“Safely Gathered Home”

General Conference Applied

S1 E8 – Sunday, September 17, 2023 | “Safely Gathered Home” by Elder Quentin L. Cook; April 2023 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Report on Prior Week’s Action Item

Last week I committed to come up with five “meaningful ways [I] can make Christ the center of [my life] in all that [I] do.” Here is what I came up with:

1. Spread the good news of Jesus Christ by donating to The Chosen TV series.
2. For each of the 5 powerful quotes I identify from each book I read, determine how the quote might help me become like Jesus Christ.
3. Cease yelling at my children, and instead follow the direction provided in Doctrine & Covenants 121:41-46 (i.e., “persuasion,” “long-suffering,” “gentleness,” “meekness,” and “love unfeigned.”). In other words become less controlling.
4. Determine what Family Home Evening might look like for my young family.
5. Pray for the 6 boys for whom I serve as one of their Primary Activities Leaders by name each day.

Ideas shared by others:

1. No swearing when playing sports with others, and finding ways to share my beliefs in normal conversation.
2. Talk more about Jesus Christ with my grandchildren.
3. Ask my spouse what specifically they would like me to pray for for them.
4. Be an example of Christ at work by befriending the lonely and getting to know others more personally (especially by learning their names).
5. In my Church calling, more diligently follow the impressions from the Holy Ghost.

Introduction

In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:

1. What is the speaker inviting me to do?
2. How might I consider taking action?

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

Directives / Invitations

1. “As viewed through a clear lens, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the great privilege of loving, sharing, inviting, and helping gather Israel to receive the fulness of the Lord’s covenant blessings.”
2. “An essential part of this missionary effort is for individual members to become beacon-light examples (1 Timothy 4:12) wherever we live. (3 Nephi 18:24) We cannot be in camouflage.”
3. “My specific prayer today is for every child, young man, young woman, family, quorum, Relief Society, and class to review how we individually and collectively accept dramatic counsel to help gather Israel that has been issued by the Lord and our beloved prophet.”
4. “The Lord expects those who have received His gospel to urgently strive to be a beacon-light example that will help others come to God.”

Summary of Directives / Invitations

1. Love, Share, and Invite
2. Be a “beacon-light” example in two ways:
   • In our observance of the gospel of Jesus Christ
   • In the way we care about and treat others
3. Individually and collectively gather Israel

How might I consider taking action?

Love, Share, and Invite

1. In his April 2022 General Conference address entitled “Love, Share, Invite,” Elder Gary E. Stevenson stated: “Whenever we show Christlike LOVE toward our neighbor, we preach the gospel—even if we do not voice a single word… When it comes to missionary work, God doesn’t need you to be His sheriff; He does, however, ask that you be His SHAREr… There are hundreds of INVITations we can extend to others. We can invite others to “come and see” a sacrament service, a ward activity, an online video that explains the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Come and see” can be an invitation to read the Book of Mormon or visit a new temple during its open house prior to its dedication. Sometimes the invitation is something we extend inward—an invitation to ourselves, giving us awareness and vision of opportunities surrounding us to act upon.”
2. In his October 2021 General Conference address entitled “Hold Up Your Light,” Elder Marcus B. Nash stated: “Joy. Hope. Sustaining power from God. Protection from temptation. Healing. All of these—and more (including forgiveness of sins) (Doctrine & Covenants 62:3)—distill upon us from heaven as we share the gospel.”
3. In his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change,” author Stephen R. Covey writes: “The third character trait essential to Win/Win is the Abundance Mentality, the paradigm that there is plenty out there for everybody. Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else. The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit – even with those who help in the production. They also have a very hard time being genuinely happy for the successes of other people – even, and sometimes especially, members of their own family or close friends and associates. It’s almost as if something is being taken from them when someone else receives special recognition of or windfall gain or has remarkable success or achievement.”

Takeaway

Share the gospel, in word and deed, in normal and natural ways. There are tremendous blessings that come from doing this! And don’t worry – one more person in the Celestial Kingdom doesn’t reduce your “share of the pie.”

Be a “Beacon-Light” Example In Your Observance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

1. 3 Nephi 12:16 and 18:24
   • 12:16 – “Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
   • 18:24 – “Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do.”
   • Do what Jesus would do – it’s as “simple” as that.
2. In his April 2013 General Conference address entitled “‘Lord, I Believe’,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated: “So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work. As one gifted writer has suggested, when the infinite fulness is poured forth, it is not the oil’s fault if there is some loss because finite vessels can’t quite contain it all. Those finite vessels include you and me, so be patient and kind and forgiving.”
3. In his book “Things As They Really Are,” Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote: “The disciple is expected to give appreciation always and to be thankful, but he is forewarned against requiring reciprocity as a condition of friendship. He is further told to pay little heed to ingratitude toward him. We can’t dwell upon another’s ingratitude without using up our time and talents unprofitably.”

Takeaway

Strive to live your life like the Savior. Be kind to others, even when they don’t reciprocate that kindness.

Be a “Beacon-Light” Example In the Way You Care About and Treat Others

1. In their book “The Plateau Effect: Getting from Stuck to Success,” authors Bob Sullivan and Hugh Thompson write the following: “We’ve spent twenty years each talking to people for a living, people from all walks of life, and without hesitation we can say this – most people are lonely, and then desperately happy when someone asks them a question and truly listens for the answer.”
2. In his October 2018 General Conference address entitled “Try, Try, Try,” President Henry B. Eyring stated: “Many years ago, I was first counselor to a district president in the eastern United States. More than once, as we were driving to our little branches, he said to me, ‘Hal, when you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.’ Not only was he right, but I have learned over the years that he was too low in his estimate.”
3. In this talk, Elder Cook stated: “Our Heavenly Father’s plan for safely gathering His children to our heavenly home is not based on worldly success, economic status, education, race, or gender. Father’s plan is based on righteousness, keeping His commandments, and receiving sacred ordinances and honoring the covenants we make. (Doctrine & Covenants 20:37) The divinely inspired doctrine that we are all brothers and sisters and ‘all are alike unto God’ underlies this great work of gathering. This doctrine accords with those who deeply desire for people of diverse economic and racial status to experience better lives. We applaud and join in such efforts. Moreover, we desire for all of God’s children to come unto Him and receive the eternal blessings He offers through His gospel.” (2 Nephi 26:33)

Takeaway

As someone who struggles with life more frequently than I’d like to admit, I want to let you know that you’re not alone. Life is hard. We might consider following President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation from his April 2023 General Conference address entitled “Peacemakers Needed” in every interaction with others: “How we treat each other really matters! How we speak to and about others at home, at church, at work, and online really matters. Today, I am asking us to interact with others in a higher, holier way. Please listen carefully. ‘If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy’ that we can say about another person—whether to his face or behind her back—that should be our standard of communication.”

Individually and Collectively Gather Israel

1. Why did the gathering even need to happen?
   • Footnote 23: “Our doctrine is clear; the Lord scattered the tribes of Israel because of their rebellion and their unrighteousness. However, the Lord also utilized the scattering of His chosen people among the nations of the world to bless those nations.”
   • In his April 2021 General Conference address entitled “They Cannot Prevail; We Cannot Fall,” Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong stated: “God is our Heavenly Father. He loves all of us. He knows our potential way better than we know ourselves. He knows not only the details of our lives. God knows the details of the details of the details of our lives.”
   • In his book “The Great Apostasy,” Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “Our Heavenly Father has a full knowledge of the nature and disposition of each of His children, a knowledge gained by long observation and experience in the past eternity of our primeval childhood; a knowledge compared with which that gained by earthly parents through mortal experience with their children is infinitesimally small. By reason of that surpassing knowledge, God reads the future of child and children, of men individually and of men collectively as communities and nations; He knows what each will do under given conditions, and sees the end from the beginning. His foreknowledge is based on intelligence and reason. He foresees the future as a state which naturally and surely will be; not as one which must be because He has arbitrarily willed that it shall be.”
2. In his September 2023 Liahona article entitled “Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,” Elder Gerrit W. Gong wrote: “Covenant belonging—to be connected with God and with each other by covenant—invites us to fulfill our divine identity and purpose by communing with heaven and by connecting and creating a community of Saints as we love and serve each other and those around us. In providing opportunity for covenant commitment and covenant belonging, God is no respecter of persons. He invites each of us, women and men, married or unmarried, whatever our background and circumstance, to come unto Him and each other by covenant. When we belong by covenant to the Lord, we also belong by covenant to each other. Remarkable things happen when we love the Lord and cooperate, counsel together, and serve each other. Covenant service strengthens our ties with the Lord and with each other. This includes our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, family, Church congregation, community, and family generations. As we live our covenants, we lose our self-centered selves and find our best Christ-centered selves.”
3. In his April 2021 General Conference address entitled “What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget,” President Russell M. Nelson stated (and remember, this was during the Pandemic): “During the pandemic, Sunday quorum meetings were canceled for a time. Some quorums are now able to meet virtually. Nevertheless, the work that the Lord has given to priesthood quorums was never meant to be confined to a meeting. Meetings are only a small part of what a quorum is meant for and what it can do. My brethren of the Aaronic Priesthood and elders quorums, expand your vision of why we have quorums. How does the Lord wish you would use your quorum to accomplish His work—now? Seek revelation from the Lord. Humble yourself! Ask! Listen! If you have been called to lead, counsel as a presidency and with quorum members. Whatever your priesthood office or calling, let God prevail in your commitment as a member of your quorum and in your service. Experience with joy the righteousness you will bring to pass as you are ‘anxiously engaged in a good cause.’ (Doctrine & Covenants 58:27-28) Quorums are in a unique position to accelerate the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil.”
4. In this talk, Elder Cook stated: “No one has addressed the gathering more directly than President Russell M. Nelson: ‘Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.'” (Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018)

Takeaway

Our Heavenly Father knew that the scattering of Israel would occur because of wickedness. Yet, He utilized the scattering to bless the nations of the earth. The gathering of Israel is literally connecting the entire human family by covenant in Temples. As we continue this great effort in the Temples, let’s not forget those who are still here with us – teaching your children the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed is just as much a part of the gathering as is doing family history work and performing proxy ordinances in the Temple for your ancestors. We don’t need to do this alone: The Lord has organized us in Elders Quorums and Relief Societies, and He (through His prophet) has invited us to find ways to collectively gather scattered Israel, which, as President Nelson has stated, is “the greatest challenge, … cause, and … work on earth today.” (Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018)

This Week’s Action Item

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician

“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”

Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.

“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”

Mitch Peterson

The invitation I feel drawn to is: “My specific prayer today is for every CHILD, young man, young woman, family, quorum, Relief Society, and class to review how we individually and collectively accept dramatic counsel to help gather Israel that has been issued by the Lord and our beloved prophet.” I have three young children in my home. This invitation from Elder Cook applies to them. My action item this week will be discussing as a family how we are currently helping to gather Israel, and where we might make improvements.

Talk Outline

Powerful Stories

“I love that the very first verse in the Doctrine and Covenants includes the people who are on “the islands of the sea.” I have had three specific calls to serve and live on the islands of the sea. I first served as a young missionary to the British Isles, second as a new General Authority in the Philippine Islands, and then as Area President in the Pacific Islands, which includes many Polynesian islands.

“All three of these areas have successfully gathered believers to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionaries first arrived in the British Isles in 1837. This was one year after Joseph Smith’s dedication of the Kirtland Temple, where Moses committed “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.”5 The early success in the British Isles is legendary. By 1851, over half the members of the Church were baptized converts living in the British Isles.

“In 1961, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley visited and initiated full-time missionary efforts in the Philippine Islands. At that time there was only one Filipino Melchizedek Priesthood holder. Amazingly, there are over 850,000 members of the Church today in the Philippine Islands. I admire the Filipino people; they have a deep and abiding love for the Savior.

“Perhaps less well known is the ongoing missionary effort to the Polynesian Islands. It commenced in 1844 when Addison Pratt arrived in what is now French Polynesia.7 Many Polynesians already believed in eternal families and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Today almost 25 percent of Polynesians, in the Polynesian Islands, are members of the Church.

“I once listened to a 17-year-old girl on a distant Tahitian island who was a seventh-generation member. She paid tribute to her ancestors who had been converted in 1845 on Tubuai, two years before early Church members arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.”

Most Important Quote

“My specific prayer today is for every child, young man, young woman, family, quorum, Relief Society, and class to review how we individually and collectively accept dramatic counsel to help gather Israel that has been issued by the Lord and our beloved prophet.

“We respect agency. In this secular world, many will not respond and participate in the gathering of Israel. But many will, and the Lord expects those who have received His gospel to urgently strive to be a beacon-light example that will help others come to God. This allows our brothers and sisters across the earth to enjoy the supernal blessings and ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and be safely gathered home.”

The Best Footnote

Footnote 23: “Our doctrine is clear; the Lord scattered the tribes of Israel because of their rebellion and their unrighteousness. However, the Lord also utilized the scattering of His chosen people among the nations of the world to bless those nations.”

Questions for Reflection Asked by the Speaker

None.

Directives / Invitations

1. “As viewed through a clear lens, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the great privilege of loving, sharing, inviting, and helping gather Israel to receive the fulness of the Lord’s covenant blessings.”
2. “An essential part of this missionary effort is for individual members to become beacon-light examples (1 Timothy 4:12) wherever we live. (3 Nephi 18:24) We cannot be in camouflage.”
3. “My specific prayer today is for every child, young man, young woman, family, quorum, Relief Society, and class to review how we individually and collectively accept dramatic counsel to help gather Israel that has been issued by the Lord and our beloved prophet.”
4. “The Lord expects those who have received His gospel to urgently strive to be a beacon-light example that will help others come to God.”

Promises

1. Action: “Please understand that there are remarkable blessings in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
   Promise: “The scriptures speak of joy and peace, forgiveness of sins, protection from temptations, and sustaining power from God.” (Mosiah 18:8–13; 3 Nephi 18:25; Doctrine and Covenants 18:10–16; 31:5; 62:3)