The Role of The Book of Mormon
Dear Elders and Sisters:
I feel guided to remind you of the Role of the Book of
Mormon in conversion. Recently you have
been studying it with "real intent" to better understand Faith in the
Atonement of Jesus Christ and to recognize His Christ-like
characteristics. PMG states: "The
Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of the divinity of Christ." Your personal testimony of the truthfulness
of the Book of Mormon will give you "confidence that the Holy Ghost will
testify to anyone who reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God if it
is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ. This witness of the Holy Ghost should be a
central part of your teaching." (PMG page 103)
I offer a few quotes from Prophets to remind us of what
we desire these investigators discover.
I think that if you'll consider them as "un-baptized members"
perhaps your perspective may change just a bit.
The Prophets' council on reading and studying the Book of Mormon is
clear to the members of the church and as you remember that you are trying to
ultimately help your investigators achieve the same love for and desire to read
and study the Book of Mormon, this slight shift in perspective will help you.
From President Benson (our Great Book of Mormon Prophet):
"It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed
does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ,
though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power
in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a
serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation.
You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on
the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life”
(D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of
Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find
life in greater and greater abundance."
And he went on to say: "The Book of Mormon is the
greatest single tool God has given us for the conversion of the world."
(Ensign, October 1986)
"The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God
designed to sweep the earth as with a flood (see Moses 7:62), to gather out HIs
elect. This sacred volume of scripture
needs to become more central in our preaching, our teaching, and our missionary
work. My beloved brothers and sisters,
we hardly fathom the power of the Book of Mormon, nor the divine role it must
play..." (Ensign, Nov 1988)
From Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “We are so wound up in
programs and statistics and trends, in properties, lands and mammon, and in
achieving goals that will highlight the excellence of our work, that we have
‘omitted the weightier matters of the law.’ … However talented men may be in
administrative matters; however eloquent they may be in expressing their views;
however learned they may be in the worldly things--they will be denied the
sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the
price of studying, pondering, and praying about the [Book of Mormon].” (In
Regional Representatives’ Seminar, 2 Apr. 1982, pp. 1–2.)
"Few men on earth either in or out of the Church,
have caught the vision of what the Book of Mormon is all about. Few are they among men who know the part it
has played and will yet play in preparing the way for the coming of Him of whom
it is a new witness...The Book of Mormon shall so affect men that the whole earth
and all of its peoples will have been influenced and governed by it...There is
no greater issue than this: Is the Book of Mormon the mind and will and voice
of God to all men?" (Millenial Messiah, pp 159, 170, 179)
Once you have placed a Book of Mormon and taught a
lesson, when you return to teach the next lesson and you discover your
investigator has not read the Book of Mormon, will you please adopt Elder
Holland's attitude and be "devastated"? Will you then put on hold what you were going
to teach and read the Book of Mormon from the Introduction Page with them for
the next 20 minutes, bear your testimony of the Book as Another Witness of
Jesus Christ, pray, and then set up your next appointment thus letting them
know how important and central reading the Book of Mormon is to "knowing"
the truth of your message. This will help them know that it is truly the
"cornerstone" of our religion and they will need to read it in order
to know of the truthfulness of the doctrines of the Restoration of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ?
Remember, it "is the greatest tool the Lord has
given us for the conversion of the world"!
Let us it as such! Help your soon-to-be members discover the rich
blessing of the Book of Mormon in their lives as soon as possible and over and
over again.
With much love for the Book of Mormon and for you!
President Clark
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