Many years ago, when I was still a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I took a trip with my eleven-year-old brother from Indiana to New York. The purpose of our journey was to witness the Hill Cumorah Pageant and visit the Sacred Grove, a site with special significance to the Latter-day Saint community as the location where Joseph Smith received the glorious First Vision of the Father and Son. (More …)
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The Power of God at the Sacred Grove: A Sacred Mormon Church History Site by stevengodell
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The Power in a Priesthood by stevengodell
In the days of Christ and his apostles it was common to see the gifts of the Spirit and of the Priesthood of God in action. In fact, it was so powerful and impressive that Simon approached the Lord’s chosen representatives in an attempt to buy their same power. The result, of course, is that he was told his money will perish with him because the power of the priesthood is not for sale at any price. (More …)
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susanlj: I gained a testimony of the Boo … by susanlj
I gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon by reading it for myself. There is no other way to really know for yourself. When I read the Book of Mormon I learn things about the Lord I never knew before. I learn how much He loves us. I learn how He works. I find answers and solutions to the questions and problems I have in my life. I feel greater resolve to be better, to defend the cause of righteousness, to draw closer to the Lord as my Savior and Redeemer. These are all things that come from reading the Book of Mormon. Most importantly, however, after I read, I can kneel down before my Heavenly Father and ask Him if it truly is the word of God, and He will confirm that it is. every. single. time. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It testifies of my Savior Jesus Christ and because it does, so much better can I. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Christ. Is the only name by which we can be saved. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is literally The Church of Jesus Christ, again restored to the earth. These things I know and testify to all who read in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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shuchi: When i was nineteen years old, i … by shuchi
When i was nineteen years old, i met missionaries. They told me about eternal family and my heart just felt something special feeling going through my whole body. They asked me to pray to know the truth. I was kind of afraid that because i was a Buddhist and i didn’t want to deny my god at that time;however, i took their advise and i did kneel down and pray with all my heart. The tears were coming out from my eyes when i said my prayer. I did know the Book of Mormon was true and Joseph Smith was the true prophet of God at that time. After two years, i served my mission in Hawaii Honolulu Mission and i returned home with honor. After many challenges in my life, i finally got married with my sweet heart last April. I know the Lord blesses his children in different ways and i am really grateful for many blessings i have been received.
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Sarah Moss by staff
I love music. I love how closely the spirit is tied to it. I believe in Christ. I know that He died for us and He is risen. I’m grateful for the atonement and I know that His sacrifice makes all things possible. He is the way to return back to our Heavenly Father and He has shown us the way. I’m grateful for His love, His example, and the knowledge that the gospel principles are eternal. What joy this brings to my heart!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!How Great Thou Art mp3 Ogg Vorbis
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President Thomas S. Monson: I know that my Redeemer lives by staff
My brothers and sisters, we laugh, we cry, we work, we play, we love, we live. And then we die. Death is our universal heritage. All must pass its portals. Death claims the aged, the weary and worn. It visits the youth in the bloom of hope and the glory of expectation. Nor are little children kept beyond its grasp. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “It is appointed unto men once to die.”12
And dead we would remain but for one Man and His mission, even Jesus of Nazareth. Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, His birth fulfilled the inspired pronouncements of many prophets. He was taught from on high. He provided the life, the light, and the way. Multitudes followed Him. Children adored Him. The haughty rejected Him. He spoke in parables. He taught by example. He lived a perfect life.
Though the King of kings and Lord of lords had come, He was accorded by some the greeting given to an enemy, a traitor. There followed a mockery which some called a trial. Cries of “crucify him, crucify him”13 filled the air. Then commenced the climb to Calvary’s hill.
He was ridiculed, reviled, mocked, jeered, and nailed to a cross amidst shouts of “Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”14 “He saved others; himself he cannot save.”15 His response: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”16 “Into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”17 His body was placed by loving hands in a sepulchre hewn of stone.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, along with others, came to the sepulchre. To their astonishment, the body of their Lord was gone. Luke records that two men in shining garments stood by them and said: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”18
Next week the Christian world will celebrate the most significant event in recorded history. The simple pronouncement, “He is not here, but is risen,” was the first confirmation of the literal Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The empty tomb that first Easter morning brought comforting assurance, an affirmative answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?”19
To all who have lost loved ones, we would turn Job’s question to an answer: If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth. “I am the resurrection, and the life,” spoke the Master. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”20
Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so.
With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift up my voice in testimony as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He it was who died on the cross to atone for our sins. He became the firstfruits of the Resurrection. Because He died, all shall live again. “Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’ “21 May the whole world know it and live by that knowledge, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior, amen.
(General Conference, April 2007)
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President James E. Faust by staff
These short excerpts are taken from an article written by President Faust and simply entitled “A Testimony of Christ.”
“Each of us has to receive our own witness concerning Jesus as the Christ. We cannot get it secondhand from someone else. I believe that a testimony of our Redeemer comes from a divine source, as a spiritual gift. . . . Such a heaven-sent witness gives us a sacred inner peace and strength, even though we live in a world of turmoil and temptation. It gives us the power to become disciples of the Christ.”
President Faust then went on to highlight, in scripture, the life and ministry of the Savior. He spoke of the calling and testimony of Peter; the raising of Lazarus; the Last Supper; His sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane; His betrayal; and the events of His Resurrection.
President Faust concludes: “In my capacity as a special witness, I set my seal and testimony upon these events and upon the divine calling of Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. I testify that He lives, that He loves us, and that this is His holy work. . . . I testify that through this Church His work and His glory—to bring about the immortality and eternal life of the faithful and the obedient—is being accomplished” (Ensign, Mar. 2005, 3–7).
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President Gordon B. Hinckley: The Things of Which I Know by staff
I wish to give you my testimony of the basic truths of this work.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I am pleased with the opportunity to speak to you. I thank each of you for your prayers in my behalf. I am so very deeply grateful to you. In my 49 years as a General Authority, I have spoken well over 200 times in general conference. I am now in my 97th year. The wind is blowing, and I feel like the last leaf on the tree.
Actually my health is quite good, despite all the rumors to the contrary. Skillful doctors and nurses keep me on the right track. Some of you may go before I do. However, with my age in mind, I wish to give you my testimony of the basic truths of this work.
I confess that I do not know everything, but of some things I am certain. Of the things of which I know, I speak to you this morning.
When the emperor Constantine was converted to Christianity, he became aware of the divisiveness among the clergy concerning the nature of Deity. In an attempt to overcome this he gathered the eminent divines of the day to Nicaea in the year 325. Each participant was given opportunity to state his views. The argument only grew more heated. When a definition could not be reached, a compromise was made. It came to be known as the Nicene Creed, and its basic elements are recited by most of the Christian faithful.
Personally I cannot understand it. To me the creed is confusing.
How deeply grateful I am that we of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith, who, while yet a boy, spoke with God the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the Risen Lord. He knelt in Their presence; he heard Their voices; and he responded. Each was a distinct personality. Small wonder that he told his mother that he had learned that her church was not true. And so, one of the great overarching doctrines of this Church is our belief in God the Eternal Father. He is a being, real and individual. He is the great Governor of the universe, yet He is our Father, and we are His children.
We pray to Him, and those prayers are a conversation between God and man. I am confident that He hears our prayers and answers them. I could not deny that. I have had too many experiences of answered prayers.
Alma instructed his son Helaman, saying, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:37).
The second great certitude of which I am sure also has its foundation in the vision of the Prophet Joseph. It is that Jesus lives. He is the Living Christ. He is the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New. Under His Father’s direction, He was the Creator of the earth. The gospel of John opens with these remarkable words: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
“The same was in the beginning with God.
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1–3).
Note particularly that last verse, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
He was the great Creator. It was His finger that wrote the commandments on the Mount. It was He who left His royal courts on high and came to earth, born under the most humble of circumstances. During His brief ministry, He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, raised the dead, and rebuked the scribes and Pharisees. He was the only perfect man ever to walk the earth. All of this was part of His Father’s plan. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered so greatly that he sweat drops of blood as He pleaded with His Father. But this was all a part of His great atoning sacrifice. He was taken by the mob, appeared before Pilate with the mob crying for His death. He carried the cross, the instrument of His death. On Golgotha He gave His life, crying out, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
His body was tenderly laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. But three days later, on that first Easter morning, the tomb was emptied. Mary of Magdala spoke to Him, and He spoke to her. He appeared to His Apostles. He walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. And, we are told, He was seen by some 500 others (see 1 Corinthians 15:6).
He had said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). Accordingly, He appeared to those assembled in the land Bountiful in the Western Hemisphere. Here, He taught the people as He had taught them in the Old World. This is all recorded in detail in the Book of Mormon, which stands as a second witness of the divinity of our Lord.
And to repeat, both He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph, the Father introducing the Son, saying: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17).
Now, the next thing of which I am certain, and of which I bear witness, is the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without it life is meaningless. It is the keystone in the arch of our existence. It affirms that we lived before we were born in mortality. Mortality is but a stepping-stone to a more glorious existence in the future. The sorrow of death is softened with the promise of the Resurrection. There would be no Christmas if there were no Easter.
I speak next of the great certitudes that have come with the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is the restoration of the priesthood, or the authority given man to speak in the name of God. This priesthood is of two orders: the lesser, also known as the Aaronic, was restored under the hands of John the Baptist. The higher order of priesthood, the Melchizedek, was restored under the hands of Peter, James, and John.
In restoring the Aaronic Priesthood, the resurrected John the Baptist laid his hands on the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and said, “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins” (D&C 13:1).
President Wilford Woodruff in his old age spoke to the young men of the Church and said: “I desire to impress upon you the fact that it does not make any difference whether a man is a Priest or an Apostle, if he magnifies his calling. A Priest holds the keys of the ministering of angels. Never in my life, as an Apostle, as a Seventy, or as an Elder, have I ever had more of the protection of the Lord than while holding the office of a Priest” (in Millennial Star, Oct. 5, 1891, 629).
The Melchizedek or Higher Priesthood empowers men to lay their hands upon the heads of others and give blessings. They bless the sick. As James declared in the New Testament: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).
Now finally, I mention the blessings of the house of the Lord, which have come of the Restoration of the ancient gospel.
These temples, which we have greatly multiplied in recent years, offer blessings that are had nowhere else. All that occurs in these sacred houses has to do with the eternal nature of man. Here, husbands and wives and children are sealed together as families for all eternity. Marriage is not “until death do ye part.” It is forever, if the parties live worthy of the blessing. Most remarkable of all is the authority to do vicarious work in the house of the Lord. Here, ordinances are performed in behalf of the dead who did not have opportunity to receive them while in life.
I was recently told of a woman in Idaho Falls, a widow. Over a period of 15 years she acted as proxy in giving the temple endowment to 20,000 individuals in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple. She completed her 20,000th endowment on a Friday and returned on Saturday to do five more. She passed away the following week.
Just think of what this one little woman did. She performed these vicarious endowments for as many people as are assembled in this Conference Center this morning. Think of the reception she must have received on the other side.
Now, my brothers and sisters, this is my testimony, which I solemnly bear before you.
God bless you, every one, you faithful Latter-day Saints. May there be peace and love in your homes and faith and prayer to guide you in all that you undertake is my humble prayer in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
© 2007 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Originally published at: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-690-30,00.html
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Paul Achuff: Answered Prayers by staff
I was recently asked to give a talk by the Bishop of our ward on living the Gospel. Part of my talk was about prayers being answered in our home almost daily.
Recently we came on some hard financial times which threatened the security that we’d come to expect every month. I am retired and the company that manages my disability informed me that they were going to start offsetting my check by the amount of my social security check and they were also going to be offsetting my check for an ‘overpayment’ of tens of thousands of dollars.
My wife and I prayed and prayed about a way out of this situation. In about 3 days our prayers were answered. The company called us to inform us that they would only be offsetting my check by the amount that I got from social security and would NOT be pursuing any back pay that I’d received over the last two years. I testify to you all. Prayers ARE answered and God knows each one of us and what we need. He answers prayers.
As a side note, when I first came back to Church (after being away from the Church for almost 40 years), our Bishop told us that he expected a full tithing from us in order to receive the blessings that tithing brings. We thought it would be totally impossible to pay tithing, pay our bills and build up our food storage so that we would have the necessary items to feed five of us. We initially resisted tithing and then relented and started paying faithfully every time we got a check. To our surprise, not only were we able to pay our bills, but we managed to build up our food storage so that we now have at least a three month supply of food. Another prayer was answered for us and a blessing received because we are being faithful.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t think prayers are answered, I KNOW they are. I know that Jesus Christ loves us and wishes only the best things for us in this temporal probationary state. I know that Joseph Smith was our Prophet on earth and that through him, the only true Church of Christ is now established in this, the last dispensation. I know the power of the priesthood and what miracles can be achieved in the name of Christ. I leave this testimony with you in His, Jesus the Christ’s name. Amen.
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Patrick Loss by staff
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