Proclaim the Gospel
Young Single Adult Gems - 18 November 2009
Stand as a Witness
“Every person who receives baptism into the Church and has received and felt the confirmation of the Spirit through the gift of the Holy Ghost stands as a witness ‘of God at all times and in all things, and in all places’ (Mosiah 18:9).”
Topics: Holy Ghost, Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 16 November 2009
World of Changing Values
“It should be ‘with great earnestness’ (D&C 123:14) that we bring the light of the gospel to those who are searching for answers the plan of salvation has to offer. Many are concerned for their families. Some are looking for security in a world of changing values. Our opportunity is to give them hope and courage and to invite them to come with us and join those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s gospel is on earth and will bless their lives here and in the eternities to come.”
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 29 October 2009
A Great Work
“We cannot and we must not allow ourselves to get distracted from our sacred duty. We cannot and we must not lose focus on the things that matter most.”
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 20 October 2009
Sharing the Gospel
“It should be ‘with great earnestness’ (D&C 123:14) that we bring the light of the gospel to those who are searching for answers the plan of salvation has to offer. Many are concerned for their families. Some are looking for security in a world of changing values. Our opportunity is to give them hope and courage and to invite them to come with us and join those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s gospel is on earth and will bless their lives here and in the eternities to come.”
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Young Single Adult Gems - 21 August 2009
The Light of the Gospel
“It should be ‘with great earnestness’ (D&C 123:14) that we bring the light of the gospel to those who are searching for answers the plan of salvation has to offer. . . .
“The gospel is centered on the Atonement of our Lord and Savior. The Atonement provides the power to wash away sins, to heal, and to grant eternal life. All the imponderable blessings of the Atonement can be given only to those who live the principles and receive the ordinances of the gospel—faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Our great missionary message to the world is that all mankind is invited to be rescued and to enter the fold of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ.”
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 26 June 2009
Lifeblood of the Church
"Missionary work is the lifeblood of the Church. There is no greater work, no more important work. It blesses the lives of all those who participate in it. It will continue blessing future generations."
Topics: Plan of Salvation, Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 17 June 2009
Most Powerful Resource in Conversion
"The Book of Mormon is a proof that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. Preach My Gospel teaches that 'the Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is [the] most powerful resource in conversion' ([2004], 104)."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel, Book of Mormon
Daily Gems - 15 June 2009
Urgency to Share the Gospel
"The Lord's Church has the responsibility to preach the gospel in the world. This is the foundation of missionary work, and the duty of our missionaries is to 'invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end' (Preach My Gospel [2004], 1)."
Topics: Spirituality, Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 4 June 2009
Impact of a Mission
"My testimony of the Savior and His infinite Atonement was strengthened. My missionary experiences became part of who and what I am. Missionary work became my passion. It has impacted my life and that of my family more than anything else."
Topics: Testimony, Proclaim the Gospel
Church History Gems - 13 May 2009
Ready to Receive the Coming of the Lord
"On the day the Church was organized, and shortly thereafter, the word of the Lord came to the prophet-leader of this dispensation. After the announcement of the establishment of the church of Christ in these latter days, the Lord gave to the President of the Church commandments and 'gave him power from on high,' first, to bring forth 'a record of a fallen people, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ' (D&C 20:8–9); then, to be a light to the world and a standard for Church members and for those who are not members to seek for it (D&C 45:9); third, to prepare a people ready to receive the coming of the Lord; and finally, to teach the fullness of the gospel with power unto all nations (see Documentary History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 537)."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Youth Gems - 23 April 2009
Mission of the Church
"This is God's work, and God's work will not be frustrated. But there is still much to be done before the Great Jehovah can announce that the work is done. While we praise and honor those faithful Saints who have brought us to this point of public prominence, we cannot afford . . . to be comfortable or content.
"We are all needed to finish the work that was begun by those pioneering Saints over 175 years ago and carried out through the subsequent decades by faithful Saints of every generation. We need to believe as they believed. We need to work as they worked. We need to serve as they served. And we need to overcome as they overcame."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Church History Gems - 3 April 2009
Unwavering Faith
"Lorenzo Snow was a great early missionary. He had been a member of the Church for less than a year when he set out on his first mission in 1837. He tells about his first experiences preaching the gospel in the following words:
" 'I . . . traveled about thirty miles, and just as the sun was setting I made my first call for a night's lodging, as a "Mormon" Elder, and was refused; then another, and so on, until the eighth call, when I was admitted to a night's lodging—going to bed supperless, and leaving in the morning, minus a breakfast.
" 'The first meeting I held was in the neighborhood of my uncle, by the name of Goddard, near the county seat of Medina County, Ohio. The people were notified and a respectable congregation assembled. It was a sore trial to face that audience in the capacity of a preacher, but I believed and felt an assurance that a Spirit of inspiration would prompt and give me utterance . . . [it did, for he] baptized and confirmed into the Church my uncle, aunt and several of my cousins' (quoted in Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1884, p. 16).
"Brothers and sisters, we need to learn that early members of the Church succeeded in the face of all opposition because they had the unwavering faith to open their mouths and declare the truth and because they took with them the mighty sword of the Lord's Spirit (see D&C 27:16-18). They remembered their baptismal covenant to 'stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places . . . even until death' (Mosiah 18:9)."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Youth Gems - 5 March 2009
Proclaim the Gospel
"I don't know if missionaries realize the far-reaching impact of their work. In my own family, the blessings of the gospel have now touched four generations. . . . Both my husband and I served missions, and our two sons and three of our six daughters have also served missions. Collectively we have helped hundreds embrace the gospel in many countries. Some of those converts and their children have also served missions.
"Missionary work is the lifeblood of the Church. There is no greater work, no more important work. It blesses the lives of all those who participate in it. It will continue blessing future generations."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Church History Gems - 18 February 2009
"Talked Big Things"
"These are surely some of the days which our faithful and farsighted ancestors saw in the earliest years of the Restoration. In a general conference of the Church in April 1844, the brethren recalled those first gatherings of 1830. One of them said: 'We [talked] about the kingdom of God as if we had the world at our command; we talked with great confidence, and talked big things, although we were not many [in number]; . . . we looked [and] if we did not see this [congregation], we saw by vision, the church of God, a thousand times larger [than it was then], although [at the time] we were not enough to well man a farm, or meet a woman with a milk pail. . . . All the members [of the Church] met in conference, in a room 20 feet square. . . . We talked about . . . people coming as doves to the windows, that all nations should flock unto [the Church]. . . . If we had told the people what our eyes behold this day, we should not [have been] believed' (Times and Seasons, 1 May 1844, 522-23).
"If this was their feeling in that fateful year of 1844, just prior to Joseph Smith's martyrdom, what must those same brethren and sisters see from their eternal home on a day like this! So much has happened since then for which they and we need to be grateful. And, of course, this is not the end. We have much work yet to do, in both the quality and quantity of our faithfulness and our service. George A. Smith, counselor in the First Presidency to President Brigham Young, once said by way of caution, 'We may build temples, erect stately domes, magnificent spires [and] grand towers, in honor of our religion, but if we fail to live the principles of that religion . . . , and to acknowledge God in all our thoughts, we shall fall short of the blessings which its practical exercise would ensure' (Deseret News Weekly, 17 July 1872, 348). We must be humble and conscientious. The honor and the glory of all that is good goes to God, and there is much still ahead of us that will be refining, even difficult, as He leads us from strength to strength."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Daily Gems - 16 February 2009
Lifelong Missionaries
"We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!
"If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith—if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express—then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel, Prayer
Young Single Adult Gems - 11 February 2009
A Challenge to the Young Men
"I throw out a challenge to every young man within this vast congregation tonight. Prepare yourself now to be worthy to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary. He has said, 'If ye are prepared ye shall not fear' (D&C 38:30). Prepare to consecrate two years of your lives to this sacred service. That will in effect constitute a tithe on the first twenty years of your lives. Think of all that you have that is good—life itself, health, strength, food to eat and clothing to wear, parents, brothers and sisters, and friends. All are gifts from the Lord."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Young Single Adult Gems - 2 February 2009
Stand as a Witness
"Every person who receives baptism into the Church and has received and felt the confirmation of the Spirit through the gift of the Holy Ghost stands as a witness 'of God at all times and in all things, and in all places' (Mosiah 18:9). When partaking of the sacrament, that person renews that witness to take the Savior's name, keep his commandments, and remember him. A person so moved by the Spirit not only knows these things himself, but the Spirit carries them into the hearts of others. This is the basis of the Church's great missionary effort. 'For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men' (2 Ne. 33:1)."
Topics: Holy Ghost, Proclaim the Gospel
Church History Gems - 28 January 2009
His Own Coat from His Back
"The Prophet Joseph was truly blessed with the ability to inspire faith. One bright morning Joseph walked up to John E. Page and said, 'Brother John, the Lord is calling you on a mission to Canada.'
"John E. Page was rather astonished and said, 'Why, Brother Joseph, I can't go on a mission to Canada. I don't even have a coat to wear.'
"The Prophet Joseph took his own coat from his back, handed it to John Page, and said, 'Here, John, wear this, and the Lord will bless you.' Brother Page took the coat, went to Canada, and in two years walked five thousand miles and baptized six hundred souls, because he trusted in the words of a prophet of God. (See The Historical Record, vol. 5, no. 5 [May 1886], p. 57.)
"On another occasion Joseph was speaking to a group of brethren at Nauvoo on the importance of missionary work, and at the conclusion of his message he had so touched the congregation that 380 elders in the congregation volunteered to immediately embark on missions. (See History of the Church, 5:139.) . . .
"Joseph Smith not only inspired men to volunteer for missions, he not only took his own coat and handed it to John Page as he went on his mission, but he also taught the importance of missionary work—by example."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel, Joseph Smith
Youth Gems - 27 January 2009
Prayer
I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. Blessings require some effort on our part before we can obtain them, and prayer, as “a form of work, … is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer,” 753). We press forward and persevere in the consecrated work of prayer, after we say “amen,” by acting upon the things we have expressed to Heavenly Father.
Asking in faith requires honesty, effort, commitment, and persistence. Let me provide an illustration of what I mean and extend to you an invitation.
We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
Church History Gems - 14 January 2009
Lord Is Preparing People
"I recently received a sweet letter from a school boy in Ghana in which he expressed his great pride in 'being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.' The fact that he has not yet been baptized did not deter him from considering himself a Latter-day Saint. However, he expressed to me his hope that soon he could become a true Latter-day Saint with baptism, confirmation, and at the appropriate time, the bestowal of the Aaronic Priesthood. He said his heart always thrilled when he sang hymns like 'Come, Come, Ye Saints,' 'Come, O Thou King of Kings,' and the other songs of Zion.
"What we are saying is that there seems to be a great movement afoot in many nations to prepare people for the further light and knowledge that only we can give them. The Lord by his Spirit is preparing people for the day when the gospel will be taught them in plainness. We must be ready."
Topics: Proclaim the Gospel
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