Why we need a Prophet

Many people I have talked to lately don't feel the need for a prophet and/or new revelation when we already have the Bible, and the truths that are in it.

I will answer the question using the Apostle Paul's words to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:5 says "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."  That was the church of Jesus Christ, back in the days of the Bible.

Ephesians 4:11-14 says this about the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

We need a prophet who receives revelation from God to keep us unified in the faith.  Much of the New testament is about how the Apostles went about to different areas of the church and had to make adjustments to the church because

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the household.  A cornerstone lines up the foundation, so the foundation is in place.  The prophets and apostles are the foundation.  A foundation holds up a house and gives it a strong base.  The saints are the household.  We can be saints if we align our will with God's will by being obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

There are so many churches who perform different ordinances and preach different laws, that it can be difficult to tell which church is God's one true church.   One Lord, one faith, one baptism. This is because there has been a great apostasy.  My testimony is that I know that God has reached out in love for his children and he has called another prophet to the earth, and He has given Him all the keys of the priesthood.  He has been given that divine permission and revelation as to how to restore His church.  Joseph Smith was that prophet.

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.  I have heard his word and I have prayed to know if he was a prophet.  By the power of the Holy Ghost, I have come to know that he is the prophet today.  If we heed his word, we will not be led astray, but we will be led to be the people God intends on us being.  God loves us, so he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, and he has always called prophets.  Why wouldn't he send one now when the world needs one most?!?  The answer is that he has.  

I invite you to hear the message he declares on April 5th and 6th of 2014 in General Conference.  

In fact, I invite you to check out anything you'd like on the General Conference page.

This is the message that I bring to the world: God speaks.  Not only does God live, but he speaks through a prophet just as He has in former days, He does now in the latter-days, and it will bless your life.  Pray to know the truth of this message for yourself.  God will answer your prayer if you are sincere, if you pray with real intent, and have faith in Christ.  Go into General Conference with a question, and leave with an answer.  "And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things." -Moroni 10:5

Here's what Thomas S. Monson said at the last General Conference.
The talk is titled "Love- the Essence of the Gospel."

Diplomatic Epiphany

Due to some really bad weather, poor scheduling, and good 'ol fashioned procrastination, the post for this week was delayed.  So we are getting things back together!

Yes, I should've used flash...

 

The Show must go on~

Last week our district was asked to direct traffic at a diplomatic function.  For me, it was an excellent opportunity to both help out AND go to the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center. (an absolutely wonderful place)

 

So we suited up in the parking gear (lightsabers included), headed out into the chill air and got to work!

I was put in the North-West edge of the Parking lot, with a beautiful view of the Temple.  (See parking diagram below)

It gave me a lot of time to think(one of my favorite pastimes) as I was directing people to where they could park.  Specifically, I thought about prophets.

You may think, "why in the world would he be thinking about old men who talk about the world ending!?" (Maybe...)

That's not the point of a prophet. 

A prophet is put on the Earth so he can help lead and guide us.  He invites us to follow the commandments so that we can live life to the fullest.  This experience helped me understand that on a whole different level!

You see, I was put on the edge of the parking lot to guide people to better parking.  I would wave my 'lightsaber', beckoning people to follow where I was pointing, so they wouldn't have to guess or wonder if there was any parking available.

Some didn't listen.

 They would go ahead and park.  Some wandered aimlessly looking for a spot, eventually either following me, stopping and asking me where parking was available.  I would think to myself 'please, come on!'  or 'there's better parking if you'd just follow me!'

It was actually kind of sad.  The parking right in front of the Visitors' Center didn't get completely filled up until about twenty minutes before the Function ended.  Yet, the other parts of the parking lot were completely full.

People saw an empty space and went for it.  Perhaps they didn't see me or maybe they thought I might direct them to a less desirable spot, I don't know.

Just like the Prophets(sort of), I was leading people to a better place.  I was trying to tell them of a better way.  But some didn't listen, thinking, maybe, they knew more or that they had the right idea.  It may not have occurred to them that my whole purpose was to direct them to a better spot.

It may've been frustrating, but I did gain something;

A new vantage on the purpose of the Prophet.