[MUSIC - "ASK OF GOD"]
(SINGING) You've been told so many things,
And you've been searching high and low.
You're wond'ring what to believe.
There's only one way to know.
If you ask, then He will answer.
If you kneel, He'll make you whole.
If you close your eyes and whisper,
He will whisper to your soul.
If you're hurting, He will heal you.
If you're humble, He will come.
If you lack wisdom, ask of God.
Ask of God.
And where you used to be afraid,
Cold, and lost out on the waves,
Now your faith will pull you through.
And where the wind tossed you around,
Now you're standing on the ground,
Firmly anchored in the truth.
If you ask, then He will answer.
If you kneel, He'll make you whole.
If you close your eyes and whisper,
He will whisper to your soul.
If you're hurting, He will heal you.
If you're humble, He will come.
If you lack wisdom, ask of God.
Ask of God.
Hi, everyone.
I'm Helene.
And I'm Edwin [INAUDIBLE].
Welcome to our first-ever live Face to Face event from Africa.
We are pleased to have with us Elder Dale G.
Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
and his wonderful wife, Ruth.
Elder and Sister Renlund, thank you
for taking the time to be with us.
Thank you.
It's a thrill to be here.
We are broadcasting live today from the missionary training
center in Accra, Ghana.
We are excited that the youth in Africa
and the islands of the Indian Ocean
are joining us for this event.
We'd like to welcome two youth groups who
are joining us by videoconference,
one from Nairobi, Kenya.
Hello, Kenya.
And one from Lagos, Nigeria.
Hi, Lagos.
Hi.
We have got questions from youth from all over Africa:
Madagascar, Mauritius, and La Reunion.
In anticipation of this event, I look forward to our discussion.
We'd like to begin with an opening hymn, "Nearer, My God,
to Thee."
And it will be sung by a youth group from Accra, Ghana.
Following that song, we'll have an opening prayer
from Elizabeth [INAUDIBLE] in Lagos, Nigeria.
[MUSIC - "NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE"]
(SINGING) Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
Though like the wanderer,
The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone,
Yet in my dreams I'd be
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
Ah, there let the way appear,
Steps unto heav'n;
All that thou sendest me,
In mercy giv'n;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee!
Our dear Heavenly Father, we come before Thee this day
to give Thee our thanks and praise.
We thank Thee for bringing us here today.
We thank Thee for our lives.
We thank Thee for granting us the presence of Thy Apostle
today.
We thank Thee for all that Thou has done for us.
We are so grateful for the Atonement
of Thy Son, Jesus Christ.
We pray for Thy Spirit here today to lead and direct us.
We pray for Elder Renlund and Sister Renlund
that Thou will continue to guide them and see them
through this event.
We pray for all the youth all over Africa
and all over the Indian Ocean, that Thou
will be with them, that our questions may be answered.
We pray Thou should let Thy will be done in our lives.
We ask Thou to grant us our righteous heart's desires.
This is our prayer in the humble name
of Thy Son, the Only Begotten, Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.
Elder Renlund, before we get to our questions,
would you like to share some opening remarks?
Yes, I would.
That was such a beautiful prayer.
I'm so grateful for it because Sister Renlund
and I are here by assignment from the First Presidency
and the Quorum of the Twelve.
And you might ask, why would the First Presidency and the Twelve
send one of the Apostles to be here
for one of the first-ever regional Face to Face events?
It's because the First Presidency and the Twelve
care an awful lot about you in Africa
and the nations of the Indian Ocean.
They wanted Sister Renlund and me to come to give you
their greetings, to share their love,
and, I think more importantly, to let you know how important
you are in Heavenly Father's plan--that Heavenly Father
really wants you to come nearer to Him.
And then as we all do so, great blessings come from that.
Thank you to all who have participated by preparing
and for those who have submitted questions.
Now, we're not going to be able to answer every question.
I don't even think we're going to answer any one
question completely, because there are so
many aspects to every question.
But if we all have a prayer in our hearts,
as was requested in the invocation,
the Holy Ghost can be here and give answers to your questions
even though nothing is said about it.
And aspects that we don't cover can be helped,
and answers received.
Sister Renlund and I, though, express our love
and appreciation to each and every one of you,
wherever you are, for your faith, your love of the Savior,
and your diligence.
And we look forward to tackling some of the questions.
Thank you so much, Elder Renlund.
Well, let's start with our first question.
Great.
We have received a lot of questions
about sharing the gospel with our friends.
[INAUDIBLE] from South Africa asked,
"How do we approach someone about the gospel?"
I think that the way to first think
about how we approach our friends with the gospel
is to really understand why we should.
We need to recognize that we all have a loving Heavenly Father.
We're His spirit children.
He sent all of His children who chose to,
to come to Earth to receive a body
and then receive experiences here that they couldn't
otherwise have.
He provided a Savior so that even our mistakes could
be handled and that we all have a way
to return back to our heavenly home and live the kind of life
that He has.
He wants to give each and every one of us all that He has.
Those listening to this broadcast have--because
of their own choices, or with or without some help from
family--begun a path that included repentance
and baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost,
embarking on this pathway that can lead back to our heavenly
home.
What's important is that Heavenly Father
loves even your friends who aren't members of the Church
as much as He loves you.
He wants to invite them home, too.
He gives all of us who are members of the Church
the opportunity to help in that process.
But the reason we would want to talk to our friends about
the gospel is because Heavenly Father loves them,
and He wants them to begin a path that is the only path that
can lead to real, eternal blessings of the magnitude that
we're talking about here--Heavenly Father's kind
of life, eternal life.
That's why.
And perhaps Ruth and I'll talk through a few things
that are helpful in how.
I think one of the first things is
to live your life like a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Live your life the way you know you should live your life.
As you do that, you are a light to the world.
You're a beacon to the world.
And that will attract questions and invite further discussion.
Another reason to live your life like a disciple
is that when the opportunity comes to talk to your friend,
you will be genuine; you'll be authentic.
There will be no hypocrisy in anything you're saying.
You're a genuine Latter-day Saint,
and that light has been there and shown them,
and you can be genuine in your responses.
The third reason to live your life as a disciple
is that you then have the promise of the Holy Ghost
to help you.
These are not difficult conversations.
It's usually responding to questions,
and the Holy Ghost will help you.
And when you live as a disciple of Christ,
you can have the confidence that the Holy Ghost
will be there to help you.
Ruth?
Sharing the gospel does not have to be scary,
and it doesn't have to take a lot of preparation.
You simply have to accurately report your activities.
For example, on Monday, someone's going to ask you,
"How was your weekend?"
You could say "Fine," and leave it at that.
Or you could accurately report your activities.
You could say, "It was an opportunity on Saturday to talk
to an Apostle of our Church.
And on Sunday I went to church, and there I
was able to learn more about Jesus Christ."
Your friends can then ask questions.
If they're interested, they might say, "What church do you
go to?"
You'll have an opportunity to discuss it.
So I'd say don't be afraid to simply be who you are.
Accurately share what you do in your life.
You'll be sharing the gospel.
I think another thing is that we should all
pray for the opportunity.
Pray for the opportunity to share the gospel.
God will answer those prayers, and we
should pray that we can recognize it when it happens.
It isn't going to be a difficult discussion.
It's very frequently just quite casual in the way
that it's done.
And I think maybe a final thing--there is a great example
from the time of Christ, when Philip first came to know that
Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah.
He went to Nathanael, and he said, "I've found him.
I've found the one who was promised,
who is the promised Messiah.
He is Jesus Christ of Nazareth."
And Nathanael said, "What good can come out of Nazareth?"
Now, Philip didn't say, "Well, actually there
are these two guys who came out of Nazareth,
and they're not so bad."
Or he didn't try to excuse it or be defensive.
He didn't say, "Well, there is a street in Nazareth that's OK."
His answer?
"Come and see."
And that's a great answer to have.
If someone comes to you and says,
"I understand that you're giving a talk
in your church on Sunday," you could explain
what you're going to say.
Or you could say, "Come and see."
If someone says, "I understand that young people
in your Church leave their homes for 18 to 24 months
and serve missions," you could answer that.
Or you could say, "There's someone in our ward right now
who is from Nigeria and another one from Sierra Leone.
They're serving as missionaries.
Come and see.
They'll tell you why they're here."
So I think in the things we've talked about,
it's live your life the way you should.
Accurately report your activities;
don't be shy about that.
Pray for the opportunity, and pray
to recognize the opportunity when it comes.
And then remember to invite people to come and see.
Thank you so much, Elder Renlund.
This is our next question.
Elder and Sister Renlund, many have
struggled with learning to recognize communication
from the Holy Ghost.
Nicholas from Ghana asked, "How can I feel and know
that this is the promptings of the Holy Ghost?"
I think that the gift of the Holy Ghost
is one of the greatest blessings that we have.
But it takes time and effort to recognize how
the Spirit communicates to you.
The Holy Ghost communicates differently
to different people, and sometimes even differently
with the same person.
So these impressions come as thoughts, impressions,
feelings, sometimes voices, sometimes dreams.
And He'll communicate differently
to different people, and differently to the same person.
In my experience, the Holy Ghost speaks with very short, clear
directives.
It's something like, "Go," "Do," "Don't," "Say."
And oftentimes there is no explanation.
Later on, I might ask Heavenly Father,
"Why did You have me do that?"
And sometimes He explains.
And sometimes it's as if the answer is "Wait and see.
It'll become apparent later."
What do you have on that, Ruth?
Well, many times, it takes practice
to really know how the Holy Ghost communicates with you.
And this you'll know: It will always prompt you to do
good--never anything that would be contrary to any
of the stances of the Church.
It will always prompt you and lead you to do good.
I know for me, the Holy Ghost speaks to me in thoughts.
I'll have ideas.
And I'll think, "Wow, that's a great idea."
And then I realize, "Ah, it's not my own."
But it still leads me to do the things I should.
Sometimes we all wonder, "Is that thought mine,
or was that the Holy Ghost?"
And listen to this.
This is in the Book of Mormon:
"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man,
that he may know good from evil; wherefore,
I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which
inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ,
is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ;
wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge
it is of God."
So the test is, does it invite you to do good and believe
in Christ?
"But whatsoever thing persuadeth men
to do evil, and [not believe] in Christ,
and deny him, and serve not God, then ye
may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil."
So if I'm faced with a decision and I have a thought,
and that thought is something that leads me to do good
or to believe in Christ, I should act on it.
I shouldn't sit there and hesitate
and say, "Is this my thought, or is it the Holy Ghost?"
I should act on it.
And when I do that, that very frequently
leads to knowing that that thought was from God.
Imagine Joseph Smith as he's going to the grove.
Instead of going to the grove, sitting down and saying,
"Was that thought that I should go to the grove--was that
my thought, or was it from God?"
No.
He acted on it, and it became clear
that that was directive from Heavenly Father.
I'd just say be patient with yourself.
Notice how you feel when you follow these thoughts,
feelings, ideas that you have.
And the Holy Ghost will confirm again to you, "Yes,"
when you're acting, "this is the direction I'm giving you."
But be patient with yourself and pay attention
to how you're feeling as you listen and follow
those directions.
Thank you so much, Elder and Sister Renlund.
We would like to take our next question from a youth
group in Nairobi, Kenya.
Who from Kenya has a question for Elder and Sister Renlund?
OK, stand up.
First say your name, and ask your question.
My name is [INAUDIBLE] from Kayole Second
Ward in Nairobi [INAUDIBLE].
And my question is, why should we be joyful
when we fall into temptation?
OK, so I'm going to repeat what I think the question is.
You can go ahead and have a seat.
The question is, why should there be joy
when there are temptations?
And so, asante sana for that question.
Let's look at the verse where that is spoken of.
She's referring to James chapter 1 and verse 2.
And it says, "My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations."
And the question is, how in the world
can it be joyful to fall into temptations?
Why would that be somehow pleasing to God?
Joseph Smith, as he was doing an inspired
translation of the Bible, changed the word temptation
to something else.
He said that it is--he has said it this way: "My brethren,
count it all joy when ye fall into many afflictions."
So not temptations, but afflictions.
Now, you could still ask the same question:
how fun is it to have afflictions?
Well, it isn't.
But now it becomes clear what's going on with these verses.
Because "Count it [a] joy when ye fall into [very] many
afflictions; knowing this, that the trying of your faith"--the
testing of your faith, the putting to trial
of your faith--"worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may [become] perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
The word perfect means complete.
So what's really going on here is
that the Lord is, in essence, saying through James, when
you face trials and difficulties and adversities,
let that be like a refiner's fire
to help you become something different than you otherwise
would be.
Let that enduring, with faith and patience,
make you something different than you otherwise would be--to
be complete, to be holy, to become like Jesus Christ.
Maybe an example would be helpful.
Years ago, we were just relatively newly married.
We'd been married a couple of years.
And we had a child, our only daughter.
And Sister Renlund developed a type of cancer
called ovarian cancer.
She had two operations and chemotherapy.
And our lives were forever changed.
This was a trial.
This was an affliction.
This was a hardship that shattered our lives.
And we felt our hopes for a large family were gone.
We felt many, many things.
But primarily because of Ruth's faith and her example,
that hardship changed us in a positive way.
So now, having gone through that hardship,
we're far better able to do the things that we need to do--"to
mourn with those that mourn; ...
comfort those that stand in need of comfort."
Nothing prepared me better to be a bishop, or a home
teacher for that matter, than to have
gone through that experience, because I
knew how it was to hurt.
One of the great joys, to me, that came out
of that affliction, that trial, is
to have a greater love for my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I relied on Him to help me through this.
I relied on the Holy Spirit for comfort.
I felt closer to the Savior as I understood
just a little bit what it was to have a sore or difficult trial.
And so for me, one of the great joys that came from that
was a greater love for my Savior.
And I think that's one of the things that's
referred to in James.
It can be a joy during the affliction
if we draw closer to our Savior.
And I think the other final thought
on that is that these afflictions come to everybody.
Different trials, different people.
And it isn't so much the affliction itself.
The real question is, how will you deal with it?
If you choose to deal with that trial the way
Heavenly Father wants you to, it will
be something that in the long run
will sanctify to you your deepest distress.
It will be something that builds you.
If you do it the other way, it can
be something that can cause you to be bitter and lose
your faith.
But the decision of which way you do it depends on you.
It doesn't depend on the trial.
So I think that's how we'd answer that one.
Thank you so much, Elder.
As we know, we often feel alone as we try
to live the Church standards.
Fernandez from Mauritius asks, "How can I
live the gospel when I am the only member in my school?"
That can be a challenge for many of us,
but I just have a couple of thoughts on that.
One, it's so important that you do live the standards.
And I think if you look around, even though there may not
be members of the Church in your school or community,
there will be other good people who can be good friends.
And by "good friends," I mean those
who will support you in your living
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And in return, you support your friend
in achieving their goals.
A good friend will help you do what
you need to do even if they're not a member of the Church.
I know our daughter went to a school,
and there were not very many members there.
She had a roommate, and she told her roommate
she was a member of the Church.
It was important to her that she live the standards.
She didn't want to go to parties where
there was alcohol or smoking or other things that were not
good for her.
Her roommate, although not a member of the Church,
was a good friend to her because when those situations came up,
instead of our daughter having to say, "Oh, no, I
don't participate in that because I'm
a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,"
it was her roommate and friend who said, "Oh,
don't give that to Ashley.
She's a Mormon."
So good friends will help support you wherever you are.
Also, you are never alone.
You've been given the gift of the Holy Ghost.
And the gift of the Holy Ghost--the Holy Ghost is
a comforter.
And He will remind you that you have
a Father in Heaven who loves you,
that the Savior is there to help.
You go with the faith and prayers
and the confidence of your parents,
of your brothers and sisters, of Church leaders.
So you are never alone.
And sometimes I think we need to recognize
those that are around us that are trying to help
and be with us and bless us.
When I was young, when I was your age, I lived in Sweden.
And I attended a school where I was
the only member of the Church except for my brother
and my older sister.
We had religion classes in the state religion every day,
and so we were taught a different faith.
It would be easy to feel alone.
But what happened was, is I'd come home
in the evening with questions.
And my parents would sit down and explain
these doctrinal questions.
Every night became as if it were family home evening.
And so being the only one in the school,
over the course of many years, turned out to be a blessing.
But it depends on who you're there for.
But I agree.
I think that friends don't have to be--there are good people
among many, many different faiths.
And you can ask them, you can say to a friend,
"This particular aspect of my life is important to me.
Will you help me with that?
And is there some important aspect of your life?
I will help you with that."
And you can form bonds of friendship
that are mutually beneficial.
Thank you so much, Elder and Sister Renlund.
Here's a related question about marriage.
[INAUDIBLE] from Zimbabwe asked, "Why is marriage sacred?"
So why is marriage sacred?
Well, marriage is sacred because our Heavenly Father intends
for marriage to not just be for this earth,
but to last into the eternities.
He intends to bless us as families,
and He has certain blessings and certain promises reserved
for those who live the gospel, are married, and sealed
in a temple of God.
It's sacred because God intends to bless us in our families.
I think the other thing is that if we go back
to Heavenly Father's plan, we're all spirit children of Heavenly
Father.
He loves each and every one.
And as one of His spirit children come to earth,
the channel through which they come
is, they're born into a home.
The intended channel is that of a man and wife who are married.
That is what God wants for His spirit children--to be born
with a physical body into that kind of a family.
Marriage is what makes that possible.
It's the best chance for any child
to grow to adulthood on the right path.
In the O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg,
there is a big wall, and it has a sign on it
that has an African proverb.
And it says, "If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together."
God intends us to go far--far into the eternities.
And that's done as husband and wife together.
So that's why it's sacred.
Thank you so much, Elder Renlund.
I would like to take our next question from our audience
here in Accra.
Who has a question for Elder and Sister Renlund?
Your name, and ask your question.
My name is [INAUDIBLE],, and I'm from Ghana, Accra.
And my question is, you see many people
not living the law of chastity in our country.
Can you please tell me why it's important to live
the law of chastity?
Thank you.
Before we talk about the law of chastity,
let's go back to Heavenly Father's plan.
Again, He wanted all of His children
to come to earth to receive a body and then gain experience,
that they could one day return to Him.
In many ways, imagine being in the very southernmost part
of Ghana, and you need to come to Accra.
Let's say there are roads, but you have no map
and you have no GPS system.
You do have a car, and it has petrol in it.
But you have no other way to get here.
The commandments of God are very much like road signs
that help you.
And one of those road signs is "Stay on the road."
Living the law of chastity is like that.
Not living the law of chastity is
like driving off the edge of the road into the ditch,
putting the car in reverse, and putting the accelerator
to the floor and going as fast as you can backwards,
looking only at the rearview mirror.
It's not going to turn out well.
So God gives a commandment that is to help
us get to where we need to be.
And as we follow these road signs
that we call commandments, we then
have a chance to get to where we want
to be and receive all the blessings that Heavenly
Father has.
The law of chastity is one of those
because as we live the law of chastity,
we receive the blessings that Heavenly Father can give,
and can only give, to those who choose
to keep His commandments.
It helps in the relationship.
So I think, I think the first question that we ask--and
you've obviously thought about this beautifully--is,
why does God care about my moral behavior?
And as we try to answer that question--why would God
care?--and it's very clear, if we don't understand His plan
of salvation and exaltation, living the law of chastity
wouldn't make any sense.
So as you talk to people about living the law of chastity,
if they don't understand the plan, then the law of chastity
doesn't make much sense.
But if you understand the plan, that what He wants
is for each of His children to be saved, to achieve salvation,
but then each, as families, is to be exalted
and to have the kind of life He has.
And that only happens with people
who are committed to each other in a very specific way
to live the law of chastity, that they abstain
from sexual relations before marriage
and that they're absolutely faithful
to each other after marriage.
One of the great blessings we receive in this life,
that we didn't have in our premortal life, is a body.
But one of the tests we have here
is to see if we can control our body
and have our spirit rule our body.
When we choose to follow our Heavenly Father,
He tells us that our body is sacred.
It can be like a temple, and there is a way it's to be used.
It's to be used in the way that our Heavenly Father has
revealed in a family setting.
There are so many blessings that we receive when
we live the law of chastity.
One, we know that the Holy Ghost will only
dwell with those who are clean and pure.
And so the promise of having the Holy Ghost with you
is one of the blessings of living a chaste life.
The other thing is, you can have a great deal of self-respect.
If you know who you are, a daughter or son of our Heavenly
Father, you know who you need to be
and how you need to conduct your life.
It gives you direction, and it gives you a lot of self-respect
to say, "Well, then, I know who I am.
This is how I should treat my body."
You'll build trust in a relationship
when you are married.
You'll build love that could not otherwise be there.
So our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.
He's told us how.
Now, we can say, "No, we don't want
to follow those commandments."
What we're saying is, "I don't want to be happy."
But one of those great blessings that He's promised us
is happiness and His Spirit if we live the law of chastity
and are clean before Him.
Thank you for your question.
Thank you so much.
Our next question comes from Rose in Liberia.
She asks, "What can I do to receive
the power and blessings of the priesthood as a young woman?"
Ah.
Shall I start with that one?
[INAUDIBLE]
Power and blessings of the priesthood
are available to everyone, whether they
are a woman or a man.
Think for just a minute about what
the power and the priesthood has brought into your life.
It may have started with a baptismal ordinance.
You were baptized under authority
with the power of the priesthood.
And what a blessing baptism is.
You enter into the kingdom of God.
You become a member of His Church.
You are taught, you understand what
you need to do to be able to return to your heavenly home.
And the beginning path is baptism.
Then, under the authority of the priesthood,
you're given the most wonderful gift you could have--that
of the Holy Ghost, that you're told to receive it.
Receive it.
Open this gift.
Use this gift.
Under the authority of the priesthood,
that gift is bestowed on you.
There are other promises and blessings
that await you as well.
One may be a patriarchal blessing.
You will receive other ordinances in the temple
when you go to the temple.
Some of you have had an opportunity
to do baptisms for the dead and offer the baptism
that you love so much to people in your family
who haven't had that opportunity.
Those are all blessings that come from the priesthood.
You have an opportunity then, also,
to be sealed--married in the eyes of God and sealed
for eternity.
That's a blessing that leads to the greatest blessing that God
can ever promise, and that is to be--to live with Him again
and to become like Him.
So those are just some of the blessings
of the priesthood that come to all, whether you're
a woman or a man.
That's good.
And this question deals with the law of tithing.
[INAUDIBLE] from Liberia asks, "Why is the law
of tithing important to live?
How are the funds used?"
Tithing is an ancient law that God gave to Israel.
And again, you can ask the question,
"Why would God ask us to give tithing
to return to Him some of what He blesses us with?"
It's a manifestation of faith.
Let's talk first about how it's used.
Two times since I was ordained an Apostle,
I've gone to a very unique meeting called the Council
on the Disposition of the Tithes.
This is where the First Presidency, the Quorum
of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric
come together, as directed by the Savior,
to review how the expenses of the Church will be handled.
And I want to testify that in that meeting,
it is very clear that everybody present
views these tithing funds as consecrated as the widow's
mite, being very careful with how they are allocated
and how they are used.
It is remarkable to see the prophet
of God wanting to be very careful recognizing the widow's
mite.
The way that those funds are used
are to build meetinghouses, to do missionary labors.
We're meeting in this brand-new MTC.
Many of you will come to this MTC.
Others will go to other MTCs around the world
that will have been built with the tithing
funds of the Church.
Temples.
We have a temple close to us here.
It was built with the tithing funds of the Church.
Family history work, humanitarian work
is supplemented.
All these other things are part of Heavenly Father's work.
And they use the tithing funds of the Church
to move the kingdom of God forward.
God allows us to help Him in His work by doing this.
Now, why should we do it?
Let me just turn to the Old Testament
and look at some promises that the Lord gives.
He says if you bring tithes into the storehouse, He says,
"And prove me now herewith, ...
if I will not open ... the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing."
Now listen to these blessings: "And I
will rebuke the devourer for your sakes."
Now, what does that mean, to rebuke a devourer?
It isn't that a mosquito won't bite you.
But He will make it so the work you do will not be destroyed.
He goes on and says, "And he [the devourer]
shall not destroy the fruits of your ground."
For a farmer, that's easy.
For someone who isn't a farmer, the blessing still
applies--that that which you do will come to fruition and that
it will accomplish the purpose of blessing you and helping.
And then another one that I think is really important.
It says, "And all nations shall call you blessed:
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts."
Now, what does that mean?
A colleague of mine in the Quorum of the Twelve,
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, has said that the faithful payment
of tithes by citizens of a country will bless the nation.
So if I were--if I were from Sierra Leone and I wanted to be
a patriot and bless my land, I would faithfully pay
my tithing, because God will then help pour out blessings
on my country.
If I wanted to be a Ghanaian patriot,
I would pay my tithing, because God will pour out
blessings on my country and all nations will call me blessed.
This will be like the yeast, or the leaven,
that helps the whole country.
So the answer to the question, "Why do we
have the law of tithing?"
In so many ways, it's so that we can demonstrate our faith
to God and we can comply with laws
that bring us blessings that can make
our lives good in significant and wonderful ways.
Do you have a comment on that one?
I would just say, one of the reasons I pay my tithing
and we pay our tithing together is to show
our gratitude to the Lord.
He's given us so much.
It's our opportunity to help contribute to His bringing
forth His kingdom on the earth.
He doesn't ask that much of us.
And so it's our way to show gratitude toward Him.
Thank you so much, Elder and Sister Renlund.
We would like to take our next question
from a youth group in Nigeria.
Who from Nigeria has a question for Elder and Sister Renlund?
First say your name, and ask your question.
[INAUDIBLE] I'm from [INAUDIBLE]..
My question is [INAUDIBLE] challenges [INAUDIBLE]
result of [INAUDIBLE]?
OK.
Elder?
Thank you.
So I understand the question is that,
what challenges and burdens come that aren't because of sin?
Is that that question?
So what challenges and burdens do we
have that aren't as a result of sin?
Let me say something very important first.
All sin eventually leads to suffering,
but not all suffering is caused by sin.
So as we come into this life as mortal beings,
we get a mortal body, and we're going
to go through the experiences of mortality.
And there are some things that are challenges that just happen
as a result of that process.
Some of us lose our hair.
It's a big challenge, especially since Sister Renlund first
fell in love with me because of my beautiful blond hair.
And look what happened.
But some things happen as a result of just going
through this life.
Illness, disease, things like that
are not because of sin, generally speaking.
Growing older isn't because of sin.
It is because of life and growing older.
It's not unexpected to see an older person,
no matter how much we love them, pass away.
That's not because of sin.
That's because of this life.
There are other challenges that come
as a result of someone else using their agency incorrectly.
If Edwin came over here and smacked
me really hard across the face, that's not because I sinned.
It would hurt.
But it wouldn't be because of my sin,
but it would be because he used his agency
in an inappropriate way.
Now, you're not going to do that, are you?
No?
OK.
So things can happen to us because of someone else's
improper use of agency.
Some things happen that cause us to suffer
because we do something that is foolish or stupid.
I remember when I was growing up,
I worked with my father, who was a carpenter.
And I thought I could drive nails in with a hammer
much more quickly if I used a really big hammer.
And so I took it the first time, and I smacked the nail once
and then set the nail with the second blow.
And it went perfectly for the first three nails.
And then on the fourth nail, I smashed these three fingers
right here.
And it hurt.
It caused suffering.
But that wasn't sin.
That was stupidity.
And so there are things that happen because of stupidity.
And then there are things that happen
that are most akin to the kind of suffering the Savior did,
which is very innocent suffering.
He who is most innocent suffered--He who is most
innocent suffered the most.
And so there wasn't a correlation there.
The real question becomes, what are you
going to do with the afflictions and trials that come to you?
We read earlier in James to let those afflictions work patience
and let that patience then be like a refiner's fire
to make you complete and whole, to be the kind of person
God wants you to be.
So I hope that's responsive to the question.
Thank you.
Elder and Sister Renlund, we all want to be faithful.
But it is difficult at times.
We want to stay strong.
Kelby from Mozambique asked, "How can I increase my faith?"
Obrigado for that question.
How do we increase our faith?
One of the interesting things that we can find
is how faith grows.
And let me turn, if I may, to the Bible Dictionary.
I think in Mozambique, it's found in the Guide
to the Scriptures.
And let's just look at faith.
And it says something interesting:
"Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those
who have faith."
Faith starts, it begins, as you hear the gospel, for instance,
of Christ from others who have faith.
That's how it starts.
But then it goes on: "Strong faith is developed by obedience
to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
In other words, faith comes by righteousness.
Faith comes by doing little things all the time.
Faith is either growing or is diminishing.
Faith grows as we come to church.
Faith grows as we read the scriptures.
Faith grows as we keep covenants.
Faith grows as we do what the Savior would have us do.
And as we continue on that path, that's
how faith grows to be the greatest.
Ruth?
A thought?
You know, I thought about this.
In our experiences, we lived in Africa
for five years, a number of years, a few years ago.
Wherever we went, almost every new convert
knew at least one hymn of the Church.
Can you guess what it is?
If you're thinking "I Am a Child of God," you're right.
I want to tell you a little bit about that,
what happened with that hymn.
When I was a child, I learned the words of the hymn this way:
"Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must know to live with him some day."
Did you notice a word that's a little different that we
sing today, than what I said?
"Teach me all that I must do."
That's right.
"Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday."
When that song first was written,
it was for the children.
And someone who worked with the Primary
had a meeting with then the President of the Church, who
was Spencer W. Kimball.
It was Elder Kimball.
He was Elder Kimball at the time,
in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
He said to the sister, "You know,
I love this new song that the children are singing.
But is it enough for them to know what to do?"
He said, "I think not.
They need to do."
So now he said, "I wonder how Sister Randall would feel about
changing that word from 'know' to 'do.'"
Think what that does.
"Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday."
Faith grows by doing something.
Does your faith grow by knowing that you should pray?
No.
We have to pray.
Does your faith grow by knowing you need to be baptized?
No.
You have to be baptized.
Does your faith come by knowing that you
should read your scriptures?
No.
Your faith is increased by reading your scriptures.
And so it is with every aspect of the gospel.
If you want to increase your faith,
if you want to endure to the end,
you have to actively be living, doing something
to make it grow.
That's why there is an emphasis on reading
your scriptures every day.
That's why there is an emphasis on coming to church each
Sunday and partaking of the sacrament.
That's why there is an emphasis on doing things, being actively
involved in family history and other things,
because faith grows not by knowing how to get back to God,
but by doing the things that will get us there.
Thank you so much, Elder Renlund, Sister Renlund.
We have had a lot of questions about repentance.
[INAUDIBLE] from Nigeria asks, "How can I
know that I have been forgiven by the Lord?"
What a great question.
How do I know if I've been forgiven?
In a simple way, I know I've been forgiven if I've repented.
But then the question is, how do I know if I've repented?
And repentance is simply not stopping doing something.
It is something much, much, much more than that.
It is a complete change.
I think for this one, let's look at, in the Book of Mormon,
the people of King Benjamin, and look at them.
They had been taught by the king about the importance of Jesus
Christ and Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice.
They recognized that they were sinful
and that they were hopelessly lost without the Savior.
And it says this.
They asked that they would be blessed,
and this is what happened: "And it came to pass ...
after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord
came upon them, and they were filled with joy,
having received a remission of their sins,
and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith
which they had in Jesus Christ."
One of the markers of knowing you've repented
is peace and joy.
But it's more than that, because they were then
told that they should always remember the greatness of God,
remember what Christ had done, because at the center of being
forgiven is Jesus Christ.
And as I have come to know Him better,
I've come to know that He loves to forgive sin.
He loves to help people who want to repent.
He's not begrudging of that.
He's liberal with it.
He wants to help people repent.
But we always need to remember that He's
the one that makes it possible.
So we need to always remember His role in it.
And we can be filled with peace, have peace of conscience,
and be filled with joy.
These people of King Benjamin, they went on and they said
this: "We believe all the words which [King Benjamin had]
spoken ...
we know of their surety and truth, because ...
the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent,
which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts,
that we have no more disposition to do evil,
but to do good continually."
Part of repentance is that you completely change--what
the scriptures refer to as a change of heart.
No more disposition to do evil.
And so that as we repent, we become like little children,
willing to do whatever God would have us do.
We're willing to change from all of our sins, not just one.
We're completely changed.
And so then they were "willing to enter into a covenant ...
to be obedient to his commandments in all things"--it
was all of the commandments, and "all the remainder of [their]
days."
So someone who truly repents, they feel joy, they feel peace.
But they recognize and always remember that Jesus Christ is
the author of this repentance.
He's the one who makes possible forgiveness.
And it is a willingness to be totally changed
and turn toward God to keep all of His commandments
at all times through the rest of our lives.
And in so doing, we identify with the Savior
and we take His name on us, that we can be forgiven.
So the elements of knowing how I've been forgiven,
it's that I've repented.
And I've repented if I recognize that it's
the Savior who makes it possible, that I'm
willing to do everything that He wants me
to do for the rest of my life.
And in a very childlike way, that's how I become.
And I identify with Him and take His name on me.
What do you want to add to that?
I'd just add, a lot of that is, for me--it's about
your attitude and your will, that you're willing to say,
"I will accept Heavenly Father's will and not do my own."
When you can get to that point, then you
say, "All right, that's when I've really repented,
because I have accepted that what I was doing,
what I wanted to do, is not right for me
and that I will accept what Heavenly Father has told me."
That's a mighty change of heart.
Thank you.
Our next question deals with the sacred ordinance of sacrament.
Patrick from Liberia asks, "What does it
mean to partake of the sacrament worthily?"
What does it mean to partake of the sacrament worthily?
We just talked about what is it like to--how do you know
if you've been forgiven?
And we talked about the people of King Benjamin.
The elements of that are that we're
willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ,
always remember Him, and keep His commandments.
And I think that to worthily partake of the sacrament
is to prepare long before the sacrament hymn starts.
It means that we approach the partaking of the sacrament
the way we do as a new convert who is going to be
baptized--that we come to the sacrament having thought about
our situation and our standing before God,
wanting to repent of our sins and be forgiven,
and then coming with an absolute commitment to keep His
commandments, to take His name on us,
and to always remember His greatness and His goodness.
For me, this happens usually the day or so before
Sunday, when I'm going to take of the sacrament,
is trying to think through the things
that I'm willing to commit and what I want to change,
what I want to do better.
And when I come to the sacrament,
it is like having a broken heart and a contrite spirit,
with a single desire to do the Savior's will.
And as I do that and then I listen to the sacrament hymn,
it becomes a very meaningful thing in my life.
We say we renew the covenants of baptism when
we partake of the sacrament.
But you listen to those prayers--what we're really
doing is, we're making a covenant anew.
We make a new covenant every week
when we partake of the sacrament.
Yes, it's like other covenants we've made
with baptisms in prior weeks.
But each week, we're doing this anew.
Anything, Ruth?
I love the way the question asks, "How do we partake
of the sacrament worthily?"
not "perfectly," because we don't have
to be perfect to partake of the sacrament.
We have to be worthy and willing to change,
willing to accept Jesus Christ, willing to take
upon us His name.
And in doing that, that process helps us become more refined
and become more perfect.
But we don't have to be perfect to partake of the sacrament.
The sacrament helps us become more like God
and draw closer in perfection toward Him.
Thank you.
Joy from Nigeria asked this: "Is it a commandment
that sisters in the Church must serve full-time,
or will blessings of Heavenly Father
be denied from them if they don't
serve a full-time mission?"
OK.
Do you want me to start that?
The sisters are invited to serve missions.
They do not have an obligation to serve missions.
If the Holy Ghost directs them at the appropriate time
in their lives, they are invited to serve and help
build the kingdom of God.
But they are not under the same requirement
that the young men are.
The young men are ordained to the priesthood,
and the priesthood carries the requirement
to preach the gospel to all the world.
So the young men, because of their obligation
in accepting the priesthood, have that responsibility.
Sisters are invited to participate when
directed by the Holy Ghost.
So I think the answer to the question is that,
will any blessings be denied a sister who doesn't serve?
The answer is, of course not.
But the answer also is, she will never be denied blessings
when she always does what the Holy Ghost directs her to do.
So a sister who's directed not to go on a mission
is blessed by following that direction.
A sister who's directed to go on a mission by the Holy Ghost
is blessed by following that direction.
Thank you.
Elder and Sister Renlund, our time has gone by fast,
and we are at the end of our broadcast.
Would it be OK if we ask one more question
before we conclude?
Sure.
Only if it's an easy one.
OK?
OK.
Sandy from Nigeria asks, "Why do I need the Book of Mormon?
Why is the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion?"
The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.
Do you want to say anything about that?
The Book of Mormon is really a testament of Jesus Christ.
It is the way that we can learn more about Jesus Christ
and gain a testimony of Him.
I know I gained my testimony that the Church was
true by reading the Book of Mormon.
It is one of the ways that we can
come to know that Jesus is the Christ
and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is His Church on the earth.
We learn about God's dealings with His people.
We learn how He deals with people, how He makes covenants,
how He keeps His covenants.
We learn what we must do on a path to return back
to our Heavenly Father.
So the Book of Mormon, for me, is a testimony builder
of the Church, that Joseph Smith was a prophet
and truly did reveal this as he translated the Book of Mormon
for our day.
The Book of Mormon is critical.
If we think of what President Monson asked
us to do in his last general conference talk,
it was read the Book of Mormon.
And it's because it's so essential.
At one point, God scattered Israel.
But He promised to gather them again.
And He gathers them together in stakes, stakes of Zion.
The tool of the gathering of Israel in this day
is the Book of Mormon.
And for anyone that wants to really get a good, clear answer
to this question, in the Book of Mormon,
right after the title page, there is an introduction.
On that introduction page, if you read the last four
paragraphs, it talks about why the Book of Mormon
is a keystone to our religion, and the things that Sister
Renlund mentioned about what happens when
we read the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of it,
and the blessings that that brings into our lives.
Thank you so much, Elder Renlund.
Thank you so much, Elder and Sister Renlund.
I know we've been blessed as we've
had this experience together.
No matter where you are, we hope you have a chance
to share with others what you have felt and experienced
with this broadcast.
We have one more song to hear, and then we
would love to hear any concluding thoughts
the two of you may have for us.
Would that be OK?
Yes.
This song, "I Need Thee Every Hour,"
will be performed by a youth group from Accra, Ghana.
After the song and closing remarks,
we'll have a closing prayer from [INAUDIBLE] from Nairobi,
Kenya.
Let's go ahead with the song.
(SINGING)
I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.
I need thee ev'ry hour;
Stay thou nearby.
Temptations lose their pow'r
When thou art nigh.
I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Ev'ry hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!
Oh, I need thee.
Oh, I need thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.
I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most holy One.
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!
I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Ev'ry hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!
Amen.
That was beautiful, choir.
Thank you.
It is so true.
We need God every hour.
I've so enjoyed being here with you today.
And I hope that, if anything, that you
might have had the impressions of the Holy Ghost teach you
how you can get answers to your questions
by asking God, seeking the direction of the Holy Ghost,
acting on those promptings.
The most important question you can ask
is, is this the true Church, and what do I
need to do to stay true and faithful to it?
When you ask that question, God will prompt you what to do.
He will confirm it in your heart and your mind.
It will make all the difference, not only in this life
but in the next to come.
I know when I've asked God that very question,
and He has confirmed that to me in both my heart
and my mind--and not just once, but on repeated
occasions--it's made all the difference in my life,
because I've then had the faith to continue down the covenant
path of keeping the commandments to return to our Heavenly
Father.
It's the way to receive happiness in this life
as well as in the life to come.
I'm sorry we haven't been able to answer everybody's question.
But I certainly appreciate everyone who sent in questions.
I'm grateful for your attendance today,
for wherever you are, wherever you're
seated, wherever you're listening,
for being part of this event.
Please know that God loves you.
You have a kind, loving Heavenly Father,
and His greatest desire is to have you make it safely
back home.
He's given us prophets, with guideposts along the way, road
signs to help us.
He's given us the priesthood to the earth so that all
can receive priesthood ordinances,
make covenants to help with the process.
On October 8, 2015, I was ordained an Apostle.
And I can tell you, you don't have
to be a seer to see into your futures.
If you stay on the path that you're on,
if you keep doing your level best, God will bless you.
He'll watch over you.
He will protect you.
He'll help you with the things that are challenges.
He'll take those challenges and have them become something
strong and good in your lives.
I certainly want you to know that I
know that Jesus Christ lives.
I know it.
He's my Savior, and He's your Savior.
He's my Redeemer, and He's your Redeemer.
He has incredible compassion and love for all.
He wants us to receive everything
that Heavenly Father wants us to have, which is everything.
And there is a pathway to receive that.
God bless you.
May He watch over and help you in every way,
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.
O God, our Eternal Father, we thank You for [INAUDIBLE] us
here.
We thank Thee for bringing Elder Renlund and also his wife.
We thank Thee for the teachings that we
have received from them.
We thank Thee for bringing us this far to be here,
seeing this day, feeling Thy Spirit.
We thank Thee for also the friends
and [INAUDIBLE] sitting on the other side.
We ask Thee, as we depart from each other,
that Thou also help us have the knowledge that
has been passed on, also the wisdom that they have taught us
from the questions that they have answered.
We ask Thee, as we also depart from each other,
bless us, guide us, let us reach our homes safely.
We ask Thee as we come again, please help us
so that we may answer also their questions.
We say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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