Lesson 1: The Restoration (Non-Christian Background)

God is the Father of our spirits (Heb 12:9; Acts 17:28-29)
He loves us and wants us to succeed and has given us Christ to help us overcome sin and death (John 3:16-17)
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be freed from the burden of our sins and develop faith and strength to face our trials.

So how do we know all this? - Evidence of God's love: Prophets & Scriptures

Since the beginning, God has chosen prophets and taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ (Amos 3:7)
They teach about God and testify about Jesus Christ (Acts 10:34-43)
They are also given the authority to act in the name of God.

We find through out biblical history:

God chooses a prophet
The prophet teaches the gospel
God blesses the people
People gradually disregard and disobey, change doctrine
Apostasy occurs and truth is lost
When the time is right, the people ready, God chooses another prophet and restores the gospel, the church, and the authority.
We learn that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow / forever.

The savior came and established his church
He called twelve men to be His Apostles and laid His hand on their heads to give them authority. (Luke 6:13; Mark 3:14-15)
He established officers in the church for our benefit and edification. (Ephesians 4:11-14)
The church was built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 2:18-20; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29)
The Apostles foretold this universal apostasy. They also foretold of the Restoration. (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; Amos 8:11-12; Acts 3:19-21)

Joseph desired “to know which of all the sects was right?”
The Bible taught “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5)
Joseph turned to the Bible for guidance and read (James 1:5-6)
He prayed and saw the First Vision (Joseph Smith History 1:15-20)
As God has done with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and other prophets, He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet.
Priesthood was restored.
A living prophet directs the Church today.
He and present Apostles trace their authority to Jesus Christ.

In order to restore the fullness of the gospel, the Lord prepared a volume of scripture: Book of Mormon.
It contains the fullness of the gospel.
It is an evidence that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.