Friday, August 22, 2008

The Same Organization

The 6th Article of Faith reads, “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.”

In our family, we recite an Article of Faith each night after we read scriptures. It helps the kids to remember our basic beliefs and helps them to explain to their friends exactly what we believe. I have a daughter named Angela so when my older kids were younger they would mistakenly say, “ . . . namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelas.” I would try to correct them, but they’d get mixed up and, somehow, say evangelas instead of evangelists. Since then, every time I see this Article of Faith, I think about how my kids used to say it.
This Article of Faith explains our belief in establishing the same church as was instituted by the Savior himself. While Jesus walked the earth, he set up his church. The LDS Church seeks to follow the same pattern as set forth by the Savior. We believe that we have the same organization as the Lord’s church during biblical times.

Just as the Savior chose and set apart his apostles, we do the same today. Apostles are called and serve the rest of their lives as apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ. When an apostle passes away, another is called to serve. The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

While the Lord stands as the head of the Church, we have a prophet who acts as the mouthpiece of the Lord and receives revelations. Our prophet leads and guides us in these latter-days. We believe that just as the Lord revealed his will during the times of Noah, Moses, and Abraham, he continues to speak to his children through the prophet. Ongoing revelation is crucial for us so that we can follow the will of the Lord.

We believe that after the crucifixion of the Savior, that the gospel was taken from the earth. Many refer to this time as the “dark ages.” During the great apostasy, the priesthood was not on the earth. The gospel had to be restored, along with the power to act in the name of God. The Lord chose a young, unlearned man named Joseph Smith to restore the gospel and make it possible for us to enjoy the blessings of the gospel.

The restoration of all things meant that the Church must be established as it was 2000 years ago. The basis of organization for the LDS Church can be found in the bible. When Moses was leading the children of Israel he was chastised by his father-in-law, Jethro, for trying to solve all the problems by himself. Moses learned to delegate his responsibilities and allow other men to learn leadership skills. We do the same today. President Monson does not solve the problems of all of the people in the Church. He delegates that to others such as Stake Presidents or Bishops. In this way, we follow the pattern instituted by God and set forth in the Bible.

We believe that in order for it to be the Lord’s church, it must follow the same organization as he established.


Return to the neighborhood.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Unknown said...

Rebecca--I just have to let you know about a GREAT new and safe LDS website for sisters only, called "Our Ladies Room" at http://www.ourladiesroom.com/

Lots of super ladies on there already, and plenty of groups and forums to join and discuss a ton of issues.

Hope to see you there!

Brillig said...

Great post! We recite the articles of faith in our home too-- usually my husband tickles my children to death until they recite one perfectly. Okay, perhaps that's a bit unconventional, but they're five and six years old. Haha.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Your website is wonderful! It touches my heart that you also have taken heed to Elder Ballard's counsel for us as Latter-Day Saints to share the gospel with the world using the Internet! I encouraged others to visit your website on my blog! Thank you for your beautiful words and sharing your testimony!

Also thank you for visiting my website/blog. I appreciated your comments!

www.saunders.weebly.com

Randall said...

Another great article Rebecca. Thanks for all your efforts to share the gospel.

Randy