President
Nelson Announces Changes, Speaks of Revelation and Ministering at General
Conference
By LDS.org Blog Staff April 1, 2018
In his first general conference as
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell
M. Nelson provided a blueprint for how we can consistently receive personal
revelation in our lives.
“The privilege of receiving
revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children,” President
Nelson said.
He said that as we pray to our
Heavenly Father and receive direction in our lives, we won’t need to puzzle
over what is right or whom we can safely trust.
Qualify
Yourself
In order to receive personal
revelation, President Nelson said that we must first qualify ourselves.
“Nothing opens the heavens,” he
explained, “quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience,
earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon,
and regular time committed to temple and family history work.”
How
to Receive Revelation
When we wish to obtain answers or
deeper understanding, President Nelson counseled us to follow Joseph Smith’s
example. He said to find a quiet place we can regularly go, humble ourselves,
and pour out our hearts to our Father in Heaven.
“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ
about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses,” he counseled, “yes, the very
longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your
mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions you are prompted to
take.”
What
Personal Revelation Will Do for You
“As you continue to be obedient,” he
explained, “expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as
you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and
understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will
follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.”
Ministering
During the Sunday afternoon session,
President Nelson spoke of opening a new chapter in the history of the
Church.
“We have made the decision to retire
‘home teaching’ and ‘visiting teaching’ as we have known them. Instead, we will
implement a newer, holier approach to caring and ministering to others. We will
refer to those efforts simply as ‘ministering;’”
President Nelson reminded each of us
that as members of Christ’s Church, we must “minister to the one, just as [the
Savior] did,” explaining “a hallmark of the Lord’s true and living Church will
always be an organized, directed effort to minister to the individual children
of God and their families.”
Organizing
the Priesthood to be More Effective
President Nelson announced that in
each ward, high priests and elders will now be combined into one elders quorum.
“These modifications have been under
study for many months,” President Nelson said. “We have felt a pressing need to
improve the way we care for our members and report our contacts with them. To
do that better, we need to strengthen our priesthood quorums to give greater
direction to the ministering of love and support that the Lord intends for His
Saints.
“These adjustments are inspired of
the Lord. As we implement them, we will be even more effective than we have
been previously.”
President Nelson shared his
gratitude for faithful women who understand the power of the priesthood and for
how they access this power to protect and strengthen their families and loved
ones.
“These are spiritually strong
women,” he said, “who lead, teach, and minister fearlessly in their callings
with the power and authority of God!”
Likewise, President Nelson shared
his gratitude for faithful men who worthily use the priesthood. “Brethren,” he
counseled, “there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give,
hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives
we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints—all
because we hold the priesthood of God.”
Words
of Concern
President Nelson also shared a
concern regarding members of the Church and the priesthood: “Too many of our
brothers and sisters,” he explained, “do not fully understand the concept of
priesthood power and authority. They act as though they would rather satisfy
their own selfish desires and appetites than use the power of God to bless His
children. I fear that too many of our brothers and sisters do not grasp the
privileges that could be theirs.”
He said that the honor to act in the
name of Jesus Christ should not be taken lightly. He said priesthood holders
should prepare spiritually and live worthily in order to fully call upon the
power of God when giving blessings to God’s children.
Invitation
to Come Unto the Savior
At the conclusion of general
conference Sunday afternoon, President Nelson announced plans to construct seven new temples.
He said, “construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time
in the temple surely will.”
He encouraged each one of us to
study repeatedly the messages we heard and to discuss what we learned with
family, friends, and those not of our faith.
President Nelson concluded with a simple
and sincere message to the world: “We invite all of God’s children on both
sides of the veil to come unto their Savior, receive the blessings of the holy
temple, have enduring joy, and qualify for eternal life.”
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14 Challenges, Assurances President
Nelson and Elder Holland Gave on the Global Ministry Tour
After 11 days, President Russell M. Nelson's global ministry tour
reached an end today.
And after visiting with Saints in Europe, Africa, and Asia
in just a week and a half, exhaustion would seem understandable, even expected.
But President Nelson's devotion and love for meeting one-on-one with the
Saints showed through when he told Mormon Newsroom, "We
don’t allow jet lag."
And others have seen his tireless devotion to the Saints as well,
including his wife, Wendy. “He is now doing what he was foreordained to
do," Sister Nelson shared with the Saints in Hawaii. "I have seen him
change right at the pulpit. I have heard him become [clearer] in professing
certain doctrine, to use phrases I've never heard him use in 12 years. I've
seen him even look younger.”
And as we look back on this amazing tour and all the lives it
touched, we can't help but think about all the incredible messages that were
shared, especially the challenges and sweet assurances President Nelson
and Elder Holland gave to saints around the world.
Here are just a few of these messages President Nelson and Elder
Holland shared on their global ministry tour.
England
“No matter what it is, the gospel of Jesus Christ has within it
the power to lift and to love, to serve. Our doctrine is not complicated or
convoluted or complex. It’s so simple: Love God and love your neighbor. . . .
We want people to have a better way of life." —President Nelson
Israel
“God has always dealt with His children on the earth through
prophets, but He wants them to choose to come home. So those people who choose
to obey the commandments [given through prophets] will have that opportunity to
return home with their families in eternal life together." —President
Nelson
“As the new president to the Church, I felt that there were two
messages that I would like to convey to our people. One is that Jesus is the
Christ and He has a message for all of God's children. And the second is that
His is a global invitation. We invite all of God's children to come unto their
Savior.” —President Nelson
Kenya
“Our message to the world is that Jesus is the Christ and that His
way of life is the way of joy and happiness not only in this life but in the
life ahead."
—President Nelson
“The [temple] announcement has been made and the work is yet to be
done, but I’m sure it was your faith and your devotion that the Lord would
smile on you.”
—Elder Holland
Zimbabwe
“These precious children, how I love them. Help them to understand
about the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, . . . to know how to pray to
Heavenly Father, . . . to understand why we partake of this sacrament on the
Sabbath day. . . . Help them to understand about prophets. . . . I would like
to suggest that you read the scriptures to your children. . . . I hope you'll
teach these children to be good citizens of this wonderful country." —President Nelson
Thailand
My desires for the people of Thailand [are] the same as my desires
for people of Taiwan or any other city [or] country. We invite all of God’s
children . . . to come unto the Savior and enjoy the blessings and benefits of
their temple and have everlasting life [and] joy." —President Nelson
“I bless you with love at home, success in your work, and joy in
your hearts as you prepare for the temple of the Lord here in this sacred
country.”
—President Nelson
India
“As we teach them that God loves them and as they keep His
commandments, they will have joy in their life and they will be liberated from
the bondage, not only of sin but of deprivation. The gospel of Jesus Christ has
only one purpose, really." —President
Nelson
“In a way, it’s easier for us to build a temple than it is to
build a people who are ready for the ordinances and covenants of the temple.
It’s going to take you a little while to get ready. It will take us a little
while to build it as well. . . . Now, I’m 93 years old. You better hurry.” —President Nelson
Hong Kong
“Everything we do in the Church is to make life better for other
people, to bring them joy. And how do you that? By building strong families.
Those families are made stronger because of covenants made in the holy
temples.”
—President Nelson
“When you’re not in the temple here in Hong Kong, make sure the
temple is in you, that whatever the environment you face, you’ll have the peace
of the gospel of Jesus Christ speaking to you as God Himself spoke to the
Prophet Joseph in Liberty Jail.” —Elder Holland
Hawaii
“Really everything we’ve done in these last few days together
circling the globe could be summed up in two words — the temple."—President
Nelson
"It's a global ministry and a global message — faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ [and] strengthening your own families as they qualify for
eternal life in the presence of deity.” —President
Nelson
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