The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since I last talked to you. Today I want to talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I mean Gospel of Jesus Christ I am talking about the teachings that Christ himself taught to us when he was here on the earth. So what exactly was it that Jesus Christ taught us? let me share you what it is we the church believes and then let me show you a few scriptural examples from Jesus Christ, and the Prophets.  Doctrine & Covenants section 4 we read. 4We believe that the first principles and ^aordinances of the Gospel are: first, ^bFaith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, ^cRepentance; third, ^dBaptism by ^eimmersion for the ^fremission of sins; fourth, Laying on of ^ghands for the ^hgift of the Holy Ghost.

As we read the first principle is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, so how do we exercise that faith? Well to have faith in the Lord we need to believe that he is the Son of God as he said he was, also we need to believe that through his Atonement we can be cleansed from our sins, one more thing we need to believe in  is His teachings and following them.

Second is principle is Repentance. So what is repentance and how do we use it? Repentance is a five step process which is not as easy as it sounds. Let me share with you the ABC's of repentance.

A)Accept what we have done to be wrong, this is the first step to repenting. By accepting or acknowledging what we did was wrong we can begin the healing process.

B)Be sorry for what we did. We need to truly be sorry for what we have done, not sorry for being caught.  Big difference between the two.

 C)Correct the sin/mistake we made. We need to next do all that is in our power to correct what we did was wrong. By doing so we are showing the Lord that we are truly sorry and that we are trying to repent.

C)Confess the sin. Now what I mean by confessing the sin, I do not mean going to a priest and telling him all that you have done, what I mean by confessing the sin is to turn to your Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for forgiveness. It is our Heavenly Father that can forgive sin. Also if needed talk to a Bishop. A Bishop is appointed by God to HELP you by giving guidance... Notice I said Helping you not forgiving you.

D)Don't do it again! I think that is a very simple one.

After we repent we can then go to our third principle which is Baptism. Baptism is something that is very important.  Without Baptism nobody (that is at the age of accountability)  can be save in the kingdom of Heaven. Christ Also said that baptism was a commandment.

lets read matthew 3:14-17

14But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

15And Jesus answering said unto him, ^aSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^bbecometh us to ^cfulfil all ^drighteousness. Then he suffered him.

16And Jesus, when he was ^abaptized, went up ^bstraightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the ^cSpirit of God descending like a ^ddove, and lighting upon him:

17And lo a ^avoice from heaven, saying, This is my ^bbeloved ^cSon, in whom I am well pleased.

Notice how Christ says to John "^aSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^bbecometh us to ^cfulfil all ^drighteousness." Then he suffered him.                 

After Baptism we need to recieve the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands in Acts 8:14-18 

14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the ^aword of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

 15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

 16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

 17Then ^alaid they their hands on them, and they received the ^bHoly Ghost.

  As we can see that the Apostles prayed for the people of samaria, then laid their hands on their heads. 

And finally my friends we need to Endure To The End. It is something that is throughout the Bible if you read it closely, but for this scripture I want to go to the Book of Mormon and tie together all of the Principles that we talked about.   2 Nephi 31:5-10 show us why baptism is important.

5And now, if the Lamb of God, he being ^aholy, should have need to be ^bbaptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be ^cbaptized, yea, even by water!

 6And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 7Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be ^aobedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

 8Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the ^aform of a ^bdove.

 9And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the ^agate, by which they should enter, he having set the ^bexample before them.

 10And he said unto the children of men: ^aFollow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we ^bfollow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

18And then are ye in this ^astrait and narrow ^bpath which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which ^cwitnesses of the ^dFather and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

 19And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow ^apath, I would ask if all is ^bdone? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken ^cfaith in him, ^drelying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to ^esave.

 20Wherefore, ye must press forward with a ^asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of ^bhope, and a ^clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and ^dendure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have ^eeternal life.

I know that if we follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we will be fulfiling all the commandments that has been given unto us. I know that if we follow them we will be happy and will have eternal life.

The Plan (3)

Hello friends. We are going to talk about our last part of this plan that our Father in Heaven gave to us. and that is where we go when we die. I want to start out by telling you a story.

When I was a young boy my aunt died. She wasn't what I considered to be "old". I asked myself a question that I honestly had no answer to at the time. The question "Where do I go when I die?" Now this had a small impact on my life, but when I was a little bit older there was another death in the family, my Grandma died. This I knew was going to happen because she was "old" But! I found myself asking the same question that I had years ago when my aunt died. "Where do I go when I die?" Well my friends after many years I have finally found the answer to the question that I was looking for. 

In the Book of Mormon we have a few accounts of prophets talking about the spirit world, or a place where people go to and wait for the resurrection.  In Alma 40:1-5 we read the words of Alma the prophet to his son. 


1Now my son, here is somewhat more I would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the resurrection of the dead.

2Behold, I say unto you, that there is no resurrection—or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on ^aimmortality, this corruption does not ^bput on incorruption—^cuntil after the coming of Christ.


3Behold, he bringeth to pass the ^aresurrection of the dead. But behold, my son, the resurrection is not yet. Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless, there are many ^bmysteries which are^ckept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection.
4Behold, there is a time appointed that all shall ^acome forth from the dead. Now when this time cometh no one knows; but God knoweth the time which is appointed.

 5Now, whether there shall be one time, or a ^asecond time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the dead, it mattereth not; for God ^bknoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me to know that this is the case—that there is a time appointed that all shall rise from the dead. You might be thinking great! so we do not get our body till the coming of Christ? well that answer is yes, But! take comfort my friends because in the spirit world there are two places or state of mind that people go to and it is found in the scriptures one is called Paradise which we will hear about from Alma and the second we will hear from Peter about Prison.  

You know what this means don't you? It means that we have to wait before we get our bodies back. So where does our spirit go when we die? We go the Spirit world, and in the Spirit world there are two places we can go to. 

Alma 40:11-12 

11Now, concerning the ^astate of the soul between ^bdeath and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are ^ctaken ^dhome to that God who gave them life.

12And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of ^ahappiness, which is called^bparadise, a state of rest, a state of ^cpeace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

 12And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of ^ahappiness, which is called^bparadise, a state of rest, a state of ^cpeace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

So Paradise is a place where those who were righteous go and rest from all the pains of the world and they will have no troubles at all.  Now lets hear from Peter. 

1Peter 3:18-20   18For Christ also hath once ^asuffered for sins, the just for the^bunjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to ^cdeath in the flesh, but quickened by the ^dSpirit: 

19By which also he went and ^apreached unto the ^bspirits in^cprison; 

20^aWhich sometime were ^bdisobedient, when once the^clongsuffering of God waited in the days of ^dNoah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were ^esaved by ^fwater.

 So we have Peter explaining to the saints that Christ suffered for all sins that he might bring us to God. Then in 19 Peter explains to the saints that when christ was quickened by the spirit he went to the Spirits that were in spirit prison and taught them. Now who was taught in Spirit Prison? All the people who chose not to follow God's commandments. To finish up I want to let you hear more from Peter.  

1Peter 4:6    6^aFor for this cause was the ^bgospel ^cpreached also to them that are ^ddead, that they might be ^ejudged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

The Spirits in Prison are given the chance to hear the Gospel in its fullness and then choose to deny Christ or to follow him. So that way we all can be judged.

Ok so you are thinking great! now that I know where my spirit goes after I die what happens when we are all resurrected? 

You are right on track. What happens after we die is we are judged according to our Works, Words, Thoughts  In Alma 12:14   

14 For our ^awords will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the ^bmountains to fall upon us to ^chide us from his presence.

The prophet Alma basically says that everything we do, think, or say is what we will be judged on. After we are judged we are then given our reward. In Heaven there are three places that we can go to or what is known as Kingdoms of glory.  In 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 we read 

40^aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the ^bcelestial is one, and the glory of the ^cterrestrial is another. 

  
 41There is one glory of the ^asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ^bstars: for one star ^cdiffereth from another star in ^dglory. 

The celestial body is where those who have gone to the Celestial Kingdom will be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and  the Holy Ghost. How do we get there? by being baptised by someone holding the priesthood authority, and keeping the commandments that the Lord has given us. 

Telestial Bodies is where people go to the Telestial Kingdom. They are those who lived good lives and followed Christ, but they decided to not be baptised by someone holding the priesthood, or they chose not to follow the commandments 100% of the way.  They do not have the Fathers presence, But! they still have Christ's presence with them.

Then there is the Terrestrial body. Those who have those bodies go to the Terrestrial Kingdom, and those people are your murderers or those who chose not to follow Christ. Because God loves all of his children he still gives them a place of inheritance. They have no presence of the Father or His son.

I testify to you as one having authority that this is real! The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth by a living prophet of God. I know that Our purpose for being here on this earth is to learn and to grow by making choices, I also know that this life is indeed the time for us to prepare ourselves to meet God. I can also bare you my witness that when we die our spirits leave our body and goes to the Spirit world to be taught the Gospel, or for those who are righteous to rest from the cares of the world. I know that we are judged according to our words, thoughts, and actions. The three degree of glories is very real and I know all of this because I have read and prayed about these things. You too can know this by praying and asking God the Eternal Father in the name of Christ if these things are not true. By the power of the Holy Ghost you can know the truth of all things.

The plan (2)

My turn, it's my turn
It ends with death it begins with birth
And it's my turn, it's my turn
It's my turn on Earth

Yes my friends it is our turn on earth. In the last blog we talked about 1.Where we came from, (as well as hinted a bit of 2.what our purpose on earth is for.) But I want to talk about for a minute about Adam and Eve, now some of you reading this might know a little bit about Adam and Eve, but for those of you who do not know who they are let me fill you in. 

Adam and Eve were the first two of God's children to come down to earth. They were created in the exact image of God In Genesis 1:26-27 we read 26 ¶And God said, Let ^aus ^bmake ^cman in our ^dimage, after our ^elikeness: and let them have ^fdominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 27 So God created man in his own ^aimage, in the image of God created he him; male and ^bfemale created he them.    That means that you and I are created in God's image as well.

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden.Genesis 2:8  8 ¶And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in ^aEden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. While They (Adam and Eve) were in the garden they were living in God's presence and since they lived in His presence they also lived in a state of innocence, having everything they needed provided for them. (Innocence means not knowing good from evil.)  Adam and Eve were given two commandment while in the Garden of Eden. 1)To have Children 1:28 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be ^afruitful, and ^bmultiply, and ^creplenish the ^dearth, and subdue it: and have ^edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  2) Not to eat of the fruit 2:16-17

16 And the Lord God ^acommanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest ^bfreely eat:

 17But of the ^atree of the ^bknowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the ^cday that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely ^ddie. 

As we know Adam and Ever partook of the fruit and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Now was that a bad thing? The answer can be found in the Book of Mormon in 2Nephi 2:22-25

 22And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

 23And they would have had no ^achildren; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no ^bjoy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no ^csin.

 24But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who ^aknoweth all things.

 25^aAdam ^bfell that men might be; and men ^care, that they might have ^djoy.

So because Adam and Eve Partook of the Fruit we were now able to come down to earth and recieve our body.       

Now we get to the part that you have been waiting for. What are purpose is for being here on the earth.

In the Book of Mormon the prophet Alma gives us this reason for life. Alma 34:34 32For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors. 33And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many ^awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not ^bprocrastinate the day of your ^crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the ^dnight of ^edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

 34Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful ^acrisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth ^bpossess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

So as we can see my friend we are told that this life that you and I live right now, is the time for us to repent and to meet God.  Because once we die the same spirit/Personality that we have when we leave this earth will be the same one that we have when we are resurrected. 

I testify that this life is the time for us to truly repent of our sins and to do everything we can to follow the saviors commandments. As we do this I know we will be saved in the last days. I end this blog in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Plan! Part 1

The Plan! Part 1

(This is part one of a three part blog.)

Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. This plan covers three basic questions that many people in this world today always seem to be asking:

1. Where did I come from?
   
2. What is my purpose being here on this earth?
   
3. Where do I go when I die?
   

If you have had these questions it is okay, because I too like many of you have asked these question, and there are answers to these questions. I will answer these questions but! I would ask that you keep your ears and your eyes and your heart open and humble to what I am about to tell you.

We came from a place called Pre-Earth life which sounds exactly as it means. Before we came to earth we lived with God the Father and with everyone else that is on the earth today. In Jeremiah 1:4-5 we read:

"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." 

The Lord told Jeremiah that he KNEW HIM before he was in the womb of his mother. Now if the Lord knew Jeremiah don't you think the Lord knew who we were as well? Part of this plan that our Father in Heaven presented to us was that we were to come down here to earth and to get a body and to see if we would prove faithful to the lord. In Abraham chapter 3:25 It states:

"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them."

Our Heavenly Father knew we would all fall short and knew we would make mistakes so he asked who would go down to atone for our sins, and there were two responses.

“And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.” 

(See also revelations 12:7-9) Revelation's continues and says:

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

Those who overcame the Devil and his angels were those who chose to follow Jesus Christ and had a strong testimony, those people were US. We know this because of the fact that we are down here on earth today.

(To be continued in: The Plan! Part 2)

New Years

Hello Everyone today I would like to start off by asking this one simple question. Why is it that a lot of people have a hard time believing in a modern day prophet? I mean honestly people have no trouble at all believing that Moses was a prophet or Noah. The reason why people have a hard time believing that the Prophet Joseph Smith was called by God is because it is too simple for them.

I would like to show you some examples from Joseph Smiths own words and experiences that might show you what to do since we are all in the spot he used to be in.

Joseph smith during 1820 is a young boy at the age of 14 years old. while he was growing up there were many different religions out there claiming they were the Lords church and that the people needed to follow their church. Jospeh smith being young as he was says in his own words. "In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be ^aright, which is it, and how shall I know it?" JSH 1:10

He then goes on to say "While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of ^aJames, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."JSH 1:11 James 1:5

"Never did any passage of ^ascripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed ^bwisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects ^cunderstood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible." At length the young prophet comes to the decision that he has to go and pray to God in order to get more wisdom (Answer) to his question. JSH 1:12


He retires to the woods just by his house and he then kneels down and begins to pray and tell God the Desires of his heart. As he prays he has a remarkable experience, he says in his own words "I saw a pillar of ^clight exactly over my head, above the brightness of the ^dsun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I ^bsaw two ^cPersonages, whose brightness and ^dglory defy all description, ^estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My ^fBeloved ^gSon. Hear Him!"

I bear you my witness this day that Joseph Smith Saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. Because of his faith and his humility he was able to receive an answer to his prayer. I testify to you that he was called by God to be a prophet,to bring in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify to you that if you are truly humble and have  faith God will answer your prayers. If you do not believe my words, why don't you do as James tells us to do. If any of you lack wisdom let HIM ASK of God.

Christmas

Hello Friends. Today I want to talk about Christmas.  Usually when I think of Christmas I think of Lights and decorations such as tree,lights,stockings,gifts,and many other things.

I wont lie to you when I hear Christmas I think about all of those things, But ever since I came out on my mission over a year ago there is two thing that has always stuck with me on my mind and that was my family and the birth of our Savior.          

The one question that I have recently been asking myself is what gift can I give the Savior? I cant give him Gold or anything worldly, so what can I give to my Savior for Christmas? And then it dawned on me. Serving my fellow man, and taking the time to reflect on the greatest gift the Savior could ever give to mankind.    Let me show some references as to why serving people is important. 

In Mosiah 2:17 "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

In John 13:34 "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." 

We have all heard of the Golden rule "Do unto others as you would have done unto you" Also we know just by reading the Holy Bible that the Savior's life and ministry was nothing but service. Healing the sick and the afflicted, raising people from the dead, Feeding the multitudes of people, Etc... The list can go on for a while.

Now you might be saying right now ok so serving our fellow man is important, But what is the greatest gift that the Savior gave to us.   May I be bold and say it is Eternal Life or what is known as Salvation? 

In the Doctrine and Covenants 6:13 we read "If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God; for there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation. "

My friends because the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born into the world we have hope. Because of the Savior and his Atonement we can be with our families in the kingdom of God. It is my hope and prayer that we all take the time to serve our fellow man, and I hope we take the time to show how grateful we are to our families, friends and to our Savior.   Merry Christmas!

God is Loving Heavenly Father

Today I am going to talk about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. In the scriptures we have many references that show us how much God loves us. In John 3:16-17 we read

16¶For ^aGod so ^bloved the ^cworld, that he ^dgave his ^eonly begotten ^fSon, that whosoever ^gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have ^heverlasting ⁱlife.

17For God ^asent not his Son into the world to ^bcondemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Can you imagine having to give up your only child to save some people you dont even know! How about a best friend? 

In the book of Moses chapter 7 the prophet Enoch sees in a vison Satan holding a great big chain and this chain that satan is holding covers the earth with darkness, and Satan is laughing with his angels.

Then the prophet Enoch sees angels coming down from heaven teaching and testifying of the God head. He then says, 

"And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the ^aresidue of the people, and he wept"(Moses 7:28).  After Enoch sees this Enoch asks this question, "How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?"

As we can clearly read from the scriptures, God loves us so much that when we turn away from Him he weeps for us. If God weeps for us when we turn away from him then think of how happy he is when we turn to him and obey his commandments.

It is my witness that God is our loving Heavenly Father and that he loves each and every one of us so much that His arms of mercy are opened waiting for us to grab hold of them.

I also bear witness that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ it is possible for all of Gods children to return to live with him once again.