We have a loving Father in Heaven and we are His children. He loves us more than we can possibly love another and because of that love, He has given us this chance to come to earth to experience life so we can learn and grow. We have also been sent to earth in order to receive a body. Our Father in Heaven has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfect.
Disobedience moves us away from God. We must be obedient and follow His commandments.
Another way that He has shown His love for us is through His Son Jesus Christ. Christ's Atonement is central to God's plan for us. Through Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and death on the cross, we can receive forgiveness for our sins and have the guilt and burden lifted from our shoulders.
John 3:16-17
The Gospel Blesses Families
The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a blessing to families. We have an inherent desire to be with our families in this life and after we die. This is something that we learned about before we came to this earth. We know that this is what God wants for us. Now that the fullness of the Gospel has been restored, this can happen. I'm not saying that everyone who has died before now won't have that chance to be with their families--they can be. (I will get more into that later!) Families are meant to last longer than just this life-they are meant to be eternal. How do we know this? Answer: the knowledge we receive because of the Gospel.Why would God give us this opportunity to have eternal families? Well, we are His children, right? He loves us, right? He wants us to be happy and this is just one of the many ways that He has provided for our happiness to be more full.
A family that is centered on the Gospel is a safe haven from the dangers of the world and a place of refuge, safety, love and peace. Families are essential!
Heavenly Father Reveals His Gospel in Every Dispensation
God calls prophets in every dispensation who are essential to the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ. Prophets are given the Priesthood which is the authority to act in God's name for the salvation of His children. Prophets teach the Gospel and teach of Christ. Many of the examples of prophets are found in the Bible. The scriptures are the writings of the prophets for our use. We must study the scriptures so we can learn about teh Gospel.
The Gospel is God's plan of salvation, made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The gospel includes the eternal truths or laws, covenants, and ordinances needed for mankind to return to the presence of God. Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end are the principles of the Gospel.Whenever people choose to distort, disobey, or disregard any principle or ordinance of the gospel, they distance themselves from and God and result in apostasy. That is why we have prophets. A prophet receives revelation from God so we know how to follow the commandments and to be more happy and righteous. We see this all throughout the Bible. Sadly, in each period that there was a prophet on the earth, people eventually distanced themselves from God and fell into apostasy.
Amos 3:7
The Savior's Earthly Ministry and Atonement
Before the birth of Jesus Christ, people again fell into apostasy. During the Savior's earthly ministry, He established His gospel and church again upon the earth. He called apostles and began to preach the gospel and perform miracles. Jesus Christ performed the Atonement which I will write much more about another time so I can write more fully what i would like to. Jesus Christ showed us the way that we need to follow in order to return to our Heavenly Father. He is our Savior and through Him we can receive forgiveness of our sins.
When Christ appeared to His apostles after He was risen again. He gave them an admonition to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. His apostles did so until the day that they were killed or died. This is the same purpose that we have as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.The Apostles were all given the priesthood and they preached the gospel to all who would listen. When they died, the priesthood was taken from the earth and the earth was left in apostasy.
The Great Apostasy
After the death of Jesus Christ, the apostles continued to teach the people the Gospel that Christ had taught them. Their teachings are found in the Bible in the New Testament.
Because of the wickedness and the hard heartedness of the people, these apostles were rejected and killed. After they were killed, the priesthood was removed from the earth and it all resulted in apostasy.
The prophets had prophesied of this apostasy. In Amos 8:11-12 it speaks of a famine in the land. 11) "Behold, the days shall come, saith the Lord God, that I shall send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 12) And they shall wander from sea to sea , and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."
This prophesy was fulfilled as the people fell into apostasy. This period of time is also known as the dark ages.
A result of apostasy that we can see today is the submersion of many different religions. Without the truth, many people were left to decide which of the many churches was the closest to the truth. This led to many people starting their own religions. We can see this happening still today.
The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith
In the year of 1820, there was a young man named Joseph Smith who lived in Palmyra New York. Joseph Smith was raised in a religious family. He was young at the age of fourteen and was concerned with what his standing was with God.
There was "a great religious excitement" happening at the time and there were many different sects that claimed to have the truth and contended with one another on points of doctrine. The Bible taught that there was "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Joseph attended many of the different sects to find out which church was the right one. He later wrote:
"So great were the confusions 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 the 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? He later read in the Gospel of 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."
Because of this scripture, Joseph Smith was led to the conclusion that he must ask for himself to know which of the different religions were true.
Joseph Smith went to a quiet place in the grove of trees near his home. When he found himself alone, he knelt down and began to pray. The following is 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!"
In this vision, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to Joseph Smith. His point in inquiring of the Lord was to ask which of the religions were true and which he should join. He was answered that he should join none of them. He was also told that the Lord had a great work for him to do. The Gospel of Jesus Christ would eventually be restored through Joseph Smith. God had called him to be a prophet.
We have the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints now because of Joseph Smith. We have the fullness of the Gospel.
I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Gospel has been restored. We have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, and he receives revelation and direction for our time. This is the truth and I bear witness of it!
(Please read my post on Joseph Smith)
