Moroni 3:4

And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them.

Assignments to serve in the Lord's church are called "callings" because God himself calls to us join him in his work. These calls to us from God come by way of revelation to authorized spokesmen who act under authority. They come to us as gifts from God. Commandments and opportunities to serve inspire us and lift us. They are designed not only to allow us to participate in the Lord's work and render essential service, but also to change and enrich us as we learn to serve as the Savior would serve.

Ether 4:13

Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.

What is not known generally or taught openly can be known privately when we get direct, personal revelation. The Lord does not keep secrets. He is willing to teach anyone who will come to him and ask. But we must be willing to believe what he reveals. To ask, receive, and then turn away brings condemnation.

Ether 4:8

And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh.

We argue against the word of the Lord when we reject the revelations of the prophets and refuse the prompting of the Holy Spirit. In such an attitude we are cursed by the natural vicissitudes of mortality without the help and strength of grace. God does not punish us, he simply withholds his help, and without it, life is much harder than it has to be.

Ether 2:14

And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.

I am confident that a spiritual man like the brother of Jared would not have stopped praying for four years. I think what he had neglected to do was to ask the Lord for additional direction. He and the rest of the troop were perhaps satisfied with the good life they had on the beach. They had arrived at what to them was obviously the end of their journey on the shore of an un-cross-able ocean. With no place left to go, the easy conclusion was that they were in their promised land.

For four years they relaxed and enjoyed life. Yet something must have stirred the prophet to finally approach the Lord with a question. With the door of inquiry finally open, God took the opportunity to teach the brother of Jared about the mistake he had made.

The message to us is to not make assumptions about the Lord's will for us based on observable circumstances. God's plans for us almost always far exceed our own expectations. We ought not to limit his power in our lives by our own shortsightedness.

Ether 2:5

And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.

God's revelations are not mysterious or enigmatic. He gives clear and direct instructions, which are practical and simple to follow. Simple doesn't always mean easy, but if we will ask and listen, he will tell us which way to go and how to get where he wants us to be.

Mormon 9:29

See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out.

Proper actions are important. Proper actions for the right reasons are essential. To serve God most effectively, we must be in tune with the Holy Spirit so we can receive guidance and direction, and therefore we must be worthy. Worthy does not mean perfect, but it means that we are trying in humility, constantly repenting. To act in the name of Christ is to do what he would do the way he would do it for the reasons he would do it. That takes revelation, and revelation comes only to those who are worthy.

Mormon 8:12

And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

The scriptures are a gateway to revelation. By the power of the Holy Ghost we can learn more than the words on the printed page. Moroni knows far more than he has written in the plates. It is not, however, his place to teach us all things. Some teachings God reserves for himself to give to us individually as we are ready to receive them.

3 Nephi 18:20

And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

One of the most frequently repeated promises in scripture is "ask and ye shall receive." The caveats are that we must ask the Father; we must ask in Christ's name, which means we must pray as he would pray; we must pray for the right thing, which will be revealed to us by the Holy Ghost; and we must truly believe that God can and will answer our prayer, which is to ask with real intent. Answers to prayers are not capricious or haphazard. God is anxious to bless us with all we can receive. The key is to ask. Faith, with an eye single to God's glory, and not our own vain ambition, turns the key.

3 Nephi 17:2

I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.

God will not give us more knowledge than we can handle. Because he knows us perfectly, he knows how much knowledge we are ready for and gives only that which will enrich us without overwhelming us. He is aware of our capacity and does not exceed it. If we want to know more, we must prepare ourselves and increase our capacity. We must sharpen our desires and make room for more by exercising faith and obedience to that which we already have. God wants us to know all things. He has promised to reveal all mysteries. He waits only for us to be ready to receive all he has to offer.

3 Nephi 11:6-7

And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

Twice a voice from heaven spoke to the people, trying to get their attention. The first time, only a few understood the voice. The next time the voice spoke, perhaps a few more understood and tried to get those around them to hear. Everyone finally stopped talking and started listening, this time anticipating the voice with ears ready to hear and minds ready to understand. When the voice spoke for the third time, everyone heard for everyone was prepared to listen. How many messages do we miss because we are preoccupied, or we don't think the Spirit will actually communicate with us, or we hear but we question what we heard?

Helaman 15:3

Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

Because God loves us, he does all he can short of taking away our agency to get us to repent and come to him. Ideally he sends us specific correction through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.  To get us to the point where we can hear his voice through the Spirit, he may send general correction through his servants the prophets. When we don't listen to the prophets, he may send us correction through personal and general trials and afflictions. As I have said many times, not every trial is the result of sin, but unrepented sins will surely bring affliction of one kind or another. As I have also said before, afflictions are not punishments. They may be tests, opportunities to grow, or wake-up calls, but God is generally not in the punishment business. Eternal justice will deliver punishment. God's whole work is to try to save us from justice, if we will let him.

Helaman 9:2

Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not believe that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true.

The rationale in this verse is that if a prophet is right about small things, it is a testament that he is also right about the important things. Prophecies are useful in and of themselves, but they are a means to an end, that end being faith in the words of the prophets when they testify of Christ. All the predictions in the world are useless unless they bring us to Christ and strengthen our faith in him.

Living prophets in our day can be put to the same test. They have prophesied of financial calamities, moral decay, and the disintegration of the family. As we see these prophecies come to pass, we must awaken to the truly important prophecy--the prophecy of every prophet in every age, namely, that Christ will come to rule and reign forever. Every day is one day closer to the fulfillment of that all-important prophecy.

Helaman 8:20

And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy?

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. A seer may predict many things, and a prophet may receive many revelations, but the ultimate purpose of all prophecy and revelation is to testify of Christ, the atonement, and the resurrection. As helpful as other knowledge may be, knowing that Jesus is the Christ and has paid for our sins is the supreme knowledge of time and eternity. Anything else a prophet may reveal is merely evidence that his testimony of Christ is true.

Helaman 5:30

And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul

The voice that calls us to repentance is a quiet, mild voice. It may rattle our bones and shake our foundations, but not because of its volume. God does not have to yell in our ear to get our attention. If we are tuned into his spirit, he can make the mildest of suggestions that can rock us to the core. A thought, feeling, or impression may be all he gives us. Yet it can change our whole life. Thus we cannot afford to keep ourselves perpetually distracted with the noise of the world. God wants to whisper to us, but we have to be listening.

Helaman 3:27-30

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

If I were marooned on a desert island and could have only one small section of scripture to keep me company, I might choose these four short verses. Mormon sums up a series of lessons learned by the Nephites during a period of relative peace following many years of war. These are truths about how God works with his children in all ages of the world. This brief discourse sums up the whole Gospel of Christ:

1. God is merciful when we sincerely repent.
2. Everyone who repents is welcome in the church and kingdom of God.
3. True members of God's kingdom believe in Christ.
4. We choose belief and faith. 
5. The word of God is not just the written scriptures. It is also revelation, both through the prophet and personally to each of us.  We must choose to receive and obey revelation.
6. Revelation from God is life-giving and powerful to change our lives. 
7. When we live the gospel, we can avoid and overcome the temptations of Satan. The gospel leads on a strict path back to God.
8. To live with God permanently is our ultimate goal and destination.
9. We can look forward to the same exaltation as the patriarchs and prophets. 

Alma 61:14

Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God.

Remember that everything in the Book of Mormon was placed there for a reason. Mormon saw our day and included messages we would need to warn and to inspire us. To resist evil is good counsel. The challenge is to recognize evil. We first need the gift of discernment. Before we resist with words or swords, let us first be sure we know what to resist. Then like Moroni, we must be directed by the spirit of revelation to know when to use words and when to use swords. The day may come when armed resistance may be necessary to retain our freedom from our own government overrun by evil. If we put our faith in God and listen to the prophet, we will know the proper course when the time comes. What we cannot afford to do is stick our heads in the sand.

Alma 49:4

But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance.

In another war metaphor, the ridges of earth we dig up to shield ourselves from the stones and arrows of temptation vary depending based on our need. We barricade ourselves against impure thoughts by filling our minds with good things. We put up fences of humility to protect us from pride. We cut the supply line of pornography. We build walls of daily service to ward off selfishness. We prepare resorts of prayer to keep the communication line open with headquarters. We stockpile scriptures to ensure we have sustenance to withstand a siege. We make sure we have a good supply of the living water of revelation. If we are prepared, we need not fear.

Alma 39:17-19

And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming? Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children? Is it not as easy at this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?

The logic of continuing revelation is compellingly simple. God does not change. His love for every one of his children does not diminish. People needed revelation before Christ came to know he was coming, they needed it when he came to know he had arrived, and they needed it after his death and resurrection to know what he had done. If God sent angels in the past, he will send them now, and he will continue to send them in the future. Why would anyone want to resist such simple and pleasing logic?

Alma 36:5

Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself;

With conversion and spiritual rebirth comes wonderful knowledge. The Holy Ghost can teach us many things. In fact, he can reveal to us everything we need to know to have a successful life. In Alma's case, the instruction from heaven began even before he knew he needed it. God is so anxious to teach us he will jump at even the slightest opening. He cannot wait to share the good news with us.

Alma 30:13

O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.

The prophet Alma was confronted by an Anti-Christ who denied the notion of salvation. Like so many modern philosophers, Korihor refused to believe in anything he could not see and touch. Whether people can know more than their natural senses tell them is at the heart of the question of revealed religion. The real questions are 1) does God exist, 2) is he all-knowing so that he knows the future, and 3) if so, does he reveal his knowledge to humans? These are the first questions we must each answer for ourselves. The Book of Mormon testifies of all three hypotheses. If the Book of Mormon is true, it answers all the questions affirmatively and invites us to learn more. Because I have learned for myself that the Book of Mormon is true, I know God lives, knows all things, and reveals things to his children.