Area Presidency Message: Love, Share, and Invite. 

“We will attain our exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom only on the condition that we share with our Father’s other children the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and observe the commandments that will enrich our lives here and hereafter.”1 —President George Albert Smith

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How a person is found and invited to know more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is an individual journey for each of Heavenly Father’s children. Our unique stories always involve the members of the Church who share the gospel with others in individual ways. I want to share the principles on which sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is best done in these times.

Nuria and I were found by missionaries who knocked on our apartment door at the right time in our lives for us to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We were taught by the Holy Ghost as they shared the message of the Restoration of the gospel. When we were baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we both knew for ourselves that it was the right thing to do. Our testimonies continued to grow as we followed the example of Jesus Christ on the covenant path. The members of the Church were always there with us along the way.

The plan of salvation

The plan of salvation is the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is designed to give Heavenly Father’s children our immortality and eternal life. It includes the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, along with all the laws, ordinances, and doctrines2 of His gospel. We grow in faith in Jesus Christ unto repentance. Our repentance makes us worthy to receive the priesthood ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. We can then follow Jesus as we receive all other essential ordinances of salvation and exaltation, as we endure to the end.

As part of our covenants, we will be witnesses of Jesus Christ and of His gospel at all times and in all things, and in all places3. In Preach My Gospel we read, “As your understanding of the Savior’s sacrifice, also known as the Atonement of Jesus Christ, grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase. You will feel, as Lehi did, the ‘great . . . importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth’ (2 Nephi 2:8).”4

Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we pray and study the gospel together as a family. We help others (friends, family, and acquaintances) when we find an opportunity to serve. We search for things that we can do with them and for them. We seek the Spirit on things to share with others who are in our minds. We share the gospel naturally, in our own way, to invite them to come and see, come and help, and come and belong.

We follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ in sharing the gospel. These are the guiding principles:

Love—I love my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and feel Their love for me. I follow the Savior and strive to love my neighbour as He does. I want others to feel the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ5.

Share—As a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, I let His light shine by serving others. I share my time, Church resources, and personal experiences to bless my friends and their families. I want them to feel the joy that comes from the Savior, His gospel, and His Church.

Invite—I pray for inspiration and courage to know how to invite my friends to come and see and to feel the goodness of the restored gospel and Church of Jesus Christ. I invite them to come and help us serve God’s children. I invite them to come and belong to His Church.

It is our deep love and commitment to our Savior Jesus Christ that shines as a light in us. It is our sincere love for all of our brothers and sisters that makes them want to see, stay, and belong. We allow each individual and family to accept the gospel when they know for themselves that it is true. We stand at their side and walk with them, as we help them grow into the gospel. We do this together as a ward or branch family. For those who are seeking to know more about Jesus Christ6, we help to shine His light on them so that they will come unto Him7.

The following is the story of Marian and Frederick Akinbo:

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“Marian and her family were among the pioneers of the Church in Benin City, Nigeria. Her family started attending the Church in 1982 but got baptized in April of 1984. When I met Marian, I had stopped attending my former church as I got an impression that something was just not right with my old church but couldn’t figure it out. I was introduced to the Church in 1992 by Marian, while I was searching for a wife. It became clearer to me when the missionaries started talking about eternal life as the greatest of all gifts from Heavenly Father. I got baptized on July 15, 1995. I am grateful for my membership in His kingdom and the opportunity to have an eternal family.”

This is the story of Patrick and Elizabeth Appianti:

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Sister Appianti: “One Saturday afternoon, I met missionaries teaching my mum as I visited her. They invited me to join the lesson, but I declined. I met them many times as I kept visiting my mum, but I always turned down the invitation to join the discussion. One Sunday as I was going to the usual church I had been attending, I got a prompting when the vehicle got to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I alighted and entered the premises. The warmth of the members and the missionaries as they welcomed me informed my decision to start meeting with the missionaries. They introduced the Book of Mormon and taught of the Restoration. After studying the testimonies of the Three and the Eight Witnesses, I was touched as it reminded me of the Lord’s mercies, and I made a decision to be baptized.”

Brother Appianti: “After three years in senior high school, I noticed a construction project taking place in my neighborhood where a hospital once stood. Upon enquiring from the workers, I learned they were building a church. A few friends and I decided to attend that church once the project was over. I walked into the premises on a Sunday a few months after the project was finished and met with the missionaries who began teaching the lessons. I was impressed by the power of the Spirit that attended the missionaries and how I felt anytime they visited. After reading the Book of Mormon through to Alma and praying about it, I felt answers to many of the questions I had about religion and decided to be baptized.”

How great will be our joy as we help gather Israel, by loving, sharing, and inviting all our brothers and sisters with whom we have contact to come unto Christ!