To: All Pratt Adults and selected others
From: Richard Marden Pratt
Re: The Purpose of the Church
God has said: “This is my work and my glory ~ to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39. He has further stated that not even one hair of our head will be lost. In order to accomplish this colossal work, in the beginning, in the days of Adam, thru prophets (Adam being the first), God established the Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth...to teach His great laws and to make covenants with all believers that by obedience they may return to live in His presence and to live like Him and to be like Him. This great gift is called exaltation. Those who make and keep all the covenants will become gods in their own right and in their own place.
To gain membership in the Kingdom of God requires:
1. Faith in Jesus as our Savior, Creator, Redeemer and Judge.
2. Repentance of our wrong doings and
3. To seal this by the covenant of Baptism and Confirmation which covenant must be performed by an authorized servant of God. But this is just the beginning of the covenants one must enter into and keep to receive the Fulness of Joy. Most of the other covenants are made in a special building designated by God as a Temple. The final covenant being the sealing of husbands to wives and children to parents. There can be no eternal family relationships without this sealing covenant by an authorized servant of God.
Because of wickedness there have been times when the Lord’s church was taken from the earth to be restored at a later time. This is the last time, and the purpose of the church in this last time is to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Savior in power and glory...which event is right at our door.
The Church has a three fold purpose:
1. To perfect the Saints. When the scriptures speak of Saints, they refer to those who have accepted Christ by being baptized into His church and none else. And many baptized members are not saints because they do not keep their covenants.
“And He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ;
Til we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every word of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” Ephesians 4:11-14
2. With the perfecting of the Saints comes the responsibility to Proclaim the Gospel.
For the prophet has said; “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from proceeding. The word of the Lord must go forth until it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear. Until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah declares, the work is done.”
And the purposes of God are that everyone of his children will hear the “Good News” , and using their agency will accept it and enter into the Covenants that will exalt them back into His presence ~ or reject it and be relegated eternally to a lesser blessing, without family, or as the Lord has said, “What doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?...He rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.” D & C 88:33 So we will all receive what we choose to receive. It is all a matter of choice. In order to choose, each and everyone must hear.
Thus the great missionary plan of the Church. Currently nearly 70,000 missionaries are carrying the “good news”(NOTE: WOULDN’T DAD BE EXCITED WITH THE MISSIONARY PROGRAM NOW IN 2013!) To the ends of the earth with fantastic success. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the fastest growing church in the world. Members now number over 11 million. (NOTE: 15 MILLION IN 2013!)
When I went on my first mission in 1931-32, there were only 1600 missionaries and about ½ million members. We reached our first million in 1944 (as I remember). Now we are adding a million new members in about 3 years and snowballing rapidly.
I have spent 6 years as a missionary; Adaline spent 4 (my cousins, Max and Peggy and spouses Marge and Jim have served more than that) and we would go again if health would permit. Which brings us to the third purpose of the Church and that is to take the gospel to those who have died and never heard of the great plan. Which leads me to believe that Adaline is now engaged in a great mission as she teaches in the world of Spirits...and my daughter Kay and cousin Max also.
3. The third purpose of the Church is to see that all who have died without the “Good News” also called “the great plan of happiness” or the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” have an opportunity to hear the Gospel. In the wold of spirits which is being taught them by faithful Saints who have passed thru the gate or great adventure we call death.
Or as the prophet said: “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the Celestial Kingdom of God.” D & C 137:7.
Also, “For this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 4:6
But the ordinances of the Gospel cannot be performed in the Spirit world. The dead may accept the gospel but their baptism, eternal marriage, and other covenants must be performed here on earth by “proxy”. “Proxy” means someone doing something for someone else that they can’t do for themselves. Jesus, for example, is proxy for all mankind in overcoming death that all may be resurrected to a perfect body.
God has commanded special buildings to be built called Temples, wherein mortals acting as proxies can redeem the dead. That’s why I am spending four days a week, 4-6 hours a day in the Provo Temple as an officiator with authority from God to perform some of the ordinances of exaltation for the dead using the living as their proxies. Example: last week Susann Rowbury (my grand daughter) acted as proxy for ten deceased females; I baptized Susann for and in behalf of each one. “Jane Doe” of course can accept or reject it. But every soul that has lived or will yet live upon the earth must accept or reject it. But every soul that has ever lived or will yet live upon the earth must be taught and have the opportunity to accept or reject part or all of the perfect plan of a loving Father.
In conclusion, the Three-fold mission purpose of the Church is:
1. To Perfect the living Saints.
2. To Proclaim the Gospel to the living.
3. And to Redeem the dead.
What a perfect plan by a perfect God, our Heavenly Father, who will give to each of His children all that they are willing to receive.
To these truths I add my signature in testimony.
Richard Marden Pratt
(also known as Dad, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, brother, uncle & friend)
