The Doctrine of Christ

The following is a talk that I wrote for the Kalispell 3rd Ward's Sacrament Meeting about a month ago. I didn't get to share it all so I figured I would just put it on here. Sorry, but it'll just be in bullet point format. Here goes:

"Strengthening their understanding of the doctrine of Christ will do more to . . . build their excitement to do missionary work than anything else you can do." -Preach My Gospel pg. 161
What is the Doctrine of Christ?
2 Nephi 31:17-21 Note: Unshaken faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, Endure to the End.

Faith
Bible Dictionary: "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true, and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation."
Pray with faith to be able to assist the Lord in this great work.
See Alma 31:26, 35. Note the difference from the beginning of Alma's prayer to the end? What was the turning point? Vs. 31 - "comfort my soul in Christ."

Repentance
"Our faith in Christ and our love for Him lead us to repent, or to change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are not in harmony with His will." Preach My Gospel pg. 62

Baptism
When we are baptized we covenant to:
-Mourn with those that mourn
-Comfort those that stand in need of comfort
-Stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places
In L. Tom Perry's talk, Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear, he says, "There are a number of things that we can do - that you can do - to advance an understanding of the Church." Some of those things include:
1. Be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ
2. Be righteous examples to others
3. Speak up about the Church

Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost will help us do missionary work. "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." -Elder Holland
John 14:26-27 Speaks about the Holy Ghost bringing things to our remembrance an and also bringing us peace.

Endure to the End
After doing all of this it is important that we don't stop. We must keep pressing forward looking toward Christ (2 Nephi 31:20). If we will continue on this path then we will have eternal life.

Trust Your Ball

The other day Elder Davis and I were visiting with a family in our area. The older gentleman that we were conversing with had recently played a game or two of bowling. Actually, he regularly gets together with some friends and plays a couple of frames. Anyhow, as he talked he said something that really stuck out to me. He said something to the effect of, "You've just got to trust your ball."

What I got from this was that after you've thrown your ball there really isn't anything you can do. You've just got to trust it. It's kind of like our trust in Jesus Christ. Nephi said, ". . . for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."1 When we do everything in our power to repent and become better we must trust Christ. And the great thing about having Christ on our team is that we will always get a strike!

1. 2 Nephi 25:23

Faith in Jesus Christ

       The Fourth Article of Faith states, "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."1 I don't think that it is any coincidence that faith is first on the list.

       I like to associate the word trust with the faith. We must have trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We must have trust in Christ's Atonement. We must have trust that we will be blessed for being obedient to the commandments.

       What can we do with our faith? What is it good for? Believe it or not, it's good for growing trees. Actually it's good for growing a very special kind of tree. Alma talks about this gardening experiment in chapter 32 of the Book of Alma. To find out more just click on the picture to the right.

       When we have faith it leads us to repent, or to change for the better. Which leads us to the second principle in the Fourth Article of Faith, Repentance.

Please See:

The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Man in the Mirror, Elder Steinicke

The Beginning of Sorrows

Christ said, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."1
From the following charts and graphs it seems apparent that natural disasters are rising. Some may argue that we are only seeing a rise because of advances made in technology and communications. While this is partly true I believe that the increase we are seeing is the fulfillment of Jesus Christ's prophesy.



marketoracle.co.uk


businessinsider.com


globalchange.umich.edu

Elder Russell M. Nelson, an apostle of the Lord, said in the last General Conference, "We live in a time of turmoil. Earthquakes and tsunamis wreak devastation, governments collapse, economic stresses are severe, the family is under attack, and divorce rates are rising. We have great cause for concern. But we do not need to let our fears displace our faith. We can combat those fears by strengthening our faith."2

I would just like to echo Elder Nelson's words in stating that I know through these perilous times we can have peace and comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sources:

1. Matthew 24:6-8

2. Face the Future with Faith by Elder Russell M. Nelson

The Gospel Blesses Families

     The teachings of Jesus Christ and His church blesses families now and for eternity. I grew up with two little sisters and two little brothers. I love them very much. They are all fantastic examples for me. My parents are exceptional and I learn a lot from watching how they live their lives. I was truly blessed because of the family I was given. Unfortunately, not every child is born into a home where they are loved and looked after. Heavenly Father allows His children to make their own decisions. The gospel of Jesus Christ shows us all how we can better our family relationships here on earth and in the next life. If we follow His teachings we will be blessed tremendously. The blessings may not come immediately but they will come if we have faith and press ever forward.

The Man in the Mirror

       James 1:23-24 says "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." Reading this scripture we understand that not only do we need faith in this life but we need to DO what we profess to believe in. Just a chapter and a few verses later James says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justfied, and not by faith only." And, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, is faith without works is dead also." Hopefully we can be the man we see in the mirror throughout the day and our lives.

See also James 2:17, 20, 24, 26; Alma 32