RS Lesson July and August 2009

The Way of the Disciple by President Dieter F. Uchdorf and
Bring Souls Unto Me by Elder L. Tom Perry
taught by Alison Jaehne

Next month on the fourth Sunday, I won't be teaching because we have the opportunity and privilege of witnessing the dedication of the Oquirh Mountain Temple Open House. I love both of the assigned conference messages for this month and next, so I will talk about each. The talks do correlate, because it takes a disciple of Jesus Christ to proclaim His message and being a disciple involves the duty to share His message.
The Way of the Disciple- The Bible dictionary says that a disciple is, "a pupil or learner... all followers of Jesus Christ." "The word disciple comes from Latin a 'learner'. A disciple of Christ is one who is learning to be like Christ--learning to think, to feel, and to act like he does. To be a true disciple, to fulfill that learning task, is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other discipline compares . . . in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of [a] saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind, and strength" (Chauncey C. Riddle, "Becoming a Disciple," Ensign, Sept. 1974, 81). Elder Uchdorf says, "The more we are filled with the Spirit of God, the more we extend ourselves to others. We become peacemakers in our homes and families, we help our fellowmen everywhere, and we reach out in merciful acts of kindness, forgiveness, grace, and long-suffering patience....This is the peaceable way of the follower of Jesus Christ.

The Path of Patience - it is not a quick fix or an overnight cure...Brothers and sisters, we have to stay with it. We don’t acquire eternal life in a sprint—this is a race of endurance. We have to apply and reapply the divine gospel principles. Day after day we need to make them part of our normal life. Discipleship is a journey. We need the refining lessons of the journey to craft our character and purify our hearts. By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours. It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping. Ours is not a secondhand religion. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and practice what we preach.

The Way Is Open to All- The first step on the path of discipleship begins, luckily enough, in the exact place where we stand! We do not have to prequalify to take that first step. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor. There is no requirement to be educated, eloquent, or intellectual. We do not have to be perfect or well-spoken or even well-mannered. [to be a disciple or to be a member missioanry] You and I can walk in the path of discipleship today. Let us be humble; let us pray to our Father in Heaven with all our heart and express our desire to draw close to Him and learn of Him. Have faith. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. Serve the Lord by serving others. Become an active participant in your ward or branch. Strengthen your family by committing to live the principles of the gospel. Be of one heart and of one mind in your marriage and in your family."

Bring Souls Unto Me- Elder L. Tom Perry tells of seeing a lost sheep stuck on the cliffs in the Provo canyon. He saw the search and rescue team trying to reach the sheep. Knowing how cornered animals react to strangers, he wondered how they would attempt to calm the sheep which would probably struggle to get away could even jump off the cliff. He wondered where the shepherd who knew the sheep was. The shepherd had the best chance of anyone to aproach the sheep without startling it. The search and rescue team are like the missionaries and we are like the sheperds who know personally the sheep who are lost and need to be rescued. Elder Perry gives us three topics to testify of when we open our mouths to be a missionary. I went on a mission to Las Vegas and I like to think that I am a good member missionary, but I don't feel very good at opening my mouth to testify or preach. On my mission, I attended a RS lesson on missionary work where I came away feeling guilty about not doing enough and I was on a full-time mission!!! I will not do that today, I will talk about how I focus my missionary efforts. I have seen over the 18 years (oh no!) since my mission that my efforts to love have contributed to a few conversions and positive feelings about the church.

President Gordon B. Hinckley echoed the message of today: “My heart reaches out to you missionaries. You simply cannot do it alone and do it well. You must have the help of others. ... Now, my brethren and sisters, we can let the missionaries try to do it alone, or we can help them. If they do it alone, they will knock on doors day after day and the harvest will be meager. Or as members we can assist them in finding and teaching investigators. … Brothers and sisters... I invite you to become a vast army with enthusiasm for this work and a great overarching desire to assist the missionaries in the tremendous responsibility they have to carry the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” Let me note a number of things we can do to respond to that call [to be member missionaries]. You will recognize how many of them you are already doing. Above all else we can live the gospel. Surely there is no more powerful missionary message we can send to this world than the example of a loving and happy Latter-day Saint life. The manner and bearing, the smile and kindness of a faithful member of the Church brings a warmth and an outreach which no missionary tract or videotape can convey. People do not join the Church because of what they know. They join because of what they feel, what they see and want spiritually... Your faith, your happiness, the very look on your face is enough to quicken the honest in heart... But perhaps even more important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more. Elder Russell Nelson told me once that one of the first rules of medical inquiry is “Ask the patient where it hurts. The patient,” he said, “will be your best guide to a correct diagnosis and eventual remedy.” If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us—by the Spirit and by our friends." (“Witnesses unto Me” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

The principle of Personal Ministering- "At the conclusion of a Utah Board of Higher Education meeting, Elder Neal A. Maxwell submitted his resignation, saying that he did not have time for a personal ministry. Most of the board members assumed he was referring to his apostleship. However, he corrected them, saying it was not his calling as an Apostle, but his personal ministry to the many people to whom he felt a responsibility to comfort. How do we find out what our personal ministry is?...The Holy Ghost is the key to our personal ministry." (Bonnie D. Parkin Personal Ministering Fall 2006 RS Open House) Who are we responsible for in our own personal ministry? 1. family - "I repeat, our success, individually and as a Church, will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home. Only as we see clearly the responsibilities of each individual and the role of families and homes can we properly understand that priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations, even wards and stakes, exist primarily to help members live the gospel in the home. Then we can understand that people are more important than programs, and that Church programs should always support and never detract from gospel-centered family activities. . . .All should work together to make home a place where we love to be, a place of listening and learning, a place where each member can find mutual love, support, appreciation, and encouragement."("Living the Gospel in the Home," Ensign, May 1978, 101). " For some of you, this takes an incredible amount of time and effort!! Don't feel guilty! This is your missionary calling and where most of your efforts should be focused!
others in our personal ministry- 2.callings 3.visiting teaching 4.neighbors 5. work associations and all other various short and long-term associations We need to rely on the Spirit to know who to help and how to help them so that we don't try to run faster than we have strength. When there is someone in my personal ministry who I have not been able to get to, and I see that someone else has helped them, I am so grateful and I feel so close to that person! I love to talk about those associations and praise those who are working to help those that I am also trying to help. That is where my excitement and joy in missionary work comes from! That is the gospel in action! We all have personal ministry connections in our ward and in our neighborhoods that bring us closer together as we work together to make everyone feel loved and included. That is the one goal we can control. We can't make anyone embrace the gospel! But we can do our part to ensure that anyone who walks through the chapel doors or attends our parties or lives in our neighborhoods, feels love and acceptance from the people in our church. We can make everyone feel loved and included! That, for sure, is our personal duty as a disciple of Jesus Christ. That is being a member missionary! Above that, as we focus on loving, the Spirit will guide us to the specific ways we can help and specific ways to open our mouths. Without that love, it doesn't matter what truths we speak, it won't touch anyone's heart. With that love, it doesn't matter what we say, we will contribute to warm feelings, which can open hearts.
I learned on my mission that being a disciple and loving others is the best way to be a missionary. The full-time missioanries get transferred, but we are here to stay. We can embrace everyone with our love! That is the gospel in action! I am sorry that I am going to do this to you, but I am going to say something that may cause the Spirit to poke you and then you will responsible for the prompting. :-) We have until next Saturday to go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. Do you know someone you can invite to go with you to see the temple? You could say, "I am going to the open house this week, would you like to see inside a temple?" That is the most effective way to invite someone. Don't just hand them a pamphlet, offer to take them. Take your families. Sorry to put that kind of pressure on you, but think of the joy and blessings you will get if you actually take someone through the Open House! That is the gospel in action! I love the gospel with all my heart and I feel closer to Heavenly Father when I try to follow it. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.