Praise to the man! - June 23rd, 2014

Mi Querida familia, 

Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!

Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.

Blessed to open the last dispensation,

Kings shall extol him, and nations revere. 

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. This last little while I have been studying a lot about the prophet Joseph because he is who people attack most in our church. He is who everyone is afraid to talk about. And yet he is the one who opened this last dispensation. In every period of time God has called a prophet, anyone who believes in the bible can see that as they read. It begins with Adam and then Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Moses and so on. I may have left some out, but you get the picture. God always called a prophet, why? To guide his people. To help them know "to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26). It is through the prophets that people gained knowledge of their relationship with God. It is through prophets that people received saving ordinances such as baptism because these prophets received authority directly from the one whose authority it is, Jesus Christ. The pattern is clear. God calls prophets. And we know through the bible that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I believe in a God that loves all of his children equally. So why would he call prophets then and only in Jerusalem and forget about everyone else, and all the people who lived after Jesus Christ? He would. He called a prophet again. Joseph Smith. 

Praise to his mem'ry, he died as a martyr;

Honored and blest be his ever great name!

Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,

Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.

Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith gave their very lives for the truth they knew he restored. Mind you I say restored not created. For this I would like to quote directly from a modern day apostle, Elder Jeffery R. Holland, "In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth? Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor. ⁹ Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon." (Safety for the Soul, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng)

Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.

Ever and ever the keys he will hold. 

Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,

Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old. 

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, His son. He described the experience in his own words, saying, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (Joseph Smith—History:16-17). I know with all of my heart, because of study and fervent prayer that Joseph Smith say Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and that they spoke with him. That they called him to be a prophet. To restore their true church and true doctrines to the earth. I know that it was through Joseph Smith that the priesthood authority was restored to the earth after it was lost with the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles. This priesthood authority makes our 'works' worthwhile, it means they are accepted in the sight of God. It is so incredibly important to have the priesthood on earth, and I know that this is the only church that has it because Joseph Smith, by direction gave it to his successors, and I know that President Thomas S. Monson hold this same authority today and that he speaks with our Savior Jesus Christ. I know this for myself and not because someone told me. 

Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven;

Earth must atone for the blood of that man.

Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.

Millions shall know "Brother Joseph" again.

Sometimes we feel that it is a sacrifice to stay true to the prophet Joseph Smith, and I wondered a lot why we need to know for ourselves that Joseph Smith is a prophet but it as we stay true to the prophet Joseph that we stay true to our Savior Jesus Christ. Because he anointed Joseph to be a prophet. It is through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon that we truly learn of our Savior Jesus Christ, through the restored doctrines that were lost with the many translations of the bible. I invite you to pray and seek an answer for yourself if Joseph Smith is a prophet of The Lord. I know he is. We sang this song last zone conference, and as we sung the chorus(as follows) after the last verse everyone stood, and I lost all my words. The spirit was so strong in that room I had to fight back tears. When we stay true to the prophet Joseph, when we fight for the truth, and stand as disciples of Jesus Christ our Savior, by following the counsel of His holy prophets, that is when the spirit of The Lord will come into our lives. That is when we receive the blessing of Heaven. So I plead with you to wake up for the conflict of justice, this is what it's all about. This life is quite literally a battle against satan. Are you firmly planted on the Lords side? Are you firmly following his prophet because as the scriptures say, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same...(D&C 1:38) But this generation shall have my word through you[Joseph Smith] (D&C 5:10). I know that these things are true and that we can know for ourselves. 

Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!

Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.

Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;

Death cannot conquer the hero again.

Now I just want you to know that I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know I am on the pathway back to him, and as I keep the covenants I have made with him through the priesthood, such as baptism, that I will return to Him. That I will stand in His presences and He will welcome me in, because I tried my best to follow His commandments as given to me in the holy scriptures, and through His holy prophets, such as Joseph Smith. I respect Joseph Smith for all he did and because he has helped me to learn more about my Savior Jesus Christ than anyone else. That I may know to who to look for a remission if my sins. I love the prophet Joseph. I love the Book of Mormon. It has brought me closer to my Savior than any other book, and I know that it is true, and that it was written by prophets of old. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and my Father in Heaven. 

Fight the good fight. Stay true to the prophet Joseph and to the restored truths we have because of him. 

Love,

Hermana Simmons 

P.S. This week was amazing! I will write about it next week. I love you all so much.