Missionary Conference — Sunday, September 1, 2019
Mission Conference, Sunday, September 1, 2019. The conference theme was the ‘Recognizing the Spirit’.
1/ Sister Titsensor
- I am speaking on the personage of the Holy Ghost and his roles in our lives.
- The Holy Spirit is a personage of spirit without a physical body. His power or influence can come to person from time-to-time before baptism, and then can be a constant companion after baptism.
- The Holy Spirit works in perfect harmony with the Father and the Son. His roles include:
- Witness of the Father and the Son (2 Nephi 31:18)
- Manifesting joy, peace, and love in our lives (Doctrine and Covenants 11:13 and Moroni 8:26)
- Sanctifying the righteous (3 Nephi 27:20)
- Guiding and protecting the righteous (Doctrine and Covenants 45:47)
- Activating the gifts of the Spirit in the lives of the righteous (Moroni 10:8), which gifts bless those who merit them and those who are recipients of the gifts
- Comfort (Alma 17:10 and John 14:26-27)
2/ President Titensor
- Doctrine and Covenants 50:13-14. Unto what were you ordained? To preach by the Spirit or the Comforter.
- The power of the Holy Ghost is central in the conversion process. We need to try to understand the ‘doctrine of conversion’ (the power of the Holy Spirit, the great Testator) and also the ‘experience of conversion’ (action brings power, everything we do should be in an effort to encourage people to ACT!).
3/ Sister Rahlf
- Peter, under inspiration, said, “To whom shall we go: thou art the Christ.” Joseph Smith, while incarcerated, cried out, “O God, where art thou?”
- We can partake of a spiritual feast every day, if we live up to our privileges. Lehi lived up to his privileges.
- We need to move out of our comfort zones. For example, Peter stepped out of the boat and attempted to walk on water. The important part of that experience was not that Peter began to sink, but that he stepped out of the boat in the first place! I hope Peter didn’t emphasize that he sank, but that he walked on water!
- We need to choose rather to ‘shrink’ or ‘stretch’. “…thine adversity shall be but for a small moment…all these things shall give thee experience.”
- Doctrine and Covenants 123:17 — “Therefore,…let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”
4/ President Rahlf
- I love to do puzzles. Here is a picture of a puzzle entitled, “The Listener”. You can see that many voices are crying for his attention, but his focus is on something not portrayed in the puzzle. We must learn to listen among distractions, and to receive revelation despite many competing voices in our lives.
- When was the last time you received revelation? It hope it was earlier in this meeting, or at least earlier today!
- Elder Bednar speaks of ‘patterns of light’. Some revelation is received as a burst of pure, overwhelming light. This is more rare than common. Some revelation like the dawning of a new day, with gradual, slowly increasing light and clarity. This is more common than rare. Finally, some revelation is like walking in a fog, with the ability to see only a few steps into the distance, and we continue to walk forward, not seeing the distant scene clearly. This is very common.
- How did you receive your inspiration to serve a mission? Which of the three patterns of light was applicable to your revelation?
- In Doctrine and Covenants 6:22-23, Oliver Cowdery is told, “..if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” And in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3, Oliver is told, “…I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you, and which shall dwell in your heart…this is the spirit of revelation…”
5/ Sister LeSueur
- The light of Christ is defined in Doctrine and Covenants 84:46. It is the influence, the persuasion, the convincing, the conscience that emanates from Christ. It is not to be confused with the Holy Ghost.
- The light of Christ fosters and enables everything that is good and worthy and proper. See Moroni 7:16 and 19.
- The Holy Ghost can work through the light of Christ. Evil is sent fleeing by the light of Christ. The light of Christ is within us, and it is as universal as sunlight.
6/ President LeSueur
- Merely standing and talking is not necessarily ‘teaching’. Teaching involves and includes love for those whom you are teaching. It also includes a strong desire to be understood.
- Salvation cannot be achieved without revelation. Other methods of communication might entice, but they will not convert.
- The Mysteries of God:
- 1 Nephi 1:1 — Nephi had a great knowledge of the mysteries of God.
- 1 Nephi 2:16 — He had a great desire to know the mysteries of God.
- What are the mysteries of God? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:1 that he was a ‘steward of the mysteries of God’. Paul mentioned the mysteries of God many times in his writings.
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:11 says that we can inquire and know great and marvelous mysteries, and that we can find out mysteries.
- Alma 26:22 states that “…he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing — unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God”, and such persons shall “..bring thousands of souls to repentance…”.
- A MYSTERY OF GOD IS SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY BE KNOWN AND UNDERSTOOD BY REVELATION”.
- I would propose the following nine items as MYSTERIES OF GOD:
- Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer
- All mankind are lost and fallen
- Accepting and following the doctrine of Christ is the only means by which we can be redeemed
- Pondering upon and believing that an angel delivered golden plates to an unschooled young man
- Pondering upon and believing that the Father and the Son appeared to a 14-year old farm boy
- Believing that a young unschooled man translated golden plates by spiritual means
- Believing that the Book of Mormon is true and that it is translated scripture which testifies of the divinity of Christ
- Believing that there is a living prophet of God upon the earth today
- Sin can be forgiven and peace attained through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
- Amulek, in Alma 10:6, stated that he was called many times and would not hear, that he knew concerning mysteries and righteousness yet he “would not know”. You don’t have to be perfect to know of the mysteries, but you need to be perfect in your trying and reaching.
- We need an enhanced closeness to and influence of the Holy Ghost to receive of the mysteries.
- The three keys to receiving of the mysteries of God are:
- Reverence for sacred things
- Personal worthiness
- Having participated in the saving ordinances
- Joseph Smith states in Joseph Smith History 1:73, that after his baptism, he and Oliver Cowdery “…were filled with the Holy Ghost”, and that they “rejoiced in the God of their salvation”. What a miraculous, incredible statement to make, realizing that thus far in his life, Joseph had seen the Father and the Son in open vision, that he had had numerous visitations from angelic ministers, that he had translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God, and had experienced many other spiritual events. Yet it was upon his BAPTISM that he declared that he was “…filled with the Holy Ghost…”.
- Never forget that “…the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith, and if ye receive not the Spirit, ye shall not teach.” In other words, if you have not received of the Spirit, you might say words and deliver sermons, but you will not “teach” in the way the Savior taught. Teaching, in this context, means ‘have a positive influence upon, or ‘change for the better’.
- In Doctrine and Covenants 6:7, the Lord promises that if we seek for wisdom “…the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you…”
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