What EXACTLY Has Jesus Told Us to Do?

Being a Mormon, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, for the first 54 years of my life, there was always a never ending "list" of things TO DO and DON'T DO from The Church:

• Go to church every week

• Study the scriptures

• Read the Conference Talks

• Pray every day

• Pay your tithing to the Church (10%)

• Go to the temple as often as you can

• Serve others

• Hold a calling

• Attend the activities of The Church

• Do your ministering (previously Home/Visiting Teaching)

• Do family history work

• Do missionary work

• DON'T drink alcohol

• DON'T drink coffee or tea

• DON'T smoke

• DON'T do drugs

• DON'T have premarital sex

• DON'T read anti-Mormon literature

Well, as a person who DOES make lists so I can check them off (it's very satisfying to me to cross something off as DONE), after 54 years, it got a LOT exhausting to be doing and not doing all those things and feeling like I was in a hamster wheel getting no where...

So after resigning from the LDS Church (you can read about my Jesus Journey here), I decided to find out exactly what JESUS wants us to DO.

Here's what I discovered:

AFTER Jesus was resurrected,

AFTER Jesus received the keys of death and hell,

AFTER Jesus had ascended to His Father and was seated on His right hand,

THEN, He gave this commission to His disciples IN PERSON:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matt: 28:18-20]

WOW!

After Jesus had accomplished EVERYTHING the Father sent Him to do, then He came BACK, in the flesh, and said that to his remaining apostles.

I choose to believe that Jesus would give that same commission to His disciples today.

Notice that Jesus said "teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you."

In other words, Jesus wanted them to teach what He had taught them.

Not what Paul taught.

Not what Joseph Smith taught.

Not even what Peter taught.

Jesus wanted people taught what HE had taught--undiluted, untainted, and unbiased from ANY man.

So what exactly did Jesus tell us to DO?

JESUS taught us that we need to:

--Repent

--Be baptized in His name

--Have faith in Him

--Keep His commandments

--and then go out and teach others to do the same

In other words, GO and make MORE disciples of Jesus!!

And IF you do that, Jesus said these signs will follow His believers / His disciples:

"In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” [Mark 16:17-18]

So here's the "million-dollar question:"

Are you doing THOSE things?

Or are you exhausted with a never-ending "To Do" list from a church?

For me, I decided to "fire the church" and everything it was telling me do, and I decided to Follow Jesus.

And guess what??!!

I'm casting out demons!

I'm healing the sick!

All because of Jesus!

Notice that it's all done in Jesus' name.

Not in Paul's name.

Not in Joseph Smith's name.

Not in Melchizedek's name.

Not in Peter's name.

In Jesus' Name.

Do what Jesus says To Do, and then watch the signs that follow--they will change your life!

And you will change another person's life.

Only Jesus!!