Looking Outside: Share Our Testimonies

• Share our testimonies (see Mosiah 28:1–3).

Mosiah 28:1-3

1 Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—

2 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

Having been converted, the sons of King Mosiah felt a strong desire to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. The desires of the sons of Mosiah changed because they had exercised faith in Jesus Christ, repented of all their sins, and become converted and how the Spirit of the Lord influenced them.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared a statement like this, "The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion" (Dallin H. Oaks, "Sharing the Gospel," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 7).

This quote by President Oaks indeed gives me time to ponder my conversion. It seems like the intensity of my desire to share the gospel or testimony is not as deep as I have the desire to share.

I still remember when I had just been called Relief Society president. I was always encouraged the sisters to pray and read the scriptures. I shared my conversion story to them to testify that God hears prayers and answers our prayers. I shared my experiences studying the scriptures that enlightened my mind and understanding of things around me.

That was quite a joyful thing to do. I am no longer to share like this as I was. It is quite a sad thing to think about, and as President Oaks said, it has to do with my conversion. I am just browsing through the "Come, Follow Me - For Individuals and Families" for the following year's manual, which Alvin took back from church last Sunday. We will be studying about Old Testament. I was drawn to the first page: Conversion Is Our Goal.

It wrote, all gospel learning and teaching aim to deepen our conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and help us become more like Them. For this reason, we are not just looking for new information but to become a "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means relying on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help us change our hearts, views, actions, and very natures.

Our conversion does not happen all at once, but it extends beyond our typical Sunday School. It requires consistent, daily efforts to understand and live the gospel. Gospel learning that leads to true conversion involves the influence of the Holy Ghost.

"The Holy Ghost guides us to the truth and bears witness of that truth (see John 16:13). He enlightens our minds, quickens our understandings, and touches our hearts with revelation from God, the source of all truth. The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts. He inspires in us a desire to live by truth, and He whispers to us ways to do this. Truly, "the Holy Ghost … shall teach [us] all things" (John 14:26)."

"... For we know that if we can be worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost, we can also be worthy to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ."

These sentences struck me! So, what does it mean?

It means that I need to be humble to rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help me to change. It means with that humility, and I would be able to invite the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion.

With the companionship and the influence of the Spirit, the Spirit would help guide me in my every thought and action and the choices I will n my life. Sharing what I believe is one of the ways I can humbly serve others.

And, it was so co-incident that we learned about the parables of the Ten Virgins last week in the Institute class. Both the wise and the foolish virgins, who were invited to the feast. The oil in the parable represent spiritual preparation, testimony, faith, conversion, and experience.

We cannot borrow spiritual preparation from others. We prepare for the Second Coming by increasing our testimony and conversion through daily righteousness. To be ready for the Lord’s coming and be worthy to remain in His presence, we must come to know Him.

The Gospel Media credit to https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.