Local Leader Message
Becoming a Lifelong Disciple of Jesus Christ
We declare, along with Simon Peter of old, “Lord, we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Oft times when we are required to perform a task that is seemingly out of the ordinary or hard to comprehend, the natural impulse is to turn away and settle for that which is easy. When Jesus Christ taught a doctrine that was hard to understand, many of His disciples, when they heard it said, “this is an hard saying; who can hear it? . . .
“From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (see John 6:60; 66).
The Saviour asked the Twelve, “Will ye also go away?”
Simon Peter declared, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
“And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (see John 6:67–69).
Such is also our declaration. A decision to become lifelong disciples is a personal choice. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are baptized members of His church, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon us. We are ordained to the priesthood and through consistency and endurance we qualify to enter the temple, wherein we receive saving ordinances.
I have learned that the covenant path leads us to the chapel. Physical and spiritual preparation during each week is required to attend church and to worthily partake of the sacrament. It is our duty as disciples to remove all distractions during this process. When we place importance on this ordinance, we are promised to always have His Spirit to be with us. The same Spirit becomes the momentum to catapult us through the week until we come back for refilling.
The priesthood power is given to help us through the journey of discipleship. Male members of the Church have a duty to prepare to receive this power. It is received with an oath and a covenant (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:33–39). Young men should be assisted by parents and leaders in their preparation to be ordained and advanced to the rightful priesthood office at an appropriate age. Prospective elders prepare for advancement to the Melchizedek Priesthood as soon as possible.
The Lord commanded through Joseph Smith, “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:81).
In the April 2022 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson said, “Today I reaffirm strongly that the Lord has asked every worthy able young man to prepare for and serve a mission.”1
When we invite others on the journey of discipleship, we make it easier by supporting one another. After all, the race is not against each other but against sin.2
One of the ultimate blessings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the temple. If we fail to try to obtain a current temple recommend and attend the temple as regularly as possible, we are taking a shortcut in our spiritual marathon, thereby failing to win the prize. When we are recommended to the Lord (by receiving a temple recommend), we are firmly on the path of lifelong discipleship.
“Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20).