We're excited to address the subject today of answering
life's problems and challenges that come through applying the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Our Church Presidents have given
us great hope in the past to fulfill the answers of these
challenges and problems in the gospel.
I just looked at two of those for us to consider here today.
The first is from President Spencer W. Kimball speaking in
April conference in 1980.
He said, "May I remind all of us that if we live the gospel
and follow the counsel of the leaders of the Church, we will
be blessed to avoid the many problems
that plague the world.
The Lord knows the challenges we face.
If we keep His commandments, we will be entitled to wisdom
and the blessings of heaven in solving them.
Brothers and sisters, I know the gospel is true.
It answers all of life's questions and problems that
face us."
Now, from Preston Ezra Taft Benson speaking to the
missionaries:
"I testify to you that we have answers to the
problems of the world.
I know where we're going.
We're on our way.
The Lord is directing His work through a prophet of God with
special witnesses bearing testimony to the divinity of
our Lord and Savior, who is the God of this
world, under the Father.
We cannot fail in this work."
With the assurance of the prophets of God, it is clear
that the course is well marked for us to apply the gospel of
Jesus Christ in our lives.
Elder Christofferson and I have decided to use a question
and answer format for presenting and using three
questions in applying the gospel through service,
through rescuing, and through honoring.
Of course, I will present the questions, and Elder
Christofferson will answer them.
It'll be just a brief response in hopes that you will go
forward and seek further knowledge and understanding
from these questions.
First, service.
We apply the gospel by serving our fellowman as the Savior
demonstrated in His life ministry.
First, we must understand where the world places us and
who we are.
So, the first question:
Are Mormons Christians?
Yes.
Well, you've said that the answers to life's challenges
and problems come from the gospel and applying the
gospel, which means following the teachings and the
commandments and the example of Christ. And I think that
it's in this Christlike conduct and service that we
present our best and most persuasive argument of our own
Christianity.
I know that there are those who contend we don't fit their
particular definition of Christian orthodoxy.
So be it.
But our example should be such that no one can deny that the
Latter-day Saints love the Savior.
No one can deny that the Latter-day Saints seek to
emulate the Savior.
And so we demonstrate, I think, by our actions, as the
Savior, "By their fruits, ye shall know them." I happen to
live, by the way, in a wonderful ward where this is
really the environment and the pattern of life.
One quick example.
Amy has five children, is expecting a sixth, and has had
a lot of illness herself during this pregnancy.
Tiffany probably has more children at home right now
than anybody else in the ward.
But Tiffany makes it a point from time to time of taking
Amy's children to be with her for a while and giving Amy
some time alone to rest and recuperate.
That's a simple example, but I think if you multiply that
hundreds and thousands of times, that's what it means
for us to be a Christian.
Well, I think I'll give you an A on that answer.
Thank you.
Next question.
What effect does rendering service have in our own lives?
Well, the focus in service always has to be outward.
We're thinking of what we can do to help others.
But there's no denying that it has an effect on
us at the same time.
There's something about empathy and compassion, I
believe, that changes our prospective, that adds courage
and strength, I think, to deal with our own needs.
It refines us.
It sanctifies us.
President Marion G. Romney said once, you'll remember,
service is not just something we do to get into heaven, but
service is the way of life in heaven.
It's God's way of life.
It's what we do there.
Christ Himself, of course, came not to be ministered
unto, He said, but to minister.
And I'm thinking--
I marked this before we came in.
There are words from Amulek in chapter 34 of Alma.
He talks about after prayer and all the other things that
are part of our worship and how we live, he said, "After
ye have done all of these things, if ye turn away the
needy and the naked, and visit not the sick and the afflicted
and impart of your substance if ye have to those ... in need--I
say unto you, if you do not any of these things, behold your
prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as the
hypocrites who do deny the faith."
By the way, the best service, I think, that we render should
happen at home.
That's where it needs to be the most constant and the most
consistent.
Well, let's try the third question in this section.
People of other faiths may share our values.
Are there ways we can join with them
in Christlike service?
I think it's very natural.
There doesn't have to be an agreement on all points of
doctrine for us to collaborate with and work with others.
My own experience is that I'm a better person through that
kind of association.
I've had many opportunities in the different places that I've
lived around the country and outside the US to work with
other groups, people of other faiths, and in some cases no
faith, I suppose.
But people of real goodwill.
And as I said, I feel like I'm a better man for it.
And the Church organization really lends
itself to group service.
Our quorums and wards and all the organizations really do
facilitate and prepare us to lead out, and in some cases to
join others.
But we've have a lot of experience with
this, as you know.
And that's not just on local level, but internationally.
All across the world, we've linked with Catholics and
evangelicals and Muslims and secular groups and
individuals.
I believe this really is, as I said, a natural outgrowth of
our Christian service and our following Christ
in living the gospel.
All right.
Let's go to the next section on rescuing, then.
We apply the gospel by rescuing others in spiritual
and temporal needs, again, as the Savior demonstrated.
First question--
in what way is the rescue effort central to our beliefs?
Well, again, we're talking about the gospel providing the
solutions to life's challenges, to our needs.
And to me, the key to all of that is the redemptive power
of Jesus Christ. We rely on His grace to overcome sins, to
overcome suffering, to overcome even death.
And part of applying the gospel in our lives, I
believe, is to participate in this redemptive work, His
redemptive work, with Him.
And that means individually, as parents, as quorums, as
wards, as stakes, whatever the case may be.
Our effort is to redeem people, help Him redeem people
from spiritual needs, but also from temporal needs.
That's all part of the rescue, I think.
And as we read in the handbook, for example, the
bishops' storehouse is just one example.
The bishops' storehouse is all of the goodwill, the talents,
the time, the resources of members, whatever they're
willing to contribute to give and help with
that redemptive effort.
So we've spoken of service.
I think this is the ultimate in service.
And it's with good reason, I think, that President Monson
urges us onward in this.
In our Thursday meetings in the temple, we conclude with
those reports of our activities of the prior week.
And it seems, without fail, with everything else he may
have been doing as President of the Church, there's always
something of an individual ministry and
an effort to rescue.
He's visited someone in a nursing home.
He's given a blessing.
He's been in a funeral.
He's called someone he knew was lonely.
But all of that, I think, is a great example of what it means
to have this as central, our participation in the
redemptive work of the Lord central to our lives.
Well, let's try what is the role of the priesthood quorum
in this rescue effort?
Well, to me the quorums have a central role,
a leadership role.
The presidents of quorums, of course, have keys.
And they're empowered with their counselors to build a
quorum brotherhood and to reach out and include all the
members and the families of those quorum members, whether
they're active or not, and strengthen them
in the gospel covenant.
Again, helping them understand how the gospel can be in their
lives and assist them in overcoming their challenges.
I don't know.
To me, the rescue is really what the oath and covenant of
the priesthood means.
This is magnifying the priesthood, and the ordinances
that the priesthood performs are central to that rescue.
You've taught frequently about the role of quorums and the
ward council in rescuing.
You want to say anything about that today?
Well, I love elders quorums and high priests group leaders.
They lead the quorums, and those quorums need leadership.
All too often, we don't give them the proper place in our
congregations to understand the great leadership role they
have. And I hope that we elevate an understanding of
what they're doing in bringing forward the rescue effort in
our Father in Heaven's kingdom.
And I hope they have longer tenure than they currently
experience today.
I agree.
I would say, by the way, what the quorums are doing really
is equipping people, again, to understand the gospel and
apply the gospel in overcoming life's challenges.
All right.
Final question in this phase.
Are there similarities in the rescue effort directed towards
the less-active members and our missionary outreach to
nonmembers?
Well, I'm glad you link those because I think they are one
in the same.
In the one case, the effort is directed toward those who have
had the gospel in their lives, and we're bringing them back
to the Savior.
And in the other case, it's bringing them to Christ in the
first instance.
But in the end, it's all the same work.
And I would say, by the way, that you're really not saying
to people, "Come and start over with your life."
In some cases, maybe so.
But mostly, generally what we're saying is, "Keep what
you've got, all the good that you've built in there over the
years and that are part of your life to date, and we'll
add the rest. We'll provide the balance of what the Savior
provides through His gospel."
All right, let's take our final section, honoring the
covenants we make with God.
Your first question--
what is the role of temples and temple covenants in
empowering us to meet and overcome life's challenges?
Well, in overcoming challenges, I would say the
temple and the ordinances of the temple are the ultimate
application of the gospel of Christ. I say to people that
one of the blessings of the temple and its ordinances is
the perspective that it provides.
When we go to the temple, we leave all of our cares and
problems and issues and concerns at the door.
And when we come back out, they're still there.
We have to pick them all up, and they haven't changed.
But what has changed is ourselves.
And we've added spiritual strength, I think, and
capacity, and a truer perspective on life and what
it all means.
Maybe the big problems don't seem so big anymore, and the
little ones that we thought didn't matter, we better deal
with it before it does become something too big.
The other thing, though, I think, is there is a divine
power associated with those covenants.
The Doctrine and Covenants says that in the ordinances of
the Melchizedek Priesthood, and I would think particularly
those of the temple, the power of godliness is
manifest. And among other things, I believe that means
there's a godly influence, a divine power, that flows into
us when we make those covenants and keep them.
So it's a place of renewal.
It's a place of revelation.
Temples can only fulfill their purpose
really if we're prepared.
People are sometimes critical about our temple worship,
claiming it's unduly secret.
But the access is limited not for secrecy, but just to
assure preparation.
We really need to be prepared and mature spiritually to make
those covenants and then to keep them.
They're very sacred.
All right.
What is the role of covenants in achieving true conversion?
Well, to me they're the path of discipleship.
The core of all these covenants is obedience, up to
and including sacrifice and consecration.
But in a word, obedience.
And it produces over time, in my view, this change from
natural man to Saint.
And I don't believe there's any other way, any other path
that that can happen.
To me, it produces a great deal of faith in a person to
know that he or she has the promise of God personally, to
him or her individually, apart from anyone else.
We make these covenants individually, one by one.
I read some years ago an article in a French newspaper,
and it was talking about our work for the dead.
And it said, what the Mormons do is they take rolls of
microfilm and they plunge them in a bucket of water, and pull
them out, and all those people are baptized.
[LAUGHTER]
I thought, wow, think of all the time we could save!
But it doesn't--
that's not the way it works because these covenants are
individual, because the promises of God and our
promises to Him are person to person, one on one.
And to me, that produces faith.
You have His promise.
You know He can't lie.
You know He will fulfill His promise.
And that, to me, helps us deal with the here and now.
Whatever may happen now, we know what's coming in the end,
and we can deal with it.
All right, your final question.
What does it mean to practice in honoring our covenants?
I remember one of Brethren said once, "We go to the temple
to make covenants.
We go home to keep the covenants."
And to me, in practice keeping covenants is, again, primarily
something that happens at home, in the marriage, and in
the family.
But we've been discussing the application of the gospel in
rescuing and serving and ministering in obedience.
To me, all of those things are what it
means to keep our covenants.
And I would mention, especially, an ongoing
repentance that's facilitated by the sacrament.
If we can prepare ourselves each week with whatever we
need to resolve or repent or confess and deal with in the
week prior to Sunday, and then go to the sacrament meeting,
partake of those emblems of the Lord's Atonement, blessed
in the power of the priesthood, I conclude we not
only renew the covenants, we receive again the promised
remission of sins and the Holy Ghost as our
guide through life.
That's keeping covenants.
Well, wouldn't you like to bear your testimony to what
we've said?
Thank you.
The gospel really does have the answers.
It's what we've been talking about, serving and
ministering and ordinances and keeping covenants.
And over time, it does transform us.
It adds to our capacity over time to deal with problems. It
really helps us prevent and avoid, as you quoted from
President Kimball, I think it was, avoid a lot of the issues
and challenges of life and to draw upon divine assistance.
And to me, the key is the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We have this blessing, this constant direction and help
and comfort and gifts of the Spirit to carry us through
life, whatever may come.
That is our tutor in applying the gospel, our
guide and our comfort.
And my testimony is that the Holy Ghost and His powers are
real; that the Lord, Jesus Christ, and His redemptive
power is real; and that God, our Heavenly Father, who loves
and has prepared the way for us through the gospel, is
indeed our loving Father, and He lives.
And I bear witness of all of that.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I join Elder Christofferson in adding my testimony.
The gospel has been restored.
This is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He is the head.
He leads and guides and directs us in the work in
which we have responsibility.
This is the dispensation of the fulness of times.
He's given us the way, the truth, and the
life for us to follow.
I bear solemn witness that He leads and guides and directs
us, and He gives us answers to all of life's problems and
challenges.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.