Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 41
“Every
Member a Missionary”
Introduction
From being missionaries to those who are on the other
side of the veil, we turn now to how we can bring the living to Christ.
There isn’t much additional material this week, but the
one video of David O. McKay who coined the phrase “every member a missionary,”
resonates with me as I consider what kind of an influence I am to those around
me, both members and non-members alike. I am the only living member of the
Church in my family, and at times that was hard, especially while my mother was
still alive. I would have problems at work or elsewhere and be unable to talk
to her about them in case it reflected badly on the Church, since I worked at
BYU.
Hopefully you have had a chance to read the excerpts from
My Heritage for this lesson. When you think about how difficult travel and
long-distance communication was in the 1800s, especially for those of you who
have never lived without the internet, the impact of this quote from President
Kimball is enormous:
When I read Church history, I am
amazed at the boldness of the early brethren as they went out into the world.
They seemed to find a way. … As early as 1837 the Twelve were in England
fighting Satan, in Tahiti in 1844, Australia in 1851, Iceland [in] 1853, Italy
[in] 1850, and also in Switzerland, Germany, Tonga, Turkey, Mexico, Japan,
Czechoslovakia, China, Samoa, New Zealand, South America, France, and Hawaii in
1850. … Much of this early proselyting was done while the leaders were climbing
the Rockies and planting the sod and starting their homes. It is faith and
super faith (“When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, 6).
In our Relief Society lesson last Sunday, we talked about
fellowshipping, and I wonder how many of you are first-generation converts and
have had the benefit of being fellowshipped—probably without realizing it. I
remember as a brand new convert in an American Serviceman’s ward in Germany—the
Relief Society President, Rose Dukelow, took me under her wing and invited me
to a baby shower. Talk about culture shock. We didn’t have showers of any kind
except rain in England! I was new in Germany and new to the Gospel and large
Mormon families. I was in my 30s, unmarried, and here was this 22 year old
expecting her second child. But everyone was so friendly and welcoming that I
enjoyed it despite myself. And I still remember that experience 37 years later.
1. The Church is coming forth out of obscurity.
This year we have watched as the Church started with just
a few people and humble beginnings, but those early Saints had the Lord’s assurance
of the greatness of their contribution. One of my favorite Joseph Smith quotes enforces
this:
No unhallowed hand can stop the work
from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble,
calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and
independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept
every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be
accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done (History of
the Church, 4:540).
One example: I have Jewish ancestry and so I check the
Jewish genealogical sites. A few years ago they would not put any links to FamilySearch—it
was regarded as exclusively Mormon and thus not relevant. Now every site has it
as a link—sometimes the first one.
The Church’s presence on the internet is strong and
prolific; admittedly so are the anti-Mormon sites, but even they can lead an
honest seeker to the truth. And even that Broadway show, probably contrary to
the intentions of its creators, has engendered honest interest in the Church. So
I don’t think that the Church can any longer be said to be in obscurity. What
do you think?
2. Latter-day prophets have challenged us to take the
gospel to all the world.
Elder Bednar gave us several helpful directions on using
social media:
·
Be Authentic and Consistent
·
Edify and Uplift
·
Respect Intellectual Property
·
Be Wise and Vigilant
He concluded
We have been and are blessed in so
many ways; and where much is given, much is required. I pray that you may come
to understand more fully the spiritual significance and blessing of living in
the dispensation of the fulness of times, that you may have eyes to see clearly
both the possibilities and the pitfalls of the remarkable technologies that are
available to us today, that you may increase in your capacity to use these
inspired tools appropriately, and that you may receive inspiration and guidance
about the role you should play in helping to sweep the earth as with a flood of
truth and righteousness. As you press forward in this holy work, I promise you
will be blessed in mortality in the individual, specific, and necessary ways
that will prepare you for eternity.[1]
This blog, surprisingly, is being read—albeit probably
only sporadically—as far afield as Thailand and the Ukraine. I imagine that if
they were to publish the statistics, that lds.org does in fact reach every
country in the world. Truly, with the internet, every virtual ear can “hear”
the Gospel.
3. “Every member a missionary.”
This phrase was coined by David O. McKay and perpetuated
since that time. We may not have that designation, that black and white name
tag, currently, but in the opening session of this last General Conference,
Sharon Eubank clearly explained our mission:
Each of us needs to be better at
articulating the reasons for our faith. How do you feel about Jesus Christ? Why
do you stay in the Church? Why do you believe the Book of Mormon is scripture?
Where do you get your peace? Why does it matter that the prophet has something
to say in 2017? How do you know he is a real prophet? Use your voice and your
power to articulate what you know and feel—on social media, in quiet
conversations with your friends, when you’re chatting with your grandchildren.
Tell them why you believe, what it feels like, if you ever doubted, how you got
through it, and what Jesus Christ means to you. As the Apostle Peter said, “Be
not afraid … ; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
you.”[2]
Go back a few years and President Kimball urged us:
Our great need, and our great calling,
is to bring to the people of this world the candle of understanding to light
their way out of obscurity and darkness and into the joy, peace, and truths of
the gospel. I believe we must not weary in our well-doing. I believe it is time
again to ask ourselves the question, what can I do to help take the gospel to
others and to the inhabitants of the world?” (“Are We Doing All We Can?” Ensign,
Feb. 1983, 5).
4. Nurturing new converts is our continuing
responsibility.
It is unlikely that we will get to this section in our
lesson, but hopefully not only the sisters, but the brothers discussed it last
Sunday in the third hour. My question is, how do you define “new”? Shouldn’t we
always be nurturing each other, no matter if you count your membership in
months or decades.
A final quote from the scriptures assigned to this
lesson. And a side note. I find it interesting that although the Song of
Solomon is rightly not to be regarded as scripture, according to Joseph Smith,[3]
there is a phrase therein which crops up quite often. Here is it in D&C 109:73,
the Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer.
72 Remember all thy church, O Lord,
with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their
sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth; that the
kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and
fill the whole earth;
73 That thy church may come forth out
of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the
sun, and terrible as an army with banners;
74 And be adorned as a bride for that
day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at
thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that
thy glory may fill the earth;
We can all play our small but significant part in bringing
the Church out of the wilderness of darkness, so that we are prepared for the
time that His glory will fill the earth.
Additional resources for this lesson
“Teachings
of David O. McKay: Every Member a Missionary”: This two-minute video
introduces President McKay’s slogan, “Every member a missionary.”
“Yoga Missionary”: This
excerpt describes one member’s strategy for sharing the gospel in Communist-era
Czechoslovakia.
[3]
Robert J. Matthews, “A Plainer Translation”: Joseph Smith’s Translation
of the Bible, A History and Commentary (Provo, UT: Brigham Young
University Press, 1975), 87.
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