I hope you've all been well this last year-and-a-half with you and your families. This time has gone by quickly for me. I was serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a beautiful, challenging, eye-opening, edifying growing experience for me.
Now, you may have seen or met some missionaries from this church before. You may have ignored them. You may have listened a little. You may have taken up some of their invitations. So what are the missionaries there for, anyway? Simply stated, our purpose is to bring souls to Christ. A missionary is a representative of Christ. Now, that doesn't mean we're perfect, by any means. It does mean that we follow Him, and try to do and become as He does and is. It means that we are called by Him on His errand. It means that we have felt the power of His grace in our own lives, and want to help others have this too. We try to find people whose hearts have been prepared to receive the message, and we plant a lot of seeds along the way as well. Many times, it has amazed me how the Lord has led us to people, and them to us. His timing is perfect.
Some of you may be asking, "Why try to convert people if they already know Jesus?" I know that many of you are really, honestly seeking to follow Christ, and you love Him, and you've felt His love and forgiveness. We're not here to take any of that away. We're here to add truth and light to the truth you already treasure. As you learn more about the message we share, pay attention to those feelings of peace and love from the Savior that you may have felt before. Those feelings come from the Holy Spirit and will help you recognize truth.
John 14: 26-27
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace
Then, act on what you learn so you can continue to feel that peace, continue to grow as a person, and come even closer to the Savior.
Another question you may be asking is "Why would you have any more truth to add to what we already have?"
To answer, let's rewind a few centuries. Many of you know about the prophets, like Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. Why were they important? They received instruction from God, and guided the people accordingly. They taught the Gospel and prophesied of Christ's coming. One important thing to note was that they didn't choose themselves to be prophets. They were called by God to be His servants, and given His authority, or the priesthood. Now, when the people listened to them and obeyed, they were blessed. Many times, however, they chose not to listen, and they fell in darkness and unhappiness. When they were prepared to listen again, God, in His love and mercy, would call another prophet, like Moses, to guide them.
After one particular period of darkness, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ. He taught and served the people. He established His church and called the Twelve Apostles, including Peter, James, and John. Most importantly, He willingly suffered and died for our sins, so we can be repent and be forgiven, be cleansed, and someday live with our Heavenly Father again. After He was resurrected, He still guided the Apostles through revelation. They worked miracles, baptized and gave the Gift of the Holy Ghost by His power and authority. (See Acts 19:1-6 for an example.
The church grew, but there was a lot of opposition, and sadly, many of the members of the church were mislead and began to fall into things that weren't right. Eventually, most of the apostles were killed, and there was no one for them to pass the the priesthood, or authority to. People made unauthorized changes to the doctrine, or forgot parts of Christ's teachings. There was no prophet to receive revelation. (See Amos 8:11-12.) However, there have been over the years people who have recognized that there was something missing, and they honestly sought the truth. Some made reforms, which opened the way for more religious freedom, which helped prepare for the restoration of the true church of Jesus Christ.
Once again in his love and mercy, God again called a prophet to guide us, just like the prophets of old. He was an instrument in the hands of God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ. He also translated The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ by the power of God. The Book of Mormon, like the Bible was written by prophets -- just in another part of the world: the ancient Americas. It stands hand-in-hand with Bible to witness of Jesus Christ. It confirms and clarifies the truths taught in the Bible. God knew there would be a lot of confusion, so he provided the Book of Mormon. It is evidence that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true chruch. I love the Book of Mormon, and I know it's true. It has helped me to come unto Christ, and I have seen it bless the lives of others.
You can know if these things are true for yourself as you read the Book of Mormon, ponder what you read, and pray in faith, asking if it's true. The Holy Ghost will let you know if it's true if you are sincere and are willing to act on the answer you get.
3 Behold,
I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be
wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam
even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Let me share one of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon:
I invite you to read the Book of Mormon, you may read it online or request a free copy by following this link. http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng
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