Prophet 'saw beyond the moment'
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Elder Neal A. Maxwell's priesthood session address Saturday evening focused on "the remarkable man whom the Lord repeatedly called `my servant Joseph.' "
Referring to Joseph Smith's prayer in the spring of 1820, Elder Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve said it was for personal and tactical guidance, but the response was of global and eternal significance.The apostle said courage is one of Joseph Smith's special qualities, matched by his willingness to be tutored, a necessary quality because the Restoration occurred "in process of time."
"Yes, Joseph received remarkable manifestations, but along with constant vexations." he noted. "True, for instance, there were periodic arrivals of heavenly messengers, but these were punctuated by the periodic arrival of earthly mobs.
"While Joseph was befriended by heavenly notables, he was also betrayed by some friends of the present. Receiving keys and gifts was real, but so was the painful loss of six of his and Emma's 11 children."
Elder Maxwell said the Prophet "saw beyond the moment" in the revelations he received and understood that Adam had the fullness of the gospel and its ordinances and that Christianity did not begin in the meridian of time in Jerusalem. Thus, he said, various cultures and religions have certain similarities. "Therefore, as President Joseph F. Smith declared, we find `relics of Christianity' which `date back beyond the flood, independent of the . . . Bible.' (Joseph F. Smith in Journal of Discourses 15:325.)
Noting that Joseph grew in a "spiritual crescendo," Elder Maxwell asked: "Will we do the same, brethren, by witnessing to our families, friends and flocks - not only through our verbal testimonies - but also by our developmental examples? We can do this by becoming ever more visibly the men of Christ!
"Or, will we be like those who were decent but who lacked the courage to declare openly for Jesus and who were afraid of losing their places in the synagogue? (John 12:42,42) . . . Each day we decide the degree of our discipleship. Each day we answer the question "Who's on the Lord's side, Who?"
