As recorded in Acts 10–15 , the leaders of the church of Jesus Christ shepherded early saints through tumultuous times. These chapters highlight how the early apostles faced such challenges as social upheaval, martyrdom and persecution, organizing missionary work, and “much disputing” among the leadership of the church that arose over unanswered doctrinal and procedural questions. The threads...

Acts 2 records Peter’s words to the gathered multitude on the day of Pentecost. After testifying that “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” ( v. 36 ), the people he was addressing “were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter’s response to the crowd will probably sound familiar...

The good news that Jesus is risen from the dead is a message of light and joy for a dark and weary world. The testimony of New Testament witnesses confirms that he He lives and because He lives we may also have eternal life if we will follow Him. He was seen of Mary at the tomb, and angels declared His resurrection to other righteous women of faith (Mark 16:1–7; Luke 24:1–10; John 20:11–18). He...

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the most central doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day Saints believe that all mankind can be saved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and that He can empathize with all the sufferings, infirmities, and pain inherent to mortality. Throughout the history of Christ’s restored Church, its leaders and members have put sacred...

Every week, Latter-day Saints gather in congregations across the world and partake of the sacrament. This act hearkens back to the Savior’s Last Supper, when He commanded His disciples to eat bread and drink wine—symbols of His body and blood—in “remembrance” of Him (Luke 22:19–20). 1 In the sacrament prayers recorded in restoration scripture, we are likewise commanded to “always remember” the...

John 13–17 records the celebration of the Passover that Jesus observed with His apostles in the last days of His mortal ministry. The following important topics are discussed in these chapters: (1) Christ’s powerful final discourse, (2) details about the Last Supper and Jesus’ washing the apostles’ feet, (3) Jesus’ great Intercessory Prayer, (4) Jesus’ discussion of how He and the Father are one...

The Parable of the Ten Virgins stands as a reminder to Christ’s covenant people that He will come again at any time, and so each must watch and prepare for whenever that day arrives. Just days before His mortal ministry would end with His ultimate sacrifice, Jesus saw the wickedness and ignorance of so many in Jerusalem who, despite spending their lives looking for a messiah, did not recognize or...

As Jesus’ time as the mortal Messiah drew to a close and his time as the final Passover Lamb rapidly approached, he taught more emphatically and lost all sense of pretense and patience with those who challenged him. Any need to be careful of what he said was now gone. He knew what he was here to do; he had come to Jerusalem at this Passover to die. It is interesting then to note his actions...

A young rich man came to Jesus and asked what more he could do to show his faith and come into the Kingdom of God. Christ challenged him to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and join Him in the work of God. The young man walked away, discouraged at the high bar Jesus had given him. The Savior’s apostles, hearing this and noting that they had already done what Jesus asked of...

Few of the parables of Jesus are better known than the story of the prodigal son. Readers often focus on the son who went away, but as some have pointed out, it is in fact a story about two sons and a father who loves them both and wants them to experience a fullness of his fellowship and happiness. As John and Jeannie Welch observe, at its core, “the prodigal son is about repentance and joy.” 1...