Second Conference of the Church

Coming away from General Conference a few weeks ago, it is interesting to read about the first conferences of the Church. The very first conference was held in June, just a few months after the Church was officially organized. There were only about 30 members of the Church at the time and they all found great comfort in meeting together; it was a time of revelation and incredible spiritual experiences for each person in attendance.

A few months later, on 26 September 1830, the second conference of the church was to be held. Just prior to the conference, though, there was a matter of great concern for the Prophet to attend to. Hiram Page had been professing to receive revelation through a stone and had several pages of these revelations. Some members of the Church, including Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family, believed Hiram Page and his revelations. This was a difficult thing for Joseph Smith, as you can imagine. He felt at first that he should wait until the scheduled conference to address it with all of the members of the Church. However, as Joseph realized that Oliver and the Whitmer family were being swayed as they were, he determined that he should address the situation immediately. He prayed and then met with those with involved: “After much labor with these brethren they were convinced of their error, and confessed the same, renouncing the revelations as not being of God, but acknowledged that Satan had conspired to overthrow their belief in the true plan of salvation.” (Newel Knight, Section 28 Historical Background, D&C Student Manual).

As a result of this experience, Joseph Smith received the revelations found in Sections 28-29 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In light of the situation with Hiram Page, I think D&C 28:2-7 are especially profound:

2 But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, ^ano one shall be appointed to receive commandments and ^brevelations in this church excepting my servant ^cJoseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as ^dMoses.

3 And thou shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as ^aAaron, to ^bdeclare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and ^cauthority unto the church.

4 And if thou art ^aled at any time by the Comforter to ^bspeak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it.

5 But thou shalt not write by way of ^acommandment, but by wisdom;

6 And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church;

7 For I have given him the ^akeys of the ^bmysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead.

The Lord is so thoughtful in this instruction – while He is clear that the Prophet of the Church is the only one who receives instruction for the Church, He does not discourage any of us from teaching or sharing our testimonies through the Spirit.

The professed revelations of Hiram Page were the first order of business at the conference: “At length our conference assembled. The subject of the stone previously was discussed, and after considerable investigation, Brother Page, as well as the whole Church who were present, renounced the said stone, and all things connected therewith, much to our mutual satisfaction and happiness” (Joseph Smith, Section 30 Historical Background, D&C Student Manual)

Afterward, they went on with other matters of church business (passing the sacrament, setting apart and ordaining many, receiving further revelation). Peace was restored to the members of the Church and I think it is rather amazing that they were able to move past this issue so quickly.

The overwhelming message I took from this experience of the early saints was summed up by Newel Knight: “Here was a chance for Satan to work among the little flock, and he sought by this means to accomplish what persecution failed to do.”

Satan is ever aware of goodness and will seek to thwart it every possible way. He had been working through persecution, but seeing that it was not having the desired effect, Satan knew that he needed to try something else. What a lesson to all of us - Satan will work until he finds a way in, but with the power of God we can overcome every deception.

I am grateful for the strength that General Conference lends. I love the unity I feel to Saints all over the world and the inspired instruction of Church leaders. I like to think that the strength I gain and love I feel during conference is similar to what those early Saints experienced with the first conferences of the Church.

What was your greatest insight from this account? What are your feelings about General Conference? Do share!

Delayed, but not destroyed

We all know that the early Church members were persecuted. But when exactly did it start? And why? In the section heading for Doctrine & Covenants 24, it reads: "Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1830. HC 1: 101–103. Though less than four months had elapsed since the Church was organized, persecution had become intense, and the leaders had to seek safety in partial seclusion. The following three revelations were given at this time to strengthen, encourage, and instruct them." I wanted to know more about this persecution since it was just after the Church was established. As I researched, I was humbled and felt increased gratitude for those early pioneers of this great work; I hope you feel the same.

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had traveled to Colesville, NY,in April of 1830. While they were there, Joseph was able, by the power of God, to cast an evil spirit out of Newel Knight. This was considered the first miracle of the Church. Several people who had been in attendance and heard of this miracle desired to be baptized; a few months later, in June of 1830, Joseph and Oliver returned to Colesville to perform the baptisms.

The large number of people who wanted to be baptized brought a lot of attention to the new Church...with that attention came persecution. A dam which had been built for the baptisms was destroyed by a mob. This could not deter the saints who rebuilt the dam and continued with the baptisms as planned. The work was delayed but could not be destroyed. The mob followed the Prophet after the baptisms, threatening to harm the new members as well as hurling insults at the Prophet and those who were with him.

That evening a meeting was to be held in which the new converts were going to be confirmed and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Before that meeting took place, Joseph Smith was arrested on charges of being a 'disorderly person'. The constable who arrested Joseph was able to protect him from the mobs that tried to intercept him on the way to prison. After a day of trial, Joseph was acquitted of those charges .

However, the relief was short-lived because directly following Joseph's acquittal, a constable from another county served up another warrant on the same charges, immediately taking Joseph into custody and escorting him the 15 miles to Broome County. This constable was abusive and accompanied the Prophet to a tavern where a group of men spit on Joseph, pointing fingers at him and demanding, "Prophesy! Prophesy!", unknowingly imitating those who crucified the Savior. The second trial, which came the next morning, bore the same results: Joseph was acquitted. Mobs still followed and harassed the Prophet until, as the section heading indicates, he was able to "seek safety in partial seclusion" at his sister's home and then his own in Harmony, PA.

The saints in Colesville who had been baptized, remember, had still not been confirmed. Mighty prayers were offered, both by the Colesville saints and the leaders of the Church, that the Prophet might be able to return for that purpose. The Lord protected the Prophet and those who traveled with him on his return to Colesville where the saints were confirmed and the sacrament administered. As you can imagine, this was a time of joy and rejoicing among this small group. The work was delayed but could not be destroyed

This was a time of great persecution, to be sure, but also great revelation. It was during these months that Joseph received the first chapter of the Pearl of Great Price and also began his "inspired translation of the Bible" (i.e. Joseph Smith Translation). Indeed, Satan may delay some aspects of growth, but he cannot destroy the work from moving forward!

I absolutely know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that this is God's work and His church. I know that there is an Adversary who would like to destroy the work of God, but he will never be permitted. The power of God is greater than that of Satan.

What are some of your impressions as you read this account?

How would you have felt as a new converts in Colesville? Would the persecution have destroyed or strengthened your faith?

You can read more about this period here (pages 71-73), here, and here.