Taking the Gospel to All the World

A year and a half ago, I had the privilege of attending BYU Education Week with my sister. It was life-changing for me! Perhaps the greatest impact of the week came as I sat listening to Elder David A. Bednar, who spoke at the devotional. He gave a talk titled "To Sweep the Earth as With a Flood." He taught us about some of the prophecies and blessings of living in this dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times. He said:

"We are blessed to live, learn, and serve in this most remarkable dispensation. An important aspect of the fulness that is available to us in this special season is a miraculous progression of innovations and inventions that have enabled and accelerated the work of salvation."

He then shared these incredible prophecies:

From Brigham Young in 1862: "Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct revelation from God, though but few acknowledge it. It has been given with a view to prepare the way for the ultimate triumph of truth, and the redemption of the earth from the power of sin and Satan. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.”

In 1966 President David O. McKay prophesied scientific discoveries that "stagger the imagination" would make possible the preaching of the gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people.

From President Spencer W. Kimball in 1974: "I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse. With the Lord providing these miracles of communication, and with the increased efforts and devotion of our missionaries and all of us, and all others who are 'sent,' surely the divine injunction will come to pass: 'For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature.'"

And from President Gordon B. Hinckley in 1981: "We are confident that as the work of the Lord expands, he will inspire men to develop the means whereby the membership of the Church, wherever they may be, can be counseled in an intimate and personal way by his chosen prophet. Communication is the sinew that binds the Church as one great family. Between those facilities which are now available and those which are on the horizon, we shall be able to converse one with another according to the needs and circumstances of the time.”

Elder Bednar spoke about the different social media forums and the number of people who use them monthly. As someone who used NO social media, I found it really quite amazing! Then he said, "The Lord is hastening His work, and it is no coincidence that these powerful communication innovations and inventions are occurring in the dispensation of the fulness of times. Social media channels are global tools that can personally and positively impact large numbers of individuals and families. And I believe the time has come for us as disciples of Christ to use these inspired tools appropriately and more effectively to testify of God the Eternal Father, His plan of happiness for His children, and His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Savior of the world; to proclaim the reality of the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days; and to accomplish the Lord’s work."

Next he shared with us some of the ways that the Church and some members of the Church are using social media to spread the gospel. I thought it was wonderful that some people were smart enough or talented enough to do that. The thought had not even crossed my mind that it was something I should be doing. At least not until Elder Bednar shared this:

“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood” (Moses 7:62; italics added).

"My beloved brothers and sisters, what has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning at this place on this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.

"According to our desires and circumstances, each of us can contribute consistently to the growing flood of truth and righteousness. Imagine the impact we can have as hundreds of thousands and millions of members of the Lord’s restored Church contribute in seemingly small ways to the rising floodwaters. May our many small, individual efforts produce a steady rainfall of righteousness and truth that gradually swells a multitude of streams and rivers—and ultimately becomes a flood that sweeps the earth."

The words "I exhort you" pierced my heart! I accepted Elder Bednar's invitation. When I got home, my daughter created a Pinterest account for me and I started creating pins. Six months later, my daughter helped me create this website. I have no idea if what I have shared can even be considered a trickle, since I do not know who views this site. But I know that for me personally I have experienced a flood of truth as I have studied more intensely and shared my thoughts and testimony.

That was a very long introduction to Chapter 8, Taking the Gospel to All the World. However, when I read the first paragraph in the introduction to the lesson, I thought immediately about my experience at Education Week and the prophecies Elder Bednar shared. Howard W. Hunter shared something similar, in February of 1979, speaking at a multi-stake devotional: "I fully believe that in the near future we will see some of the greatest advancements in spreading the gospel to all nations that have ever taken place in this dispensation or any previous dispensation. I am sure that we will be able to look back in retrospect and record as Luke did, ‘And the word of God increased.'” And increase it has! I thought it might be interesting to see just how much has increased since 1979, so here are a few fun facts. According to the Church's statistical reports:

At the end of 1979, there were:

4,439,000 members

1,092 stakes

7,235 wards

4,251 branches

81 countries with organized wards or branches

29,454 full-time missionaries

175 missions

193,000 coverts baptized

17 operating temples

And at the end of 2015, there were:

15,634,199 members

3,174 stakes

558 districts

30,016 wards and branches

177 countries with organized wards or branches

74,079 full-time missionaries

31,779 Church-service missionaries

418 missions

257,402 converts baptized

149 operating temples

When I began my studies of the lesson, I thought of the significance of President Hunter's quote. In a few short days, millions of people, all around the world, would have the opportunity to watch or listen to general conference at the very time it was taking place. Ironically, Elder Holland, during the Sunday afternoon session, emphasized that fact when he spoke directly to "the 21,000 here in the Conference Center, or multitudes in meetinghouses and chapels, or finally millions in homes around the globe, perhaps huddled around a family computer screen." That is most definitely a great advancement in spreading the gospel to all nations!

Howard W. Hunter taught, "We are in the work of saving souls, of inviting people to come unto Christ. This world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel provides the only way the world will ever know peace.

"As our Father loves all his children, we must love all people—of every race, culture, and nationality—and teach them the principles of the gospel that they might embrace it and come to a knowledge of the divinity of the Savior."

He then gave this beautiful reminder: "As members of the Lord’s church, we need to lift our vision beyond personal prejudices."

This was definitely taught both in the women's session and the Sunday afternoon session of general conference as we were reminded of the hardships and heartaches of the more than 60 million refugees who have been forced to flee their homes and countries. Sister Linda K. Burton encouraged us to "offer friendship, mentoring, and other Christlike service" because these children of God "need a friend and ally who can help them adjust to their new home, a person who can help them learn the language, understand the systems, and feel connected." Elder Patrick Kearon reminded us that, "As members of the Church, as a people, we don’t have to look back far in our history to reflect on times when we were refugees, violently driven from homes and farms over and over again." He also said, "The Lord has instructed us that the stakes of Zion are to be 'a defense' and 'a refuge from the storm.' We have found refuge. Let us come out from our safe places and share with them, from our abundance, hope for a brighter future, faith in God and in our fellowman, and love that sees beyond cultural and ideological differences to the glorious truth that we are all children of our Heavenly Father."

President Hunter taught, "A great indicator of one’s personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others." Of course one of the ways we share the gospel is through missionary work. I hope one day to have the opportunity to serve a full-time mission. Until then, this website and Pinterest are ways I am choosing to share the gospel that has brought so much peace to my life and that I love so much. I hope we remember that, as we serve God's children in need, we are also sharing the gospel, which as President Hunter said, was "restored in these latter days to meet the fundamental needs of every nation, kindred, tongue and people on the earth."