Of Organized Religion and Living Apostles of Christ

Sign me up for organized religion, if God is the organizer. I have little interest in being part of the religions of men or observing the commandments of men, and I understand why others are put off by manmade religions. Equally, I find it hard to see why someone would not want to be part of a church that is run and organized by the Savior Jesus Christ, the Author of all good, the Source of all knowledge, the fountain of all love. What is there not to like? All that can be desired, all that really matters, all that is really joyful, is there.

The Apostle Paul described Christ’s church—its organization and purpose— in a letter to the saints in Ephesus:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 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: 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 . . . (Ephesians 4:11-14)

It is clear that Christ intended His church and all of its parts to continue until all of God’s children became like Christ. And it also seems clear that without this church and its various parts, the children of God would become vulnerable to the doctrines and teachings of men.

Fortunately, Christ’s church is on the earth again, with all of the component parts that made up His church anciently, built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, together with the other important offices, “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

This past weekend, as they do twice each year, the apostles and prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ gathered in conference and spoke to all the world. Their words were a combination of the timeless and the timely, just as they were anciently. Test them and try them. They can be found at this website:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng

While the messages are spoken for all, as you listen carefully you will invariably hear messages spoken directly to you. For me, one of those messages was delivered by the Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He spoke of the sin of pride, reprising the words delivered more than a decade ago by the Lord’s prophet at that time, Ezra Taft Benson. He described the difference between two ways in which we use the word "pride." First, there is what we call pride, which is really rejoicing in the accomplishments and achievements of others, the pride we feel in our children, in our spouse, in our fellows, a pride that unites us. That is far different from the pride denounced by God throughout the ages, the pride that separates us from our fellowmen, the pride of comparison and hostility that has, in the words of Ezra Taft Benson, enmity at its roots.

The cure is humility. But the apostle did not mean the self-demeaning attitude that some mistake for humility. In his inspired words, “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves; it is thinking less about ourselves.” Working with, and among, and together with others, reaching out beyond ourselves, this true humility is a great antidote to the pride that would separate us, because it is built upon charity, the pure love of Christ.

This was a simple but powerful message, as were the many others presented. Whether on family and marriage, faith, deliverance from addictions, financial security, the power of gratitude, or the worth of the individual, the cures for the problems of society were offered through words inspired from heaven.

I could have received or enjoyed little of this left to my own devices. It was made available in an eternal abundance through the religion organized by Christ and offered to all of God’s children. And for that I am grateful.