Christ Runs This Team

   I would like to add on to my analogy I mentioned in my previous blog. I love sports, especially football because there are so many truths and lessons learned in sports that apply to everyday life.
So here goes round 2:
   Most football stadiums, including all college and professional stadiums, have what is called a "press box." It is a location on the side of the stadium mounted higher than the stands. This is where some of the teams' coaches sit during the games. Usually the offensive coordinator for both teams sit in this press box. They each sit in there with a headset on, enabling them to talk to the head coach on the field and give them advice and tell them what they see. This enables the head coach to then call a play and tell the players what they need to do to be successful during the game. What he tells the players is based on the advice and counsel given from the offensive coordinator sitting "upstairs" in the press box. The coordinator sitting in the press box can see all. He can see how the defense lines up, what the other coaches are doing, how his team is matching up with the opposing team. He relays information to the head coach to benefit the whole team.
   We remember from my previous post how the head coach is the prophet, the mouthpiece of God on earth. This is still true in this case. Who is the offensive coordinator? Jesus Christ himself. Why? He can see all. He tells the prophet what is coming, what He sees, what needs to be done to be successful in this life. He runs this church, this team. He is the one sitting "upstairs." Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of our Heavenly Father, guiding us. He doesn't need a headset to relay information, however. How does He relay information to the head coach, AKA our prophet? Modern revelation. He sees what the opposition, Satan, is throwing at us better than we do. With His view, He can tell us through the prophet what we need to do to be successful and overcome Satan. He knows what is ahead, He knows how to win this game, this game of life. All we have to do is heed the guidance given to our head coach, Thomas S. Monson. Because he is getting his guidance directly from "upstairs" in the press box called "heaven."

Thomas S. Monson: Our Head Coach

What makes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints so unique?

   The word "restoration" is defined in the dictionary as "the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment." Our message is that the church that Christ himself organized has been restored, or renewed, or it has been revived and reestablished. This church IS that very church that Christ organized. 
Why was this restoration necessary? 
   Christ established His church while He was on the earth. He called 12 apostles to run His church (see Luke 6:13). As we all know, eventually Christ was rejected and crucified. Also, all of his apostles were eventually rejected and killed one by one, until no one was alive that could run the Church of Christ. The people had rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father took the Church off the earth, including all the prophets and authority, because of wickedness. This time period is called the Great Apostasy. Let's look at it from a football point of view:
   A football team has a lot of key components that helps the team run and win games. Not one piece can do it all himself. Imagine a big time coach of an SEC football team. Let's take Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks football team for example. Let's say for one game, he decides to not show up for the game against Alabama. And none of his coaches on his coaching staff show up either. The Gamecocks are without an entire coaching staff for the big game with Alabama. South Carolina takes the field with just the players, absolutely no coaches. The players are still going to try and play the game. They have practiced and they feel they can go on without help from the coaches. Let's throw in another wrench. Every play must be ran as such: before each play, the team opens it up to the crowd and the fans to decide what play to run. They take suggestions from the crowd of 60,000+ people every single play. That would be confusing right? People would be shouting random, different things all over the place. The team would have a hard time deciding what play to run, much less running it successfully. They would try their best to execute the suggested play but against such a fierce team in Alabama, they would be destroyed.
Here's the translation:
   During this time of the "Great Apostasy," there was no prophet, no apostles, no authority and no real church of Christ. The people in the world at this time were left without coaches. Without leaders ordained of God. They were forced to try and make it on their own. They tried their best,but the world told them many different things about the Bible. They heard hundreds of interpretations of the Bible and they could never agree or decide which one was the right one to go with. They didn't know what play to run. They were confused. They were going off of the wrong source, the world. Because they didn't have any coaches, or a head coach...a prophet with that authority from God. The head coach and the coaching staff have that authority on the sidelines to interpret the playbook ("scriptures" for an offense) on a football team. Without that authority, the team would be crushed. Without prophets and apostles and other leaders with that authority from God, the church would crumble and the ultimate opposition, Satan, would win. The head coach directs his players (which represents people in the world) on what play to run to overcome the opposition. If we take advice from the crowd (interpretations of man), we will be confused and eventually lose. We have a prophet on earth today. He is our head coach standing on the sidelines in mortal life. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is our head coach today. If we pay attention to him, and the playbook (scriptures), we will not lose. The authority has been restored to the earth to run the Church of Christ, which is, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Prophets of old, prophets today

So, there is a lot of talk about prophets in light of the "General Conference" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What's the big deal?
    To me, having a prophet today just makes sense. Why would God leave us hanging after calling prophets in ancient, biblical times? He loves His children so much, he wouldn't do that. He is "the same yesterday, today and forever," (Mormon 9:9). Since that is the case, he calls prophets today as he did in the times of Moses, Noah, and Abraham. The role of  prophets today is the same, to testify of Christ and to guide His church. We read in the book of Ephesians that Christ's church is built upon "apostles and prophets," (Ephesians 2:19-20). That is what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has to offer...apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the "chief corner stone."
    God has had prophets on the earth since Adam. They guide and direct the church by receiving divine guidance and inspiration. Christ's church has been restored again on the earth by another prophet. Joseph Smith was the first prophet of this dispensation. Through him, Christ restored everything back to the way it was when He Himself was walking on the earth. Joseph Smith also received divine power from God to be able to translate "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ." He received scripture, just as Moses did, to guide the people in these days. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that God restored the Church of Christ once again through him.
   The living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, will speak to us this weekend. He is called of God to guide His church. Every word he speaks we should heed and apply in our lives. He receives direct revelation from God. God has always had one man on the earth guiding His children, He does so again today with the true and living prophet, Thomas S. Monson.