Regional Conference (South Salt Lake County) – Sunday, October 23, 2011
Notes from the talk by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
I am strengthened by the power of example, the power of the believer as an example.
When he lived in Arkansas and his children were young, one of his sons joined a sports team that made it to the state championship. The championship game would be on a Sunday. Elder Bednar and his wife hoped that their son would make a good choice when it came to this test of which was more important—keeping the Sabbath day holy or a large trophy? When he spoke with his son and asked him what he thought they should do, the boy answered very matter-of-factly, “We won’t play the game on Sunday.” They decided they should go to the coach’s house and tell him the decision. When they arrived, the boy jumped out of the car. The father asked his son, “Do you need me to go with you?” “No,” he said and went and knocked on the door. When the door opened and the coach stood there, the boy said, “Coach, I won’t be playing in the championship game on Sunday because I’ll be in church. See ya!” When he got back in the car, being a conscientious father, Elder Bednar asked, “Are you okay?” To which the son replied, “Yeah. Can we go to McDonald’s on the way home?” The faith of these young men (his sons) strengthens my faith.
On his way to the conference center this morning for this conference, he was stopped at several red stoplights and watched as members crossed the streets and exercised their faith by gathering for this meeting. In his mind’s eye he could see members gathering to 95 stake centers and was strengthened by our faith.
The world may refute. The world may mock. But the world cannot deny your example. And what you do shouts louder than their mocking and reviling. Thank you for your example. Thank you for who you are and what you do and try to do.
As I prepared, three main things came to mind.
1 – Deepening Testimony into Conversion
Testimony is essential. But it is only a beginning. Conversion grows out of testimony and is an ongoing process, not a one-time event.
A testimony is what we know to be true by the witness of the Spirit. Conversion is consistently being true to what we know. (He repeated this several times, emphasizing the word “consistently.”)
In the world in which we live, testimony will not be enough. This should not be shocking or surprising. Every day there are people with testimonies that fall away.
Testimony should lead to a deepening, ongoing conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alma 23:5-7 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord.
Let’s say that this “knowledge of the Lord” can be thought of as testimony.
And thousands were brought to the [testimony] of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed down even to the present time.
And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth…
Let me again take the liberty of saying that this “knowledge of the truth” is roughly synonymous with testimony.
…as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away. (emphasis added by Elder Bednar)
It took testimony AND conversion. And when both conditions were met, these people never did fall away.
For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion.
Do you and I hang onto our “weapons of rebellion” because we kinda like them? This gives us a clue to where we are on the path to conversion.
Matthew 25:1-13 Parable of the Ten Virgins
By thinking of the lamps as lamps of testimony and the oil as oil of conversion, we can see how this parable emphasizes the relationship with testimony and conversion.
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps [of testimony], and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
They that were foolish took their lamps [of testimony], and took no oil [of conversion] with them:
But the wise took oil [of conversion] in their vessels with their lamps [of testimony].
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps [of testimony].
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil [of conversion]; for our lamps [of testimony] are gone out.
But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Were the wise virgins being stingy and unwilling to share? Not so. Oil of conversion cannot be shared in a moment of crisis. It comes over time, line upon line, precept upon precept. Years of studying scriptures and building spiritual reserves cannot be conveyed quickly. Oil of conversion must be obtained. It cannot be given from person to person.
This “buying” of oil does not represent going to a market and exchanging money for a good, it means to go and build your conversion yourself and be properly prepared. (You’re foolish to think you can do it another way.)
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Every single member of this church, baptized in the waters of immersion and confirmed by the laying on of hands and given the gift of the Holy Ghost, has some measure of testimony. It is clearly the case that not every member is fully converted to the Lord.
I suggest a question to consider: As we experience the mighty change of heart, and as it grows and continues within us, what is that? And what impact does it have on us?
2 – The Character of Christ
We cannot be fully converted until we understand some things of the character of Christ.
Character is moral quality, moral capacity strongly developed and consistently lived. (He repeated this several times as well, again emphasizing the word “consistently.”)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said in a meeting/class Elder Bednar attended: “Except for the character of Christ, there would have been no atoning sacrifice.”
This simple sentence led to years of study where Elder Bednar attempted to answer, What is the character of Christ and why is it the core of the Atonement?
This is an ongoing search. He shares a few insights to help us see a glimpse of the character of Christ.
Admonition: I won’t go into it in too much detail here but sometime later today, get out your New Testament, turn to Matthew 4 (which tells of Jesus’ fast for forty days and temptations from Satan) and find the verse that describes when the adversary left and the angel came to the Savior. Pay attention to the footnotes and see the vast change in the wording that comes in the JST for that verse.
The Savior would have been physically hungry and spiritually spent. The JST says that at that moment Jesus knew that John the Baptist was cast into prison, and he sent angels to John.
The angels did not come to minister to Christ. Rather, Christ sent the angels to John the Baptist.
When He himself was in need of assistance and strengthening, he focused on and administered to someone else who was suffering something far less then Himself.
He didn’t turn inward in self-pity. In the midst of His own affliction, He turned outward. That says something of His character.
Read Matthew 4 and 3 Nephi and other scriptures to come to know of the character of Christ. Here are a few examples:
Consider the upper room when Christ first institutes the Sacrament. In anticipation of his greatest agony, he doesn’t pray for himself; he prays for others.
Consider Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he asks his disciples to wait for him but they fall asleep, and then he is betrayed by Judas. The betrayal happens as he is coming out of the Garden, having just suffered for the sins and afflictions of all mankind, a suffering that we cannot comprehend. Coming from that experience of his disciples not doing what he asked and bleeding from every pore, he is betrayed and Peter cuts off the ear of the guard.
I can only imagine this for myself—you interpret it how you will—but if I had come from that agony and disappointment, I would not have been concerned with that guard’s ear.
But Christ healed the guard.
In his moment of greatest agony, Christ is concerned with and administers to someone who has suffered far less than he.
Consider Christ hanging on the cross and pardoning the thieves who hang beside him. Even as he is dying, he is concerned with the welfare of others.
Instead of selfishness, self-absorption, or self-pity, there is a need—an ultimate objective, the outcome of that mighty change of heart—to turn outward and overcome that natural man.
The mighty change is a turn. It is turning outward. It is that character of Christ which we are to become more like as we are converted to the Lord and seek to have the same mind as was in the Lord Jesus.
Some of you may be thinking, “I can’t do that.” You’re right. You can’t do that. I can’t do that. Not without Him.
Through the Atonement, our capacity is enlarged to become more like the Savior.
3-Strength that Comes from the Atonement of Christ
I find it sad that so many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a firm belief that the Atonement of Christ can cleanse them from sin but don’t see it has the power to help us achieve the things we need to do.
Mosiah 3:19 For the natural man is an enemy to God… and will be… unless he… putteth off the natural man [by that, I think it just means stop doing bad things] AND becometh a saint [both of those things] through the atonement of Christ the Lord.”
We not only have to stop doing bad things and continually become better through change and repentance, but we must find strength in the atonement, turning outward and becoming like Him more and more. We must be changing, ever changing for the better.
We can be cleansed AND strengthened beyond our own. [See “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” Hymn #220]
Mosiah 24:14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
Notice what happens. The burden is still there. Stronger people with the same burden felt that the burden was lighter.
Sometimes we pray for our burdens to be lifted and they are indeed taken away. That does happen. But more often than not, we need to pray for strength to know the lesson that bearing the burden is intended to teach us. The burden will help us turn outward. Some of the lessons most vital to obtaining the character of Christ are learned by bearing burdens.
If I could have the wish of mine heart, it would be for everyone to have an expanded knowledge that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can make us strengthened and enabled to do good and be better than we ever could out of our own capacity.
I know this is true. I know because without it, I am nothing. I do not have the capacity to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I do not have the abilities, the fortitude, the strength to do it. I have nothing! But with the strengthening power of the Atonement, I am doing it. I am a living witness of the strengthening and enabling power of Christ’s Atonement.
This power is not reserved for a special elite, for certain callings or certain people. This capacity and gift is available to every member of this church that has been baptized in the waters of immersion, confirmed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and entered into the gates. That blessing is yours.
The world will continue to grow ever more wicked, but we can become more and more converted and more and more like the Savior. At the end of our lives, we will not boast of our own strength but we will boast of our God; for in Him, we can do all things. I so testify.
Closing Hymn: “Let the Holy Spirit Guide” Hymn #143
1. Let the Holy Spirit guide;
Let him teach us what is true.
He will testify of Christ,
Light our minds with heaven's view.
2. Let the Holy Spirit guard;
Let his whisper govern choice.
He will lead us safely home
If we listen to his voice.
3. Let the Spirit heal our hearts
Thru his quiet, gentle pow'r.
May we purify our lives
To receive him hour by hour.
Text: Penelope Moody Allen, b. 1939.
(c) 1985 IRI
No comments:
Post a Comment