Program or Attitude

                Just prior to His death the Savior, Jesus Christ, instructed His followers to share His gospel. The scriptures state that He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

                The leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue to stress the importance of spreading the gospel to all the world. In the October 2016 General Conference of the Church, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles discussed this topic and gave it a different slant. 

                Elder Oaks reminds his listeners that we have many resources to share the gospel today that were not available in the time of Christ. “We have TV, the internet, and social media channels. We have many valuable messages to introduce the restored gospel. We have the prominence of the Church in many nations. We have a greatly increased number of missionaries. But are we using all these resources to maximum effect? I believe most of us would say no. We desire to be more effective in fulfilling our divinely appointed responsibility to proclaim the restored gospel in all the world.”

                After saying there are “many good ideas for sharing the gospel,” Elder Oaks suggests three ways that members can fulfill “our lifelong Christian duty and privilege.”

                “First, we can all pray for desire to help with this vital part of the work of salvation. All efforts begin with desire.

                “Second, we can keep the commandments ourselves. Faithful, obedient members are the most persuasive witnesses of the truth and value of the restored gospel….

                “Third, we can pray for inspiration on what we can do in our individual circumstances to share the gospel with others. This is different than praying for the missionaries or praying for what others can do. We should pray for what we can do personally. When we pray, we should remember that prayers for this kind of inspiration will be answered if accompanied by a commitment – something the scriptures call `real intent’ or `full purpose of heart.’ Pray with a commitment to act upon the inspiration you receive, promising the Lord that if He will inspire you to speak to someone about the gospel, you will do it.”

                Elder Oaks concludes his address: “Sharing the gospel is not a burden but a joy. What we call `member missionary work’ is not a program but an attitude of love and outreach to help those around us. It is also an opportunity to witness how we feel about the restored gospel of our Savior….”

                So, it appears that missionary work is just like everything else in our lives. It is our attitude that makes the difference! As we live the gospel and pray for the desire to share the gospel with us, we must be willing to follow whatever promptings come.