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!