Who is Joseph Smith? - The Prophet of the Restoration

This is a video depiction of the life of Joseph Smith. As you watch it, see how you really feel about the truthfulness of it.  Try to recognize the spirit touch your heart as it testifies to you that this is true!



Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the Earth.  I know this because my prayers to Heavenly Father have been answered that he is God's prophet.  I invite you to pray about this truth to know for yourself if this is true. (See this post for why we must act on our faith [pray, study scriptures, go to church] in order to recieve this revelation)

Easter is coming again! He is risen!

  I add my testimony of this truth that Christ is risen.  He is the son of God and has sacrificed all so we can be happy.  He showed us a perfect example, he showed us "the way, the truth, and the light" (John 14:6).  He was crucified, but now is resurrected!  This Easter remember what we are celebrating - the Savior's life, and what He's done for us.

General Conference Highlights!

Please try to recognize the peace you feel about what these men are testifying as the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) for they speak the truth.



These are only highlights of such an amazing church broadcast.  Visit Lds.org to watch the full talks.  As we pray about the messages in these talks, and apply them in our lives we can see and feel the truth of them.

If you have any questions, visit Mormon.org and click 'chat with us' or request a missionary to come to your house.

How Are Faith, Works, and Revelation Connected?

•  James Chapter 2 (Bible)  
• 17Even so ^afaith, if it hath not ^bworks, is dead, being alone.

That should tie faith and works together, but here's another really good example (James 2 cont.):

• 15 If a ^abrother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily ^bfood,

• 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye ^agive them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

•  Just wanting our fellow man to be filled rather than hungry will not get them any closer to being full.  Just as only believing the word of God and that He is there will not save us.  Yes, we are saved by the grace of God IF we are willing to work for it.  

So, faith is inseparably connected with works (such as keeping the commandments to go to church, pray, study scripture, listen to the prophet etc.).  What does that have to do with revelation?

• Ether 12 (Book of Mormon - Moroni was an ancient prophet who wrote some of The book of Mormon)

• 6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith.

• We don't get revelation until after 'the trial of [our] faith.'  

Why can't we just get the witness/proof of things without trying out our faith by works?  Because Heavenly Father does not want to condemn us. - In order to understand this we must understand the principle of 'greater light... greater condemnation,':

• Doctrine & Covenants 82

• 3 For of him unto whom ^amuch is ^bgiven much is ^crequired; and he who ^dsins against the greater ^elight shall ^freceive the greater ^gcondemnation.

• It make sense that someone who makes a mistake out of ignorance would not receive as much condemnation as would someone who knowingly breaks a commandment.  Hence, one who has the 'greater light' (or knowledge) has a greater responsibility to keep him/herself clean.

Those who receive a witness/proof/knowledge/'greater light' are then held to a higher standard of worthiness.  If God gave us that 'greater light' when we are already not acting on our faith (not keeping the commandments to go to church, pray, study scripture, listen to the prophet etc.), all he would be doing is allowing us to condemn ourselves even more!  Heavenly Father loves us too much to do that, so he waits for us to be ready for revelation of truth before he reveals much to us.

Hopefully that makes sense. It makes sense in my mind, but most of the time my mind and how I express my thoughts don't run smoothly together so email me if you have any questions or visit Mormon.org!  Or even better act on your faith and Pray about it!  Read the scriptures and seek that inspiration directly from Heavenly Father!  What a blessing it is to have the scriptures to show us the best way to obtain knowledge:

• James 1 (Bible)
• 5 ^aIf any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that ^cgiveth to all men liberally, and ^dupbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
  6 But let him ^aask in ^bfaith, nothing ^cwavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Why Do We Need Organized Religion?

The house of God is a house of order.  Can you imagine heaven in chaos? No, and God's way is not chaos, it is order, because when we have this order, or organization, we can:

• Know who holds the priesthood of god.
• Help people grow in knowledge and understanding of the gospel.
• Progress in 'the perfecting of the Saints' (Ephesians 4:12).
• Keep order rather than cause chaos when it comes to helping others receive the required ordinances for salvation (Doctrine & Covenants 109:8).
• Not to mention the required physical/temporal necessities (see church welfare program).
• To have a prophet to keep the doctrine of God pure and to solve disputations over interpretations of scripture (Amos 3:7).
• "14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; " (Ephesians 4:14) 
 

There are so many reasons why we have it, but the biggest one is because God has revealed organization to be the way.  Throughout time through His prophets and even through His son Jesus Christ our Heavenly Father has organized a church under Him.  Visit this page for a list of scriptures showing this to be true.

Jesus Christ calling the 12 Apostles

It is easy to become disinterested in organized religion because there is always a leadership and because mankind is not perfect that leadership is subject to pride and mistakes, but the leader of this church is our Savior Jesus Christ.  His prophet is under Him, and cannot lead His people astray, for God would not allow it (as he has never allowed in the past).

What is left to be done, then, with this information? Pray! Please pray!  Ask Heavenly Father in prayer today if this is true!  I've done it, and recieved an answer. I know as a result of prayer, study, and striving to keep the commandments that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is indeed the true church of God on the Earth.  James 1:5-6

What is the Mormon Stance on Tithing?

   Gordon B. Hinckley, prior President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said: “Our major source of revenue is the ancient law of the tithe. Our people are expected to pay 10 percent of their income to move forward the work of the Church. The remarkable and wonderful thing is that they do it. Tithing is not so much a matter of dollars as it is a matter of faith. It becomes a privilege and an opportunity, not a burden. Our people believe in the word of God as set forth in the book of Malachi, that the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour down blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them (Malachi 3:8-10). Moving and touching is the testimony of Latter-day Saints throughout the world concerning this the Lord’s law for the financing of His work.”
   The money that comes from tithing does not go to men or leaders of the church for their service, they are voluntarily giving their time and effort.  It goes to

• Constructing temples, chapels, and other buildings.
• Providing operating funds for the Church.
• Funding the missionary program (This does not include individual missionary expenses.)
• Preparing materials used in Church classes and organizations.
• Temple work, family history, and many other important Church functions.
• Education.

When the Lord reminded His people of this law through the prophet Malachi in the Old Testament, He promised to bless those who were willing to pay an honest tithe (Malachi 3:10).

Why Do I Need to Be Baptized?

John the Baptist baptizing Jesus Christ

To answer that question we should start with who our Heavenly Father is - He is a perfect being.  He lives in heaven and that is perfect.  With that in mind - would we (imperfect beings) really fit in without being pure ourselves? No, we make mistakes, we do wrong things, and we know they are wrong because we can feel it.  We must be clean of these mistakes in order to be with Him in heaven. Because God is perfect He has a perfect love.  So He sent His Son Jesus Christ to redeem us from our imperfect and impure state so we could return and live in heaven.  Jesus performed the Atonement which paid the price for our sins and mistakes.  In order for us to take full advantage of the gift of the Atonement we must have faith and turn to God with all our heart (also known as repenting).  Just believing in Christ is not using the Atonement (just as believing the cookie on the counter is actually there does not get you any closer to eating it).

Young man being baptized by immersion just as the Savior was (Matthew 3:16)

We must act to use the atonement.  Many of the actions that get us closer to using the Atonement, such as having faith, reading scriptures, praying, keeping the commandments, etc. can and are being done around the world, but Baptism has certain requirements: The scriptures show that man must be called of God to act in His name (Hebrews 5).  Not just anyone could do God's work (Jeremiah 23:21, Matthew 7:21-29, Acts 19:1-6 - Paul rebabtized converts of an unauthorized teacher [The John spoken of in v. 3 could not have been John the Baptist because they did not know what the Holy Ghost was, and John the Baptist always taught about that]).  The same principle applies today, and that authority of God is on the Earth today.  It has been restored!  We must be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood Authority of God to keep a commandment (Matthew 3:13-15, John 3:5), and be cleansed of sin (Acts 22:16).

Why do Mormon's do Family History?

     Mormon's do Family history for a variety of reasons, all of them very rewarding.  We can learn about where we came from. We can learn from the successes and problems our ancestors have had.  We can just have fun reading the interesting experiences they've had.  There are so many reasons to do it!  A really amazing part about family history is that we know that families can be together forever, and because we know that, we want to do all we can do to make it so.  Jesus Christ gave the power to make it so whatever Peter bound on earth would be bound in heaven (Matthew 16:19 - such as families).  That power has been restored again today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In Holy temples it is used to seal families together forever, and is also used to give those who have passed on the opportunity to accept proxy ordinances that would seal them together.

    Proxy ordinances were done in Christ's church in bible times (1 Corinthians 15:29), and are continued today for the benefit of those who have passed on.  They are ordinances, such as baptism, done for people who have passed.  This gives them the opportunity to accept it.  In the case of Baptisms for the Dead: the person having died, is in the spirit world, and having not been baptized on earth as is a requirement to "enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5), they are waiting for the ordinance to be performed.  When the Ordinance is done in the temple for that deceased person, they, then, have the opportunity to accept it and progress or reject it.  The right to choose is always with us as children of our Father in Heaven.  The same process is done for other ordinances such as sealing families together, and the same chance to accept or reject the ordinance is given to our ancestors.
  Family history is a great opportunity and like this video describes, and Family history Centers are all around. To find one near you click here.

Do Mormon Leaders Get Paid?

 

   No.  Mormon leadership (Bishops, Stake Presidents, Area Seventy's, the twelve Apostles, the Prophet, etc.) are all just members of the church.  They give voluntary service.  They are not voted in by the congregation, they are called (Hebrews 5:4) to their office by God through the next higher leadership (just like how Moses told Aaron of his calling in Exodus 4:28) who will have prayed to Heavenly Father to know who to ask. For example a Stake President will pray about who to ask to be a bishop for an area, and when he receives his answer by the Holy Ghost (James 1:5-6), he will extend that request to the member if he will accept the calling.  We believe that anyone can receive personal revelation like this for themselves if we will ask sincerely and faithfully (James 1:5-6)

   Every member of the church can be given a 'calling,' which is basically a duty in which they can serve  (see video).  It is an opportunity to help others, and also receive the blessings of service. 

What is the Purpose of Life?

I know some of this video is somewhat cheesy, but try to look past that and see the message. It'll be worth it.

   "25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25).  The purpose of life is to know joy!  Not a temporary high, or fun time, but eternal joy. "17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17).  When the Savior Jesus Christ came to the Earth he showed the way for us to achieve this peace and joy.  He showed us the way: Faith (Alma 32:21, James 2:22) , Repentance(Luke 15:7, Helaman 5:11) Baptism (Matthew 3:13-15, 2 Nephi 31:5), Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38, 1 Nephi 10:17), and enduring to the end (Matthew 10:22, 3 Nephi 15:9).
  Why, then, do bad things happen to good people? If we are meant to have joy. See post under "Why do Bad things happen to Good People?"

Can Families Be Together Forever?

Yes!  Heavenly Father placed us on Earth in families because in families we can learn and grow the best, and He wants us to learn and grow to our fullest potential.  He knew that we would come to love our families and want to be with them forever, so He has provided a way for us to be married, not 'until death to we part,' but for time and all Eternity!  He is a loving God and Has revealed this truth throughout time to His prophets.  He has once again called a prophet in these times who leads and guides His restored church.  That church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Within that church the Lord has given man His priesthood authority to perform marriages that can last through Eternity. We see this power given to the Apostle Peter in the Bible (Matthew 16:19), and it continues today.