト（救い主）の事を学んでみてはどうでしょう。宗教は心の弱い人が一人で生きていけなくて、何かに頼りたくて、そんな人のためにある もの、とある人が私に言ってきたことがありますが、私はこの教会に入って、弱い人達（人を頼りにする）より、強い人が多いのだとわかってきました。子供を 事故で無くした母親がいつか息子と会えること知っていると教会で話すとき、それは弱い母親の姿ではありませんでした。信じること（信仰）がこれほど人を強 くするものなのかと。私自身の子供たちにしても、それぞれに何かあっても自分たちはこの教えを通して結ばれているという、同じ所（天の父のもとに戻る）で いつか会えるということを教会に通い福音を通して学ぶことにより、わかっているのです。それにより、普段はケンカをしたりしていても、自然と一致すること ができます。人は宗教と聞くと嫌がる方も多いかもしれませんが、私の中ではすでに生活に密着しているもの。私たちがこの世を安全に進めるような（誘惑がな いわけではありませんが）道しるべとなるのが福音です。これを読んで教会の事がもっと知りたいと思った方はこちらをどうぞ。
www.ldschurch.jp

The Keys of the Kingdom, Once Lost, Have Been Restored!

While the Savior was on the earth He established His church and gave the authority to preside over that church to His apostles. That authority is know as the priesthood. The "Keys" of the presiding authority of the priesthood were given to the chief apostle, Peter.

Christ Giving the Keys to Peter is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino, executed in 1481-1482 and located in the Sistine Chapel, Rome.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:17-19

This painting by Guido Reni around 1626 depicts Christ giving the "Keys to the Kingdom" to Peter. I took this picture while visiting the Louvre in Paris and it caused me to ponder again the importance of this event. The link below is of another beautiful painting of this event.

http://wallacelive.wallacecollection.org/eMuseumPlus?service=direct/1/ResultLightboxView/result.t1.collection_lightbox.$TspTitleImageLink.link&sp=10&sp=Scollection&sp=SfieldValue&sp=0&sp=1&sp=2&sp=Slightbox_3x4&sp=0&sp=Sdetail&sp=0&sp=F&sp=T&sp=1

Peter Paul Rubens painted this work for Nicholas Damant (c. 1531-1616)  The painting illustrates two separate stories in the New Testament which establish a special position for Peter among the Apostles. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ charges Peter with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosened in heaven”. In the Gospel of John, Christ, after his death appears to the Apostles and tells Peter to ‘feed his sheep.'

This a statue of Peter at the St. Peter Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. Peter is seen holding the key given him by the Savior. I took this picture in 2012.

The fact that Peter was given the "Keys" and presided over the early church is well documented. However, the early apostles and members of Christ's church also knew that eventually an apostasy would occur making a restoration of the gospel necessary before Christ's second coming in the last days. Note these several passages from the Bible.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

Acts 20:

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

1 Timothy 4:

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

2 Timothy 3:

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 4:

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

As foretold, eventually the church and organization that Christ established was fragmented and the authority to use those priesthood "keys"was lost. In the subsequent years (centuries) several different interpretations of Christ's teachings began to emerge resulting in many sects of Christianity. It was in the early 1800's when a young man confused by so many conflicting doctrines, decided to ask, through prayer, for guidance from his Father in Heaven.  

The young man, Joseph Smith, through a simple prayer of faith opened the heavens to the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Several years after his initial prayer and vision, he recorded the following regarding the restoration of the "Keys" of the Priesthood.

From Joseph Smith - History

72 The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred on us, and that I should be called the first Elder of the Church, and he (Oliver Cowdery) the second. It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized.

Doctrine and Covenants 27
12 And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them; 13 Unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;

The "Keys'" of the Priesthood have been restored to the earth and with them the authority to perform the necessary saving ordinances to open the doors of heaven for all of God's children. Just as the atonement and resurrection of Christ is the "Good News" of the gospel, the fact that the authority for man to act in God's name to perform ordinances, that allow us to covenant with God, is also news worth sharing indeed! For it is through these ordinances and covenants that we become partakers of the atonement and receivers of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine and Experience of Conversion

May 2010 - Sister McIntyre and I attended a wonderful baptism this past week. The man who was baptized commented in his testimony that when he came to church the first time, he was warmly greeted by the members and he felt a wonderful spirit. He said everyone was so kind and friendly. He said those feelings he had at that time helped him exercise the faith to commit to be baptized. He said he did not know everything about the gospel yet, but he knew it must be good. I believe that when he was baptized that day, he did not necessarily “know” the church is true. However, he certainly felt something good and had hope that it is true, and those feelings and that hope led him to exercise his faith in Christ and accept baptism.

I visited some with him at the baptism. I am confident that if he continues to study the gospel, and is properly nourished and fellowshipped by the members, he will someday have a burning testimony of the gospel and even become a leader in the church here in Japan. But for now he has simply planted the seed of the gospel in his heart, hoping it is a good seed. He is doing all this based on the good feelings he had when he listened to the missionary lessons, read, prayed, and met the members. Those good feelings are from the Spirit. And the Spirit is the KEY to conversion. This is the process or experience people have when they are converted to the gospel.

Alma taught, “Now, as I said concerning faith – that it was not a perfect knowledge-even so is it with my words. Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.” (Alma 32:26)

And so it is with our investigators. I am confident that when most people accept baptism, it is exactly as Alma describes it in Alma 32 and as the man whose baptism we attended. Our job as missionaries is to help people plant the seed. To help them exercise that particle of faith to an experiment upon the words of Christ.

Alma says “…yea even if ye can no more than a desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” (Alma 32:27)

As Alma continues and compares the conversion process unto a seed he says that after planting that seed (the gospel) in your heart “…if it be a true seed, or a good seed…behold, it will begin to swell within your breast; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves, it must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea it beginneth to be delicious unto me.” (Alma 32:28) Finally in verse 29 Alma says these feelings will cause your faith to grow, but he continues that even with increased faith, you will not have a perfect knowledge.

As missionaries we must understand the Doctrine of Conversion. Likewise we must understand the Experience of Conversion. When we teach we must help our investigators know when the Spirit is giving them an answer to their humble prayer about the gospel and baptism. Time and time again, I hear about investigators who are “waiting” to get an answer. In many cases, after talking with them directly or the missionaries teaching them, it usually becomes apparent to me that they have probably already received an answer. The problem is they have failed to recognize it or acknowledge it and we, as missionaries, have failed to help them realize this.

Helping People Become Converted:

For people to be converted to the gospel and receive baptism they need to understand the doctrines of Christ (as we teach in our lessons) and they need to feel the Spirit.  The understanding of true doctrine and the feeling of the Spirit will build faith and help people make and keep commitments that lead them to baptism. President Boyd K. Packer has taught that true doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. When people understand the teachings and then feel in their heart through the Spirit that these teachings are good, they will then begin to have the courage and will to change. For an investigator or new convert, it is probably better to say that they feel the gospel is true, rather than they know the gospel is true in the early stages of there conversion.

The Doctrine and Experience of Conversion:

The Spirit is the Key to conversion. Elder M. Russell Ballard has taught: “True conversion comes through the power of the Spirit. When the Spirit touches the heart, hearts are changed. When individuals…feel the Spirit working within them, or when they see evidence of the Lord’s love and mercy in their lives, they are edified and strengthened spiritually and their faith in Him increases. These experiences with the Spirit follow naturally when a person is willing to experiment upon the word. This is how we come to FEEL the gospel is true.” (PMG p.93) We must help our investigators feel the Spirit and experiment upon the word. This means helping them make and keep commitments, including the commitment to be baptized.

As missionaries, we must teach with the SpiritNephi 33:1) If the recipient of the word truly has a desire to know the truth, he will open his heart and give place for a portion of those words. And the Spirit will enter his heart and he will FEEL the message is good or true. We must not shy away from testifying at that moment. We must acknowledge and tell people when the Spirit is present in a lesson. We should let people know those good feelings they are having when they read, pray or attend church are from the Spirit and the answer they are looking for.

The conversion experience requires people to change. People will usually not change unless they are invited to do so. Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. People come unto Christ through baptism. People prepare for baptism by making and keeping commitments that help them repent and prepare to receive that saving ordinance. “As people choose to keep commitments, they will feel the power of the Holy Ghost more strongly and will develop the faith to obey Christ. Thus you should help the people you work with grow in faith by inviting them to repent and to make and keep commitments.” (PMG P. 93)

Preach My Gospel Missionaries are bold, but not overbearing. They are not afraid to ask people, through the Spirit, to repent. This means talking about baptism often and inviting people to come unto Christ by receiving that saving ordinance. It is my prayer that we will go forward with boldness, declaring the doctrines of Christ through the power of the Spirit. We should never be afraid to invite someone to keep a commitment or be baptized. This is what we have been called to do. It is our purpose and how people come unto Christ. Further, we should not hesitate to invite people to change and be baptized because we worry that they may not be able to endure to the end. We must have faith in them and in the atonement of Christ. Remember Saul (who became Paul) and Alma the younger. People can and will change more than we can imagine. Enduring to the end can be difficult. Some fall down along the way. Most get up and eventually back on the right path. Likewise, we should not hesitate to baptize people when they “feel” the gospel is true, but think they need to wait until they “know” everything. They will never know everything. And that line of thinking contradicts the principle of faith. When people have a desire to change and feel what we are teaching is good, and they understand the basic doctrines taught in the missionary lessons, they are ready for baptism. Of course they will need to be interviewed, and commit to follow the commandments and desire to take upon themselves the name of Christ. They will also need continued support and to be nourished by the members with the good word of God. But we should do all within our power to help them enter that gate and begin their journey on the path to eternal life and exaltation. That gate is baptism.

 I pray we all can come to better understand the Doctrine and Experience of Conversion. To do so, prayerfully read Alma 32 again. Spend some time in Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel. Then boldly go out with the power of the Spirit and invite people to come unto Christ! For that is our purpose and it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

“…My Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me…” (3 Nephi 27:14)

May the great missionaries of the Japan Kobe Mission never shy away from or shrink in their duty to assist the Savior in this glorious purpose!

President and Sister McIntyre