Highlights from the Saturday Sessions of the LDS General Conference. | News

The largest query looming as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints entered General Conference weekend was whether or not its 100-year-old president, Russell M. Nelson, who has been alive for greater than half the religion’s historical past, can be current at the proceedings.

That question was answered quickly sufficient. Saturday’s morning session began with Nelson viewing the assembly from house. Henry B. Eyring, his 91-year-old second counselor in the governing First Presidency, performed the session whereas seated in his chair. His first counselor, 92-year-old Dallin H. Oaks, additionally was in attendance.

Nelson, the oldest-ever Latter-day Saint prophet, did, nonetheless, go to the afternoon session, arriving in a wheelchair. Apostle Gerrit W. Gong performed.

For the night session, Nelson and apostle Jeffrey R. Holland (each of whom used wheelchairs Saturday) watched the day’s last assembly from house. Apostle Ronald A. Rasband performed.

In April, Nelson attended two classes at the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City and seen the remaining three remotely — similar to thousands and thousands of fellow members round the world.

He delivered a recorded deal with at the two-day gathering’s shut, saying 15 new temples. If the current convention sample holds, Nelson will once more identify new places for the religion’s most sacred edifices.

The centenarian church chief attended a globally broadcast celebration on his one hundredth birthday on Sept. 9.

Here are the newest speeches and bulletins from Saturday’s three classes:

Evening session

Apostle David A. Bednar: The religious hazard of pleasure

The Book of Mormon, the church’s foundational scripture, just isn't “primarily a historical record that looks to the past,” apostle David A. Bednar mentioned. “Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day.”

The historical tales “plead with us today to learn this everlasting lesson: prosperity, possessions and ease constitute a potent mixture that can lead even the righteous to drink the spiritual poison of pride,” Bednar warned. “Allowing pride to enter into our hearts can cause us to mock that which is sacred, disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and revelation, trample under our feet the commandments of God, deny the word of God, cast out, mock, and revile against the prophets, and forget the Lord our God.”

If members are “not faithful and obedient, we can transform the God-given blessing of prosperity into a prideful curse that diverts and distracts us from eternal truths and vital spiritual priorities,” the apostle mentioned. “We always must be on guard against a pride-induced and exaggerated sense of self-importance, a misguided evaluation of our own self-sufficiency, and seeking self instead of serving others.”

Apostasy can happen to establishments and people, he mentioned. “At the institutional level, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not be lost through apostasy or taken from the earth.”

He cautioned: “If you or I believe we are sufficiently strong and stalwart to avoid the arrogance of pride, then perhaps we already are suffering from this deadly spiritual disease. … In the space of not many days, weeks, months or years, we might forfeit our spiritual birthright for far less than a mess of pottage.”

General authority Jorge M. Alvarado: Embracing repentance

Turning to the Lord in prayer and asking for his forgiveness may also help members overcome their emotions of unworthiness and inadequacy, basic authority Seventy Jorge M. Alvarado informed listeners.

The Puerto Rican church chief mentioned church founder Joseph Smith skilled comparable doubts about his skills and imperfections, which motivated him to show to God and “ponder, study, learn and pray” — and repent.

“Joseph’s sincere desire to repent and seek the salvation of his soul helped him come to Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness of his sins,” Alvarado mentioned. “This continuous effort opened the door to the continuing restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Repentance, he added, is a every day course of wherein individuals study “line upon line, precept upon precept” about find out how to reside a life centered on the Savior and his teachings.

Alvarado additionally recounted the story of a girl in the church who was taking a Book of Mormon to a buddy, solely to have a thief seize her purse and would-be reward and run.

A couple of days later, the Seventy mentioned, the girl acquired a letter from the thief saying the e book had touched his soul and altered his life. He enclosed $5 he had stolen from her.

“I want you to know that you will see me again, but when you do, you won’t recognize me, for I will be your brother,” Alvarado quoted the man as writing.

“What a miracle!” Alvarado mentioned. “One faithful sister, one Book of Mormon, sincere repentance, and the Savior’s power led to the enjoyment of the fullness of blessings of the gospel.”

General authority Kyle S. McKay: Forgiveness and route

As a younger man, Mormonism’s founder and first prophet prayed to God about his sins and about reality. Joseph Smith’s mystical expertise grew to become generally known as the “First Vision,” which helped launch the Utah-based church.

For Joseph, although, “the experience was also personal and preparatory,” mentioned basic authority Seventy, Kyle S. McKay, now serving as the church historian and recorder. “All he wanted was forgiveness and direction. The Lord gave him both.”

It gave him “confidence to ask for forgiveness and direction for the rest of his life,” mentioned McKay, who adopted emeritus Seventy Steven Snow in the historian place. “His experience has also given me confidence to ask for forgiveness and direction for the rest of my life.”

Smith prayed time and again for divine forgiveness of his sins, and all the time felt the love of God, the basic authority mentioned. “It is neither his mission nor his nature to condemn. He came to save.”

Relief Society chief Kristin M. Yee: The pleasure of redemption

To illustrate the energy of the Savior’s love and atonement to avoid wasting individuals from their errors, Kristin M. Yee, second counselor over the religion’s worldwide girls’s Relief Society, recalled the time she tried to color a portrait of Jesus.

Alas, she defined, she utilized a varnish to guard the portray from grime and dirt, which wiped away half of the image and threatened to wreck it altogether. Yee mentioned she felt she had destroyed what God had helped her create, inflicting her to really feel sick inside. She wept.

In desperation, she turned to prayer, pleaded for assist and painted by way of the evening to restore the work. To her delight, she associated, the redone portray regarded higher the subsequent morning than it did earlier than.

“What I thought was a mistake without mend,” Yee mentioned, “was an opportunity for his merciful hand to be manifest — he was not done with the painting, and he was not done with me.

“What joy and relief filled my heart,” she added. “I praised the Lord for his mercy, for this miracle that not only saved the painting, but taught me more about his love and power to save each of us from our mistakes, weaknesses, and sins, and to help us become something more.”

Through honest repentance, Yee mentioned, individuals might be forgiven of their sins. “Repenting allows us to feel God’s love, and to know and love him in ways we would never otherwise know.”

“You may feel at times that it’s not possible to be redeemed, that perhaps you are an exception to God’s love and the Savior’s atoning power because of what you are struggling with or because of what you’ve done,” she mentioned. “But I testify that you are not beneath the master’s reach. The Savior ‘descended below all things’ and is in a divine position to lift you and claim you from the darkest abyss and bring you into ‘his marvelous light.’ Through his sufferings, he has made a way for each of us to overcome our personal weaknesses and sins.”

Apostle Gerrit W. Gong: Holiness in on a regular basis life

Holiness presents life with a sacred goal, mentioned apostle Gerrit W. Gong. “But holiness also invites us to infuse daily living with the sacred — to rejoice in daily bread, manna as it were, amidst this world’s thistles and thorns.”

Such bizarre holiness to the Lord rejects the profane, snarky cleverness at others’ expense, and “algorithms that monetize anger and polarization,” Gong mentioned. But it says “’yes’ to the “sacred and reverent, ‘yes’ to our becoming our freest, happiest, most authentic best selves as we follow him in faith.”

Such a way of the sacred “draws us closer and happier to the Lord and each other,” the religion’s first Asian American apostle mentioned. “Holiness to the Lord in the House of the Lord prepares us to live with God our Father, a man of holiness, Jesus Christ, and our loved ones.”

In holiness, Latter-day Saints can really feel God’s love as they heart their every day lives in Jesus and “covenant belonging,” Gong mentioned, “communion with God; connection and commitment with family; compassion and community with all around us.”

Afternoon session

Apostle Ulisses Soares: Submit coronary heart and soul to God

Brazilian apostle Ulisses Soares warned listeners towards “people becoming consumed with themselves” and pursuing “self-centered” life that “don’t match God’s loving plan.”

Such pondering, “often justified as being ‘authentic,’” he continued, can create “significant stumbling blocks.”

He drew contrasts with this mindset to the examples of a younger man who, regardless of his fears, determined to serve a church mission, in addition to a younger girl who refused to evolve to work gown requirements she deemed conceited.

He acknowledged that an array of elements — from genetics and geography to psychological and bodily challenges — “influence our journey.”

However, he was emphatic: “In things that truly matter, there is an inner space where we are free to choose whether or not we will decide to follow” God’s plan.

“The ultimate test of our discipleship is found in our willingness to give up and lose our old self,” he defined, “and submit our heart and our whole soul to God so that his will becomes ours.”

General authority Aroldo B. Cavalcante: No one is ever forgotten

There are some ways to serve in the church. Whether serving to nursing house residents, proselytizing as a missionary, or simply reaching out to fellow members, mentioned basic authority Seventy Aroldo B. Cavalcante, Latter-day Saints can deliver hope and information others to the covenant path.

“Though you wear a nametag, sometimes you may feel unrecognized or forgotten,” mentioned the Brazilian church chief. “However, you must know that you have a perfect Heavenly Father who knows you personally and a Savior who loves you.”

General authority D. Martin Goury: Be thou clear

“Through the Savior’s redemptive sacrifice, each of us can repent and seek forgiveness and become clean,” basic authority Seventy D. Martin Goury mentioned. “Repentance, a foundational principle of the gospel, is essential for our spiritual development and resilience as we navigate life’s challenges.”

Goury, an Ivory Coast native, mentioned repentance is crucial if we're to develop into clear and be prepared for the Savior’s arrival when he comes once more. He famous that his spouse wears listening to aids that she should clear repeatedly if the gadget is to work correctly all through the day.

“When she overlooks this daily ritual,” the chief mentioned, “her ability to hear suffers throughout the day, spoken words gradually fade and eventually become inaudible. Just like her daily hearing aid cleaning allows her to hear clearly, daily repentance allows us to discern the guidance of the Lord through the Holy Ghost.”

By repenting and changing into clear earlier than the Lord, Goury continued, members can have the Holy Ghost to function a religious reference to their Heavenly Father.

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost,” Goury mentioned, quoting church President Russell M. Nelson. As members “consciously choose to follow the guidance of prophets and apostles,” their capability to have the fixed companionship of the Holy Ghost grows and they're higher in a position to perceive the religious promptings they obtain.

General authority David L. Buckner: The holy calling of friendship

Growing up, basic authority Seventy David L. Buckner mentioned his father would usually remind him that “simply sitting in a pew on Sunday doesn’t make you a good Christian any more than sleeping in a garage makes you a car.”

Jesus, Buckner famous, repeatedly refers to his followers as his mates. Extending this similar hand of friendship to others is a technique disciples can, he mentioned, actually be like him.

“I see the Savior’s declaration ‘ye are my friends’ as a clarion call to build higher and holier relationships among all of God’s children ‘that we may be one,’” he mentioned. “We do this as we come together seeking both opportunities to unite and a sense of belonging for all.”

Apostle Patrick Kearon: Jesus Christ is pleasure

As Latter-day Saints, apostle Patrick Kearon mentioned, “we are members of the church of joy. And nowhere should our joy as a people be more apparent than when we gather together each Sabbath.”

Weekly sacrament conferences provide those that assemble with their ward and department households, he mentioned, “to celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, our deliverance from sin and death, and the Savior’s powerful grace. Here we come to experience the joy, refuge, forgiveness, thanksgiving and belonging found through Jesus Christ.”

Everyone who comes collectively can “contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings,” Kearon mentioned, “the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence.”

And reverence just isn't merely “folding our arms tightly around our chests, bowing our heads, closing our eyes, and holding still — indefinitely,” mentioned Kearon, demonstrating that pose. “This might be a helpful way to teach energetic young children, but as we grow and learn, let us see that reverence is so much more than this.”

Worshipping is a lot greater than merely attending, the British apostle added. “There is a significant difference between the two. To attend means to be present at. But to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us.”

True worship reveals in facial expressions, in singing and in welcoming all to this “sacred time for spiritual renewal.”

And taking the emblems of the sacrament is greater than “thinking only about all the ways we messed up during the week before,” Kearon mentioned, but in addition to “ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with his wonderful love that week.”

In these moments, the religion’s latest apostle mentioned, Latter-day Saints “can reflect on what it means to discover” the pleasure of every day repentance.”

He invited his listeners “to discover this joy, embark on its quest…to receive the Savior’s gift of peace, light and joy — to revel in it, to wonder at it, and to rejoice in it, every Sabbath.”

General authority Juan Pablo Villar: Giving us a serving to hand

Juan Pablo Villar, a basic authority Seventy from Chile, recalled enjoying in the ocean off the coast of his South American homeland and being rescued by his older brother, Claudio, twice from highly effective waves that dragged him underneath the water.

Just as he was rescued by his brother who prolonged his hand and pulled him out of the water, Villar mentioned, so our elder brother, Jesus Christ, all the time stands prepared to assist. “During our mortal time,” the chief mentioned, ”we're topic to the assaults of the adversary, like the waves that had energy over me that summer time day, we will really feel powerless and wish to give in to a stronger destiny.

“Those malicious waves,” he added, “could jostle us from side to side. But do not forget who has power over those waves and, in fact, over all things. That is our Savior, Jesus Christ. He has the power to help us out of every miserable condition or adverse situation.”

As members suppose celestially, the Lord will all the time “be there, and in his time, he will be ready and willing to grasp our hands and pull us up to a safe place.” Having an everlasting perspective, Villar mentioned, also can assist members obtain revelation to assist others who need assistance or rescue.

Seventy José A. Teixeira: On changing into the ‘salt of the earth’

Portugal’s José A. Teixeira of the Presidency of the Seventy invoked the New Testament instruction to develop into “the salt of the earth,” equating the commandment with “[being] the change the world needs today.”

To accomplish this nice job, Teixeira known as on this listeners to:

1. Make the temple “the center of our devotion.”

2. Strengthen others by residing the gospel collectively.

3. Serve in a church calling.

4. Use “digital communications tools with purpose.”

“Striving to be the salt of the earth,” he mentioned, “includes so much more than an endless scrolling of reels on a 6-inch screen.”

Apostle D. Todd Christofferson: Insidious ‘weapons of rebellion’

There are many acts of “willful rebellion” towards God, mentioned apostle D. Todd Christofferson, however probably extra “insidious” is “passive” resistance, like “ignoring his will.”

“Many who would never consider active rebellion may still oppose the will and word of God,” Christofferson mentioned, “by pursuing their own path without regard to divine direction.”

And some points “that may be neutral or even inherently good,” he mentioned, “but that [are] used in the wrong way become ‘weapons of rebellion.’”

Speech, for instance, “can edify or demean,” the apostle mentioned. “There is much in public and personal discourse today that is malicious and mean–spirited…much in conversation that is vulgar and profane, even among youth. This sort of speech is a ‘weapon of rebellion’ against God,‘ full of deadly poison.’”

A profession could seem good however “could be turned against divine directives,” Christofferson mentioned. “Still, it is possible that devotion to career can become the paramount focus of one’s life. Then all else becomes secondary, including any claim the Savior may make on one’s time and talent.”

Focusing on profession would possibly trigger some to forgo official alternatives for marriage, neglect a partner or youngsters. “Even intentionally avoiding the blessing and responsibility of child rearing solely for the sake of career advancement,” he warned, “can convert laudable achievement into a form of rebellion.”

While taking care of one’s physique might be good, Christofferson mentioned, “it would be a mark of rebellion to deface or defile one’s body, or abuse it, or fail to do what one can to pursue a healthy lifestyle.”

At the similar time, “vanity and becoming consumed with one’s physique, appearance or dress can be a form of rebellion at the other extreme,” he mentioned, “leading one to worship God’s gift instead of God.”

Burying weapons of rebel towards God, Christofferson mentioned, “means yielding to the enticing of the Holy Spirit, putting off the natural man and becoming a saint ‘through the atonement of Christ the Lord.’”

Morning session

President Dallin H. Oaks: Peacemaking in a time of division

Speaking on the eve of a tense and tight U.S. presidential election, apostle Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency and subsequent in line to guide the world church, lamented the state of public discourse, stating “this is a time of many harsh and hurtful words in public communications and sometimes even in our families.”

These “sharp differences on issues of public policy” have critical and dangerous penalties, he warned (with out overtly mentioning the election), together with “actions of hostility — even hatred” between individuals each privately and publicly. Other instances, it “paralyzes” lawmaking on pressing issues.

“We need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications,” he suggested. “This does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities but to cease harshly attacking others for theirs.”

This commandment, he mentioned, is a “permanent commandment,” and one which, like tithing, totally embracing “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and utilizing the “revealed” identify of the church, Latter-day Saints have been maybe just a little gradual to completely notice.

Such commandments stand in distinction to “temporary commandments,” corresponding to the one early Latter-day Saint pioneers adopted after they deserted the United States for the frontier.

“As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for his blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers,” he urged. “In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful.”

General authority Gregorio E. Casillas: Making a optimistic distinction in the world

Latter-day Saints ought to keep away from “comparing ourselves to one another,” mentioned Gregorio E. Casillas, a basic authority Seventy from Mexico. “Your spiritual abilities are unique, personal, and innate, and your Heavenly Father wants to help you develop them. There will always be someone you can help feel the love of your Heavenly Father. Your potential is divine.”

As members assist others, God will bless their lives, Casillas mentioned. “He will bless your current or future family; and he will bless the lives of his children that you encounter. We live in a time of great opportunity. Although we face many difficulties, I know they are there in part to allow us to help others feel the love of our Heavenly Father.”

It is a “privilege to watch over people who need a helping hand, an embrace, a feeling of comfort, or simply for us to be with them in silence,” the chief mentioned. “If we can help lighten their burdens, even if only for a moment, then we will be able to see the great manifestations of the Savior’s power in their lives.”

As disciples of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints could make “a positive difference in the world,” he mentioned. “We can provide a sense of joy that is reflected in our countenance; a joy that we share with words of love and acts of kindness. Let us be good neighbors, good employers and good workers. Let us strive to be good Christians at all times.”

General authority David P. Homer: Truth is absolute

Contrary to what some would possibly say, God’s “boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define,” basic authority Seventy David P. Homer informed listeners.

“God has established these boundaries himself,” he mentioned, “based on eternal truths for our benefit and blessing.”

Submitting to those boundaries doesn't restrict however expands one’s potential, he argued, stating: “The choice to submit our will to God’s is an act of faith that lies at the heart of our discipleship. In making that choice, we discover that our agency is not diminished; rather, it is magnified and rewarded by the presence of the Holy Ghost, who brings purpose, joy, peace, and hope we can find nowhere else.”

Apostle Dale G. Renlund: The church is ‘ordinary…disciples of Jesus Christ’

The “Lord’s church” just isn't “a location or a building,” mentioned apostle Dale G. Renlund. It is “simply ordinary people, disciples of Jesus Christ, gathered and organized into a divinely appointed structure that helps the Lord accomplish his purposes…the instrument through which we learn the central role of Jesus Christ in Heavenly Father’s plan.”

The church “offers the authoritative way for individuals to participate in ordinances and make lasting covenants with God,” Renlund mentioned. “Keeping those covenants draws us closer to God, gives us access to his power, and transforms us into who he intends us to become.”

Just as dynamite with out nitroglycerin is unremarkable, “the Savior’s church is special only if it is built on his gospel,” the apostle mentioned. “Without the Savior’s gospel and the authority to administer the ordinances thereof, the church isn’t exceptional.”

Without this church, Renlund mentioned, “there is no authority, no preaching of revealed truths in his name, no ordinances or covenants, no manifestation of the power of godliness, no transformation into who God wants us to become, and God’s plan for his children is set at naught.”

He invited listeners to commit totally to the church and Christ’s gospel.

“This power is far greater than dynamite,” he concluded. “It’ll shatter the rocks in your way.”

General authority Karl D. Hirst: God’s love is there, even when one may not really feel it

General authority Seventy Karl D. Hirst spoke emphatically of God’s love for all his youngsters, regardless of whether or not an individual might really feel worthy of such love.

“However misshapen we might feel we are, his arms are not shortened,” the British church chief mentioned. “No. They are always long enough to ‘reach our reaching’ and embrace each one of us.”

Still, he acknowledged there are occasions when people might not really feel that love.

Why that is perhaps, he acknowledged, “I don’t know.” Nevertheless, he reassured listeners that even when this occurs, that love “hasn’t gone away.”

He then supplied options for a way people would possibly put themselves in place to extend their sensitivity to God’s love for them. These included time in nature, service and the temple.

Hirst closed: “We have every good reason to ‘rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.’ Let’s get full.”

Young Women chief Emily Belle Freeman: Covenants ‘unlock’ divine energy, not who officiates

It just isn't solely the males who officiate in spiritual rituals that issues, mentioned Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, “what the ordinance and our covenant promise unlocks also deserves the focus of our attention.”

God ordained males to face in his place by way of ordinances, Freeman mentioned, however girls can expertise “inward sanctification and covenant connection.”

She cited the instance of church founder Joseph Smith’s spouse, Emma, who realized by way of “divine revelation” that “ordinances combined with the keeping of her covenant promises would increase her companionship with the Spirit and with angels, empowering her to navigate her life with divine guidance.”

Emma knew, Freeman mentioned, that “through his divine power, God would heal her heart, enlarge her capacity, and transform her into the version of herself he knew she could become.”

The sacrament of bread and water, or Communion, is “a weekly reminder of his power working in you to help you overcome,” she mentioned. “Wearing the garment of the holy priesthood is a daily reminder of the gift of his power working in you to help you become. We all have access to the gift of God’s power. Every time we partake of the sacrament. Every time we cross the threshold of a temple.”

Apostle Neil Andersen: The energy of hope to maintain the devoted amid life’s best trials

Apostle Neil L. Andersen opened the Saturday session with a message of hope.

In distinction to the informal, on a regular basis use of the phrase hope to precise a want, Andersen defined, “our sacred and eternal hopes centered in Jesus Christ and the restored gospel” have the energy to deliver reassurance even in a single’s darkest hour.

He contrasted the instance of two households — one devoted and one which “found pleasure in their intellect and the rejection of their faith.” When tragedy struck every in the kind of a demise in the household, the devoted members of the family discovered peace amid their heartache whereas the different had been overcome with “despair and confusion.”

Temples, a defining characteristic of the Nelson’s presidency, symbolize the final image of hope, the apostle continued.

“There is no pain, no sickness, no injustice, no suffering, nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the House of the Lord,” he informed listeners. “It is a house of light, a house of hope.”