Come and See
I have been asked to speak about how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church) can be better at sharing the gospel[1] of Jesus Christ with those around us.
First, I want to address the question:? Why are members of the Church so anxious to share the gospel with everyone?? I’ve invited my friends from work and elsewhere to hear me give this sermon.? I want to speak to them first.?
My dear friends, you probably have a lot of questions about the Church—some you have thought of but have felt might be too sensitive to ask me.? I will give you a few I might think of if I were in your shoes:
1.???? How do you get your high school kids to get up before 6 am to go to seminary??
2.???? Why do your recently graduated young men leave home for 2 years—often at their own expense—to serve missions??
3.???? Why are you willing to pay 10% of your income to the Church?[2]?
I will tell you:? Because there is a fire that burns within us that we call a testimony.??
In the words of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ[3], we have tasted a fruit that fills our souls with “exceedingly great joy…and that is desirable above all other fruit.”[4]???
We have found as Jesus said, a “treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”[5]??
We know:?
45 … the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46?Who, when he had found one?pearl?of great price, went and sold?all?that he had, and bought it.[6]?
And in our own lives, in the troubled world in which we live, we have experienced the words of Isaiah:?
29?He giveth power to the faint; and to?them that have?no might he increaseth strength.[7]?
We personally experienced that,?
31?… they that?wait upon?the?Lord?shall?renew?their?strength; they shall mount up with wings as?eagles; they shall?run, and not be weary;?and?they shall walk, and not faint.?
We have experienced the rest Jesus promised when he said:?
In our troubled world, we have felt our burdens lightened as Jesus promised when he said:?
29?Take my?yoke?upon you, and?learn?of me; for I am?meek?and?lowly?in?heart: and ye shall find?rest?unto your souls.
30?For my yoke?is?easy, and my burden is light.[9]?
And we love you.? We want you to taste that fruit, obtain that treasure, have your strength renewed, and experience the rest Jesus promises.?
To those who already believe in Jesus, we hope that we can “rejoice in Christ”[10] together and share some truths with you that we hope will help you on your journey here on earth.[11]??
Some of you may have wondered what is different about your church?? Why is there another religion?? Aren’t there enough already?[12]?
Let me share our origin in a nutshell.? A young boy named Joseph Smith was born in 1805 and lived with his family in upstate New York.? When he was around 14, there was an “unusual excitement on the subject of religion”[13] in which many religious sects were competing for converts.? As a young boy, Joseph turned to the Bible[14].? As he studied the Bible, he came across James 1:5:?
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and abraideth not; and it shall be given him.[15]?
This verse entered with great force into young Joseph’s mind.? He came to the conclusion that the only way he could know what to do was to ask God for, in his own words, “the teachers of religion of the different sects?understood?the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.” ?One spring morning, he went to a grove of trees next to his house and prayed to God.? He records:?
“I saw a pillar of light…above the brightness of the sun which descended gradually until it fell upon me…. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and?glory?defy all description,?standing?above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My?Beloved?Son. Hear Him!”[16]?
God called Joseph to be a prophet like Moses and the other prophets in the Bible.? God restored the Church of Jesus Christ—the one had in the New Testament—through Joseph.? That church continues today with a living prophet and 12 apostles as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.?
And I tell you my friends that I know that Jesus Christ lives and that this church is the Restored Church of Jesus Christ.? It is God’s church on the earth today.? My message to you and indeed our message to the world is that if you will “Ask of God,” you can know that too.?
And yet, my friends, sometimes we as members of Christ’s church do hide our candles “under a bushel.”[17]? We don’t want to be seen as preachy.? We are afraid that if we invite you to church or to meet with our missionaries that you will reject us or that our relationship will change for the worse.? Sometimes people of faith are ridiculed for expressing their faith to others.? As I have pondered why I sometimes hesitate to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with my friends, I have come to a realization.? When I share with you my testimony of Jesus and invite you to come and see, I am sharing with you the most important thing I have in this life.? If you reject my invitation, it hurts.? It means that either you and I are not as good of friends as I hoped or that I have failed in delivering the greatest message ever told.?
Now let me turn to my friends and neighbors of the church, those I call my brothers and sisters.? How can we more effectively share this “treasure”[18] we have with others.? The answer is simple.? It involves 3 words:? Love, Share, and Invite.? Remember how Jesus responded when asked:?
36?Master, which?is?the great commandment in the law?[19]
?
37 Thou shalt?love?the Lord thy God with all thy?heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy?mind.
38?This is the first and great?commandment.
39?And the second?is?like unto it, Thou shalt?love?thy neighbour as thyself.[20]
?These two commandments are the key in sharing the gospel.?
You don’t need to get up on a soap box and shout your testimony to those around you.? Just be yourself and show your love for those around you.? If you are living the gospel of Jesus Christ, your actions, words, and very thoughts will be perceived by those around you.??
There is a song called “Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful Life.” that is sung by a Hawaiian named Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.? My 15-year-old daughter doesn’t like how I love listening to the same few songs over and over again, so I will refrain from playing it for you, but there is a phrase that sticks out to me in this song:?
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people passing by I see friends shaking hands Saying, how do you do They're really saying, I, I love you[21]?
Each time you interact with someone like the Savior would, you are saying, “I Love You.”? Don’t let the Seattle freeze[22] stop you from being a good friend or acquaintance.? Talk with people, wherever you go.??
When you at the bus stop with your kids, you will naturally be drawn to talk with the other parents and caregivers there.? You will become friends with them as you talk about your kids and the challenges we all face.? You will ask them about what they plan on doing for mid-winter or spring break.? You will ask them about their life, and they will ask you about yours.?
When you are talking to the Alaska Airlines lady and the call is taking forever as she adds 8 of your children to the Alaska Airlines’ Frequent Flyer Miles program, ask her about her family.? Find out that she has a 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old.? And that she loves her family.? And then don’t be afraid to tell her that you attend a wonderful church in Bellevue that is all about families.? Invite her to come too.?
When you are at Nordstrom’s shopping for a dress for your daughter who has just turned 16, talk with the young lady who is helping you find the dress.? Find out about her life.? Where did she grow up; what is she doing in Bellevue.? And then tell her about a great group of friends who you attend church with and invite her to attend.?
At work, don’t be afraid to put a picture of your family as your background for video-conferenced meetings.? When your colleagues ask about your family, share what is going on with your family.? And don’t self-edit your comments to leave out your faith in Jesus Christ.? Give them your authentic self!??
Every person I know wants something.? Parents want their kids to grow up to be contributing members of society. ?Some people are just looking for more happiness in their life.? Don’t withhold from them the very thing they are looking for: the gospel of Jesus Christ!?
And if you want to see miracles happen, there are 2 prayers I know God loves to answer.? The first one goes like this:??
“Dear God, please help me meet someone today with whom I can share the gospel.? I really want to help in bringing someone more joy and happiness.? I promise that I will look for people and speak the thoughts Thou puttest in my heart.”?
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When I have prayed this prayer, I have seen people walk into this our church, sit down in the class I was going to be teaching in, and be patiently waiting!? Our God is a God of miracles, and He is hastening His work!?
The other prayer that God delights to answer goes something like this:??
“Dear God, please put me in the path of someone who is in pain, who hurts, who is suffering.? Please let me have the opportunity of lifting someone’s burden today. Please give me the opportunity of helping someone who is in distress or dire need.”?
The scriptures say that Jesus “went about doing good”[23]—and so should we! ?I love the Hymn we sing, “Have I Done Any Good?” [24]? The words are:?
Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
?
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.
?My dear brothers and sister, when we truly love our neighbors, it’s not hard to share the most important thing in our lives.? Start by being friendly.? And do what friends do—listen and share.? But don’t hide who you truly are: ?a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.?
Now I return to speaking directly to my friends who are not members of the church of Jesus Christ.? When Nathanel one of the original apostles was first told about Jesus Christ, he responded, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”[25]? His friend Phillip replied: “Come and see.”[26]? Today, I have shared with you who I really am; I have shared with you the most important thing I have in this life: my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.? As I have spoken, I hope you have felt a wonderful uplifting feeling.? We call that the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God.? He testifies of truth to all who are sincerely seeking.
I invite you to listen to our missionaries; I invite you to attend our services; I invite you to “Come and see” the Restored Church of Jesus Christ.? I promise that if you do, you will find a joy beyond comprehension and the rest Jesus promised.
And I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God.? He is our Savior and Redeemer.? He lives and in a not-so-distant future, He will come again.? I so testify in His Holy Name, even Jesus Christ.? Amen.
[1] The word gospel literally means “good news.”? The good news is the Lord Jesus Christ and his message of salvation.? See Gospel Is Good News; The “Good News” of the New Testament - Bible Odyssey
[2] I’m sure you have many other questions.? One of our prophets was interviewed by Mike Wallace on 60 minutes and asked several hard questions about our religion.? You can find a video of this presentation at:? 60 minutes mike wallace interviews gordon b. hinckley - Search (bing.com).? You can find some snippets of some of the questions that Mike Wallace asked but that were not ultimately aired at “This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner” (churchofjesuschrist.org).? I note that we do not like being called “Mormons,” because it hides who we really believe in:? Jesus Christ.? Mormon was a name given to us by others who persecuted us.? And for a while, rather than argue, we embraced the name, but our current Prophet received revelation that we needed to re-emphasize the correct name of our church.? See The Correct Name of the Church (churchofjesuschrist.org)
[4] 1 Nephi 8:12. There is a remarkable vision of a Tree of Life and a great and spacious building seen by Lehi and his son Nephi, some of the prophets of the Book of Mormon.? To read this vision see 1?Nephi 8 (Lehi’s version) and 1 Nephi 11-13 (Nephi’s version).?
[5] Matthew 13:44
[6] Matthew 13:45-46
[7] Isaiah 40:29
[8] Matthew 11:28
[9] Matthew 11:29-30
[10] See 2?Nephi 25:26.
[11] See, for example, “This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner”.?
[12] See Mike Wallace interview mentioned previously.
[13] See Joseph Smith—History 1:5-10.
[14] See Joseph Smith—History 1:11.
[15] James 1:5
[16] See Joseph Smith—History 1:16-17
[17] Matthew 5:15.
[18] See Matthew 6:20-21.
[19] Matthew 22:36.
[20] Matthew 22:37-39.
[21] Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, “Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful Life.”. Lyrics at:? Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World Lyrics - e-Hawaii.
[23] See Acts 10:38.
[25] John 1:46.
[26] Ibid.