Only Spokesman

No one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. . . And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church. Doctrine & Covenants 28:2-6

In the fall of 1830, the Church was a young and inexperienced organization. When Hiram Page professed to receive revelations concerning the Church, some members became confused. The Prophet Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, and line upon line, the Lord revealed the order and structure of his latter-day kingdom. One fundamental governing principle is that the Lord reveals his will for members of the Church through a duly authorized prophet (D&C 28:7). Another is that “all things must be done in order” and by common consent (D&C 28:13). Each of us is to seek the spirit of revelation for our own lives and for those in our stewardship, but the Prophet is the Lords sole mouthpiece for the Church, his only spokesman on the earth. He is the one who presides over the whole Church. He is the one who possesses the keys of the priesthood (D&C 107:91—92; 132:7). We are to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord and his prophet. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 78)