President Russell M. Nelson, leader of the global faith of 16.8 million members, delivered a keynote address Sunday morning. Dalin H. Oaks, his first adviser in the ruling First Presidency, was also expected to deliver a sermon on Sunday. At the end of the conference, Nelson also made brief remarks and announced the construction of new temples. Saturday speakers – appearing in front of 10,000 people at a conference center that allowed them to return at half capacity to Salt Lake City and millions more watching and listening remotely around the world – focused on the importance of young members, especially men. to serve missions while discussing topics ranging from suicide prevention to survivor abuse and the Church’s doctrine of the Heavenly Mother. (Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Patrons enter the Convention Center for the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Sunday, April 3, 2022. The leaders named new general presidencies for the Women’s Relief Society and the children’s primary organizations. The church also published growth data for 2021, showing that members grew by about 0.8% during the year. Here are the latest updates from Sunday’s sessions, during which the Tabernacle choir also played at Temple Square:
Afternoon session
Seventy Randy D. Funk: “Fully Fold”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General Authority Seventy Randy D. Funk addresses the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. General principle Seventy Randy D. Funk derived the metaphor of Christ as “the Good Shepherd” and the value of being part of the “herd.” A sheepfold or “sheepfold” is a large enclosure, often made of stone walls, where sheep are protected at night. “It has only one opening,” Funk said. “At the end of the day, the shepherd shouts at the sheep. They know his voice and from the gate they enter the security of the corral “. Among the church members “there may be some who feel that they are on the edge of the flock, perhaps thinking that they need them less or that they value them less or that they do not belong in the fold,” he said. “And, as in the sheepfold, in the barn of God, sometimes we step on each other’s toes and need to repent or forgive.” But the “Good Shepherd – our true shepherd – is always good,” Funk said. “In the barn of God, we experience his vigilant, caring care and we are blessed to feel his redemptive love.” Everyone has a different experience with the herd, he said. “My dear friends, please continue the journey – and help others – to come fully into the fold of God. The blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ are innumerable because they are eternal. “
Apostle Ulisses Soares: Be “truly in awe” of Jesus
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Apostle Ulysses Soares speaks at the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. The Apostle Ulysses Soares said that being “truly in awe” of Jesus Christ and his gospel “makes people happier and more enthusiastic about God’s work.” “Our study of the words of God makes more sense. Our prayers, more intentional. Our worship, more reverent. Our service in the kingdom of God, more diligent “. And all this, he said, contributes “to the influence of the Holy Spirit to be more frequent in our lives.” Lack of enthusiasm “makes us take the gifts of the Gospel for granted. . Consequently, we gradually distance ourselves from the Lord… making us vulnerable to the temptations of the enemy “. added Soares. “There is always something wonderful and exciting to learn about Jesus Christ and his gospel. … As we sincerely and constantly strive to learn about the Savior and follow his example, I promise you, in his name, that. We will become more like him and that we will walk with him. “
Sunday School Principal Mark Pace drums up the “miracle” of conversion
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Sunday School President Mark L. Pace addresses the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. The conversion through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit is “the miracle we seek,” said Mark L. Pace, president of Sunday School. “The long-term transformation is a lifelong process. “Conversion is our goal.” To be more effective, Pace told members, their experiences “with the scriptures must be yours. “Reading or listening to another person’s experiences and knowledge may be helpful, but it will not bring the same transformative power.” He added: “There is no substitute for the time you spend in the scriptures, listening to the Holy Spirit speak directly to you.”
Seventy Jörg Klebingat: LDS Leaders Teach ‘Uncomfortable Truths’
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General Seventy Jörg Klebingat speaks at the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. “God will not force us to do good,” said General Seventy J αρχήrg Klebingat, “and the devil can not force us to do evil.” The native German said that the commandments, “if not completely ignored, have been rationalized in vain by many in the world today” and that “God’s messengers who teach unpleasant truths are often rejected” – making it “almost impossible to live faithfully without occasional faith to attract some real and virtual fingers of contempt from the worldly “. But, Klebingat added, loyal fans should not be afraid or intimidated. “We do not need to sacrifice truth on the altar of pleasure and social desire,” he said. And he defended the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who “often become lightning bolts for those who are displeased with the word of God, as the prophets proclaim it.” Τους We must take their words as if from the mouth of the Lord himself “. And he concluded: “It’s a good day to be good!”
Seventy Adeyinka A. Ojediran: Do what God commands
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) General Seventy Adeyinka A. Ojediran speaks at the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. All people are “expected to prepare to return to the presence of God,” said General Seventy Adeyinka A. Ojediran, “proving” that “they will do all that the Lord our God commands us.” Latter-day Saints can “come to Christ by exercising faith in him, repenting daily, making covenants with God as we receive the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, and enduring to the end of these covenants,” said the local Nigerian, giving emphasis on keeping the Holy Spirit as “our constant companion” and receiving the sacrament to help us “walk steadfastly in the path of the covenant.”
President Dallin H. Oaks: God’s plans for marriage will prevail
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Dalin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the governing First Presidency, addresses the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. To attain the highest degree of “heavenly glory” in the afterlife, mortals must follow the “revealed doctrine” and “established commandments” of the church, including “fidelity to the covenants of an eternal marriage between a man and a woman.” , Dalin H. Oaks, first adviser to the ruling First Presidency, said Sunday afternoon. That is why the Utah-based faith teaches, Oaks said, that “gender is an essential characteristic of the individual proponent, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” It is also the reason God asked the church to “oppose social and legal pressures to withdraw from its doctrine of marriage between a man and a woman,” he said, “and to oppose changes that confuse or distort the gender or homogenize the differences between men. and women. “ The church’s positions on these fundamental “often provoke opposition. “We understand that,” Oaks said. “God’s plan allows for ‘opposition to all things,’ and Satan’s strongest opposition focuses on whatever is most important in this plan.” The devil seeks to oppose “progress toward exaltation by confusing the sexes, distorting marriage, and discouraging childbearing,” he said. “However, we know that in the long run the divine purpose and plan of our loving Heavenly Father will not change.” Indeed, these principles are clarified in the church’s family proclamation in 1995, he said, which “is based on an irrevocable doctrine.” Her statements “differ, of course, from some applicable laws, practices and advocacy, such as cohabitation and gay marriage,” Oaks said, but define “the kind of family relationships where the most important part of our eternal development can occur.” “ God wants all mankind to “strive for the highest possible blessings by keeping His highest commandments, testaments, and ordinances, which culminate in the building of His holy temples throughout the world,” Oaks said. “We must seek to share these truths of eternity with others.”
Morning session
President Russell M. Nelson: Defeat the enemies within you
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Russell M. Nelson addresses the General Conference on Sunday, April 3, 2022. As the final speaker Sunday morning, 97-year-old President Russell M. Nelson – who, after more than four years at the helm – is ready in a few days to become the longest-serving prophet-president in 192 – history of the year – opened with a lament. on the armed conflict in Eastern Europe. “I have been to Ukraine and Russia many times. I love these countries, their people and their languages. “I cry and pray for all those affected by this conflict,” Nelson said. “The church is doing everything it can to help those who are suffering and struggling to survive. We call on all to continue fasting and praying for all the people who have been hurt by this calamity. Every war is horrible …
