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| Why We Go to Church |
Ordinances, or sacred ceremonies, are part of Jesus Christ’s organized Church that He established during His ministry on earth. Baptism is one of these ordinances. The sacrament is another.
The Sacrament Reminds Us of Jesus
Before He was condemned to death and crucified on the cross, Jesus gathered the Twelve Apostles He had chosen to lead His Church. During their final supper together, the Savior broke bread and blessed it, telling the Apostles to eat the bread in remembrance of His body, which He would sacrifice for them. Jesus then blessed wine, telling the Apostles to drink it in remembrance of His blood, which He would shed for them.
We continue this ordinance, called the sacrament, today. Each Sunday at church, those who hold priesthood authority from God bless broken bread and water symbolizing Jesus’s sacrifice and pass it to the congregation.
As we take the sacrament, we remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us and renew the promises we made to God during our baptism.
Church Strengthens Us
Ordinances performed through priesthood authority given by God are one of the important reasons to belong to Jesus Christ’s Church instead of simply trying to be a good person on our own. Another benefit of church is the strength we receive from worshipping God and Jesus together with other Christians.
At church, we can share our insights with each other as we study the Bible and Book of Mormon together. We can love and support each other through difficult times. We can feel joy as we pray and sing sacred songs called hymns together.
Jesus taught, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
Missionaries can introduce you to your local church community. They will meet with you beforehand to let you know what to expect and then be there to greet you when you’re ready to worship with us. |
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| Jesus Visited the Americas |
After Jesus was resurrected, He spent more time with His followers, including the 12 Apostles He had chosen to continue to lead the Church He had established. Eventually, He told them He must leave to visit His “other sheep” (John 10:16).
This included the people living in the Americas. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ tells the story of those people over hundreds of years. The most important part of the story is Jesus’s visit to those people.
Like He did in the Middle East, Jesus called twelve Apostles in the Americas to lead His organized Church and gave them priesthood authority from God to baptize and administer the sacrament. He performed healing miracles and taught the sermons, lessons, and parables that He had taught His followers elsewhere.
Those words include this saying: “Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life” (3 Nephi 15:9). |
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