Missionary Conference — Sunday, February 2, 2020
Mission Conference, Sunday, February 2, 2020. The theme of the conference was ‘The Doctrine of the Family’.
1/ President and Sister Henderson:
- The Family is our hope for eternal life. The creation led to the Fall, and the Fall to the Atonement.
- Adam and Eve were sealed into an eternal family.
- Moses 5:59 says: “And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus it was. Amen.”
- Matthew 16:19 says: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
- The Fall provided a way for the family to come into existence. Adam and Eve had sons and daughters. Families provided for eternal growth and exaltation.
- The main pillars of the gospel are centered on the family.
- Doctrine and Covenants 2:1-3 states: “Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.” These verses refer to temples, ordinances, and covenants.
- Melchizedek Priesthood keys were restored in 1829, making sealings possible. Doctrine and Covenants 110:14-16 states: “Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse— Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.”
- As full-time missionaries you are defenders of the family in a lost and fallen world. You are the keys that lead to eternal families.
- They shared the story of Marie Madeline Cordon who was converted in Italy along with the other members of her family. One day an angry mob of detractors showed up outside the Cordon home as a church meeting was being held. The mob demanded that the LDS missionaries be sent out of the home and into the hands of the rabble. Marie, at the age of 17, come out of the home and confronted the mob with a Bible in her hand. She demanded that the mob disperse and leave them to their religious practice. A minister was leading the mob, and seeing Marie, told the men to leave the home and return to the city. Marie later stated: “God was with me in all I said and did that day.” Her faithful and true descendants now number in the thousands.
- Our Family Proclamation is a “proclamation to the WORLD” from prophets, seers, and revelators. God is the one that has told us what a family is, and His is the only true definition.
- Preach My Gospel speaks of eternal families, and that families must be safeguarded by marriage.
- Sealing requires the priesthood, and it is for time and eternity.
2/ Sister LeSueur
- Our temples are sacred, and in them we make sacred covenants, and we receive power from on high.
- Each temple has the inscription: “Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord”.
- She spoke of John Moyle, who lived in Alpine during the building of the Salt Lake Temple, and he would walk 22 miles every day to work on the granite stones as a mason, and then he would walk 22 miles back home. One day he was kicked by his cow, which fractured his leg. The fracture became grossly infected, necessitating the amputation of his leg. After months of convalescence, he fashioned a wooden leg for himself and painfully walked the 44 miles per day again. He was given the honor of engraving the words, “Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord” on the temple wall.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” Do we have “holiness to the Lord” engraven on our souls?
- The Book of Mormon speaks of having “great views of that which is to come”. Do we likewise?
- Sanctification can be described as ‘the pursuit and acquisition of holiness over a lifetime”.
- Doctrine and Covenants 59:16 states: “Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this [worship in my temple], the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;”
- President McKay stated that very few fully comprehend the fulness and majesty of the endowment ceremony. He said it is a description of the step-by-step process that leads us back to the Father and to eternal life. God desires exaltation for all of us.
- Salvation is available to all, even the deceased who did not have the fulness of the gospel presented to them.
- Doctrine and Covenants section 121 speaks of having virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly, and virtue brings power.
- Show your happiness to everyone you meet.
3/ President LeSueuer
- Many years ago my wife and I decided to increase our temple attendance from monthly to weekly. My wife has stayed true to that commitment for over 25 years. He temple faithfulness has blessed our family immeasurably.
- I would like to discuss two words today — ordinance and covenant.
- Ordinance:
- Years ago I received a speeding ticket and the officer told me I had violated a ‘city ordinance’. Why the word ordinance in that context?
- Doctrine and Covenants 1:15 states: “For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;”
- Ordinances are enforced by municipals, and the Kingdom of God is a municipal, and thus has ordinances.
- An ordinance is a prescribed religious ceremony or rite.
- A saving ordinance is a law or commandment essential to salvation. We need to embrace these ordinances and clothe ourselves in them.
- The essential elements of an ordinance are:
- It is required for salvation and exaltation.
- It is sacred.
- It must be performed by priesthood authority.
- It embraces the making of a covenant.
- It clothes the covenant in symbolic meaning.
- The Sacrament symbolizes the Atonement and the Savior’s sacrifice for us.
- It takes years of thoughtful and spiritual pondering to appreciate the temple ordinances. The appreciation of gospel symbols also takes years of study.
- Have you considered the symbolism of the pool of Bethesda being found by a sheep market (John 5:1). These is probably nothing louder or smellier or more chaotic than a sheep market. Yet sweet and life-changing miracles were occurring on a regular basis in sacred waters not far from the market. This symbolizes that spiritual power can penetrate every environment.
- “Tear the odometer off your scriptures, slow down, and enjoy the symbolism of the scriptures.
- Covenants:
- A covenant is a solemn agreement between God and man. We promise obedience, and God promises blessings.
- You cannot “see” a covenant, even though you can “see” the performance of an ordinance.
- Covenants are personal, private, and heartfelt.
- Covenants and ordinances are inseparable. Always explain ordinances in light of the covenants associated with them.
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