“The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.” -(introduction of Book of Mormon paragraph 3)
How can we stand as a witness of Christ’s sacrifice, love, and gospel restored in these latter days? To stand as a witness means that we are willing to support and testify of those things we have experienced or about which we have gained an understanding. The witness could come from knowledge we have gained from an experience, event, or both. These events and experiences are personal and spiritual in nature–they are independently and individually experienced. As we allow the Holy Ghost to testify to our hearts and minds, then we become a witness of those truths we have learned.
I believe it is not coincidence that both the testimonies of the three witnesses and the eight witnesses found in the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon start with “Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people…”, while the new young women theme also states, “I will stand as a witness of God in all times, all places, and all things.” We are called to be witnesses of the restored gospel, witnesses of Jesus Christ, and witnesses of the plan of salvation, and every other principle that we know to be true and good in our lives. It is important that we stand as firm and unshakable witnesses of the truths of the restored gospel. Each and every testimony is equally important, and the Lord will maximize our efforts to share our testimony, no matter how insignificant we may feel it is. In life, we are surrounded by people who need to know that the Lord loves them!
As we stand as witnesses at all times and in all places we will bring the light of Christ that Joseph testifies Moroni filled his room with, “His whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning.” When I think of lightning, I think of direct power that lights up the dark night sky. This is what the Lord is asking us to do in this darkening world: to bring the power of God with us through our actions, thoughts and deeds, so that we can bring hope to others.
Alma 5:26 if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?
As we strive to live our lives as a witness of Christ’s love and redeeming power, we will most likely be faced with great opposition. The adversary is very wise and diligent and will seek out every opportunity to weaken our devotion and to belittle our spiritual knowledge. We must always remember the feelings that the Holy Ghost has given us to help us develop faith and trust in the Lord–a foundation for our testimonies. God knows our hearts, and we know that he knows and that is enough (if we allow it to be) to give us the strength to fight for truth and righteousness. “For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it,” (JSH 1:25)
“We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)”
-Written by Sherri Jorgensen
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