Doctrine & Covenants 23-26

“Strengthen the Church”

As you read Doctrine and Covenants 23–26, make note of the impressions you receive from the Holy Ghost. How can you apply the counsel in these revelations to strengthen your own discipleship and also the Church?

After the Church was organized, the Saints faced a new challenge—to spread the gospel and strengthen those who had already united with the Church, all while persecution continued to increase. Emma Smith witnessed the opposition firsthand. In June 1830, Emma and members of the Knight family wished to be baptized. But enemies of the Church tried to disrupt what should have been a sacred experience. First they destroyed the dam that had been built to provide deep enough water for the baptisms. Even after the dam was repaired, the persecutors gathered to shout threats and mock those being baptized. Then, just as Joseph was about to confirm the new members, he was arrested for upsetting the community by preaching about the Book of Mormon. It seemed like an unpromising start for the Lord’s newly restored Church. But in the midst of this uncertainty and upheaval, the Lord provided precious words of counsel and encouragement, which represent His “voice unto all” (Doctrine and Covenants 25:16).

Kirkland Temple, by Al Rounds