October 2-8

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One of the common themes we find expressed throughout Ephesians is that of prophets and apostles. He also spoke about our particular dispensation, the last dispensation when everything would be gathered together in Christ. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he spoke of our dispensation in the same letter as prophets and apostles. To the rest of the Christian world, I’m sure it would be easy to see the disconnect. However, for us as Latter-day Saints, Paul’s teachings make perfect sense. 

I can’t help but wonder why Paul chose to write about these specific aspects of the gospel (last dispensation, prophets, apostles) to the Ephesians. Perhaps they needed it. Or maybe…this was what Paul was learning about in his own life. Like the rest of us, Paul had to learn the gospel precept by precept. Though he had been raised as part of the House of Israel, the House of Israel was living in an apostasy before Christ came. Paul had to learn the true order of things. 

It’s been hypothesized that Paul was writing to the Ephesians from prison, and maybe it was at this point in time that Paul was able to observe the first trickles of apostasy as new converts struggled to keep the doctrine straight without direct access to prophets and apostles. Could he see the beginning of the Great Apostasy already occurring? Did he see how difficult it was to keep the doctrine pure and the priesthood used correctly? Did he grow frustrated and helpless as he sat in prison with the knowledge that he couldn’t keep people on the right track? Paul knew that the church set up by Christ was meant to be unified, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5),” but he also probably observed that the doctrines of Christ weren’t being fully grasped. In the worst cases, they were being altered. Had he taken these concerns to the Lord and been taught about the Great Apostasy as well as the Restoration?

I obviously don’t know; maybe this truly was what the Ephesians needed and Paul had learned about dispensations and apostasies a long time ago. However, one thing is very clear; Paul knew that Christ meant for Christians to be unified, and he knew that this was made possible through prophets and apostles.

Our church reflects the set-up that Christ had

Paul teaches us what the church looked like after Christ’s ministry on the earth.

Ephesians 4:11-15

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Christ had set up a literal church with apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers. Paul then teaches us why the Lord did this: to perfect the Saints, to organize how the church ministers, to edify us, and to unify us under the true knowledge of the Son of God. With prophets and apostles, we no longer have to be thrown about by every wind of doctrine.

One of my dear friends is part of another Christian sect. He believes that we can’t rely on the Spirit to teach us and help us know what is true because plenty of people get good feelings and misinterpret them. He is adamant that we have to follow the bible directly, that everything we need is found in there. I would agree with him to an extent because “need” is relative. However, I see the confusion that arises from the bible all the time. There are so many people who take the bible’s words and interpret them very differently. The Lord never wanted that. He wanted us all to have the truth about how things really are, and it is apparent that the bible cannot do this alone. We see evidence of that in every sect of Christianity there is; in fact, we find great discrepancies from people who are part of the same sect!

We were meant to be unified, and that is precisely why the Lord gave us prophets and apostles. 

Appreciating what we have

When you grow up in the church, it can be difficult to fully appreciate what we have in the latter days. Imagine being Peter the prophet. Christianity is spreading, but you start hearing rumors of how different converts are bringing some of their old religion into it. Christianity is developing pagan aspects, and there are only so many letters that can be written to combat this nefarious trend. You also hear the same issue regarding the necessity of living the Law of Moses over and over and over again because it is difficult to communicate to everyone that this is no longer necessary. It is a blessing that people were given a testimony of Christ, and there is no need to disregard that. Any knowledge of Jesus as the Christ is better than nothing, but there is power in knowing Him as He truly is. 

And that is precisely what we have been given in these last days. I believe that Paul “saw” our dispensation and how the Lord was able to gather all things together. There are two aspects to consider when we are trying to fully appreciate what the Lord has given us: modern day prophets and technology to amplify their voices. We have prophets and apostles on the earth today, and we have modern technology to keep knowledge of Jesus Christ pure. 

Peter (as well as other prophets in other dispensations) faced a great many problems. They were receiving pure doctrine from the Savior who is the true head of the church. They were receiving information about how He wanted His church run (like when Peter had the vision about eating unclean animals), but imagine trying to disperse that pure information to enormous amounts of people. Some of these people weren’t even literate! It’s no wonder apostasy was rampant. The prophets may have what the people need, but it didn’t matter if that information couldn’t get to the people in efficient ways.

We have been promised that our dispensation won’t end in apostasy. We do not have to fear a time in which we won’t have access to priesthood ordinances or doctrinal purity. Christ will not take the prophets from the earth again because He doesn’t have to anymore. With modern technology, the Lord can keep His church on the right path. He doesn’t have to rescind the priesthood ordinances because the entire church has access to information about how they are to be performed. 

It is remarkable that the Lord gave us prophets and apostles that can keep the church improving in clarity instead of backsliding, and it is remarkable that He has given us technology to move that information quickly. It is remarkable that the Savior can lead His church in a specific direction virtually overnight. If President Nelson wakes up tomorrow with instructions that everyone needs to go to Missouri now, we would all know it immediately and could take steps to protect ourselves and our families. That may be a drastic example, but it teaches the principle perfectly. Our Savior gave us prophets and apostles (and amplified their voices through modern technology) so that we could protect ourselves and our families. He gave them to us so that we could know Him. 

Is the church perfect? Obviously not. That is apparent, and it is a difficult concept to grasp for some. If the church is being led by prophets who are being led by the Savior, why have there been so many mistakes? Regardless of the fact that the Savior is at the head of this church, He is still working through imperfect vessels. It doesn’t matter how perfect the Craftsman is if His tools cannot keep up with Him. 

But that doesn’t mean we have to abandon hope. There have been mistakes, and there will be more mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we abandon the endeavor. I have had countless misconceptions about the gospel in my life even with prophets and technology. The Lord did not abandon me just because I got it wrong; He worked with me until I became a better vessel and could receive more. He does not abandon the church because we didn’t get it perfectly the first time.

It is the observance of my own life that has taught me the significance of prophets and apostles. I have been blessed tremendously throughout my life despite many of my flaws and misdirected perspectives. I testify that the Lord blesses imperfection when it is trying to be better. I also testify that the closer I have gotten to correct knowledge about my Savior, the more amazing my life has become. I cannot emphasize that enough. The more I know Him, the better my life get’s.

We see that the Lord has blessed this world even in the midst of discrepancies between Christian sects. So many people are blessed by a knowledge of the Savior; we’ve been so blessed by the bible, but I still hold to the fact that life only gets better as you draw closer to Him. I also hold to the fact that we can get closer to the Savior because of modern day prophets and apostles.

I know that the Savior gave us prophets and apostles so that we could draw closer to Him in tremendous leaps and bounds. I know He gave us technology so that we don’t have to rely on letters written to every stake and branch around the world.  At any point in time, if I have a question, I can turn to the pure doctrine that is right at my fingertips, and I can be guided. Gone are the days in which I had to rely on one set of writings and hope I was interpreting things correctly. The Lord has told me about Himself through His servants, and it has dramatically changed the quality of how I live.

Because Joseph Smith was called as a prophet, I know that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two distinct people rather than a mystical force of nature. This means everything to me because I know exactly who I am. I am His daughter, and I am meant to be like Him. I’m grateful for prophets who came after that who gave us knowledge about the life beyond, clarified hard topics like suicide, and give us inspired programs “for the edifying of the body of Christ.” I am grateful for this last conference that brought me back on track when I strayed too far in one direction. The Lord has given us prophets and apostles in our day because He loves us.