In missionary work, the Atonement is what we teach, the Atonement is what we study, the Atonement is why we teach, and the Atonement is why we study. But the Atonement is also How we teach.
1. I remember going with a friend to invite an inactive member of our quorum to hear a devotional put on by my Bishop. His wife was in the process of releasing her first religious album, so she was the keynote speaker. I was scared. I feared I would say the wrong thing. I was afraid I’d sound too religious and offend him. I was worried I might be applying the promptings I thought I had received incorrectly, or, even worse, I had invented the promptings in a superficial vigor for quorum unity. I feared my best wouldn’t measure up to the task at hand. I feared I would come on too strong and push one of Heavenly Father’s beloved children even further from the fold. Lastly, I feared my testimony of my Savior, the core of my being, would fall utterly short. Over the next few months, I learned some things:
2. We WILL say the wrong thing. We WILL say something that could come off bigotrous and offend someone. We WILL act on an imperfect thought, falsely attributed to the Holy Ghost. Our best attempts WILL ALWAYS fall short. We WILL offend someone and momentarily push them farther from the church. Lastly, I promise you, that, by itself, our testimony WILL NEVER be strong enough to enter itself into the heart of man1, let alone convert.
3. If we WILL fail, utterly and entirely, then what’s the point of trying? How are we expected, from prophets2, apostles, and Jesus, the Christ, to contribute in the work of salvation?
3. If we WILL fail, utterly and entirely, then what's the point of trying? What can we do then, if we are expected, from prophets2, apostles, and Jesus, the Christ, to contribute in the work of salvation?
4. When there’s nothing we can do for ourselves, and there’s no hope for our success, where can we turn for peace3, hope, faith, and love, in missionary work? Where do we turn when we are utterly helpless? We turn to Christ and His Aonement. From scripture, we learn that:
“[H]e [went] forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people… and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy... that he might know… how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”4
5. I bear my testimony that this agonizing, horribly unfair bruising and punishment, which no man can comprehend5, took place in the Garden of Gethsemane5, and again on the cross at Golgotha5.
6. I also promise you that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “Suffered these things for all, that [we] might not suffer if [we] would repent; But if [we] would not repent, [we] must suffer even as [Christ. This] suffering caused [Christ], even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore.” 6
7. Many people, from what I have seen, view the Atonement almost like a washing machine. They get their shirt dirty in sin, they recognize it’s dirty and feel sorrow unto washing it. As the shirt washes, it is cleaned, and then the drier, like the Holy Ghost, cleanses the shirt, and completes the process. However, the Atonement is not simply a box to check off a list, not simply for cleaning our ‘clothes’.
8. To those who believe this and other similar philosophies, Bruce R. McConkie said,
“many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and His goodness to see us through the trials and perils of this life. 7
“But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah, we must believe as they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived.7
“I invite you to join with me in gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement.7
9. “Let us cast aside”7 this “washing machine” “[philosophy],… and hearken to the”7 whisperings of the Holy Ghost8, as we explore the experiences of Enoch, Moses, and others of the great prophets in their call to the same ministry to which we are now called:
10. Enoch, the prophet to perfect an entire city in only 300 years, was afraid when he received his call to preach: “I am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech,”9. Moses expressed similar fears when called to His work: “I am not eloquent… but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue,”10. Isaiah feared he might say the wrong thing: “I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips,”11. Jeremiah, feeling young, unknowledgeable, and small in a world so full of Mosaic scholars, replied to his call, “Ah, Lord God! Behold I cannot speak, for I am a child,”12. We know that the Lord’s call to Jeremiah was, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations,”13. We might not be a prophet unto the nations, but we are the children of the “Final Inning”14, and we are called of God to be a witness unto the nations. “This generation represents some of His Strongest children,”15.
11. In answering all these great men, The Lord promises to them, and each one of us, “Open thy mouth, [and]… all thy words will I justify,”16. The Lord doesn’t ask us to say everything perfectly, he asks us only to open our mouth, invoke His Atonement in the spreading of His work, and let Him worry about the rest.
12. To Enoch, an outcast, weak in speaking, the Lord said, “Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled… for all flesh is in my hands,”17. Do we believe Him? Do we believe that through His Atonement, He can arrange circumstance and soften heart so that even when we say the wrong thing, He will Atone for our best efforts? All flesh is in His hands! Do we believe Him? He goes on, and says “All thy words will I justify,”18. To justify, in this context, is to make perfect. The Atonement of our Savior will Atone for all of our mistakes in teaching the gospel. If you remember, Enoch, with only the power of his words, literally moved mountains and redirected rivers on their course19. I don’t believe every time he preached the Lord filled his mouthA. I believe that the Lord sometimes left the speaking to Enoch, and Enoch spoke the best words he knew. As Enoch bore testimony of what he knew to be true, and as he taught the Plan of Salvation, the merciful Savior perfected the testimony of Enoch with the surrounding circumstances of the individuals listening.
13. Moses, feeling not only inadequate, but even handicapped, received the response, “Who hath made man’s mouth? ...Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth,”20. ‘Who hath made man’s mouth?’ our Savior, Creator, and Shepherd, asks, “WHO, Who hath made the man’s body, heart, mind, yes, even soul? Can I, ‘God, the greatest of all,’21 not fix them as well? ‘All flesh is in my hands!!’22 ‘Believest thou this?!’23” This won’t always happen. Yes, some people see miracles because they have the faith to be healed24. They “rise up and walk”25, gratefully serving people in many more ways than might have previously been possible. Others, however, have the faith to not be healed26, and such constant faith and devotion to the Savior will inspire and motivate all who know them. After ‘healing man’s mouth’27, our Savior promises to Moses, and again to all of us, that not only will He fill our mouth28 and be in our mouth29, like His promise to Enoch, but He will be WITH our mouth too30. It is revealed doctrine that “Revelations from God—the teachings and directions of the Spirit—are not constant.”A He won’t always provide us the words to say, or we become His puppets. “We [will be] left to work out problems without the dictation or specific direction of the Spirit.”A We were given the gift of mortality to learn through our own actions. Due to this, our imperfect sphere, we will mess up. We will say the wrong thing. When we do, and when we realize, it is our duty to act upon the increased knowledge, the best we know how. BUT, because He is WITH our mouth, we will not fail. His atonement will not only purify our words in our mouth, but also in their ears. The eternal objective of the Atonement is that we eventually make it out on our own, without the assistance of the Holy Ghost, or the cleansing31, purifying32, and justifying33 power of the Atonement. That is why, as we go, we will be left on our own to do what we know, on occasionA. If we do not feel His Spirit, It does not mean that we are free to bypass missionary opportunities. It DOES mean that God trusts you. He trusts you to remember Him, and His message. He trusts you to be missionaries. Can we all invoke His Atonement on the lives of others by bearing testimony of the gospel to them? According to the Atonement, we cannot fail, if we have our eye singleB to His gloryC; are we willing to align to His will?
14. Isaiah, a prophet so accustomed to the beauty and power of prose and symbolism, and the only prophet toward whom our Savior expressly directs His disciples34, feared his unclean lips. He was afraid he would say the wrong thing sometimes. He was also afraid he might confine the Spirit to a weaker message of the wondrous, beautiful, living35 Gospel of Jesus Christ. He openly expressed this fear of ‘unclean lips’ to God, and “then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from the altar; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away,”36. Fire represents the Holy Ghost37, and as we bear testimony and teach the best we know, our previous sins, the sins we’ve laid on the altar for sacrifice38, will be purged like a fire burning and purifying gold39. Our words will also present a medium for the Holy Ghost to teach. Without the Atonement, our testimony is nothing, but with the Holy Ghost Applying the Atonement with our testimony, it has more power than the armies of the world to change a man’s heart and actions more towards the Savior40.
15. Jeremiah, the prophet known for his dramatic foreordination42, fearing his youth and the many words of the Mosaic scholars43, was consoled by our Loving Father in Heaven in these words: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee”44. Then, says Jeremiah, “the Lord put forth His hand,… touched my mouth… [And] said unto me, I have put my words in thy mouth,”45 God has done the same for us. He gave us a testimony46. He gave us a language to speak47. All truth is God’s48. He gives us His words every six months in General Conference49, and every time we hear a talk from someone in church50. All these people have been called of God to teach His word directly through His keys51. The Holy Ghost gives us His words when we ponder and pray for them52, yes, but there are almost as many of God’s words out there as there are stars in the sky. Can we try to share these words, words of truth53, bearing power unto salvation54, with those we love?
16. When we feel despised55, slow56, inadequate57, incapable58, unworthy59, young60, or unknowledgeable61, we can be strengthened in knowing that through the Atonement, the Savior covers for EVERY imperfection we have62, according to His will63. Those INLUDE imperfections in learning, remembering, physical health, talents from the arts to the sciences, performance in our temporal activities from school to the workplace, and Missionary Work64!!! Especially Missionary Work! It is God’s WORK!!!! It is His GLORY!!!!65 Why then, would He not help you, if your actions qualify? Through His Atonement, the Touch of the Master’s Hand will turn everything to gold66. God promises us: “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and REMEMBER THE COVENANT67!!” 68 Why then, would your actions not work together for the world’s good? Your friend’s good? Your brother’s good? All He asks is that we try69.
17. Elder M. Russell Ballard assures us of this: “It is impossible for you to fail when we do our best when we are on the Lord’s errand.”70 He is “not asking everyone to do everything. [He is] simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just “one”… millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ."71
18. “Heed the promptings of the Spirit. Supplicate the Lord in mighty prayer. Become engaged in doing what you can in sharing the great message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 72
19. I know that if we simply do the best we can with what we have, our Savior, Jesus Christ, will Atone our best efforts to the will, purpose, and means of God. This work is NOT ours73. It is the Lord’s beautiful masterpiece, and each one of us, as President Uchtdorf says, “[has our] own part to play—[our] own notes to sing. Fail to perform them, and with certainty, the symphony will go on. But if [we] rise up and join the chorus and allow the power to God to work through [us], [we] will see ‘the windows of heaven’74 open, and He will ‘pour [us] out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’74”75 That’s not even including the privilege of playing in that masterpiece76.
20. Can we all open our mouths and speak with love, allowing the atoning power of Christ to flow through us, cleansing and purifying our hearts and minds and edifying others77? Can we all set a goal today, and reach out to even one78? I give you Elder Ballard’s promise that, “it is impossible for us to fail”79, and “the Lord will hear [our] prayers and [we] will have many opportunities now and for years to come”80, and one more promise from Elder Scott, “The natural consequence is power from God—power to do more than we can do by ourselves. Our insights, our talents, our abilities are expanded because we receive strength and power from the Lord.”81
21. That young man I invited to “’come and see’A, once more”B, has not come back to church yet, but from this, and other similar experiences, I have grown significantly, coming to a knowledge of much brighter truths:
22. I bear my testimony that if we but lay our sins on the altarC, treasure up Christ’s wordsD, and open our mouth82: HE will speak the perfect word to the heart of man83. HE will rewrite the law upon all our hearts84. HE will give us His power85, the power of God unto the salvation of men86. HE will justify our “widow’s mite”87. HE will soothe the aching soul88, whether suffering is at one’s own hand89 or suffering is heaped upon them by others90. HE will be the one to transform ashes—into beauty91, a tiny seed—into the Tree of Life92, and us—into gods93.
23. I know that Jesus Christ, our Savior, came to this earth to redeem all mankind94. More personally, He redeemed me95. He snatched me from the grasp of the adversary96. He is the Savior of our world97. But more personally, He is the savior of MY world.
This is my testimony, and I bear it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Footnotes:
1. 2 Nephi 33:1
2. D&C 62:4-5,3;
3. “Where Can I Turn for Peace” Hymn 129; “Where Can I Turn for Peace”, Quentin L. Cook, May 2013 Ensign; John 14:27
4. Alma 7:11
5. Bruce R. McConkie, May 1985 Ensign
6. D&C 19:16-18
7. Bruce R. McConkie, May 1985 Ensign
8. Bruce R. McConkie, May 1985 Ensign;
9. Moses 6:31
10. Exodus 4:10
11. 2 Nephi 16:5, Isaiah 6:5
12. Jeremiah 1:6
13. Jeremiah 1:5
14. Benson, In His Steps
15. Monson, October 2011
16. Moses 6:31-34
17. Moses 6:32
18. Moses 6:34
19. Moses 7:13
20. Exodus 4:11-12
21. Doctrine and Covenants 19:18
22. Moses 6:32
23. John 11:26
24. D&C 46:19
25. Acts 3:6
26. That We Might Not Shrink, Elder Bednar, CES Devotional March 3, 2013
27. Exodus 4:11
28. Moses 6:32; Isaiah 6:7
29. Moses 6:32; Isaiah 6:7
30. Exodus 4:12
31. Bible Dictionary, Holy Ghost
32. Bible Dictionary, Holy Ghost
33. Bible Dictionary, Holy Ghost
A. Teaching and Learning by the Spirit, Oaks, May 1999 Ensign
34. 3 Nephi 23:1
35. 2 Corinthians 3:3;
36. 2 Nephi 16:5; Isaiah 6:5
37. Bible Dictionary, Holy Ghost
38. Isaiah 6:6
39. The Refiner’s Fire, Elder James E. Faust, April 1979 General Conference
40. Oaks, Teaching and learning by the Spirit, May 1999; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation
41. Jeremiah 1:5
42. Jeremiah 1:5
43. Jeremiah 1:8; Ezekiel 2:6-7
44. Jeremiah 1:8
45. Jeremiah 1:9
46. Converted unto the Lord, Elder David A. Bednar, October 2012 General Conference
47. Genesis 11:9
48. D&C 29:34
49. D&C 124:88
50. D&C 107:15,18; D&C 124:34
51. D&C 107:15,18; D&C 124:34
52. D&C 6:14-15
53. Ps. 117:2; Prov. 8:7; Zech. 8:16; Ephesians 4:25; 1 Jn. 5:6; D&C 1:39; D&C 50:17; D&C 75:4; TG Truth
54. “Holy Scriptures: The Power of God unto Our Salvation”, Robert D. Hales, November 2006 Ensign; 2 Nephi 32:3;
55. Moses 6:31
56. Moses 6:31; Exodus 4:10
57. Exodus 4:10; Moses 6:31; Isaiah 6:5; 2 Nephi 16:5, 4:26-27; Jeremiah 1:6
58. Exodus 4:10
59. Isaiah 6:5; 2 Nephi 16:5;
60. Jeremiah 1:6; Moses 6:31
61. Jeremiah 1:6; Moses 6:31; Ezekiel 2:6-7
unknowledgeable61,
62. Anticipating the Need to Forgive, Ensign Sept. 2011
63. Doctrine and Covenants 25:9; Ether 12:27
64. Moses 1:39; D&C 88:78
65. Moses 1:39
66. Rev. 3:18; Rev. 21:15
67. Mosiah 18:8-10; 2 Nephi 31:10
68. D&C 90:25
69. 2 Nephi 31:10;
70. M. Russell Ballard, “Put your Trust in the Lord”, October 2013 General Conference
71. M. Russell Ballard, “Put your Trust in the Lord”, October 2013 General Conference
72. M. Russell Ballard, “Put your Trust in the Lord”, October 2013 General Conference
73. Dieter F. Uchtdorf,
74. Malachi 4:5-6
75. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
76. Alma 26;
77. D&C 88:78; 2 Nephi 16:6-7
78. “Put Your Trust in the Lord”, Ballard, October 2013 General Conference
79. M. Russell Ballard, “Put your Trust in the Lord”, October 2013 General Conference
80. M. Russell Ballard, “Put your Trust in the Lord”, October 2013 General Conference
81. Richard G. Scott,
A. John 1:39
B. It’s a Miracle, Neil L. Anderson, April 2013 General Conference
C. 2 Nephi 16:6; Isaiah 6:6;
D. D&C 38:30; D&D 43:34; D&C 84:85
82. Moses 6:32; 2 Nephi 16:6-7; Isaiah 6:6-7;
83. D&C 33:1; 2 Nephi 33:1; D&C 6:16
84. 2 Corinthians 3:3
85.
86. Alma 26:13-15 (1-37)
87. Mark 12:41-44
88. 2 Nephi 26:25
89. Alma 15:3-12, 18, 19, 36; 2 Nephi 4; Mosiah 5;
90. 2 Nephi 4; Mosiah 22, 24:14, 19-23; Alma 17:27-39, 56, 57; 3 Nephi 3-4;
91. Isaiah 61:3; 2 Nephi 8:3;
92. Alma 32:__; 2 Nephi 8,11:__; Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe”, May 2013 Ensign
93. Romans 8:16-17;
94. John 3:16
95. Mosiah 27:27-30; Alma 36:17-22;
96. Mosiah 27:27-30; Alma 36:12-22;
97. John 3:16;
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