Building the Kingdom of God in the Latter Days is December’s doctrinal topic. At this glorious time of year, we celebrate the greatest gift we have been given—the gift of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, there would be no kingdom of God on the earth. As we have studied and applied the foundational doctrines of the gospel throughout the year, doctrines that are necessary for us to have firm and unshakable testimonies, we are better prepared to help build the kingdom of God in these latter days in preparation for His Second Coming.
Building requires action. It requires work. So for us to help build the kingdom of God in these latter days, action on our part is required. We have a work to do. What are some things we can do? The first thought that comes to me when I hear that question is missionary work. But there is much more. The curriculum outline gives several suggestions, ones we may not typically think about. Using the talks from our most recent general conference, we will discuss how we can implement of few of these into our lives.
Help hasten the Lord’s work. President Russell M. Nelson gave us a pretty good to-do list of things we can do to hasten the Lord’s work, some of those include doing family history, spending more time in the temple, and reading the Book of Mormon. But when the prophet talked about using the correct name of the Church, did you think of that as being one way to help hasten the Lord’s work? I didn’t. However, as he spoke, it became quite clear that it is. Each time we take the sacrament, we promise that we will take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, follow Him, keep His commandment, and always remember Him. President Nelson cautioned, “When we omit His name from His Church, we are inadvertently removing Him as the central focus of our lives. Taking the Savior’s name upon us includes declaring and witnessing to others—through our actions and our words—that Jesus is the Christ. Have we been so afraid to offend someone who called us ‘Mormons’ that we have failed to defend the Savior Himself, to stand up for Him even in the name by which His Church is called? If we as a people and as individuals are to have access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ—to cleanse and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately to exalt us—we must clearly acknowledge Him as the source of that power. We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed.”1
Now consider his prophetic promise, “I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”1
Wow! Power and blessings poured down upon us, the likes of which we have never seen. What an incredible promise!
Have a Christ-centered home. This general conference, a change to our Sunday schedule was announced. Although we will only be attending church for two hours, the extra hour is to be used for study at home. President Nelson gave another powerful promise as he spoke of this new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum. He said that it “has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining.”2
There really is no better place to start building the kingdom of God than in our own homes, whether our homes are filled with one or twenty-one! Those promises are not exclusive to homes where children reside. We all can benefit from having a Christ-centered home, one sheltered from the influence of the adversary.
Gerrit W. Gong encouraged us to “establish regular patterns of righteous living that deepen faith and spirituality. These holy habits, righteous routines, or prayerful patterns may include prayer; scripture study; fasting; remembering our Savior and covenants through the ordinance of the sacrament; sharing gospel blessings through missionary, temple and family history, and other service; keeping a thoughtful personal journal; and so on.”3
Steven R. Bangerter spoke of the sacred duty parents have to “awaken within our children passion and commitment to the joy, light and truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ” and establish traditions which “ingrain strong, unwavering characteristics of goodness in our children that will infuse them with strength to confront the challenges of life.” He said, “Consistent, wholesome family traditions that include prayer, scripture reading, family home evening, and attendance at Church meetings, though seemingly small and simple, create a culture of love, respect, unity, and security. In the spirit that accompanies these efforts, our children become protected from the fiery darts of the adversary so embedded in the worldly culture of our day.”4
Help less-active friends or family members return to church. A simple way we can help those we know and love return to activity in the church is to “be intentional about talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ with your families and friends.” President Nelson proclaimed, “You and they will be drawn closer to the Savior through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen.”5
We can also be loving but bold in inviting our loved ones to come to church. Dieter F. Uchtdorf did. He invited, “Please come back. We need you! … Because of your unique talents, abilities, and personality, you will help us become better and happier. In return, we will help you become better and happier as well.”6 Not only do we invite, we love and accept them as they are—even if they choose not to come back to church. Elder Uchtdorf encourages us to “build and strengthen a culture of healing, kindness, and mercy toward all of God’s children. … Let us all work together to become the people God intended for us to become.” We do that when the Church is a place “where we forgive one another. Where we resist the temptation to find fault, gossip, and bring others down. Where, instead of pointing out flaws, we lift up and help each other to become the best we can be.”6
Help new members of the Church. Ulisses Soares likened the members of the Church to the Amazon River. That mighty river is formed by the merging of two other rivers, flowing together for many miles “before the waters blend, due to the rivers having very different origins, speeds, temperatures, and chemical compositions. After several miles, the waters finally blend together, becoming a river different than its individual parts. Only after these parts merge, the Amazon River becomes so powerful that when it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it pushes back the seawater so that fresh water can still be found for many miles out into the ocean.” As members of the Church, we “come together from different social backgrounds, traditions, and cultures, forming this wonderful community of Saints in Christ. Eventually, as we encourage, support, and love each other, we combine to form a mighty force for good in the world. As followers of Jesus Christ, flowing as one in this river of goodness, we will be able to provide the ‘fresh water’ of the gospel to a thirsty world.”7
For many, joining the Church brings challenges. Much is new and unfamiliar, even overwhelming at times. Elder Soares said we must “extend a warm hand of fellowship to our new friends, accept them where they are, and help, love, and include them in our lives. All of these new friends are precious sons and daughters of God. We cannot afford to lose even one of them because, like the Amazon River that depends on tributaries feeding it, we need them just as much as they need us, to become a mighty force for good in the world.” He offered three familiar suggestions to help us help our new friends in the gospel. “First, they need brothers and sisters in the Church who are sincerely interested in them, true and loyal friends to whom they can constantly turn, who will walk beside them, and who will answer their questions. … Second, new friends need an assignment—an opportunity to serve others. Service … is a process by which our faith can grow stronger. … Third, new friends must be ‘nourished by the good word of God.’ We can help them to love and become familiar with the scriptures as we read and discuss the teachings with them, providing context to the stories and explaining difficult words. We … can reach out to our new friends in their own homes and invite them to ours at times outside of our regularly scheduled Church meetings and activities, helping them merge into the mighty river of the community of Saints.”7
If we will do these things, Elder Soares promised, “If we minister to our new friends with our hearts full of pure love as the Savior did, I promise you, in His name, that He will assist us in our efforts. When we act as faithful ministers, as the Savior did, our new friends will have the help they need to remain strong, dedicated, and faithful to the end. They will join us as we become a mighty people of God and will help us to bring fresh water to a world desperately in need of the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”7
Become better at ministering. True ministering is doing what the Savior would do if He were here. Sometimes ministering comes by assignment, but usually it does not. President Nelson has explained that ministering is caring for and loving each other in a higher, holier way. Some have questioned why we need to be assigned to do this. Being known and numbered is important. Jesus Christ—the Good Shepherd—often referred to His followers as His sheep or His flock. To the Nephites in ancient America, He said, “Ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me.”8 Bonnie H. Cordon beautifully taught, “The Savior’s sheep were known and numbered, they were watched over, and they were gathered into the fold of God. As we strive to follow the Savior’s example, we must first know and number His sheep. We have been assigned specific individuals and families to tend so we are certain that all of the Lord’s flock are accounted for and no one is forgotten. Numbering, however, is not really about numbers; it is about making certain each person feels the love of the Savior through someone who serves for Him. In that way, all can recognize that they are known by a loving Father in Heaven.”9
Joy D. Jones shared an experience she and her husband had many years ago as they we asked to minister to a family who had not been to church for several years. Their first several attempts to meet with this family were unsuccessful. Feeling frustrated and discouraged, they asked themselves, “Why are we doing this? What is our purpose?” She said something that really stood out to me! They decided they needed to “seek direction from Someone with a greater perspective than our own.”10
What a great lesson for each of us! How often do we go about doing the Lord’s work without getting His perspective?
Sister Jones continued, “So, after much sincere prayer and study, we received the answer to the why of our service. We had a change in our understanding, a change of heart, actually a revelatory experience. As we sought direction from the scriptures, the Lord taught us how to make the process of serving others easier and more meaningful. … Knowing the who and the why in serving others helps us understand that the highest manifestation of love is devotion to God. As our focus gradually changed, so did our prayers. We began looking forward to our visits with this dear family because of our love for the Lord. We were doing it for Him. He made the struggle no longer a struggle. After many months of our standing on the doorstep, the family began letting us in. Eventually, we had regular prayer and tender gospel discussions together. A long-lasting friendship developed. We were worshipping and loving Him by loving His children. … When Jesus Christ, through the power of His Atonement, works on us and in us, He begins to work through us to bless others.”10
Ministering really is the essence of building the kingdom of God. There are many ways to minister that need no assignment. When we are hastening the Lord’s work through temple and family history work, creating a Christ-centered home, welcoming in new members or loving straying ones back, we are ministering. When we share the gospel with those we meet, we are ministering. When we lovingly care for our family and friends, we are ministering. President Nelson said, “When you are truly ministering, you follow your feelings to help someone else experience more of the Savior’s love.”5
Jeffrey R. Holland taught us about another way of ministering that we may not have considered ministering, yet it will certainly help us all experience more of the Savior’s love. It is not an assignment but rather a way of life. Elder Holland called it “an even more personal aspect of ministering.” It is being a peacemaker. He reminded us that “Jesus has asked that we ‘live together in love’ with ‘no disputations among you.’ He encouraged us to forgive old grievances and let the Savior heal our wounds. “To be His disciple and to try to do as He did,” Elder Holland said, “Jesus is asking us to be instruments of His grace—to be ‘ambassadors for Christ’ in ‘the ministry of reconciliation’ as Paul described it to the Corinthians. The Healer of every wound, He who rights every wrong, asks us to labor with Him in the daunting task of peacemaking in a world that won’t find it any other way.”11
Imagine the effect that kind of ministering can have as we work to build of the kingdom of God! Such powerful ministering will bring profound peace. Elder Holland declared, “With the apostolic authority granted me by the Savior of the world, I testify of the tranquility to the soul that reconciliation with God and each other will bring if we are meek and courageous enough to pursue it. … Care for one another in love. My beloved friends, in our shared ministry of reconciliation, I ask us to be peacemakers—to love peace, to seek peace, to create peace, to cherish peace.”11
What better time than during the Christmas season to follow the example of the Savior and bring peace to the earth. May we allow the sweet peace of the gospel to sink deep into our hearts. As we do, our desire to build the kingdom of God will naturally increase.
References:
1. The Correct Name of the Church – Russell M. Nelson
2. Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints – Russell M. Nelson
3. Our Campfire of Faith – Gerrit W. Gong
4. Laying the Foundation of a Great Work – Steven R. Bangerter
5. Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel – Russell M. Nelson
6. Believe, Love, Do – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
7. One in Christ – Ulisses Soares
9. Becoming a Shepherd – Bonnie H. Cordon
10. For Him – Joy D. Jones
11. The Ministry of Reconciliation – Jeffrey R. Holland