CHRISTLIKE ATTRIBUTES

MISSIONARIES STRIVE TO DEVELOP CHRISTLIKE ATTRIBUTES

Matt 25:40

• Server your fellow men.
• Do what Christ would do.
• "As ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

3 Nephi 18:24

• "Come unto me." Be like Him. Come unto Him.
• Don't let yourself be led into temptation. Follow the Lord.

MISSIONARIES ARE COMMANDED TO SERVE GOD WITH ALL THEIR "HEART, MIGHT, MIND AND STRENGTH"

D&C 18:15-16

• Serve with everything you have.
• Even if you only bring one soul to the knowledge of the truth, it was worth it.
• How great will be your joy when you bring souls unto repentance.

D&C 88:84

• "Tarry ye, and labor diligently." And go forth among the gentiles. We need to be missionaries and be 'perfected in our ministry'.
• We need to "prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come."

OBEDIENCE IS A VITAL ATTRIBUTE IN MISSIONARY WORK

John 14:15

• Can it get any simpler than that?
• "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
• I know we all love Him. So we must ALL keep His commandments.
• Keep the commandments.

1 Nephi 3:7

• Nephi was obedient. He was courageous.
• Let's be more like Nephi and be 100% obedient.
• Sheri Dew has counseled us, "Pray and ask Heavenly Father to help you to be more obedient than you need to be."
  

PREPARING INVESTIGATORS FOR BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION 2

MISSIONARIES HELP THOSE WHO ARE CONVERTED PREPARE FOR BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, AND MEMBERSHIP IN THE LORD'S CHURCH

Exodus 20:8-12

• Keep the sabbath day holy. We need to teach our new members the importance of this.
• "wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
• It is the day of worship and rest

D&C 59:9-10

• Sunday is the day for church and partaking of the sacrament. Remembering our Savior and his great atonement.
• "Thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day."

COVENANTS AND ORDINANCES NECESSARY FOR EXALTATION ARE RECEIVED IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

D&C 131

• Temple marriage and being sealed is one important ordinance necessary for exaltation.
• We need to marry in God's temple. "And if he does not, he cannot obtain it."

D&C 132:15

• Not getting married in the temple is like not getting married at all.
• If you do not marry in the temple, your marriage will only last until death do you part. In the grand scheme of things life on earth is so small. Life on earth is just a little speck on the line of eternal life. Marry for eternity.

PREPARING INVESTIGATORS FOR BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION

AS INVESTIGATORS COME UNTO CHRIST AND PREPARE TO BECOME CHURCH MEMBERS, THEY MUST UNDERSTAND THE COVENANTS ASSOCIATED WITH SAVING ORDINANCES AND BE WILLING TO MAKE AND KEEP SACRED OBLIGATIONS

D&C 20: 37

• Those who desire baptism shall be recieved by baptism into His church
• Those who come forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit shall be baptized

D&C 45:9

• "every person who belongeth to the church of Christ, shall observe to keep all the commandments and covenants of the church."
• So that means every person who is preparing to become a member of the church and be baptized needs to keep all the commandments too if they want to be baptized and become a member of the church.
  

USING TIME WISELY TO BRING PEOPLE TO CHRIST

FINDING PEOPLE TO TEACH IS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR MISSIONARIES AND CHURCH MEMBERS

D&C 123:12

• There are people out there, everywhere, who don't know the truth, who have never even heard the truth.
• It is our duty, our privilege, to go out and find them.
  
• They are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." We need to find them!

EFFECTIVE PLANNING, GOAL SETTING, AND TIME MANAGEMENT HELP FOCUS MISSIONARY EFFORTS AND INCREASE SUCCESS

D&C 109:8

• "Organize yourself: prepare every needful thing, establish a house.. a house of order, a house of God."
• Being organized is such an important thing! If you are not organized things become stressful and the Spirit is harder to find in a messy place :)
  

PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PREPARATION

PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL DEMANDS OF A FULL-TIME MISSION

D&C 4:2

• Missionaries need to prepare physically so they can be ready for any type of service that will be required of them.
• "See that ye serve Him with all your might, mind and strength." Prepare yourself that ye may be ready to serve Him in whatever He calls you to do.

D&C 88: 124

• To be a missionary you need to be physically stong and prepared.
• You need to have self control, not sleeping in or being idle.
• Go to bed early and arise early, "That your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." That's especially important on the mission so that you can be in tune and ready to teach.

THERE ARE HONORABLE ALTERNATIVES TO FULL-TIME MISSIONARY SERVICE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS EXCUSED BY PRIESTHOOD LEADERS BECAUSE OF THEIR PHYSICAL OR EMOTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCE

• Pres. Hinckley: "There are other areas where those with serious limitations may work and have a satisfying experience. And the Lord will bless them for what they are able to do."
• Richard G. Scott: "..For you there are other ways to render meaningful service compatible with your condition."
  

FAITH AND CONVERSION 2

FAITH LEADS TO CONVERSION

2 NEPHI 31:19-20

• Have hope. Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.
• If you endure to the end you will have eternal life. Have faith to endure to the end. Have faith to have eternal life.

Alma 32: 41

• Faith. "if ye will nourish the word.."
• Nourish the word with your faith. Have patience. It will spring up to everlasting life.

CONVERSION INCLUDES REPENTANCE, BAPTISM, AND THE RECEPTION OF THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST

Matt 3:16

• The dove is the symbol of the Holy Ghost
• When you are baptized and confirmed you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

John 3:5

• Baptism is the first step that leads us to eternal life.
• "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
  

FAITH AND CONVERSION

FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS ESSENTIAL TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH

1 Nephi 7:12

• "Wherefore let us be faithful to Him."
• We must exercise faith in Jesus Christ. If we have enough faith His will will be done, always.

2 Nephi 9:23

• We all need to repent and come unto Him.
• To be baptized we must repent. Repenting requires faith that we can be forgiven. We must love and trust our Lord.
  
• "Having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel."

FAITH CAN INCREASE

Jacob 4:6

• We all can recieve our own spiritual witness. We can recieve personal revelation.
• "Having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken."
• Our faith can, does, and will continue to grow as we have these witnesses. We can have enough faith to that the very trees obey us, according to the will of our Father.