As Parley, Oliver, Ziba, and Peter left Kirtland and moved on to other fields of labor, they left over one hundred converts who had plenty of zeal but little experience or direction. There were no instructional handbooks, no leadership training meetings, no broadcasts of general conference—in fact, there weren’t even very many copies of the Book of Mormon to go around. Many of these new believers had been drawn to the restored gospel by the promise of marvelous manifestations of the Spirit, especially those they knew about from studying the New Testament.

Soon, some unusual expressions of worship—including falling to the ground or writhing like a snake—were introduced into their Church meetings. Many found it hard to discern which manifestations were of the Spirit and which were not. Seeing the confusion, Joseph Smith prayed for help. The Lord’s answer is equally valuable today, when people often reject or ignore the things of the Spirit. The Lord revealed that spiritual manifestations are real and clarified what they are—gifts from a loving Heavenly Father, “given for the benefit of those who love [Him] and keep all [His] commandments” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:9).