This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Joseph Smith Jr.
I remember in the first area of my mission, my companion and I were invited to a lesson with another set of missionaries. It was a young woman and we were teaching the very first lesson we usually teach people, the restoration lesson. We started teaching her, telling her how God loves us, he wants us to be happy, he has given us families to learn and grow with, he has given us prophets to Guide and direct us. They point us to Christ and to teach us of His gospel. Even though people throughout all of history have rejected His prophets, He would always call another to set us back on the path to salvation through His Son. Then, He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, who set the example for us and made possible our salvation through His atonement. After Christ died for us, Christ's chosen apostles, to whom He gave priesthood authority went forth and taught the Gospel, but they were rejected by the world at large...which plunged the world into a long period of apostasy, or a falling away from the fullness of Christ's teachings. Priesthood authority was lost and so were important truths, but just like the pattern of old, God reached out to his children in love and prepared the way for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored in its original form back to the earth. Inspired people realized that doctrine had changed or been corrupted and they tried to put it back, but none of them could. They didn't claim to be prophets, but they opened the way for religious tolerance and produced a climate so that we could again have the gospel restored to us.
As we were teaching it seemed as though the world went still, everything was quiet and the spirit entered into my heart. As we continued to teach I felt a peace and a calmness that was incredible. We started to share about the ending of this time of apostasy. In the 1820's in New York there was a young boy named Joseph Smith. He was a normal person just like you and me. He had some of the same questions that permeate our souls. What is the truth? How can I be saved? Which church is right for me? How do I receive a remission of my sins? Joseph sought answers to his questions, he attended different churches and read from the bible and he came to a verse in James. James 1:5 "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."
Joseph read this and he knew what he needed to do. He needed to pray. Early one spring morning he went to a grove of trees knelt down and began to offer up his first out-loud prayer. As he prayed he had the amazing experience related at the beginning of this post. He SAW God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior! As we shared this with her the spirit became so strong, It was almost a tangible presence in the room. It was the strongest feeling I have ever felt and I knew without a doubt that this had actually happened! I know that the Spirit which guides us into all truth (John 16:13) could not lie to me. I knew that what I had just said was true. I know that Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith that none of the churches on the earth were His church, the way he had set it up, and that in time, with much preparation, the Fullness of Jesus Christ's Church and Gospel would be restored.
I know this to be true with all my heart. This morning I finished reading the Book of Mormon. I read it cover to cover, and while I have read it before, this time I read with the purpose of really coming to know that it is true. I know that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God, that Joseph Smith, highly uneducated man that he was, could not have written that book. A book that testifies of the Savior, of Christ's divinity and atonement, that teaches me that Christ not only suffered for my Sins but for all the things I go through. That helps me understand His grace. That answers the questions of my soul. He just couldn't have written it!
This morning I prayed and asked Heavenly Father if the book I had been reading is true and I feel in my heart that it is. I feel great peace and comfort saying that. I have had doubts, I have had questions, but I know it teaches true doctrine and because I know this from the fruits of the Spirit in my life. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is, just like the name says, Christ's Church.
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