Author Archives: Johney Iligan

One important way that God shows His love for us is by calling prophets, who are given the priesthood—the power and authority given to man to act in God’s name for the salvation of His children. Prophets learn the gospel of Jesus Christ by revelation. They in turn teach the gospel to others and testify of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer. The teachings of prophets are found in sacred books called scriptures. Our Father’s plan for us to be successful in this life and to return to live with Him is called the gospel of Jesus Christ, with Jesus’s Atonement at the center of that plan. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can receive eternal life if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, repent, are baptized by immersion for the remission of sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. “This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:21). All people have the gift of agency, which includes the freedom to accept or reject the gospel as taught by the prophets and apostles. Those who choose to obey are blessed, but those who ignore, reject, or distort the gospel do not receive God’s promised blessings. Whenever people choose to disregard, disobey, or distort any gospel principle or ordinance, whenever they reject the Lord’s prophets, or whenever they fail to endure in faith, they distance themselves from God and begin to live in spiritual darkness. Eventually this leads to a condition called apostasy. When widespread apostasy occurs, God withdraws His priesthood authority to teach and administer the ordinances of the gospel. Biblical history has recorded many instances of God speaking to prophets, and it also tells of many instances of apostasy. To end each period of general apostasy, God has shown His love for His children by calling another prophet and giving him priesthood authority to restore and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ anew. In essence, the prophet acts as a steward to oversee the household of God here on earth. Such periods of time headed by prophetic responsibility are called dispensations. God revealed the gospel of Jesus Christ to Adam and gave him priesthood authority. Adam was the first prophet on the earth. By revelation, Adam learned of mankind’s proper relationship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost; of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; and of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Adam and Eve taught their children these truths and encouraged them to develop faith and to live the gospel in all aspects of their lives. Adam was followed by other prophets, but over time the posterity of Adam rejected the gospel and fell into apostasy, choosing to be unrighteous. Thus began the pattern of prophetic dispensations that makes up much of the recorded history of the Old Testament. Heavenly Father revealed His gospel through direct communication to prophets such as Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Each prophet was called by God to begin a new dispensation of the gospel. To each of these prophets God granted priesthood authority and revealed eternal truths. Unfortunately, in each dispensation people eventually used their agency to choose to reject the gospel and then fell into apostasy.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ blesses individuals and families. It helps husbands and wives, parents and children as they strive to develop stronger relationships and spiritual strength in their families. These blessings are available now and in eternity. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides help with current concerns and challenges. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that all individuals are part of God’s family and that families can be united now and in eternity. Because families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unit in time and in eternity. God has established families to bring happiness to His children, allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and prepare them for eternal life. The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A home established on gospel principles will be a place of refuge and safety. It will be a place where the Spirit of the Lord can abide, blessing family members with peace, joy, and happiness. Through prophets in every age, including our own, God has revealed His plan of happiness for individuals and families.

God Is Our Loving Heavenly Father God is our Heavenly Father. We are His children. He has a body of flesh and bone that is glorified and perfected. He loves us. He understands and feels our sorrows and rejoices in our progress. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer. He has given us this experience on the earth so we can learn and grow. We can show our love for Him through our choices and our obedience to His commandments. Heavenly Father has provided us, His children, with a way to be successful in this life and to return to live in His presence. However, we must be pure and clean through obedience in order to do so. Disobedience moves us away from Him. Central to our Father’s plan is Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Jesus Christ’s Atonement included His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane as well as His suffering and death on the cross. Through Christ’s Atonement we can be freed from the burden of our sins and develop faith and strength to face our trials.

By Elder Hugh W. Pinnock Of the First Quorum of the Seventy

What a marvelous day this has been, and what an incredible age in which we live! For over a year I have thought of this great day—the dedication of these three buildings, the many people who have made these projects possible, and the remarkable effect of the restoration of the gospel upon the world.

As we study this reinstitution and the theological basis of the Church, we will find ourselves thinking about the questions that so many others have asked. What is the explanation for the growth and the amazing influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? What does make Mormons different? Perplexed scholars, social critics, religionists, and cultural observers have given many answers. Their responses have ranged from describing the Church as a social abnormality that appeals to accomplishment-oriented people to such a simplistic idea as a conservative church always generates interest during troubled times.

However, the more deeply one wonders what makes us different from our nonmember friends and neighbors, the more certain is the answer: the Redeemer and other heavenly messengers personally restored the everlasting gospel to the earth. That is why we are here.

A poet so aptly said, “An honest tale speeds best being plainly told” (William Shakespeare, Richard III, act 4, sc. 4, line 358). That is my posture this day. The plain fact is that we believe the very same concepts that were revealed to the prophets ever since the world began. We utilize the same principles taught by the Master two thousand years ago.

As we study the Church today, we conclude that it is the same institution that was on the earth so many centuries ago. No other explanation is sensible. This is why scholars who attempt to relate the gospel of Jesus Christ to popular movements of the day, to a chance happening, or to other responses simply do not make sense, nor do they satisfy the longings of even the most naive seeker after truth.

An example: the Master, while speaking to his disciples in the Old World, 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). We have known for 150 years that the other sheep were those sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father living here in the Americas. These are they whom the Savior visited after his resurrection. Their lives and trials are recorded in the Book of Mormon. No other logical explanation can be given for that verse in John. The restored gospel also offers explanations for so many other verses that have left biblical scholars mystified and struggling.

Yes, the Church is essentially an alien body implanted in fairly hostile territory. As the Savior advised, we are to be in the world but not part of it. We are to be loyal soldiers in this rebel world. Yes, we are different, and we must remain that way.

Why else would a group of people have the courage to respond almost unanimously to a man whom we know to be our prophet, seer, and leader, one who receives revelations continuously as needed? Similarities are found in the times of ancient Israel and again in the days of Jesus Christ. Where else is found a church that is structured with apostles and prophets, patriarchs, seventies, bishops, and teachers?

Here is a church that responds to the Savior’s admonition, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, … for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14). The great programs we have for our little ones assure them from their first consciousness that we love them and desire to teach them the truth.

Consider these additional aspects of the restored Church: a great women’s program involving in meaningful ways over 400,000 of our sisters who are leading and teaching in various organizations; the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood, which involve the men and boys in a multiplicity of powerful and helpful ways; worship services on the first day of the week; holy temples where eternal marriage and other ordinances are performed, including baptism for the dead; a worldwide missionary system wherein 30,000 men and women serve; baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; an unpaid clergy (“freely ye have received, freely give” [Matt. 10:8]); teachings that stress the redeeming and positive in life; and an extensive welfare program to assist the poor and needy in dignity and love. The list goes on and on.

The events of this day further testify that the happenings of fifteen decades ago, which occurred here in western New York state, began a moral revolution that, as Daniel prophesied, would roll forth to eventually encompass the globe. (See Dan. 2).

There are other implications, however, that need to be stated. Where can one find spiritual, emotional, and economic safety in order to survive today’s terrible cultural storms? The world is messy and bent on self-centeredness. Economic chaos and political instability are also part of today’s environment, leaving uneasiness, insecurity, and turmoil in all of our lives. Fortunately, the Restoration gives us the panacea that mends, directs, corrects, and heals; but if we don’t conform to this great God-given system, we will be like those unwise maidens who did not trim their wicks and fill their lamps with oil. We as a people are action-oriented and work-inclined. Conformance to this eternal system of energy expenditures does provide the only complete set of answers, which the world so desperately needs. May we be wise.

A grateful and sensitive member of the Church could logically ask, “What may I do personally to express gratitude for all that I am and have because of my membership in and affiliation with the kingdom of God?” Here are some suggestions:

First, utilize in personally helpful ways the advice and counsel of our prophet. One of our unique characteristics, as a people, is the fact that we have a divinely appointed leader, a heavenly designee, whose authoritative responsibility has persisted for 150 years, beginning at this very spot with the first elder of the Church, Joseph Smith. A prophet’s words are designed to provide joy for us and for those we love, to include direction that will intensify our eternal effectiveness.

Second, become more expressive to our friends, family members, and neighbors concerning this great restoration. In a revelation given on this very day one and one-half centuries ago, Jesus expressed the necessity of being effective missionaries when he said, “That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved” (D&C 20:25).

Third, serve, as called, in the kingdom. In this same April 1830 revelation, the Lord said: “All those who … are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ … shall be received by baptism into his church” (D&C 20:37; italics added).

Fourth, walk “in holiness before the Lord” (D&C 20:69; see also D&C 21:4). The Lord went on to say, a sesquicentennial ago, that “by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory” (D&C 21:6; italics added). The most significant sermons we will ever preach will be through the acts we perform.

These are four simple steps, but from them can come happiness and peace that surpass understanding. To reiterate:

First, follow the loving counsel of our prophet and other Church leaders.

Second, teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Doesn’t integrity demand that we tell others about this great restoration?

Third, serve the Master. Manifest our testimonies through our words and works.

Fourth, walk in holiness and live the commandments.

May each of us, as part of this great jubilee year and sesquicentennial celebration, conform our lives in building, loving, forgiving, and healing ways to express gratitude for all we have, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Obedience Restoration