Luke 9:1 he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
It is hard to keep the enthusiasm of sharing the gospel when we don’t see the results of our efforts. Every time we share the gospel through our words, actions, invitations, or giving away a Book of Mormon, we are planting seeds. My son came home from primary on Sunday with a few seeds. He wanted to plant them right away. My daughter helped him find a good place to plant his seeds. He stood my the window where he had planted the seed and soon became frustrated. “When will my tree grow?” I explained that it takes a very long time. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so he pointed to his favorite oak tree, “How long did that take to grow?” With a chuckle I told him over 100 years. His jaw dropped in disbelief. Still not satisfied with the idea that his seed wasn’t going to produce a small tree right away, he found a small tree that the original owners had planted when they built the house. He asked me the same question, “How many years did that one take?” “Twelve years!” Instantly his shoulders dropped and he found some other activity to occupy his time, now realizing that he was not going to be able to watch the tree grow in one afternoon. He hasn’t given up faith that his tree will grow and when it does, it will be mighty. We too need to have faith in the people that we share the gospel with. We need to pray for them, that at some point in their lives they will be prepared to receive the restoration. However, if we don’t do our part, in planting the seeds, then they can’t grow. The planting is a very important part of the process.
That is our Come, Follow Me Weekly Challenge, pray every day for an opportunity to share the gospel.
M. Russell Ballard gives 4 steps in sharing the gospel. “There are many ways to share the gospel. I know that the following four simple steps will help you in your effort to find and to share the gospel with others because many members have used them and have had successful missionary experiences.
Step one: Prayerfully set a date by which you will have someone prepared to hear the gospel. We must start somewhere, and this simple act of faith on our part will serve to motivate us. Do not worry if you do not have someone already in mind. Let the Lord help you.
Step two: Prayerfully choose a friend or someone you already know, someone with whom you may have already discussed the gospel, or given a Book of Mormon or other Church literature, or taken to church.
Step three: Share your date and your plans with your bishopric, ward mission leader, and the full-time missionaries. They will help you.
The most important step is step four: With the help of the Spirit, invite your nonmember friend to hear the missionary discussions. This step, extending an invitation to hear the gospel, requires the most faith–faith to do as you are prompted by the Holy Ghost.
In talking of faith and saving souls, you should understand that when the Spirit is present, people are not offended when you share your feelings about the gospel. By prayerfully following these steps, you are putting a plan into effect that translates your faith into action.” (M. Russell Ballard Ensign November 1986)
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Here’s a fun story about missionary work: https://spiritualcrusade.com/2019/03/missionary-work.html
-Sherri Jorgensen
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