17 Points Of The True Church: #3

The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets
          Ephesians 2:19-20
                     19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowctizens 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;

  

17 Points of The True Church: Point 2

    The True Church must bear the name of Jesus Christ
 Ephesians 5:23
          "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body."

      Christ was sent here to earth to suffer for our sins and to establish his church. Once lost, that same church was restored by a prophet of God named Joseph Smith. Today we are able to enjoy all the blessings of having Christ's true church back on this earth again, in its perfection and fullness. We call ourselves The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints because this is Christ's church.

17 Points Of The True Church

Point Number 1:
                  Christ organized the Church 
    Ephesians 4: 11-14
   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:
 13Till 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:

 14That 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;

The Church of Jesus Christ

“Come unto me.” Those three simple words spoken by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28) sum up the central purpose of His Church—to help all people come unto Christ, that they might receive salvation.

In return for following Jesus Christ's way, He promises us many things, two of which are answers to our prayers and rest to our souls. We can all use a little rest. We all struggle with something. To all of us He says: Lay down your burdens. Let me carry your load. Turn away from the darkness and into the light. He also promises peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

The roadmap to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ is outlined in the restored gospel and taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It starts with being baptized into Christ’s fold and participating in His sacred ordinances and the fellowship of His Church. The journey continues with a loving congregation whose purpose is to lift and be lifted—and ultimately be saved in the Kingdom of God.

Marriages Made in Heaven

     Most people think of a marriage made in heaven as a rare occurrence in which both parties are deeply in love and highly compatible. We like to think that all our marriages are made in heaven. When a man and woman enters one of our holy temples to be married, they covenant (or promise) they will stay together forever—on earth and in heaven after they die, if they are faithful to each other and their promises to the Lord. A temple marriage doesn’t include phrases like, “Till death do you part” or “So long as you both shall live.” If we keep these promises, our children also become part of this heavenly promise—sealed to us forever.

 

Here Was A Man

The Lord Always Finds A Way

    In the first few chapters of the Book Of Mormon, we learn alot of the story of Nephi and his family. Commanded of God, they left their home in Jerusalem and journey into the wilderness. Here they are subject to much trial and tribulation. Upon their journeyings, Nephi's father Lehi has a dream in which The Lord commands him that he should send Nephi and his brothers back to Jerusalem to obtain a record of the Jews and a geneology of his forefathers. Also known as the brass plates. However, these plates happen to be in the posession of a very wicked man named Laban. Despite his brothers' murmuring and objection, Nephi makes a stand, and tells his father:
                      "I will go and do the things which The Lord hath commanded, for I know that The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."   1 Nephi 3:7
    Nephi and his brothers sooon depart for Jerusalem. Upon arrival, the oldest of the brothers, Laman goes to retrieve the plates from Laban. Instead of a warm welcome, he is cast out of Laban's house. The Brothers then come up with Plan B. This time, they all go to Labans house but this time with all their gold and silver and precious things they had left behind in their home to try and persuade Laban to get the plates. But, instead of paying him, Laban takes their gold and kicks them out once again, sending his guards to kill them. Talk about a sour deal !
    Now the part of this story that i wanted to touch on is this one: After failing to recieve the plates twice now, Nephi returns once again to the city at night headed for the house of Laban.
                          " And i was led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."
                                                                    1 Nephi 4:6
    As Nephi is heding toward Laban's home he finds a man passed out drunk. To his suprise, it is Laban himself. He is then constrained by the spirit to take his sword and smite off his head. Nephi refuses, and is then told once again by the spirit to slay him, for The Lord has delivered him into his hands. So Nephi does so according to The Lord's will. It is this moment in history where we get a much recognized scripture:

                               "Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."
                                                                     1 Nephi 4:13
   Nephi then goes to the house of Laban, and retrieves the brass plates. After regrouping with his brothers, they return to their family in the wilderness. Mission accomplished.
   No matter what commandment The Lord gives us, there is always a way that He has prepared for us to accomplish what he commands. No matter how hard the task, there is always a way. As long as we follow him and listen closely to his Holy Spirit to guide us, we will succeed !