The Morning Breaks
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> May 2 at 11:48 AM
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Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> May 2 at 11:48 AM
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larichardson65@yahoo.com
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HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT A WEEK!!!! Two things that I have learned this week. 1. Satan is real. 2. God is at all times providing ways to bring forth is purposes in bringing his ransom children home. So lets begin with the week!
This week we got to see Grandpa Bill twice. One time he took us to a really good Sea food place with fried crab, fried oyster, fried catfish, fried shrimp. It was so good.
We also had FHE with sister Garza and bro Eric. It was really good. We did a lot of tracting and one of the last houses in the neighborhood was friends with our branch mission leader and his wife. We also saw Brain, Jose, and Mario. It was really good.
WELL...... To the story. On Tuesday we visted Aurora and the girls and scheduled their interview on Saturday at 3. They were telling us how Aurora makes them read the BOM every morning and read James 1:5. they said that testing has become so much more easier because of James 1:5. Aurora is an amazing for helping them! We got a phone call saturday morning from Aurora that Alex would be home so we could do the Baptism. Saturday morning we had a service project 20 miles south of New Iberia in a small town called Baldwin in our area with our branch mission leader to pick up trash for the city of Baldwin. After we finished we had lunch and then it started raining. Mama Fran our branch leaders wife told us we should leave before it gets too bad. Driving home was crazy!!!! It was raining in every direction the wind was blowing really bad. IT was probably the worst rain I had ever been in and I was driving in it HAHA. We came to an area where it was a farm land and fields and lighting was striking everywhere. It was really cool! We got to New Iberia safely but town was flooded! We could not get home. We went up on the railroad tracks on Jefferson Terrace and when we got to the top the road was flooded. Cars had there emergency lights on that must have been flooded. So we took another way. We got to E Dale where our apartment is and it was flooded. We were able to pull up on an area to be safe from the floods. We decided to walk to our complex which was also flooded. The water was to our knees!!! We were able to find a place we could get to and park and wait until the waters reseeded. Well we finally got a text we were on lockdown so the District leader couldn't come down from Lafayette. Finally around 5 the waters begin to drain so we could go get our car. Finally we get the clear around 6 that we can do the interview. The girls get interview first. We were still unsure if Aurora was going to get baptized. When I finished the girls records I asked her and she said she was going to ask Alex. When she went and asked he said he wanted to be baptized also!!!!!! WE COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!!! He was already qualified since he had been to church way more than three times and had been taught all of the lessons! Well we thought nothing could bring us down from there..... WE were wrong. It proved from then on to be the Refiners fire. We ran into a hurdle during Auroras interview. We understood why she was afraid to be baptized that made it so that President needed to interview her. He said he would come down on sunday so it could not be delayed. We finished all of the interviews at 9. Aurora came up to me and said Quiero usted a bautizar me porque usted mi hijo. That made me feel really good. So the next day came and it was raining hard again!!!! We made it to the church and planed the baptism and quickly as we could. We were unable to do programs. We went to go fill up the font and when we got to the font it was filled with sewage water coming from the drain. It was raining so much that water was coming up from the font. We said a prayer that the rain would stop or slow down so everyone could get to church and water would stop coming into the font. We plugged it and went to sacrament. Everyone was able to make it including President from Baton Rouge without any problems. During testimony meeting Alex went up and bore his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! He talked about the example of his daughters and the happiness the church has brought them. After President did his interview with Aurora and we went to go fix the font. Water stopped coming from the drain but the font was a mess. We started taking buckets to take the water out. IT WAS NASTY!!!! By this time I was getting really really stressed but I had faith that the Lord would bring about his purpose. The branch president came in and said that even if we were to clean it how would it drain after we filled it. So he had it changed to the Lafayette building. After Auroras interview we ended up having interviews. It was really good. President kept talking about the 5 baptisms. We also had a temple recommend interview because my recommend expires this month. So we ended up to the Baptism with the Davis family just before we left a member without a car asked for a ride so we went to go pick him up. We got there 5 minutes before it was suppose to start. We ran into the bathrooms to change and trying to find a jumpsuit for Horrocks. We hurried and wrote down the program for our branch mission leader. Sister Hansen ran right in front to take a picture of us. We were able to take a picture in white with them just before the ordinace but I still have to get it from them.
The baptismal service was awesome. I got to Baptize Aurora and little Aurora and confirm Kayla, Mishelle, and Alex. It was so amazing! I felt like it was my parents and sisters also. I am so grateful for the inspiration that assigned me to New Iberia to meet this wonderful family. I love the Lomas family so much! I could not explain the joy that came to my heart. Coming back from the baptism there was a break in the clouds with some sun coming through the words of the hymn The Morning Breaks came to my mind.
1. The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day,
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.
2. The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory bursting from afar,
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o'er the nations soon will shine.
3. The Gentile fulness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand.
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.
4. Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live.
His mighty arm is making bare,
His mighty arm is making bare
His cov'nant people to receive.
5. --Angels from heav'n and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record borne;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth,
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth
To bring her ransomed children home
While the storms of life may surround us and it seems that all hope is lost. The Lord always brings about his purposes. There must be oppostistion in all things. I wouldn't have learned a lot of stuff I did had the baptism gone smoothly. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the peace and happiness it brings to families. I love my mission so much. Each day I understand more and more why I was called to the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission spanish speaking. The Church is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God. Thomas S. Monson is his successor today. The Book of mormon is true. May yall have an amazing week and may God keep yall safe!!!
Elder Richardson
SAM_1689 .JPG
Brighten your day.
larichardson65@yahoo.com
This message contains blocked images.Show Images Change this setting
Message body
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT A WEEK!!!! Two things that I have learned this week. 1. Satan is real. 2. God is at all times providing ways to bring forth is purposes in bringing his ransom children home. So lets begin with the week!
This week we got to see Grandpa Bill twice. One time he took us to a really good Sea food place with fried crab, fried oyster, fried catfish, fried shrimp. It was so good.
We also had FHE with sister Garza and bro Eric. It was really good. We did a lot of tracting and one of the last houses in the neighborhood was friends with our branch mission leader and his wife. We also saw Brain, Jose, and Mario. It was really good.
WELL...... To the story. On Tuesday we visted Aurora and the girls and scheduled their interview on Saturday at 3. They were telling us how Aurora makes them read the BOM every morning and read James 1:5. they said that testing has become so much more easier because of James 1:5. Aurora is an amazing for helping them! We got a phone call saturday morning from Aurora that Alex would be home so we could do the Baptism. Saturday morning we had a service project 20 miles south of New Iberia in a small town called Baldwin in our area with our branch mission leader to pick up trash for the city of Baldwin. After we finished we had lunch and then it started raining. Mama Fran our branch leaders wife told us we should leave before it gets too bad. Driving home was crazy!!!! It was raining in every direction the wind was blowing really bad. IT was probably the worst rain I had ever been in and I was driving in it HAHA. We came to an area where it was a farm land and fields and lighting was striking everywhere. It was really cool! We got to New Iberia safely but town was flooded! We could not get home. We went up on the railroad tracks on Jefferson Terrace and when we got to the top the road was flooded. Cars had there emergency lights on that must have been flooded. So we took another way. We got to E Dale where our apartment is and it was flooded. We were able to pull up on an area to be safe from the floods. We decided to walk to our complex which was also flooded. The water was to our knees!!! We were able to find a place we could get to and park and wait until the waters reseeded. Well we finally got a text we were on lockdown so the District leader couldn't come down from Lafayette. Finally around 5 the waters begin to drain so we could go get our car. Finally we get the clear around 6 that we can do the interview. The girls get interview first. We were still unsure if Aurora was going to get baptized. When I finished the girls records I asked her and she said she was going to ask Alex. When she went and asked he said he wanted to be baptized also!!!!!! WE COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED!!! He was already qualified since he had been to church way more than three times and had been taught all of the lessons! Well we thought nothing could bring us down from there..... WE were wrong. It proved from then on to be the Refiners fire. We ran into a hurdle during Auroras interview. We understood why she was afraid to be baptized that made it so that President needed to interview her. He said he would come down on sunday so it could not be delayed. We finished all of the interviews at 9. Aurora came up to me and said Quiero usted a bautizar me porque usted mi hijo. That made me feel really good. So the next day came and it was raining hard again!!!! We made it to the church and planed the baptism and quickly as we could. We were unable to do programs. We went to go fill up the font and when we got to the font it was filled with sewage water coming from the drain. It was raining so much that water was coming up from the font. We said a prayer that the rain would stop or slow down so everyone could get to church and water would stop coming into the font. We plugged it and went to sacrament. Everyone was able to make it including President from Baton Rouge without any problems. During testimony meeting Alex went up and bore his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! He talked about the example of his daughters and the happiness the church has brought them. After President did his interview with Aurora and we went to go fix the font. Water stopped coming from the drain but the font was a mess. We started taking buckets to take the water out. IT WAS NASTY!!!! By this time I was getting really really stressed but I had faith that the Lord would bring about his purpose. The branch president came in and said that even if we were to clean it how would it drain after we filled it. So he had it changed to the Lafayette building. After Auroras interview we ended up having interviews. It was really good. President kept talking about the 5 baptisms. We also had a temple recommend interview because my recommend expires this month. So we ended up to the Baptism with the Davis family just before we left a member without a car asked for a ride so we went to go pick him up. We got there 5 minutes before it was suppose to start. We ran into the bathrooms to change and trying to find a jumpsuit for Horrocks. We hurried and wrote down the program for our branch mission leader. Sister Hansen ran right in front to take a picture of us. We were able to take a picture in white with them just before the ordinace but I still have to get it from them.
The baptismal service was awesome. I got to Baptize Aurora and little Aurora and confirm Kayla, Mishelle, and Alex. It was so amazing! I felt like it was my parents and sisters also. I am so grateful for the inspiration that assigned me to New Iberia to meet this wonderful family. I love the Lomas family so much! I could not explain the joy that came to my heart. Coming back from the baptism there was a break in the clouds with some sun coming through the words of the hymn The Morning Breaks came to my mind.
1. The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day,
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.
2. The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory bursting from afar,
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o'er the nations soon will shine.
3. The Gentile fulness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand.
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.
4. Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live.
His mighty arm is making bare,
His mighty arm is making bare
His cov'nant people to receive.
5. --Angels from heav'n and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record borne;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth,
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth
To bring her ransomed children home
While the storms of life may surround us and it seems that all hope is lost. The Lord always brings about his purposes. There must be oppostistion in all things. I wouldn't have learned a lot of stuff I did had the baptism gone smoothly. I am so grateful for the gospel and for the peace and happiness it brings to families. I love my mission so much. Each day I understand more and more why I was called to the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission spanish speaking. The Church is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God. Thomas S. Monson is his successor today. The Book of mormon is true. May yall have an amazing week and may God keep yall safe!!!
Elder Richardson
SAM_1689 .JPG
Brighten your day.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Secret Prayer
Secret Prayer
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 18 at 1:13 PM
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BCC
larichardson65@yahoo.com
Message body
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
So this week was really good. I ended up getting a cold but we were still able to work a lot. We had zone conference in Baton Rouge so that took all day. We were able to see a bunch of people and do some tracting.
We were able to do some service by cleaning the rain gutters of a friend of a member. That was fun. We also visted bro Alfaro. We also saw Ruth, we planned to teach her the plan of salvation and when we went by she was sad because she just heard a friend had passed away. The plan of salvation was perfect ot teach at that time.
We also taught Aurora and her daughters the commandments and the plan of salvation. They came to church. We have their baptism planned for the next Saturday on the 30th. Aurora wants the girls to be baptized but she is starting to back out... Hopefully we can get her on board with the girls. We were able to play Volleyball with them and the sisters.
Micheal also came to church which was awesome. We saw a bunch of people and taught around 13 lessons this week.
My spiritual thought today comes from Bruce R. McConkie again. It comes from his first talk as an Apostle entitled I know my Redeemer Lives.
I am grateful beyond any measure of expression, beyond any utterance in my power, for the blessings the Lord has so abundantly showered upon me, upon my family, and upon the faithful Saints in all the world. I now seek, most sincerely and devoutly, to be guided by the power of the Holy Ghost in bearing testimony of the truth and divinity of this glorious work in which we are all engaged. I pray also that the spirit of light and truth and edification so far present in this meeting may continue to rest in your hearts, so that you, being edified, will know of yourselves that those things about which I shall testify are true.
As members of the church and kingdom of God on earth, we enjoy the gifts of the Spirit—those wonders and glories and miracles that a gracious and benevolent God always has bestowed upon his faithful saints. The first of these gifts listed in our modern revelation on spiritual gifts is the gift of testimony, the gift of revelation, the gift of knowing of the truth and divinity of the work. This gift is elsewhere described as the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. This is my gift. I know this work is true.
I have a perfect knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God through whose instrumentality the fullness of the everlasting gospel has been restored again in our day. And I know that this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth, and that as now constituted, with President Harold B. Lee at its head, it has the approval and approbation of the Lord, is in the line of its duty, and is preparing a people for the second coming of the Son of Man.
And I know further that the Lord pours out upon his people today the same glorious and wondrous gifts enjoyed by the ancient saints. To us in this day he gives the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, even as he did to them of old. “I will tell you” the glories and wonders of the everlasting gospel, he says; “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation.” (D&C 8:2–3.)
I know there is revelation in the Church because I have received revelation. I know God speaks in this day because he has spoken to me. I rejoice in the privilege and opportunity to serve as a witness of his name, to teach the truths of salvation which he has revealed, and then to testify that these doctrines are true.
This course of teaching sound doctrine and of testifying of the truth is the Lord’s system. Religion comes from God. There is no other source. That which is true, that which brings joy and peace into the hearts of men in this world and prepares them for eternal glory in the world to come—all this originates with the Lord. Man can no more create saving religion than he can resurrect himself.
God has given us the truths of salvation in this day on the same basis he has revealed them in every dispensation of the past. His system is now and always has been to reveal to apostles and prophets and righteous men the doctrines and truths of salvation and to command them to teach those truths and to bear witness of their verity to the world. They are to bear testimony that they know their teachings come from the Lord. His representatives and servants are always witnesses of the truth. I rejoice in the privilege of standing as a witness of the truth in this day.
I am grateful that I was privileged to raise my hand to the square and covenant in my mind and in my soul this day, as the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon this great congregation, that I would sustain and uphold and take the counsel of these great men whom God has called to preside over his kingdom, the First Presidency of the Church—President Harold B. Lee, a seer, a man filled with the spirit of revelation and of wisdom who is on intimate terms with that Lord whose we are; President N. Eldon Tanner, the embodiment of integrity and the basic Christian virtues, who loves the Lord and keeps his commandments; President Marion G. Romney, a spiritual giant, a preacher of righteousness, who knows the Lord and teaches his doctrine. President Romney and I are members of the same family. After I had been told of my call, he said to me, “I think Granddad Redd [Lemuel Hardison Redd] will be glad to receive us.” I said, “I am going to live so I will be worthy to go where he is.” He said, “So am I.”
With reference to these brethren who hold the keys of the kingdom of God at this hour, the voice of the Lord to his people is: “These are they whom I have chosen as the First Presidency of my Church. Follow them.” And also, “… on them have I laid the burden of all the churches, … and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent. …” (D&C 112:18–20.)
I desire with all my heart to sustain and to uphold the Presidency of the Church, to walk in the light of the revelation and truth that comes from their lips, as they give the mind and will of the Lord, both to his people and to the honest truth seekers among all the nations of the earth. I know that the work is true.
I think I speak for each one of you, I know I do for myself and my family, when I say that in this solemn assembly—with the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that has been present as we have sustained the authorities of the Church and as we have listened to President Lee as he spoke by the power of the Spirit—I think all of us desire to rededicate our lives to the principles of truth and righteousness for which these noble leaders, the Presidents of the Church named by President Lee, have lived and labored and died.
Let this then be our covenant—whatever the past has been—let this then be our covenant, that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless. Let this be our covenant, that we will keep the commandments of God and be living witnesses of the truth and divinity of this glorious work, which is destined to sweep the earth as with a flood and which shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
O God, grant that I and my family and all the faithful members of the house of Israel may walk in truth and light, and having enjoyed the fellowship and kinship and association that is found nowhere else on earth outside the Church, let us enjoy that same spirit, that same fellowship in its eternal fullness, in the mansions and realms which are ahead.
All of this I say humbly and gratefully, in the spirit of testimony and of thanksgiving, and in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank you for all that yall do!!!! May the lord bless yall. This Church is True. Read the Book of Mormon. It is true. It has the power to change your life and bring you closer to the Savior. THANKS YALL FOR ALL YOU DO!!! HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!!!!
Elder Richardson
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 18 at 1:13 PM
To
BCC
larichardson65@yahoo.com
Message body
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
So this week was really good. I ended up getting a cold but we were still able to work a lot. We had zone conference in Baton Rouge so that took all day. We were able to see a bunch of people and do some tracting.
We were able to do some service by cleaning the rain gutters of a friend of a member. That was fun. We also visted bro Alfaro. We also saw Ruth, we planned to teach her the plan of salvation and when we went by she was sad because she just heard a friend had passed away. The plan of salvation was perfect ot teach at that time.
We also taught Aurora and her daughters the commandments and the plan of salvation. They came to church. We have their baptism planned for the next Saturday on the 30th. Aurora wants the girls to be baptized but she is starting to back out... Hopefully we can get her on board with the girls. We were able to play Volleyball with them and the sisters.
Micheal also came to church which was awesome. We saw a bunch of people and taught around 13 lessons this week.
My spiritual thought today comes from Bruce R. McConkie again. It comes from his first talk as an Apostle entitled I know my Redeemer Lives.
I am grateful beyond any measure of expression, beyond any utterance in my power, for the blessings the Lord has so abundantly showered upon me, upon my family, and upon the faithful Saints in all the world. I now seek, most sincerely and devoutly, to be guided by the power of the Holy Ghost in bearing testimony of the truth and divinity of this glorious work in which we are all engaged. I pray also that the spirit of light and truth and edification so far present in this meeting may continue to rest in your hearts, so that you, being edified, will know of yourselves that those things about which I shall testify are true.
As members of the church and kingdom of God on earth, we enjoy the gifts of the Spirit—those wonders and glories and miracles that a gracious and benevolent God always has bestowed upon his faithful saints. The first of these gifts listed in our modern revelation on spiritual gifts is the gift of testimony, the gift of revelation, the gift of knowing of the truth and divinity of the work. This gift is elsewhere described as the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy. This is my gift. I know this work is true.
I have a perfect knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God through whose instrumentality the fullness of the everlasting gospel has been restored again in our day. And I know that this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth, and that as now constituted, with President Harold B. Lee at its head, it has the approval and approbation of the Lord, is in the line of its duty, and is preparing a people for the second coming of the Son of Man.
And I know further that the Lord pours out upon his people today the same glorious and wondrous gifts enjoyed by the ancient saints. To us in this day he gives the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, even as he did to them of old. “I will tell you” the glories and wonders of the everlasting gospel, he says; “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation.” (D&C 8:2–3.)
I know there is revelation in the Church because I have received revelation. I know God speaks in this day because he has spoken to me. I rejoice in the privilege and opportunity to serve as a witness of his name, to teach the truths of salvation which he has revealed, and then to testify that these doctrines are true.
This course of teaching sound doctrine and of testifying of the truth is the Lord’s system. Religion comes from God. There is no other source. That which is true, that which brings joy and peace into the hearts of men in this world and prepares them for eternal glory in the world to come—all this originates with the Lord. Man can no more create saving religion than he can resurrect himself.
God has given us the truths of salvation in this day on the same basis he has revealed them in every dispensation of the past. His system is now and always has been to reveal to apostles and prophets and righteous men the doctrines and truths of salvation and to command them to teach those truths and to bear witness of their verity to the world. They are to bear testimony that they know their teachings come from the Lord. His representatives and servants are always witnesses of the truth. I rejoice in the privilege of standing as a witness of the truth in this day.
I am grateful that I was privileged to raise my hand to the square and covenant in my mind and in my soul this day, as the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon this great congregation, that I would sustain and uphold and take the counsel of these great men whom God has called to preside over his kingdom, the First Presidency of the Church—President Harold B. Lee, a seer, a man filled with the spirit of revelation and of wisdom who is on intimate terms with that Lord whose we are; President N. Eldon Tanner, the embodiment of integrity and the basic Christian virtues, who loves the Lord and keeps his commandments; President Marion G. Romney, a spiritual giant, a preacher of righteousness, who knows the Lord and teaches his doctrine. President Romney and I are members of the same family. After I had been told of my call, he said to me, “I think Granddad Redd [Lemuel Hardison Redd] will be glad to receive us.” I said, “I am going to live so I will be worthy to go where he is.” He said, “So am I.”
With reference to these brethren who hold the keys of the kingdom of God at this hour, the voice of the Lord to his people is: “These are they whom I have chosen as the First Presidency of my Church. Follow them.” And also, “… on them have I laid the burden of all the churches, … and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent. …” (D&C 112:18–20.)
I desire with all my heart to sustain and to uphold the Presidency of the Church, to walk in the light of the revelation and truth that comes from their lips, as they give the mind and will of the Lord, both to his people and to the honest truth seekers among all the nations of the earth. I know that the work is true.
I think I speak for each one of you, I know I do for myself and my family, when I say that in this solemn assembly—with the outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that has been present as we have sustained the authorities of the Church and as we have listened to President Lee as he spoke by the power of the Spirit—I think all of us desire to rededicate our lives to the principles of truth and righteousness for which these noble leaders, the Presidents of the Church named by President Lee, have lived and labored and died.
Let this then be our covenant—whatever the past has been—let this then be our covenant, that we will walk in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless. Let this be our covenant, that we will keep the commandments of God and be living witnesses of the truth and divinity of this glorious work, which is destined to sweep the earth as with a flood and which shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
O God, grant that I and my family and all the faithful members of the house of Israel may walk in truth and light, and having enjoyed the fellowship and kinship and association that is found nowhere else on earth outside the Church, let us enjoy that same spirit, that same fellowship in its eternal fullness, in the mansions and realms which are ahead.
All of this I say humbly and gratefully, in the spirit of testimony and of thanksgiving, and in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank you for all that yall do!!!! May the lord bless yall. This Church is True. Read the Book of Mormon. It is true. It has the power to change your life and bring you closer to the Savior. THANKS YALL FOR ALL YOU DO!!! HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!!!!
Elder Richardson
The Day Dawn is Breaking
The Day Dawn is Breaking
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 11 at 11:26 AM
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BCC
larichardson65@yahoo.com
Message body
HEY ALL YALL!!!!
This past week was very very very busy! We had the opportunity to see a lot of people. We were able to see Miss. Pat. So she doesnt have to get her leg amputated but they found that she has a huge infection that she has to get removed. That night she invited us back for some crawfish. It was really good!
We also have a new investigator named Unrecka. Her house burnt down a couple of weeks ago and she has been wanting to get closer to God.
Our investigator Ruth is really interested in the gospel/ We went by and we shared the Book of mormon with her. She really was interested in it. She said that she felt the spirit really strong that she invited us to a family religious revival her sister was hosting on Saturday. So we went and they approached us to ask us to speak. I ended up speaking in behalf of the church and missionaries. I shared the family proclamation to the world and the importance of teaching the gospel and correct principles in the home. There were 90 people all of which were African American. I was the only white speaker haha!!! After we handed out copies of the family proclamation to the world with a restoration pamphlet. ALL WERE GONE!!! We had a couple of people asking us to come by next week. It was wierd because while I was speaking people were saying amen the whole time I was speaking. HAHA. I was even quoted by a later speaker HAHA!!! God works in mysterious ways for your finding.
On Sunday Micheal and Brother Desermoux showed up to church. We had a lesson with Micheal after about the Book of Mormon and we set a baptism date for the 30t. He was also able to attend a child baptism after church.
We also were able to see Brian and teach him the plan of salvation. We also visited Jose. He is now reading the part of the Book of Mormon when Christ comes which is really exciting. We also saw Aurora and her daughters. They are set for baptism on the 23rd. We are going to go though with this date because the father keeps holding them back because he works.
My spiritual thought today comes again from Bruce R McConkie "Come Know the Lord Jesus". I am trying to listen to all of his talks and they are so good that I want to share them. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/come-know-the-lord-jesus?lang=eng
People everywhere today are hearing voices, strange voices enticing them to follow bye and forbidden paths which lead to destruction. Nowhere is this more evident than in the pleading tones of that chorus of discordant voices which speak of the Savior of the world himself.
There are voices crying, “Lo, here is Christ” or “Lo there”—meaning that various preachers are saying: “Believe in Christ, and be saved according to this system” or “according to that system.”
A voice from the Koran acclaims Jesus as a prophet like Abraham and Moses, but sweeps aside the divine Sonship with the declaration that Allah has no need for a Son to redeem men; rather, he has but to speak and a thing is done.
A voice from one sect, looking back to the cross, says: “We were saved 2,000 years ago, and there is nothing we can do about it one way or the other now.”
Another voice proclaims: “Baptism is of no moment; simply believe;confess the Lord with your lips; no more is needed; Christ did it all.”
Another sect sets aside the need for good works with the assertion that there will be a final harmony of all souls with God—all will be saved.
Another sings out about confession, and penance, and purgatory, and the ritualistic rites of a priestly hierarchy. Another says our Lord was a great moral teacher, nothing more. Others believe the virgin birth was only a pious fiction fabricated by simple disciples who also made up the accounts of the miracles.
And so it goes; all sects, parties, and denominations acclaim a Christ molded to fit their diverse theological idiosyncrasies. And as we know, this very babble of voices crying out that salvation comes through Christ,according to this or that conflicting system, is itself one of the signs of the times.
Jesus foretold that in our day there would be false Christs and false prophets, meaning that false religions bearing his name would arise, and that false doctrines and false teachers would be everywhere.
Amid it all may we raise the one voice which echoes the mind and will and voice of the Lord. Our voice is one which testifies of a true and living Christ; it is one which says that the Lord Jesus has revealed himself and his gospel anew in modern times; it is a voice which invites all men to come to Him who died on Calvary, and to live his laws as he has given them to modern prophets.
May I now, as one who has come to a knowledge of the truth about our Savior, proclaim his divine Sonship and testify of that salvation which comes in and through his holy name and in no other way, and do it by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I shall speak of the Gods of heaven and of our relationship to them and of what they expect of us. And may I say, at the outset, that all those whose hearts are open, and whose minds are enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit, shall know of the truth of the doctrines I shall teach and the testimony I shall bear.
We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
The Father’s name is Elohim;
Jehovah is his Son.
Above all Gods they stand supreme,
And rule the universe.
Jehovah is the Holy One,
By whom redemption comes;
His gospel is the word of life;
He is our living Lord.
The Holy Spirit witness bears;
Our soul the message hears—
That Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Are man’s Eternal Gods.
Be it known, then, that there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal. He has all power, all might, and all dominion. There is no power he does not possess and no truth he does not know. Every good thing dwells in him independently in its eternal fulness. He is the Creator,Upholder, and Preserver of all things. His name is Elohim, and he is our Father in heaven, the literal Father of the spirits of all men. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, and is in fact a resurrected and glorified Person. The name of the kind of life he lives is eternal life; and eternal life, by definition and in its nature, consists of life in an eternal family unit and of the possession of the fulness of the glory and power of the Father.
The Lord Jesus, whose witnesses we are, is the Firstborn of the Father, the Firstborn of every creature. He was the Beloved and Chosen One from the beginning.
When our Eternal Father ordained and established the plan of salvation;when the great Elohim set up the system which would enable us, his spirit children, to advance and progress and become like him; when the Father of us all offered eternal life to his children—he asked for volunteers to put his plan into operation.
After all the hosts of heaven had been taught the gospel of God; after they knew of the perils and trials of a future mortality; after the need for a redeemer had been presented in the courts of glory—the Father propounded these questions and sent them forth through all the seraphic hosts of heaven:
“Whom shall I send to be my Son? Who will put the terms and conditions of my plan into effect? Who will work out the infinite and eternal atonement, whereby all men shall be raised in immortality, with those who believe and obey being raised also unto eternal life?”
Then it was that his Beloved and Firstborn Son responded:
“Here am I, send me; I will be thy Son; I will sponsor thy plan, Father; I will take upon me the sins of all men on conditions of repentance; and,Father, the honor and the glory be thine forever.”
Then it was that this Favored One—this One, who, under the Father, had been the Creator of worlds without number—was chosen and foreordained and became the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Then it was that the decree went forth that the great Jehovah should be born and die and rise again from the grave in glorious immortality, thus becoming in the full and literal sense like unto the Father.
Then it was that the Firstborn in the spirit was chosen to become the Only Begotten in the flesh.
Then it was that the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy because immortality and eternal life would now be a reality.
In due course came Adam and Eve; the fall of man, with its temporal and spiritual death; and the consequent promise of a Redeemer, a Savior, a Deliverer. The gospel of the Lord Jehovah was revealed so that men might worship the Father in his name and enjoy the words of eternal life on this earth and be inheritors of eternal life on the celestial earth that is to be.
Adam and Eve made all things known to their seed so they might believe in Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and work the works of righteousness.
Christ and his laws were revealed to all the holy prophets. As Peter said,“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43.)
He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel, the Holy One, the Lord Omnipotent. He was the promised Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer, the Son of David; and at the appointed time he was born of a virgin in Bethlehem of Judea, according to the promises.
From Mary, his mother, a mortal woman, he inherited the power of mortality, so that he was subject to all the temptations and ills of the flesh, including death itself. From God, his Father, an Immortal Man, he inherited the power of immortality, so that he had power to live forever,or having voluntarily laid down his life, to take it up again in immortal glory.
He came into the world to ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. He came to satisfy the demands of divine justice and to bring mercy to the penitent. He came as a Mediator, as an Intercessor, to plead the cause of all those who believe in him.
He came to bring immortality to all men as a free gift. He came to make eternal life available on conditions of obedience to the laws and ordinances of his gospel. He came to bring hope, to bring joy, to bring peace, to bring salvation; and his is the only name given under heaven whereby salvation comes.
Our Lord—the Lord Jehovah, the Lord Jesus—is our hope and our salvation. He it is that hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. He has redeemed us from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment.
After his resurrection he ascended up on high to sit on the right hand of the Father. He has appeared in our day, with his Father, who said: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17.)
He has appeared many other times to converse with his earthly friends;and in the not distant future he will come again, with ten thousand of his angels, in all the glory of his Father’s kingdom, to usher in his personal reign of righteousness and peace. When he comes he will slay the wicked and judge the world; and every corruptible thing will be destroyed by the glory of his presence.
He is our Friend, our Lawgiver, our King, and our Lord. We seek his face and desire to dwell in his presence. We are his people, the sheep of his fold.
Our desire is “to be reconciled to God” through his blood, “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” As one of our fellow laborers of old said: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ,” so that all men “may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Ne. 25:23, 26.)
And so now, in keeping with our established practice and pursuant to the divine obligation laid upon us, I bear personal testimony of the divine Sonship of him who has saved us by his blood. He is truly God’s Almighty Son in whom we shall rejoice both now and forever.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Thanks yall for your support and all that yall do!!! The Church is true!!! The Book of mormon is true! This is the Lord's kingdom established on the Earth just as Jesus Christ established it!!! HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK EVERYBODY!!!
Elder Richardson
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 11 at 11:26 AM
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BCC
larichardson65@yahoo.com
Message body
HEY ALL YALL!!!!
This past week was very very very busy! We had the opportunity to see a lot of people. We were able to see Miss. Pat. So she doesnt have to get her leg amputated but they found that she has a huge infection that she has to get removed. That night she invited us back for some crawfish. It was really good!
We also have a new investigator named Unrecka. Her house burnt down a couple of weeks ago and she has been wanting to get closer to God.
Our investigator Ruth is really interested in the gospel/ We went by and we shared the Book of mormon with her. She really was interested in it. She said that she felt the spirit really strong that she invited us to a family religious revival her sister was hosting on Saturday. So we went and they approached us to ask us to speak. I ended up speaking in behalf of the church and missionaries. I shared the family proclamation to the world and the importance of teaching the gospel and correct principles in the home. There were 90 people all of which were African American. I was the only white speaker haha!!! After we handed out copies of the family proclamation to the world with a restoration pamphlet. ALL WERE GONE!!! We had a couple of people asking us to come by next week. It was wierd because while I was speaking people were saying amen the whole time I was speaking. HAHA. I was even quoted by a later speaker HAHA!!! God works in mysterious ways for your finding.
On Sunday Micheal and Brother Desermoux showed up to church. We had a lesson with Micheal after about the Book of Mormon and we set a baptism date for the 30t. He was also able to attend a child baptism after church.
We also were able to see Brian and teach him the plan of salvation. We also visited Jose. He is now reading the part of the Book of Mormon when Christ comes which is really exciting. We also saw Aurora and her daughters. They are set for baptism on the 23rd. We are going to go though with this date because the father keeps holding them back because he works.
My spiritual thought today comes again from Bruce R McConkie "Come Know the Lord Jesus". I am trying to listen to all of his talks and they are so good that I want to share them. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/come-know-the-lord-jesus?lang=eng
People everywhere today are hearing voices, strange voices enticing them to follow bye and forbidden paths which lead to destruction. Nowhere is this more evident than in the pleading tones of that chorus of discordant voices which speak of the Savior of the world himself.
There are voices crying, “Lo, here is Christ” or “Lo there”—meaning that various preachers are saying: “Believe in Christ, and be saved according to this system” or “according to that system.”
A voice from the Koran acclaims Jesus as a prophet like Abraham and Moses, but sweeps aside the divine Sonship with the declaration that Allah has no need for a Son to redeem men; rather, he has but to speak and a thing is done.
A voice from one sect, looking back to the cross, says: “We were saved 2,000 years ago, and there is nothing we can do about it one way or the other now.”
Another voice proclaims: “Baptism is of no moment; simply believe;confess the Lord with your lips; no more is needed; Christ did it all.”
Another sect sets aside the need for good works with the assertion that there will be a final harmony of all souls with God—all will be saved.
Another sings out about confession, and penance, and purgatory, and the ritualistic rites of a priestly hierarchy. Another says our Lord was a great moral teacher, nothing more. Others believe the virgin birth was only a pious fiction fabricated by simple disciples who also made up the accounts of the miracles.
And so it goes; all sects, parties, and denominations acclaim a Christ molded to fit their diverse theological idiosyncrasies. And as we know, this very babble of voices crying out that salvation comes through Christ,according to this or that conflicting system, is itself one of the signs of the times.
Jesus foretold that in our day there would be false Christs and false prophets, meaning that false religions bearing his name would arise, and that false doctrines and false teachers would be everywhere.
Amid it all may we raise the one voice which echoes the mind and will and voice of the Lord. Our voice is one which testifies of a true and living Christ; it is one which says that the Lord Jesus has revealed himself and his gospel anew in modern times; it is a voice which invites all men to come to Him who died on Calvary, and to live his laws as he has given them to modern prophets.
May I now, as one who has come to a knowledge of the truth about our Savior, proclaim his divine Sonship and testify of that salvation which comes in and through his holy name and in no other way, and do it by the power of the Holy Ghost.
I shall speak of the Gods of heaven and of our relationship to them and of what they expect of us. And may I say, at the outset, that all those whose hearts are open, and whose minds are enlightened by the power of the Holy Spirit, shall know of the truth of the doctrines I shall teach and the testimony I shall bear.
We worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
The Father’s name is Elohim;
Jehovah is his Son.
Above all Gods they stand supreme,
And rule the universe.
Jehovah is the Holy One,
By whom redemption comes;
His gospel is the word of life;
He is our living Lord.
The Holy Spirit witness bears;
Our soul the message hears—
That Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Are man’s Eternal Gods.
Be it known, then, that there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal. He has all power, all might, and all dominion. There is no power he does not possess and no truth he does not know. Every good thing dwells in him independently in its eternal fulness. He is the Creator,Upholder, and Preserver of all things. His name is Elohim, and he is our Father in heaven, the literal Father of the spirits of all men. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, and is in fact a resurrected and glorified Person. The name of the kind of life he lives is eternal life; and eternal life, by definition and in its nature, consists of life in an eternal family unit and of the possession of the fulness of the glory and power of the Father.
The Lord Jesus, whose witnesses we are, is the Firstborn of the Father, the Firstborn of every creature. He was the Beloved and Chosen One from the beginning.
When our Eternal Father ordained and established the plan of salvation;when the great Elohim set up the system which would enable us, his spirit children, to advance and progress and become like him; when the Father of us all offered eternal life to his children—he asked for volunteers to put his plan into operation.
After all the hosts of heaven had been taught the gospel of God; after they knew of the perils and trials of a future mortality; after the need for a redeemer had been presented in the courts of glory—the Father propounded these questions and sent them forth through all the seraphic hosts of heaven:
“Whom shall I send to be my Son? Who will put the terms and conditions of my plan into effect? Who will work out the infinite and eternal atonement, whereby all men shall be raised in immortality, with those who believe and obey being raised also unto eternal life?”
Then it was that his Beloved and Firstborn Son responded:
“Here am I, send me; I will be thy Son; I will sponsor thy plan, Father; I will take upon me the sins of all men on conditions of repentance; and,Father, the honor and the glory be thine forever.”
Then it was that this Favored One—this One, who, under the Father, had been the Creator of worlds without number—was chosen and foreordained and became the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Then it was that the decree went forth that the great Jehovah should be born and die and rise again from the grave in glorious immortality, thus becoming in the full and literal sense like unto the Father.
Then it was that the Firstborn in the spirit was chosen to become the Only Begotten in the flesh.
Then it was that the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy because immortality and eternal life would now be a reality.
In due course came Adam and Eve; the fall of man, with its temporal and spiritual death; and the consequent promise of a Redeemer, a Savior, a Deliverer. The gospel of the Lord Jehovah was revealed so that men might worship the Father in his name and enjoy the words of eternal life on this earth and be inheritors of eternal life on the celestial earth that is to be.
Adam and Eve made all things known to their seed so they might believe in Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and work the works of righteousness.
Christ and his laws were revealed to all the holy prophets. As Peter said,“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:43.)
He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel, the Holy One, the Lord Omnipotent. He was the promised Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer, the Son of David; and at the appointed time he was born of a virgin in Bethlehem of Judea, according to the promises.
From Mary, his mother, a mortal woman, he inherited the power of mortality, so that he was subject to all the temptations and ills of the flesh, including death itself. From God, his Father, an Immortal Man, he inherited the power of immortality, so that he had power to live forever,or having voluntarily laid down his life, to take it up again in immortal glory.
He came into the world to ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death brought upon them by the fall of Adam. He came to satisfy the demands of divine justice and to bring mercy to the penitent. He came as a Mediator, as an Intercessor, to plead the cause of all those who believe in him.
He came to bring immortality to all men as a free gift. He came to make eternal life available on conditions of obedience to the laws and ordinances of his gospel. He came to bring hope, to bring joy, to bring peace, to bring salvation; and his is the only name given under heaven whereby salvation comes.
Our Lord—the Lord Jehovah, the Lord Jesus—is our hope and our salvation. He it is that hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. He has redeemed us from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment.
After his resurrection he ascended up on high to sit on the right hand of the Father. He has appeared in our day, with his Father, who said: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (JS—H 1:17.)
He has appeared many other times to converse with his earthly friends;and in the not distant future he will come again, with ten thousand of his angels, in all the glory of his Father’s kingdom, to usher in his personal reign of righteousness and peace. When he comes he will slay the wicked and judge the world; and every corruptible thing will be destroyed by the glory of his presence.
He is our Friend, our Lawgiver, our King, and our Lord. We seek his face and desire to dwell in his presence. We are his people, the sheep of his fold.
Our desire is “to be reconciled to God” through his blood, “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” As one of our fellow laborers of old said: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ,” so that all men “may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (2 Ne. 25:23, 26.)
And so now, in keeping with our established practice and pursuant to the divine obligation laid upon us, I bear personal testimony of the divine Sonship of him who has saved us by his blood. He is truly God’s Almighty Son in whom we shall rejoice both now and forever.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Thanks yall for your support and all that yall do!!! The Church is true!!! The Book of mormon is true! This is the Lord's kingdom established on the Earth just as Jesus Christ established it!!! HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK EVERYBODY!!!
Elder Richardson
Beautiful Zion, Built Above
Beautiful Zion, Built Above
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 5 at 11:24 AM
To
BCC
larichardson65@yahoo.com
Message body
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
So me and my companion both got word that we are both staying in New Iberia this next transfer.
So this week was a good week. It was really busy. We were able to go see Jose on Monday. We were able to read the Book of Mormon with him. We also saw Miss. Pat. She is having a lot of health struggles right now. She may have to get her leg amputated. She went and saw the doctor on Thursday at Baton Rouge so we have not found out what happened there, hopefully all went well. We are going to see her tonight. We also were able to see Brian and teach him the plan of salvation. We also went to Aurora and her daughters. We went on Thursday to do family home evening with them. We went by on Sunday also to teach them the importance of prophets and invited them to watch general conference.
We also went to contact bible referals. We got a new investigator from it named Ruth. She was really nice. We will be giving her a book of mormon tomorrow.
We also were able to see Micheal. He attended the priesthood session of conference.
It was a really good week. It was really busy. We did some tracting early in the week but near the end of the week it became really busy.
I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to listen to our prophets and apostles
One of my favorite talks is by Bruce R. McConkie called Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/04/obedience-consecration-and-sacrifice?lang=eng
I have sought and do now seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that I may speak plainly and persuasively about two of the crowning doctrines of the gospel.
We are the Lord’s people, his saints, those to whom he has given much and from whom he expects much in return. We know the terms and conditions of the plan of salvation—how Christ died for our sins and what we must do to reap the full blessings of his atoning sacrifice.
We have covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve him,to keep his commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has promised us eternal life in his Father’s kingdom. We are thus in a position to receive and obey some of the higher laws which prepare us for that eternal life which we so sincerely seek.
Accordingly, I shall now set forth some of the principles of sacrifice and consecration to which the true saints must conform if they are ever to go where God and Christ are and have an inheritance with the faithful saints of ages past.
It is written: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws.
Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord’s interests on earth.
The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth’s sake—our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all things, even our very lives if need be.
Joseph Smith said, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary [to lead] unto life and salvation.” (Lectures on Faith, p. 58.)
We are not always called upon to live the whole law of consecrationand give all of our time, talents, and means to the building up of the Lord’s earthly kingdom. Few of us are called upon to sacrifice much of what we possess, and at the moment there is only an occasional martyr in the cause of revealed religion.
But what the scriptural account means is that to gain celestial salvation we must be able to live these laws to the full if we are called upon to do so. Implicit in this is the reality that we must in fact live them to the extent we are called upon so to do.
How, for instance, can we establish our ability to live the full law of consecration if we do not in fact pay an honest tithing? Or how can we prove our willingness to sacrifice all things, if need be, if we do not make the small sacrifices of time and toil, or of money and means, that we are now asked to make?
As a young man, serving at the direction of my bishop, I called upon a rich man and invited him to contribute a thousand dollars to a building fund. He declined. But he did say he wanted to help, and if we would have a ward dinner and charge $5 per plate, he would take two tickets. About ten days later this man died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and I have wondered ever since about the fate of his eternal soul.
Wasn’t there someone once who said, “Beware of covetousness: fora man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Didn’t this same person then speak this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
“And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
“And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
“And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
And then did He not conclude the matter by saying, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke12:15–21.)
When the prophet Gad commanded David to build an altar and offer sacrifice on property owned by a certain man, that man offered to provide the land, the oxen, and all things for the sacrifice, without cost. But David said, “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price:neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24:24.)
When it costs us but little to give, the treasure laid up in heaven is a small one. The widow’s mite, given in sacrifice, weighs more heavily in the eternal scales than the bulging granaries of the rich man.
There came to Jesus, on a certain occasion, a rich young man who asked: “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
Our Lord’s answer was the obvious one, the one given by all the prophets of all the ages. It was: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The next question was: “Which commandments?”
Jesus listed them: “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Then came this response and query—for the young man was a good man, a faithful man, one who sought righteousness: “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”
We might well ask, “Isn’t it enough to keep the commandments?What more is expected of us than to be true and faithful to every trust? Is there more than the law of obedience?”
In the case of our rich young friend there was more. He was expected to live the law of consecration, to sacrifice his earthly possessions, for the answer of Jesus was: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
As you know, the young man went away sorrowful, “for he had greatpossessions.” (Matt. 19:16–22.) And we are left to wonder what intimacies he might have shared with the Son of God, what fellowship he might have enjoyed with the apostles, what revelations and visions he might have received, if he had been able to live the law of a celestial kingdom. As it is he remains nameless; as it might have been, his name could have been had in honorable remembrance among the saints forever.
Now I think it is perfectly clear that the Lord expects far more of us than we sometimes render in response. We are not as other men.We are the saints of God and have the revelations of heaven. Where much is given much is expected. We are to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom.
We are commanded to live in harmony with the Lord’s laws, to keep all his commandments, to sacrifice all things if need be for his name’s sake, to conform to the terms and conditions of the law of consecration.
We have made covenants so to do—solemn, sacred, holy covenants,pledging ourselves before gods and angels.
We are under covenant to live the law of obedience.
We are under covenant to live the law of sacrifice.
We are under covenant to live the law of consecration.
With this in mind, hear this word from the Lord: “If you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.” (D&C 78:7.)
It is our privilege to consecrate our time, talents, and means to buildup his kingdom. We are called upon to sacrifice, in one degree or another, for the furtherance of his work. Obedience is essential to salvation; so, also, is service; and so, also, are consecration and sacrifice.
It is our privilege to raise the warning voice to our neighbors and to go on missions and offer the truths of salvation to our Father’s other children everywhere. We can respond to calls to serve as bishops, as Relief Society presidents, as home teachers, and in any of hundreds of positions of responsibility in our various church organizations. We can labor on welfare projects, engage in genealogical research,perform vicarious ordinances in the temples.
We can pay an honest tithing and contribute to our fast offering,welfare, budget, building, and missionary funds. We can bequeath portions of our assets and devise portions of our properties to the Church when we pass on to other spheres.
We can consecrate a portion of our time to systematic study, to becoming gospel scholars, to treasuring up the revealed truths which guide us in paths of truth and righteousness.
And the fact that faithful members of the Church do all these things is one of the great evidences of the divinity of the work. Where else do the generality of the members of any church pay a full tithing?Where is there a people whose congregations have one and two and three percent of their number out in volunteer, self-supporting missionary work at all times? Where does any people as a whole build temples or operate welfare projects as we do? And where is there so much unpaid teaching and church administration?
In the true church we neither preach for hire nor divine for money.We follow the pattern of Paul and make the gospel of Christ without charge, lest we abuse or misuse the power the Lord has given us.Freely we have received and freely we give, for salvation is free. All who thirst are invited to come and drink of the waters of life, to buy corn and wine without money and without price.
All our service in God’s kingdom is predicated on his eternal law which states: “The laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion, for if they labor for money they shall perish.” (2 Ne. 26:31.)
We know full well that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and that those who devote all their time to the building up of the kingdom must be provided with food, clothing, shelter, and the necessaries of life. We must employ teachers in our schools, architects to design our temples, contractors to build our synagogues, and managers to run our businesses. But those so employed, along with the whole membership of the Church, participate also on a freewill and voluntary basis in otherwise furthering the Lord’s work. Bank presidents work on welfare projects. Architects leave their drafting boards to go on missions. Contractors lay down their tools to serve as home teachers or bishops. Lawyers put aside Corpus Juris and the Civil Code to act as guides on Temple Square. Teachers leave the classroom to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.Musicians who make their livelihood from their artistry willingly direct church choirs and perform at church gatherings. Artists who paint for a living are pleased to volunteer their services freely.
But the work of the kingdom must go forward, and the members of the Church are and shall be called upon to bear off its burdens. It is the Lord’s work and not man’s. He is the one who commands us to preach the gospel in all the world, whatever the cost. It is his voice that decrees the building of temples, whatever the cost. He is the one who tells us to care for the poor among us, whatever the cost,lest their cries come up to his throne as a testimony against those who should have fed the hungry and clothed the naked but who did not.
And may I say also—both by way of doctrine and of testimony—that it is his voice which invites us to consecrate of our time, our talents,and our means to carry on his work. It is his voice that calls for service and sacrifice. This is his work. He is at the helm guiding and directing the destiny of his kingdom.
And every member of his church has this promise: That if he remains true and faithful—obeying, serving, consecrating, sacrificing, as required by the gospel—he shall be repaid in eternity a thousandfold and shall have eternal life. What more can we ask?
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
These laws can be very hard to live, but we must remember that God sacrificed his only begotten son. We must remember the goodness the gospel has given us. May yall have an amazing week!!!
Elder Richardson
Brighten your day.
Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net> Apr 5 at 11:24 AM
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larichardson65@yahoo.com
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HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
So me and my companion both got word that we are both staying in New Iberia this next transfer.
So this week was a good week. It was really busy. We were able to go see Jose on Monday. We were able to read the Book of Mormon with him. We also saw Miss. Pat. She is having a lot of health struggles right now. She may have to get her leg amputated. She went and saw the doctor on Thursday at Baton Rouge so we have not found out what happened there, hopefully all went well. We are going to see her tonight. We also were able to see Brian and teach him the plan of salvation. We also went to Aurora and her daughters. We went on Thursday to do family home evening with them. We went by on Sunday also to teach them the importance of prophets and invited them to watch general conference.
We also went to contact bible referals. We got a new investigator from it named Ruth. She was really nice. We will be giving her a book of mormon tomorrow.
We also were able to see Micheal. He attended the priesthood session of conference.
It was a really good week. It was really busy. We did some tracting early in the week but near the end of the week it became really busy.
I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to listen to our prophets and apostles
One of my favorite talks is by Bruce R. McConkie called Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/04/obedience-consecration-and-sacrifice?lang=eng
I have sought and do now seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that I may speak plainly and persuasively about two of the crowning doctrines of the gospel.
We are the Lord’s people, his saints, those to whom he has given much and from whom he expects much in return. We know the terms and conditions of the plan of salvation—how Christ died for our sins and what we must do to reap the full blessings of his atoning sacrifice.
We have covenanted in the waters of baptism to love and serve him,to keep his commandments, and to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom. In return he has promised us eternal life in his Father’s kingdom. We are thus in a position to receive and obey some of the higher laws which prepare us for that eternal life which we so sincerely seek.
Accordingly, I shall now set forth some of the principles of sacrifice and consecration to which the true saints must conform if they are ever to go where God and Christ are and have an inheritance with the faithful saints of ages past.
It is written: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws.
Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord’s interests on earth.
The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth’s sake—our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all things, even our very lives if need be.
Joseph Smith said, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary [to lead] unto life and salvation.” (Lectures on Faith, p. 58.)
We are not always called upon to live the whole law of consecrationand give all of our time, talents, and means to the building up of the Lord’s earthly kingdom. Few of us are called upon to sacrifice much of what we possess, and at the moment there is only an occasional martyr in the cause of revealed religion.
But what the scriptural account means is that to gain celestial salvation we must be able to live these laws to the full if we are called upon to do so. Implicit in this is the reality that we must in fact live them to the extent we are called upon so to do.
How, for instance, can we establish our ability to live the full law of consecration if we do not in fact pay an honest tithing? Or how can we prove our willingness to sacrifice all things, if need be, if we do not make the small sacrifices of time and toil, or of money and means, that we are now asked to make?
As a young man, serving at the direction of my bishop, I called upon a rich man and invited him to contribute a thousand dollars to a building fund. He declined. But he did say he wanted to help, and if we would have a ward dinner and charge $5 per plate, he would take two tickets. About ten days later this man died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and I have wondered ever since about the fate of his eternal soul.
Wasn’t there someone once who said, “Beware of covetousness: fora man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Didn’t this same person then speak this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
“And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
“And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
“And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
And then did He not conclude the matter by saying, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke12:15–21.)
When the prophet Gad commanded David to build an altar and offer sacrifice on property owned by a certain man, that man offered to provide the land, the oxen, and all things for the sacrifice, without cost. But David said, “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price:neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” (2 Sam. 24:24.)
When it costs us but little to give, the treasure laid up in heaven is a small one. The widow’s mite, given in sacrifice, weighs more heavily in the eternal scales than the bulging granaries of the rich man.
There came to Jesus, on a certain occasion, a rich young man who asked: “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
Our Lord’s answer was the obvious one, the one given by all the prophets of all the ages. It was: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
The next question was: “Which commandments?”
Jesus listed them: “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
Then came this response and query—for the young man was a good man, a faithful man, one who sought righteousness: “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?”
We might well ask, “Isn’t it enough to keep the commandments?What more is expected of us than to be true and faithful to every trust? Is there more than the law of obedience?”
In the case of our rich young friend there was more. He was expected to live the law of consecration, to sacrifice his earthly possessions, for the answer of Jesus was: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”
As you know, the young man went away sorrowful, “for he had greatpossessions.” (Matt. 19:16–22.) And we are left to wonder what intimacies he might have shared with the Son of God, what fellowship he might have enjoyed with the apostles, what revelations and visions he might have received, if he had been able to live the law of a celestial kingdom. As it is he remains nameless; as it might have been, his name could have been had in honorable remembrance among the saints forever.
Now I think it is perfectly clear that the Lord expects far more of us than we sometimes render in response. We are not as other men.We are the saints of God and have the revelations of heaven. Where much is given much is expected. We are to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom.
We are commanded to live in harmony with the Lord’s laws, to keep all his commandments, to sacrifice all things if need be for his name’s sake, to conform to the terms and conditions of the law of consecration.
We have made covenants so to do—solemn, sacred, holy covenants,pledging ourselves before gods and angels.
We are under covenant to live the law of obedience.
We are under covenant to live the law of sacrifice.
We are under covenant to live the law of consecration.
With this in mind, hear this word from the Lord: “If you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.” (D&C 78:7.)
It is our privilege to consecrate our time, talents, and means to buildup his kingdom. We are called upon to sacrifice, in one degree or another, for the furtherance of his work. Obedience is essential to salvation; so, also, is service; and so, also, are consecration and sacrifice.
It is our privilege to raise the warning voice to our neighbors and to go on missions and offer the truths of salvation to our Father’s other children everywhere. We can respond to calls to serve as bishops, as Relief Society presidents, as home teachers, and in any of hundreds of positions of responsibility in our various church organizations. We can labor on welfare projects, engage in genealogical research,perform vicarious ordinances in the temples.
We can pay an honest tithing and contribute to our fast offering,welfare, budget, building, and missionary funds. We can bequeath portions of our assets and devise portions of our properties to the Church when we pass on to other spheres.
We can consecrate a portion of our time to systematic study, to becoming gospel scholars, to treasuring up the revealed truths which guide us in paths of truth and righteousness.
And the fact that faithful members of the Church do all these things is one of the great evidences of the divinity of the work. Where else do the generality of the members of any church pay a full tithing?Where is there a people whose congregations have one and two and three percent of their number out in volunteer, self-supporting missionary work at all times? Where does any people as a whole build temples or operate welfare projects as we do? And where is there so much unpaid teaching and church administration?
In the true church we neither preach for hire nor divine for money.We follow the pattern of Paul and make the gospel of Christ without charge, lest we abuse or misuse the power the Lord has given us.Freely we have received and freely we give, for salvation is free. All who thirst are invited to come and drink of the waters of life, to buy corn and wine without money and without price.
All our service in God’s kingdom is predicated on his eternal law which states: “The laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion, for if they labor for money they shall perish.” (2 Ne. 26:31.)
We know full well that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and that those who devote all their time to the building up of the kingdom must be provided with food, clothing, shelter, and the necessaries of life. We must employ teachers in our schools, architects to design our temples, contractors to build our synagogues, and managers to run our businesses. But those so employed, along with the whole membership of the Church, participate also on a freewill and voluntary basis in otherwise furthering the Lord’s work. Bank presidents work on welfare projects. Architects leave their drafting boards to go on missions. Contractors lay down their tools to serve as home teachers or bishops. Lawyers put aside Corpus Juris and the Civil Code to act as guides on Temple Square. Teachers leave the classroom to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.Musicians who make their livelihood from their artistry willingly direct church choirs and perform at church gatherings. Artists who paint for a living are pleased to volunteer their services freely.
But the work of the kingdom must go forward, and the members of the Church are and shall be called upon to bear off its burdens. It is the Lord’s work and not man’s. He is the one who commands us to preach the gospel in all the world, whatever the cost. It is his voice that decrees the building of temples, whatever the cost. He is the one who tells us to care for the poor among us, whatever the cost,lest their cries come up to his throne as a testimony against those who should have fed the hungry and clothed the naked but who did not.
And may I say also—both by way of doctrine and of testimony—that it is his voice which invites us to consecrate of our time, our talents,and our means to carry on his work. It is his voice that calls for service and sacrifice. This is his work. He is at the helm guiding and directing the destiny of his kingdom.
And every member of his church has this promise: That if he remains true and faithful—obeying, serving, consecrating, sacrificing, as required by the gospel—he shall be repaid in eternity a thousandfold and shall have eternal life. What more can we ask?
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
These laws can be very hard to live, but we must remember that God sacrificed his only begotten son. We must remember the goodness the gospel has given us. May yall have an amazing week!!!
Elder Richardson
Brighten your day.
Come listen to a Prophets Voice March 28th
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
So this week was a good week. We ended up doing a lot of finding for the easter season. Tuesday we helped do some service.... Wednesday we saw a less active family. Thursday we were able to go by and see Jose. We read with him the Book of Mormon. We also went by and saw Sister Fresh. We also visited with the Davis family and they invited a friend of theirs over. Friday we had a meeting almost all day in Baton Rouge. Saturday we saw an investigator named Brian. We did some park contacting with chalk and wrote easter scriptures with the church's #Hallelujah initiative. We had a lot of people check it out. After we did more tracting, I think everybody was at Mass because no one was home. A lot of our investigators were not home for Easter.
Sunday I spoke in Sacrament. That was fun. After we went by and saw Brother Stanely for lunch. We tracted after that and then we saw Aurora and her daughters after. We went to a family in the branch after and had dinner with them.
I am so excited for this weekend for Conference. I am so excited to listen to our prophets and apostles this weekend. One of my favorite talks is by Russell M. Nielson titled Sustaining the Prophet. I invite yall to read it. I know that President Monson is the lords prophet on the earth again. I hope yall will watch general conference!!!
President Eyring, we thank you for your instructive and inspiring message. My dear brothers and sisters, we thank you for your faith and devotion. Yesterday, we were each invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as the prophet of the Lord and President of the Lord’s Church. And often we sing, “We thank thee, O God, for a prophet.”Do you and I really understand what that means? Imagine the privilege the Lord has given us of sustaining His prophet, whose counsel will be untainted, unvarnished, unmotivated by any personal aspiration, and utterly true!
How do we really sustain a prophet? Long before he became President of the Church, President Joseph F. Smith explained, “It is an important duty resting upon the Saints who … sustain the authorities of the Church, to do so not only by the lifting of the hand,the mere form, but in deed and in truth.”2
Well do I remember my most unique “deed” to sustain a prophet. As a medical doctor and cardiac surgeon, I had the responsibility of performing open-heart surgery on President Spencer W. Kimball in 1972, when he was Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He needed a very complex operation. But I had no experience doing such a procedure on a 77-year-old patient in heart failure. I did not recommend the operation and so informed President Kimball and the First Presidency. But, in faith, President Kimball chose to have the operation, only because it was advised by the First Presidency. That shows how he sustained his leaders! And his decision made me tremble!
Thanks to the Lord, the operation was a success. When President Kimball’s heart resumed beating, it did so with great power! At that very moment, I had a clear witness of the Spirit that this man would one day become President of the Church!3
You know the outcome. Only 20 months later, President Kimball became President of the Church. And he provided bold and courageous leadership for many years.
Since then we have sustained Presidents Ezra Taft Benson,Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and now Thomas S. Monson as Presidents of the Church—prophets in every sense of the word!
My dear brothers and sisters, if the Restoration did anything, it shattered the age-old myth that God had stopped talking to His children. Nothing could be further from the truth. A prophet has stood at the head of God’s Church in all dispensations, from Adam to the present day.4 Prophets testify of Jesus Christ—of His divinity and of His earthly mission and ministry.5 We honor the Prophet Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation. And we honor each man who has succeeded him as President of the Church.
When we sustain prophets and other leaders,6 we invoke the law of common consent, for the Lord said, “It shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.”7
This gives us, as members of the Lord’s Church, confidence and faith as we strive to keep the scriptural injunction to heed the Lord’s voice as it comes through the voice of His servants the prophets. All leaders in the Lord’s Church are called by proper authority. No prophet or any other leader in this Church, for that matter, has ever called himself or herself. No prophet has ever been elected. The Lord made that clear when He said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you.”10 You and I do not “vote” on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them.
The ways of the Lord are different from the ways of man. Man’s ways remove people from office or business when they grow old or become disabled. But man’s ways are not and never will be the Lord’s ways. Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us.
Twenty-six years before he became President of the Church, then-Elder George Albert Smith said: “The obligation that we make when we raise our hands … is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means … that we will stand behind him;we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct.”11
The living Lord leads His living Church!12 The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet. Yesterday, after we were invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as President of the Church, we also had the privilege to sustain him, the counselors in the First Presidency,and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets,seers, and revelators. Think of that! We sustain 15 men as prophets of God! They hold all the priesthood keys that have ever been conferred upon man in this dispensation.
The calling of 15 men to the holy apostleship provides great protection for us as members of the Church. Why? Because decisions of these leaders must be unanimous.13 Can you imagine how the Spirit needs to move upon 15 men to bring about unanimity? These 15 men have varied educational and professional backgrounds, with differing opinions about many things. Trust me!These 15 men—prophets, seers, and revelators—know what the will of the Lord is when unanimity is reached! They are committed to see that the Lord’s will truly will be done. The Lord’s Prayer provides the pattern for each of these 15 men when they pray: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”14
The Apostle with the longest seniority in the office of Apostle presides.15 That system of seniority will usually bring older men to the office of President of the Church.16 It provides continuity,seasoned maturity, experience, and extensive preparation, as guided by the Lord.
The Church today has been organized by the Lord Himself. He has put in place a remarkable system of governance that provides redundancy and backup. That system provides for prophetic leadership even when the inevitable illnesses and incapacities may come with advancing age.17 Counterbalances and safeguards abound so that no one can ever lead the Church astray. Senior leaders are constantly being tutored such that one day they are ready to sit in the highest councils. They learn how to hear the voice of the Lord through the whisperings of the Spirit.
While serving as First Counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson, who was then nearing the end of his mortal life, President Gordon B. Hinckley explained:
“The principles and procedures which the Lord has put in place for the governance of His church make provision for any …circumstance. It is important … that there be no doubts or concerns about the governance of the Church and the exercise of the prophetic gifts, including the right to inspiration and revelation in administering the affairs and programs of the Church, when the President may be ill or is not able to function fully.
“The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, called and ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and responsibility to govern the Church, to administer its ordinances, to expound its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices.”
President Hinckley continued:
“When the President is ill or not able to function fully in all of the duties of his office, his two Counselors together comprise a Quorum of the First Presidency. They carry on with the day-to-day work of the Presidency. …
“… But any major questions of policy, procedures, programs, or doctrine are considered deliberately and prayerfully by the First Presidency and the Twelve together.”18
Last year, when President Monson reached the milestone of 5 years of service as President of the Church, he reflected on his 50 years of apostolic service and made this statement: “Age eventually takes itstoll on all of us. However, we join our voices with King Benjamin, who said, … ‘I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen … and consecrated by my father, … and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power,to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me’ (Mosiah 2:11).”
President Monson continued: “Despite any health challenges that may come to us, despite any weakness in body or mind, we serve tot he best of our ability. I assure you that the Church is in good hands.The system set up for the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve [Apostles] assures [us] that it will always be in good hands and that, come what may, there is no need to worry or to fear. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we follow, whom we worship,and whom we serve, is ever at the helm.”19
President Monson, we thank you for those truths! And we thank you for your lifetime of exemplary and dedicated service. May I presume to speak for the members of the Church throughout the world in our united and sincere expression of gratitude for you. We honor you!We love you! We sustain you, not only with uplifted hands but with all our hearts and consecrated efforts. Humbly and fervently, “we ever pray for thee, our prophet dear”!20 In the name of Jesus Christ,amen.
Thanks yall for what you do!!!!
Elder Richardson
So this week was a good week. We ended up doing a lot of finding for the easter season. Tuesday we helped do some service.... Wednesday we saw a less active family. Thursday we were able to go by and see Jose. We read with him the Book of Mormon. We also went by and saw Sister Fresh. We also visited with the Davis family and they invited a friend of theirs over. Friday we had a meeting almost all day in Baton Rouge. Saturday we saw an investigator named Brian. We did some park contacting with chalk and wrote easter scriptures with the church's #Hallelujah initiative. We had a lot of people check it out. After we did more tracting, I think everybody was at Mass because no one was home. A lot of our investigators were not home for Easter.
Sunday I spoke in Sacrament. That was fun. After we went by and saw Brother Stanely for lunch. We tracted after that and then we saw Aurora and her daughters after. We went to a family in the branch after and had dinner with them.
I am so excited for this weekend for Conference. I am so excited to listen to our prophets and apostles this weekend. One of my favorite talks is by Russell M. Nielson titled Sustaining the Prophet. I invite yall to read it. I know that President Monson is the lords prophet on the earth again. I hope yall will watch general conference!!!
President Eyring, we thank you for your instructive and inspiring message. My dear brothers and sisters, we thank you for your faith and devotion. Yesterday, we were each invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as the prophet of the Lord and President of the Lord’s Church. And often we sing, “We thank thee, O God, for a prophet.”Do you and I really understand what that means? Imagine the privilege the Lord has given us of sustaining His prophet, whose counsel will be untainted, unvarnished, unmotivated by any personal aspiration, and utterly true!
How do we really sustain a prophet? Long before he became President of the Church, President Joseph F. Smith explained, “It is an important duty resting upon the Saints who … sustain the authorities of the Church, to do so not only by the lifting of the hand,the mere form, but in deed and in truth.”2
Well do I remember my most unique “deed” to sustain a prophet. As a medical doctor and cardiac surgeon, I had the responsibility of performing open-heart surgery on President Spencer W. Kimball in 1972, when he was Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He needed a very complex operation. But I had no experience doing such a procedure on a 77-year-old patient in heart failure. I did not recommend the operation and so informed President Kimball and the First Presidency. But, in faith, President Kimball chose to have the operation, only because it was advised by the First Presidency. That shows how he sustained his leaders! And his decision made me tremble!
Thanks to the Lord, the operation was a success. When President Kimball’s heart resumed beating, it did so with great power! At that very moment, I had a clear witness of the Spirit that this man would one day become President of the Church!3
You know the outcome. Only 20 months later, President Kimball became President of the Church. And he provided bold and courageous leadership for many years.
Since then we have sustained Presidents Ezra Taft Benson,Howard W. Hunter, Gordon B. Hinckley, and now Thomas S. Monson as Presidents of the Church—prophets in every sense of the word!
My dear brothers and sisters, if the Restoration did anything, it shattered the age-old myth that God had stopped talking to His children. Nothing could be further from the truth. A prophet has stood at the head of God’s Church in all dispensations, from Adam to the present day.4 Prophets testify of Jesus Christ—of His divinity and of His earthly mission and ministry.5 We honor the Prophet Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation. And we honor each man who has succeeded him as President of the Church.
When we sustain prophets and other leaders,6 we invoke the law of common consent, for the Lord said, “It shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.”7
This gives us, as members of the Lord’s Church, confidence and faith as we strive to keep the scriptural injunction to heed the Lord’s voice as it comes through the voice of His servants the prophets. All leaders in the Lord’s Church are called by proper authority. No prophet or any other leader in this Church, for that matter, has ever called himself or herself. No prophet has ever been elected. The Lord made that clear when He said, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you.”10 You and I do not “vote” on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them.
The ways of the Lord are different from the ways of man. Man’s ways remove people from office or business when they grow old or become disabled. But man’s ways are not and never will be the Lord’s ways. Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us.
Twenty-six years before he became President of the Church, then-Elder George Albert Smith said: “The obligation that we make when we raise our hands … is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means … that we will stand behind him;we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct.”11
The living Lord leads His living Church!12 The Lord reveals His will for the Church to His prophet. Yesterday, after we were invited to sustain Thomas S. Monson as President of the Church, we also had the privilege to sustain him, the counselors in the First Presidency,and members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets,seers, and revelators. Think of that! We sustain 15 men as prophets of God! They hold all the priesthood keys that have ever been conferred upon man in this dispensation.
The calling of 15 men to the holy apostleship provides great protection for us as members of the Church. Why? Because decisions of these leaders must be unanimous.13 Can you imagine how the Spirit needs to move upon 15 men to bring about unanimity? These 15 men have varied educational and professional backgrounds, with differing opinions about many things. Trust me!These 15 men—prophets, seers, and revelators—know what the will of the Lord is when unanimity is reached! They are committed to see that the Lord’s will truly will be done. The Lord’s Prayer provides the pattern for each of these 15 men when they pray: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”14
The Apostle with the longest seniority in the office of Apostle presides.15 That system of seniority will usually bring older men to the office of President of the Church.16 It provides continuity,seasoned maturity, experience, and extensive preparation, as guided by the Lord.
The Church today has been organized by the Lord Himself. He has put in place a remarkable system of governance that provides redundancy and backup. That system provides for prophetic leadership even when the inevitable illnesses and incapacities may come with advancing age.17 Counterbalances and safeguards abound so that no one can ever lead the Church astray. Senior leaders are constantly being tutored such that one day they are ready to sit in the highest councils. They learn how to hear the voice of the Lord through the whisperings of the Spirit.
While serving as First Counselor to President Ezra Taft Benson, who was then nearing the end of his mortal life, President Gordon B. Hinckley explained:
“The principles and procedures which the Lord has put in place for the governance of His church make provision for any …circumstance. It is important … that there be no doubts or concerns about the governance of the Church and the exercise of the prophetic gifts, including the right to inspiration and revelation in administering the affairs and programs of the Church, when the President may be ill or is not able to function fully.
“The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, called and ordained to hold the keys of the priesthood, have the authority and responsibility to govern the Church, to administer its ordinances, to expound its doctrine, and to establish and maintain its practices.”
President Hinckley continued:
“When the President is ill or not able to function fully in all of the duties of his office, his two Counselors together comprise a Quorum of the First Presidency. They carry on with the day-to-day work of the Presidency. …
“… But any major questions of policy, procedures, programs, or doctrine are considered deliberately and prayerfully by the First Presidency and the Twelve together.”18
Last year, when President Monson reached the milestone of 5 years of service as President of the Church, he reflected on his 50 years of apostolic service and made this statement: “Age eventually takes itstoll on all of us. However, we join our voices with King Benjamin, who said, … ‘I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen … and consecrated by my father, … and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power,to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me’ (Mosiah 2:11).”
President Monson continued: “Despite any health challenges that may come to us, despite any weakness in body or mind, we serve tot he best of our ability. I assure you that the Church is in good hands.The system set up for the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve [Apostles] assures [us] that it will always be in good hands and that, come what may, there is no need to worry or to fear. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we follow, whom we worship,and whom we serve, is ever at the helm.”19
President Monson, we thank you for those truths! And we thank you for your lifetime of exemplary and dedicated service. May I presume to speak for the members of the Church throughout the world in our united and sincere expression of gratitude for you. We honor you!We love you! We sustain you, not only with uplifted hands but with all our hearts and consecrated efforts. Humbly and fervently, “we ever pray for thee, our prophet dear”!20 In the name of Jesus Christ,amen.
Thanks yall for what you do!!!!
Elder Richardson
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
The Morning Breaks
Fwd: The Morning Breaks
People
richardd6776 <richardd6776@yahoo.com> Today at 8:52 PM
To
larichardson65@yahoo com
Message body
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net>
Date: 03/07/2016 2:56 PM (GMT-07:00)
To:
Subject: The Morning Breaks
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
I hope yall are doing good. This week was amazing. We saw many miracles and worked really hard like always. We had 17 lessons this week which was amazing. On Monday we did family home evening with a member, Rico, and his wife who is not a member, Sharika. It was really good. We also had referral named Mario. We went and saw him and shared a scripture with him and got an appointment with him this week. We also saw our investigator Dalton. We read a chapter out of the book of Mormon with him. We also saw Jose Vargas a couple of times and read the book of Mormon with him. Another of our Spanish investigators named aurora came to church.
We also got to go see Miss Pat. She gave us some crawfish. It was really good. She didn't come to church so we may have to move her baptismal date. She was going to come... We will have to do a lesson on the importance of church attendance....
We also did a lot of tracting and saw miracles from that. We found two new people. We taught them both the restoration. It was a really fun experience. Most people talked to us about politics about trump and Clinton. HAHA
We also had a fun experience today. We went with our branch mission leader brother viator to the ocean and got to have fun on the beach. It was so nice to visit the ocean.
So for my spiritual thought today comes from Bruce R McConkie's talk The Testimony of Jesus. From this talk came the hymn I believe in Christ which was published after his death in 1985.
I asked the Lord what he would have me say on this occasion and received the distinct and affirmative impression that I should bear testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
I have what is known as “the testimony of Jesus,” which means that I know by personal revelation from the Holy Spirit to my soul that Jesus is the Lord; that he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; and that he has restored in this day the fullness of his everlasting truth, so that we with the ancients can become inheritors of his presence in eternity.
Now a testimony comes from the Spirit of God. There is no other source. And when a testimony is borne, it has to be borne by the power of the Spirit. And so I desire and pray fervently that I may be guided by that power on this occasion, so that what I say will be the mind and will and voice of the Lord.
I desire to bear testimony to myself, to you as members of the Church, and to all the world. As I speak by the power of the Spirit, if my testimony is to sink into your hearts and be in you a well springing up unto eternal life—if your hearts are to burn within you, so that you will know of the truth and divinity of the words spoken—you must be guided by the power of the same Spirit, and so I pray that your hearts may be opened and that your souls will burn within you and you will know of the verity of what is said.
I shall take the liberty, both by way of testimony and to set the tone for what is involved, to read these words of my own composition:
I Believe in Christ
I believe in Christ, he is my king;
With all my heart to him I’ll sing;
I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ, he is God’s Son;
On earth to dwell his soul did come;
He healed the sick, the dead he raised,
Good works were his, his name be praised.
I believe in Christ, O blessed name,
As Mary’s Son he came to reign
’Mid mortal men, his earthly kin,
To save them from the woes of sin.
I believe in Christ, who marked the path,
Who did gain all his Father hath,
Who said to men: “Come, follow me,
That ye, my friends, with God may be.”
I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God—
My feet he plants on gospel sod;
I’ll worship him with all my might;
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ, he ransoms me;
From Satan’s grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.
I believe in Christ, he stands supreme;
From him I’ll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain,
His voice is heard: “Ye shall obtain.”
I believe in Christ; so come what may,
With him I’ll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again,
To rule among the sons of men.
Now, salvation originates with God our Heavenly Father. Indeed, salvation is to be like him, to inherit, possess, and receive what he enjoys. If we are to know God, we must believe as he believes, think as he thinks, and experience what he experiences.
The great plan of salvation was created by our Heavenly Father, to enable us to advance and progress and become like him. But salvation is centered in Christ. The plan called for the creation and peopling of this earth, so that we might come here and gain experiences that were not available in any other way.
We dwelt with our Father in the eternities that preceded this life. We were present when the great cry went forth from him through the midst of eternity: “Whom shall I send to be my son, to work out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice, to put in full force and operation the terms and conditions of my eternal plan?” We were there, and in the poetic language of Elder Orson F. Whitney, we beheld:
“A stature mingling strength with grace
Of meek though Godlike mien,
The glory of whose countenance
Outshone the noonday sheen.
Whiter his hair than ocean spray,
Or frost of alpine hill.
He spake:—attention grew more grave,
The stillness e’en more still.
“‘Father!’—the voice like music fell,
Clear as the murmuring flow
Of mountain streamlet trickling down
From heights of virgin snow.
‘Father,’ it said, ‘since one must die,
Thy children to redeem,
Whilst earth, as yet unformed and void,
With pulsing life shall teem;
“‘And mighty Michael foremost fall,
That mortal man may be,
And chosen Savior Thou must send,
Lo, here am I—send me!
I ask, I seek no recompense,
Save that which then were mine;
Mine be the willing sacrifice,
The endless glory Thine.’”
—Joseph Fielding Smith, Way to Perfection, p. 52.
Now salvation is centered in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the language of the angel who came to King Benjamin: “… salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:18.)
Joseph Smith was asked, “What are the fundamental principles of your religion?” He answered: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” (Documentary History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 30.)
That is to say, the atoning sacrifice of the Lord is the center of all things, as far as we are concerned. God our Heavenly Father created us, without which we would have no existence. And Christ the Son has redeemed us, without which there would be neither immortality nor eternal life.
Now the glorious thing that has happened in this day is that the heavens have been opened; that God has spoken again; that he has called living oracles, men who are apostles and prophets, to be his mouthpiece, to declare his mind and his purpose and his will to the world; and his message is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ; and it is administered in the Church which bears his name.
Now, my voice is the voice of testimony. I bear record of the truth and divinity of this work. But my voice is not alone. It is not one voice crying in a wilderness.
The testimony that I bear is just an echo of the testimonies that have been borne by faithful people from the spring of 1820, when the Father and the Son appeared to usher in this last great dispensation of eternal truth. And the testimony that I bear is but a harbinger of that testimony which yet will be borne by ten thousand times ten thousand people, redeemed out of every nation and kindred and tongue and people, redeemed by obedience to the message that God restored through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith in this day.
And if there is one wondrous thing about this work, it is that it is true; that there is saving efficacy and virtue and force in the gospel of Jesus Christ; and that the power of God unto salvation is found here in the tops of these everlasting hills; and this glorious truth is spreading out to all the nations of the earth as rapidly as people in them accept the testimony and witness that is borne and believe the truths that our fellow representatives proclaim. This is a day of which God has said that all of gathered Israel shall be witnesses of his name. “… ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.” (Isa. 43:12.)
This is a day when he has said that every elder in his kingdom, everyone who holds the holy priesthood, has power to speak in his name, to have the Holy Ghost bear record and enlighten his mind, and to proclaim the truths of salvation.
I proclaim these truths and desire in my heart to have men believe and obey. I think I can say with Nephi that the fullness of mine intent is to persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and be saved—because the work is true, because salvation is in Christ. And God being our witness, it is true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
May we develop a strong testimony of the Savior. I'm so grateful for the Savior and all he has done for us. Especially this Easter season. I know the Savior lives. He loves us. He sees as who we are and who we can be. Not who we were. I know that through his atoning sacrifice we may be purified and stand before him and the father and be granted all the our Heavenly Father has!!! May yall have an amazing week!!! The Gospel restored through the prophet joseph smith is true!
Elder Richardson
Make yourself at home.
People
richardd6776 <richardd6776@yahoo.com> Today at 8:52 PM
To
larichardson65@yahoo com
Message body
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: Robert Richardson <rrichardson@myldsmail.net>
Date: 03/07/2016 2:56 PM (GMT-07:00)
To:
Subject: The Morning Breaks
HEY EVERYBODY!!!!
I hope yall are doing good. This week was amazing. We saw many miracles and worked really hard like always. We had 17 lessons this week which was amazing. On Monday we did family home evening with a member, Rico, and his wife who is not a member, Sharika. It was really good. We also had referral named Mario. We went and saw him and shared a scripture with him and got an appointment with him this week. We also saw our investigator Dalton. We read a chapter out of the book of Mormon with him. We also saw Jose Vargas a couple of times and read the book of Mormon with him. Another of our Spanish investigators named aurora came to church.
We also got to go see Miss Pat. She gave us some crawfish. It was really good. She didn't come to church so we may have to move her baptismal date. She was going to come... We will have to do a lesson on the importance of church attendance....
We also did a lot of tracting and saw miracles from that. We found two new people. We taught them both the restoration. It was a really fun experience. Most people talked to us about politics about trump and Clinton. HAHA
We also had a fun experience today. We went with our branch mission leader brother viator to the ocean and got to have fun on the beach. It was so nice to visit the ocean.
So for my spiritual thought today comes from Bruce R McConkie's talk The Testimony of Jesus. From this talk came the hymn I believe in Christ which was published after his death in 1985.
I asked the Lord what he would have me say on this occasion and received the distinct and affirmative impression that I should bear testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.
I have what is known as “the testimony of Jesus,” which means that I know by personal revelation from the Holy Spirit to my soul that Jesus is the Lord; that he brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; and that he has restored in this day the fullness of his everlasting truth, so that we with the ancients can become inheritors of his presence in eternity.
Now a testimony comes from the Spirit of God. There is no other source. And when a testimony is borne, it has to be borne by the power of the Spirit. And so I desire and pray fervently that I may be guided by that power on this occasion, so that what I say will be the mind and will and voice of the Lord.
I desire to bear testimony to myself, to you as members of the Church, and to all the world. As I speak by the power of the Spirit, if my testimony is to sink into your hearts and be in you a well springing up unto eternal life—if your hearts are to burn within you, so that you will know of the truth and divinity of the words spoken—you must be guided by the power of the same Spirit, and so I pray that your hearts may be opened and that your souls will burn within you and you will know of the verity of what is said.
I shall take the liberty, both by way of testimony and to set the tone for what is involved, to read these words of my own composition:
I Believe in Christ
I believe in Christ, he is my king;
With all my heart to him I’ll sing;
I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ, he is God’s Son;
On earth to dwell his soul did come;
He healed the sick, the dead he raised,
Good works were his, his name be praised.
I believe in Christ, O blessed name,
As Mary’s Son he came to reign
’Mid mortal men, his earthly kin,
To save them from the woes of sin.
I believe in Christ, who marked the path,
Who did gain all his Father hath,
Who said to men: “Come, follow me,
That ye, my friends, with God may be.”
I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God—
My feet he plants on gospel sod;
I’ll worship him with all my might;
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ, he ransoms me;
From Satan’s grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.
I believe in Christ, he stands supreme;
From him I’ll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain,
His voice is heard: “Ye shall obtain.”
I believe in Christ; so come what may,
With him I’ll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again,
To rule among the sons of men.
Now, salvation originates with God our Heavenly Father. Indeed, salvation is to be like him, to inherit, possess, and receive what he enjoys. If we are to know God, we must believe as he believes, think as he thinks, and experience what he experiences.
The great plan of salvation was created by our Heavenly Father, to enable us to advance and progress and become like him. But salvation is centered in Christ. The plan called for the creation and peopling of this earth, so that we might come here and gain experiences that were not available in any other way.
We dwelt with our Father in the eternities that preceded this life. We were present when the great cry went forth from him through the midst of eternity: “Whom shall I send to be my son, to work out the infinite and eternal atoning sacrifice, to put in full force and operation the terms and conditions of my eternal plan?” We were there, and in the poetic language of Elder Orson F. Whitney, we beheld:
“A stature mingling strength with grace
Of meek though Godlike mien,
The glory of whose countenance
Outshone the noonday sheen.
Whiter his hair than ocean spray,
Or frost of alpine hill.
He spake:—attention grew more grave,
The stillness e’en more still.
“‘Father!’—the voice like music fell,
Clear as the murmuring flow
Of mountain streamlet trickling down
From heights of virgin snow.
‘Father,’ it said, ‘since one must die,
Thy children to redeem,
Whilst earth, as yet unformed and void,
With pulsing life shall teem;
“‘And mighty Michael foremost fall,
That mortal man may be,
And chosen Savior Thou must send,
Lo, here am I—send me!
I ask, I seek no recompense,
Save that which then were mine;
Mine be the willing sacrifice,
The endless glory Thine.’”
—Joseph Fielding Smith, Way to Perfection, p. 52.
Now salvation is centered in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the language of the angel who came to King Benjamin: “… salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:18.)
Joseph Smith was asked, “What are the fundamental principles of your religion?” He answered: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” (Documentary History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 30.)
That is to say, the atoning sacrifice of the Lord is the center of all things, as far as we are concerned. God our Heavenly Father created us, without which we would have no existence. And Christ the Son has redeemed us, without which there would be neither immortality nor eternal life.
Now the glorious thing that has happened in this day is that the heavens have been opened; that God has spoken again; that he has called living oracles, men who are apostles and prophets, to be his mouthpiece, to declare his mind and his purpose and his will to the world; and his message is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ; and it is administered in the Church which bears his name.
Now, my voice is the voice of testimony. I bear record of the truth and divinity of this work. But my voice is not alone. It is not one voice crying in a wilderness.
The testimony that I bear is just an echo of the testimonies that have been borne by faithful people from the spring of 1820, when the Father and the Son appeared to usher in this last great dispensation of eternal truth. And the testimony that I bear is but a harbinger of that testimony which yet will be borne by ten thousand times ten thousand people, redeemed out of every nation and kindred and tongue and people, redeemed by obedience to the message that God restored through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith in this day.
And if there is one wondrous thing about this work, it is that it is true; that there is saving efficacy and virtue and force in the gospel of Jesus Christ; and that the power of God unto salvation is found here in the tops of these everlasting hills; and this glorious truth is spreading out to all the nations of the earth as rapidly as people in them accept the testimony and witness that is borne and believe the truths that our fellow representatives proclaim. This is a day of which God has said that all of gathered Israel shall be witnesses of his name. “… ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.” (Isa. 43:12.)
This is a day when he has said that every elder in his kingdom, everyone who holds the holy priesthood, has power to speak in his name, to have the Holy Ghost bear record and enlighten his mind, and to proclaim the truths of salvation.
I proclaim these truths and desire in my heart to have men believe and obey. I think I can say with Nephi that the fullness of mine intent is to persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and be saved—because the work is true, because salvation is in Christ. And God being our witness, it is true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
May we develop a strong testimony of the Savior. I'm so grateful for the Savior and all he has done for us. Especially this Easter season. I know the Savior lives. He loves us. He sees as who we are and who we can be. Not who we were. I know that through his atoning sacrifice we may be purified and stand before him and the father and be granted all the our Heavenly Father has!!! May yall have an amazing week!!! The Gospel restored through the prophet joseph smith is true!
Elder Richardson
Make yourself at home.
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