Converted Unto the Lord
Sacrament Meeting Talk
Central China International Branch
September 16, 2018
One of my favorite passages of scripture is found
in Matthew 16:15-17. The setting was Caesarea Phillipi. Nearly twenty years ago, Bonita and I
were fortunate enough to be able to go to Caesarea Phillipi. The day we were there was hot, dry and dusty, much as it probably was when our Savior
stopped there to speak with His disciples 2,000 years before.
In my mind’s eye, I can see him, resting in the shade
of one of the many fig trees in the area, its broad leaves providing him and
his disciples a bit of a break from the hot sun.
Here it was
that he asked his disciples who the crowds thought he was. They responded that
some thought he was John the Baptist, others Elias, or Jeremias or one of the
other prophets.
But then the
Savior got right to the point of the matter when he asked, “But whom say ye
that I am?”
Peter did
not hesitate, and boldly answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God.”
The Savior
complimented Simon Peter on the revelation he had received from the Father and
he acknowledged his testimony.
In October
conference 2012, Elder David A. Bednar began his address with the passage we
have just been discussing, and then shared his thoughts about testimonies and
their relationship to conversion.
After
sharing the Savior’s exchange with Peter, Elder Bednar said:
…a testimony
is a personal knowledge of a spiritual truth by revelation. A testimony is available to all of His
children. Any honest seeker of truth can
obtain a testimony…
He continued
by saying:
Seeking for
and obtaining a testimony of spiritual truth requires asking, seeking, and
knocking with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in the Savior.
Later in his
talk, Elder Bednar moved from the topic of testimony to the topic of
conversion. He compared and contrasted
them. He said:
The essence
of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our
very nature made possible through the Savior’s Atonement. True conversion brings a change in one’s beliefs, heart, and life
to accept and conform to the will of God and includes a conscious commitment to
become a disciple of Christ.
Conversion is an enlarging, a
deepening, and a broadening of the undergirding base of testimony. It is the result of revelation from
God, accompanied by individual repentance, obedience, and diligence. Any honest
seeker of truth can become converted by experiencing the mighty change of heart
and being spiritually born of God.
Let me share
a portion of his definition of conversion again:
Conversion is an enlarging, a
deepening, and a broadening of the undergirding base of testimony.
To gain a
testimony, we must ask, seek, and knock with a sincere heart, real intent, and
faith in the Savior, and then we will receive a testimony.
And Elder
Bednar added:
Conversion is
an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for
the gift of testimony.
Elder Bednar
sums up the differences between testimony and conversion by saying:
Knowing by the power of the Holy
Ghost that Jesus is the Christ is important and necessary. But earnestly coming unto Him and giving our
whole souls as an offering requires much more than merely knowing. Conversion
requires all of our heart, all of our might, and all of our mind and strength.
If you are
like me, conversion to the Lord and His work wasn’t a one-time, earth-shaking
event, such as what happened to Alma and the sons of Mosiah. But rather it has
been a process of line upon line, precept upon precept. Elder Bednar says our progress toward
conversion will be gradual and “…almost imperceptibly, our motives, our
thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God.
Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience.”
Again,
comparing and contrasting testimony and conversion, Elder Bednar said a few
things that at least on their surface may seem rather startling:
Testimony
is the beginning of and a
prerequisite to continuing conversion. Testimony is a point of departure;
it is not an ultimate destination. Strong testimony is the foundation upon
which conversion is established.
Now listen to this:
Testimony
alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of
darkness and evil in which we are living. Testimony is
important and necessary but not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength
and protection we need.
At this
point, I’d like to share a personal and
rather painful example of the need for conversion and not just the need for a testimony.
Our son
Andrew was an obedient child. In fact,
along with an older sister who he was very much like, he was the most obedient
of all our children. We never had to worry that Andrew would do
the right thing in any situation in which he found himself.
He attended
early-morning seminary, never complained about going to Church, loved the Lord
and served a mission.
Andrew had a testimony.
But because of his obedience
and his testimony, it never occurred to us that he
wasn’t converted.
But after
his mission, he married a lovely, God-fearing young woman who is not of our
faith. They attend and are active in her
Church. They have a wonderful,
Christ-centered home and they love and serve the Lord. However, they
do not have the blessings of the restored gospel in their home. They are not
sealed together as a family for eternity.
And unless their hearts change, their wonderful children will never know
the joys of serving a mission or being married in the temple for time and all
eternity.
It is enough
to make a father and grandfather very sad.
And how our Father in Heaven must be
saddened when he sees so many children of his kingdom walking a precarious
path, armed only with a testimony, but lacking the stronger and necessary protection
that conversion brings!
Elder Bednar
concluded his talk with an interpretation of the parable of the Ten
Virgins. You all know the parable –
there were ten virgins, five of which were wise and five of which were
unwise. Together they learned of the
coming of the bridegroom. Elder Bednar
then says:
Please
think of the lamps
used by the virgins as the lamps of
testimony. The foolish virgins took their lamps of testimony but took no
oil with them. Consider the oil to be
the oil of conversion.
And then Elder Bednar slightly modified the parable to make his point:
“But the wise took oil [of conversion] in their
vessels with their lamps [of testimony].
“While the bridegroom tarried, they all
slumbered and slept.
“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold,
the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
“Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed
their lamps [of testimony].
“And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of
your oil [even the oil of conversion]; for our lamps [of testimony are weak
and] are gone out.
“But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest
there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy
for yourselves” (Matthew 25:4–9).
Were the five wise virgins selfish and
unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil
of conversion cannot be borrowed? Can the spiritual strength that results
from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? Can
the knowledge obtained through diligent study and pondering of the scriptures
be conveyed to one who is in need? The clear answer to each of these questions
is no.
As the wise
virgins emphasized properly, each of us must “buy for ourselves.” These
inspired women were not describing a
business transaction; rather, they were emphasizing our individual
responsibility to keep our lamp of testimony burning and to obtain an ample
supply of the oil of conversion. This precious
oil is acquired one drop at a time—“line
upon line [and] precept upon precept,” patiently and persistently. No
shortcut is available; no last-minute flurry of preparation is possible.
Let me shift gears a bit now.
What were
you doing at 5:58pm Christmas Day, 2004?
-- Eating?
-- spending time with family?
-- enjoying some new doodad or other
-- Perhaps you were having a family
home evening
At
5:58:53pm, Mountain Daylight time, December 25, 2004, (which would have been
7:58:53am on December 26 in this part of the world) -- a massive
earthquake, measuring 9.1 on the
Richter scale – second highest
ever recorded -- struck in the ocean 100
miles off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake lasted almost 10 minutes. Its effects
were felt around the world – it is said that it caused the entire planet to
vibrate at least one half inch.
It spawned numerous tsunamis – killing
over one quarter of a million
people. Waves over 100 feet tall (about ten stories) hit seaside villages,
destroying them and killing virtually everything in their path.
How is it, then, that an entire
village near the epicenter of the earthquake,
lost not one single soul – even
though their village was completely destroyed?
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following information during a talk in general
conference ten months after the tsunami hit this part of the world:
The Moken
people live in villages on islands off the coast of Thailand and Burma
(Myanmar). A society of fishermen, their lives depend on the sea. For hundreds
and perhaps thousands of years, their ancestors have studied the ocean, and
they have passed their knowledge down
from father to son.
One thing in particular they were careful
to teach was what to do when the ocean
receded. According to their traditions, when that happened, the "Laboon"—a wave that eats
people—would arrive soon after.
When
the elders of the village saw the dreaded signs, they shouted to everyone to
run to high ground.
Not
everyone listened.
One
elderly fisherman said, "None of the kids believed me." In fact, his
own daughter called him a liar. But the old fisherman would not relent until
all had left the village and climbed to higher ground.1
The Moken
people were fortunate in that
they had someone with conviction who
warned them of what would follow. The villagers
were fortunate because they listened. Had they not, they may have perished.
Like the Moken people who were wise
enough to listen to those who were warning them of difficult times to come, we,
too, have someone with conviction who warns us of impending danger, who is counseling us to be
prepared.
We have
heard from Elder Bednar that:
Testimony
alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of
darkness and evil in which we are living. Testimony is important
and necessary but not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and
protection we need.
I want to
share another warning voice I hope we all heard just five months’ ago. Earlier during this meeting, you heard my
wife Bonita share important counsel from our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, as he
taught members of the Church how to receive personal revelation.
I will pick
up just a paragraph or two after the information she shared from President
Nelson:
One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my
mind…
(Time to sit up and take notice
when the Prophet says something like that!)
…since
my new calling as President of the Church is how willing the Lord is to reveal
His mind and will. The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest
gifts of God to His children….
I urge
you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive
personal revelation,…”
To be sure, there may be times
when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise
that as you continue to be obedient, 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.
Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus
Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes
again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son,
Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive
spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant
influence of the Holy Ghost.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual
capacity to receive revelation.
The Moken
people heard wise and life-saving counsel from the Elders of their
village. And we, too, have heard wise
and life-saving Counsel from the Elders of our Church.
Elder Bednar
warned us that:
Testimony
alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of
darkness and evil in which we are living. Testimony is important and necessary but not
sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need.
And did you hear the strength
of the words President Nelson used in his closing paragraphs of his talk?
It was impressed upon his mind that
the Lord was willing to reveal his mind and will to us
He urged us…( I urge you to stretch
beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal
revelation,…”)
He pleaded with us… I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive
revelation.
He promised us…( I promise that as you continue to be
obedient, 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.)
And he told us straight out that without the guidance, direction, comforting
and constant influence of the Holy Ghost, we will not survive spiritually!
It feels
like if the Savior was here, he would say, “Those who have
ears to hear, let him hear!”
Brothers and
Sisters, we sustain these
men as prophets, seers and revelators.
Following their counsel
immediately may be as important to
us as boarding the ark was in Noah’s day.
Testimony
Ø Importance of conversion
Ø Importance of revelation
Ø Heeding the words of those whom we
sustain as Prophets, Seers and revelators
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