The purpose of missionary work is defined as inviting “others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.”...Can you even begin to fathom the extraordinary outpouring of atoning grace that will be ours, individually and collectively, according to the Savior’s promise to all who bear testimony in the process of inviting souls to come unto Him—and then following up on those invitations?
- M. Russell Ballard, Following Up
Inviting Others to "Come and See"
The Lord trusts His true disciples. He sends prepared people to His prepared servants... You will be His disciple 24 hours a day in every situation…That is the mark of every person who is bold and effective in sharing the gospel... you will feel yourself drawing closer to your Heavenly Father, and you will feel the cleansing and the forgiveness the Savior promises His faithful witnesses. And you will feel His approval, knowing you have done what He asked of you, because He loves you and trusts you.
- President Henry B. Eyring, A Child and a Disciple
Standing by Our Promises and Covenants
Disciple of Christ | Official 2024 Theme Music Video | #christianmusic
Jesus Christ invites us to become, like Him, a good Samaritan, to make His Inn (His Church) a refuge for all from life’s bruises and storms…He entreats us to make His Inn a place of grace and space, where each can gather, with room for all. As disciples of Jesus Christ, all are equal, with no second-class groups. All are welcome to attend sacrament meetings, other Sunday meetings, and social events… As we create room in His Inn, welcoming all, our Good Samaritan can heal us on our dusty mortal roads.
- Gerrit W. Gong, Room in the Inn
Inviting Others to "Come and Stay"
Refuge from the storm - Elder Patrick Kearon
We do not build or enter holy temples solely to have a memorable individual or family experience. Rather, the covenants received and the ordinances performed in temples are essential to the sanctifying of our hearts and for the ultimate exaltation of God’s sons and daughters…The most sacred covenants and priesthood ordinances are received only in a temple—the house of the Lord…Ordinances that are received worthily and remembered continually open the heavenly channels through which the power of godliness can flow into our lives.
- David A. Bednar, “Let This House Be Built unto My Name”
Teachings of Mormon Prophet - Joseph Smith: Temple Ordinances
When circumstances beyond our control prevent us from fulfilling the righteous desires of our hearts, the Lord will compensate in ways that allow us to receive His promised blessings…Receiving these compensating blessings comes with certain conditions. The Lord asks us to do “all we can” and to “offer [our] whole souls as an offering unto him.” This requires a deep desire, a sincere and faithful heart, and our utmost diligence in keeping His commandments and aligning our will with His. When our earnest efforts fall short of our aspirations...the Lord still accepts the desires of our hearts as a worthy offering.
- Gérald Caussé, Compensating Blessings
No Blessings Denied the Faithful
Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God
New members of the Church, have you heard of patriarchal blessings?…Your patriarchal blessing is a message from your Heavenly Father and will likely include promises and inspired counsel to guide you throughout your life. A patriarchal blessing is not going to map out your life or answer all your questions…Heavenly Father and His Beloved and Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, live. They love us. Patriarchal blessings are sacred gifts from Them. When you receive your blessing, you will realize and feel how They love you and how They focus on you individually.
- Kazuhiko Yamashita, When to Receive Your Patriarchal Blessing
What is a Latter-day Saint "Patriarchal Blessing"? Ep. 123
Patriarchal Blessings Contain Life Warnings
[A]ll God needs to accomplish His purposes and to help us become who He wants us to become is for each of us to turn our hearts fully to Him…I believe this is why, at least in part, Jesus Christ so often corrected the scribes and Pharisees during His mortal ministry. Though diligent in keeping His law, they did so for the wrong reasons...it is not just about what we do—our words and actions—but also why we do what Jesus Christ has asked us to do—our desires and motives. He said, “For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts."
- Ronald M. Barcellos, The Lord Looketh on the Heart
Inspiring Short: The Parable of the Bicycle
Near the end of His ministry, Jesus told His Apostles that hard times would come. But He also said, “See that ye be not troubled.”...The Savior fulfills His promise to be with us, His disciples, but we must continually look to Him to help us recognize and enjoy His presence. Christ’s disciples have always encountered hard times…Troubles are part of the plan and do not mean you’ve been abandoned; they are part of what it means to be His…When I stumble, I will keep getting up, relying on the grace and enabling power of Jesus Christ.
- Michelle D. Craig, Wholehearted
Inspiring Short: Trusting in God, Day by Day | D. Todd Christofferson
Nephi Exercises Faith to Obtain Food
Choose to Serve the Lord - by Blake Gillette and Angie Killian
[T]he Prophet stated: “It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven...whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah.” ...the sealing power confers a seal of legitimacy upon your baptism, for example, so that it is recognized here and in heaven.
- President D. Todd Christofferson, The Sealing Power
The Spirit of Elijah - Ordinances & Covenants
Music Video: Families Can Be Together Forever
This period of time in which we live, the dispensation of the fulness of times, will see the culmination of all of God’s work on the earth. For this reason, we are anxiously engaged in the Lord’s work, which includes the performance of certain ordinances for all who have lived and will live upon the earth…We identify our ancestors so that we may perform for them the saving ordinances of the gospel in holy temples dedicated to that purpose. It is our responsibility, given to us by the Lord, to help redeem all those of our Father’s children who have lived and died without receiving the sacred ordinances of the gospel.
- David B. Haight, Linking the Family of Man
The Promised Blessings of Family History
Because baptism by water and of the Spirit is essential for full salvation, in the eternal nature of things all of God’s children should have this opportunity, including those who have lived in centuries past. The doctrine of baptism of the living for the dead was understood and practiced in the early Christian church. Paul, in his great discussion about the Resurrection, reasoned: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” Doing something so vital for those who cannot do it for themselves is truly Christlike....No other organization on the earth is doing more to fulfill Malachi’s promise than the Church.
- James E. Faust, Born Again
The Baptistry in Mormon Temples
You Can Be Born Again through Baptism
The Prophet Joseph had been teaching about baptism for the dead. This was indeed a glorious revelation that was received with great joy. When Church members first learned that they could be baptized for their deceased loved ones, they rejoiced…Although temples had existed anciently, with the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the building of temples has been one of the highest priorities of all prophets since the Prophet Joseph Smith. And it is easy to understand why…the need for temples and the work that is done for both the living and the dead become very clear.
- Kevin R. Duncan, A Voice of Gladness!
Their Hearts Are Bound To You—D&C 125–128: “A Voice of Gladness for the Living & the Dead”
Come Follow Me | D&C 125–128: “A Voice of Gladness for the Living and the Dead”
Come Follow Me | D&C 125–128: “A Voice of Gladness for the Living & the Dead” | A Sacrifice of Time
[T]he Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead..."but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.” This means that the Holy Ghost has a spirit body, unlike God the Father and Jesus Christ, who have physical bodies. This truth clarifies other names given to the Holy Ghost and familiar to us, including Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, Holy Spirit of Promise, and Comforter.
- Gary E. Stevenson, How Does the Holy Ghost Help You?
The Father by Brian K. Ashton | October 2018 General Conference
Who is God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost? | Faith and Beliefs Ep. 2
Right now, this very moment, is part of our eternal progression towards returning with our families to the presence of our Father in Heaven...Seeing life from an eternal perspective helps us focus our limited mortal energies on the things that matter most. We can avoid wasting our lives laying “up for [ourselves] treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt.” We can lay up treasures in heaven and not trade our eternal spiritual birthright.
- Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Time to Prepare
Russell M Nelson | 2023 | "Think Celestial"
Song inspired by: Think Celestial! - President Nelson (Oct 2023)
How to truly ‘Think Celestial’
We may feel at times that God’s laws restrict our personal freedom, take from us our agency, and limit our growth. But as we seek for greater understanding, as we allow our Father to teach us, we will begin to see that His laws are a manifestation of His love for us and obedience to His laws is an expression of our love for Him...Commandments are vital instructions to teach, guide, and protect us as we “gain earthly experience.”..If we obey the law, we receive the blessings.
- Carole F. Stephens, “If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments”
Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God
No Blessings Denied the Faithful
What are the blessings of exaltation? They include dwelling in God’s presence for eternity together as husband and wife, inheriting “thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, … and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever,” receiving all that God the Father has…one can be in the celestial kingdom, or dwell in the presence of God, and be single. But to be exalted in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, one must enter into marriage by the proper authority and then be true to the covenants made in that marriage...to receive the blessings of exaltation, we must demonstrate that we are willing to enter into and faithfully keep this new and everlasting covenant, either in this life or the next.
- Matthew L. Carpenter, Fruit That Remains
Enduring Love - Showing Love & Giving Service To Build Strong Marriages
To receive the blessings of the sealing that our Heavenly Father has given to us, we have to keep the commandments and conduct ourselves in such a way that our families will want to live with us in the eternities. The family relationships we have here on this earth are important, but they are much more important for their effect on our families for generations in mortality and throughout all eternity…we are each an important and integral part of a family and that the highest blessings can be received only within an eternal family. When families are functioning as designed by God, the relationships found therein are the most valued of mortality...This is why we teach that families are forever. The eternal nature of an individual becomes the eternal nature of the family.
- Robert D. Hales, The Eternal Family
What is the Purpose of Family? | ComeUntoChrist.org
Music Video: Families Can Be Together Forever | Friend to Friend | July 2022
Finding Joy in Establishing a Happy Eternal Family
Félicia Shares Her Testimony About The Temple and Eternal Families | Friend to Friend | July 2022
Sacrifice comes in many forms and may not always be convenient. Latter-day Saints make a covenant with the Lord to sacrifice. By doing so, we surrender our will to His, dedicating our lives to building up His kingdom and serving His children...
Sacrifice is ultimately a matter of the heart—the heart. “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” If we are caring, if we are charitable, if we are obedient to God and follow His prophets, our sacrifices will bring forth the blessings of heaven. “And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”
- Robert K. Dellenbach, Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessings of Heaven
Why Did Jesus Tell All People to Sacrifice a Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit? (Knowhy #198)