My childhood religious
background consisted of various neighbors taking me to the particular
denomination to worship. This did not result in any person commitment to the
Lord Jesus on my part.
In 1967, when I was 28 years
old, I was living with my Aunt Carrie and Uncle J. Baird in Grain Valley,
Missouri. Book of Mormon events and characters were always discussed in their
home, and I decided to read the Book of Mormon so I could participate in these
conversations.
There is a passage of
scripture in the book of Moroni which says, And
if you shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in
Christ, he will manifest the truth to you by the power of the Holy Ghost.
“Fair enough. I’ll do that,”
I said when I read those words. I began to pray continually for the Lord to
manifest the truth to me through some experience. For at least a year I prayed
fervently for that experience, but nothing happened.
In the meantime I continued
reading and studying. It occurred to me that from a theological viewpoint, the
Bible and Book of Mormon were compatible. Therefore, I realized that the Book
of Mormon must be what it claimed to be. I was baptized and became a member of
the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. Then I was
ordained to the office of priest in the ministry of the church.
Three years passed from the
time my reading of the Book of Mormon commenced. I had just finished reading
the book, He Walked the Americas and
I was mentally comparing this book to the Book of Mormon. Suddenly, the Spirit
of Truth descended on me in such power that I had to reach out and take hold of
something to steady myself. This spirit was so powerful. It was physical, not
mental, and it caused my very flesh to know that these books were true. Even
the flesh in my little finger knew the truth.
I know beyond a shadow of
doubt that the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be because of the totality
of the experience that was mine, from the inception of the reading to the very
powerful spiritual witness. Nothing would cause me to deny it!
The Lord may be slow in
answering our prayers, but He is never late.
From the book, To the Convincing by Ardie Launius page 63
