Christ
told his followers, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) during
his brief but powerful ministry on earth. It was a much needed message since
hundreds of years before His birth many people stopped living according to
God’s commandments.
Christ brought light back into the world when He declared His gospel just as he had to the prophets of old like Moses, Isaac, and Abraham.
He chose
twelve men to be His apostles… including Peter, James, and John. He laid His
hands on their heads to give them authority called the priesthood to perform
baptisms, govern His church, and spread His word throughout the world.
In spite
of His great influence and many miracles, He was ultimately scorned and
crucified. After his death, His valiant and faithful apostles carried on
without Him, baptizing new members, and starting various congregations.
Regardless
of the courageous efforts of Christ’s apostles and their devoted followers, the
original church that Christ restored began to fade away. Members faced severe oppression
and all but one of the apostles was martyred. This is a period called the Great
Apostasy, when there was a "falling away" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3)
from the gospel Christ organized. The apostolic authority to bestow priesthood
keys and to receive revelation for the Church was lost along with many precious
teachings. Errors about His teachings crept into the church resulting in inconsistent
opinions and lost truths. This period is what we call the Great Apostasy.
Without divine
authority or direction, Christianity struggled to survive with conflicting
opinions on even the most basic teachings of the gospel. Without priesthood
authority or the full gospel, people had to rely on human knowledge to
interpret the scriptures, principles and ordinances. Many false ideas were
taught as truth, and much of what we know about the true character and nature
of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost was lost. Essential
doctrines like faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost
became distorted and important doctrines were lost completely.
Centuries
later, inspired people, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, recognized that
practices and doctrines had been changed or lost and tried to reform the
churches to which they belonged. But without the authority of the apostles of
the Lord Jesus Christ, His gospel and Church could not be returned to their
original form.
If the boy next door told you he was called by God to
restore His true church on earth, would you believe him? Probably not. Neither
did many people in Nazareth believe their neighbor, Jesus Christ the carpenter,
was the Messiah.
After centuries of spiritual confusion people were in
desperate need of Jesus Christ’s original truths. When God selected a
14-year-old boy in 1820 as His messenger, most people refused to listen. Joseph
Smith lived in the United States, which was the only country to proclaim religious freedom at the time. His family
was deeply religious and constantly sought the truth.
Joseph had to decide which of the many Christian
denominations to join. After careful study, Joseph Smith still felt confused as
to which Christian church he should join. He later wrote, "So great were
the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was
impossible for a person young as I was . . . to come to any certain conclusion
who was right and who was wrong. . . . In the midst of this war of words and
tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all
these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be
right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" (Joseph Smith History
1:8,10)
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| P.S. I love Minerva K. Teichert paintings! If you ever feel obliged, a painting from her would be the best thing ever. |
He turned to the Holy Bible for guidance. He read a
powerful verse, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
him" (James 1:5). With faith he decided to do just that. In the spring of
1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: "I
saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun,
which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . When the light rested upon
me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and
said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph
Smith History 1:16-17). In his vision, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ
appeared. The Savior told Joseph not to join any of the churches. Although many
good people at that time believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach
His gospel, they didn’t have the fullness of truth or the authority to baptize
and perform other saving ordinances. This vision marked the beginning of the
Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth, which God authorized to be established 10-years later by a wiser,
heaven-tutored Joseph Smith (admit it, you thought you knew everything as a
teenager too. He needed to learn just as we all do), once again allowing
everyone to receive the joy and blessings that come from living it.
What does having divine authority really mean? It’s a
great question. The authority to act in the name of God is called the
priesthood. Some mistakenly think it gives one the power to tell other people
what to do. What it actually means is that a person can act in God’s name in
behalf of His church—like when we give someone power of attorney so they can
act in their behalf.
Prior to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received priesthood authority at the hands
of John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John who received that same "power
and authority" from Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 9:1). These men appeared as
angels and bestowed the priesthood upon Joseph Smith. The prophet today, Thomas
S. Monson, is the authorized successor to Joseph Smith. He and the Church’s
other Apostles trace their priesthood authority back to Jesus Christ in an unbroken chain of ordinations.
The Book of Mormon testifies that Jesus Christ did indeed
live on the earth and still lives today as our divine Savior. It’s a second
witness confirming the existence of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Bible.
The account of its origin is as wondrous as the other events surrounding the
restoration of the Church.
In 1823 Joseph Smith was visited by a heavenly messenger
named Moroni just as angels often appeared to Apostles in the New
Testament. Moroni told Joseph about a record of the ancient inhabitants of the
American continent that was buried in a nearby hill. He said it contained the
fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and was written on thin metal sheets of
gold. Joseph translated the book into English. The book was named the Book of
Mormon after Mormon, the ancient prophet who compiled it.
Fun Fact: Joseph Smith said that Mormon means more good.
The Book of ‘More Good’!
Translated and written in the same scriptural style of
the Holy Bible. The Book of Mormon tells us about the struggles of the
righteous people of that time who were trying to live God’s commandments. Just
as sometimes happens today, they were often made fun of and persecuted for
their beliefs. A notably inspiring section of the book recounts Christ’s visit
to the American continent soon after His resurrection. He invited the people to
feel the wound marks in his hands, feet and side. He blessed and healed them,
performed miracles, and gave twelve men the same authority as His twelve
apostles whose works are recorded in the Bible. The effect of His visit was so
profound that for nearly 170 years the people lived in peace and righteousness.
The central truth
of the restored church is that God is our Heavenly Father and we are his spirit
children. He knows us personally and loves us more than we can comprehend. He
wants us to be successful in this life and return to live with Him. Our life on
earth is part of His plan for us to gain a body, learn, grow and find joy.
Sometimes life is hard, lonely or frightening, but Heavenly Father is always
concerned about you. In answer to your prayers, He is ready to give you
comfort, peace and guidance. I know He will, but you’ve got to want it!
He has prepared a path for you to follow that will bless
your lives. Let me say that again, that will
bless your lives! This path is
necessary for us to return to Him. This will enable us to receive the fullness
of the effects of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. As we do, we’ll find greater
peace and joy both in this life and in the life to come.
Maybe you were raised in a happy and secure family with
two loving parents. Maybe you weren’t, and growing up was tough without the
love and support you longed for. Likely, as an adult you want a happy home.
Living peacefully in a family isn’t always easy, but in
God’s restored church, marriage and families are believed to be the most
important social unit now and in eternity. God wants us to do all we can now to prepare ourselves to live with
our family forever. If we build our marriage and family around Christ’s
principles including faith, prayer,
repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome fun,
home can be a place of refuge, peace and immense joy.
Do not get discouraged. No matter how hard you will try, your
home and marriage won’t be perfect. That’s part of the growth process we are
meant to experience. God wants us to learn how to be patient and loving when
our siblings, spouse, toddler or teen is acting only too human. Our job is to
serve them, which in turn will help us become more like God.
I realize that was a long post… but I wanted you to know
these truths. Don’t take my word for it though. Test it out yourself. Ask God
just as Joseph Smith did. You’ll receive an answer, I know it. You can’t learn without
experience, so experiment.
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