Why do we need Prophets and Scriptures if we can just Pray?

I guess because Heavenly Father would rather not repeat Himself if He can help it.

Us missionaries have this term for the three basic things you have to do regularly to stay steady and on track. They're also the three basic sources of revelation: CPR, or Go to CHURCH, PRAY, and READ the Scriptures. They're all commandments from God, given to us to enrich and bless our lives.

CHURCH

Mosiah 4:1-3, an entire people become converted during General Conference, Book of Mormon style.

Before you head off to church on Sunday, grab a notebook and have a question in your heart. A Spirit-filled service where other members have come to be edified is the perfect place to listen to those quiet promptings. As you listen to what the speakers and teachers have prayerfully and thoughtfully prepared, something they say may stick out to you or bring up a memory. Write it down. Record the thoughts that come into your mind.

Coming to church is a fantastic opportunity to listen to things that have been revealed through Modern Revelation. This could mean words spoken by the Prophet and his Apostles in General Conference, but it could also be as simple as a Bishop extending a calling or asking the ward to work on a particular aspect of the Gospel.

Even then, we don't just blindly accept everything we're told. We have to take it all and Pray about it...

PRAY

Alma 37:35-37, Counsel with the Lord, and He will direct thee for good.

Imagine that you've been given 15 minutes to talk to the Prophet. Before you go, are you going to prepare some questions to ask him? Or are you just going to wing it? I know I would try to think of some things to ask President Monson ahead of time because if I didn't, we'd just chat for a bit and I'd have wasted his time.

When we pray, we're talking to the Supreme Creator of the Universe, and he wants to hear from us. It should be a sacred experience, not five minutes where we ramble on because we know we have to. Bring a notebook to your closet. In a conversation, two people speak. Record what God tells you through the Holy Ghost. They could be random thoughts that come into your head, or an impression to open your scriptures.

Then, compare what you've been told to what has been written in the scriptures...

READ

1 Nephi 19:22-23, Liken all scriptures to yourself.

There's a saying that we talk to God by praying, but if we want him to talk back to us, we read the scriptures. One time, I really needed some sort of direction with how to act. I struggled to figure out how to work with this one person in my life, and I didn't have the option to run. I went into my closet and prayed for help. Then I opened the scriptures up. One was on forgiving others until seventy times seven. The other was on teaching by example. These two verses helped me know exactly how I needed to approach this situation, and I found them exactly when Heavenly Father wanted me to read them.

Al Carraway shared one way she received revelation by reading Ether. Clayton Christensen teaches us to Pray, Read, Write, Pray. Revelation from the scriptures comes from interacting with them. And sometimes we need to discuss the scriptures with our church leaders to understand them...

Church, Pray, Read. It's how we Endure to the End.

I know that doing these three basic things will help us stand firmly and on a sure foundation when the winds and tempests of trials and temptations beset us. I've seen it in my own life. When I wasn't praying everyday or reading my scriptures, I was drowning in the world and I didn't even realize it. Then I went on a mission. Suddenly, I was praying constantly and reading daily. I had never stopped going to church, but now it's never been so meaningful to take the sacrament and listen to the speakers and lessons. My testimony has never been so strong, and I'm looking forward to maintaining it at home where things will be different.

What is the Difference Between Communion and the Sacrament?

A few things. I want to start with what is similar, though. Just before Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane to suffer for all of our sins and afflictions, He and His disciples had the Passover feast, which is often called the Last Supper. Here Christ introduced an ordinance to supersede the need of the Passover, which is sometimes called the Lord's Supper. Christ broke and blessed bread, then commanded His disciples to eat it in remembrance of his body that would soon be sacrificed for us all. Then He poured wine, blessed it, and commanded his disciples to drink it in remembrance of His blood that would be shed in great drops for us. This account is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Today, Christians everywhere participate in this sacred ordinance on a regular basis to remember the sacrifice of our Savior and recommit to living righteously. Some call it the Sacrament, like the LDS Church. Others call it Communion, like the Catholic Church. It's called Communion because the participants seek fellowship with Christ.

Now, I am not an expert on any church other than the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even then, I'm not what you would consider an expert on the LDS Church. The only Communion service I am even slightly familiar with is that of the Catholic Church. That's because my current companion, Sister Clendon, attended a Catholic High School in New Zealand for five years and I asked her a bunch of questions. This is what I gathered from her and other Catholics I've had the pleasure of meeting.

The emblems of communion are a wafer and wine. The priest blesses the wafer. It is placed on the participant's tongue. The wafer sits on the tongue and dissolves; it's not chewed. The wine seems to be optional, reserved for teachers, older youth, and clergy. They drink from the same cup and wipe the rim with a rag between each person. What really sets Catholics apart is their belief in Transubstantiation: that the wafer and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.

At an LDS Sacrament meeting, the ordinance looks a little different. The emblems are blessed by Aaronic Priesthood holders in the office of a Priest. They can be as young as 16. They bless the Sacrament with the same two prayers each time, one for bread, and one for the water. Then the Deacons, who can be as young as 12, pass the sacrament to each person in the congregation. We use water instead of wine for two reasons given in a revelation to Joseph Smith. First, we were commanded not to drink wine, especially that purchased from the Church's enemies at the time. Second, it doesn't matter what we eat or drink so long as we remember why we're participating in this ordinance. So if someone in the congregation can't have gluten, crackers or gluten-free bread can be used. We believe that the emblems are representations of Christ's body and blood.

The Sacrament is the most important part of coming to church on Sunday. It is when we renew our covenants, especially our baptismal covenant, and helps us remain worthy of the Holy Ghost. It is a commandment to partake of the Sacrament and attend our church meetings. It is so simple, and yet such a powerful symbol in our lives, to always remember the sacrifice of our Savior.