(Sorry so long in between posts . . . I broke my camera in September and have finally received a new one! Hurray! So more photos on the way . . . in the meanwhile, enjoy these cell phone photos! Thank goodness for cell phones!!)
The Living Christ . . .
As Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is our great privilege to testify daily of the important role of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Even though He came to earth, suffered and died for us upon the cross . . .
Today He lives!
He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
Of Him the Prophet, Joseph Smith, also declared: “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 76:22–24).
(Excerpts from The Living Christ)
The Scriptures Testify of Christ . . .
Many Christians throughout the world are familiar with the testaments of the Savior found in the scriptures of the New Testament. The accounts of his life and teachings as found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Yet as missionaries and called representatives of the Savior, we testify of revealed further witnesses of the Savior, revealed through modern prophets in the Latter-days.
Knowing that doubt, disbelief, and misinformation would remain after centuries of darkness, our loving Heavenly Father brought forth an ancient volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible, which contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.
This volume of holy scripture provides convincing evidence that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. This record is the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
The prophets in the Book of Mormon knew about the mission of the Savior and taught His gospel. After His resurrection, Christ appeared to these people. He taught them His gospel and established His Church on the American continent.
In order to gain a knowledge that the Book of Mormon, as revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith is true, a person must read, ponder upon what he is reading, and be willing to pray and ask God if these things are true. The honest seeker of truth will soon come to feel that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
Many titles and names are descriptive of the Savior's divine mission and ministry . . .
He Himself taught . . .
- "I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end" (3 Nephi 9:18).
- "I am . . . your advocate with the Father" (D&C 29:5).
- "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11)
- "I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven" (Moses 7:53)
- "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger or thirst" (John 6:35)
- " I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:25)
- "I am the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16)
- "Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am" (D&C 29:1). #ASaviorIsBorn
Many people are curious about this Book of Mormon, of which we teach from and testify daily.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.
The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come. (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)
Christ's Visit to the America's
I love to study the visit of the Savior to the American continent as relayed in 3 Nephi of the Book of Mormon. Especially at Christmas time, I find it brings me closer to the Savior. I hear His voice as I read and study His words found in these scriptures. I'm so impressed with the beauty of this section of the Book of Mormon and the powerful witness of our Savior, that today he lives!
I see many similarities to our day as we anticipate the Second coming of the Savior. The Nephite people had become an independent and proud people. No longer listening to the voice of the prophets. Gradually, they came to reject religion and the teachings of God as revealed through the prophets. Secret combinations flourished in the land, and Satan gained great power upon the hearts of men, tempting them to be proud of their independence, and not looking to the Lord in gratitude and seeking His guidance.
There were a few righteous among them. Nephi continued to lead the Church with power and even performed many miracles, but still the people in general preferred to disbelieve and trust more in the works of men than those of God.
There arose a mighty storm . . .
And in those days a storm began, such as one as had never been before in the land. Lightning flashed and thunder shook the earth, violent winds carried away people, houses, flocks and herds, never to be seen again. Many great and notable cites were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken and fell to the earth. And many died and were injured in the great storm. Even the whole face of the land was changed.
For several hours the storm raged and shook and blew and just as all were doomed to perish, the quaking and tempest ceased and a darkness settled over the land in all parts. For three days the people mourned in darkness and no light could be seen, nor candle penetrate the great darkness. A great mourning and weeping could be heard throughout the land.
Then a voice began to speak from the Heavens and was heard throughout the land. Imagine how the people felt when they heard, " “Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” (3 Ne. 9:13)."
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God” (3 Ne. 9:15).
He declared to them that by Him, redemption came, that through Him the law of Moses was fulfilled.
When the darkness dispersed, the people gathered at the Temple in the land of Bountiful. Once again they heard the same voice, Mormon tells us -
“it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn” (3 Ne. 11:3)
The Voice of God . . .
And again a voice came from the Heavens saying,
“Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him” (3 Ne. 11:5–7).
Very few people in all the history of the world have been blessed to hear the voice of God. And as the people looked towards the heavens they saw a Man descending from the Heavens. He was clothed all in white, and he came down and stood in the midst of the people.
He reached out his hand towards the people and spoke to them saying,
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.
“And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Ne. 11:9–11).
And all the people fell to the earth, but Jesus Christ invited them to rise up, and come to Him and see the marks from the crucifixion, in His hands, and the wounds in His side. He invited them to come forward and to touch and to feel Him. And one by one the people did come, and they did touch and feel Him, the resurrected Savior, a member of the Godhead, the creator of innumerable worlds.
And all the people fell to the earth, but Jesus Christ invited them to rise up, and come to Him and see the marks from the crucifixion, in His hands, and the wounds in His side. He invited them to come forward and to touch and to feel Him. And one by one the people did come, and they did touch and feel Him, the resurrected Savior, a member of the Godhead, the creator of innumerable worlds.
When the last of the people had come unto Him, and touched and felt, they then all fell to the ground and worshipped Him, saying,
“Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!"(3 Nephi 11:16)
While he dwelt with the people, many things did he teach and testify, many mighty miracles he works. Yes . . . those were days to never have been forgotten.
The Powerful Book of Mormon . . .
I love the powerful witness of the Book of Mormon. It testifies of Jesus Christ, of His prophets, of His doctrine of salvation. What a blessing it would be if every family could the testimony found of the Savior in the Book of Mormon. What a blessing it would be if every family could study the words of the Savior, liken His teachings to their home and their lives.
From Birth to Atonement . . .
As the Savior, Jesus Christ prepared to leave the disciples He established here on the American continent, He left them with these words . . .
“Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. …
“And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. …
“And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.
“Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel” (3 Ne. 27:13–14, 16, 19–21).
The Living Christ -
The mission of the resurrected Savior did not end with his visit to the America's. The continuing miracle is that He has revealed Himself to men again in our day.
Modern day prophets and apostles together testify to the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who restored the gospel to the earth again . . .
“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 76:22–24).(Excerpts from The Living Christ)As Christ lives today in a resurrected body, so shall we!
As Missionaries . . .
As missionaries we witness, that the teachings found in the Book of Mormon, that witness of the Savior are true. That Jesus is the Christ, and He stands at the head of this Church today. Even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that bears his name.
We testify that HE will come again, in great power and glory. May we follow His example and be prepared to meet Him in that great day.
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