Venâncio Aires Week 2

Week #66

The harvest is a little bit slow, but the ground here is prepared. The members have goals and want to accomplish them. They just need to know how. 

That's why this next week we're organizing a fireside about how members can be missionaries. We're especially going to talk about Elder Ballard's talk in the last General Conference. Even if you remember exactly what it said, read it again. An Apostle of the Lord made several promises we receive through sharing the Gospel.

He also invited everybody to own and study Preach My Gospel. I don't know how much a copy of Preach My Gospel costs there, but here, it's about $1.50. If that's too expensive you can download it to listen or read for free here. Obviously we all want to see wards grow and friends accept the Gospel. The wonderful thing is that we already have a manual that teaches how to do that. 

I repeat Elder Ballard's invitation. Have a copy of Preach My Gospel, a personal copy. Study it. Use what you learn. Share what you learn with other people. Tell the missionaries what you learned. We, as missionaries are told to study Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon every day. The two are the words of prophets and apostles. They are both scripture. 2 Nephi 28:30 speaks of line upon line and precept upon precept, but it also says that those who receive will receive more and those who do not receive shall have it taken from them even that which they have. We must accept and use all of the divine resources we have. 

Because the first Apostles and members of the Primitive Church received the prophecies and teachings of the Old Testament, they received the New Testament. Because Joseph Smith received the counsel in the New Testament to ask of God, he received the Book of Mormon. Because he received, translated, and lived the teachings of the Book of Mormon, he received the revelations in Doctrine and Covenants. Because we continue to receive the Standard Works, we are given the words of living prophets and apostles monthly. What a wonderful fulfillment of the promise written by Nephi!

But we must remember that there is a flip side. The world stopped receiving the original apostles and revelation and scripture ceased. Many plain and precious things were lost. The Gospel was no longer fully understood. Men chose to stop receiving and even the Bible was sealed against their understanding. They lost what they already had. The same can happen to everyone of us as well.

I know that God is not silent. He still speaks through His appointed servants. This will never change. President Monson is the Prophet of God. He does not speak as the scribes and Pharisees using only his own interpretations. He reveals the current and unchanging will of our Eternal God.

Elder Dickson

Elder Dias (Cape Verde), Elder Barrus (Virginia), Eu (Elder Dickson), Elder de Araujo (Rio de Janeiro)