The other half of the choir performed during the Saturday morning session. People like you and me." 5 4. All comments are moderated before being published. This is His Church, restored to help you fulfill your divine destiny., . Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us withHishealing, strengthening power. What a powerhouse invitation straight from the prophet to YOU. The temples spires have been removed and stored, the towers are surrounded by scaffolding and the foundation exposed for the work to strengthen them. My husband and I recently went to the temple after a long absence (a significant move halfway across the US and other difficult circumstances made it hard to go previously.) it is now time that we implement extraordinary measures perhaps measures we have never taken before.. We all drift from time to time, but we can get back on course. He will stretch us and refine us to be more like him.. Before you get discouraged and start to think Man, this is going to take years to get my spiritual house back in order and give up, I have a very encouraging word for you from this same passage in the Old Testament. I don't buy it. I may not have even made the same covenants as my parent's generation. Much to contemplate! In June 2018. Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has provided profound insight into the temple, its symbolism, and what it means to each of us. It is the Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ who wants us to come to the temple, to understand what we are being taught, to receive the blessings and power available by keeping the covenants we make, and to return again and again to strengthen ourselves and to offer the blessings of salvation to our family. Elder Renlund said contention in the church is harmful in two ways. Talk about a paradigm shift! Realigning a nation back toward God meant calling in a specialized cleaning service, which in those days were the high priests or Levites. I love to teach and prepare lessons, and you have helped me in emphasizing the important highlights and teaching points for discussion in Elders Quorum. etc.). Church members need to seek personal peace and restoration in daily life, two leaders said. How can we build our foundation on Jesus Christ what does that phrase mean to you? Choose the questions that resonate the most with you and make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities. I am very thankful that I know we have a Prophet to lead us and if we follow the counsel he shares, we can bear these troubling times. We will NEED to be very close to the Savior in the days ahead. Does it need repairing? Be prepared to share something personal if no one volunteers immediately. I think you'll see why the hymn "How Firm a Foundation"1 has come to have new meaning for us. As we visit the temple often, we are reminded of the promises and blessings we receive there. He wants you to have spiritual insights and awakenings youve never had before. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have afirmspiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Sister Susan H. Porter teaches about how we can feel the Gods love (excerpts from the October 2021 general conference). (Yes, Im repeating this from the first section!) I bet if I asked you right now, you could tell me that you have a junk room in your house or you have a storage unit with that intent in mind. Are we locked up in bitterness or anger or envy or sorrow or greed? We may attend to rites and rituals and yet overlook the weightier matters such as brotherly kindness, honesty, mercy, virtue, and integrity. The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again. The topic of adversity continued to be common but I also felt an addition of several talks about repentance. I don't think the above paragraph constitutes pure truth. In the same way, God founded the churchthe spiritual Templeto be a community of called-out believers, given His Spirit. The masonic tokens and signs were made up a few hundred years ago. Keep in mind that the Lord said it is of like importance to the first great commandment, which is to love God with all our heart and soul. (Do Unto Others Mark E. Petersen, April 1977 General Conference). Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! This is a prophetic warning. Im pretty sure the original temple endowment was revealed less by God and more by Masons. President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks Oct. 3, 2021, during the Sunday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference, which was held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Policies, methods, and procedures may change the underlying truth does not. We do not look to ourselves to save us. He noted that the Restoration of the gospel and church is an ongoing process, and the same applies to individual lives. Above all, its the room you hope no guests will ever see, because if they saw your junk, you would likely be embarrassed or ashamed. Only someone who talks directly to God could have that kind of wonderful stuff to say! An introduction to the For the Strength of Youth issue focusing on the October 2021 general conference. Everyone drank from it. Meanwhile, the TBMs in my life hear it and are terrified about the coming perils and are doubling down. These truths I know: God, our Heavenly Father, wants you to choose to come home to Him. Fifth, follow the current admonitions of the prophet, President Nelson. While it is true that the ancients offered sacrifice, where is the evidence that in ancient times people did anything like what we have in Mormon temples? In every age, the temple has underscored the precious truth that those who make covenants with God and keep them are children of the covenant. President Nelson makes if very clear (with emphasis added) who is making the changes, and it's not him. I hope to follow the direction of the Prophet the next six months to put in prayerful and consistent study to understand temple covenants and ordinances.. The Lord instructed Adam and Eve to pray, make covenants, and offer sacrifices. He then uses this as a vehicle to talk about our own personal spiritual foundations. Elder David A. Bednar teaches how honoring our covenants arms us with power of God in great glory (excerpts from the October 2021 general conference). God lives! The wording is PRECISE and the poor kid reciting the prayer has to say it again if he slips in an extra "and" or "always". They also went one step further and made sure that every item that should be there in the Temple was there and that each piece was clean and ready for use (verse 18-19). Then have someone read this quote and start a class discussion with thought-provoking questions (some suggestions found after the quote). Consider how administering the sacrament has changed over the years. And so we must ask ourselves, what remains? He makes things clear that the world wants to muddy. Now, imagine that you are tasked with getting that wreck room cleared out, and the sooner you get it cleared the better. In his first month of service, King Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple and repaired them (verse 3). This link was really interesting: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Did_Joseph_Smith_make_up_the_temple_ordinances_or_borrow_them_from_an_earthly_source%3F. Likewise, whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants, which bind Latter-day Saints securely to Christ, he said. The Conference Center during the 191st General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. We should all heed President Nelsons challenge to fortify our spiritual foundations to survive the days ahead. I love this prophet. Make temple covenants your goal and strive to live worthy to enter His holy house. Let us never forget that if we omit them from our lives we may be found unworthy to come into His presence. Tell your class to contemplate President Nelsons statement about taking new measures and write what comes to mind as they consider the following questions: What is the Spirit prompting you to begin doing? President Russell M. Nelson encourages us to listen for pure truth, the pure doctrine of Christ, and pure revelation in general conference (excerpts from the October 2021 general conference). In the October 2021 General Conference, Pres. Exact time unknown (24:36) 7. They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, "For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever." Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, a General Authority Seventy, speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. Jesus is the Christ! We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasinglyvulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium. And it was filled with messages of FAITH and LOVE. First, love God, live his commandments and forgive everyone. You have to go inside, sort through the junk, and remove the offending items. Elder Neil L. Andersen teaches why we should use the correct name of the Church (excerpts from the October 2021 general conference). When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search . I thought you would appreciate seeing what my wife Wendy and I saw. If you study the talk with the footnotes, you will find that his message goes even deeper. I'm a PIMO who wants to believe, but this kind of talk just really makes it very difficult. A squirrel scampers near the Conference Center during the Sunday morning session of the 191st General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. 10 a.m. Sunday meditation followed by service featuring local musicians at 10:30. This was as much a physical act as it was a spiritual act. He might be right. Thats not enough at this stage. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. The Lord instructed Adam and Eve to pray, make covenants, and offer sacrifices. Second and more importantly, rededication must equal realignment with Christ. The Second Temple, too, would be destroyed four centuries later on the very same date, the ninth of Av. (temple) What happens when we keep our covenants made in the temple? President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during the Sunday morning session of the 191st Semiannual General Conference in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. Maybe its the place where you hoard things. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. I hope one day that will be the case. Another theme I havent seen recently that I felt repeated several times in conference was that of discipleship. The promise from the Lord is that if we are prepared, we need not experience anxiety about or during the times ahead. I disagree. Increased spiritual power brings with it inspiration from the Holy Ghost, which encourages to return to the temple for greater understanding and spiritual power. Your email address will not be published. Thanks very much for the Elder Petersen quote. I wonder what he would say to those of us who just cant feel that it helps us? Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf teaches that we can do simple things each day to renew and restore ourselves spiritually (excerpts from the October 2021 general conference). And we can receive the same blessings!". You are free to choose who you will be and with whom you will be in the world to come! Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. He invited them to center lives on Jesus Christ and temple ordinances and covenants, encouraging them to attend the temple more often. The organists were Richard Elliott and Andrew Unsworth. The ongoing Restoration needs ongoing revelation. I literally left feeling like he had just told me that I really can't trust the scriptures, the prophet, or the Lord. Get more than a Sunday sermon. God made it possible for you to know. Hezekiah could have had a private ceremony. Like the ongoing renovations to the Salt Lake Temple, he invited listeners to strengthen personal spiritual foundations. My invitation is to be valiant in putting our love of God and discipleship of the Savior above all other considerations. All must be saved on the same principles [Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. President Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during the 191st Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. In the house of the Lord we make the same covenants and receive the same blessings as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The delicate sands were no match for the churning waters. They were the only ones who could do the job because they had obediently kept themselves pure in the sight of God. Nelson gave a talk entitled The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation.In this talk he used the same analogy as Christ did when he compared the physical structure of the Salt Lake Temple to our own personal spiritual strength. 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