The Book of Mormon.

I use the Scriptures every day without fail.  When I first got them the pages were stiff and it was hard to keep the page I wanted open, without the book closing itself. Now the pages are well used, almost every page is marked with verses boxed, underlined or marked in a unique way.  The margins and spaces in between verses are filled with notes and revelation I have received in my personal study of the scriptures. Through the diligent study of both the Book of Mormon and the Bible, I have come to know why there was a need for a restoration of truth.

I read the words of my friend, Nephi, prophesying of the falling away of truth and the raising up of a great and abominable church that twists truth and promotes false doctrine as truth, and changes simple principles such as baptism, the sacrament, and prayer. The birth of many churches came in this time as truth-seeking men and women sought to find truth by reforming and changing the apostate doctrines and principles they inherited from their fathers.  Some of the reformers include John Wycliffe; who taught that the Catholic Church did not have the priesthood keys and helped translate the Bible to English.  Martin Luther; who boldly nailed his 95 thesis to the door of the Catholic Church in his hometown in Germany or William Tyndall, or John Calvin, and the list goes on but there is one common denominator – not one of them claimed to have been called of God and none had the priesthood. So just like we are taught in Acts 3: 19-21 there was a need for a Refreshing or Restoration of true doctrine, principle and priesthood.

We all know what happened next – God, our loving father, reached out, when the time was right, to a young man in upstate New York. In the early 1800’s religion was a “fiery topic.” One of the products of this long night of Apostasy was the birth of many churches claiming to be the “one church of God” yet also condemning all other faiths – yet they all taught out of the same Bible. But the war of words and tumult of opinions made it confusing for any truth-seeking man or woman to find the “One Lord, one faith and one baptism" as taught in Ephesians 4: 3-6. This is the backdrop to which a young truth seeker named Joseph Smith found himself. He had two questions, “How can I know I am saved and what church should I be baptized into”. He was born into a good family that did their best to raise a God-fearing family. He would attend church meetings with his family as often as occasion would permit, but never felt that he had found the “One faith”.

This troubled young Joseph, how could he find the one true church that was established by Christ and prophesied of by prophets of old? He took to studying the word of God. He read in the Bible and one day came across a verse in the book of James 1:5-6,  "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." Joseph knew that he needed to act on the counsel given to him by James, that he needed to ask God. And so he did... One spring morning he awoke and resorted to a small and private grove of trees near his home. His plan was to do as James directed him to do, to ask God which of the churches he should join. After kneeling down and beginning to offer up the desire of his heart, he says,

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

 Young Joseph was told that none of the Churches had the fullness of the Gospel. He was told that they draw near unto God with their lips but there hearts were far from God. Joseph was told that in later years he would be called as a prophet. He was given the responsibility to translate the record we now know as the Book of Mormon. We need the Book of Mormon as members of the church; it is the only book in our canon of scriptures that contains the "Fullness of the Everlasting Gospel". What is the fullness of the everlasting gospel? We read in 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 11, and 3 Nephi 27, that when Christ proclaimed his Gospel; Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. As we read in 3 Nephi 11: 39, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.”

It is truly vital for us as children of God to read this book because it is the Keystone of our religion in three ways; 1) It is a true witness of Christ, 2) It contains the Fullness of Doctrine, 3) It is the foundation of testimony of Jesus Christ.

                                                                                           The Keystone  

A keystone is a large wedge-shaped stone placed at the peak of an arch. Its job is to lock all other stones into place and to bare the weight of the structure. It is imperative that the keystone is a strong and solid stone to make the arch structurally secure. So, the Book of Mormon is the Keystone of our religion. If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration of Truth.  If that is true, then the Priesthood that Christ gave to his apostles has also been restored. If that is true, then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom, once again established on the earth. But, if the Book is not true, then all that is above mentioned falls and we as a church are left with nothing.

We invite all people everywhere to read the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has the power to bring about a mighty change of heart. Just like family history has the power to "Turn" our hearts, the Book of Mormon has the power to "Change" our hearts. I, myself, have had my heart changed. As you read it and ponder the message you receive in your heart, you will feel that it is true. Just as we are promised by Alma the Younger, who may have had the mightiest change of heart of all, that if we plant the seed of the word of God in to our hearts and don’t cast it out because of our unbelief, but truly nourish it, then it will grow! After it begins to grow, you will believe that the seed is good and that the word is true (Alma 32: 28). Then you must ask God, to KNOW if it is true. And if you ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of the Book of Mormon unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the Power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:3-5).

I want you to know that I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true. And the Book of Mormon that I have studied, pondered over, and fell in love with, is the very copy with the testimonies of my sweet Grandpa and Grandma Raban inscribed on the cover pages. The copy given to me has played the role of conversion in many of the people I have taught on my mission. The large print makes clear for me as well as the people I teach to clearly understand the words of the prophets. Its big pages give me room for notes and feelings I get when reading and its well-marked pages bring sweet memories of times that I understood the voices crying as it were from the dust and acted on their promptings as well as the promptings of the spirit. I can say that without the Book of Mormon I would not have any idea how to recognize the sweet and soft whispers to my mind and to my heart. (D&C 8)

I know it is true. I invite you to read it. Please Read it!!! Read it with an honest and open mind and a prayerful heart.  If you do, I know that God will guide you home into his loving arms. He will answer your prayers and give you the same witness of the truth of the Book of Mormon that he has given me.  I know all of this to be true and say it in the name Jesus Christ, Amen.