Mission Farewell Talk, October 23, 2016. Calico Ridge Ward, Henderson Nevada Lake Mead Stake:
Mosiah 18: 8-10
In this
chapter, Alma, who was a former priest of the wicked king Noah, is teaching
people who have followed him away from King Noah at the Waters of Mormon. He
teaches them what the covenant of baptism is. In verses 8- 10 it says:
In this
verse Alma explains that baptism is how we can show Jesus Christ that we will
follow the example He has set for us. By making the covenant of baptism, we
promise to serve Him and keep His commandments. Keeping the commandments and
serving Him, by serving those around you, every day can be challenging.
However, something that makes the covenant of baptism so great is that, as
promised in verse 10, Christ will “pour out His spirit more abundantly upon
you”. When we constantly have the companionship of The Holy Ghost to call upon,
we can always have the strength and the peace we need to follow Him.
I
didn’t always understand why baptism was so important. I knew that it meant
that you became a member of the church and that it is a saving ordinance, but
this scripture helped me to understand that baptism gives us more than just a
title. It is Heavenly Father’s promise to us that as we strive to do what is
right and just be good people, that He will guide and bless us in all of our
endeavors. It is a step we take that gets us closer to eventually be worthy to
enter the presence of our Father in Heaven again.
We
learn more about the blessings of baptism in 3 NE 27:20.
My
whole purpose as a missionary will be to “Invite others to come unto Christ by
helping them receive the restored gospel by faith in Jesus Christ and His
atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
enduring to the end”. This is what missionaries do all day and every day, but
members should also seek to be sharing the gospel as often as they can with
friends and acquaintances. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the quorum of the 12
apostles said, “missionary work is not just one of the 88 keys on a piano that
is occasionally played; it is a major chord in a compelling melody that needs
to be played continuously throughout our lives if we are to remain in harmony
with our Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ”.
Missionary
work not only blesses the lives of those we share the gospel with, but it
blesses our lives greatly as we do it. PMG reminds us that, “Members who share
the gospel experience joy and have the spirit of the Lord more abundantly. As
we share the gospel, we appreciate how precious and meaningful it is to us, and
we feel a greater love for God and others”. I have experienced this I think
every time I have shared the gospel with someone. I’ll always remember one
experience a year or so ago, when I went out to knock on doors with the sister missionaries
in my ward to share our message with people.
One
door we knocked on later in the night, a woman answered who was busy doing
dishes and babysitting children inside. I don’t remember what exactly we talked
with her about but she was going through multiple difficult trials in her life
and she felt like there was nowhere to turn for help or relief. Our message of
a loving God and eternal families caught her attention and she agreed to meet
with the missionaries again to be taught more. At the end, we asked if we could
say a prayer with her before we left. The sisters asked me to say it. I hadn’t
contributed much to the conversation up to that point unless I was specifically
called upon, so I was a little nervous but I just tried my best to listen to
what the spirit guided me to say in that prayer. After, the woman thanked me
and said that that was exactly what she had needed to hear. I was so thankful
that I was able to be the means through which that woman could experience a
moment of peace and hope and I was so grateful that I have the knowledge of
this gospel so that I can call upon that peace and hope all the time.
In the
most recent general conference of the church, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:
“success in sharing the gospel is inviting people with love and genuine intent
to HELP THEM, no matter what their response”. This will be a blessing to
friends and acquaintances you share the gospel with because, at the very least,
they will be touched that you care enough about them to share what you believe
can increase their happiness.
“What
we call ‘Member Missionary Work’ is not a program but an attitude of love and
outreach to HELP those around us.”
This is
basically what Alma is saying in verses 8 and 9. That the gospel of Jesus
Christ is all about being willing to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may
be light…. Mourn with those that mourn; yeah and comfort those that stand in
need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all
things and in all places that ye may be in”.
Alma
30:34
In this
verse, Alma’s son, Alma the younger points out that none of us receive any
worldly reward for our missionary service so why do we do it? Because we
rejoice in bringing the joy we have to our brothers and sisters who do not yet
have that hope.
Sometimes,
members and missionaries get discouraged with trying to share the gospel
because they don’t see any good come of it right away. Even though we might not
see the fruits of our labor in the moment, it always blesses someone. I have a
testimony that no love given is ever wasted.
For
example, the prophet Abinadi cried repentance to King Noah and his wicked
priests, and taught them the truths of the gospel. As a result, the king was
angry with Abinadi and sentenced him to death by fire. Abinadi might have wondered
if his efforts and sacrifice even did any good. But he would later find out,
after he had passed to the next life that his message had touched Alma, who
became the means of baptizing 204 souls at the waters of Mormon, after he
taught them what Abinadi had taught him.
We know
that Abinadi was blessed for this because in D&C 18: 15-16
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