One by One

3 Nephi 11
verses 13-41

I will never forget the testimony of a beautiful and confident young women in my freshman ward at Ricks College.  She told of a dream where she and many others were standing and gazing up into heaven as Christ descended and then stood among them.  She was shocked when Christ called her by name.  She said that it had never occurred to her that Christ not only came down here for everyone, but also specifically for her.

In these verses of 3 Nephi,  Christ invites each person  " to come forth and that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world."

Each person.

One by one.

Check out this devotional to more fully understand the concept of "one by one."

And then there is Nephi.  Nephi the fearless.  Nephi who just won't stop talking about Jesus or healing the sick or raising the dead.  

Christ called Nephi up to him by name, and Nephi, overcome as anyone would be,  falls to the ground and kisses his feet.  Jesus commands him to arise and Christ gives him power to baptized the people and he tells him very specifically how to do it and warns them not to dispute over how to do it, because that is just not how the people of God do things.   

Then he sums up his gospel.

"And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

 34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned."

And then he tells us the way to being the kind of people we need to be.

"And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

 38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

 39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them."

Twice he says repent, be baptized and "and become as a little child."  He promises that if we do that , the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.  That is quite a promise. 

When we read about what happens in this chapter, it is easy to feel Christ's love for each of us.  The Hymn, "This is the Christ" helps me to feel the ministry of Christ to each one of us, separate and eternal.  I hope you can feel his love for you.  And if you can, then do as the Lord commands in the last verse. 

"Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth."

Will do.