The Gosphel of Jesus Christ

The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us God’s plan for the salvation of His children and includes all the commandments, principles, and ordinances required to live in God’s presence.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is Heavenly Father’s plan for the happiness and salvation of His children and is centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life. Through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, you can become clean from sin and enjoy peace of conscience.

To become worthy to live in Heavenly Father’s presence after this life and to receive this peace and strength, you must learn and follow the principles and ordinances of the gospel.

The first principles of the gospel are faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. The first ordinances of the gospel are baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. After you learn and follow the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, you must seek to follow Christ’s example throughout the remainder of your life. This continued faithfulness is called “enduring to the end.”

God sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so that all of His children would have the possibility of returning to live in His presence after they die. Only through the Savior’s grace and mercy can you become clean from sin so that you can live in your Heavenly Father’s presence ( 1 Nephi 10:20–21; 3 Nephi 27:19; Moses 6:57).

Because of Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection, all people will be brought back into the presence of the Lord to be judged according to their works and their desires and according to the laws of justice and mercy. The Savior satisfied the demands of justice for those who repent of their sins and endeavor to keep all of His commandments when He stood in our place and suffered the penalty for all sins.

Because of the selfless act of the Atonement, Christ can plead with the Father on your behalf. Heavenly Father can apply mercy, withhold eternal consequences from you and welcome you into His presence.

However, Jesus did not eliminate your personal responsibility. You must show that you accept Christ and that you have faith in Him by keeping His commandments and obeying the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.

Jesus Christ, Our Savior

Our loving Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life.

Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to live in His presence after this life. His plan, called the gospel of Jesus Christ, will lead you back to Him if you choose to follow it.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It begins with faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is believing in Him, trusting Him, and depending on Him. Faith in Jesus Christ leads you to want to change your life for the better. Through repentance, you change those thoughts, desires, habits, and actions that are not in harmony with God’s teachings. Heavenly Father promises that when you repent, He will forgive your sins.

Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare you for baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ taught that everyone must be baptized of water and of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through baptism by one who holds God’s priesthood authority and through receiving the Holy Ghost, you will be spiritually reborn. After baptism, God promises to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost, who will guide, comfort, and help you know and recognize truth.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through revelation from God to the Prophet Joseph Smith and other prophets. You can know for yourself that these things are true by asking Heavenly Father in prayer.

The Book of Mormon

A record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, brought forth by the grace and power of God in our day as a second witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and redeemer of all mankind.

As part of the Restoration of the gospel, God brought forth the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. By the power of God, Joseph Smith translated this book from an ancient record written on gold plates. The Book of Mormon is “a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel” (Introduction to the Book of Mormon).

The Book of Mormon is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. It helps us understand His teachings, including those in the Bible. Examples of Book of Mormon witnesses of Christ include:

•Nephi, who saw the birth and death of Christ in a vision ( 1 Nephi 11:13–15).
•The brother of Jared, who saw the Lord because of his great faith ( Ether 3:7–16).
•The prophet Samuel the Lamanite, who prophesied of Christ’s coming and gave the signs of His birth and death ( Helaman 13–14).

•Christ Himself, who, after His Resurrection, appeared to the people of ancient America and invited them to come forward one by one to see and touch Him until “they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves” ( 3 Nephi 11:13–17).

In the Bible, Jesus told His Apostles, “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). Soon after He was resurrected, the Lord visited these “other sheep”—the inhabitants of ancient America. During this visit to the American continent (recorded in the Book of Mormon), Jesus Christ:

•Invited people to feel the wound marks in His hands and feet and side.
•Taught His gospel.
•Called twelve disciples to teach His gospel.
•Healed the sick.
•Prayed for the people.
•Performed miracles.

In September 1823, Joseph Smith was visited by a heavenly messenger named Moroni, in the same way that angels often appeared to Church leaders in the New Testament. Moroni informed Joseph that God had a work for him to do and told him that a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent was buried in a nearby hill. He stated that the record contained the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ ( Joseph Smith—History 1:27–34).

In September 1827, Joseph received the record, which was written on thin plates of gold. Joseph translated the book into English by the inspiration of God and called the book the Book of Mormon.

It is named after Mormon, an ancient prophet who compiled the sacred record. The book verifies, as another testament of Christ, the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is, then, a second witness that affirms the truth of the Bible.

Since its publishing in 1830, the Book of Mormon has blessed the lives of millions of people through its powerful message about Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Jesus Christ established his Church

Prior to His death and Resurrection, the Savior established His Church again on the earth, built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Himself as the chief cornerstone.

Holy Bible, Ephesians 2:20

A few hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, people had fallen into apostasy. When the Savior began His mortal ministry, He restored His gospel and established His Church again on the earth. He built His Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, He himself being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

Jesus Christ called twelve men to be His Apostles—including Peter, James, and John—and laid His hands on their heads to give them priesthood authority ( Matthew 10:1; John 15:16; Matthew 28:19-20). Before the Savior’s death and Resurrection, He gave His Apostles priesthood authority to teach His gospel, perform the ordinances of salvation, and continue to establish His Church in the world.

The Savior's coming fulfilled prophecy. He set a godly example and showed men what Heavenly Father was like. Yet He was rejected of men and crucified. He made the Atonement by suffering for the sins of all men. After His Resurrection, Jesus Christ guided His Apostles through revelation, making the Church of Jesus Christ a church led by God and not by men ( Acts 10; Revelation 1:1).

In addition to the Twelve Apostles, Christ appointed other leaders to assist the Apostles in the work of His Church. These included:

Seventies (missionaries)
Evangelists (patriarchs)
Pastors (presiding leaders)
Elders
Bishops
Priests
Teachers
Deacons

These officers were given the authority (or priesthood) necessary to do the work of Christ’s Church. They did missionary work, performed ordinances such as baptism, presided over congregations, and instructed and inspired Church members. As long as those who had the priesthood were alive, the Church grew and prospered.

When His followers asked Jesus Christ what kind of people He wanted them to be, His answer was simple: “Even as I am” ( 3 Nephi 27:27).

Jesus showed you by His example and His teachings how you should live to be able to return to your Father in Heaven. Although you make mistakes, as you sincerely repent of your mistakes and try to follow the example of Jesus Christ, your life will be filled with peace and inner joy, regardless of the circumstances around you.

From the beginning, God has called special witnesses, known as prophets, and commanded them to keep records of His dealings with His children. Both the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon are such records. The Holy Bible contains a record of Jesus Christ’s dealings with and ministry to the people in the Holy Land. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a record of Christ’s dealings with and His appearance to the people of ancient America. Both books teach about our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and of Their love for us.

Helping others

This is one of the reasons I joined the Church.
The LDS Church is one of the first organizations on the ground providing assistance around the world when disasters strike.

I think it is VERY important to help others and to give back to your local community and country as much as you can. When you give you get.
Our Heavenly Father blesses us many times over when we give to others unselfishly wanting nothing in return.

When we give it is important to do so in a way that no one knows who it is coming from if at all possible because we should not seek or get recognition for giving. Heavenly Father knows what we are doing and that is all that matters. The only reason I put at the top of this blog that I will be donating all profits was to let people know that I am not writing this blog for personal gain.

I encourage anyone who reads this blog to go out today or tomorrow and find someone to help, either financially, or just lending a hand to someone in need.
This world will become a much better place if we all help each other out!


Technorati needs to verify that I am the author of this blog by looking for a unique code. So I am posting this code YAAXJ9Y225W4 on this blog so I can have the blog added to their system. When it is verified I will remove this part of the post.

How can I know if this is true?

Well here are some ways to find this out for yourself, because everyone has a different way of finding out. It is a personal experience, the Lord does not let everyone know in the same way.


“I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4

Your Heavenly Father is the source of all truth. He loves you and wants to answer your questions. Therefore, He will help you recognize the truth as you sincerely seek it and ask Him for guidance. You can know if the things you are learning are true if you ask your Heavenly Father in prayer. He desires for you to know the truth, and you can receive an answer from Him through the Holy Ghost. As taught in the Bible, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). These feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. You will then need to choose whether you will live in harmony with the knowledge you have received.

As the Savior taught in the Bible, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). Feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The last prophet of the Book of Mormon, a man named Moroni, gave this remarkable promise to anyone who wants to know whether the Book of Mormon is true: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

You can discover for yourself that what you’ve been learning is true by:
Sincerely praying to your Heavenly Father and asking Him if what you are learning is true.
Continuing to study and give thoughtful consideration to what you are learning.
Listening with your heart for the Holy Ghost to whisper the truth to you.
Following God’s commandments so you can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost.

The Articles of Faith

For my first post I would like to post up the Articles of Faith, these are some of the basic beliefs we have.

The basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are summed up in 13 simple statements penned by Joseph Smith as a response to frequent queries on the teachings and doctrines of the Church. These statements are now known as the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

They are:
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon this the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.