All who were present in this past Sunday's Priesthood; (Elders Quorum) would all have to agree that the power of the Holy Ghost which was ever so present that it penetrated deeply to our Souls. But why? Why did it touch us so deeply, leave us so stirred and moved upon that we left that room with a feeling of centered Spiritual understanding, or Glory of God, as noted in D & C 93:36 where it says:
"The Glory of God Is Intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth."
Well, I suppose to fully try and understand why the Spirit moved upon as it did, we first must remember the lesson that was given, and what we spoke on. The lesson was titled,
“He Was a Prophet of God”: Contemporaries of Joseph Smith Testify of His Prophetic Mission"
Finally, even though we knew in our minds the physical knowledge, the History of the Church can unintentionally be forgotten... or perhaps even placed in the backseat of our mortal probation (The road of life) and therefore we lose the significance of what we have, we lose the sure knowledge, more commonly referred to by all as "The Witness" that in bourne unto you by the Holy Ghost. We have the tendency , as is normal for "The Natural Man"....since the fall of Adam, to properly place our house, our life, our families in order; In an order that has no enmity towards the will of the Father.
Our Testimonies, everything we have, believe, understand of the divine nature of our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ; All of it hinges (pivots) on the Prophet Joseph Smith. Can we have a testimony of The Book of Mormon and not of Joseph Smith? No. Can we believe in the significance of The Family (Proclamation) if we don't believe in the previous? No. Can I say that Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God if I dont believe Jospeh Smith was? No..... and the answer will always be no IF such is the case.
What we do testify of that cannot be attributed and traced back to Joseph Smith concerning the Dispensation of The Fullness of Times? Nothing, for all that we have hinges on him. How well do we know for ourselves that the Prophet Joseph was indeed a Prophet of God? How can we know if we currently don't know? Well, if we use only biblical verses, we would read the following;
Matthew 21:22
John 16:24
James 1 :5
Recognize anything familiar about that last verse brethren? The very thing that James directs...is that very same thing that Joseph Smith did in Faith. Because of all this sheer confusion in his day, and because of his genuine concern for Eternal Welfare.... he sought out the Lord. I move to quote some things said by Latter-Day Prophets;
President Brigham Young (1801–77)
“All that Joseph Smith did was to preach the truth—the gospel as the Lord revealed it to him—and tell the people how to be saved, and the honest in heart ran together and gathered around him and loved him as they did their own lives” (Deseret News, 10 Aug. 1864, 859).
President Lorenzo Snow (1814–1901)
“We testify to the whole world that we know, by divine revelation, even through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that he revealed himself to Joseph Smith as personally as he did to his apostles anciently, after he arose from the tomb, and that he made known unto him these heavenly truths by which alone mankind can be saved” (Deseret News, 31 Jan. 1877, 834).
President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918)
“The day will come—and it is not far distant, either—when the name of the Prophet Joseph Smith will be coupled with the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, as his representative, as his agent whom he chose, ordained and set apart to lay anew the foundations of the Church of God in the world, which is indeed the Church of Jesus Christ, possessing all the powers of the gospel, all the rites and privileges, the authority of the Holy Priesthood, and every principle necessary to fit and qualify both the living and the dead to inherit eternal life, and to attain to exaltation in the kingdom of God” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 134).
President George Albert Smith (1870–1951)
“To my mind one of the strongest testimonies of the divinity of the life of our Savior is the testimony of Joseph Smith who laid down his life as a witness of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 19 Dec. 1926, 4a).
President David O. McKay (1873–1970)
“The peace and happiness of mankind lie in the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world, our Saviour. The principles of the restored gospel as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith are the surest, safest guide to mortal man” (Man May Know for Himself: Teachings of President David O. McKay, comp. Clare Middlemiss [1967], 383).
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972)
“Joseph Smith is the revealer of the knowledge of Christ and of salvation to the world for this day and generation. … I, for one, want to be numbered forever among those who seek counsel and authority and blessings as they have come from this great prophet whom the Lord raised up to commence the restoration of all things in this final, glorious gospel dispensation” (quoted in Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. and John J. Stewart, The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith [1972], 364).
President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973)
“No man can accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, no man can accept this as His church, the Church of Jesus Christ, unless he can accept Joseph Smith as God’s mouthpiece and the restorer of His work in these latter days” (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1996], 371).
President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)
“God has in very deed revealed Himself from the heavens. He did raise up the boy prophet. …
“Joseph Smith has done more for the salvation of men in this world than any man who ever lived in it, except the Master (see D&C 135:3). He stands at the head of this dispensation—the greatest gospel dispensation of all time—and all the world will someday come to realize that he is in very deed a prophet of the Living God” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 131–32).
President Gordon B. Hinckley
“How great indeed is our debt to him. … It was he who brought us a true knowledge of God, the Eternal Father, and His Risen Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. During the short time of his great vision he learned more concerning the nature of Deity than all of those who through centuries had argued the matter in learned councils and scholarly forums. He brought us the marvelous Book of Mormon as another witness for the living reality of the Son of God. To him, from those who held it anciently, came the priesthood, the power, the gift, the authority, the keys to speak and act in the name of God. He gave us the organization of the Church and its great and sacred mission. Through him were restored the keys of the holy temples, that men and women might enter into eternal covenants with God and that the great work for the dead might be accomplished to open the way for eternal blessings. …
“He was the instrument in the hands of the Almighty. He was the servant acting under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing to pass this great latter-day work.
“We stand in reverence before him. He is the great prophet of this dispensation. He stands at the head of this great and mighty work which is spreading across the earth. He is our prophet, our revelator, our seer, our friend. Let us not forget him. Let not his memory be forgotten in the celebration of Christmas. God be thanked for the Prophet Joseph” (“A Season for Gratitude,” Ensign, Dec. 1997, 2).
The Prophet Joseph Smith’s Testimony
“We [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit [in the Kirtland Temple], before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.
“His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:2–4).
“For while we [Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon] were doing the work of translation, …
“… the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.
“And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness. …
“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:15, 19–20, 22–24).
“And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—
“That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness;
“That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him” (D&C 76:40–42).
In good measure, the intent and drive of this entire message, this entire blog..... is to share with you these things.
D & C 135:3
Brethren, I bear you my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, I bear witness unto you as Elder Jeffrey Holland did this past conference (October 2009) That The Book Of Mormon is True. I know with great clarity inside my heart that in the future I will meet Brother Joseph and lovingly embrace and thank this man for his testimony, sealed with his own blood. I know the sacrifice for him and many other bereft Saints were innumerable. But the love that Joseph Possessed, both for mankind... and the Savior was shown and seen by all who came in contact with him. I know he IS a Prophet, and that because he had Charity, and testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon: Another Witness Of Jesus Christ, that the Book Of Mormon is true.
I never always lived it previously to coming out here to Plainview Texas; Lived What? Lived the Gospel. I guess it should or could be said that the evidence of the changes in my life are with and because of the Gospel. The judges of Israel guided me... and so carefully reminded me (of what Elder Holland has said in times past ...)
To all of you who think you are lost or without hope, or who think you have done too much that was too wrong for too long, to every one of you who worry that you are stranded somewhere on the wintry plains of life and have wrecked your handcart in the process, this conference calls out Jehovah’s unrelenting refrain, “[My] hand is stretched out still.”12 “I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them,” He said, “[and even if they] deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, … if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.”13 His mercy endureth forever, and His hand is stretched out still. His is the pure love of Christ, the charity that never faileth, that compassion which endures even when all other strength disappears.
("Prophets In The Land Again" ; Elder Jeffrey Holland November 2006 Ensign)
Brethren, Satan will attempt to discourage us, he will try and sabotage any and all efforts, and you can expect him to try immediately after you do, to turn your life around. The song "Scripture Power" is a great way to help you understand the "Therapy" I had to put myself through to see my wrongs, to right my wrongs, to repent for them, then, to forsake them. The scriptures and prayer changed it all for me.... it can for you too!
As a messenger of The Lord Jesus Christ, I as well place my testimony in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, That Jesus is The Christ, The Literal Living Son, of our Literal Living Heavenly Father; Joseph Smith is A Prophet of God- and so bear my testimony to you, in The Great and Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen." (Sunday October 11th, 2009) Rexford George Beardsley Jr-
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Plainview Texas Branch; Lubbock Stake Announcements;
Saturday, October 17th 2009: 10:00am to 12:00pm Primary Program Practice
Saturday, October 17th 2009: 5:00pm SYC @ Stake Center
Saturday, October 17th 2009: 7:00pm Dance @ Stake Center
Sunday. October 18th, 2009: Branch Council
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