Individuals who enter the Kinshasa Temple see an original painting entitled Congo Falls. It uniquely reminds temple-goers of the unwavering commitment required to anchor themselves to Jesus Christ and to follow the covenant path of our Heavenly Father’s plan. The waterfalls depicted in the painting call to mind a practice that was common more than a century ago among early converts to Christianity in Congo.
Before their conversion, they worshipped inanimate objects, believing that the items possessed supernatural powers.
After conversion, many… converts threw their previously idolized objects into the waterfalls as a symbol to God and others that they had discarded their old traditions and accepted Jesus Christ. They intentionally did not throw their objects into calm, shallow waters; they threw them into the churning waters of a massive waterfall, where the items became unrecoverable. These actions were a token of a new but unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ.
My daughter invited a friend to go to mutual with her friend who lives close to her. She agreed and has been loving it. Last week she said that she wanted to take the missionary lessons and be baptized. Her mother was supportive but wanted to make sure that she was making the right decision and doing it for her. She told my daughter that needed to learn to pray to find out for herself. My daughter was so excited. She gave her a Book of Mormon and signed her up for Light the World so that she gets the texts everyday. This happened all so quickly, and my daughter and her friends had not taught her to pray as of yet. Well, if you remember, one of the first days of Light the World, was to say a prayer showing your gratitude for Jesus Christ. She told my daughter that she really wanted to say that prayer and so she googled how to pray and said the prayer.
This just got me really thinking about how much we take for granite being born in the covenant. I have heard of stories about people not knowing how to pray, but naïvely, I think stories like that, happened long ago or in a far away land or something like that. It just opened up my eyes to the fact that we really can’t assume what people know or what they have to give up or change when it comes to the Gospel and missionary work.
What did you have to give up or change to join the church or to come back to the church?
In AD 1000, the heads of the lcelandic clans met together for their annual, two-week Allting, an informal assembly that made laws that would be binding on all. A man named Thorgeir was asked to make the decision for everyone about conversion to Christianity or continuing to worship Norse gods. After three days of seclusion in his tent, Thorgeir announced his decision: the clans would become Christian. As Thorgeir was returning to his village, he took his cherished Norse-god idols and cast them into a waterfall, now known as Godafoss, or “Waterfall of the Gods.” This action signified Thorgeir’s complete conversion to Christianity. (Footnote 5)
The Book of Mormon people known as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies “laid down the weapons of their rebellion,” burying them “deep in the earth” as “a testimony to God … that they never would use [their] weapons again.” In doing so, they promised to follow God’s teachings and never go back on their commitment. This action was the beginning of being “converted unto the Lord” and never falling away.
This burying of the weapons of our rebellion is not just for new converts, it is for every member. What weapons do WE need to bury?
Being “converted unto the Lord” means leaving one course of action, directed by an old belief system, and adopting a new one based on faith in Heavenly Father’s plan and in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. This change is more than an intellectual acceptance of gospel teachings. It shapes our identity, transforms our understanding of life’s meaning, and leads to unchanging fidelity to God. Personal desires that are contrary to being anchored to the Savior and to following the covenant path fade away and are replaced by a determination to submit to the will of Heavenly Father.
Being converted unto the Lord starts with an unwavering commitment to God, followed by making that commitment part of who we are. Internalizing such a commitment is a lifelong process that requires patience and ongoing repentance. Eventually, this commitment becomes part of who we are, embedded in our sense of self, and ever present in our lives. Just as we never forget our own name no matter what else we are thinking about, we never forget a commitment that is etched in our hearts.
To gain salvation in the celestial kingdom men must be born again (Alma 7:14); bom of water and of the Spirit (John 3:1-13); born of God, so that they are changed from their “carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness” becoming new creatures of the Holy Ghost. (Mosiah 27:24-29.) They must become newborn babes in Christ (1 Pet. 2:2); they must be “spiritually begotten” of God, be born of Christ, thus becoming his sons and daughters. (Mosiah 5:7.)
Bruce R. McConkie – Mormon Doctrine – “Born of God”
Those members of the Church who have actually been born again are in a blessed and favored state. They have attained their position, not merely by joining the Church, but through faith (1 John 5:1), righteousness (1 John 2:29), love (1 John 4:7), and overcoming the world. (1 John 5:4.) “Whosoever is born of God doth not continue in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot continue to sin, because he is born of God having received that holy Spirit of promise.” (Inspired Version, 1 John 3:9.)
Bruce R. McConkie – Mormon Doctrine – “Born of God”
Pres. Russell M. Nelson: Individual worthiness to enter the Lord’s house requires much individual spiritual preparation. But with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible. In some respects, it is easier to build a temple than it is to build a people prepared for a temple. Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord, to be an honest citizen, to be a better example, and to be a holier person.
God invites us to cast our old ways completely out of reach and begin a new life in Christ.
Now, it would be nice if increased faith were transmitted like the flu or the common cold. Then a simple “spiritual sneeze” would build faith in others. But it does not work that way. The only way faith grows is for an individual to act in faith.
Covenants anchor us to the Savior and propel us along the path that leads to our heavenly home. The power of covenants helps us maintain the mighty change of heart, deepen our conversion to the Lord, and receive Christ’s image more fully in our countenance.
a half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything. We may be tempted to equivocate, throw our old ways in calm water, or bury our weapons of rebellion with the handles sticking out. But an ambivalent commitment to our covenants will not open the door to the sanctifying power of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
How do we anchor ourselves to the Savior and remain faithful?
Each week we partake of the sacrament and make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. We promise to link our identity with the Savior’s by pledging our willingness to take upon us His name, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments.
I invite you to commit to a lifelong process of discipleship. Make and keep covenants. Throw your old ways into deep, churning waterfalls. Completely bury your weapons of rebellion with no handles sticking out.
Pres. Russell M. Nelson: In the springtime of the year 2020, it will be exactly 200 years since Joseph Smith experienced the theophany that we know as the First Vision.
Thus, the year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel.
How can we prepare for this upcoming General Conference?
Select your own questions. Design your own plan. Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable.
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