Christ is the Reason

Lesson 7 Serving with Real Intent

“[After I was baptized] I wanted to thunder and roar out the Gospel to the nations. It burned in my bones like fire pent up, so I [commenced] to preach…Nothing would satisfy me but to cry abroad in the world, what the Lord was doing in the latter days.” – Brigham Young JD 1:313

Principles of ‘Intentions’

1. 2 Nephi 31:13 “ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God…with real intent”
2. Mosiah 2:17 “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”
3. Mosiah 7:33 “serve him with all diligence of mind”
4. D&C 4:5 “an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.”
5. “From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.” – Dallin H. Oaks “The Challenge to Become”

Questions

1. What if I don’t want to go on a mission? Should I go anyway?

“We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries… Listen to those words, my young brethren: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semi-committed [missionaries]. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” -M. Russell Ballard

2. I am going on a mission because I feel it is my duty, or I am going for personal gain or growth. If my motive is not pure, does it mean that I shouldn’t go?

“We expect you to have an understanding and a solid testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We expect you to work hard. We expect you to be covenant makers and covenant keepers. We expect you to be missionaries to match our glorious message. Now these are high standards. We understand that, but we do not apologize for them. They reflect the Lord’s standards for you…”

3. I’ve heard that I should go on a mission just because it is expected of me and that when I get into the mission field and get involved in the work my motives will change. Do you agree? What can we do about this situation now? “Please understand this: the bar that is the standard for missionary service is being raised.”

Stewardship and Accounting

1. D&C 72:3-4 (positive)
2. D&C 58:26-33 (negative)
3. Paul (2 Timothy 4:6-8) “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
4. King Benjamin (Mosiah 2:15) “I can answer a clear conscience before God this day.”
5. Jesus (John 17:4) “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

“Obedience is the Price, Faith is the Power, Live is the Motive, the Spirit is the Key, Christ is the Reason, Joy is the reward.” Japan Hiroshima Mission Motto 1996-1999

“Obedience is the Price, Faith is the Power, Live is the Motive, the Spirit is the Key, Joy is the reward, Christ is the Reason.” Japan Hiroshima Mission Motto 1999-Present