Elevating Our
Testimonies and Commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
I have a few
questions that I would like everyone to ponder – Why are you here? Why did you
come to church today, or any Sunday? Why are you a member of this church? Are
you here or a member of the church because that is what is expected of you or
because you grew up in the church? Being a member of the Lord’s Church is not
easy. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: “a religion that
does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to
produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation”. There comes a time when we all need to
ask these questions and decide if living the commandments and principles of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ is important to us. My wife shared that moment that we
had.
Often when a new
year begins we make resolutions about something we want to accomplish during
the year. Some of the resolutions include weight loss, getting more exercise,
work, and family goals. How much thought do we give to gospel related goals? I
would like to suggest a few things that we all can do to elevate our
testimonies and our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There are 4
areas that I believe we can all improve:
1.
Sabbath
Observance
2.
Gospel
Study
3.
Keeping
our Covenants
4.
Temple
& Family History
First, Sabbath observance.
Over the past
year there has been much discussion from the General Authorities, at the stake
level, in our ward council meetings, and in sacrament talks about how we can
improve our Sabbath worship. Our Ward Council has had many discussions about
how we can improve our meetings, especially Sacrament Meetings.
As members,
there are a few things that will help. You all know the Primary song
“Saturday”, the first line is “Saturday is a special day. It’s the day we get
ready for Sunday”. How much thought do we give towards preparing for our
Sabbath? Sacrament meeting should be the most sacred meeting we have. Some of
the things we can do to help bring the spirit to the Sacrament meeting include:
being here before the meeting starts. I have never understood why we have a
culture in the church that coming to meetings late is an acceptable practice.
It is not and it distracts from the spirit when we come in late. The time that
our block starts does not matter, there are always members that will be coming
in late. I encourage you to plan so you can be here early and listen to the
prelude music and prepare for the sacrament. When you do come, join us in the
chapel instead of staying out in the foyer.
Another thing we
have been asked to do is to put all our electronic devices away when we come
into the chapel. There is no need to have our phones or other devices out
during the meeting. When you come to sacrament meeting take care of anything
you need to so when you come into the chapel you can stay for the entire meeting.
We should be able to sit through sacrament meetings without having to get up
and leave. I am not talking about parents that need to take their children out,
but I am talking about members that get out and then come back in for various
reasons. I realize that there are some valid reasons and we need to be patient
with members that have emergencies.
How do you
prepare to take the sacrament? Do you think about things that you have done
that you need to ask the Lord’s forgiveness before coming to Sacrament Meeting?
What do you do during the sacrament? The sacrament is the primary reason we
have sacrament meeting and we need to prepare for it and take the time to think
of the blessings of the atonement and repent when we need to. How do you know
if you are worthy to take the sacrament? Unless someone with priesthood keys
has said you cannot take it, you can. If you have done something during the
week that you need to repent of; repent, then come take the sacrament and plead
for the Lord’s forgiveness. If you feel unworthy, come see me and we will talk
about it and we will decide if you are still worthy to take the sacrament or
not.
An important
part of keeping the Sabbath day holy is attending our meetings. When you come
in for a temple recommend interview one of the questions is do you attend your
sacrament and priesthood (for the brethren) meetings. Your meetings are here in
this ward. You should be making every effort to be here every Sunday when
possible. We understand there will be exceptions when family events like
priesthood ordinations, missionaries coming or going, and weddings. These
should be exceptions; you should not be going home every weekend to go to
church with your families or friends. Keeping the Sabbath includes all our
meetings not just sacrament meeting. Sunday School, priesthood, and relief
society meetings are important and we encourage everyone to stay for all our
meetings.
How do we deal
with noisy children in sacrament? Parents need to decide for themselves when it
is necessary to take babies or young children out and as members we need to be
patient with parents with children. We want all our families to feel that they
are welcome in the chapel. We need to teach our children that it is more
comfortable to be in the chapel than it is to be taken out. When our children
were young and they needed to be taken out of the chapel, we went out and sat
on the couch with them on our lap. We did not allow them to run around the
foyer and play. As parents, you will need to have a plan and do the best you
can to teach your children the importance of reverence in the chapel.
Our meetings
need to start and end on time. When you are asked to speak in sacrament keep
your talk within the time limit you were given. When you are teaching a lesson,
end your lesson on time. If the clock in the chapel or classrooms are not
working do what you need to so you know what time to end your talk or lesson.
Taking more time for a talk or lesson than you are given is disrespectful of
the other participants in the meetings. As a bishopric, we have decided that we
would not take time in sacrament for announcements so we can have as much time
for the speakers as possible. We are also working on taking less administrative
time in our other meetings as possible. We print the sacrament program so all
the members can have the announcements that you need to know the events that
are happening in the ward and stake. We encourage each couple to have a program
when you come into sacrament meeting and read the announcements. We also have
our ward Facebook page where we will publish information about activities.
How do we spend
the rest of the Sabbath when we are not in meetings? Are we trying to keep the
spirit in our homes by what we watch or listen to? Are the activities we
participate in appropriate for the Sabbath. I encourage you as couples to
discuss this in family home evenings and family councils when you have children
old enough. Let your children know what is acceptable. I like the council the
brethren have given about lists of things we can and cannot do on Sunday.
Rather than such a list we should be asking “What message am I sending? Do my
activities on the Sabbath bring me closer to the Lord and invite the spirit?”
The second principle for
elevating our testimonies is Gospel Study.
What are we
doing individually, as couples, and eventually as families to study the gospel
and prepare for the lessons we will teach or participate in on Sundays? Are you
reading the Sunday School, priesthood, or relief society lessons? For our
gospel study together, my wife and I have started reading the class member
study guide for the Gospel Doctrine class. When we finish that we read the
lesson out of the teachings of the Prophet manual or the conference talks, or
subject from the Index to the Triple Combination. I would recommend that
approach to you for your daily study together.
I would
recommend you take time individually to study the scriptures, conference talks,
etc. When I run in the mornings I love to listen to conference talks, devotional
talks from BYU or BYU Idaho. It is a great way to spend the time. We all should
study the lessons and be prepared to discuss them whether we are teaching or
participating. This is how we invite the spirit into our meetings so they all
will be edified.
The third principle is keeping
our covenants.
The covenants we
make when we are baptized, receive the priesthood, enter the temple for our
endowments and temple marriage are essential to our salvation. Keeping those
covenants all our lives is just as important. We must plead for the Lord to
give us the strength and courage to be obedient to his commandments when we
pray to him every day in our morning prayers and give an accounting each night
on how we did. We need to repent when we slip and make a mistake and then seek
to do better the next day. We are not perfect and will never be in this life
but that is where the Atonement of Jesus Christ can help us get back on the
straight and narrow path.
We must always
strive to have the spirit be with us and never do anything that will drive the
spirit away. Does the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the games we
play, what we are doing on our computers invite the spirit or drive it away. If
you need to change your habits, do it now. If you need to repent, do it. If you
are doing anything that will jeopardize your temple recommend worthiness change
now, come see me if you need to. I plead with you to make this a matter of
prayer and talk to your spouse about changes that need to be made.
There are many
members who are struggling with their testimonies. They wonder what to believe
when it comes to keeping the commandments. How can we know when we are getting
lost in the mists of darkness of the world? President Russell M. Nelson
speaking in last Sunday’s World Wide Devotional to the youth said:
“Divine
law is incontrovertible and irrefutable. Divine law cannot be denied or
disputed and when God’s laws are obeyed, relevant blessings always result.
Blessing are always predicated upon obedience to applicable law. Existentialists
can expound, relativists can rationalize with their constricted views of
reality that truth is only a subjective experience; laws are laws. God’s truth
is really true. What God says is right, IS
right and what he says is wrong, IS
wrong. That is why it is imperative that you know God’s laws, they control this
universe and multitudes of others. When divine laws are broken, consequences
follow. Even though our hearts ache for those who break God’s laws, penalties
must be paid. Divine law must be obeyed.” (World
Wide Devotional for Youth)
Part of keeping the
covenants we have made is to always be worthy of a temple recommend. Questions
in the temple recommend interview deal with our testimonies of the Godhead, the
atonement, the restoration of the gospel, supporting the general authorities and
local leaders, living the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, paying a full
tithe, and how we treat our families and others. Are the choices we make in our
conduct and actions in keeping with the standards of the church and are we
worthy to have a temple recommend?
Are we good neighbors? Do
we treat everyone we meet as children of Heavenly Father? Are we 100% home and
visiting teachers? There are not many things that we can consistently be 100%
at and home and visiting teaching is one of them.
Loyalty to the prophet and
other general authorities is becoming more important as the standards of the
world continue to degrade. We must always be careful not to criticize the
brethren in public, on social media, in talks or when teaching. Having questions
is ok and it is important when we question policies or statements from the
general authorities that we study it by going to the proper sources for answers
and then praying to the Lord for a witness that it is true.
President Nelson last
Sunday said:
“While
the world is filled with uncertainty, there need not be uncertainty in your
heart and mind about what is true and what is not. Uncertainty is born of
imperfect or unknown information. As an Apostle, I plead with you to learn
God’s irrevocable laws. Learn them by study and by faith. That means among
other things, living by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.
Pray to discern between God’s laws and the philosophies of men including those
cunning counterfeits of the advisory. Through eons of time, Lucifer has honed
his craft. He is skilled at distraction, distortion, deception, and
misdirection. I plead with you to avoid his cunning snares as you would a
plague. Entrapments designed by Satan can only bring to you misery, spiritual
captivity, and death. This is true every time. The sad consequences of yielding
to Lucifer’s lures are predictable, dependable, repeatable, and regrettable.
Conversely, I promise that as you keep God’s commandments and as you live by
his laws, you’ll become increasingly free. This freedom will unveil to you your
divine nature and allow you to prosper personally, you’ll be free from the
bondage of sin, you’ll be free to be you an effective righteous leader. You’ll
be prepared to lead by precept and by example wherever you are needed. Happily,
the blessings of keeping God’s commandments are predictable, dependable, and
repeatable.” (World
Wide Devotional for Youth)
The last principle is attending the temple and doing family history
research.
When my wife and I were married in the Washington, D.C.
temple in 1975 there were 16 temples, only three were outside North America. We
had a goal to visit all 16 but only have been to nine of those original 16 and
we are getting farther behind all the time.
By 1980 only three more temples were built. Since then 136 more
temples have been built, 70 that are outside the U.S. There are another 12
temples under construction and another 18 announced bringing the total to 207
temples, half of those are outside the U.S. It has been estimated the 80% of
the church membership lives within 200 miles of a temple. For the members
living in the U.S. it is much less and for us in Utah most of us live within a
few minutes of a temple.
When I graduated from BYU and moved to Washington state, the
closest temple was the Oakland, California Temple. To go to the temple, we
would get on a bus and ride 12 hours, spend the day doing sessions and then
ride the 12 hours home again. We normally would do these temple trips once a
year. In 1980, the Seattle, Washington Temple was dedicated and we only had a
three-hour drive to the temple and we would go once a month. In August 1989,
just before we moved here to Logan, the Portland, Oregon Temple was dedicated.
Had we not moved, we would have been only 45 minutes away. We thought we were
in heaven. Now we live only 5 minutes from the Logan, Temple. In the three
hours that it would have taken us to travel to the Seattle Temple are 12
temples.
What a blessing to live where we do and when we do. Is it
any wonder why our leaders ask us to go to the temple as often as we can? Speaking
about temple attendance, Elder Richard G. Scott said:
“When a temple is conveniently nearby, small
things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals,
considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple
ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This
pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as
blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple.
I encourage you to establish your own goal of
how frequently you will avail yourself of the ordinances offered in our
operating temples. What is there that is more important than attending and
participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a
greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness than worshipping in
the temple?” (“Temple Worship: The
Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need”)
Elder
Scott suggested 11 things we can do to get more from our temple sessions:
1.
Understand the doctrine related to temple ordinances,
especially the significance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.1
2.
While participating in temple ordinances, consider your
relationship to Jesus Christ and His relationship to our Heavenly Father. This
simple act will lead to greater understanding of the supernal nature of the
temple ordinances.
3.
Always prayerfully express gratitude for the incomparable
blessings that flow from temple ordinances. Live each day so as to give
evidence to Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son of how very much those
blessings mean to you.
4.
Schedule regular visits to the temple.
5.
Leave sufficient time to be unhurried within the temple
walls.
6.
Rotate activities so that you can participate in all of
the ordinances of the temple.
7.
Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord.
8.
Listen carefully to the presentation of each element of
the ordinance with an open mind and heart.
9.
Be mindful of the individual for whom you are performing
the vicarious ordinance. At times pray that he or she will recognize the vital
importance of the ordinances and be worthy or prepare to be worthy to benefit
from them.
10.
Recognize that much of the majesty of the sealing
ordinance cannot be understood and remembered with one live experience.
Substantial subsequent vicarious work permits one to understand much more of
what is communicated in the live ordinances.
11.
Realize that a sealing ordinance is not enduring until
after it is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Both individuals must be
worthy and want the sealing to be eternal.
Through
the temple ordinances we are sealed as families for eternity, if we live worthy
and keep God’s commandments. Elder Scott spoke about losing a daughter and a
son and then his wife:
“What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the
temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain
the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no
reason to worry or to feel despondent.
I know that I will have the privilege of being with that beautiful
wife, whom I love with all my heart, and with those children who are with her
on the other side of the veil because of the ordinances that are performed in
the temple. What a blessing to have once again on the earth the sealing
authority, not only for this mortal life but for the eternities. I am grateful
that the Lord has restored His gospel in its fulness, including the ordinances
that are required for us to be happy in the world and to live everlastingly
happy lives in the hereafter.” (“Temple
Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need”)
One of the
best ways to improve your temple experiences is to do family history research
and take the names of your own family members to do their temple work. Many of
them have been waiting many years for you to do their work. Searching and
finding ancestors is easier now than ever before. The church and other
organizations have provided tools for us to use and we need to devote the time
to do it. We have family history consultants in our ward that can help you.
Sign up for the Sunday School class and learn how to use these tools. Doing
family history work is an excellent activity for the Sabbath day.
When the
prophet Joseph Smith introduced the work for the dead to the Saints in Nauvoo
he said:
Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A
voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice
of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of
gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad
tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As
the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!
Brethren,
shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not
backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts
rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing.
Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to
the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that
which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for
the prisoners shall go free.
Let
the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye
seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and
brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of
the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let
the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the
sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name
forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from
heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality,
and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers! (D&C 12:19, 22-23)
Brothers and sisters, we live in the dispensation of the
fullness of times. We are the ones that were reserved to prepare the earth for
the second coming of Jesus Christ. President Nelson in his address last Sunday
said that you are the future leaders of this Church. Where will you be in forty
years? Will you be among the presiding councils of the church or will you be
lost in the mists of darkness having fallen away. Will you be among those in
the great and spacious building that are scoffing at those who are faithful and
partaking of the fruit of the tree of life or will you be like Nephi and heeded
them not?
Where you
are will depend on the daily choices you make in keeping the commandments of
God. As for me and my house we have chosen to follow the brethren and serve God
with all our hearts, might minds and strength. My hope and prayer is that you
will make this the year where you elevate your testimony and commitment to
keeping the commandments and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As you do so, Heavenly
Father will place you where he needs you and you will be a blessing to his
children and your families. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
