Sacrament Talk
Given as Ward Mission Leader
Testify of the following:
- God’s love and watchful care over us.
- The church is led by a prophet of god.
- We are watched over by his servants: A loving and serving bishop and a caring and competent Elder’s Quorum president.
- The things our leaders say are the will of God.
- The Book of Mormon challenge is the will of the Lord for us, now.
- The charge for us to share the gospel is to strengthen us just as much as it is to strengthen those with whom we share the gospel.
A sister within the newly formed “Preach My Gospel” Sunday school class expressed a very pertinent question and concern related to sharing the gospel. With her permission, I wish to use this talk to address her concern in greater detail. I shall refer to this sister as Sister Randall. As you listen, I pray the Spirit will touch your heart and help you know how this message relates to you.
This fine sister shared the following concern, “I could talk to anybody about the gospel, but I am not sure if I have the courage to face rejection.”
For discussion purposes, I now wish to break this concern up into the following related questions:
Question #1: How can we gain the desire to share the gospel?
Question #2: How should I approach sharing the gospel?
Question #3: How do I handle rejection?
Question #1: How can we gain the desire to share the gospel?
The answer to this question can subtly be found in the following statement by Elder M. Russell Ballard:
M. Russell Ballard: Today I invite you to relax and set aside your concerns and focus instead on your love for the Lord, your testimony of His eternal reality, and your gratitude for all He has done for you. If you are truly motivated by love and testimony and gratitude, you will quite naturally do all that you can to assist the Lord in ‘[bringing] to pass the immortality and eternal life” of our Father’s children. In fact, it would be impossible to keep you from doing it.
Did you catch that? He just gave us the three keys to preparing ourselves and our families to share the gospel!
First, he said, we need to focus on our love for the Lord. During His earthly ministry, Christ told his disciples how. The message still echos true for us today: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
We demonstrate our love for Him by following the guidance He provides us. Please turn with me to Doctrine & Covenants 1:38. This section was Created as the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the words that were to become the introduction for the Doctrine & Covenants. Christ is speaking.
D&C 1:38: What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
What does this tell us about obeying the council of the stake president? How about the bishop’s council? Does this flow down to the Elder’s Quorum president? You bet it does.
We recently have been admonished by the Lord to read the Book of Mormon before the year’s end. What a terrific opportunity to show the Lord we love Him and respect those servants he has chosen to use as spokesmen.
Second, we need to focus on our testimony of His eternal reality. He is there. He loves us. He looks after us and blesses us. He wants the best for us, and if we are permitted back into His presence, he will have open arms for us, His children.
Third, we need to focus on our gratitude for all He has done for us. So, what has he done for us? The following is a small, incomplete list of the truths He has revealed to us through providing the Restoration of the gospel.
- The true nature of God and our relationship to Him
- Our own divine nature
- The eternal nature of our existence
- The principle of eternal families
- That God speaks to prophets today
- That we are still led by a prophet today
- That the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures also testify of Christ
- The blessings that are made available through priesthood ordinances
- The conditions of repentance
- The reality of the universal resurrection
- How to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost
And what about all of these other blessings he has given us, even down to our very life? We certainly have much to be grateful for.
As we focus on our love for the Lord, testimony of His eternal reality, and our gratitude for all He has done for us, the Lord has stated it would be impossible to keep us from doing all we can in assisting the Lord with His purposes.
Question #2: How should I approach sharing the gospel?
Sister Randall, we were recently provided this answer by Elder Ballard’s most recent general conference talk. At that time he told us that,
Creating a gospel-sharing home is the easiest and most effective way that we can share the gospel….Our homes can be gospel-sharing homes as people we know and love come into our homes and experience the gospel firsthand in both word and action.
Did you catch that? Please notice that he did not say we are inviting strangers into our home. We begin these invitations by inviting people we know and love into our homes. Elder Ballard continued,
M. Russell Ballard: We can share the gospel without holding a formal discussion. Our families can be our lesson, and the spirit that emanates from our homes can be our message.
WOW! What a powerful message to us! As we prepare our homes to radiate the Spirit, we are preparing to share the gospel! Have you ever thought about it that way?? By simply inviting others we love and care for into our homes, we are providing blessings that can extend throughout eternity. Sharing the gospel is about focusing on the family!
To have our families be the lesson and the spirit—the message, we must have our homes in order. We must strive to emulate the Savior in word, thought, and deed. We need to have daily personal and family prayer; personal and family scripture study. We need to ensure weekly Family Home Evenings are taking place. As the Book of Alma would state it, we need to fortify our places of stronghold. We must encourage similar dedication from our children.
Within a gospel-sharing home,
We do not just pray for the health, safety, and success of our missionaries throughout the world. We fast and pray for personal opportunities to share the gospel—internalizing the message ourselves (M. Russell Ballard).
A gospel-sharing home:
- Does not mean we are going to have to dedicate large amounts of time to meeting and cultivating friends with whom to share the gospel.
- Is ordinary. Elder Ballard specified this by explained that our homes "may not always be spotlessly clean nor the children perfectly behaved. But they are places in which family members clearly love each other, and the spirit of the lord is felt by those who visit" (M. Russell Ballard).
The idea of a gospel-sharing home is not new. Please read with me from John 1:38-39.
John 1:38-39: Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
Even Jesus himself had a gospel-sharing home.
Sister Randall, are you starting to understand how we can share the gospel without knocking on doors?
I hope you have noticed by now, having a gospel-sharing home is NOT a program. It is a cultivated way of life.
Question #3: How do I handle rejection?
If your message is a simple invitation for a friend or loved one to come to your home, there is no need to fear rejection. It is possible they may decline. Elder Ballard has likewise pointed out that, “A gospel sharing home is not defined by whether or not people join the Church as a result of our contact with them.”
Sister Randall, I now wish to take a moment and relate to you an experience of a woman who was converted many years ago.
Just as you find yourself, this woman had embraced the gospel but had waited for an appropriate opportunity to share it. She lived as the only Christian among a people that had embraced evil traditions. She had gained her testimony by listening to a vision her father once had.
This woman faithfully lived as a servant to the queen. I imagine her heart must have leaped for joy as she discovered another member would be traveling from afar to join her in serving this royal family. She would no longer be a lone follower of Christ.
She was present when each of the members of this royal family became so overwhelmed with the spirit that they fell to the ground. Knowing it was the power of God that caused their collapse, she saw this as an opportunity to share the experience and her testimony with those she loved. She started knocking on doors, much as the missionaries today do. She told them about the recent events that had occurred, inviting them to come to the King’s house and see. When she had finished inviting all she could, she herself went to the King’s house to join with the others. She was not prepared to see what was ahead.
When this servant-woman named Abish reached the scene, she was surprised to find all the contention among the people. She was saddened, probably thinking her efforts had failed.
Alma 19:28: And thus the contention began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending, the a woman servant who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.
Sister Randall, I imagine this probably similar to the rejection you fear. However, keep in mind that Abish couldn’t yet see the outcome of her actions.
Alma 19:29-31, 35-36: And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people! And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood upon his feet. And he, immediately, seeing the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them, and to teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon; and as many as heard his words believed, and were converted unto the Lord. And it came to pass that there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them. And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.
Just as Abish could only see the present, not knowing the future, so it is with us. We must remember that we do not know what the future is for those we invite into our homes. We cannot see their coming years, nor can we see the work on the other side of the veil.
The most we can do is count every opportunity to invite someone into our homes as a gospel-sharing opportunity. The success is not seen in their response; the success is seen in our invitation.
M. Russell Ballard: A gospel sharing home is not defined by whether or not people join the Church as a result of our contact with them.
I pray we will go forth and strive to unify our families in the gospel. I pray the Lord’s blessings on us as we prepare our homes to radiate the spirit of God. I pray we will seek opportunities to share the gospel by opening our hearts and homes to those we know and love. I testify that Our loving Father in Heaven will support and bless us in such efforts.
And Sister Randall, may God bless you for your righteous desire to share the gospel.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
