Sunday Afternoon Session

Conducting: D. Todd Christofferson

Praise the Lord with Heart and Voice

Jesus the Very Thought of Thee

 

Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf

·       75 years since he was baptized

·       Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world

·       Matthew 24:35, Isaiah 54:10

·       What is eternal and what is not?

o   Once we understand that, everything changes

o   Key to growing a testimony of Jesus Christ and his church

·       Some truths are core, essential, at the root of our faith.

o   Others are appendages or branches – valuable but only when they are connected to the fundamentals.

o   Jesus Christ is the root of our testimony; everything else is appendages

o   Branches necessary too?

o   Without nourishment to the roots, the branch withers & dies

·       Pharisees paid so much attention to the relatively minor details of the law that they ended up neglecting the fundamental matters 

·        Don’t splash water on the branches. Nourish the roots.

o   If you have questions about the church, seek clarity by nourishing the roots with faith in Jesus Christ

§  Ex: if you have problems with the Book of Mormon, seek how the Book of Mormon testifies the Christ

§  For more meaningful time in the temple or church, seek the Lord in ordinances you do there

§  Overwhelmed with service and callings? Seek help from Jesus Christ

·       The branches of your testimony will draw strength from your deepening faith of Heavenly Father and his beloved Son

·       Look for the Savior in things to feel the Spirit and grow your testimony 

·       Thorns & thistles of doubt that grow spontaneously

·       It may seem reasonable to assume that if we keep the commandments and are sealed we will be blessed with a big family with strong testimonies who all stay in the church

·       Will we stay bound to the Savior regardless of circumstances?

o   Is my testimony based on what I hope to happen in my life? 

o   Is it dependent on the attitudes and actions of others?

o   Or is it rooted and built up in Him regardless of circumstances

·       Faith is not faith if never tested – faith is not strong if never failed

o   Is not to have a perfect knowledge of things

·       If we wait to act until all our questions are answered, we severely limit the good we can accomplish and we limit the power of our faith

·       Faith is beautiful because it PERSISTS even when blessings don’t come when requested

o   It endures the uncertainties of life

·       A testimony is not something you build once and it stands forever. It’s more like a tree that you nourish constantly

o   Planting the word of God in your heart is only the first step. Once your testimony starts to grow, then the real work begins!

o   That’s when you nourish it!

·       Constantly nourish the roots of your faith

 

Elder Takashi Wada 70

·       God is our Father in Heaven

o   We lived with him as spirits before we came to this Earth

o   Heavenly Father loves us

o   Wants the best for us

o   Wants us to receive the greatest blessings: Immortality and Eternal Life

o   Through His sacrifice in the Atonement, He made it possible for us to be redeemed from our sins

·       Learning these important truths helps us know our true identity and the great blessings God has prepared for us

·       Matthew 11:28-30

·       When we pray we should speak from our hearts

·       The Spirit speaks to you individually

·       Listened to the voice of the missionaries on the other side of the door

o   They were praying for him! That he would hear their prayer!

o   Why did they care about them so much?

o   The prayer on his behalf was a reflection of Heavenly Father and the Savior’s love for him

·       The way you think about yourself impacts all of the decisions you make

·       Have faith in the message Nephi taught us that the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost will direct you all things what you should do

·       Knowing his incredible plan will help us know that we are children of God and we can become like Him

 

Elder Ronald A Rasband

·       Jesus Christ is the son of God

·       Our lord and Savior

·       The redeemer of all our father’s children

·       The Savior is not absent from our mortal journeys

·       “My god hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions. He hath filled me with His love.”

·       He sustains us as we face the drama of life

·       To sustain: 

o   to hold up another person. 

o   To give them attention

o   To be faithful to their trust

o   To act upon their words

·       Sustaining includes:

o   Holding up our stake presidents

§  Bishops

§  Quorum and organization leaders

§  Camp directors

o   Holding up our children, parents, extended family, and neighbors

·       “I am here for you not just to hold up your arms and hands but to comfort you”

·       Rooted at the Waters of Mormon

o   Committed to bear one another’s burdens, that they would be light

·       Jesus told the Nephites: “hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up”

·       Our sustaining of prophets is a sacred work. 

o   We do not sit by but 

§  actively defend him

§  Follow his counsel

§  Teach his words

§  Pray for him

·       Mosiah 2:11  But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.

·       The hands of the president of the Church may grow weary and droop because of his heavy responsibilities. But as we uphold his hands and lead under his direction, by his side, the gates of hell will not prevail against you and against Israel.

·       He knows who he wants to preside at the head of the church and he makes no mistakes

·       We need to do more lifting and less murmuring

o   More upholding the word of the Lord, His ways, and His prophet

·       We all need to be lifted up by the Lord with peace, comfort and most of all personal revelation to counter the fear, darkness, and contention encompassing the world

·       We build temples to honor the Lord

o   They are built for worship, and not for show

o   We make sacred covenants of eternal significance inside these sacred walls. We are gathering Israel.

·       350 temples in operation, planning, or construction

o   168 announced from Pres Nelson

·       Construction of these temples may not change your life, but your service in the temple surely will

·       The Savior is the very heart of the temple

·       His essential ordinances bind us to him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then as we keep our covenants, he endows us with his healing, strengthening power

·       All who worship in the temple will have the power of God and angels having charge over you

 

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet

 

Elder Quintin L Cook

·       “BOOKS: the original handheld device”

·       AI cannot replace the Holy Ghost

·       Scriptures are most powerful when they give 

o   Instruction 

o   correction 

o   comfort 

o   consolation

·       The scriptures build a foundation that can withstand the advisory’s constant efforts to undermine faith

·       STORY:

o   Faithful investigatory family received large cardboard box full of anti-Mormon rhetoric

o   Bishop [him] asked to help them deal with this

o   Is it important to review the pamphlets if you already have a testimony that it’s true?

§  No

o   Entire family baptized + sealed

o   Still kept pledge to build other church’s chapel

·       Cannot underestimate the significance of scriptures both in conversion and remaining faithful to the Gospel

·       “A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” - Joseph Smith

·       Mormoni promised that God would reveal the truth of the BoM to us as we pray with a sincere heart, with real intent, and with faith in Christ

·       Mercy cometh becomes of the Atonement D&C 42

·       The internet can be used in both a positive way and destructive way

 

Elder Reuben V Alliaud 70

·       When we are talking about the nature of God, in some way we are talking about our own nature.

·       “Ye are Gods, and all of You are children of the most high”

·       Implications: not metaphorical for Latter-day Saints! 

o   He is literally the father of our spirits, and because of that, we have the potential to become like Him

·       We are literally children of God

·       Story of Satan tempting both moses and Jesus

o   Moses was not confused

o   Christ obviously didn’t stray from HF path for Him lol

·       Every time we are taught about our divine nature and destiny, the adversary of all righteousness tempts us to call them into question

·       Perfection…Eventually, Requires a lot of work. A Divine work. His Work.

·       We can only obtain the celestial through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice

 

Elder I Raymond Egbo 70

·       When we ignore the distractions of the world and focus on Christ and His gospel we are guaranteed success beyond what we can fully imagine and feel great joy

·       People in the BOM who turned their lives around by focusing their lives on Jesus

o   Alma the Younger

·       When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him.

·       Do not set a timetable or deadline for God

·       This is because Christ is Joy. Christ is Hope. He is the promise of good things to come. For He is the strength of every parent and every child.

·       The Lord loves effort. (not necessarily my success, but my trying)

o   Even severe trials can be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ”

·       Sometimes bad things do happen to good people

·       How do you get through your trials and suffering?

o   By focusing on Christ and His gospel

·       Mosiah 23:21-22

o   As they remembered who they were and called upon God, they received peace, strength and ultimately joy in Christ

·        As we follow the prophet, we too will be led to Christ and the joy of his gospel

·       Joy is powerful!

·       Focus on the joy available in Christ

·       Sorrow is swallowed up in the joy of Christ

 

 

Think a Sacred Song

 

 

President Russel M Nelson

·       Use the talks from this conference as an ultimate test of what is true and what is not in the next 6 months

·       17 more temples!

o   Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico

o   Santa Ana, El Salvador

o   Medellín, Colombia

o   Santiago, Dominican Republic

o   Puerto Montt, Chile

o   Dublin, Ireland

o   Milan, Italy

o   Abuja, Nigeria   

o   Kampala, Uganda

o   Maputo, Mozambique

o   Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

o   Queen Creek, Arizona

o   El Paso, Texas

o   Huntsville, Alabama

o   Milwaukee, Wisconsin

o   Summit, New Jersey

o   Price, Utah

·       How to prepare for the Second Coming

o   Regular worship in the temple

o   Read the BoM

·       How can we make temple worship a more regular thing in our lives?

·       You will feel peace and spiritual reassurance in contrast to the world

·       Every sincere seeker of Christ will find Him in the temple

o   You will find His mercy

o   You will be able to better comprehend the joy of His gospel

·       To whom or to what will I give my life?

·       The Lord will comfort you too – He will bless you with peace even amongst chaos.

·       D&C 84:88

·       Devote time each week for the rest of your life to an understanding of the atonement

·       You do not have to bear them alone. He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter.

·       Rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ

·       2 Nephi 25:26

·       It is neither too early nor too late to turn to Him

 

 

And the Glory of the Lord