Come Follow Me LDS FREE lesson for family home evening here bit.ly/cfm-lesson __________________________________________ 0:00 Introduction 0:33 Come Follow Me LDS Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 20-22 (Mar 1-7) 0:51 Day of the Restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ 2:01 The Sacrament is administered for the first 2:24 Joseph Smith prophecies of the future of the church 3:11 Joseph Smith Senior and Lucy Smith are baptized 3:32 Joseph Smith Senior's life 4:36 Oliver Cowdery writes a constitution for the church D&C 20 5:55 The Lord gives us little by little 6:11 Conclusion __________________________________________ IMPORTANT?! It just happened to be one of the most important things to happen in almost 2,000 years! Something all of the prophets had testified would go forth boldly, nobly to all the world! It was the restoration of the Kingdom of God on the earth - The Church of Jesus Christ. Some of the greatest events in the history of the world began in very humble places, and this was no exception. April 6, 1830 was the exact date the Lord told Joseph to restore His church. About 40 people from Palmyra, Harmony, and Colesville were gathered tightly inside the Whitmer’s small farmhouse in Fayette, New York. (It was only about 700 square feet - talk about your tinyhouse!) No kings, presidents, or galactic emperors were there. Just humble people, mainly farmers, planting a seed that would grow and spread through the whole earth. Following the laws of New York to establish the church, six men wrote and signed the necessary document. But even more important than following the laws of the land, the Lord’s Church was restored according to His commandment. Joseph began the meeting, “I invite all present to humbly kneel and join in prayer asking for the Lord’s spirit to be present.” After the prayer he asked, “Those ...who can accept Oliver and me as your teachers and who are in favor of organizing a church, please raise your hand.” Deeply humbled, Joseph saw every single person raise their hand in agreement. One of the most profound parts of the day occurred when they officially administered the sacrament for the very first time in God's restored church. Perhaps a little unsure about how they should do it, they followed the example found in the Book of Mormon to administer the emblems of the sacrament and they used the same prayers we still use today. The whole day was an incredible spiritual feast with this little flock worshipping, praising, prophesying, and rejoicing together. Four years later Joseph would tell them, “You know no more concerning the destinies of this church and kingdom, than a babe on it’s mother’s lap… This church will fill north and south America--it will fill the world.” Today, this prophecy is still being fulfilled with worldwide membership in the millions and members found in almost every single country. Interestingly, there are nearly four times more temples around the world today as there were people in that room in 1830. How would those original 40 people in that tiny farmhouse feel if they could see a General Conference in the Conference Center...or a BYU vs UofU football game? How will we feel when we see the growth of the church in, say, 100 years? Now, in the Spring of 1829, before the church could be restored, the Lord asked Oliver Cowdery to draft a “constitution for the new church.” Oliver based it on the doctrines and ordinances he found in the Book of Mormon. He worked on it for an incredibly long time to have it ready before April. When it was finished, he and Joseph presented it to the Lord and the Lord amended it. Many of the basic doctrines, guidelines, and ordinances for the church are in the Constitution...no, not THAT Constitution. THIS Constitution for the Church is found in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 20. Now since a picture is worth a 1000 words, let’s draw what it shows. Of course Christ is the foundation of the church. Some of the pillars include: the plan of salvation, and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, including specific prayers for baptism and the sacrament. Then there’s the calling of prophets, seers, and revelators which have authority from God. This constitution also gives the basic organization and procedures to run the church. And finally, it defines the different offices in the priesthood, including; apostle, elder, teacher, and deacon. It looks “magnificent” and contains the basics that will ultimately lead us to the Lord’s temple. This constitution or “handbook” was pretty short compared to our current church handbook. That tiny group of believers would’ve been completely overwhelmed if they’d received everything, all at once. They weren’t ready for weekly youth activities and Sunbeams! Like us, they needed instructions to come gradually, a little at a time. In fact, the Lord continues to reveal truths for His church, slowly, line upon line.

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