There are many types of Christians, of which Mormons are one

There are many types of Christians, of which Mormons are one.
Jesus Christ is the center of everything that Mormons believe. My purpose here is to show how individual principles that are taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have brought me closer to Jesus Christ.
The fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in modern times, and as a member of the LDS church, I am a witness of this restoration.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

God Speaks Through Prophets

Once we come to feel the depth of our Heavenly Father's love for us when we consider that He sent His perfect Son to die that we may live, we are left to wonder why the "good news" of Jesus Christ's mission is not always on the front page. There is no other message as important for humanity as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is worth all the attention we can give it, yet ever since recorded history, humanity has consistently rejected this message and instead tuned out to follow their own way in life instead of the way prescribed by the Lord.

In this picture of Noah by Harry Anderson, we see the typical response to a message from the Lord. Noah is warning the people of impending destruction and they chose not to heed his words. While God does occasionally appear to man and instruct him personally, His usual method for instructing and warning His children is by calling a prophet to speak in His name - as if He were speaking Himself. Amos explains: "Surely the Lord
God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

Often, these prophets are plain men of no prestige or reputation. As an example take Moses, who having relinquished all that a noble Egyptian upbringing could provide, doubted his own call as a prophet, saying: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:9) Moses continued by explaining to the Lord a personal characteristic that he felt disqualified him from being the mouthpiece of the Lord when he stated: "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." (Exodus 4:10) What Moses didn't understand however, was something that a former President of the LDS church, Harold B. Lee, taught about calls from God. President Lee taught that "whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." Being unlearned in the ways of the world, having a lack of public speaking ability, or even being a simple, nondescript citizen does not disqualify a person to be called of God. The call is between God and that man, and the world is ill-equipped to make judgements on the matter. Using the standards of the world to understand and explain the workings of God is impossible. God chooses whom He wants, and it is up to us to find out from God whether or not a man is speaking in His name.

In a very general sense a prophet can be considered anyone who has a testimony of Jesus Christ's divinity, which they received from the Holy Ghost. (See Num. 11:2-29; Rev. 19:10) There is a difference, however between having a testimony of Jesus Christ for one's self, and being commanded to share that testimony as an authorized servant of God like Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Peter were. These men, in addition to having personal testimonies of Jesus Christ, all received authority to speak and act in God's name. (See Exodus 3 & 4, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 33:1-7, and Matthew 16:19 for respective references to the authority of these three men) When these men were called, they had a specific message to share, and their listeners had the opportunity to listen and receive the accompanying blessings, or to receive cursings from the Lord by not listening. (see Jer. 29:18) When we choose the latter, God withdraws His servants from the earth and people are made to wander until they again humble themselves to receive the word of the Lord from the mouth of one of His servants. Neh. 9:26-31 explains this cycle very clearly, it is the cycle of apostasy (abandonment) and restoration.

Today the world is drastically different than it was in the times of Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel and Peter. Moses struggled with an unfaithful nation, Isaiah a time of great war and conflict, Ezekiel personal captivity, and Peter with leading a new church amidst intense persecution. Today our enemies are much like those described by Paul when he said, "
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Today, however, these enemies are darker and more widespread than ever before. We need guidance from God today, more than at any time in earth's history. While ancient revelations are instrumental in helping us live a Christ-like life, they are insufficient in and of themselves to guide us to safety today. Building an Ark won't save us, and neither will parting a sea. The third President of the LDS church, John Taylor, aptly explained: "We require a living tree-a living fountain-living intelligence . . . . And from the time that Adam first received a communication from God, to the time that John, on the Isle of Patmos, received his communication, or Joseph Smith had the heavens opened to him, it always required new revelations, adapted to the peculiar circumstances in which the churches or individuals were placed. Adam's revelation did not instruct Noah to build his ark; nor did Noah's revelation tell Lot to forsake Sodom; nor did either of these speak of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. These all had revelations for themselves, and so had Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and Joseph. And so must we, or we shall make a shipwreck."

I testify that God calls prophets to lead His children, and that He has done so whenever His people were willing to listen. Prophets are a witness to me that God loves His children. Their presence shows that God is interested in our lives and circumstances. I know that this world needs prophets just like Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Peter to lead us in these difficult times. I know that men speak for God today, and that if we are willing, God will touch our hearts when we hear their words and we will know they are true representatives of Him. I hope that by reading this post, you will be more willing to hearken to the voice of those mouthpieces of God that are now living, and thus come closer to God.

2 comments:

Michael Jones said...

I like it, Jeff. :-)

I also just remembered I forgot to give you that link:
http://gmormon.com/

Keep up the writing. I'll be looking forward to more!

Julie said...

You're amazing! You write so clearly. I'm so grateful for a living prophet to guide us in these days! Thank you for your reminder.