Post # 180 -- Found
through the Power of the Book of Mormon -- By Elder
Rubén V. Alliaud
Of the Seventy
Dear Family and Friends
I was reading through the
conference talks and this one kind of jumped out at me. Since we are studying
the Book of Mormon this year I thought maybe I should share this talk from the
October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.
I am going to share his whole
talk and add my two cents along the way😊I have mentioned before in an earlier post that I
believe there is a power in the Book of Mormon. I know that wherever I study
the Book of Mormon I can feel a peace come over me. I know this sacred Book
teaches us about Jesus Christ. That He is the Messiah, and our Savior😊
This Book is indeed another
witness or testament of Jesus Christ and when I study the Old Testament or the
New testament and I also study the Book of Mormon along with them, the Book of
Mormon helps make things from the Bible much clearer and easier to understand
in a lot of cases.
You really should give the Book
of Mormon an honest read and find out for yourself that it is truly the word of
God and that it is another witness or testament of Jesus Christ. Each one of
you should do as Moroni suggests in Moroni Chapter ten verses three through
five:
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read
these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that
ye would remember how merciful the
Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until
the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would
exhort you that ye would ask God, the
Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere
heart, with real
intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of
it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
When ye [you and your family members and friends] ‘shall read these
things’ {the Book of Mormon], ’if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them’
[the Book of Mormon] ‘ponder it in your hearts’, ask [pray] ‘God, the Eternal
Father, in the name of Christ,’ with a sincere heart and real intent [truly
wanting to know], having faith in Christ, if these things [the Book of
Mormon]are not true.
Then comes his promise that if you
and your family members and friends ask [in prayer] ‘with a sincere heart, with
real intent, having faith in Christ, he [God] will manifest the truth of it[the
Book of Mormon] unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.’ Through sincere
prayer you can know the truth😊
‘And by the power of the Holy
Ghost’ [ which is the third member of the Godhead] ye [you and your family members and
friends] ‘may know the truth of all things’😊 If you still do not have your own Book of Mormon to read you can request one here: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon/book-of-mormon-request
I guess we should move on to the
talk now😊I just wanted to share with you how I broke down
these verses. I could be wrong, but then again I could be right on😊 you will
each one individually need to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it to gain
your own conformation of the truth of this sacred book😊
All must
experience and be found by the power of the truths contained in the Book of
Mormon.
When I visit converts in their homes, one of the questions
I frequently like to ask them is how they and their families learned about the
Church and how they came to be baptized. It doesn’t matter if the person in that moment is an active member or hasn’t attended church for many years. The answer is always the same: with a smile and their countenance glowing, they begin to tell the story of how they were found.
In fact, it seems that the story of conversion is always the story of how we are found.
Jesus Christ Himself is the Lord of
lost things. He cares for lost things. That is surely why He
taught the three parables that we find in the 15th chapter of Luke: the parable of the
lost sheep, the lost coin, and, finally, the prodigal son. All these stories
have a common denominator:
It doesn’t matter why they were lost. It doesn’t
matter even if they were aware they were lost. There reigns supreme a
feeling of joy that exclaims, “Rejoice
with me; for I have found [that] which was lost.”1 In the end,
nothing is truly lost to Him.2
It doesn’t matter why they were lost. It doesn’t
matter even if they were aware they were lost. There reigns supreme a
feeling of joy that exclaims, “Rejoice
with me; for I have found [that] which was lost.”1 In the end,
nothing is truly lost to Him.2
CHAPTER 15
Jesus gives the parables of the lost
sheep, the piece of silver, and the prodigal son.
1 Then drew near unto him
all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and
scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 ¶ And
he spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of
them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,
and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he
layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them,
Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than
over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
8 ¶ Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose
one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and
seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she
calleth her friends and her neighbours
together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto
you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over
one sinner that repenteth.
11 ¶ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father,
Father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together,
and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that
land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and
he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the
swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he
said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare,
and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my
father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of
thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a
great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on
his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh
to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things
meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath
killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father
out, and entreated him.
29 And he answering said to his father, Lo,
these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy
commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with
my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with
me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
Allow me to share this afternoon with you one of the most
precious things to me—the story of how I
myself was found.
Just before I turned 15, I was invited by my uncle Manuel
Bustos to spend some time with him and his family here in the United States.
This would be a great opportunity for me to learn some English. My uncle had converted to the Church many years before, and he had a great missionary spirit.
That is probably why my mother, without my knowing, spoke with him and said she would agree to the invitation on one condition: that he did not try to convince me to become a member of his Church.
We were Catholics, and we had been for generations, and there was no reason to change. My uncle was in complete agreement and kept his word to the point that he didn’t want to answer even simple questions about the Church.
This would be a great opportunity for me to learn some English. My uncle had converted to the Church many years before, and he had a great missionary spirit.
That is probably why my mother, without my knowing, spoke with him and said she would agree to the invitation on one condition: that he did not try to convince me to become a member of his Church.
We were Catholics, and we had been for generations, and there was no reason to change. My uncle was in complete agreement and kept his word to the point that he didn’t want to answer even simple questions about the Church.
I was assigned a room that contained a large library of
books. I could see that in this library there were roughly 200 copies of the
Book of Mormon in different languages, 20 of them in Spanish.
It was one of those copies with a sky-blue soft cover, with
the figure of the angel Moroni on the front.
When I opened it, on the first page there was written the following promise:
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
When I opened it, on the first page there was written the following promise:
“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
It is difficult to explain the impact that these scriptures
had on my mind and heart. To be honest, I was not looking for “the truth.” I
was just a teenager, happy with his life, enjoying this new culture.
Nevertheless, with that promise in mind, I secretly began
reading the book. As I read more, I understood that if I really wanted to get
anything from this, I had better start to pray.
And we all know what happens when you decide not only to read but also to pray about the Book of Mormon. Well, that is just what happened to me.
It was something so special and so unique—yes, just the same as what has happened to millions of others around the world. I came to know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon was true.
And we all know what happens when you decide not only to read but also to pray about the Book of Mormon. Well, that is just what happened to me.
It was something so special and so unique—yes, just the same as what has happened to millions of others around the world. I came to know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon was true.
I then went to my uncle to explain to him what had happened
and that I was ready to be baptized. My uncle could not contain his
astonishment.
He got into his car, drove to the airport, and returned back with my plane ticket to fly back home, with a note addressed to my mother that simply stated, “I had nothing to do with this!”
He got into his car, drove to the airport, and returned back with my plane ticket to fly back home, with a note addressed to my mother that simply stated, “I had nothing to do with this!”
In a way he was right. I had been found directly by the
power of the Book of Mormon.
There may be many who have been
found through wonderful missionaries around the world, in every case through
miraculous ways. Or maybe they have been found through friends that God has
deliberately placed in their path.It might even be that they have been found by someone from this generation or through one of their ancestors.5
Whatever the case, in order to progress toward a true personal conversion, sooner rather than later, they all must experience and be found by the power of the truths contained in the Book of Mormon.
At the same time, they must personally decide to make a serious commitment to God that they will strive to keep His commandments.
When I returned to Buenos Aires, my mother realized that I
truly wanted to be baptized. Since I had a somewhat rebellious spirit, instead
of opposing me, she very wisely took my side.
And without even knowing it, she did my baptismal interview herself.
Indeed, I believe that her interview was even more in-depth than those that our missionaries conduct.
She told me, “If you want to be baptized, I will support you. But first I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to think very hard and answer me honestly.
Do you commit to attend church absolutely every Sunday?”
And without even knowing it, she did my baptismal interview herself.
Indeed, I believe that her interview was even more in-depth than those that our missionaries conduct.
She told me, “If you want to be baptized, I will support you. But first I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to think very hard and answer me honestly.
Do you commit to attend church absolutely every Sunday?”
I told her, “Yes, of course I’m going to do that.”
“Do you have any idea how long church is?”
“Yes, I know,” I said.
She replied, “Well, if you get baptized, I am going to make
sure that you attend.”
Then she asked me if I was truly willing to never drink alcohol or smoke.
Then she asked me if I was truly willing to never drink alcohol or smoke.
I answered, “Yes, of course I am going to comply with that as well.”
To which she added, “If you get baptized, I am going to
make sure that that is the case.” And she proceeded on in that way with almost every commandment.My uncle had called my mother to tell her not to worry, that I would get over this soon.
Four years later, when I received my call to serve in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission, my mother called my uncle to ask him exactly when I was going to get over all this.
The truth is that from the time I was baptized, my mother was a happier mother.
I came to know that the Book of
Mormon was crucial in the conversion process by experiencing firsthand the
promise that “a
man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts.”6
Nephi explained the central purpose of the Book of Mormon
in this way:
“For
we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our
brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God. …
“And [so] we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we
preach of Christ, [and] we prophesy of Christ, … that our children may know
to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”7
The entire Book of Mormon is imbued with that same sacred
purpose.
For this reason, any reader who
commits to a sincere study of it, with the spirit of prayer, will not only
learn about Christ but will learn from Christ—especially if they
make the decision to “try the virtue of the word”8 and not
reject it prematurely due to prejudiced unbelief9 by what others
have said about things that they have never read.
President Russell M. Nelson
reflected: “When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power.
The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.”10
The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.”10
My invitation this afternoon to each of us, regardless of
how long we’ve been a member of the Church, is to allow the power of the
truths of the Book of Mormon to find us and embrace us once again and day after
day as we diligently seek for personal revelation. It will do so if we allow it.
I solemnly testify that the Book
of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that the Holy
Ghost will confirm the truth of it time after time to anyone who, with a
sincere heart, seeks knowledge unto the salvation of their soul.11 In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
I know how
important the Book of Mormon has been in my life thus far and I know just how
important it can also be in yours and your family members and friends’ lives.
That is why I share it with you, so that you too can feel the power, the peace, that I have found within the pages of this wonderful book of scripture😊
With that said I would like to share the following with you:
That is why I share it with you, so that you too can feel the power, the peace, that I have found within the pages of this wonderful book of scripture😊
With that said I would like to share the following with you:
The
Power of the Book of Mormon
I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the
Book of Mormon each day.
My dear brothers and sisters, I greet you most warmly as we are met
again in a great general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Before I begin my formal message today,
I would like to announce five new temples which will be built in the following locations: Brasília, Brazil; greater Manila, Philippines, area; Nairobi, Kenya; Pocatello, Idaho, USA; and Saratoga Springs, Utah, USA.
I would like to announce five new temples which will be built in the following locations: Brasília, Brazil; greater Manila, Philippines, area; Nairobi, Kenya; Pocatello, Idaho, USA; and Saratoga Springs, Utah, USA.
This morning I speak about the power of the Book of Mormon and the
critical need we have as members of this Church to study, ponder, and apply its
teachings in our lives.
The importance of having a firm and sure testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.
The importance of having a firm and sure testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.
We live in a time of great trouble and
wickedness. What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the
world today?
I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety.
If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you.
If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety.
If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you.
If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Because the Book of Mormon is true, The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church on the earth,
and the holy priesthood of God has been restored for the benefit and blessing
of His children.
If you d not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one.
It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far.
If you d not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one.
It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far.
However, once obtained, a testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study.
My dear associates in the work of the Lord, I implore each of us to
prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day.
As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so testify with all my heart in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so testify with all my heart in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
What more
could we want than to be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit to
resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in
our loves???
Really, though, what more could we ask for??? If we could have the Spirit with us 24/7,365 days of the year, we would be so very blessed. Having the ability to ear the voice of the Spirits a very special gift and we need to nurture that gift and keep it shining bright as a new penny😊
Really, though, what more could we ask for??? If we could have the Spirit with us 24/7,365 days of the year, we would be so very blessed. Having the ability to ear the voice of the Spirits a very special gift and we need to nurture that gift and keep it shining bright as a new penny😊
I hope and I pray
that you have not only enjoyed these two talks, but that they have spoken to
you heart in such a way as to move you in the direction of finding your own
voice about the Book of Mormon. Finding your own testimony of this great sacred book of scripture😊 I promise you that this book will change your lived if you will allow it to do so!!
Please remember
to say your prayers each day morning and night😊
and please do continue to study the Book of Mormon here with me each week and
on your own with your family members and friends😊
Be sure to begin each week with your family home evening – teaching your family members and friends about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is found in its fullness only in the Book of Mormon😊
Be sure to begin each week with your family home evening – teaching your family members and friends about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is found in its fullness only in the Book of Mormon😊
When my children
were young we would have out family home evenings on Sunday, because doing so
helped my family to keep the Sabbath Day holy😊
So if you are having a bit of trouble with your children keeping the Sabbath Day holy, here then is something that you might want to try😊 It worked for my family and it may very well work for yours too!!
So if you are having a bit of trouble with your children keeping the Sabbath Day holy, here then is something that you might want to try😊 It worked for my family and it may very well work for yours too!!
If you need a
copy of the Book of Mormon you can request one here: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/beliefs/book-of-mormon/book-of-mormon-request
Please remember
who you are!!! You are a child of God😊 So that makes you pretty amazing in
my book😊 Until my next post, please remember
to make it a spectacular week😊
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