Prophets and the Holy Scriptures: God's guides to man since the beginning (3/18/2013)

(This article inspired by an October 1982 talk given by Boyd K. Packer, an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Since the time of Adam to the present, the words of the Lord (Scriptures) have been given to man for our knowledge and benefit.

Since the beginning, prophets were chosen to receive revelation from the Lord and had the authority to speak in the name of the Lord.

The Lord has told us about His chosen servants and their roles in sharing divine revelation, in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book which is itself revelation through the Prophets who were chosen to set up the Church and Kingdom of God on earth in our time before Second Coming of Christ:

“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”

(Doctrine and Covenants 1:38)

Put plainly, when then a Prophet of the Lord speaks by the power of the Holy Spirit, their words are in line with the will of God.

Many people view the Bible as one book, when in actuality the Bible is 66 individual books put together in one volume. The first five books were written by Moses. There are books written by Isaiah, Malachi and so forth.

We are the sons and daughters of God the Father. Jehovah, who came to earth as Jesus Christ is our Elder Brother and our Savior.

The Father sent us here to get a body and be tested in how we make choices between good and evil.

If we make the right choices here, that will tell the Father if we can be trusted and given more authority and responsibility in the eternities.

This is our final test. We have passed many other tests successfully up to this point in time.

He has given us prophets who have put their words into what we call the Scriptures to guide us in this life in making those choices, if we would take the time to read, pray, and ponder over them, so the Third Member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost can testify of the Truth of what we read.

The Lord knew that misguided or even evil and corrupt men would change key passages in the transcription of the Bible because of either their evil designs or their lack of knowledge of the meaning of a word or verse, changing the meaning of the words, or just leaving some out entirely.

During the history of Israel as recoded in the Old Testament, ten of the Tribes of Israel were split off from the Tribe of Judah and Levi and were guided to other places.

In 600 B.C., a contemporary Prophet of Jeremiah, whose name was Lehi, a descendent of Joseph who was carried into Egypt, was telling the people of Jerusalem to repent. They tried to take his life. The Lord told him in a vision to take his family and only his necessities and leave Jerusalem and that he would be guide to another place.

He was told to take the record of Israel with him. He did. They built a ship and set off across the sea. After arriving in the Americas, his Prophet son, Nephi, began recording their journey and recorded them on Gold Plates so they would last.

A thousand years later, about 421 A.D., the last Prophet Moroni, buried the plates. These plates are an abridgment of the thousands of plates that were recorded over the years and hid away for a future time. This Prophet who abridged them was Mormon, the father of Moroni.

All of these prophets were chosen by the Lord, each to do a specific mission here on earth when it was their time. The Prophet Joseph Smith’s mission was to come in the last days and establish the foundation for the restoration of the Lord’s Church and the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Moroni was also called to visit Joseph Smith and reveal the location of the records that he had buried in life. The record that Joseph Smith began to translate was named after Moroni's father Mormon, the one who abridged the records. This is the Book of Mormon.

The Prophet Ezekiel wrote about the scriptures that would come forth in the last days:

“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, (The Bible) and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, (The Book of Mormon) and for all the house of Israel his companions:

And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.”

(Ezekiel 37: 16-19, parenthetical statements added)

This is what we have today, both records, the Bible and the Book of Mormon (another testament of Jesus Christ), bound together in one book, one in thy hand. The Prophesy of Ezekiel fulfilled.  

 

The Gift of the Holy Ghost (3/11/2013)

We all have our moments when we think that no one is listening, no one can hear us, or worst of all, no one cares. But in this, we err, because there is always someone watching and engaged in our plight, one who we can always talk to, and one who can always talk to us. God, our Heavenly Father, Who created us and knows our every thought and deed, Who is aware of all that we stand in need of.

The concept of prayer may seem simple enough; we express to our Heavenly Father, either aloud or in our hearts, our gratitude for the blessings He has given us, our hopes, wants, needs, and even our questions. And then these humble, sincere, and patient prayers are answered. But how does God answer our prayers? Surely He doesn't meet face-to-face with each child in prayer and converse the way we do with each other every time we call His name? If so, our Father would be constantly popping in and out of daily life; we would see Him in every classroom they day of a test, personally conducting every church meeting, and leading the team at every sporting event. In a world like this, there would be no need for faith; we would KNOW Him personally, and life probably wouldn't be the test it's supposed to be.
Yet, even though we don't physically see or hear Him every time we open our mouths, He is able to speak with us, and to answer us when we ask Him questions. He is able to do this thanks to another member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost.

As the gifted speaker, LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer said in an October 2009 address,

"This process is not reserved for the prophets alone. The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children. It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found."
Unlike God and His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost does not have a physical body of flesh and bone. The Holy Ghost is a being who exists only in spiritual form. Having no body, the Holy Ghost is able to able to converse with us by conversing with our spirits. If we are receptive to spiritual matters, this soul-to-soul communication will manifest itself to us in many possible ways. It may come through a feeling peace, a warmth in the chest, a prompting to make a righteous action, an inspiration accompanied with a sense of rightness, etc. 

There are endless ways to experience these divine messages, and anyone can feel them. Being receptive to the Holy Spirit is the reward of righteous living, and the result of consistently exercising the power of prayer faith. The more you put yourself into situations conducive to the Holy Spirit's presence and embrace it, the more receptive you will become. 

How to Live the Word of Wisdom 2/20/2013

Adapted from Boyd K. Packer's April 1996 general conference address “The Word of Wisdom: The Principle and the Promise.”

We know that young people generally don’t like restrictions. Believe it or not, we were young once and we remember.Young people, you must understand‍ that there is something of colossal importance‍ to justify the restrictions imposed by the Word of Wisdom!The Word of Wisdom was “given for a principle with promise” (D&C 89:3). That word principle‍ in the revelation is a very important one. A principle is an enduring truth, a law, a rule you can adopt to guide you in making decisions. Members write in asking if this thing or that is against the Word of Wisdom. It’s well known that tea, coffee, liquor, and tobacco are against it. It has not been spelled out in more detail. Rather, we teach the principle together with the promised blessings. There are many habit-forming, addictive things that one can drink or chew or inhale or inject which injure both body and spirit which are not mentioned in the revelation. In some cultures, native drinks are claimed to be harmless because they are not specifically mentioned in the revelation. Yet they draw members to parties which certainly offend the principle. Obedience to counsel will keep you on the safe side of life.Young people, learn to use moderation and common sense‍ in matters of health and nutrition, and particularly in medication. Avoid being extreme‍ or fanatical or becoming a faddist.For example, the Word of Wisdom counsels us to eat meat sparingly (see D&C 89:12). Lest someone become extreme, we are told in another revelation that “whoso forbiddeth to [eat meat] is not ordained of God” (D&C 49:18). Honor the principle‍ of the Word of Wisdom and you will receive the promised blessings (see D&C 89:18, 20). The Word of Wisdom does not promise you perfect health, but it teaches how to keep the body you were born with in the best condition and your mind alert‍ to delicate spiritual promptings. The promise of health for living the standard of the revelation is not limited to members of the Church. Tell your nonmember friends‍ about the Word of Wisdom and urge them to live it.While the Word of Wisdom requires strict obedience,‍ in return it promises health, great treasures of knowledge, and that redemption bought for us by the Lamb of God, who was slain that we might be redeemed.Surely the Word of Wisdom was given so that you may keep the delicate, sensitive, spiritual part of your nature on proper alert. Learn to “listen” to your feelings.‍ You will be guided and warned and taught and blessed.I bear witness that this revelation is a powerful protection to all members of the Church, particularly to you, the youth of the Church, as you face a life full of so many troubles and danger and uncertainties.