Lesson for December 6, 2015

Lesson for December 6, 2015 Today our lesson was given by Jessica Lewis about the divine calling of Joseph Smith. She quoted Bruce R. McConkie who spoke in 1976. He said that we worship and rejoice in Jesus Christ and that He is the Lord of all and the author salvation. He also spoke about Joseph Smith, Jr., who was the first in this dispensation to hear the voice of God and Jesus Christ. We all need that Spirit to enlighten us and powerfully testify to us of the divine calling of Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. Kelsey told about her testimony of Joseph Smith. She served her mission in Taiwan. She said that every time she shared the story of Joseph Smith, the light and Spirit came into the room. Even if we already know Joseph Smith is a prophet, we can have that testimony confirmed again. That is our goal for the coming week, is to know again that Joseph Smith is a prophet. Because of him we have the Book of Mormon, temples, the priesthood, Relief Society, the nature of the Godhood, the plan of salvation, prophets, apostles, a sense of community, the Joseph Smith translation, the eternal nature of marriage, the divinity of women, eternal progression, the salvation of little children, the ordinances of the gospel, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and many more things. Gordon B. Hinckley said that an acquaintance of his said he could accept everything about the Church except Joseph Smith and President Hinckley said that is a contradiction, since all things about the Church come from the revelation of Joseph Smith. If the Book of Mormon is true, so Joseph Smith must be a prophet and vice versa. If you reject Joseph Smith, you reject modern revelation and that puts you back with everyone who says that God has ceased speaking. Some people are put off because Joseph Smith was not human. But he was human and he made mistakes. That gives us hope that even if we are not perfect, we can receive revelation. Neal L. Anderson said that one reason the Lord allows evil to happen is so we will go to our knees and ask God for confirmation. Prophets are not called because they are perfect, but because they are willing to serve and humble enough to receive revelation. It is a blessing that Joseph Smith is so polarizing, so it’s all or nothing, so his prophet-hood is so clear. If you can get a testimony of that, you know the rest is true, too. The striking factor of Joseph Smith’s life is how much Heavenly Father is real and loves His children. But Heavenly Father knows who we are and we should not doubt that He loves us immensely. Our scriptures are evidence that He loves all of us and reached out to His children. His care for us touches us all differently. Neal L. Anderson gave a talk about Joseph Smith in 2014. There is so much opposition to Joseph Smith because he was so polarizing. Many years ago they had given a survey to missionaries about where their testimonies fell about Joseph Smith and most ranked theirs at the bottom, but it is important to know Joseph Smith. It is strange that so much persecution is heaped on an obscure boy. President Uchtdorf said to doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We can take our questions to God, rather than our friends. The small things affect us and those we love. If any doubts come, pray about them and be willing to accept the answer. The book They Knew the Prophet has many first-hand accounts by people who knew the prophet. You don’t have to research everything bad that is said, but focus on what is true. You have to trust in your testimony and choose to stay solid, choose faith, and you will be happier and your life will be happier. The fact that Satan tried to destroy Joseph Smith is a testimony of how important he is. One web site is Fairmormon.org often has good information that tells the real story, if you have questions. You need to go to the source. When you think that Joseph Smith had a second grade education and did so much in 14 years, from translating the Book of Mormon to the D&C and Pearl of Great Price, he had to have had God with him. Charlene Farnworth said she does not know of a time in her life when she did not know that Joseph Smith was the prophet. Her fourth great-grandfather was asked by Wilford Woodruff to write about the martyrdom because he was there. Joseph and Hyrum were sent to jail for treason, not tried, but jailed. Her great-grandfather was Brother Markham. He wrote his experience and it has affected Charlene so she feels solid in the gospel. Our testimonies would be strengthened if we would read Joseph Smith’s account.