Follow The Prophets

IS THE CHURCH REALLY TRUE??

Did Joseph Smith see who he said he saw??
Is he lying or telling the truth??
What is YOUR knowledge, belief, or testimony about his experience?
I Kings 18:21
THE CHURCH IS EITHER TRUE OR FALSE!!
WE EITHER HAVE PROPHETS OR WE DON’T!

The Main Difference Between Our Church and All the Other Churches?
They are NON-PROPHET!!
WHY DO WE NEED PROPHETS??
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Nephi said of our day: 2 Nephi 28:14 – “They have ALL gone astray SAVE IT BE A FEW, who are the humble followers of Christ (of course we assume that is us!); NEVERTHELESS, they [humble followers] are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.” (Jesus/Pharisees; Joseph Smith/clergy of his day, etc. We always conclude the ‘educated’ are right.) The Lord said: “To be learned is good if. . .”

“The world worships the learning of man. They trust in the arm of flesh (see D&C 1:19). To them, men’s reasoning is greater than God’s revelations. The precepts of man have gone so far in subverting our educational system that in many cases a higher degree today, in the so-called social sciences, can be tantamount to a major investment in error! Very few men build firmly enough on the rock of revelation to go through this kind of indoctrination and come out untainted.”

(The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 319.)

“Do not expect the world’s solutions to the world’s problems to be very effective. Such solutions often resemble what C. S. Lewis wrote about -- those who go dashing back and forth with fire extinguishers in times of flood. Only the gospel is constantly relevant, and the substitute things won’t work.”

(“Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been,” Ensign, May 2004, 45; Screwtape Letters, 1959, 117-18).)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie
“Apostles and prophets have been set in the Church for the purpose of teaching and identifying true doctrine, lest men be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Mormon doctrine, 205)

President Gordon B. Hinckley
“Some people argue over whether the counsels of the Lord are commandments. I do not need to argue. As far as I am concerned, whether it is a commandment or counsel, (what the Lord says) becomes a commandment to Gordon B. Hinckley. I hope it does to you” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 703).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell
“Our relationship to living prophets is not one in which their sayings are a smorgasbord from which we may take only that which pleases us. We are to partake of all that is placed before us, including the spinach, and to leave a clean plate!” (“Things as They Really Are”, 74)

President Harold B. Lee
Acknowledged there are times when it takes “Patience and Faith” to accept what Prophets tell us to do, because their teachings may contradict our “political, social, or intellectual views. They may interfere with some of our social life” (“Uphold the Hands of the President of the Church,” Improvement Era, December, 1970, 126).

President Ezra Taft Benson
“How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to know, but would rather not hear, is (the real) test of our faithfulness (and testimony of prophets)” (“Fourteen Fundamentals of a Living Prophet,” Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at BYU).

Elder Robert D. Hales
“If we follow the counsel given by the prophets, we can have a life in mortality where we do not bring upon ourselves unnecessary pain and self‑destruction. This does not mean we will not have challenges. We will. This does not mean we will not be tested. We will, for this is part of our purpose on earth. But if we will listen to the counsel of our prophet, we will become stronger and be able to withstand the tests of mortality” (Ensign, May 1995, 17).

President Henry B. Eyring
“Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger. That call to warn is made harder and more important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don’t yet think are real” (“A Voice of Warning,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 32).

Elder Russell M. Nelson
“My philosophy is to stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead” (“Russell M. Nelson: A Study in Obedience,” Ensign, Aug. 1982, 18).

President Henry B. Eyring (“Finding Safety in Counsel”)
Looking for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with strong faith. When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice…Those without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for some selfish motive. They may mock and deride, as did a man named Korihor…”

President Henry B. Eyring (con’t)
“(some believe) that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights of independence. But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside influence. We choose another influence… The choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future.”


President Henry B. Eyring (con’t)
When we honor the keys of that priesthood channel by listening and giving heed, we tie ourselves to a lifeline which will not fail us in any storm… That is one of the reasons why the Savior has provided priesthood keys so that those with ears to hear and faith to obey could go to places of safety.

President Henry B. Eyring (con’t)
“We are blessed to live in a time when the priesthood keys are on the earth. We are blessed to know where to look and how to listen for the voice that will fulfill the promise of the Lord that He will gather us to safety. I pray for you and for me that we will have humble hearts, that we will listen, that we will pray, that we will wait for the deliverance of the Lord, which is sure to come as we are faithful.

President J. Reuben Clark, Jr.
“Not all of the General Authorities possess the same authority. Members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve are specifically sustained as ‘prophets, seers, and revelators’ which gives them a special spiritual endowment in connection with their teaching of the people. They have the right, the power, and authority to declare the mind and will of God to his people, subject to the over-all power and authority of the President of the Church. Others of the General Authorities are not given this special spiritual endowment. Furthermore, the President of the Church has an [even] greater spiritual endowment [than the other members of the First Presidency or Quorum of Twelve] for he is the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator for the whole Church. He alone has the right to receive revelations for the Church, either new or amendatory, or to give authoritative interpretations of scriptures that shall be binding on the Church” (address to seminary and institute teachers at BYU, July 7, 1954; in Church News, July 31, 1954, 2ff).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell
“We can scarcely be in tune with God if we are not in harmony with His prophets. We are not likely to hear God’s instructions to us as we pray if we neglect the counsel of His leaders” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, 101).