President Gordon B. Hinckley asked members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be individually worthy of the respect the church has developed worldwide by acting in accordance with counsel from God.
Opening the first session of the 166th Semiannual General Conference of the church Saturday morning in the Tabernacle on Temple Square, he asked that those listening do so by the "power of the spirit.""If you will do so, I do not hesitate to promise that you will be uplifted; your resolution to do what is right will be stronger; you will find solutions to your problems and your needs, and you will be led to thank the Lord for what you have heard," President Hinckley said, opening the two-day conference.
President Hinckley, who conducted the session, expressed appreciation for the mediums by which the conference is carried.
"We are deeply grateful for the means of communication afforded us by which we can speak to you and in most cases, you can see us. We feel of your warmth, your brotherhood, your faith, your sustaining prayers. Thank you, one and all," President Hinckley said.
The 86-year-old prophet, who was ordained the 15th president of the church in 1995, read a letter received from a family in England following a previous general conference.
The couple expressed appreciation for the privilege of sustaining the prophet and other general authorities, "and in our own home, too!" Sessions of the conference were transmitted live to Europe, and the letter expressed gratitude. "We give you our report, the voting was unanimous in the affirmative, with not a single abstaining or dissenting voice."
President Hinckley used the letter as a way of pointing out the "awesome responsibility" that he and other general authorities feel in addressing conference.
"You have gathered to be encouraged, to be inspired, to be lifted and directed as members of the church. We are all assembled together as believers in this the cause of Christ. Each of us is his servant in building his kingdom in anticipation of the time when he will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You have gathered to be helped with your temporal concerns, your failures and your victories. You have come to hear the word of the Lord taught by those who, not of their own choosing, have been called as teachers in this great work," President Hinckley said.
He noted that those attending or listening to the conference had prayed that they might hear things that will help them with problems and strengthen their faith. He assured them that he and other leaders also prayed for guidance and direction.
"We have prayed for inspiration and direction. There is a constant prayer in our hearts that we will not fail the great trust the Lord has placed in us and the trust which you have placed in us. We have prayed that we might be prompted to say those words which will build faith and testimony and which will become answered prayers for those who will hear," President Hinckley said.
Hearkening to history, President Hinckley called attention to the sacrifices of 19th century members of the church who left their homes and braved a rugged wilderness in order to pursue their religious beliefs.
"One hundred (and) fifty years ago, our people were leaving Nauvoo and threading their way across the prairies of Iowa. None of us, I am confident, can appreciate the measure of sacrifice which they made in leaving their comfortable homes to brave the tempests of the wilderness on a journey that would not end until they reached this valley of the Great Salt Lake. Their suffering was immeasurable. They died by the hundreds for this cause of which each one of us is a part."
He recalled his visits this year to Palmyra, N.Y.; Nauvoo, Ill.; and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Visiting such sites, he said, is always a sacred experience.
"I am so deeply grateful for our inheritance. We shall remember it in a special way next year when we commemorate the arrival of our pioneer forebears in this valley," President Hinckley said.
He reminded present-day members of the church that their blessing is to "live in a better season" than that of the pioneers. "The terrible persecutions of the past are behind us. Today we are looked upon with respect by people across the world. We must always be worthy of that respect. We must earn it, or we will not have it. We will be reminded of that principle during this conference."
President Hinckley marveled at the growth and diversity of the church, now numbered at more than 9 million members, since its mid-19th century beginnings.
"We have become as a great family spread across this vast world. We speak different tongues. We live under a variety of circumstances. But in the heart of each of us beats a common testimony: You and I know that God lives and is at the helm of this his holy work. We know that Jesus is our Redeemer, who stands at the head of this church which carries his name. We know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and is a prophet who stands at the head of this the dispensation of the fullness of times.
"We know that the priesthood was restored upon his head and that it has come down to us in this day in an unbroken line. We know that the Book of Mormon is a true testament of the reality and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our testimony of these and other matters will be strengthened (and) our faith will be deepened as we participate together in this great and sacred convocation."
Thousands of church members packed the building, as well as the Assembly Hall and adjacent visitors centers. Hundreds of others filled the lawns and gardens on Temple Square, enjoying warm temperatures and sunny skies. President Hinckley expressed appreciation for the tropical flowers that decorated the Tabernacle, provided by the Jamaica Kingston Mission.
Music for the session was furnished by the Mormon Youth Chorus, with Robert C. Bowden conducting and Bonnie Goodliffe at the organ.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Saturday morning speakers
President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the LDS Church
President Thomas S. Monson of the First Presidency
President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve
Elder David B. Haight of the Quorum of the Twelve
Elder L. Aldin Porter of the Presidency of the Seventy
Sister Virginia H. Pearce of the Young Women Presidency
Pres. Monson: Influence of the Savior as he served others was one of `caring and seeing with the heart.'
The spirit and influence of the Savior at the pool of Bethesda and in all situations where he served others was one of love, "caring and seeing with the heart," said President Thomas S. Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency.
His address was prefaced by his recollections of recently viewing a painting titled "Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda."
Looking at the painting, he said his thoughts turned back to the time when a crippled man, lying on his crude crutch with his arms extended and his hands turned up, appealed to Jesus. President Monson quoted from the Biblical account of the man with the Savior. He said he has thought since of the "majesty of the Master's command, the tenderness of his heart and the incredible joy" that his healing act had brought to the afflicted man.
Christ's gospel, President Monson said, "reshaped the thinking" of the world.
"He blessed the sick; he caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life. He provided for you and me the greatest gift we shall ever receive: the atonement and all that it conveys. He willingly died that we might forever live," President Monson said.
A number of scriptural accounts show that Christ lived, he said, " `not to be ministered unto, but to minister,' not to receive, but to give; not to save his life, but to pour it out for others."
President Monson read from a letter he received from a Utah man whose father's physical health had deteriorated so that he was almost helpless. But the man's faith remained strong. President Monson told of his own visit years ago to a Salt Lake hospital where two women - members of the ward where he was the bishop - were patients. He went to the hospital to visit one of them, not realizing that the other woman also was a patient there. He told of being prompted to visit the woman.
He indicated that the opportunities for blessing the lives of others abound.
"On every side there are those who suffer pain, who endure debilitating illness. . . . Our hearts go out to all. Our prayers ascend in their behalf. Hands that help are extended," he said.
At the beginning of his address, President Monson expressed admiration and love for Elder David B. Haight of the Quorum of the Twelve, who preceded him as a speaker.
Referring to his own and Elder Haight's service in the U.S. Navy, President Monson said: "Ensign Monson salutes you, Commander David B. Haight. We are Navy men together. I love him . . . " He also complimented the 90-year-old Elder Haight on his "magnificent message."
Pres. Packer: Apostles, prophets are ordained `prophets, seers and revelators,' are special witnesses of Christ.
The sacred authority inherent in the calling of the apostles during the Savior's time also rests with apostles and prophets in the LDS Church today, and members will find happiness by heeding their counsel.
President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, emphasized the importance of direction from those ordained as "prophets, seers and revelators."
President Packer laid a scriptural foundation for the importance of the apostles as special witnesses of Christ and in guiding the church. As in ancient times, the modern Quorum of the Twelve is "made up of men called from the ordinary pursuits of life."
He told of a conversation President Harold B. Lee had with Elder Charles A. Callis of the Quorum of the Twelve, in which it was remarked that "the gift of discernment was an awesome burden to carry. To see clearly what is ahead and yet find members slow to respond or resistant to counsel or even rejecting the witness of the apostles and prophets brings deep sorrow."
President Packer said the Lord has warned of "those few in the church" who have professed to know God yet "openly or perhaps far worse, in the darkness of anonymity, reproach their leaders in the wards and stakes and in the church, seeking to make them `an offender for a word.' "
He outlined the penalties listed in the Doctrine & Covenants for such members and said such penalties need not apply "to those who in the past have been guilty of indifference or even opposition, if they will repent, confess their transgressions and forsake them."
He stressed the unity that exists among the First Presidency and the Twelve in directing the affairs of the church.
"Each week we meet together in the temple. We open the meeting by kneeling in prayer. We close with prayer. Every prayer is offered in the spirit of submission and obedience to Him who called us and whose servants we are," he said.
Elder Haight: Hope triumphs. `We move on because of the truthfulness of what we are attempting to do.'
Elder David B. Haight, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, said church hymn writer W.W. Phelps wrote of rejoicing the day after an angry mob burned the press of the newspaper he edited in Independence, Mo., more than 150 years ago.
The words of the hymn showed hope triumphing over despair. "We move on because of the truthfulness of what we are attempting to do," Elder Haight said.
"I want all of you to know that I know that the work that we do is the gospel of our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, as taught by him when he was upon the Earth. When he called, apostles and the disciples followed him. And he carried on his ministry and teaching them."
Elder Haight said he has been impressed with all of the prophets since the time of Joseph Smith.
When David O. McKay was president of the church, "I invited him to come to California to dedicate a church building we had just finished," Elder Haight said. "President McKay came as a result of my invitation, which surprised me. When we met him at the train and had these hours with him, to have him in our home, that gave me a new vision of the magnitude and the breadth and the importance of the mission that we have here upon the Earth to fulfill."
President Spencer W. Kimball "Taught us in that wonderful manner of teaching, which President Kimball has, of not only teaching from the scriptures and teaching principles and policy and doctrine, but he would do it in a way that he would help lift our hearts and souls."
And current church President Gordon B. Hinckley answered simply and directly when recently asked in a nationally televised interview on the CBS program "60 Minutes" whether he believed the story of young Joseph Smith seeing heavenly messengers. "Of course I do. Isn't it great?" was President Hinckley's instant response. Elder Haight said heightened interest in the church has resulted from the broadcast.
He closed the address with his love "and my witness that this work is true. I only thank the Lord every day for the health that I have and the determination I have to make the best use of every hour that I have upon the Earth to help in the spreading of this work."
Elder Porter: Most important knowledge gained in life comes through revelation by the Holy Spirit.
"The most important knowledge to be gained in this life is that which comes by revelation through the Holy Spirit," Elder L. Aldin Porter of the Presidency of the Seventy said.
Elder Porter discussed "The Spirit of Prophecy," beginning his talk with the account of the visit of God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ, to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
That event, Elder Porter said, "lies at the very foundation of the restoration of the gospel in these latter days. It is, in my judgment, the most significant event that has occurred in this world since the Son of God walked forth from the tomb a resurrected being."
The testimony of the Holy Spirit "bears witness that it is true. That testimony is the means, in most instances, by which God reveals truth to mankind. It is not a new or strange phenomenon but is as old as the human race. The scriptures are replete with examples of God communicating with man. By revelation Adam and Enoch and Noah and Abraham and Moses and all of the faithful former-day saints came to know of sacred things," Elder Porter said.
Called last June as senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder Porter said he has become convinced that the church could not function at all without the spirit of prophecy and revelation.
"When the appointed servants of this church speak under the influence of the Holy Ghost as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, their words are carried by the power of the spirit to those whose hearts are open to revelation," Elder Porter said.
Sister Pearce: Church classes are powerful setting for growth in gospel. Teachers should invite spirit.
The ordinary church classroom is a powerful setting for "steady and continued growth in the gospel."
Virginia H. Pearce, first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, stressed the need for placing the needs of students first in church instructional settings.
She said Sunday School, priesthood, Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, seminary and institute classes "may be held in dedicated buildings, under a tree, or in a home. But each class is part of a plan for lifelong gospel learning. We can have great expectations for the power of those learning hours!"
She said church classes provide a place "where we can repeatedly experience the very things that brought us into the waters of baptism; where we learn doctrine and receive the ratifying witness of its truth; where we come to understand how doctrine is applied in the reality of our daily lives and accept the challenge to change our behavior accordingly."
Sister Pearce said the fundamental course of study for all classes in the church is the scriptures - the "unchanging doctrines of the Kingdom of God."
She said a teacher's goal is far greater than just giving a presentation about truth. "It is to invite the spirit and use techniques which will enhance the possibility that the learner will discover truth for herself and then be motivated to apply it."
The skilled teacher, she said, does not want students to leave the class talking about how "magnificent and unusual the teacher is. This teacher wants students who leave talking about how magnificent the gospel is!"