"Thy Kingdom Come": December 2012

"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

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Questions and Links for CHFT 21-22

From CHFT chapter 21: 1. Who was John C. Bennett? What did he do to help the Church? What did he do to hurt it? 2. Where in Illinois did the first anti-Mormon feelings begin and why? 3. What prominent Illinois Democrat became a friend to the Church? 4. Why and how did Governor Ford act to protect Joseph Smith? 5. Why did Joseph Smith run for president in 1844? List three planks of his platform that impress you. From CHFT chapter 22: 1. Name the two brothers who led the conspiracy against Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. How many followers did they have by early 1844? 2. What was the Nauvoo Expositor and how did it contribute to the death of Joseph Smith? 3. Why did Joseph and Hyrum willingly go to Carthage? 4. Why did the citizens of Carthage hold so much hatred toward Joseph Smith? 5. List some of Joseph Smith's accomplishments in the short 39 years of his life. Links:"The Martyrdom: The Prophet Seals His Testimony with His Blood" "The Path to the Martyrdom"