Capping his first general conference as president of the LDS Church by re-emphasizing Christlike behavior and temple attendance, President Howard W. Hunter invoked blessings on church members and bore his testimony of the divinity of the gospel.
"I bless you in your efforts to live a more Christ-like life. I bless you with an increased desire to be worthy of a temple recommend and to attend the temple as frequently as circumstances allow. I bless you to receive the peace of our Heavenly Father in your homes and to be guided in teaching your families to follow the Master," he said. The address concluded the fifth and final session of the 164th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.The 86-year-old church leader, who Saturday was sustained as the 14th prophet, seer and revelator and president of the 8.9-million-member church, testified of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and of his need for direction from the Savior.
"I feel very deeply my dependence on the Lord for the guidance and direction of his kingdom. I thank you again for your sustaining vote and your faith and prayers in behalf of myself and my brethren . . . ," President Hunter said.
Referring to the two-day conference, he said, "We have experienced a marvelous outpouring of the spirit. I commend to you the wise and inspired counsel you have received from the general authorities and general auxiliary officers of the church.
"My humble prayer is that while their instruction is fresh in our minds, each of us will resolve to incorporate it into our lives," President Hunter said.
He paid tribute to and expressed love and appreciation for his counselors, President Gordon B. Hinckley and President Thomas S. Monson, the Council of the Twelve and other church officers. In pondering the messages of the conference, President Hunter said he asked himself how he could help others partake of the goodness and blessings of Heavenly Father.
The answer, he said, lies in following the direction received from those sustained to lead, guide and direct the church.
President Hunter bore solemn witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. He is the "center of our worship and the key to our happiness. Let us follow the Son of God in all ways and all walks of life. Let us make him our exemplar and our guide," he said.
The new church president, who served more than 34 years in the Council of the Twelve before being ordained president of the church in June, said world conditions and church growth require that church members "think more of holy things and act more like the Savior would expect his disciples to act."
He again emphasized the personal blessings of temple worship and the sanctity and safety that are provided in temples.
The temple is the "house of the Lord, a place of revelation and of peace. As we attend the temple, we will learn more richly and deeply the purpose of life and the significance of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us make the temple, with temple worship and temple covenants and temple marriage, our ultimate earthly goal and the supreme mortal experience."
He encouraged church members to share with their children the spiritual feelings they have experienced in the temple.
President Hunter reiterated the need for worthy young men and mature couples to serve missions. He encouraged efforts to prepare "every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving mission call."
He also asked for greater efforts to "plan for and teach and plead with our children" to marry in the temple.
"Let us reaffirm more vigorously than we ever have in the past that it does matter where you marry and by what authority you are pronounced man and wife. All of our efforts in proclaiming the gospel, perfecting the saints and redeeming the dead lead to the holy temple. This is because the temple ordinances are absolutely crucial; we cannot return to God's presence without them," President Hunter said.
The church is engaged in the work of "saving souls, of inviting people to come unto Christ (and) of bringing them into the waters of baptism so they may continue to progress along the path that leads to eternal life."
The world needs Christ's gospel, which he said "provides the only way the world will ever know peace. As followers of Jesus, we seek to enlarge the circle of love and understanding among all the people of the Earth."
President Monson, second counselor in the First Presidency, conducted the final session. Music for both Sunday sessions was provided by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Afternoon speakers
Howard W. Hunter of the First Presidency
James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve
Russell M. Nelson of the Council of the Twelve
Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Council of the Twelve
Rex D. Pinegar of the Presidency of the Seventy
Lance B. Wickman of the Seventy
Patricia P. Pinegar of the Primary presidency
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Elder Faust:
Follow the teachings of those who have keys to the priesthood.
Elder James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve strongly urged Latter-day Saints to follow the teachings of those who now have the keys of the priesthood as prophets, seers and revelators.
"They are the ones who will inspire us to deal with the vicissitudes of our time. I plead with all not to try to selectively invoke gospel principles or scripture to wrongly justify spiritual disobedience, or to separate themselves from the responsibilities of covenants and ordinances contrary to the counsel of those who have the prophetic voice in the church," Elder Faust said. Elder Faust traced the conferring of priesthood keys, which he defined as the authority and power to direct all of the labors of the kingdom of God on Earth.
"Why is it so necessary to follow those who have the keys of priesthood authority?" Elder Faust asked.
He said the principle that has guided the church and its people since the beginning is that of revelation.
"Among the members of the church have been the living oracles of God who have held the keys to direct his holy work. Without prophets, seers and revelators the church and the kingdom of God cannot grow and prosper," he said.
He quoted the late President Joseph Fielding Smith in saying that there is "no mystery about the choosing of the successor to the president of the church."
Elder Faust said that on June 5, the Council of the Twelve, of which President Howard W. Hunter was then president, "collectively holding all of the keys of the kingdom, convened in the Salt Lake Temple. President Hunter was then ordained and set apart by the Twelve, with President Gordon B. Hinckley as voice for the Twelve. President Hunter thus became the president and legal administrator of the church and the only man authorized to dispense, oversee and exercise all of the keys of the kingdom of God on Earth." He also became the successor to the keys held by Joseph Smith and other prophets before him, Elder Faust said.
"Great temporal and spiritual strength flows from following those who have the keys of the kingdom of God in our time."
Elder Nelson:
Some still have not perceived the spirit of Elijah or its power.
In the century since the Genealogical Society of Utah was organized "much has been accomplished. More and more people are becoming excited about discovering their roots, and the church is doing its best to help them," Elder Russell M. Nelson declared.
Elder Nelson, a member of the Council of the Twelve, discussed the spirit of Elijah and how members and nonmembers of the church are doing family history research.
He also reviewed progress being made in temple work but cautioned that some church members still "have neither perceived the spirit of Elijah nor its power." Still, they are bound by the responsibility to do research and temple work for their kindred dead.
Elder Nelson said the 100th anniversary next month of the society highlights the great importance and influence of the spirit of Elijah. He said the centennial date coincides with the (87th) birthday (on Nov. 14) of President Hunter, "who now beckons us to the house of the Lord."
Quoting the Prophet Joseph Smith, Elder Nelson said the office and work of Elijah "is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed."
He said 2,150 family history centers have been established throughout the world, and that the FamilySearch Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building has served hundreds of thousands of visitors, "at least two-thirds of whom have found something in the computer file about their ancestors."
Elder Nelson said more than 300,000 copies of the church's computer program, Personal Ancestral File, are used in libraries and homes by many hundreds of thousands of people. He said the FamilySearch program is used by millions of genealogical researchers throughout the world, most of whom are not members of the church.
He shared the excitement that he and his his own family have found in submitting ancestral names to the temple and performing ordinances for them.
"Service in the temple together is a sublime activity for a family. It provides its own sustaining motivation and verification of the truth of this unique work."
Elder Wirthlin:
Keep your faith simple but strong and deeply rooted.
Faithful members of the church should be like oak trees, extending "deep roots into the fertile soil of the fundamental principles of the gospel."
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Council of the Twelve told of recently seeing two very large trees uprooted and blown over on the island of Molokai in Hawaii.
He said he wondered if the huge, shallow-rooted trees would have survived the winds and storms if their roots had been deeper.
Church members can be more strongly rooted in the gospel, he said, if they understand and live by simple, basic gospel truths and do not complicate them.
"Our foundations should be solid and deep-rooted so we can withstand the winds of temptation, false doctrine, adversity and the onslaught of the adversary without being swayed or uprooted. Members whose roots are only at the surface of the gospel need to sink them deeper until they reach the bedrock below the soft topsoil," Elder Wirthlin said.
He said spiritual nourishment is just as important as a balanced diet to keep people strong and healthy.
"We nourish ourselves spiritually by partaking of the sacrament weekly, reading the scriptures daily, praying daily in personal and family prayer and performing temple work regularly. Our spiritual strengths are like batteries; they need to be charged and frequently recharged," Elder Wirthlin said.
He discussed some of the core principles of the gospel in which members should sink their roots. Most important is the reality of Heavenly Father, his son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Other principles, he said, include free agency; Christ's plan to atone for the sins of all mankind and bear the suffering for their sins, satisfying the law of justice, if they repent; the importance of moral purity; and the Word of Wisdom.
Elder Wirthlin said the "winds of false doctrine that are blowing today both outside and within the church are far more dangerous to the ultimate salvation of mankind than are earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters. These winds can uproot people if their roots are not firmly anchored to the rock of our salvation, which is the teachings of Jesus Christ."
Elder Pinegar:
Express faith through small but significant acts of kindness.
Church members were counseled by President Rex D. Pinegar of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy to follow the Savior in doing the simple things of the gospel.
Elder Pinegar began his talk by expressing his love for President Howard W. Hunter, whose past concerns for people are mirrored in his current focus on the simple messages of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"The great work of the Lord is primarily accomplished through small, kind acts that exemplify the basic teachings of his gospel. Obedience in doing the simple things has always been the means of obtaining the blessings of the Lord."
He said people are often looking for big or important things to do and "bypassing simple things" that could change their lives and bless others.
He quoted statements made by the Lord, President Hunter, the late President David O. McKay, the First Presidency and other church leaders about the importance of being obedient and performing simple acts of service.
He said members have been counseled by the prophets to do simple things that matter, such as holding regular family home evenings and family prayer.
"Brothers and sisters, we must not fail to do the simple and easy things the gospel requires and thereby deny ourselves and our families the great blessings that the Lord has promised," Elder Pinegar said.
Elder Wickman:
Temple's spirit will keep you holy through life's tempests.
Church members who are righteous and who visit the temple as often as distance and circumstance permit will carry the spirit of the temple with them, said Elder Lance B. Wickman of the Quorums of the Seventy.
Elder Wickman, who was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy last April, said the spirit of the temple will enable the faithful to remain in a "holy place" as they encounter the buffetings of life.
The house of the Lord beckons, he said, to "all who would be numbered with Zion."
Quoting from Isaiah 2:3, he said, "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths."
Elder Wickman said the words "Zion" and "temple" belong in the same sentence. The temple, he said, "is the key to salvation because it is a place of thanksgiving, a place of instruction and a place of understanding `in all things.' "
He told of being sealed to his wife, Pat, in the temple and of experiences of being separated three times from her to serve in the military during the Vietnam War. He said those and other experiences, including the death of a young son and the birth of a handicapped daughter, have helped to strengthen him.
Through the years, he said, he has come to appreciate the wisdom of a dear friend, a patriarch and temple sealer on the beauties and peace found within the temple. Elder Wickman quoted the friend as saying, "Lance, the joy I receive is more than just being in the temple. The temple is in me! And when I leave the temple, its peace goes with me."
President Pinegar:
Teach children of God's love; stand by them in life's storms.
Urging parents, teachers, leaders, brothers and sisters to "teach the children," President Patricia P. Pinegar addressed members of the church as the new general president of the Primary.
Sustained Saturday to succeed Michaelene P. Grassli, President Pinegar expressed thanks to her predecessor, counselors and the Primary General Board for encouraging church members to "focus on what is best for the children." She also thanked the Young Women General Presidency, from which she was released to assume her new call.
Just as giant redwood trees weave their roots to hold each other up during stormy weather, President Pinegar urged Latter-day Saints to support and strengthen each other, particularly the children of the world, "intertwining your roots of testimony, of faith, of love, of kindness and patience with every child. Their roots are not deep enough for them to stand alone in the storms of life. They need us."
Foremost, children should be taught that Heavenly Father loves them and has confidence in them because they are his children.
"Teach and show them that they do need Jesus, our Savior, our guide. Help them understand and accept his love and to trust him and follow him. Teach them that our prophet, President Howard W. Hunter has said, `We should at every opportunity ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?' and then be more courageous to act upon the answer . . .
"Teach the children that at eight years of age, when they are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, they will be responsible for their choices. Teach them that they will be tempted, but as they listen to the still-small voice of the Holy Ghost, he will help them with their choices."