Preach My Gospel

1. Preach My Gospel Khinckley1@yahoo.com

2. The Kirtland period of Church history might be likened to our childhood. The Church was born in New York, but shortly moved to Ohio. In Ohio the Church grew and became better organized. Many revelations were received and important keys restored.  As the Kirtland period grew to a close, in some ways it was like a rebellious teenager. The Church went through a period of challenge and tribulation. Many fell away, but many others were strengthened by the trials and helped the Church continue to move forward. Bro. Bill Beardall

3. Joseph’s Money Mission to Boston I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality. Tarry in this place, and in the regions round about; And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you. For there are more treasures than one for you in this city. (D&C 111:2,7-8,9.)

4. Conversion Genealogy Shortly after joining the Church, Zera Pulsipher commenced missionary work. According to a family record, while working on his farm he felt impressed to leave home and begin preaching. The impulse was so strong that shortly before noon he unyoked his oxen and turned them into the pasture, then walked to the house and asked his wife for a clean shirt and a pair of socks.    "'Where on earth are you going?' she asked.    "'I don't know, only that I am going to preach the gospel. The Lord will show me where to go. I am going where He guides me.'    "'How long will you be gone?' she inquired.    "'I don't know. Just long enough to do the work the Lord has for me to do' Zera Pulsipher (Vermont) Joseph Smith John Benbow And 600 Saints (Herefordshire, England) Hyrum Smith Wilford Woodruff (Richland, NY) Jared Carter (New York)

5. Question? Can You trace your own Conversion Genealogy? Everyone in the Church has a pioneer ancestor. Who’s yours?

6. Section 42The Law 1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, who have assembled yourselves together in my name…. 2 Again I say unto you, hearken and hear and obey the law which I shall give unto you. 4 Behold, verily I say unto you, I give unto you this first commandment, that ye shall go forth in my name, every one of you, excepting my servants Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon. 5 And I give unto them a commandment that they shall go forth for a little season, and it shall be given by the power of the Spirit when they shall return. 6 And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God.

7. One Problem… Many of the new missionaries had difficulty understanding the spirit!

8. D&C 50 10 And now come, saith the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the elders of his church, and let us reason together, that ye may understand; 11 Let us reason even as a man reasoneth one with another face to face. 12 Now, when a man reasoneth he is understood of man, because he reasoneth as a man; even so will I, the Lord, reason with you that you may understand. 13 Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question- unto what were ye ordained? 14 To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.

9. Question: Who were those first elders supposed to teach? Who are we supposed to teach?

10. Elder Morrison, Utah North Area president "President Hinckley mentioned to us the other day something which struck a resonant chord in my heart because I suppose I had felt that way for a long time. It is the concept of believing blood, that there are some people and some families who are just naturally believers. They seem to have a gene of belief or faith as part of their spiritual DNA. And because they are the natural believers and have the blood of Israel in them, they do whatever is asked of them. . . . Nowhere else in the world, I think, is the blood of Israel purer and richer than in the British Isles. And John Benbow had that believing blood. When he heard the gospel message, not only did he embrace it but he embraced it with a fervor and a dedication which sustained him for the rest of his days.

11. Bruce R. McConkie "What then is believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the literal seed of Abraham--not that the blood itself believes, but that those born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to recognize, receive, and believe the truth. The term is simply a beautiful, a poetic, and a symbolic way of referring to the seed of Abraham to whom the promises were made. It identifies those who developed in preexistence the talent to recognize the truth and to desire righteousness" (New Witness, 38-39).

12. Elder Holland Above all else we can live the gospel. Surely there is no more powerful missionary message we can send to this world than the example of a loving and happy Latter-day Saint life … Asking every member to be a missionary is not nearly as crucial as asking every member to be a member! … You can't miss. You don't have to have a prescribed missionary message. Your faith, your happiness, the very look on your face is enough to quicken the honest in heart … (Ensign, May 2001, 15-16)

13. Jeffery R. Holland I learned from a mission president recently that one of his young sister missionaries, nearing the end of her very faithful and successful mission, said through her tears that she must return home immediately. When he inquired as to the problem, she told him money had become so difficult for her family that to continue her support, the family had rented their home and were using the rental proceeds to pay her mission expenses. For living accommodations, they had moved into a storage locker. For water, they used a neighbor’s outdoor tap and hose; and for a bathroom they went to a nearby gasoline station.

14. Bro. Holland Cont. This family, in which the father had recently passed away, was so proud of their missionary and so independent in spirit that they had managed to keep this recent turn of events from most of their friends and virtually all of their Church leaders. When this situation was discovered, the family was restored to their home immediately. Long-term solutions to their economic circumstances were put in place, and the complete amount of remaining missionary support for their missionary daughter was secured overnight. With her tears dried and fears allayed, this faithful, hardworking young sister finished her mission triumphantly and was recently married in the temple to a wonderful young man.