耶稣基督的教会是从哪里来的？

耶稣基督后期圣徒教會在湾区也许是因在山顶上引人注目的圣殿而众所周知。奥克兰圣殿是在六十年代建立的，但是此宗教是什么时候开始的呢？

My name is Thomas. I’m originally from the Bay Area but grew up in Utah. I speak Spanish, I’m a jazz trombonist and runner, and I love hiking and camping. Above all, the best part of my life is being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

为了更好地解释耶稣基督的教会是从哪里来的，基本了解一下我们的信仰会有所帮助。一切都基于神是我们慈爱的天父这个事实。

神是谁？

I know God is real. I know He is aware of you and your situation and wants to help you. He knows your name, speaks your language, hears your prayers, shares your hopes and worries, and most importantly, wants to strengthen His relationship with you. Gaining an understanding that someone so powerful cares about me so personally has changed my life— and my family’s lives—forever.

What is your relationship with God like? Maybe you were once close to Him, but have drifted far away throughout the years. Maybe you’ve never really known who He is and what He means to you. Maybe you simply feel like something is missing in your life that you can’t quite describe. I wish I could get to know you face-to-face and hear your story. No matter where you are spiritually, I know that God loves you and is ready to show you how much He cares. You are His precious son or daughter and He wants to be close to you. So, how do you get closer to Him?

神通过先知与我们说话

纵观历史，神有通过先知来帮助他的孩子们——持有权力地透过教导和解释神的话语来激励人们。

您可以在圣经中读到亚伯拉罕，诺亚和摩西等先知的故事，每一位都是神召唤来带领祂的子民的。 他们都教导关于天父以及如何回到祂身边的知识。 每个跟随这些先知的人都有福了。 不幸的是，很多人都不愿意听他们的话以及悔改。 他们拒绝相信神，并选择与神保持距离，因此失去了上神所应许的祝福和保护。 他们发现自己处于灵性混乱和黑暗状态之中，称为“叛教”。

在这一生中，很容易会因为要面临的许多选择和考验而变得不知所措，沮丧或困惑。 有时，我们对已经已做出的决定感到内疚。 我们可能会因某种个人背道而感到与神分离。 值得庆幸的是，基督使我们有这个可以从过去的每一个伤口中得到治愈，并重新开始的可能。

耶稣基督，世界的救主

After a long period of disbelief, or “apostasy,” Heavenly Father sent His son, Jesus Christ, to represent Him here on the Earth. During Christ’s life, He was baptized, established His Church by choosing twelve Apostles, served others, performed miracles, and showed us the true path to return to heaven.

Most importantly, Christ suffered and died to give recompense for our mistakes and offenses, giving us an opportunity to repent—which means to change our thoughts and actions to become more like Jesus Christ. That sacrifice is called the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He compensated for our shortcomings. Even the spelling of “Atonement” suggests that we can be “at one” with Heavenly Father. Thanks to Jesus Christ, all of us can repent and become at one with God again. We can be freed from the guilt, sadness, and pains of the past. That’s why Jesus Christ is the Savior—He lovingly provided a way for you and me to be 救恩。.

当我们选择按照祂所要求的来调整自己的生活方式时，我们在生活的方方面面都会蒙福。 我们承诺，只要我们真诚地悔改，我们就会得到原谅。

我远非完美,每天都要悔改，努力制止不良习惯，养成良好的。 这是一个令人满意的，愉快的改进过程。 即使我搞砸了，我也知道我可以再试一次。

大叛教

Sadly, just like before, many people rejected Christ as the Son of God. After His death, they killed many of His followers. Over time, the authority to lead God’s Church was lost from the Earth entirely. Lots of different opinions got mixed in with the true teachings of Jesus regarding crucial topics such as His sacrifice, baptism, Church organization, and prayer. Thousands of churches were formed, each with its own perspective on God. The centuries afterward are known as the Great Apostasy because the complete truth didn’t exist anywhere on Earth.

在那几个世纪的混乱中，许多好人都在寻求接近神，却不知道应该怎么找。很多圣经中的记载也逐渐被改变或丢失。最终，为了澄清祂的教导和帮助他的孩子们进步，神通过一个现代的先知提供了进一步的光和见解。

基督教会的复兴

As said in the beginning, God loves us. He wants each of us to know how to come back home to Him. As a loving Father, He would not let His children be confused forever. After many years, a young man named Joseph Smith prayed for truth and wisdom, and God answered his prayer. Through Joseph Smith, God restored His one true Church and later called Joseph to be His prophet.

约瑟·斯密于1820年居住在纽约。他研究了多种宗教，但对教义之间的差异感到困惑。 两位传道人可以阅读圣经中的同一段落却对神对人类的要求得出相反的结论。 他们怎么可能同时都是对的呢？ 哪个版本才能让他回归与神同住呢？

约瑟在这些和其他问题上苦苦挣扎，担心今生过后会发生什么。 他想确保自己按照神想要的方式生活，而不仅仅是跟随别人想要的。 有一天，他读了圣经中的一段经文，得到了不可思议的诺言：

“你们中间若有缺少智慧的, 应当求那厚赐与众人, 也不斥责人的神, 主就必赐给他。” （雅各书1:5，钦定译本圣经）

约瑟·斯密决定这样做。 他去了一个僻静的地方，跪了下来，向天父祈祷，求问他到底应该加入哪个教会。 因为他以谦卑和信心祈祷，所以得到了一个非同寻常的答复。 他用自己的话描述了这个经历：

“我看到了一道光柱，正在我头上，比太阳的光还亮，缓缓地降落下来，直到落在我身上...当光停留在我身上时，我看见两位人物，其光辉和荣耀无法形容，站在我上面的空中。其中一位对我说话，叫着我的名字说，指着另外一位，“这位是我的爱子，听祂说！” （约瑟斯密 -历史 1:16–17；也请阅读 1-15）

God and Jesus Christ visited him in person and told him that none of the churches in that time had the complete truth. The religious leaders of the day didn’t have the authority to direct God’s Church, baptize, or interpret the scriptures. They called Joseph Smith as a prophet to 来复兴 the true Church of Jesus Christ—the same one that He established while He was here. They authorized him to baptize people, call twelve Apostles, and translate God’s word found in the Book of Mormon.

改革和复兴的区别是什么？

To reform means to modify an existing organization. To restore means to reestablish the original exactly as it was before. God has restored His Church—the same one that Christ set up—on Earth once again.

《摩尔门经》耶稣基督的另一本约书

The Book of Mormon is a book of God’s word, similar to the Bible. Each book’s primary purpose is the same: to testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that all people can be saved through Him. The Bible tells of God’s dealings with people in the Eastern hemisphere, and the Book of Mormon tells of God’s dealings with people in the ancient Americas. It doesn’t replace or contradict the Bible in any way—in fact, the Book of Mormon supports and clarifies the Bible’s teachings, and encourages all to read it. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith from the original record, written thousands of years ago, and preserved until now.

My favorite part is towards the end (page 427), when Jesus Christ visits the people of the Americas after His resurrection. Just like He did in Jerusalem, He taught, healed, and prayed with the people. He knew their names. He listened to their heartaches and invited them to be baptized. I know Christ does the same for me. He loves 每一个人， 不管他们是谁，住在哪里，或者在哪里出生。

摩尔门经改变了我的人生。 当我阅读它时，我充满了喜悦和安慰。 我知道这是真的。当我研究它并运用它的教义时，我比我生命中的任何时候都更加接近基督。 它使我度过了最艰难的时期。 我知道您可以阅读并了解神对您和您家人的计划。 就像我一样，当您知道您正在做神想您做的事情时，您也会感受到那种直到难以形容的平安。

那接下来呢？

您可能会对我们在这里谈论的内容有所疑问或担忧。我衷心的邀请很简单：来看看。如果您感觉很好和很对，那就来看看吧！您是神的孩子，有着无与伦比的才能、能力和潜力。有很多好的事可以做，并且我们需要您的帮助。

With all of my heart, I invite you to come and stay. Come join this joyful family of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You will find a sense of belonging and happiness that you’ve never considered possible.

You don’t have to wonder if this is God’s only true Church, or if the Book of Mormon is true. You don’t have to wonder what God expects of you. You can know for certain that He loves you and all of His children.

在摩尔门经中，一位名叫摩罗乃的古美洲先知邀请我们自己找出答案。他说：

“当你们蒙得这些事，我劝告 [邀请] 你们要奉耶稣基督的名求问神，

Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4-5, Book of Mormon page 529).

向天父祈祷，真诚地求问祂我所说的是否是真的。我向您保证，如果您愿意听，祂会跟您说话的。祂会用圣灵的力量来回答您。注意您的想法和感受，聆听祂的声音。我知道您会感受到祂的爱。您将会像我一样知道，祂为您准备了一个永恒的计划，并且已经透过祂的儿子耶稣基督而提供了一个方法来完成它。