Be baptized by immersion for a remission of your sins. Receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Attend Church and partake of the Sacrament to always remember Jesus and what he did for you and to renew your sacred covenants and fellowship with the Latter-day Saints. Bring your family and friends and neighbors with you. READ AND STUDY A FREE DIGITAL BIBLE AND FREE DIGITAL BOOK OF MORMON, A PREMIER SECOND WITNESS THAT JESUS IS THE LIVING CHRIST.

 

To read and study a FREE digital Bible and FREE digital Book of Mormon go to the internet “www.churchofjesuschrist.org.”

 

Call 1-801-240-1000 to talk to missionaries;

 

1. Contact missionaries at their Come Unto Christ website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist. Visit https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org. STOP THEM AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WHEN YOU SEEN THEM IN PAIRS IN YOUR TOWN OR NEIGHBORHOOD.
2. They will teach you the true gospel of Jesus Christ in person, by zoom, by phone, by email, or text. They will teach you about Christ’s True Church and His IMMINENT Second Coming.
3. Time is running out, Brothers and Sisters.
4. Christ’s Second Coming is near —
5. Whether while you are alive or when you die.
6. The missionaries will help you understand Heavenly Father’s and Jesus Christ’s plan of salvation and CELESTIAL exaltation. They will help you
7. – pray and repent of your sins,
8. – read and understand the scriptures – the Holy Bible, the Holy Book of Mormon which is a second witness, a second Bible from peoples who lived in the western hemisphere, a second witness that Jesus is the Resurrected Living Christ, and other scriptures;
9. – attend Church, be baptized by immersion, be confirmed a member of the Church, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and partake of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and fellowship with the Latter-day Saints.
10. Watch on YouTube the past and present semi-annual April and October general conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during which living apostles and prophets and other Church leaders teach Christ’s pure gospel and bear testimony that Jesus is the Resurrected Living Christ and that He restored His divine Church thru the Prophet Joseph Smith and other prophets and apostles;
11. FREELY Search/Google www.churchofjesuschrist.org; use the FREE LIBRARY to study in many languages the holy scriptures, the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, talks by living apostles and prophets, and other valuable reference books.
12. Pray about what you have learned. Pray and ask Heavenly Father if these things are not true. Pray to receive the great gift of Charity, the Pure Love of Christ, Christ-like respect and love for spouse and children and others including our enemies, without which we are all nothing. Don’t put it off. Find and Ask the missionaries to help you Join the Church today and bring your family and friends and neighbors with you.
13. SHARE THIS POST WITH OTHERS.
14. No matter your town or city or country or continent where you live, if you are a leader of a group of spiritual people, a group of wonderful people searching for the true Church of Jesus Christ, testify to them. Read and pray about and gain YOUR OWN testimony of the truthfulness of the Holy Book of Mormon and Holy Bible. Bear witness that you have found the “Restored” “TRUE” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its living apostles and prophets; that you want to become or are becoming a faithful member. Encourage your family and friends and neighbors and members of your group to come with you and all be baptized and join Christ’s true church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bring your many followers with you. Ask the missionaries to baptize you using their true priesthood authority.

 

 

 

1. Best personal regards, Richard Linford, member

 

ARTICLES OF FAITH, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS:

 

1. “We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. [Three separate holy men. The Father has a resurrected glorified body as tangible as man’s, the son also. The Holy Ghost has a spirit body and is yet to experience his mortality.]

 

2. “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

 

3. “We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

 

4. “We believe that the first principle and ordinances of the Gospel are: (1) Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) Repentance; (3) Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; (4) Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

5. “We believe that a man must be called of God by prophecy and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

 

6. “We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church, viz.: apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc.

 

7. “We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, etc.

 

8. “We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

 

9. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

 

10. “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion will be built upon this [the American] continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

 

11. “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

 

12. “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

 

13. “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul, ‘We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

 

Joseph Smith—History

 

Extracts from the History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet

 

Chapter 1

 

Joseph Smith tells of his ancestry, family members, and their early abodes—An unusual excitement about religion prevails in western New York—He determines to seek wisdom as directed by James—The Father and the Son appear, and Joseph is called to his prophetic ministry. (Verses 1–20.)

 

1 Owing to the many reports which have been put in circulation by evil-disposed and designing persons, in relation to the rise and progress of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, all of which have been designed by the authors thereof to militate against its character as a Church and its progress in the world—I have been induced to write this history, to disabuse the public mind, and put all inquirers after truth in possession of the facts, as they have transpired, in relation both to myself and the Church, so far as I have such facts in my possession.

 

2 In this history I shall present the various events in relation to this Church, in truth and righteousness, as they have transpired, or as they at present exist, being now [1838] the eighth year since the organization of the said Church.

 

3 I was born in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five, on the twenty-third day of December, in the town of Sharon, Windsor county, State of Vermont. … My father, Joseph Smith, Sen., left the State of Vermont, and moved to Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) county, in the State of New York, when I was in my tenth year, or thereabouts. In about four years after my father’s arrival in Palmyra, he moved with his family into Manchester in the same county of Ontario—

 

4 His family consisting of eleven souls, namely, my father, Joseph Smith; my mother, Lucy Smith (whose name, previous to her marriage, was Mack, daughter of Solomon Mack); my brothers, Alvin (who died November 19th, 1823, in the 26th year of his age), Hyrum, myself, Samuel Harrison, William, Don Carlos; and my sisters, Sophronia, Catherine, and Lucy.

 

5 Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.

 

6 For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling, in order to have everybody converted, as they were pleased to call it, let them join what sect they pleased; yet when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another, it was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions.

 

7 I was at this time in my fifteenth year. My father’s family was proselyted to the Presbyterian faith, and four of them joined that church, namely, my mother, Lucy; my brothers Hyrum and Samuel Harrison; and my sister Sophronia.

 

8 During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

 

9 My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.

 

10 In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

 

11 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: 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.

 

12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.

 

13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

 

14 So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.

 

15 After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.

 

16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

 

17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. 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!

 

18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.

 

19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

• I work at being a good husband, dad, grandpa, neighbor, member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, attorney at law, writer, and artist.

 

My witness to family, friends, neighbors, to the world, TO YOU, is that GOD THE ETERNAL FATHER LIVES, THAT JESUS IS HIS BELOVED SON THE LIVING CHRIST, THE HOLY MESSIAH, WHO SOON WILL COME IN POWER AND GREAT GLORY TO CLEANSE THE EARTH OF HATRED, SICKNESS, WAR, AND SIN, AND USHER IN HIS GREAT AND PEACEFUL MILLENNIAL REIGN DURING WHICH HE WILL REIGN OVER THIS EARTH AS KING OF kings, LORD OF lords, Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Jehovah God, Beloved Perfect Son of GOD OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, the Holy Messiah, the RESURRECTED, LIVING Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the once suffering Messiah, the now triumphant King of light and love and righteousness, triumphant over death and hell and evil.
Richard Linford