I have a Testimony of Joseph Smith: Part 2

On Sunday April 19, the lesson in my ward’s Relief Society was titled “Joseph Smith, an Instrument in the Hands of the Lord.” (Chapter 7 from Teachings of Presidents of the Church Ezra Taft Benson). The lesson influenced me to share my testimony of Joseph Smith. Last week I shared my testimony using Neil L. Andersen’s talk from October 2014 General Conference “Joseph Smith”, and this week I’m going to share my testimony using the Relief Society lesson about Joseph Smith.

The sister in my ward giving this lesson started it off with sharing a story from the chapter about Ezra Taft Benson’s mission. President Benson served his mission in England. Anti-Mormon literature about Joseph Smith had been spread throughout all of England, and missionary work was suffering because of it. A small group of members asked President Benson and his companion to speak in one of their meetings. President Benson gave a very powerful testimony about Joseph Smith and the Restoration. After the meeting many people went up to President Benson and told him that what he said was exactly what they needed to hear.

At this point the teacher asked us what thoughts or questions made the First Vision seem unbelievable to some people. One woman said that on her mission – to a small island off the coast of Africa – a man she was teaching couldn’t see how something that happened all the way in the United States affected him on a tiny island. Another sister said that the most common concern was the belief that God no longer talks to his children anymore, that was something from antiquity, but not modern days.

Those are valid concerns, and important to overcome individually. The first, how does the First Vision apply to me? Well, the First Vision set Joseph Smith on the path to restore Jesus Christ’s true Church to the earth. The Restoration brought about so many needed blessings, the most important being the priesthood keys and covenants that will help us return to Heavenly Father. And the best thing about the Restoration is that it is open to everyone. No matter where you live, what gender you are, when you were born, who your family is, the Gospel is open to you. Anyone who chooses to, can accept the restored Gospel and be baptized, make temple covenants, receive the blessings of the priesthood and be sealed to their families.

The second concern, does God really speak to us in these modern days? The answer is, yes! And it started with the First Vision. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ literally appeared to Joseph Smith. He saw them with his own eyes, and heard their voices as they spoke to him. This is one way that God speaks to his children. He can also speak to each of us through impressions and feelings from the Holy Ghost, literally hearing the voice of the Holy Ghost, and sending us messages in dreams. Whatever the method, Heavenly Father does speak to us. He spoke to Joseph Smith, and through bringing revelation back to the earth, Joseph Smith was able to restore Christ’s Church.

We next talked about how the restoration affects us today.  There is a long list of answers to that question. There is the obvious: we have the priesthood to bless us, seal us, we can make baptismal and temple covenants, and we have the full truth. After we went over those general – but very important – answers, I thought about how much clarity the restoration can give us. In American History, the time that Joseph Smith was a young boy is called The Great Awakening (it’s technically the Second Great Awakening as the first one was in Europe, it just depends what textbook you are reading). The Great Awakening was a time when people were reinterpreting the Bible and creating new churches. So of course there was a lot of confusion as people tried to figure out what was right and true. This confusion is what led Joseph Smith to pray to Heavenly Father to find the truth. We know that the restoration resulted in that prayer and the prayers and visions that followed. But the confusion has not ended in this modern world, in fact, I believe it has only gotten worse. And Christ’s gospel being back on the earth can bring so much clarity to our lives and give us the right direction to follow.

We also read from Joseph Smith History, verse 25:

I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

Joseph Smith uses the word “knew” four times in that verse. He knew that he had seen a vision. And I believe him. The Spirit has testified to me – and he can testify to you too – that Joseph Smith told the truth. He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They spoke to him, they instructed him on the truth of the Gospel, and they continued to speak to him and send messengers to guide him in the restoration. I know that Joseph Smith was God’s chosen prophet, he restored Christ’s Church to the earth. I am so grateful that he was willing to go through all of the persecution that he did to help the Church grow and prepare it for the future generations of today.

Now, I know that was only a small part of the chapter. That was what stood out to me in my RS lesson. What did your RS teachers focus on in their lessons? What stood out to you?