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| Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley Chapter 1 |
From the Life of Gordon B. Hinckley
1. Throughout his life, President Gordon B. Hinckley
fostered a deep respect for the people and places involved in the restoration
of the gospel. He felt special gratitude for Joseph Smith and his role in the
Restoration, and he spoke of “an ever-growing compulsion to bear testimony of
the divinity of the Lord and of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” ....
2. At the First Presidency Christmas devotional on
December 3, 2000, he shared this personal experience from a visit to the Sacred
Grove:
3. “Some years ago I was assigned to the Rochester New
York Stake conference. On Saturday I said to the brethren who were with me,
‘Let us get up early in the morning, early Sunday morning, and go to the Sacred
Grove before the conference.’ They all agreed. Accordingly, very early on that
spring Sabbath, the mission president, the stake president, the regional
representative, and I went out to Palmyra and walked into the grove. No one
else was there. It was peaceful and beautiful. It had rained during the night.
Tiny new leaves were upon the trees.
4. “We spoke quietly one to another. We knelt upon the
damp ground and prayed. We did not hear an audible voice. We did not see a
vision. But in an indefinable way we were told in our minds, each of us, that
yes, it happened here just as Joseph said it happened. It was here that God our
Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, appeared
to the 14-year-old boy and spoke with him. Their matchless light rested upon
him, and he was instructed in what he should do.
5. “That sublime occasion, the First Vision, parted
the curtains through which came the restoration to earth of the Church of
Christ. It came out of the wilderness of darkness, out of the bleakness of ages
past into the glorious dawn of a new day. The Book of Mormon followed as
another witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. His holy supernal priesthood was
restored under the hands of those who held it anciently. Keys and powers were
bestowed upon the Prophet and his associates. The ancient Church was again upon
the earth with all of the blessings, powers, doctrines, keys, and principles of
previous dispensations. It is [Christ’s] Church. It carries His name. It is
governed by His priesthood. There is no other name under heaven by which men
must be saved. Joseph Smith … became His great testator.” ....
6. A growing church, a church that is spreading across
the earth in these complex times, needs constant revelation from the throne of
heaven to guide it and move it forward. With prayer and anxious seeking of the
will of the Lord, we testify that direction is received, that revelation comes,
and that the Lord blesses His Church as it moves on its path of destiny.
7. On the solid foundation of the Prophet Joseph’s
divine calling and the revelations of God, which came through him, we go
forward. Standing as the 15th in line from Joseph Smith and bearing the
prophetic mantle which came upon him, I solemnly declare my testimony that the
Prophet Joseph’s account of [the events of the Restoration] is true, that the Father
… bore witness of the divinity of His Son, that the Son instructed the boy
prophet, and that there followed a train of events which led to the
organization of “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole
earth” [D&C 1:30].
Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2002 General Conference
8. "This is the restored Church of Jesus Christ.
We as a people are Latter-day Saints. We testify that the heavens have been
opened, that the curtains have been parted, that God has spoken, and that Jesus
Christ has manifested Himself, followed by a bestowal of divine authority.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of this work, and it is built upon a
“foundation of … apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20).
9. "This wondrous Restoration should make of us a
people of tolerance, of neighborliness, of appreciation and kindness toward
others. We cannot be boastful. We cannot be proud. We can be thankful, as we
must be. We can be humble, as we should be. We love those of other churches. We
work with them in good causes. We respect them. But we must never forget our
roots. Those roots lie deep in the soil of the opening of this, the final
dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times....
10. "God be thanked for His marvelous bestowal of
testimony, authority, and doctrine associated with this, the restored Church of
Jesus Christ.
11. "This must be our great and singular message
to the world. We do not offer it with boasting. We testify in humility but with
gravity and absolute sincerity. We invite all, the whole earth, to listen to
this account and take measure of its truth. God bless us as those who believe
in His divine manifestations and help us to extend knowledge of these great and
marvelous occurrences to all who will listen. To these we say in a spirit of
love, bring with you all that you have of good and truth which you have received
from whatever source, and come and let us see if we may add to it. This
invitation I extend to men and women everywhere with my solemn testimony that
this work is true, for I know the truth of it by the power of the Holy Ghost.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen" (Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2002
General Conference).
The Lord Restored Through Joseph Smith:
·
The Gospel of Jesus Christ which enables us to access
the full blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
o Faith, repentance, covenants, Holy Ghost, enduring to the end
·
The Priesthood authority and keys needed to
administer the ordinances and covenants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
·
The Church of Jesus Christ and modern day prophets
and apostles that help us to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and know God's
will.
·
True doctrines, such as the Plan of Salvation, that
provide context (i.e. the "why") for the Gospel and the Atonement and
answer to life's most important questions.
Q What is the value of a testimony of the
Restoration? How has your testimony of the restoration blessed you?
Q What can we learn from those who have lost their
testimonies of the restoration about how to keep ours?
We can become as an ensign to the nations from which the people of the
earth may gather strength.
12. My brethren and sisters, the time has come for us
to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater
comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a season to be strong. It
is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the
breadth, and the importance of our mission. It is a time to do what is right
regardless of the consequences that might follow. It is a time to be found
keeping the commandments. It is a season to reach out with kindness and love to
those in distress and to those who are wandering in darkness and pain. It is a
time to be considerate and good, decent and courteous toward one another in all
of our relationships. In other words, to become more Christlike....
13. It is not always easy to live in the world and not
be a part of it. We cannot live entirely with our own or unto ourselves, nor
would we wish to. We must mingle with others. In so doing, we can be gracious.
We can be inoffensive. We can avoid any spirit or attitude of
self-righteousness. But we can maintain our standards. …
14. Beginning with you and me, there can be an entire
people who, by the virtue of our lives in our homes, in our vocations, even in
our amusements, can become as a city upon a hill to which men may look and
learn, and an ensign to the nations from which the people of the earth may
gather strength....
15. Let us glory in this wonderful season of the work
of the Lord. Let us not be proud or arrogant. Let us be humbly grateful. And
let us, each one, resolve within himself or herself that we will add to the
luster of this magnificent work of the Almighty, that it may shine across the
earth as a beacon of strength and goodness for all the world to look upon.
Q How can we apply President Hinckley's invitation?
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