Good evening members of the 5th Ward,
I hope this email finds you well and feeling blessed as we prepare to listen to General Conference this coming weekend. As I have prepared to hear the messages from our Prophet and other Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ, I have been reminded of a message I heard in a zone conference on my mission years ago. We had the chance to be taught by Joseph Fielding McConkie (son of Bruce R. McConkie) who was a professor of ancienct scripture at BYU. One thing that I've always remembered from his talk that day was the declaration that one of the foundational differences of the gospel of Jesus Christ that sets it apart from other denominations is that we believe that we have a God who speaks today. This wasn't necessarily new to me. But, for some reason the phrase "God who speaks today" really stood in my mind that day. What a blessing it is to have a prophet on the earth who is the mouthpiece for our Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ who leads this church. This is reiterated in the ninth Article of Faith which states "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." God speaks to us today through his prophet and apostles, but also through the Holy Ghost. They will continue to reveal many great and important things. We are also entitled to personal revelation. What a blessing it is to have the ability to pray to our Heavenly Father for a confirmation of gospel truths. One of the first challenges that missionaries extend is to pray to know if the message they have shared is true. What a simple, but foundational process it is for discovering truths. I am excited for the opportunity to listen to many gospel truths this weekend, and to pray to have the spirit confirm those truths in my heart. I invite you to take the time to do the same. I know that if you do, the spirit will teach you the truths that you need to know. I share this testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
With Love,
Bishop Johnson
p.s. If you have not made arrangements to be able to watch general conference online in your homes, please reach out to your ministers for assistance. Also, ministers, please reach out to those to whom you minister and assist them if needed in watching general conference this weekend.
