My secretary checked for me the other day and she learned that last year in May a census was taken and it was found that there were 697 different churches here in the United States alone. 4:5.) Then I thought, I wonder what Paul would say if he were here today and knew how many churches there are. The apostle Paul said there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” ( Eph. I just completed reading the New Testament, and I have been impressed with the words of the Savior and the apostle Paul and others of the brethren as I read the teachings of their day. 1:10.) Now we have that message and that is why the people of the world can’t adequately and properly find their way back into the presence of the Lord unless they are willing to heed the message that we have. The apostle Paul said that the Lord had revealed the mystery of his will to him, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth even in him.” ( Eph. Now the church was established by the Savior with the calling of the Twelve in his day, but the holy prophets foresaw that it would not remain upon the earth, but that there would come a latter day when the Lord would finish his work. “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” ( Acts 2:38–39.)Ĭould there be any greater offer to a searcher after the truth today than to answer the same call that Peter gave to those people upon that occasion when 3,000 were baptized? “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The message we have for the world today is just as important in the sight of the Lord for all of his children as the message was that Peter delivered on the day of Pentecost, when the multitudes were pricked in their hearts and they cried out: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” ( Acts 2:37.) You remember Peter’s answer: Then I said to myself: Why not? We have the greatest message in all this world. I was very much thrilled with President Kimball’s closing remarks in our meeting last Thursday with the Regional Representatives of the Twelve, for he said that he looks for the day when we will bring in thousands of converts. That book made such an impression upon my mind and caused me in my heart to have such a love for the Prophet Joseph and such a testimony of the truth of his story that I have felt I wanted to tell it to all the world ever since that time. I remember one of the first books that I read as a boy that impressed me was the Life of the Prophet Joseph Smith by George Q. I think I have been a missionary all my life-ever since I was a small boy. He has indicated that we must lengthen our stride and that he wants us to double the number of missionaries that we have. I am so thrilled with the attitude that our new president, President Kimball, has taken with respect to missionary work.
I am very happy, brothers and sisters, to have the honor and the privilege of attending this conference with you, and trust that during the few moments I occupy that I may enjoy the Spirit of the Lord so that what I say may be an inspiration to those of you who are here at this conference and those who are listening in.
0 kommentar(er)
