Trying to be like Jesus - organization

While I was reading the section for his service, as I said, two other things struck me. One was how quickly he set up a church organization.

This happens more in 3 Nephi 11 and 12. Once identification is settled (which could be another topic), Jesus calls Nephi, preaches about baptism, and then chooses the rest of the apostles.

Establishing a church is also important in the New Testament and our latter-day history, so that shouldn't be surprising, but I did notice the immediacy and thought about that.

I have written before about seeing how not attending church kills your testimony, even when it may seem like church is not particularly feeding your testimony. Part of it is probably obedience versus disobedience. Us needing us other could be reason enough.

Examined in the light of trying to follow Christ's example, the easy answer is that we should participate in the organization. I will go to church, and I will serve in my calling, and I will worship in communal ways as well as private ways. I mean, obviously I am not going to follow him by setting up my own church, especially when I believe he organized this one. That makes the easy answer more of a follow than emulate kind of thing. Is that too easy?

It feels like there can be some room to acknowledge that if we need each other, and we can benefit by coming together, there may be inspired ways of building on that.

I was in singles wards for many years. Toward the end there was a much larger mix of immature and self-absorbed young singles. They wanted to feel important and had no grasp that serving others was the best way of making that happen. It was a great cause of despair for one bishop's wife.

I remember talking with her about this, and the only thing I could suggest was that maybe she could invite some to serve others. Have this lonely person over to back cookies for this other lonely person, and maybe that would spark something.

It is more work that way, but God is constantly choosing to work through us, which I sadly realize must always be more work.

If he has decided that we are worth the extra effort, then I can't reasonably decide that we aren't. I can look for more opportunities to bring others along.

That may mean inviting others to volunteer in existing situations and it could mean setting up new organizations if there is a need that is not being met but could be.

Looking for ways to involve others in doing good feels like something he would do.