Why Go to Church?

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we Believe that going to church does a few very important things for us. Just like anything that Heavenly Father has established on this earth, Church is a gift that was created for Man, not Man created for Church.

Sacrament Service

"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path (been baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost), I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:19-20)
Nephi knew all the way back in 545 BC that being baptized and "saved" was important, but it was not the end of our responsibilities on Earth. He knew that we must press forward and continually repent and renew our promises with The Lord that we will remember Him and do His will. One way that we do that is by going to Church every Sunday to take the sacrament. Each time we take the sacrament, if we have truly repented, it is like being baptized again. We can be made clean, and pure through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Congregational talks, Testimonies, and Sunday School.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." (2 Timothy 3:1)
Brothers and Sisters, perilous times have come. Coming to church on a weekly basis helps us to remind ourselves of what is really important in this world. I know that at least for myself, if I don't make it to church weekly, I find myself more easily aggravated, more annoyed, less with the spirit, and remembering Christ and Heavenly Father less during the week. Church and sabbath day worship was made for man, not the other way around. Going to church is for your benefit, not for the benefit of the church. As such, church is filled with inspirational talks, spirit filled lessons, Christ centered activities, heavenly inspired music, and family oriented classes. We go to church to be deified and blessed, to gain more knowledge about The Lord in An attempt to fulfill the words which Jesus spoke: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

Go Forward in Faith

Finally, speaking of perilous times, we have been given a Charge in the midst of them:
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." (Matthew 5:14-15)
We need to help others who have not yet come to the knowledge of Christ to see through our example that Christ lives and directs our very actions. The best way we know how to do that is by going to church and basking In the presence of the spirit which always presides in the lord's house. Every time we go to church and we are further edified, we then take with us a light that we hope to be able to share with the world.

Do I Have To Be A Member Of Your Church To Come On Sunday?

No! We invite all to come and see what we believe, learn of our practices, partake in our learning, and leave feeling edified. We would want nothing more than for everyone to come and hear the things we teach so that all might know that we truly are Christians, and that we Love and Cherish the example of Christ's Life and Ministry. We are not secretive about what we do. Our doors are open! If you would like to worship with us, or even just come to observe what we do as part of an experiment, feel free to look up the closest Chapel to you by going to this link ( http://www.lds.org/maps/?lang=eng#ll=-3.160332,51.689452&z=1&m=google.road ) and typing in your home address. The program will tell you where the closest Church building is and what time they start their Worship service on Sunday (It usually starts between 9 AM and 3PM) The page will also give you some other information and tools (Such as a picture of the address you looked up to ensure that is what you were looking for, phone number for the Church Building, other Church services in foreign languages offered in your area and so on) Please feel free to explore the rest of the site while you are there.

Are Mormons "Saved?"

It is not my practice to teach about or usually even talk about other religions, because I know that now matter how much I feel I know about what they believe or teach, my knowledge is still limited, and invariably, I would end up spreading false rumors. Realizing that that is something that happened to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on a regular basis, and We would prefer that you asked us questions about what we believe instead, I will refrain from putting any specific denomination to the Doctrine of "Salvation". If you want to know what your church or other churches teach about this, ask one of their ministers.

On that note, it suffice me to say that, according to un-named denominations, the requirements for being saved are: 1. Realize that you are a sinner and that you will never be perfect. 2. Realize and confess that the only way you can be forgiven of those sins is because Jesus Christ atoned for them. 3. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as a witness that you believe in him and his crucifixion.
If I am thus correct in saying so, and that is the definition of "Saved", then I am here to inform you that every single Mormon, or Member of our Church, has been saved.

What do the Mormons believe about being Saved?

We too believe in the three named steps above, but our conception continues on somewhat.
We are all sinners. We sin daily, and because of that, we would be found unclean and unable to enter into the presence of God. By ourselves, there is no way for us to repent of those sins. Knowing this, Heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus Christ to do two very important things for us (He did a lot more than two things while he was on this earth, but for now, I will focus on these two) First, he set the perfect example of how we should be living our lives. Second, He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane, and was crucified so that when we did not succeed at following that perfect example He set, we could repent and try harder. Just as Jesus said, He intends for us to be perfect; as perfect in deed as our human nature will permit, and perfected in him AFTER ALL we can do.

Therefore we follow the admonition of James: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James Chapter 1 Verse 5). As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are not trying to work our way into the Kingdom of God, but we are not trying to skate our way in either. The Lord had to suffer for every sin we ever committed. Why would we want to add to those pains by committing easily conquerable sins on top of the ones that we can't avoid?

With that, I leave you with this question to ponder. Repentance is to apologize for a sin. If I were to steal a candy bar from your store, then apologize, would you forgive me? What if I stole another one every day, always apologizing for stealing the previous one before I took the next one? How would that make you feel? Are my apologies helping either of us?
How often is this the relationship we are creating with the Father of our Souls?

What do Mormons believe about the Trinity?

Joseph Smith's 1st Vision

This time I'm going to do something a little different. My posts have normally been fairly long, filled with explanations, scriptural references, and proof. Here, I will tell you what we as Latter-Day Saints have come to know about Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Ghost and if you have questions please leave them as a comment, and I will answer to the best of my ability.

As I have said in an earlier post, We believe that God The Father is the literal Father of our souls (John chapter 20 vs. 17), with a prefect Body (Genesis chapter 1 vs. 26) We believe that Jesus Christ is Literally God's only Begotten Son. He is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. He is the savior of all mankind, and the redeemer of us all. He literally suffered and died for us, and was actually and truly resurrected, or reunited with his body In a perfect form, three days after His death. Since then, He too has had a perfect body of flesh and Bone. He is our brother in spirit, and He loves us dearly. He is the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both have bodies, and can therefore only be in one place at a time, there needed to be a personage of spirit who could influence the Hearts of all men to do good. That is the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit of Promise that Christ said would come to lead us after He returned to live with the father. The Holy Ghost does not have a Body. He speaks to our Hearts quietly and meekly, always testifying of truth and helps us to know what Heavenly Father and Christ desire for us. The Holy Ghost is also referred to as the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and the Spirit of Promise.

Who was present at Christ's Baptism?

We believe that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Ghost are three distinct and separate individuals, who are one in purpose, goals, mindset, plan, and doctrine (see St John chapter 17 verse 21 for an explanation of the usage of the word "one" to describe these individuals)

Finally, we believe that these individuals love us deeply, and that they have sacrificed much for us and want us to come to live with them once more. That's why, when we pray, we can sometimes feel the reassurance of their love, and we can receive answers to questions that pertain to our eternal salvation. Which leads me into my usual suggestion: don't take my word for it, ask them. Study the scriptures (including the Book of Mormon) and ask God sincerely if these things are true, and by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost, He will manifest the truth of it unto you (Moroni Chapter 10 verse 4)

Where Do We Go After We Die?

If only it were that easy, Huh?

The Bible teaches us that after this life, we either go to Heaven or Hell. (...thou shalt be brought down to hell - Isaiah 14:15. ...he was received up into heaven: Mark 16:19) The Bible also tells us that, because Christ was resurrected, all people shall be resurrected and reunited with their bodies, only in a perfect state (See John chapter 11 verse 25 and 26). However, the Bible also mentions some things that are not really explained, such as in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 where Paul speaks of knowing a man who was caught up into the third heaven, and of the man caught up into paradise, or when he speaks in chapter 15 about celestial, terrestrial, and telestial bodies. Luckily, Heavenly Father knew that all or the teachings of His Gospel could not be contained into one book perfectly; that's why we have the Book of Mormon to help us see the whole picture.

Immediately After Death

This is an illustration of the stages of Life from Beginning to End

(Note: These teachings come from the 40th chapter of the Book of Alma within the Book of Mormon as well as the 9th chapter of the second book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon, pages 307 - 309 and 72 - 77 accordingly. I strongly suggest reading those chapters so as to get your answers from the source of truth, instead of second hand)

Death is the literal separation of out spirits from our bodies. As soon as we die, Alma tells us that our spirits are taken to, essentially, one of two waiting areas: "And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise ... this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection." As members of the church, we call these two places spirit paradise (just as Paul described) and spirit prison, and together, they make up the Spirit World. Our spirits wait in the Spirit World until it is time for each of us to be resurrected. (I feel to mention that this Spirit World is where the Idea that there is one heaven and one hell comes from. Remember however, that Christ said, "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2))

Resurrection and Judgment

When it comes our time, we will be reunited with our bodies, and our bodies will be perfected so that we can live forever. At this time, we will "be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to [our] works" here I return to Paul. He knew very well that the spirit world was not our final destination. In chapter 15 of Corinthians, he informs us that there are three glories in the Kingdom of God: "There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead" (verse 41 - 42). Those who have accepted Christ, repented, been baptized by His priesthood Authority, and lived all of His teachings to the best of their ability are made clean in His atonement and are allowed to enter into the Celestial Kingdom, or the Glory of the Sun, where Heavenly Father resides. There they will live in everlasting Joy for the rest of eternity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

As always, I would advise you to study the scriptures diligently and ask Heavenly Father in honest prayer if the things which I speak are true. He alone will never lie to you. My desire is that you will find this truth for yourself so that you may realize that this life is a time for us to prepare for the eternities. Please do not trade 100 years of simple pleasure for an eternity of complete joy. Come to Christ, for His arms are opened to you. Of Him I so testify, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

Who is Joseph Smith?

Actor who plays Joseph Smith

Well, the Simple answer to that Question is that Joseph Smith was a Servant of The Lord Jesus Christ. Namely, he was God's chosen Prophet for this day in the Time (About 1830 - 1844 AD) that he lived. Therefore, like Moses, Abraham, or Noah, Joseph Smith was, at his time, the divinely chosen leader of Heavenly Father's Children, given the task to instruct God's Children as to the will of God in our Day, that we might have the opportunity to continually progress and one day live with Him again.

Establishing some Background

Sound presumptuous? Maybe; But let me take you to some scriptures.
Genesis Chapter 7 Verse 7 reads: "And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood"
A prophet of about 600 years of age, with only 7 followers.

Even without a computer, He's still pretty awesome.

Exodus Chapter 14 Verse 12 reads: "Is not this the Word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness
A Prophet sent to deliver God's Children from bondage, and God's Children would that he had never come.

Lamentations Chapter 1 Verse 1 reads: "How Doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!"
...And so a nation who was given a prophet to guide them out of the conquering hands of the Babylonians lies in heaps of ash because they would not listen to the Prophet of their day.

And Finally, St. Matthew Chapter 26 Verse 66-68 Reads: "What Think ye? They answered and said, His is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the pals of their hands, Saying, prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?"
For though the Son of God himself would appear to lead the Children of God, still Jesus Christ is rejected with the least and greatest of the prophets.

You see? It is as Jesus Taught, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house" Mark 6:4. Prophets of old have been rejected because, much like today, the Children of God for some reason believed that God eventually stops loving us enough to send us guidance.  But I am here to testify that God the Father has not stopped loving us. He is the same Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, for that is what he taught of himself. Therefore, now, as in times of old, God has sent a prophet to the Earth to make known His Will.

What did Joseph Smith Do?

Lots of Things, but since we don't have forever, and you don't want to read a novel, here are just a couple.
Under the Direction of Heavenly Father, and after Receiving from explicit permission to act in His name (called the Priesthood) Joseph Smith preached the Word of God to the children of men, translated the Book of Mormon from Ancient records inscribed on golden plates and buried in the ground, Re-established or restored the Church of Jesus Christ in the same way and with the same organization as it had been organized by Jesus Christ Himself while He was on the Earth, lead the members of that Church out of harms way to a place where they could safely worship God, and Prophesied and received revelation for our day so that we could know for a surety how to live that way God intends for us to Live. Joseph lived a good life endeavoring to continually live the way he was being taught by God. Like Moses, Noah, or even Christ, Joseph came to this world in a time where the 100% pure word of God did not Exist, so he was tasked with rebuilding bridge from us here on Earth to Our Heavenly Father.

Why do we need a prophet? Isn't The Bible Enough?

Can you ask the bible what a computer is? Can you ask the Bible What the proper way to use the internet is? If you asked Moses whether or not we should smoke cigars, what would he say? 
The problem is, though God does not change, we do. We are constantly learning, creating, changing, and moving about. We need living Scriptures. Noah's revelation to build an Ark did not instruct Moses as to how to rescue the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses' revelation did not tell Jeremiah to preach repentance to Jerusalem lest they be destroyed. They were living scripture in their day, and now, out of love, Heavenly Father has sent Living scriptures to ensure that we know the way back to Him. We still have the agency to choose, but at least Heavenly Father has done His part.

How Can I know This is True?

My suggestion is to read the bible. First see if you can pull out some of the things that Christ did while on the Earth pertaining to organizing a Church. Then, compare that to the way The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is organized. Above all, pray to the one person you know who can't lie. Ask Him if this is His work. When you get your answer, remember, our doors are always open. We Love You. I love You. God the Father and Jesus Christ Love you. Seek for their word, and you shall find.
May the Lord Bless us in our search for Him. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Show Me Some Proof Elder Yeske

"Why Should I join the Church?"

Alright, for this one i'm going to enlist some help from a someone who inspires me and has explained the topic a lot better than I feel I ever could. 

George Patrick O'Neill, a Falconer from Great Britain shares his Story about how the Gospel, and more specifically Jesus Christ, has helped to improve his life.

Lives are changed, understanding is created, and blessings are received. Notice, Brother O'Neill had to suffer through 6 months of jail because He decided to follow Christ. Like George, we will not always get immediate positive results from making the Decision to follow Christ, but then again, would you rather be happy for a day, or happy for a year?

Like George's Analogy of the birds who don't trust him right away, so too it can be difficult to trust in the Reality of a Living Christ who Watches over us, especially when we cannot see Him. However, Christ Promises that when you enter into His fold, He will become your good Shepherd, and He will guide you in the most joyful of paths, calling you by name, for he knows all of his Sheep.

"What if I'm already Happy? What Should I Expect?"

Again, I'm going to ask the assistance of someone with more experience in this Field. 

Al Fox (Carraway) Shares her experience as a convert to the Church. Al is a huge inspiration overcoming trial after trial of her Faith, but always receiving of the blessings in the End. She also has a Blog that goes through her story and her life. http://alfoxshead.blogspot.com/ is a great destination for those of you who want to learn a little more about a person who made the decision to join the Church of Jesus Christ for herself.

Unfortunately, you'll have to open the video in another tab, but here you go:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865580409/Tatooed-Mormon-Al-Fox-shares-her-conversion-story-in-new-video.html

"I actually had to go through hard times and Trials that I would not have gone though if I didn't get baptized. ... Things were hard. Things were really difficult since joining the church. ... But what it comes down to is prayer really. Honest Prayer, where you can ask him anything. And our end of the decision; it relies wholly on us, because he doesn't ever leave us. ... And what's really helped me is making that decision, and being firm in it."

Wow. What a Powerful testimony. No, Al Fox didn't feel like she needed more happiness, or more joy, but She sure found it and more sorrow! But why all the pain? Did God not see that she was making the right decision?

Of course He did. And because of that, He strengthened her be allowing her to pass through trials. Now, Al can share the strength she has gained with millions. you see, God could trust her to reach out once she was comforted, and to help her fellow man. He knew her individually, and He knows us all individually. What more could we ask for?

I know that blessings are to be found in living in accordance with God's Laws and Gospel. I know this because I swam through a river or two of pain to get to the Joy on the other side, and How great has been my appreciation of that Joy because of those rivers! I Testify that God Lives! I Testify that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior! I have "My God" and I will follow him everywhere I go, because there is no more joyful way.

What is the Purpose of This Life?

What is the Purpose of Life?

That is a great Question! Something that I am learning is that for every great question, if we will search diligently, there is an answer somewhere within the Scriptures. This time, I believe that the first part of the answer comes from Jeremiah, (in the Old Testiment) Chapter 1 Verse 5 which reads:
"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"

Can't you see yourself here?

What an interesting prospect, don't you agree? Before we came to this earth, God "knew" us. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we take that to mean that before this life, we actually lived with God! In fact, Paul tells us something even more miraculous about our "Pre- mortal" life with God. Paul, in a letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 2) says,
"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"

That's Right! The reason God knew us before we were formed in the bellies of our mothers is because He is Our Father, the Father of our Spirits! (As a Side note, that's why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints call God "Heavenly Father") 

But then, Why, if we already lived with God, are we here today on this earth?

Again, let us go to the Scriptures. In Genesis, Chapter 1 verse 27, Moses records, 
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of god created hi him; male and female created he them."

You see, among the many differences between us and God before this life, one main difference is that he didn't have a body yet. God did, and he knew the joys that a body would bring; things like the ability to walk, run, jump, fall, play, eat, swim, feel, and taste. That's one of the big reason's we are here: to Get a body just like our Father. 

Still not so sure about all this?

Think of it this way. When you were a little kid, did you ever look at your dad, probably about 2 feet taller than you, stronger, and more able to do lots of things and wish you were big like him? I did. Being only 3 feet tall sucks when you go to Disney Land and you have to be at least 4 feet tall to ride the fun rides! That is what happened when we lived with God before. We could see all the cool things he could do, and we wanted to be able to do them too, just like Dad.

Ok, Elder Yeske, so here I am on Earth, with a Body like God. Now What? I still don't get why I ever left God.

Back to the Scriptures :)
This Time in Alma (Yes, that's in the Book of Mormon, but we already established that the Book of Mormon work hand in Hand) In Chapter 34 Verse 32, Alma Says, 
"For Behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

To put it simply, we're here to be tested. Are you going to "Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother"? Are you going to "Have no other God before [Heavenly Father]"? Are you going to "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength"? Will you "Love thy neighbor as thyself"?

Is that all?

Are there only four verses in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon? Not a chance.
2 Nephi (Also in the Book of Mormon) Chapter 2 Verse 11 reads, 
"For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things." 

Consider:
What does Good feel like? What is fun like? What is Joy like? How does nice feel? 

Well ... good feels better than bad. Fun is better than boring. Joy is like the opposite of sadness. Nice feels a lot better than mean.

I knew I Liked this symbol ;)

You see? We're here to feel what it's like living without God right by our side all the time. Have you ever met someone who was spoiled as a kid? They had the latest game systems, the best phones, and the easiest chores (If they had any at all); Yet they were still always upset! That's because they didn't know what real sadness was, or real hard times. In the same sense, living with God, we didn't know how to appreciate all the good things we had. Have you ever heard the statement, "You never know how much you love someone until their gone". Well it's True.

And some day, when I look into the eyes of My Heavenly Father, remembering the last 100 or so years where I had to walk without Him visibly beside me, I know that at that moment, I will truly understand that great gift that it is to live in His Presence. Then will my Joy be full. Then will my love be great.

How Can you be so sure? How can I know if this is all true?

Alright, last delve into the scriptures for this post. Alma Chapter 32 verse 27,
"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner  that ye give place for a portion of my word."

Yay, Fruit!

Try it. Read the Scriptures, and follow the commandments of the Lord as given within the Scriptures. 
...
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" -St Matthew Chapter 7 verse 16 (I know, I said no more scriptures, but this one is important!)
I add my testimony to The Lord Jesus Christ of old as recounted by St Matthew. If you will try to live the commandments of the Lord, by the feelings and blessings that come as a result (The "Fruit"), you will know that God lives, that He is your Heavenly Father, that He has a plan for you, and that being here on this Earth is part of that plan. That Promise I leave with you in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.