"The Testimony of Jesus" - Mitch Peterson

Last updated on June 16th, 2024 at 12:12 am

General Conference Applied

S3 E8 – Sunday, June 9, 2024 | “The Testimony of Jesus” by Elder D. Todd Christofferson; April 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Doctrine: Atonement of Jesus Christ: “Jesus Christ was the only one capable of making a perfect Atonement. His Atonement included His suffering for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His Resurrection from the tomb. In addition to suffering for our sins, He also took upon Himself our pains, sicknesses, and infirmities (see Alma 7:11–13). Jesus Christ overcame physical and spiritual death. Because of His Atonement, everyone will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22). Those who repent, obey the commandments, receive the saving ordinances, and keep their covenants will receive the gift of eternal life (see Articles of Faith 1:3).”

Principle: The Final Judgment: “Celestial: ‘They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized, … that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit.’ These are they who overcome the world by their faith. They are just and true so that the Holy Ghost can seal their blessings upon them. (See D&C 76:51–53.) Those who inherit the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, who become gods, must also have been married for eternity in the temple (see D&C 131:1–4). All who inherit the celestial kingdom will live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever (see D&C 76:62).”

Christlike Attribute: Faith in Jesus Christ: “Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge. Rather, it is an assurance from the Spirit of things you do not see but that are true. (See Alma 32:21.)

“You express your faith through action. These actions include following the Savior’s teachings and example. They include serving others and helping them choose to follow Christ. You also express your faith through diligence, repentance, and love.”

Distinguishing Characteristic

“God’s plan of redemption constitutes a universal opportunity for all His children, whenever and wherever they may have lived on the earth.

“While the glory of even the least of the three kingdoms, the telestial, ‘surpasses all understanding,’ our Father’s hope is that we will choose—and, through the grace of His Son, qualify for—the highest and most glorious of these kingdoms, the celestial, where we may enjoy eternal life as ‘joint-heirs with Christ.’ President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to ‘think celestial,’ making the celestial kingdom our eternal goal and then ‘carefully considering where each of [our] decisions while here on earth will place [us] in the next world.’

“Those in the celestial kingdom are ‘they who received the testimony of Jesus, … who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.’ The inhabitants of the second, or terrestrial, kingdom are described as essentially good, including the ‘honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.’ Their principal limiting trait is that they ‘are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.’ By contrast, those in the lower, telestial kingdom are those who ‘received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus.’

“Note that the distinguishing characteristic for the inhabitants of each kingdom is how they relate to ‘the testimony of Jesus,’ ranging from (1) wholehearted devotion to (2) not being valiant to (3) outright rejection. On each person’s reaction hangs his or her eternal future.”

Three Questions

“What is the testimony of Jesus?”
- “It is the witness of the Holy Spirit that He is the divine Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer.”
- Matthew 16:13-16 – “[13] When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? [14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. [15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? [16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“Beyond this testimony is the question, What do we do about it?”
- “The inheritors of the celestial kingdom ‘receive’ the testimony of Jesus in the fullest sense by being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and overcoming by faith. The principles and truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ govern their priorities and choices. The testimony of Jesus is manifest in what they are and what they are becoming. Their motive is charity, ‘the pure love of Christ.’ Their focus is on pursuing ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'”
- “Remember What Matters Most“, President M. Russell Ballard, April 2023 General Conference: “Having a testimony alone is not enough. As our conversion to Jesus Christ grows, we naturally want to testify of Him—His goodness, love, and kindness.
  
  “Often in our testimony meetings on fast Sundays, we hear the phrases ‘I am thankful’ and ‘I love’ more than we hear the phrases ‘I know’ and ‘I believe.’
  
  “I invite you to bear your testimony of Jesus Christ more often. Bear testimony of what you know and believe and what you feel, not just of what you are thankful for. Testify of your own experiences of coming to know and love the Savior, of living His teachings, and of His redemptive and enabling power in your life. As you bear testimony of what you know, believe, and feel, the Holy Ghost will confirm the truth to those who earnestly listen to your testimony. They will do so because they have watched you become a peaceful follower of Jesus Christ. They will see what it means to be His disciple. They will also feel something they may not have felt before. A pure testimony comes from a changed heart and can be carried by the power of the Holy Ghost into the hearts of others who are open to receive it.
  
  “Those who feel something as a result of your testimony may then ask the Lord in prayer to confirm the truth of your testimony. Then they can know for themselves.”
- Church News Podcast episode 195, June 4, 2024, “Elder D. Todd Christofferson reflects on his own mission to Argentina and on returning to South America to dedicate the Salta Argentina Temple“: “[Elder Richard G. Scott] shared, for example, that he had been in a remote area of Brazil not long before. He was talking to me, and I think he shared this with others as well, but he said, I was handed a note at the end of a devotional by a sister who had come from some distance to be there. And the essence of the note was, I came all this distance to hear the testimony of an apostle and didn’t receive it.
  
  “And she was expressing her disappointment. So I don’t know if it hadn’t been something she, the way she expected it to be, or if he had passed over it lightly or something, but she was disappointed. That hurt him to the core.
  
  “And he was starting with me just to say, Don’t ever let an opportunity pass, especially as you’re out among the members of the Church, that you don’t bear a clear and sure witness of the Savior. And he said that I’ve made that commitment to myself, that this would never happen again. I took that to heart.”
“What does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?”
- “Writing Your Personal and Family History“, Elder John H. Groberg, April 1980 General Conference: “In the early 1900s, a young father and his family joined the Church in Hawaii. He was enthused about his new-found religion, and after two years of membership both he and his eldest son held the priesthood. They prospered and enjoyed the fellowship of the little branch. They anxiously looked forward to being sealed as a family for eternity in the temple soon to be completed in Laie.
  
  “Then, as so often happens, a test crossed their path. One of their daughters became ill with an unknown disease and was taken away to a strange hospital. People in Hawaii were understandably wary of unknown diseases, as such diseases had wrought so much havoc there.
  
  “The concerned family went to church the next Sunday, looking forward to the strength and understanding they would receive from their fellow members. It was a small branch. This young father and his son very often took the responsibility for blessing and passing the sacrament. This was one such Sunday. They reverently broke the bread while the congregation sang the sacrament hymn. When the hymn was finished, the young father began to kneel to offer the sacrament prayer. Suddenly the branch president, realizing who was at the sacred table, sprang to his feet. He pointed his finger and cried, ‘Stop. You can’t touch the sacrament. Your daughter has an unknown disease. Leave immediately while someone else fixes new sacrament bread. We can’t have you here. Go.’
  
  “How would you react? What would you do?
  
  “The stunned father slowly stood up. He searchingly looked at the branch president, then at the congregation. Then, sensing the depth of anxiety and embarrassment from all, he motioned to his family and they quietly filed out of the chapel.
  
  “Not a word was said as, with faces to the ground, they moved along the dusty trail to their small home. The young son noticed the firmness in his father’s clenched fists and the tenseness of his set jaw. When they entered their home they all sat in a circle, and the father said, ‘We will be silent until I am ready to speak.’ All sorts of thoughts went through the mind of this young boy. He envisioned his father coming up with many novel ways of getting revenge. Would they kill the branch president’s pigs, or burn his house, or join another church? He could hardly wait to see what would happen.
  
  “Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes—not a sound. He glanced at his father. His eyes were closed, his mouth was set, his fingers clenched, but no sound. Twenty minutes, twenty-five minutes—still nothing. Then he noticed a slight relaxing of his father’s hands, a small tremor on his father’s lips, then a barely perceptible sob. He looked at his father—tears were trickling down his cheeks from closed eyes. Soon he noticed his mother was crying also, then one child, then another, and soon the whole family.
  
  “Finally, the father opened his eyes, cleared his throat, and announced, ‘I am now ready to speak. Listen carefully.’ He slowly turned to his wife and said, meaningfully, ‘I love you.’ Then turning to each child, he told them individually, ‘I love you. I love all of you and I want us to be together, forever, as a family. And the only way that can be is for all of us to be good members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and be sealed by his holy priesthood in the temple. This is not the branch president’s church. It is the Church of Jesus Christ. We will not let any man or any amount of hurt or embarrassment or pride keep us from being together forever. Next Sunday we will go back to church. We will stay by ourselves until our daughter’s sickness is known, but we will go back.’
  
  “This great man had proper eternal perspective.
  
  “The daughter’s health problem was resolved; the family did go to the temple when it was completed. The children did remain faithful and were likewise sealed to their own families in the temple as time went on. Today over 100 souls in this family are active members of the Church and call their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather blessed because he kept his eyes on eternity, because he used his priesthood to bless his family, and because he recorded his feelings. How the heart of this father turned to his children, and how his children’s hearts turned to him.
  
  “All of you have similar incidents in your families. Search them out. Record them. Live by them, and pass them on to your posterity.
  
  “I have a strong feeling that when this life is over, our personal and family histories and the influence they wield will be of much greater importance than we now think.
  
  “Brethren, this is the work of the Lord. I testify that he lives and that he has great influence in our lives. May we have this understanding of eternity and see and feel and record his influence in our lives.”

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “My invitation is to act now to secure your place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus.

1a: “As repentance may be needed, ‘do not procrastinate the day of your repentance,’ lest ‘in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.'”

“One last aspect of being valiant in the testimony of Jesus that I will mention is our individual pursuit of personal holiness. Jesus is our essential Redeemer, and He pleads, ‘Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.'” -Elder Christofferson
Alma 36:11-24 – “[11] And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more. [12] But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. [13] Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments. [14] Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror. [15] Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. [16] And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul. [17] And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. [18] Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. [19] And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. [20] And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! [21] Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. [22] Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there. [23] But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God. [24] Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.”
- Note that it was not Alma the Elder’s testimony of prophets (such as Abinadi) nor the Church (of which he was the high priest) that changed the trajectory of Alma the Younger’s life. It was his testimony of Jesus Christ.

1b: “Be zealous in keeping your covenants with God.”

“The inheritors of the celestial kingdom ‘receive’ the testimony of Jesus in the fullest sense by being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and overcoming by faith.” -Elder Christofferson
“Being valiant also suggests being open and public about one’s witness. In baptism, we confirm our willingness ‘to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death.’ In this Easter season especially, we joyfully, publicly, and unreservedly proclaim our witness of the resurrected, living Christ.” -Elder Christofferson
“Being valiant in the testimony of Jesus means encouraging others, by word and example, to likewise be valiant, especially those of our own families.” -Elder Christofferson

1c: “Do not be ‘offended [by] the strictness of the word.'”

“One aspect of being valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to heed His messengers.” -Elder Christofferson

1d: “‘Remember to retain the name [of Christ] written always in your hearts, … that ye [may] hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.'”

“Being valiant in the testimony of Jesus surely includes nurturing and strengthening that testimony.” -Elder Christofferson
“‘Settle This in Your Hearts’“, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 1982 General Conference: “Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus! … Brothers and sisters, whatever we embrace instead of Jesus and His work will keep us from qualifying to enter His kingdom and therefore from being embraced by Him.”
“A Voice of Gladness for Our Children“, Sister Coleen K. Menlove, October 2002 General Conference: “A friend shared an experience she had as a small child in a branch of the Church where she was the only child of Primary age. Week after week, her mother held home Primary on the same day and at the same time. She eagerly anticipated sitting on the sofa with her mother and learning the gospel of Jesus Christ and how to live it. Minutes carefully recorded by her mother in a notebook revealed the home Primary meetings always included prayers, songs, and a lesson.

“The desire of this mother’s heart was for her little daughter to develop a testimony of Jesus Christ and to feel the joy of the gospel. She provided her daughter with what had been so important to her as a child. This little girl, now a woman of faith and covenant, looks back on her childhood with deep appreciation for her mother’s enthusiasm and commitment to teach her of the Savior. This mother’s diligence became her daughter’s delight.”

1e: “And finally, ‘settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which [Jesus] shall teach, and command you.'”

“The principles and truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ govern their priorities and choices. The testimony of Jesus is manifest in what they are and what they are becoming. Their motive is charity, ‘the pure love of Christ.’ Their focus is on pursuing ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'” -Elder Christofferson
“True disciples do not ignore the seemingly small things that sustain and strengthen their testimony of Jesus, such as prayer, study of the scriptures, Sabbath observance, partaking of the sacrament, repentance, ministering, and worship in the house of the Lord.” -Elder Christofferson
“O Remember, Remember“, President Henry B. Eyring, October 2007 General Conference: “When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

“He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: ‘I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.’

“I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

“I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: ‘Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?’ As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

“More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

“The years have gone by. My boys are grown men. And now and then one of them will surprise me by saying, ‘Dad, I was reading in my copy of the journal about when …’ and then he will tell me about how reading of what happened long ago helped him notice something God had done in his day.

“My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. You remember that song we sometimes sing: ‘Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.'”
- What happened today that strengthened my testimony of Jesus Christ?
- “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg Mckeown: “The sad reality is that we humans are forgetful creatures. I would even go so far as to say shockingly forgetful. Don’t believe me? You can test this theory right now by trying to recall from memory what you ate for dinner two weeks ago on Thursday. Or ask yourself what meetings you attended three weeks ago on Monday. If you are like most people you will draw a total blank on this exercise. Think of a journal as like a storage device for backing up our brain’s faulty hard drive. As someone once said to me, the faintest pencil is better than the strongest memory.
  
  “For the last ten years now I have kept a journal, using a counterintuitive yet effective method. It is simply this: I write less than I feel like writing. Typically, when people start to keep a journal they write pages the first day. Then by the second day the prospect of writing so much is daunting, and they procrastinate or abandon the exercise. So apply the principle of ‘less but better’ to your journal. Restrain yourself from writing more until daily journaling has become a habit.
  
  “I also suggest that once every ninety days or so you take an hour to read your journal entries from that period. But don’t be overly focused on the details, like the budget meeting three weeks ago or last Thursday’s pasta dinner. Instead focus on the broader patterns or trends. Capture the headline. Look for the lead in your day, your week, your life. Small, incremental changes are hard to see in the moment but over time can have a huge cumulative effect.”

Final Testimony

Church News Podcast episode 195, June 4, 2024, “Elder D. Todd Christofferson reflects on his own mission to Argentina and on returning to South America to dedicate the Salta Argentina Temple“:

“I think of Peter assembling the Church soon after the Savior’s ascension and saying, We need to replace Judas Iscariot in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And the way he phrases it in Acts chapter 1 at the end there is, We have to select one of these men who has been with us through the Savior’s ministry, who will be with us a witness of His resurrection. And that was the main focus, the witness of the resurrection of Christ.

“Why so important? That’s the proof. That’s the proof of the truth of everything we’re teaching in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the proof that He can keep His promises, He has power to and is willing to, that He is God, that He has that power to take life again.

“It’s just that seal of authenticity and truth on everything related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of happiness. Immortality and eternal life are now realities because of His resurrection. That’s the confirmation.

“I rejoice really in the opportunity anytime, anywhere to bear witness of His resurrection as a witness of His name, meaning that He has that power, that He has that authority, and that He has the grace, the atoning grace to be able to cleanse us, to sanctify us, to bring us immortality, to do everything necessary, to realize the ultimate outcomes of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He lives. He has that power.

“He’s exercising it. He’s directing the Church as His instrument to accomplish these things in this last dispensation. It’s such a thrill, really.

“I rejoice so much just to be able to say that I know He is the Christ. He is the living Christ. He is the resurrected Christ.”

Take Action

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

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