Prophets witness of Christ
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His family's experience viewing the television broadcast of the solemn assembly at which Ezra Taft Benson was sustained as prophet, seer, revelator and 13th president of the Church was shared by Elder Dennis B. Neuenschwander of the Seventy in his priesthood session address.
All of his family were present in their home except a son who was serving a mission. Each who held the priesthood stood in turn to sustain President Benson when directed to do so, and then the entire family stood.
"Why does the Lord call prophets, seers and revelators?" Elder Neuenschwander asked the congregation. "And how do we sustain them?
The fundamental responsibility of such men — and all who bear apostolic authority — "is to bear certain testimony of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world," he explained.
"Second, prophets, seers and revelators teach the word of God in clarity that all His children may benefit and be blessed through obedience to their teachings. . . . The need for prophetic teachers who know the revealed word of God and who speak it directly without apology is as important in our day as it has ever been."
Regarding the calling of seer, Elder Neuenschwander said, "The ability to see beyond the present lends power and authority to apostolic testimony and teaching."
He remarked: "To the question of what our modern seers are making known that otherwise could not be known and what they are seeing that is not visible to the natural eye, I make a very simple response. Listen, ponder, and prayerfully consider what they are saying and teaching and what they are doing. As you do so, a pattern emerges that reveals much and therein will the answer to this question be found."
Answering his earlier question about how one sustains prophets, seers and revelators, he declared: "Brethren, our sustaining support of [them] is not in the upraised hand alone, but more so in our courage, testimony and faith to listen to, heed and follow them. But I ask myself, if this is so clear, why is it so difficult? There may be many answers to this, but I think that, in reality, there is but one. Most of the difficulty can be traced to our desire to be more acceptable to the world than to God."
