Sabbathought: The best-kept secret in the Church

Next Sunday (September 5th) is Fast and Testimony Sunday, when the only speakers in sacrament meetings throughout the Church are those who are prompted to stand and bear testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.

Most members stand and affirm that they know the Church is true. It is. The Church and all it stands for is from on high and is true; it is the Church of Jesus Christ, restored by Him and by angels sent by Him to reveal keys to organize and take forward the work of the kingdom prior to His Second Coming.

In a real sense we the members are the Church, since it is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this sense, the Church is true to the extent that we are true . . . true to our covenants and to Him.

More appropriately, a testimony will affirm that the restored Gospel is true and that its sweet, life-changing effect in our lives has confirmed it to be so. This kind of testimony will necessarily focus on the Savior whose Gospel it is, and on His atoning sacrifice which provides the power for such change and joy, as we confess Him as the source of our survival and comfort and growth amid the trials and difficulties of life.

But most often our public testimonies go off in a different direction than any of this, centered on relatively trivial matters and barely mentioning Him except in closing. We often bear thin testimonies indeed, for we are caught up in the thick of thin things, as President Monson said in April general conference. Consider a few enlightening statements in this area:

"If we are not reading the scriptures daily, our testimonies are growing thinner, our spirituality is not increasing in depth" (Harold B. Lee). . . . We shall hear a lot of thin testimonies next Sunday. Reading the scriptures is not yet the daily habit of most of us. We tend to avoid them.

Hugh B. Brown hits the nail on the head with this statement:

"I am impressed with the testimony of the man [or woman] who can stand and say he knows the Gospel is true, but what I would like to ask is, 'But sir, do you know the Gospel?' I say it is one thing to know the Gospel is true and another to know what the Gospel is.

"Mere testimony may be gained with but perfunctory knowledge of the Church and its teachings as evidenced by the hundreds [now tens of thousands] who are now coming into the Church with but bare acquaintanceship. But to retain testimony and to be of service in building up the Lord's kingdom requires a serious study of the Gospel and a knowing of what it is."

All of this begs the question, So what is the Gospel? What is it we need to know "to be of service" in the kingdom beyond a mere social gospel? And how do we retain, then boost, and grow in that principle of light and truth? Is it possible that the enemy is more interested in keeping us separated from the scriptures, and from the Spirit that can emanate from a serious study of them, than we realize?

Recall that in the war in heaven we fought under Michael against this enemy, Lucifer, and we prevailed there. How did we prevail? "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; for they loved not their own lives, but kept the testimony even unto death" (Revelation 12:11, Joseph Smith Translation).

We cannot prevail here in mortality with thinner testimonies. We battle here "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Paul goes on to write in verse 17 that our chief weapon is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

So, what is the "word of God"? What is the Gospel, even the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is it that will give us and our families power over the adversary and win the battle?

For many of us the restored Gospel is the best-kept secret in the Church. We focus our attention on lesser things, on trivia, on ethics and the social gospel, and the power in the restored Gospel goes unknown and unclaimed because we neglect the weighty matters that "cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring forth" (see D&C 135:6).

Can we pursue this question together again? Are you keenly interested to discuss what is the Gospel?

Again your comments and insights are valuable. Please leave one in the Comments box below so that all may be edified.

Be of good cheer, and have a lovely Sabbath.

Steve