ps. Don't be scandalous and steal this for your own talk! lol.
President Boyd K. Packer taught us that “all of us—leaders, teachers, missionaries, and parents—have a lifelong challenge from the Lord to both teach and learn the doctrines of the gospel as they have been revealed to us.”
-we are so blessed
-It is our duty and privilege as members of the church to teach the Gospel
-to helps others, knowledge, joy, peace from the plan/atonement, HG, relationship w/ Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and we need to help them to progress in making/keeping covenants
I would like to share a story with you that President Boyd K Packer shared in Conference many years ago
He starts by telling us about a big ward party held at a nice park on a beautiful sunny day, and there was delicious food every where. Everyone had truly outdone themselves, and they had a big, wonderful feast awaiting them. Before blessing the food, they are interrupted by the noise of a very loud car, clearly not in good shape, as it jerks into the parking lot. They decide to hold off on the prayer until in became quite again, but soon an obviously distraught mother and her children, who are in dirty, ragged clothing exit the car and go to a nearby picnic table. The children are visibly hungry and excited for mealtime, the mother lays out few leftovers, moving them around in an attempt to make it seem like there is more, but their is simply not enough food for her to feed her children. The ward members watch on, still waiting to pray, when they notice the children admiring the huge feast they had, saying things like "yum, look at that! I wonder what that tastes like"
President Packer then asks us what we would do, if we were one of those ward members.
Would we insist that the mother quite them down, then ignore them, and stuff down our feast while the hungry children looked on? he didn't think so
would we take a little of this and a little bit of that and lure them back to their own table to avoid further interruption?
OR, would we invite them to join us, let them enjoy this feast with us, help fix their car and send them home with more food?
President Packer tells us, "Surely it is what you should do. But forgive me if I have a little doubt; let me explain.
We, as members of the Church, have the fullness of the gospel. Every conceivable manner of spiritual nourishment is ours. Every part of the spiritual menu is included. It provides an unending supply of spiritual strength. Like the widow’s cruse of oil, it is replenished as we use it and shall never fail. (See 1 Kgs. 17:8–16.)
And yet, there are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death!
If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry.
We are to go out to them, and to invite them to join us. We are to be missionaries."
we have the message everyone needs, we have the ordinances of Salvation. We can't keep it to ourselves
We need to remember that "...the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;"
as they should be to us!
We need to open our mouths, share the truths that we know, and in our missionary work and all the teaching we do in the church, The Temple should be the goal
Elder Nelson said "The temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house. Our efforts to proclaim the gospel, perfect the Saints, and redeem the dead all lead to the temple.
they all lead to the temple! the Lord desires for all his children to receive the gospel and make sacred covenants with Him in his Holy Temples! Like the Lord taught in Luke 22, we need to remember
"when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." I have some friends that are an amazing example of this
once upon a time I was not a member of this church, no religion in home, made friends, who love and taught me, join church, now I have a mission call, went to the Temple on Tuesday. Because of this I am blessed, so is my family, all those I will teach on the mission, then who they teach, my future children and grandchildren and those they teach. It is a amazing domino effect, that started just because a few people befriended me, I was able to see their light and was drawn to it, and they went on to share with me, saw me not just as I was, but also for who I could become, and kept the temple in mind as a goal for me.
Gordon B. Hinckley said "I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you."
I know that is true, my life really is better and more full of joy because of my temple attendance and I want to share those blessings so bad with those who don't
We should all strive to do everything that we can do to prepare and worthy to enter the temple and make sacred covenants, or continue to honor those covenants and attend regularly, for there lies some of the greatest blessings Heavenly Father has for us and then when we teach others, whether is be an investigator, inactive member or faithful member, the Temple should always be in our mind, we may not always verbalize it, but like Elder Nelson taught, all that we do and teach should point to the Lord and his temples.
In Doctrine and covenants 97:16, the lord tells us, speaking about the Temple...
"Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God."
what a beautiful promise, one that we should desire not only for ourselves but for all of Gods children, as he does.
**testimony about the temple** the spirit is stronger, more fully feel their love and feel closer to then, receive stronger answers, feel happier,
Because of this James E. Faust has urged us all "who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify to receive them."
we need to to whatever is necessary to receive the blessings of the temple and after we've made them, need to keep them, and then we will receive those blessings that come from being faithful and true, then we need to testify of those blessing and be a tool in the Lords hands help prepare our brothers and sisters, come unto Him so they can one day enter the temple
and I know that as we seek to do so with the Lords guidance, continually strengthening our testimonies and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost, miracles really will happen and we will be guided to those who are prepared
we need to remember the Lords council in...
D&C 11:21 "Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men."
in order for us to be truly effective we must first gain our own testimonies, but more than that, we must be truly converted, or striving to be, as that can be a lifelong process. but as we TRUST in him, seek His word, strive to know Him and be close to Him, we will be blessed, so much, greater peace, light and knowledge, and our tongues will be loosed and we will be powerful in helping others find the truth and make sacred and beautiful covenants with the Lord in his Holy Temples. And in doing so will help them to find peace and guidance, and like Gary E Stevenson they and us, can come to know that...
"You are never lost when you can see the temple. The temple will provide direction for you and your family in a world filled with chaos. It is an eternal guidepost which will help you from getting lost in the 'mist of darkness."
I know that is true, that the Temple is a beacon of light to the hold World, and is a guide to us in this life to make better decisions and to help lead us back to the Presence of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
there are few things in life that bring as much happiness as the joy that comes from helping others improve their lives,
In Les Mis at the End, they sing, as valjean dies, having turned his life around after getting help from the Bishop, and filled his life with service... "To love another person is to see the face of God"
I know this is true,
I know the field truly is white, and ready for harvest, we just need to be available and trust in the Lord
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