General Conference Review - April 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed General Conference two weeks ago.  I would like to share some thoughts with you about what I learned.  (You can skip to the bottom for a bullet-point list if you don't like reading my long ramblings)

Continuing Revelation

However, I would like to begin with a discussion of why continuing revelation is so important.  Every 6 months the leaders of the church speak to us.  Why is this done?

In the Teachings of the Presidents - Joseph Smith, we have words from the prophet Joseph about the importance of receiving personal revelation.  I think his argument can also be expanded to include the importance of having a living prophet.  I will quote just a part of his discourse:

"[W]hy should it be thought a thing incredible that [God] should be pleased to speak again in these last days for [the Saints] salvation? ...
"[Y]ou will admit that the word spoken to Noah was not sufficient for Abraham, or it was not required of Abraham to leave the land of his nativity and seek an inheritance in a strange country upon the word spoken to Noah, but for himself he obtained promises at the hand of the Lord ...
"If one man can live upon the revelations given to another, might not I with propriety ask, why the necessity, then, of the Lord speaking to Isaac as he did, as is recorded in the 26th chapter of Genesis? For the Lord there repeats, or rather promises again, to perform the oath which he had previously sworn unto Abraham. And why this repetition to Isaac? Why was not the first promise as sure for Isaac as it was for Abraham?...
"When the time of the promise drew nigh for the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, why was it necessary that the Lord should begin to speak to them? The promise or word to Abraham was that his seed should serve in bondage and be afflicted four hundred years, and after that they should come out with great substance. Why did they not rely upon this promise and, when they had remained in Egypt in bondage four hundred years, come out without waiting for further revelation, but act entirely upon the promise given to Abraham that they should come out? ...
"I may believe that Abraham communed with God and conversed with angels. I may believe that Isaac obtained a renewal of the covenant made to Abraham by the direct voice of the Lord.... I may believe that Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire with fiery horses. I may believe that the saints saw the Lord and conversed with him face to face after his resurrection....
"But will all this purchase an assurance for me, or waft me to the regions of eternal day with my garments spotless, pure, and white? Or, must I not rather obtain for myself, by my own faith and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord, an assurance of salvation for myself? And have I not an equal privilege with the ancient saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did to theirs if I come to him in the manner they did?”
(Joseph Smith, Ch. 10, Teachings of Joseph Smith, God will hear our prayers and speak to us today, just as He spoke to the ancient Saints, p. 125–134)

Sometimes I kind of like this old style of rhetoric.  What the Prophet Joseph is saying is that we need to have for ourselves a divine communication that our covenants are accepted, thus giving us the hope of eternal life.  Hopefully this helps you understand why I believe continuing, personal revelation is so important, as well as getting revelation from the prophet.  I encourage those interested to read the entire section in the manual, as well as part of the Lectures on Faith.

Conference Notes

As I look back over the notes I took while watching conference, here are some of the things that stood out to me.  I wrote down what I felt, and not what I necessarily heard, so some of these things may sound new to you.

• It is essential to learn how to receive personal revelation, and cherish and follow it.
• Jesus Christ is the center of our faith.
• We need to be preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming of the Savior.
• The brethren need to find more ways to magnify their priesthood responsibilities.
• The sisters need to be intentional examples, showing the Light of Christ to others.
• We can expect to continue to receive more revelation as we approach the great winding up scene.
• Just as the Salt Lake temple is undergoing renovation to strengthen its foundation, we too can evaluate our spiritual foundations and make any necessary changes.

Personally, there were many talks that referenced some of the things that I had been studying in the months leading up to conference, some of which I have recently written about on this blog.  It is really cool to see how the Spirit can help us prepare to have spiritual experiences if we are diligent in studying and following promptings.  

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is led by the Savior himself, through his ordained apostles.  We can benefit greatly by listening to and following their teachings.

I hope all of you learned something from conference as well.  I would love to hear any thoughts you had, whether about what was said, or the interesting format this year.