“How We Follow Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Mar. 2023.
Ministry of Church Leaders
How We Follow Jesus Christ
Whether through social media posts or personally addressing Saints across the world, Church leaders are teaching us how to be better disciples and how to minister to our brothers and sisters. Here are some recent invitations from Church leaders:
Minister One by One
In a live Q&A session on Instagram, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was asked about the most meaningful insight he had gained as an Apostle. He explained that God’s work is accomplished by finding and ministering to the one: “The most impactful thing I’ve learned is how real it is to say that the Lord knows us. He knows us by name. He knows us one by one. And that’s how He does His work.”1
He ended by sharing his witness that Christ knows us one by one.
Seek the Gift of Charity
What are the aims of an education at a Church university? At a Brigham Young University devotional, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested three main purposes: (1) cultivating a love of God and of fellow men and women, (2) staying focused on our priority identities2 (such as being a child of God), and (3) possessing and promoting forgiveness.
Elder Christofferson said, “We grow to love what and who we serve. As we serve and sacrifice for God, our love for Him grows; as we serve and sacrifice for others, our love for them grows. This is the pure love of Christ—charity—and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, a gift we can ask for.”3
Help Children Walk the Covenant Path
In a Facebook post, Sister Tracy Y. Browning, Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency, explained how we can help young Church members develop faith: “We are helping children build a lifelong love of walking on the covenant path by teaching them doctrine in lessons and music, ministering to them individually, and preparing them to make and keep sacred covenants. What a sobering and significant privilege that is!”4
Bringing Light to God’s Children
The Church donated $500,000 to help provide electricity to the Diné (Navajo) community of Westwater in southeast Utah. September 1, 2022, marked the first day this project’s new power lines brought electricity.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles represented the Church in an appreciation event for this project. He then posted on Facebook about how Latter-day Saints can light their communities: “When we see a need and are able to help, we should follow Jesus Christ by loving God and our neighbor and making this world a better place. We should bring light—both literally and spiritually—to all of God’s children who are in need.”5