Religious Perspectives: October 2013

Commandment:

54 years ago, President David O McKay called on every member to be a missionary. At baptism we covenant “to stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9) Many of us have also covenanted to consecrate our time, talents, etc, to the building up of the kingdom. Elder L. Tom Perry recently said, “The bishop holds the keys to preside over his ward mission.” (“Missionary Work in the Digital Age”) With that said, our Bishop has asked us to give one more hour a month than we are currently doing to missionary work. This is not in addition to our other covenants but will help us meet our covenants. In Bishop’s talk, he emphasized some of the blessings that will come from missionary work, and I found it very moving. How many of us don’t like being blessed?

So we have been commanded to be missionaries and help build the kingdom and stand as a witness of God. This commandment is not easy and I have struggled with it in my own life because sometimes it just seems really hard. But in 1 Nephi 3:7 we read, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” God will prepare a way for us too.

In Elder L. Tom Perry’s talk, “Missionary Work in the Digital Age” he tells us to become one with the missionaries in missionary work. For this we need a common goal and purpose or role to play. Our goal as a ward is to have every member do one hour a month of missionary work.

I would suggest that our purpose as member missionaries is the same as the full-time missionaries. In Preach My Gospel we can learn our purpose is “to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.” We can invite anyone and everyone, member or non-member to come closer to Jesus Christ.

We need Charity and Humility which will bring the Spirit:

In missionary work we need charity and humility which will bring the Spirit.

To have charity we need to recognize what Christ and His Atonement has done for us. What blessings have come into our lives because of the gospel? Then we can have the desire for our friends to be equally blessed. Don’t we want the best for our friends? We need to remember that what we have is the most precious gift we can give to our friends. So when we invite our friends we don’t have to be pushy- we just need to show we are inviting out of love. We love this Church, it’s a part of our lives and we want to share it.

President Benson gave a definition for humility in his talk, “Keys to Successful Member-Missionary Work”, “Humility is the recognition of our dependence upon a higher power, a constant need for the Lord’s support in His work.” When we have humility, we depend on the Lord and have His Spirit with us more fully. And the Spirit is the only thing that can convert a person.

I grew up very shy. I wanted to serve a mission but I really didn’t know how I was going to talk to people. When I turned 21, I left to serve in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana mission and I was terrified of speaking to people. I prayed every day. I knew I wanted to be a missionary, but I knew I could not do it alone. To the end of my mission, I said silent prayers before knocking on every door. But the Lord helped me and I saw success. Elder Neil L. Andersen said, “Our desire to share the gospel takes all of us to our knees, and it should, because we need the Lord’s help.” (Elder Neil L. Andersen “It’s a Miracle)

Importance of You:

The Lord needs every one of us. There are people that only you can touch. Elder Neil L. Andersen said, and I quote “Brothers and sisters, as surely as the Lord has inspired more missionaries to serve, He is also awakening the minds and opening the hearts of more good and honest people to receive His missionaries. You already know them or will know them. They are in your family and live in your neighborhood. They walk past you on the street, sit by you in school, and connect with you online. You too are an important part of this unfolding miracle. If you’re not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart—painted, as Paul said, ‘not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.’” End quote. (It’s a Miracle, Ensign May 2013)

People are Ready:

People are being prepared for us to find. President Benson said, “People are hungry for an anchor, for something that will give them inner peace and a feeling of security. They can’t find it in the churches of the world today. They cannot find it in our uncertain economic system.” (President Benson “Keys to Successful Member-Missionary Work”)

He also said, “Don’t worry about being successful. We are going to be successful- there is no doubt about it. The Lord has sent us to earth at the time of harvest. He does not expect us to fail. He has called no one to this work to fail. He expects us to succeed.” And in D&C 4:4 it reads, “For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;”

On my mission I met a man who found us. He had started his journey for truth and a friend at work was willing to open his mouth and share what he believed. Then he met an inactive girl that he wanted to marry. He came to the Church with her for his first time and found us and set up an appointment with us. He had been prepared. He started his search on his own. Then a member was willing to share and it led to us teaching him and him getting baptized. People are being prepared all around us. Sometimes they don’t even realize it because they aren’t always looking for a new church, sometimes they are just looking for peace or answers and if they find out that we have them it can open doors.

Ideas:

Elder Neil L Andersen said, quote, “The Savior taught us how to share the gospel. I like the story of Andrew, who asked, “Master, where dwellest thou?” Jesus could have responded with the location of where He lived. But instead He said to Andrew, “Come and see.” I like to think that the Savior was saying, “Come and see not only where I live but how I live. Come and see who I am. Come and feel the Spirit.” We don’t know everything about that day, but we do know that when Andrew found his brother Simon, he declared, “We have found… the Christ.” To those who show an interest in our conversations, we can follow the Savior’s example by inviting them to “come and see.” Some will accept our invitation, and others will not. We all know someone who has been invited several times before accepting an invitation to “come and see.” Let’s also think about those who once were with us but who now we rarely see, inviting them to come back and see once more.” End quote. (“It’s a Miracle” Neil L. Andersen)

I have a close friend who is Catholic and after years of trying, she is still not a member, but in high school she came to seminary with me one morning. I invited her so she could see what I do so early in the morning. I invited her to a stake dance so she could see the fun I had there. She may not be a member yet, but because of my invitations she grew to respect our Church. She went to a Catholic University and because she had learned to trust what I learned in Church, she turned to me for help on her religion papers. She got A’s on all the ones I helped her with. J

We can also invite people to Mutual activities, Church, the Family History center, Ward activities, Primary activities, Scouting programs, Relief Society activities- including book club or play group, or invite people into our homes for Family Home Evening. Invite people to come and see. Invite people to come closer to our Savior by attending these uplifting activities with you.

Even with members, we can invite them to attend Church more regularly or prepare to go to the temple. If we are not currently doing home or visiting teaching, then setting aside an hour to visit the people assigned to us, especially those less-active, I think counts if we invite them to come back. If we are doing visiting teaching already, then our hour “more” should be going to the next level.

We can invite people to come over for dinner when we feed the missionaries, or to meet with the missionaries or to read the Book of Mormon. Another way we can help fulfill our hour a month is to host a missionary lesson. The Mission President here wants to emphasize getting investigators into the members’ homes. Offer to host a lesson with someone the missionaries already know. This can be very valuable in missionary work, even if you don’t know the person ahead of time. When an investigator has a lesson in your home, the Spirit is magnified because they feel both the spirit brought from the lesson the missionaries teach and the Spirit we create as families in our home. It also helps investigators see how the Church has blessed your life. One of the most powerful lessons I had on my mission was in a member’s home. The Spirit was so strong that it made 2 full-grown men cry- one of whom I never would have expected to cry ever- he was a tough motorcycle guy- the kind that can come across as kinda scary when with the rest of their crew. The Spirit was so strong that our investigator went from constantly pushing against our messages to committing to baptism. He has now been married and sealed in the temple and is still active today.

Another way to do missionary work is through service. Service softens the hearts of people and allows them to witness, first-hand, Christ-like behavior. If you want to do service as a means of missionary work, I would suggest wearing a Church shirt- like an EFY shirt or a BYU one. It identifies us as representatives of our Church and of Jesus Christ and can open doors for people wanting to know more.

Even full-time missionary work is in the process of changing. Missionaries will soon be on facebook and we are invited to become “Facebook friends with the missionaries in [our] area on [our] own computers and [share] their gospel messages online and [become] involved in missionary work [ourselves].” (“Missionary Work in the Digital Age”) We can also use other websites or blogs to invite others to come closer to Christ or to “come and see”.

Elder L Tom Perry tells us, “While the full-time missionaries are responsible for teaching investigators, they can and should be accompanied by ward council members, ward missionaries, or members who have a personal connection with the investigators. Members who accompany the missionaries should bear their testimony of the principles taught in the missionary lessons and reinforce these principles between missionary appointments.” Everyone needs a friend. If you go out with the missionaries, make friends with the people you go see. Try to keep in touch with them on your own, without the missionaries. And if an appointment falls through, be willing to go with them on their backup plans. The other day I was asked to go to an appointment with the missionaries. Unfortunately he was sick and cancelled on us. So I went with them as they went to a few back-up options and got to meet some great people, and even were able to share a brief gospel message with one of them.

Elder Neil Andersen says,". . .I promise you, as you pray to know with whom to speak, names and faces will come into your mind. Words to speak will be given in the very moment you need them. Opportunities will open to you. Faith will overcome doubt, and the Lord will bless you with your very own miracles.” If we choose to fulfill our hour on our own, the Lord will help us know who to invite into our homes or to Church or have over with the missionaries.

Elder Neil L Andersen also said, “Pray to your Heavenly Father. This is His sacred work. He will guide you in what to do. He will open doors, remove roadblocks, and help you overcome obstacles. The Lord declared, “The voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, … and none shall stay them.” (Neil L Andersen “It’s a Miracle”) Missionary work does not come naturally to us all, but as this quote promises, God will open doors, remove roadblocks and help you overcome obstacles. I mentioned that I was very shy before going on my mission. As I relied on the Lord, He helped me overcome that obstacle. It still doesn’t come naturally to me, but I am now no longer the same shy girl I was before. Towards the end of my mission I got to know a family. I told them how I used to be very shy and the father said, “What?! Now we can’t get you to shut up!” Of course he said it with a big smile on his face. For those of us who aren’t as outgoing I would recommend contacting the missionaries to help you fulfill your hour. Host a lesson where the missionaries are responsible for teaching, or go with them and just bear a simple testimony of what they teach. On my mission we had a member who wanted to be a better missionary but felt anxiety in opening her mouth. So she started offering to give us rides to our appointments and as time went on she started opening her mouth more to bear simple testimony at our meetings and by the time we left that area, she was starting to talk to her friends on her own.

I know that this Church is true and I am grateful for the blessings it has brought into my life. I want to share it, and sometimes I’m better at it than at other times. The easiest way to get involved is by contacting the missionaries. Be willing to go out with them, or host a lesson for them, or invite friends over when you have the missionaries over for dinner. I know that we can and will see miracles when we devote time to missionary work. Miracles are real, they happen today, they happen here and they can happen to each of us. I have a personal testimony of how the Lord helps us when we rely on Him, no matter how impossible the task at hand may seem. He will strengthen us and help us become better missionaries. Talking to our friends is NOT always easy, but He will help us. The more we have to rely on Him, the more we pray earnestly for His Spirit and the more miracles we will see. I know Jesus Christ lives and He loves me and He loves my friends and wants us all to know the blessings of this gospel. I know this Church is true. I know that there is a special Spirit that comes with the Book of Mormon and that it is true. I am thankful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and for translating the Book of Mormon and restoring Christ’s Church. I am thankful for the prophets and apostles who lead and guide this Church today and for the guidance they give. I know we can rely on the promises they give and that following what they ask will bring great blessings into our lives. I know that as we strive to become better missionaries and follow the Lord’s commandments given through his prophets, apostles and our Bishop, that the Lord will help us. I know God loves me and all of us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Religious Perspectives

Pages

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Promised Blessings for participating in Missionary Work

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Missionary Work- 1 hour more (talk)