"Thy Kingdom Come"

"Many have asked, 'How is it that the Prophet Joseph Smith, age 14, could go into a grove, never having prayed before vocally, according to his own account, and in that first prayer receive such great and marvelous blessings?' Does that mean that he simply had far greater faith and worthiness than the rest of us?
"One response is that the visitations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith weren't just an answer to his own prayer, but to the prayers of literally millions, maybe even those beyond the veil, who had been seeking and reaching for generations for the restoration of the gospel and the reestablishment of the kingdom of God on the earth; fulfillment, in fact, of a phrase offered by billions, 'Thy kingdom come.' (Matthew 6:10.)
"That is an important insight. You and I pray not alone. We pray as part of a great modern movement and, in effect, we can be empowered in that very process. And if we care - or even care enough to try to care - to be instruments, unique privileges descend upon us, among them the authorities and gifts and blessings of the Holy Ghost and the crowning blessings of the priesthood." - Truman Madsen

Monday, October 22, 2012

Links and Questions related to CHFT 10-11

This Thursday in institute class we will discuss chapters 10-11 in Church History in the Fulness of Times - Chapter 10: "Development of the Church in Ohio, 1831-34" and chapter 11: "Expulsion from Jackson County." Click on the chapter titles for links to these readings. If you are interested in more information on these topics, you may click on these links: "Joseph Smith's Missionary Journal," "Mormon Persecutions in Missouri, 1833" (PDF), and a broadcast on the Mormon Channel titled, "Education in Kirtland," wherein historian Milton Backman discusses the School of the Prophets. For those who enjoy study questions, here are a few to consider: 1. Who was Ezra Booth and why did he lose faith? 2. Why did Joseph Smith speak with a light whistle after 24 March, 1832? What happened to Sidney Rigdon that same night? 3. What was historic about Joseph's and Sidney's missionary journey to Canada? How many missions did Joseph undertake during the Kirtland era? 4. What was the job of the "Literary Firm"? 5. List difficulties among the Saints inJackson County prior to July, 1833. 6. List points of contention between Church members and their non-member neighbors in Missouri. 7. Why are the names Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, John Corrill, John Whitmer, W. W. Phelps, and Sidney Gilbert held in honorable remembrance by the Church? 8. Who was Lilburn Boggs? Why was he allowed power?
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