April 28–May 4: “My Law to Govern My Church”

Doctrine and Covenants 41–44

The Church grew rapidly in 1830 and 1831, particularly with a rush of new members in Kirtland, Ohio. This growth was exciting and encouraging to the Saints, but it also presented some challenges. How do you unify a quickly expanding group of believers? Specifically, what do you do when they bring doctrine and practices from their previous faiths? For example, when Joseph Smith arrived in Kirtland in early February 1831, he found new members sharing common property in a genuine attempt to imitate the New Testament Christians (see Acts 4:32–37). The Lord made some important corrections and clarifications on this and other topics. He did this largely through a revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 42 that He called “my law to govern my church” (verse 59). In this revelation, we learn truths that are fundamental in establishing the Lord’s Church in the latter days. And we learn that we have a lot more to learn: “If thou shalt ask,” the Lord promised, “thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:61).

See also Saints, 1:114–19.