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| First Vision |
I'm so honored and blessed to be a missionary serving in Western New York, where some amazing things happened that are near and dear to my heart. As I've been a missionary for this Church, I've come to learn and know more about who God really is, who Jesus Christ really is, and what exactly they expect from me. But from the very beginning I want to say this, I know they live, they love us, they know us!!!
God, Our Heavenly Father
There truly is a God!!! Many people in today's world unfortunately don't believe this or have lost faith in that belief. I am here to tell you that He is real! "God the Father is the Supreme Being in whom we believe and whom
we worship. He is the ultimate Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all
things. He is perfect, has all power, and knows all things. He “has
a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's” (D&C
130:22)." (http://www.lds.org/topics/god-the-father?lang=eng). He is literally the father of our spirits and we are very much His children. Here on earth we catch a glimpse of the relationship we really have with Him. We are born on this earth with earthly parents who love and care about us. Our earthly father helps us understand how much God loves us, knows us, protects us, teaches us, and helps us reach our full potential as His children. Many people here on earth don't have a great relationship with their earthly father for a variety of reasons, or he isn't there at all in their lives. Despite this challenges, God our Heavenly Father can and will fill that void in our hearts if we let Him. "All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it." - Joseph Smith, Jr.
We have a body just like He does, for we are created in His image (Genesis 1:27), but His body is glorified and perfected. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (present everywhere). He has a plan for us to come to earth, learn how to make right choices, and come back to live with Him and reach our full potential as His children. He knew we would mess up here on earth, and has provided a way for us to overcome those mistakes. That is through His son, our Older Brother, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ - Our Savior
Jesus is a name of Greek origin. It's Hebrew equivalent is Joshua or "Yeshua". Both of these names mean "Savior, Redeemer". Christ is a title also of Greek origin. It's Hebrew equivalent is Messiah. Both of these mean "The Anointed One, Deliverer". So Jesus Christ literally means "Savior, the Anointed One." All of us are God's children, and Jesus Christ is God's first born son in the Spirit and Only Begotten Son in the flesh. He is our older brother and our Lord and King. God our Father knew we would mess up in this life, and in order to return and live with Him we had to be free from mistake, sin, and spiritual uncleanliness. He knew we would be unable to meet the requirements to live in His presence and we couldn't make ourselves clean, so He gave us the gift of His son Jesus Christ, who would Atone for our sins and mistakes and make it possible for ALL MANKIND to return and live with Him.
| Jesus Christ in the Garden |
Jesus Christ gave Himself voluntarily as a sacrifice for sin and death. He suffered for all mankind's sin in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross of Calvary. His sufferings in the Garden, His death and Resurrection provide the way for us to overcome our sins. On conditions of Faith and Repentance, everyone has the opportunity to be clean from sin. He is our Lord and our King, because without Him we can't progress any further. He loves us with a perfect love like any true brother would. He helps us when we struggle, comforts us when we need it, and works tirelessly and constantly to help us all understand Him and His Father more and our divine heritage. It's His name which is born in the title of the Church, The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. It's His Church. He is our advocate with God our Father, meaning He pleads our case before the Father, as our Redeemer and Savior. He is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He acts under the direction of the Father, and represents Him in all things. If anyone wants a more declarative statement on who Jesus Christ is, check out the Living Christ document from the Church. http://www.lds.org/topics/jesus-christ?lang=eng
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| Symbol of the Holy Ghost, a Dove |
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead (Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ are the other two). He is personage of Spirit, not having a body of flesh and bones unlike God our Father and Jesus Christ. He is known as the Comforter, The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of God, or the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Ghost acts as God's messenger here on earth to us, letting us know that God is real and all about His truths and doctrines. His main purpose is to testify and bear witness about the reality of God, His Plan for us, His Son Jesus Christ, and the doctrines of Salvation. The Holy Ghost communicates with us as God's Children in a marvelous way beyond the ways of man and earth. He speaks to us on a Spirit to Spirit level, that's why he doesn't have a body otherwise he couldn't. When we communicate on a Spiritual level and we are taught things through the Spirit, they are imbedded in our hearts and we know they are true. A witness from the Holy Ghost is more powerful than anything on earth, even more powerful than our 5 senses. He speaks to the heart along with our mind. If we want to know if anything is true, I have the utmost faith in Moroni 10:5 "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of ALL things." (caps added). http://www.lds.org/topics/holy-ghost?lang=eng
The GodHead
These three individuals, God our Father, Jesus Christ His son, and the Holy Ghost, make up what we call the Godhead. The doctrine and true nature of the Godhead were lost with the Great Apostasy, and have once again been restored to the earth, beginning with the First Vision of Joseph Smith. They are separate and distinct individuals, but all One in Purpose!! That purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (mankind). God leads this work, Jesus Christ His son represents Him in all He does and is our Lord and Savior. The Holy Ghost witnesses and testifies of each of them. They all love us, and want what's best for us. We ourselves can come to our own personal knowledge of the reality and existence of our Father. We can come to know the Savior and learn about His true role and relationship to us as our Savior through His Atonement. And we can receive answers to our heartfelt prayers, learn true doctrine, and communicate to our Father through the Spirit. I know they are real, I know they live, I know they love us!!! http://www.lds.org/topics/godhead?lang=eng
