184th General Conference, Sunday morning session

Conference will begin in 15 minutes.

Pres. Uchtdorf conducts.

Choir sings: “Praise the Lord with Heart and Voice.”

Invocation: Don R. Clark of the Seventy

Choir: “Praise to the Man.”

Pres. Eyring

My hope is that we will all feel love and light from God. Many want the blessing of personal revelation from Heavenly Father.

Human judgement and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter in life. We need revelation from God. We need a constantly renewed stream. Not just one flash of light, but the continuing blessing of light from God.

Joseph Smith showed that revelation from God could be continuous. The prophet receives revelation, the stake president, the bishop, the father, the individual all receive revelation.

The revelation of a parent has a lasting effect in the personal revelation that continues in the child. Tells a touching story about his relationship with his mother.

Told a story about revelation on disaster relief given to local leaders.

Told a story about conferring the sealing power upon a man. The wife said she was no longer worthy to be a temple companion because she was illiterate. I told her that God had given her special power through the Spirit.

Revelation continues in the Church. Each receives it. I bear witness that is true.

Elder Nelson

Yesterday we sustained Pres. Monson. We sing, “We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet.” Do we really understand what that means?

How do we really sustain a prophet?

Joseph F. Smith: “it is an important duty to sustain a prophet. In deed and in truth.”

Elder Nelson performed open heart surgery on Pres. Kimball (before he was president). He did not feel he could do the operation. Pres. Kimball felt inspired that he should have the operation by the First Presidency. Thanks to the Lord the operation was a success. His heart resumed beating with great power. I had a great witness through the Spirit that this man would one day become president of the church.

We have had several prophets since then, prophets in every sense of the word.

A prophet has stood at the head of God’s church in all dispensation. Prophets testify of Jesus Christ, of his divinity and his earthly mission.

When we sustain a prophet we invoke the law of common consent. All have prophet authority. No prophet has ever been elected or call himself.

The Lord said: “ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you.”

George Albert Smith said: “The obligation to sustain a prophet is a sacred one. It means that we will stand behind the prophet, defend his good name and strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord directs.”

We sustain 15 men as prophets of God. They hold all of the keys. Decisions must be unanimous. They have differing opinions about many things. Trust me: these 15 men know what the will of the Lord is.

The apostle with the longest seniority presides. Provides continuity, seasoned maturity. A remarkable system of governance with redundancy and backup. No one man can ever lead the Church astray. Senior leaders are constantly being tutored.

Pres Hinckley: “The governance of the Church make provision for any circumstance. There should be no doubts or concerns about the administration of the Church.”

If the prophet is ill, his two counselors form a quorum.

Pres. Monson has 50 years of apostolic service: “age eventually takes its toll on all of us. King Benjamin and service. We serve to the best of our ability. I assure you that the Church is in good hands. There is no reason to worry or to fear.”

(Elder Nelson turns to Pres. Monson and says the members of the Church sustain him as prophet. We love him, we ever pray for our prophet dear.)

Carol F. McConkie of the YW presidency

President Monson alone has the right to receive revelations for the Church or change the existing doctrines of the Church. The Lord commands that we give heed to all of the words and commandments of the prophet. We sustain the prophet and the counselors.

We are grateful for a Church belt upon the foundation of the prophets, Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

We should not be concerned about which voice to follow. We heed prophetic words even when it may seem unreasonable or difficult, politically incorrect. But following the prophet is always right. The Lord honors and favors those who will heed prophets.

(Gives example of widow and Elijah).

The Lord will feed those who trust Him. When we feast upon the words of the prophets we learn how to come unto Christ and live. When we heed the words of the prophets we build out home on a sure foundation.

We have a choice. We may rebel against the words of Christ spoken by his ordained servants, but those who do so will be cut off from his covenant people.

Elder Hales

I know that we are sons and daughters of God. As I exercise faith and obey commandments, the Holy Ghost testified that what I was learning was true.

Before his baptism, he began to understand the truth of Jesus and the Father. Jesus is the son of the Father. When the Father created the Earth, he did so by his beloved son. During baptism, Heavenly Father spoke from the heavens saying, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”

The Lord’s prayer. Jesus prayed to the Father before His death. Mary Magdalene: “I ascend to my father and to your father.” Also confirmation in the Americas.

The father and the son are united in purpose. Jesus is a God but distinguishes himself as a separate being by saying he is doing his father’s will.

Heavenly Father has provided a way for you to know the truth through the Holy Ghost.

Remember, remember, it is upon the rock of our redeemer that you must build a foundation.

James J. Hamula of the Seventy

The Lord’s Sacrament. The bread and the water. “This do in remembrance of me.”

Jesus instituted a new ordinance. No longer would animal blood be spilled. Instead emblems of the broken flesh and spilled bread would be taken and eaten in remembrance of his redeeming sacrifice.

The Sacrament needs to become more holy to us. With torn and broken bread, we signify that we remember the body of Jesus Christ, a body whose flesh was torn in crucifixion. Like Christ’s mortal body, our bodies will also go down and then be restored.

We remember the agony that caused great amounts of blood to be spilled. Bread first, water second. Bread reminds of our own resurrection. All of us will be restored to the presence of God. The fundamental question is not whether we will live but with whom we will live when we die.

First we witness our willingness to remember, then we witness our commitment. We declare we will keep His commandments. The most important event in time and eternity is the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Performing the Sacrament helps us remember the Atonement.

Pres. Monson

We began an essential journey when we left the spirit world. We must obtain a body of flesh and bones and gain experience. To see if we would keep the commandments. “And we will prove them herewith.”

We brought with us a great gift from God, even our agency. We can choose for ourselves. We learn from the hard task master of experience. We differentiate between the bitter and sweet. Decisions determine destiny.

We want exaltation. He has given us the tools we need that will assist us as we try to endure to the end and gain eternal life. We have the scriptures, the counsel of God’s prophets. We have the example of the Savior. “What matter of men ought ye to be? Even as I am.”

We can return safely to our Heavenly Father if we follow this counsel. Walking where Jesus walked is less important than walking AS Jesus walked.

His example lights the way. He said: “I am the way, the truth and the light.”

Jesus had many of the challenges we have in our lives. Disappointments. “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” He was tempted by Satan. Jesus did not succumb. He resisted each temptation and then said: “get thee hence Satan.” Pain. Gethsemane. Suffering on the cruel cross.

Each of us will walk the path of disappointment, temptation and pain.

We can walk the path of obedience. It will not always be easy, but “to obey is better than sacrifice.”

The end result of disobedience is captivity and death, while the end result of obedience is liberty and eternal life.

He asks us to let our lights shine. Be morally clean in our thoughts and action. More important to have treasures in heaven than on earth.

Parables all give us instruction. No higher end than to become His disciples.

The Walkers. Germans who came to Canada. He met them as he served as mission president there. Very humble, faithful people. People beat a path to their door to partake of the Spirit that was there. Pure peace and goodness.

Choir sings: “How Firm a Foundation.”

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About Geoff B.

Geoff B graduated from Stanford University (class of 1985) and worked in journalism for several years until about 1992, when he took up his second career in telecommunications sales. He has held many callings in the Church, but his favorite calling is father and husband. Geoff is active in martial arts and loves hiking and skiing. Geoff has five children and lives in Colorado.

6 thoughts on “184th General Conference, Sunday morning session

  1. Bruce, you may be correct or it may simply be the reiteration of long-taught truths. From our perspective as grizzled veterans of the Bloggernacle wars every message seems aimed at helping our cause, but of course for the general church the nattering nabobs of negativism that inhabit our on-line world are just background noise.

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