Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gospel Missionary
BY ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR
I am delighted to be with you in this sacred setting. Thank you for your faithfulness, for
your preparation, and for your goodness. The entire world will be influenced for good
because of you and the work of the Lord in which you are now and will continue to be
engaged.
I bring to you the love and blessings of President Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, and
of all my associates in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. An Apostle is first, foremost,
and always a missionary. For that reason, I am especially pleased to greet you as fellow
servants in this magnificent latter-day work.
The topic I have chosen to address in this devotional is Becoming a Preach My
Gospel Missionary. I will begin by briefly defining what a Preach My Gospel missionary is
and then describing five fundamental requirements for becoming Preach My
Gospel missionaries.
I earnestly pray the Holy Ghost will inspire and help each of us to learn what is needful in
our lives as we consider together this important topic.
them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement,
repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end
(Preach My Gospel, 1).
The prophet Mormon used slightly different language to describe the essence of a Preach
My Gospel missionary in his generation: Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have
everlasting life (3 Nephi 5:13).
Thus, elders and sisters, the basic purpose and functions of missionaries always have
been and always will be the same. Today we frequently use the term a Preach My
Gospel missionary, but the sacred responsibility to proclaim authoritatively the gospel
and administer the saving ordinances has been in operation since Adam was driven from
the Garden of Eden and will continue until the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done
(Joseph Smith, in History of the Church, 4:540).
133:37). We authoritatively bind up the law and seal up the testimony (D&C 88:84)
among the inhabitants of the earth in preparation for the Second Coming of the Savior.
We love the Lord. We serve Him. We follow Him. We represent Him.
As we serve, we do not represent our families, our friends, our branches or wards, or our
communities or nations. Rather, we represent Him. His purposes must be our purposes.
His interests should be our interests. His work should be our work. His ways should be our
ways. His will increasingly should become our will.
As representatives of the Redeemer, we preach the fundamental doctrines and principles
of His restored gospel simply and clearly. We do not present personal opinions or
speculation. We do not dwell upon the unknowable mysteries in our personal study or in
lessons with investigators. We proclaim and testify of simple restored truth in the Lords
way and by the power of His Spirit.
Preach My Gospel missionaries understand that the responsibility to represent the Savior
and to bear testimony of Him never ends. When the day arrives for an honorable release as
a full-time missionary, you will depart from a field of labor and return to your familybut
you will not cease being and becoming a missionary. A release as a full-time missionary is
a call to serve as a lifelong missionary. And Preach My Gospel missionaries honor, always,
this sacred obligation.
Please remember Him in all that you think, in all that you do, and in all that you strive to
become, and represent Him appropriately to all of Heavenly Fathers children with whom
you interact now and always.
compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness,
behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man (D&C 121:3637).
The fact that proclaiming the gospel is a priesthood responsibility and duty does not in
any way overlook nor minimize the consecrated service of you faithful sisters. Rather, it
highlights the divine authority by which this holy work is governed and directed and
emphasizes the sacred obligation that rests upon all men who receive the holy priesthood
(see Abraham 2:811). I thank you sisters for all you have done and will yet do to build
and strengthen the Lords kingdom.
Now, let me state several simple truths just as clearly as I know how.
We cannot be stained with the spots of the world and authoritatively represent Him
We cannot help others to overcome the bondage of sin if we ourselves are entangled
We cannot help others learn to repent if we ourselves have not learned to repent
We can proclaim and preach with power only that which we are striving to become.
We will be held accountable before God for our righteous desires and worthiness to
together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).
Within the sound of my voice are elders and sisters who yet need fully to repent. The time
is now. Please, please, please do not procrastinate the day of your repentance.
Within the sound of my voice are elders and sisters who have repented and are continuing
to repent and who wonder if they have done all that is necessary to be accepted of the
Lord (see D&C 97:8). Please remember, the Lord requires you to be clean but not perfect.
The Holy Ghost operating again in your life is the surest indicator of forgiveness by the
Lord because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples (Helaman 4:24).
And recognize that the mandate to forgive all men (D&C 64:10) includes forgiving
yourself.
My beloved elders and sisters and couples, as you become clean vessels you can with
appropriate assurance invite all to come unto Christ (see Moroni 10:3032), to receive the
ordinances of salvation, and to endure in faith to the end.
spiritual knowledge and understanding penetrated deep into their own souls, they
became Preach My Gospel missionaries. As Ammon described:
Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of
myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold,
many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name
forever.
Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and
they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which
is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? (Alma 26:1213; emphasis added).
Ammon was a Preach My Gospel missionary who treasured up continually the words of
eternal life and had the power of the word in him. And you and I need to follow the
example of Ammon.
As representatives of the Savior, you and I have the ongoing responsibility to work
diligently and to implant in our hearts and minds the fundamental doctrines and principles
of the restored gospel, especially from the Book of Mormon. As we do so, the promised
blessing is that the Holy Ghost will bring all things to [our] remembrance (John 14:26)
and empower us as we teach and testify. But, elders and sisters, the Spirit can work with
and through us only if we give Him something with which to work. He cannot help us
remember things we have not learned.
And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that
which was justyea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than
the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto themtherefore Alma thought it
was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God (Alma 31:5; emphasis
added).
Preach My Gospel missionaries treasure up continually the words of eternal life, they rely
upon the virtue of the word, and they have the power of the word in them. Please always
remember Him, always be worthy to represent Him, and treasure up and rely upon the
virtue of the word.
As missionaries, one of our most important roles is to invite investigators to exercise their
moral agency and act in accordance with the teachings of the Savior. Making and keeping
spiritual commitments, such as praying for a witness of the truth, studying and praying
about the Book of Mormon, attending Church meetings, and keeping the commandments,
require an investigator to exercise faith, to act, and to change.
Regardless of how worthy we are and how earnestly we serve, you and I simply cannot
push or force truth into the hearts of investigators. Teaching, exhorting, explaining, and
testifying, as important as they are, can never convey to an investigator a witness of the
truthfulness of the restored gospel. Our best efforts can only bring the message of
truth unto the heart (see 2 Nephi 33:1). Ultimately, an investigator needs to act in
righteousness and thereby invite the truth into his or her own heart. Only in this way can
honest seekers of truth and new converts develop the spiritual capacity to find answers for
themselves and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all
places (Mosiah 18:9).
Preach My Gospel missionaries obviously must learn to teach by the power of the Spirit. Of
equal importance, however, is the responsibility to help investigators learn by faith and by
the power of the Holy Ghost. In this regard, you and I are much like the long, thin strands
of glass used to create fiber optic cables through which light signals are transmitted over
very long distances. Just as the glass in these cables must be pure to conduct the light
efficiently and effectively, so we should become and remain worthy conduits through
whom the Spirit of the Lord can operate. But elders and sisters, we must be careful to
remember in our service that we are conduits and channels; we are not the light. For it is
not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you (Matthew 10:20).
This work is never about me and it is never about you. We need to do all in our power to
fulfill our missionary responsibility and simultaneously get out of the way so the Holy
Ghost can perform His sacred function and work. In fact, anything you or I do as
representatives of the Savior that knowingly and intentionally draws attention to selfin
the messages we present, in the methods we use, or in our personal demeanor and
appearanceis a form of priestcraft that inhibits the teaching effectiveness of the Holy
Ghost.
Doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? And if it be by some other way
it is not of God (D&C 50:1718).
For example, goals are worthwhile and help in accomplishing the Lords work. But if we
achieve goals primarily to receive praise and recognition from our families and friends,
from other missionaries, or from Church leaders, then we are practicing priestcraftand
we need to repent. Preach My Gospel missionaries are focused upon helping Heavenly
Fathers children worthily receive the covenants and ordinances necessary to return to
Him, and they are not focused on compiling impressive statistics that supposedly make
them look good.
Righteous influence is important in building the Lords kingdom on the earth. But if we
aspire to leadership positions in the mission and believe the principal measure of a
missionarys success is reflected in serving as a district or zone leader or as an assistant
to the president, then we are seeking to gratify our pride and vain ambitionsand we
need to repent. Preach My Gospel missionaries serve well wherever and whenever they are
assigned and are not unduly concerned about prominence, position, or prestige.
Persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, and love unfeigned (see D&C
121:41) are the Lords ways of inviting all to come unto Him. But if we preach, invite, and
testify in ways that control, manipulate, or exploit an investigator, then we are exercising
unrighteousness dominion and compulsion and we need to repent. Preach My
Gospel missionaries strive to accomplish the Lords work the Lords wayand do not
stubbornly insist on doing things their own way. As John the Baptist testified, He [the
Lord] must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).
Strive to apply in your ministry this timeless counsel from Paul:
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1
Corinthians 2:15).
Preach My Gospel missionaries understand the Holy Ghost is the ultimate and true teacher,
consistently do their best to get out of the way, and avoid and overcome priestcraft,
vanity, and unrighteous dominion as they serve and represent the Lord.
Please always remember Him, be worthy to represent Him, treasure up His word, and allow
the ultimate and true teacher, the Holy Ghost, to witness of all truth.
speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that
speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost (Mark 13:1011).
This same pattern for preaching was reiterated repeatedly by the Savior in the early days
of this dispensation as He instructed missionaries to open your mouths and they shall be
filled (D&C 33:8, 10) and to lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that
I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men; for it shall be
given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say (D&C 100:56).
Please notice in these scriptural instructions the important sequence of first acting in faith
(open your mouths or lift up your voices) before receiving a promised blessing (they
shall be filled; you will not be confounded). Interestingly, many of us routinely seek for
precisely the opposite; we pray and ask for the blessing so we can act in faith (first fill our
mouths so we can open them). But that is not the Lords way or pattern. Faith precedes the
miracle, and ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith (Ether 12:6).
These scriptures emphasize a most demanding and exacting pattern for preaching and
helping investigators to learn truth. Preach My Gospel missionaries know we do not teach
lessons; we teach people. We do not merely recite or present memorized messages about
gospel topics. We invite seekers of truth to experience the mighty change of heart. We
understand that talking and telling alone are not teaching.
Preaching the gospel the Lords way includes observing and listening and discerning as
prerequisites to talking. The sequence of these four interrelated processes is significant.
Please note that active observing and listening precede discerning and that observing,
listening, and discerning come before speaking. Employing this pattern enables
missionaries to identify and teach to the needs of investigators.
As we observe, listen, and discern, we can be given in the very hour that portion that shall
be meted unto every man (D&C 84:85)the truths to emphasize and the answers to give
that will meet the specific needs of a particular investigator. Only by observing, listening,
and discerning can we be guided by the Spirit to say and do the things that will be most
helpful to those whom we serve.
I hope you are beginning to appreciate why (1) understanding whom we represent, (2)
worthiness, (3) treasuring up, and (4) getting out of the way so the Holy Ghost can teach
are essential to using effectively the Lords pattern of preaching.
Mormon, the principal compiler of the Book of Mormon, is described as being quick to
observe (Mormon 1:2). Recall that Ammaron counseled the youthful Mormon to both
remember and record all of the things he had observed concerning his people
(see Mormon 1:15). His ability to look, to notice, to respond, and to obey provides an
impressive example for us to study and follow.
Being quick to observe is a vital preparation to receive the spiritual gift of discernment.
Discernment is seeing with spiritual eyes and feeling with the heartseeing and feeling
the falsehood of an idea, the goodness in another person, or the next principle that is
needed to aid an investigator. Discerning is hearing with spiritual ears and feeling with the
Preach My Gospel missionaries act in faith and are guided by the Spirit to help
investigators learn truth. Please always remember Him, be worthy to represent Him,
treasure up His word, allow the Holy Ghost to witness all truth, and observe, listen, and
discern as you testify of Jesus Christ to honest seekers of truth.
I love you and pray you truly will become powerful and effective representatives of the
Lord Jesus Christ. To you, my fellow servants, I declare my apostolic witness that Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ live. I know and witness Jesus is the Christ, the Only Begotten Son
of the Eternal Father; He is our Savior and Redeemer. I testify the Father and the Son
appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove and that the fulness of the
gospel has been restored to the earth in these latter days. The Book of Mormon is the
word of God. I witness priesthood authority and keys also have been returned to the earth
by heavenly messengers. I know President Thomas S. Monson is the senior Apostle and
the only person on the earth who both holds and is authorized to exercise all priesthood
keys. My beloved associates in this work, all of these things are true; they are all true.
I invoke upon you every spiritual capacity and blessing that you may need to more fully
understand that you represent and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. And I promise that as you
strive to become what you need to become, you will recognize and respond in faith to His
voice and guidance. You can do this!
I declare my witness and invoke these blessings and promises upon you in the sacred
name of Him whom we serve and represent, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.