The Joyful Gospel

I recently attended a stake conference (meeting of several local congregations in a geographical district) which kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire meeting. This article is the product of that enlightening, delightful, and joyful conference.

 

The whole conference was wonderful, but I’d like to concentrate on one speaker in particular, Elder David S. Baxter, Of the Seventy. I found Elder Baxter to be a ray of sunshine and his remarks uplifting.

 

Elder Baxter did not stick to any one topic, but spoke from his heart about a number of things that are important to remember in today’s world. I’m going to summarize and paraphrase his words; these are not direct quotes.

 

What Is A Testimony?

 

Elder Baxter asked that a few people come to the podium and bear their testimonies, but there was an important time restriction of two minutes. He said the shorter the testimony, the more powerful it becomes. A testimony is your feelings and beliefs about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and gospel principles.

 

It is not a travel log, a list of things for which you are grateful, and not the time or place to express love to your spouse—that should be done at home. I can’t tell you how hard I’ve been praying that people were listening. I’ve often wondered how many investigators have been soured at their first fast and testimony meeting. The gospel is simple and beautiful, and our testimonies should reflect that simplicity and beauty. Bearing testimony should be a joyful and spiritual experience.

 

Children Are To Be Loved

 

Elder Baxter told us to enjoy children in our meetings. If your sacrament meeting is irreverent, it is because of adults; not the children. Take your thoughts to where they need to be—on the sacrament and on Jesus Christ. When I heard Elder Baxter say this, I wanted to stand up and cheer.

 

Many years ago when I was raising my children, I remember coming into the chapel and sitting down. An elderly sister in front of us (who was a retired school teacher), immediately stood up, waved her cane back and forth, and loudly stated that she would not sit among noisy, disruptive children. I was aghast.

 

First, my children were pretty well-behaved, and they knew they would be disciplined if they weren’t. My children were about 4, 11, 15, and 17, so it wasn’t like I had crying babies. Second, even if they had been crying babies, these are Heavenly Father’s children. Jesus Christ was our perfect example of how to treat children. My favorite scripture verses are found in 3 Nephi 17, which describe Jesus directing that the children be brought to Him, and He blessed them. Jesus Christ was joyful to be among children and so should we.

 

Evil Will Not Win

 

Elder Baxter said that the toxic trash of the world will eventually be overcome. The youth of the Church are the hope of the world. He told them to save the nation, and said, “You can.” He said the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, beautiful, and straightforward. He paraphrased the words of a Holocaust survivor that the dark threads of a woven pattern are as important as the threads of gold and silver.

 

Elder Baxter is from Scotland. He said, the youth of the Church will “save this country, save Scotland, and save the world.” I found these comments to be very comforting. It should make us joyful to know that light and truth will prevail over evil.

 

Marriage and Identity

 

He spoke about marriage being God’s way for us to return to His presence. He said to love, respect, but also protect marriage, religious freedom, and children. He said to let the identity of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints overwhelm everything else he/she identifies with (gay, lesbian, etc.).

 

He admonished those who identify as such to keep their lives pure and clean, and to never do anything to jeopardize their ability to qualify for a temple recommend. I enjoyed the loving way he spoke about this highly charged topic. We are all Heavenly Father’s children, and He loves us all—which does not obviate our obligation to keep the commandments. There is no more joyful thing than eternal families.

 

Our Lives Are a Symbol

 

Elder Baxter reminded us that the symbol of our faith is not a cross, but how we live our lives. We don’t worship a graven image; we worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. In The Book of Mormon, we can find truth, light, and insight.

 

It was good to be reminded by Elder Baxter that we should never stop reading and studying the scriptures—particularly The Book of Mormon. Constant study of the scriptures will help us to live our lives in a manner that will be an example to others. If we do that, we will be full of joy.

 

The Church and the World

 

At a time in Ireland when there was a good amount of discussion about our Church’s practice of vicarious baptism for the dead in the temple, a Belfast newspaper said, “Doesn’t it make more sense to baptize dead adults than live babies?” The world often questions our beliefs and practices, but Elder Baxter seemed to want us to understand that if we live our lives as an example of our faith, others will see the good and even defend us.

 

He also talked about the good the Church is doing in the way of humanitarian aid. Among the many things humanitarian aid has done, it provided 70,000 copies of the Quran in a Muslim nation—because we are the Church of Jesus Christ. We train local people to construct homes, give them certificates of completion, and provide them with tool belts—because we are the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

He stressed that we are not just some charitable organization; we are the Church of Jesus Christ. Elder Baxter’s remarks reminded me that I can be joyful not only for my own personal actions, but for the actions of the Church as a whole. I can be joyful just by virtue of my membership in the Church.

 

Be Happy

 

Elder Baxter spoke twice during stake conference, and both times he stressed that we need to be happy. He reminded us of President Gordon B. Hinckley’s (1995-2008) optimism and attitude. He said we should be happy even if we don’t feel happy. He asked, if we are not smiling, how can we show the light of Christ?

 

Smile like you love the plan of happiness. Appreciate the goodness of others and the goodness in the world. He reminded us that evil is cyclical, and that we need to have hope. My thought about this is that when we have hope, we are joyful.

 

My Closing Thoughts

 

Lately, all we have to do to depress ourselves is to open our social media accounts. The negativity is astounding. Yet, we are encouraged to be on social media and use it to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The optimism of Elder Baxter was contagious—a happy reminder of President Hinckley.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is most assuredly a reason to be joyful. Don’t let the negativity suck you into its vacuum. Stay positive, happy, and even joyful. We have nothing to fear. God knows the end from the beginning. “Men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25)