Gospel Principles
Unit 3: Communication between God and Man
Chapter 9: Prophets of God
Concept 5: Great Blessings Follow Obedience to the Prophet
"If we obey, the Lord promises, "The dc/21/6a">gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of dc/21/6b">darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to dc/21/6c">shake for your dc/21/6d">good, and his name's dc/21/6e">glory." (dc/21/6#6">D&C 21:6).
When we do as our prophet directs, blessings pour down from heaven. A story from the life of Lorenzo Snow, the fifth president of the restored Church, shows how God rewards his people for their obedience. In those days the Church was suffering great financial trouble and had little money to pay its debts. Then more trouble came. A great drought afflicted many of the Saints. President Snow went to the Lord and prayed for relief. One day as the prophet was speaking in the St. George Tabernacle in Utah, the Holy Ghost inspired him to promise the Saints that they would receive rain if they would pay a full tithe. He quoted Malachi: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, ... prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. " (Malachi 3:10). The people obeyed their prophet, and the rains fell on the parched crops.
In order to stand, the true Church must be built upon the foundation of prophets (Ephesians 2:20 "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"). We are blessed in this insecure world to have a prophet through whom the Lord reveals his will.
Discussion
Share an experience in which obedience to the counsel of the prophet was a blessing.
Additional Scriptures
Numbers 12:6 (God speaks through prophets)
6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
1 Samuel 9:9 (prophet called a seer)
" 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was before time called a Seer.")
Luke 1:70 (God speaks through prophets)
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets , which have been since the world began:
D&C 45:10, 15 (God speaks today as in days of old)
" 10 Wherefore, come ye unto it, and with him that cometh I will 1 reason as with men in days of old, and I will show unto you my strong reasoning.
15 Wherefore, hearken and I will reason with you, and I will dc/45/15a">speak unto you and prophesy, as unto men in days of old."
1 Nephi 22:2 (by the Spirit things are made known to prophets)
"22 And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh."
D&C 68:3-5 (when the Lord's servants speak as moved by the Holy Ghost, it is the mind, will, and voice of the Lord)
"3 And this is the ensample unto them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.
4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.
5 Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants."
D&C 107:65-67, 91-92 (duties of the President of the Church)
"65 Wherefore, it must needs be that one be appointed of the High Priesthood to preside over the priesthood, and he shall be called President of the High Priesthood of the Church;
66 Or, in other words, the Presiding High Priest over the High Priesthood of the Church.
67 From the same comes the administering of ordinances and blessings upon the church, by the laying on of the hands.
" " "
91 And again, the duty of the President of the office of the High Priesthood is to preside over the whole church, and to be like unto Moses
92 Behold, here is wisdom; yea, to be a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet, having all the gifts of God which he bestows upon the head of the church."
D&C 43:1-7 (only the prophet is authorized to receive revelations for the Church)
"1 O hearken, ye elders of my church, and give ear to the words which I shall speak unto you.
2 For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from my hand.
3 And this ye shall know assuredly that there is none other appointed unto you to receive ommandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me.
4 But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.
5 And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments;
6 And this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me.
7 For verily I say unto you, that he that is ordained of me shall come in at the gate and be ordained as I have told you before, to teach those revelations which you have received and shall receive through him whom I have appointed."