Matthew0059 Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Simple question: How can someone discern the wheat in the church and the world from the tares? (The wheat are truly faithful members who are wise like the 5 wise virgins; the tares are the members who are not faithful in their hearts and are unwise like the 5 unwise virgins) Why is this important? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarginOfError Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Simple question:How can someone discern the wheat in the church and the world from the tares?(The wheat are truly faithful members who are wise like the 5 wise virgins; the tares are the members who are not faithful in their hearts and are unwise like the 5 unwise virgins)I don't.Why is this important?I don't think it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slamjet Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Is this rhetorical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 No, this is not rhetorical. Perhaps I should ask: is it even possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Luckily, we are not the ones who have to separate them. We just have to decide whether we are going to be a wheat or a tare... whether we will follow Christ or Satan.When Jesus’ disciples were alone with him, they asked him to explain the parable. Jesus said that the sower of the good seed represented himself and the Apostles. The field represented the world; the good seed, his righteous followers; and the tares, those who follow Satan. Satan was the sower of the tares. The harvest represented the end of the world, and the reapers represented angels. Right now good and bad people are allowed to “grow” together. But at the end of the world, angels will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. The unrighteous—those who have chosen to break the commandments—will be punished. However, the righteous—those who have chosen to keep the commandments—will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43).When we come to earth, we are given the freedom to choose between good and evil. It is up to us to choose whether we will be like the wheat or the tares. (Source) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Perhaps I should restate the OP.How do you discern the followers of CHRIST from the followers of Satan?I am aware that CHRIST and HIS angels will be the ones doing the separating. However, it is helpful to learn for yourself the signs that you may know who the pharisees and deceivers are so that you may avoid them and avoid being duped by their unclean teachings and acts.The reason I bring this up is because it is another step in growing up to the stature of CHRIST, and is attainable in this life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Scriptures that come to my mind: Moroni 7 and "by their fruits ye shall know them." Scripture that came to the hubby's mind when i asked: D&C 10:37 I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, Matthew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 I don't.I don't think it is.I think I'm reading you correctly, but I just want to make sure. Basically it's Christ's job not yours (generic you) to discern the wheat from the tares? I whole heartedly agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) Scriptures that come to my mind: Moroni 7 and "by their fruits ye shall know them."This is the key. Matthew 12:35 reads:"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."So the wicked bring forth fruits of evil, and the good bring froth good fruit. Now, what are a (wo)man's fruits? This is another key!Fruits are NOT actions. Fruits are the result of actions, as measured by GOD. Oftimes these results take time to manifest, and can be confusing.How do we measure the inherent "goodness" of any person's fruits?First and foremost, by the Spirit of GOD. Even to the mightiest prophet, they can only receive that which GOD will grant to them (remember that Elisha declared that GOD had hid the fact that the widow's son had died from him (Elisha); 2 Kings 4:27). The key to this is given in Moroni 7:16-17:16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. 17But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.All things that move our spirit towards believing in CHRIST comes from the Spirit of Christ. Because evil men (tares; pharisees; whatever you call them they are the same) cannot bring forth good fruits, the result of all their actions will cause men to disbelieve in CHRIST.Now, there are very fine gradations between perfect goodness and perfect wickedness as we measure these things. The events of the end days will offer so many varying trials that the very elect would be deceived if it were possible. This means that the coming trials will come in the shape of wicked men doing works that are so confusing and seem to the natural man to be so good that everyone not clinging as tightly to the iron rod as possible will be deceived. At the same time, many prophets worked works that were so good but appeared to be evil to the natural man that the prophets were killed.Therefore, the keys to this level of discernment are full faith in the LORD Jesus, a full understanding of these principles, and constant appeal to GOD for the gift of discernment, which is actually a gift of the Spirit.Scripture that came to the hubby's mind when i asked: D&C 10:37As always, the words of the MASTER are true and faithful. I don't talk about judging or actively seperating the wheat from the tares (except in the cases of stake presidents and excommunications), but of discerning the wicked from the righteous for purposes of personal and family protection in the last days. Edited February 26, 2011 by Matthew0059 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 I can somewhat understand Matthews question. We are told in the last days that there will be many who appear to be followers of Christ but will in fact be attempting to lure many in the opposite direction. These people will probably be those that fit right into our every day life and church activities. They can be neighbors, coworkers and even the guy sitting next to you in church. They can be very charismatic yet they will also be very cunning and very deceptive. It will be hard to discern the difference at times. So how do we discern the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dravin Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I can somewhat understand Matthews question. We are told in the last days that there will be many who appear to be followers of Christ but will in fact be attempting to lure many in the opposite direction.These people will probably be those that fit right into our every day life and church activities. They can be neighbors, coworkers and even the guy sitting next to you in church. They can be very charismatic yet they will also be very cunning and very deceptive.It will be hard to discern the difference at times. So how do we discern the difference?Ah see, I make a distinction between being discerning of people's intentions and goals in general and discerning the wheat from the tares. I think of Matthew 13:40, the purpose of sorting them out is so you can burn the tares, or since we wouldn't literally burn people otherwise discard them. So such coloured my response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackmarch Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 Simple question:How can someone discern the wheat in the church and the world from the tares?(The wheat are truly faithful members who are wise like the 5 wise virgins; the tares are the members who are not faithful in their hearts and are unwise like the 5 unwise virgins)Why is this important?By their actions. Why is it important? because there will be some that rise up in the church and will attempt to lead others astray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rameumptom Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 We can't always discern the difference, at least not until the wheat and tares mature (they look the same until they fully mature). At that point, we can reap the wheat and burn the tares.The secret is to ensure we are not tares ourselves. Then, follow the prophets and the Spirit as best we can, and hopefully we can avoid most of the tares along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seminarysnoozer Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 I think the power of discernment is one of the main reasons we are here. That is the knowledge of good and evil. This takes a lifetime of experience and having a close relationship with the Savior to develop. I don't think anyone's power of discernment comes close to that of God's or our Savior's. This life is an introductory course to that skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayanna Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 We are supposed to shine a light, not point a finger.I have been in a ward that was going astray, and I didn't have to do anything at all, just keep my relationship with the Lord...It is hard to watch and be patient, but that is what we are asked to do. It is Jesus Christ's church...He is already aware when something is going wrong. Believe me, when something is going wrong, it will get fixed swiftly.Don't be an ark steadier. Sustain those leaders that you agreed to sustain, and give them the benefit of the doubt.How do you tell if you are a wheat or a tare? "By this shall men know if ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted March 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Reminder:The parable of the wheat and the tares, while an accurate summation of how the wicked grow alongside the righteous, is also accurate when applied to principles (knowledge) growing within our own soul. The test given in Alma 43 wherein we plant and nourish a seed applies to every principle of truth we can receive in this life.For example, if I want to know whether the doctrine of baptism being at 8 years instead of birth is true or not, I can test it: accept the fact on faith that children should be baptized at 8 years. Study it out in your mind and search the scriptures. Pray about it. Every day, assess your understanding of the principle. If it is a good (correct) principle it will grow, expanding your understanding and encouraging you to believe in CHRIST and serve HIM. If it is a bad (incorrect) principle, it will not have expanded your understanding and will not encourage you to believe in or serve CHRIST.Now, this test can be applied to every philosophy and principle one can comprehend. If you want to know the truth of any matter, you can use this process. The good and the bad principles will look the same in the beginning stages- but once the good begins to grow and bear fruit (even in its beginning stages) you will feel the Spirit of GOD move within you and testify of CHRIST.Blackmarch is correct about why this is important: GOD is about to accelerate the sifting of the wheat and the tares very, very soon (temporally speaking) and we will see many begin to fall away from the Church. False teachers and wolves in sheeps clothing will arise from within the Church, some from high callings (Seventies, Stake Presidents, possibly an Apostle or two) and will lead many away with them into hell. In this sifting process, we will be better able to withstand it and endure it much easier if we know exactly what is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayanna Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 There is some scripture in Matthew (Ch. 7 I think) about telling a true prophet from a false one, other than that, I will avoid looking for tares. We need to stay unified, the Adversary wants us to turn on each other in fear. The last thing I'm gonna do is look at someone and think, "Are you a tare?" I'm more likely to look in the mirror and think it. We do not do the sifting. The Lord will tell me who to follow, like he always has. Gaining my testimony of the Prophet is what I had to do as a new member, I can do it again and again the same way each time we have a new prophet. I new when Pres. Hinckley passed away, Pres. Monson was confirmed to me as the new chosen Prophet of the Lord through prayer and an answer through the Holy Spirit, were it otherwise I would not have sustained him. That's what the Holy Spirit is for, so we don't have to wander chasing every wind of doctrine. I'm not afraid the Lord will be with me, like He always has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler90AZ Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also. D&C 86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 There is some scripture in Matthew (Ch. 7 I think) about telling a true prophet from a false one, other than that, I will avoid looking for tares. We need to stay unified, the Adversary wants us to turn on each other in fear.The last thing I'm gonna do is look at someone and think, "Are you a tare?"I think you have misunderstood the process, sister. We don't go looking around trying to seperate the wheat from the tares. The knowledge will be given to us by the Holy Ghost as we see and ponder the fruits of the actions of others. The key is to possess the spirit of discernment, which comes from being close to the Holy Ghost and humility before GOD. The Holy GHOST will tell us what we need to know and when we need to know it.The purpose of this thread is to understand that process better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormwitch Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) Matth 7:1 JUDGE not, that ye ne not judged. I do not know the heart of any other person, I can't walk in the shoes of anybody else. I might be able to tell whether I belong to the wheat or the tares, but there is no way to know this of most other people. I'm glad that it is Jesus and His angels who will make this decision. In behalf of people who might be cunning: anything anybody tells me can be brought before the Lord according to D&C.. and by the Holy Ghost we might know whether it is true or not. We can find out what is true and what is not. And this makes it unnecessary to know whether the person is wheat or tares... IF somebody needs to discern this... it is the Bishop. He has the right to judge. And he will if it is necessary. And this is sufficient to me. Edited March 8, 2011 by stormwitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew0059 Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Matth 7:1 JUDGE not, that ye ne not judged.Sister, remember that Joseph Smith rendered the above verse "judge not unrighteously". Besides, what is it to judge? We do not condemn another to heaven or hell; the point of this exercise (learning how to tell good from evil and discerning another's actions) is to draw closer to GOD and become more like HIM.I think opening with the analogy of the wheat and the tares was a bad idea... Then again, this process allows one to sometimes tell the wicked men from the righteous, and that wouldn't have gone over well either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connie Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 LDS.org - Support Materials Chapter - Judging Others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormwitch Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) Sister, remember that Joseph Smith rendered the above verse "judge not unrighteously". Besides, what is it to judge? We do not condemn another to heaven or hell; the point of this exercise (learning how to tell good from evil and discerning another's actions) is to draw closer to GOD and become more like HIM.Well.. then again there is the question: when do you judge righteously and when unrighteously? There is always a highspeed track to self-righteousness, when you are too sure you are judging righteously. Maybe you are on the safer side if you do not judge at all, unless you really have to judge. And then: rather judge actions than persons. Judging persons does not necessarily makes us more like God.. I'm afraid that judging people often is the first step to despise people. We already HAVE to be a lot like him to judge a person and still love this person with a perfect love. Edited March 8, 2011 by stormwitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanh Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Elder Oak's gave a great discourse on what constitutes a righetous judgement. See: Judge Not and Judging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnn727 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Its not your job, leave it to Christ and His angels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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