In
the early nineteenth century, a young boy in upstate New York wondered which
church to join. His name was Joseph Smith.
The many churches in his area said that it didn't matter which church you
joined, as long as you accepted Jesus. But Joseph recognized that the several
churches' good-will disappeared once people joined separate churches. The
different churches fought over the meaning of the Bible and how to be
saved.
Joseph
was so confused that he turned to the Bible. One day,
Joseph read James 3:5 which says that if anyone lacks wisdom, he can ask God,
and God will give him the wisdom he seeks. Joseph decided that if anyone lacked
wisdom, it was him and decided that he would ask God which church to join.
On
the morning of a sping day in 1820, Joseph, then fourteen years-old, went to a grove
of trees and knelt to pray. As he prayed, he felt Satan attack him. He could
not speak and feared that he would be destroyed. Joseph called out to God, and
in the moment that he thought Satan would overcome him, Joseph saw a pillar of
light above the brightness of the sun. And the light descended upon him. In the
light, Joseph saw two Men standing above him in the air. One of them spoke,
calling Joseph by name and pointing to the other said, "This is my Beloved
Son, hear Him!"
In
response to Joseph's prayer, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him!
Among
other things, Jesus taught Joseph that no church on the earth was true, and
through Joseph, Jesus would establish His true Church on the earth again.
Joseph
was called to be a prophet. Later, he would translate the Book of Mormon from
ancient plates written by prophets who lived on the American continent. Joseph
also received the priesthood
through the angelic visitations of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John.
Because Joseph was a prophet, he taught of Jesus Christ and the Plan of
Salvation. He also restored the Church of Jesus Christ as it had existed
anciently.
And like ancient prophets and apostles, Joseph was true to Jesus until the end of his life. In 1844, while he was in prison awaiting trial for trumped up charges, a mob with painted faces attacked the prison and murdered Joseph and his brother Hyrum.
Yet we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also referred to as the Mormon Church) do not expect the world to simply believe our witness that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. As Christ said, Òby their fruits ye shall know themÓ (Matt. 7:20), and you can know that Joseph was a prophet by studying his fruits. We invite all mankind to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder its message, and pray to know that it is true. God will answer those prayers. Therefore, if the Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Jesus Christ, then the man who translated it was truly a prophet of God.
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