Believing Joseph Smith Was A Prophet: Focus On The Fruits
Interested in FREE sheet music downloads of sacred and inspirational music? You’ll find them on Lynne Perry Christofferson’s music website: https://christoffersonmusic.com/
I am knee deep in the Come, Follow Me study of the Doctrine and Covenants. Having just passed the halfway mark of the year, we also passed the anniversary of the Prophet Joseph’s martyrdom, June 27, 1844. Though I have written about him before, I feel compelled to write again in this day when many people question whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.
The restored gospel brings abundant spiritual fruit—just as Joseph Smith prophesied and his ministry brought forth.
My husband and I recently returned from Palmyra, New York and Kirtland, Ohio. Eighteen years ago, we visited church history sites there with our children, but felt a desire to revisit some of those places. We stayed in an Airbnb attached to a large home in Kirtland. The first morning there, I peeked out the upstairs window and was happy to see luscious red strawberries growing in the garden below. They brought back memories of the strawberries my brother, Robb, used to grow when he was our next-door neighbor. My mouth watered just thinking of those tender berries.
Unlike the barren strawberry, Joseph Smith’s work continues to bear eternal fruit in the lives of millions.
Seeing the fruit growing in that Kirtland garden sparked another memory. Years ago, while crossing a temple parking lot, my eyes were drawn to the low-growing ground cover in the landscaping. Are those strawberry plants? I wondered, surprised. The leaves looked similar to what my brother raised in his garden, but it seemed odd that there would be strawberries growing on the temple grounds. I examined the leaves more closely. Though a few tiny yellow flowers bloomed among them, I couldn’t detect any fruit.
Once I arrived home, I pulled out my gardening book and discovered that the plants I’d seen earlier were Barren Strawberry–so called because they produce no edible fruit.
Though the Prophet Joseph Smith may have little in common with strawberries, I believe that anyone struggling with a testimony of the Prophet will benefit from examining the fruits of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the fulness of the gospel which Joseph restored. Unlike the Barren Strawberry plant, which is all leaves and no fruit, the great work Joseph accomplished under the power and direction of God continues to bear beautiful fruit two centuries after the first seeds were sown.
FOCUS ON THE FRUITS
Prophecy fulfilled
One “fruit” of a true prophet is that their prophecies are eventually fulfilled. In 1834, Joseph Smith publicly made what seemed like an audacious claim, considering how small the membership and reach of the Church were at that time. He asked all priesthood holders to gather into a 14 x 14-foot square schoolhouse in Kirtland.
At one point in the meeting, Joseph made this prophecy: “… I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it. … It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America — it will fill the world” (1)
The 2024 statistical report of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shows Church membership at 17,509,781. Nearly 75,000 fulltime missionaries are teaching the gospel worldwide. Joseph’s prophecy has certainly been fulfilled.
Temples
A second fruit of Joseph’s ministry is the spreading of holy temples throughout the earth. This is more than just building statistics. Because Joseph received the temple endowment by revelation, those who worthily visit these edifices to make covenants and engage in sacred ordinances are blessed in every aspect of their lives. I can testify of this from personal experience.
On a lovely evening last month, my husband and I took a rambling drive around the western and northern reaches of our valley, ending up at the future site of the Lehi temple, exactly one mile from our home. We sat on the foothills of Traverse Mountain, gazing across the valley just as dusk was falling and the temples were lit up. Saratoga Springs, Mount Timpanogos, Orem, and the Lindon temple–which will be dedicated soon.
Temples stand as witness of Joseph Smith’s prophetic ministry—sacred places for covenants, revelation, and the work of salvation for all of God’s children.
Though the Provo Rock Canyon temple no longer stands, we could see where the new building is taking shape. A hill obscured the view of the Provo City Center temple, but we could picture it in our minds. And lastly, past the far tip of Utah lake, we could just make out the ghostly glow of the Payson temple.
As teenagers, Brad and I often heard President Joseph F. Smith’s quote that, “The time will come when this land will be dotted with temples.” We had no inkling back then that our beloved valley would someday be blessed with multiple houses of the Lord. The recent announcement of a new temple in Spanish Fork brings the total to nine. Across the globe, tens of thousands of ordinances are performed in holy spaces each week, unlocking endowments of heavenly power, and binding families together. Temples are one of the most visible fruits of the work Joseph Smith set in motion when he prayed in the Sacred Grove.
The Book of Mormon
In my mind, the most powerful proof that Joseph was a true prophet of God is the Book of Mormon. Historical evidence–including the words of his wife, Emma–points to the fact that Joseph’s writing and spelling skills were poor. Though he later improved markedly in these areas, at the time he translated the Book of Mormon, he was only twenty-three years old. He simply could not have written this volume of scripture.
The Book of Mormon remains an ultimate witness of Joseph Smith’s divine calling and the restoration of truth.
Elder Tad R. Callister once asked, “…how did Joseph produce a book that radiates with the Spirit, and where did he get such profound doctrine, much of which clarifies or contradicts the Christian beliefs of his time?
“… In addition, one might ask: where did Joseph get the powerful insight that because of Christ’s Atonement, He can not only cleanse us but also perfect us? Where did he get the stunning sermon on faith in Alma 32? Or King Benjamin’s sermon on the Savior’s Atonement, perhaps the most remarkable sermon on this subject in all scripture? Or the allegory of the olive tree with all its complexity and doctrinal richness? When I read this allegory, I have to map it out to follow its intricacies. Are we now supposed to believe that Joseph Smith just dictated these sermons off the top of his head with no notes whatsoever?
“… To suggest that Joseph Smith at age twenty-three possessed the skills necessary to write this monumental work in a single draft in approximately sixty-five working days is simply counter to the realities of life.” (2)
I can testify with Elder Callister that I “… have come closer to God by reading this book than any other …” The most astonishing fact about the Book of Mormon is not that a young adult with limited education translated it from ancient records. The stunning truth about the Book of Mormon is that it can change your life. I know it has changed mine.
Powerful Revelations
In this simple Kirtland schoolhouse, Joseph Smith prophesied that the Church would fill the earth—a prophecy now fulfilled.
A major motivation for my husband and I to return to Palmyra and Kirtland recently was the knowledge that our dear friends, Wayne and Dianne, currently serve as missionaries at the Kirtland and Hiram historical sites. They were kind enough to give us a private tour of the John and Elsa Johnson home and the Kirtland temple. As we listened to them bear testimony and share accounts of heavenly visions and revelations received in these sacred spaces, we were reminded of the staggering amount of truth and light that came by way of the Prophet Joseph. He referred to the upper room of the John and Elsa Johnson home as “the room of revelation,” for scores of revelations were received there.
As someone who grew up in a Latter-day Saint home and was taught the restored gospel since childhood, I suppose I have occasionally taken for granted many of the basic tenets of our faith. But the people of Joseph’s day were “blown away” by much of what he revealed. The First Vision, for instance, gave a true understanding of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. No one at the time was teaching that these were two separate Beings. Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants, with its teachings about the three degrees of glory, was shocking to most Christians who had been taught that very few of God’s children would be saved, and only those that He chose.
“Because of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we know that God loves us and still speaks to us today. We know that He has a plan for His children and has prepared a way for them to live with Him again. And we know that this is “[His] work and [His] glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) (3)
The name of Joseph Smith has certainly been had “… for good and evil among all nations …” (4) as the angel Moroni prophesied. As I have studied the Doctrine and Covenants this year and listened to many Come Follow Me-based podcasts, the words and testimonies of countless Latter-day Saint historians have impressed upon me this significant truth, which is compelling evidence in the Prophet’s favor:
Those who knew Joseph best, loved him most, trusted him most.
In 2018, I wrote of the foundation of my testimony of the Prophet: “My earliest memory of a spiritual experience involves Joseph Smith and Carthage Jail. I recall perching on a tiny chair in a Bloomington, Indiana church as my Jr. Sunday school teacher shared Joseph’s story, touching on the major points of his life. The teacher ended with the martyrdom of the prophet, showing a picture of the old Carthage Jail. Nearly [fifty-seven] years later I can still visualize the small classroom and remember the feeling that washed over me as my teacher bore her testimony to a group of children no more than five years old. Although I was too young back then to recognize that witness of the Holy Spirit for what it was, I have since learned why the experience left such an impression on my young heart.” (5)
The fruits of Joseph’s work are all around us. The church and gospel which he restored continue to roll forward like a “stone… cut out of the mountain without hands.” (Daniel 2:45) For decades, as I have studied, lived, and taught the precepts of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and stood in sacred spaces where Joseph communed with the Father and the Son, the Spirit has testified to me that Joseph Smith was called of God and was an instrument in bringing the true church and gospel back to the earth. By the witness of the Holy Ghost, you can know it too as you focus on the beautiful fruits of Joseph’s ministry.
Below, you can listen to recordings and download FREE sheet music of my compositions related to Joseph Smith and the Restoration:
O How Lovely Was the Morning (new musical setting):
Link to mp3:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/154HBdc6trc_a4N7pBGPi-LDvP_YhU_Qr/view
FREE sheet music pdf:
https://www.christoffersonmusic.com/_files/ugd/e7467c_999a7428e12848c0b473ef6a5d8110f0.pdf
He Was Just a Boy:
http://latterdaysaintmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/He-Was-Just-a-Boy.mp3
FREE sheet music pdf: https://www.christoffersonmusic.com/_files/ugd/e7467c_3fa91f79d5214f0a9a5432619d5dc2e3.pdf
Hallowed Ground:
http://latterdaysaintmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hallowed_Ground_Meridian.mp3
(No sheet music available yet.)
Notes:
Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (2004), p. 25-26.
Elder Tad R. Callister, God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon, October 2017, general conference.
Gospel Study Guide: Joseph Smith, lds.org.com
Joseph Smith–History 1:33, Pearl of Great Price.
https://latterdaysaintmag.com/hallowed-ground-the-sacred-path-of-the-prophet-joseph/
