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Use the Power of the Book of Mormon

2023 Seminar for New Mission Leaders

By Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Saturday, June 23, 2023

Elder D. Todd Christofferson: As you may have heard, or read in your email, the First Presidency announced yesterday the release of Preach My Gospel, second edition. In many ways, this updated missionary resource will look and feel similar to what you have now. However, as President Russell M. Nelson noted, “This new edition comes at a time when the world is rapidly changing and reflects a sensitivity to many of those changes.” For the benefit of missionaries around the world who are listening to this devotional and who have not yet had a chance to see President Nelson’s announcement, let me play a portion of it.

[Start video]

President Russell M. Nelson: I’m pleased to announce the release of the second edition of Preach My Gospel. It carries the subtitle “A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This new edition comes at a time when the world is rapidly changing and reflects a sensitivity to many of those changes. It contains some of the best instruction I’ve ever seen to help people accept the Lord’s invitation to come unto Him.

I invite you to enjoy the enrichment to your own testimony that the updated Preach My Gospel manual can provide. You’ll sense the privilege it is to assist our Father in Heaven in His holy work. As you study and apply the teachings from Preach My Gospel second edition, from the scriptures, and from living prophets, you will be blessed. Your own testimony will be enriched. Your capacity to share the Savior’s gospel will increase.

I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church. We are His covenant people called to assist with His work. I so testify with my expression of love for each of you in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.¹

[End video]

Elder Christofferson: We invite you to begin studying this new edition of Preach My Gospel during your personal and companionship studies, paying close attention to the renewed emphasis on Jesus Christ and the power of the covenants that bind us to the Father and the Son. Please note the adjustments to the lessons in chapter 3. But please don’t just focus on the changes. We invite you to use this new resource to immerse yourself more fully in the scriptures and to draw closer to God. Use Preach My Gospel to strengthen your personal conversion and help others come to Christ and become part of His covenant people.

Here at the Provo Utah MTC, we are gathered with 138 couples who will begin their service as new mission presidents and companions at the end of this month. It is the annual seminar for new mission leaders. During this four-day gathering, which ends on Sunday, we are spending much of our time reviewing and discussing Preach My Gospel, second edition. Members of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and General Officers of the Church are leading out with presentations on each chapter. I have the blessing in this devotional to focus on chapter 5, “Use the Power of the Book of Mormon.”

I want to say again and again, “I love the Book of Mormon.” It is the Lord’s instrument of conversion in these latter days. Its publication is the sign that the long-prophesied gathering of Israel is now underway.² The Book of Mormon is the tool, the “sickle,” if you will, that we are to “thrust in” with our might in that great field that is “white already to harvest.”³ Thus, the Book of Mormon becomes both the sign of and the means for gathering the Lord’s covenant people in this last dispensation. As President Nelson put it, “This is the book that will help to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”⁴

I am grateful beyond measure for the Prophet Joseph Smith and for his incomparable achievement in translating and publishing the Book of Mormon. I have a testimony that it was done by this young, faithful servant through “the gift and power of God,”⁵ just as he said. I am grateful for those who gave the Prophet invaluable assistance in this project, including his dear wife Emma; Oliver Cowdery as principal scribe; and Martin Harris, whose financial sacrifices and support were essential in both translating and printing the Book of Mormon. God bless them all.

This picture shows the re-creation of Joseph and Emma Smith’s home in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was in this small structure in 1829 that most of the translation of the Book of Mormon into English took place. Behind the two windows you see together in the front of the house was the main room used for cooking, eating, and all other household functions except sleeping. In this room was a small table like the one shown in this picture where the actual translation of the Book of Mormon took place. The gold plates were there, generally covered with a cloth, fully or partially, so as to be visible only to the Prophet. Using the Urim and Thummim or another seer stone, Joseph dictated the text to Oliver Cowdery, who sat at the same table with paper, ink, and a pen carved from a turkey feather to write the words as they came from Joseph’s lips.

Thus, it was in these humble circumstances, in a remote spot, unknown to and unseen by any but a few individuals among the world’s vast population, that almost all the ancient Book of Mormon text was “downloaded” from reformed Egyptian engravings on metal sheets of gold to pen and ink script on paper in modern English. President Russell M. Nelson once referred to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as “a miraculous miracle,”⁶ and so it was.

Chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel, second edition, is titled, “Use the Power of the Book of Mormon.”⁷ The power of the Book of Mormon is in the witness of the Holy Spirit that accompanies it—the witness of the Holy Spirit that the book is true and that it is compelling evidence of the latter-day Restoration, the witness of the Holy Spirit of the truth of the doctrine that it teaches, and the witness of the Holy Spirit that its testimony of Jesus Christ is true.

Preach My Gospel counsels us:

“Use the Book of Mormon to help people have spiritual experiences, especially a witness from the Holy Ghost that the book itself is the word of God.

“Give priority to Book of Mormon passages when you teach. They have converting power through the Holy Ghost. When you teach the gospel using the Book of Mormon, your teaching will resonate with power and clarity in the heart and mind.”⁸

I’m very pleased to note that in the presentations in our seminar for new mission leaders, Book of Mormon passages and examples are being used liberally and frequently, and they do indeed resonate with power and clarity in our hearts and minds.

Preach My Gospel instructs, “Use the Book of Mormon as your main source for teaching the restored gospel.”⁹ Chapter 5 provides us a helpful chart that lists basic points of doctrine and specific chapters in the Book of Mormon where that doctrine is taught. For example, “The ‘great plan of the Eternal God,’ including the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Resurrection, and the Judgment” [is] explained in 2 Nephi 2; 9; Mosiah 15–16; and Alma 12; 40–42. Use the scriptures identified in this chart, and the knowledge that you have gained and will gain from your own study of the Book of Mormon, to teach the gospel lessons from chapter 3.

A significant aspect of teaching the gospel is to frame our message to respond to the specific circumstances and concerns of the individuals we teach. The Book of Mormon is a powerful tool in addressing these questions of the soul, such as “Does God know me or care about me?” “What is the purpose of life?” “How can I be a better person?” “How can I feel God’s forgiveness?” “What happens after I die?” In this seminar for new mission leaders last year, President Dallin H. Oaks counseled:

“Missionaries must know how to use the Book of Mormon to answer their own questions so they can use it effectively to help others learn to do the same. … They must internalize the power of the Book of Mormon in teaching the restored gospel, first by applying it in their own lives and then by sharing it with those they teach.”¹⁰

I am going to ask a couple of my brethren in the Quorum of the Twelve and their companions to come to the microphone and share with us something from the Book of Mormon that was said by or about Jesus Christ that answers a particular “question of the soul” or that teaches something important about the gospel that everyone should understand. I’ll go first and then ask Sister Christofferson, Elder and Sister Soares, and Elder and Sister Renlund to each share a response.

My example is this: The Book of Mormon teaches clearly that Christ’s love extends to everyone and that to feel His love, we need only repent and turn to Him. No one is beyond reach. Nephi said in 2 Nephi 26:24, 27:

“[The Lord God] doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. …

“Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.”¹¹

In 3 Nephi 9:13–14, Jesus Himself issues this invitation:

“Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

“Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.”¹²

Sister Kathy Christofferson: I’d like to share a favorite scripture from Alma 7:11–12. It says:

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“… And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

Now, when we think of the Lord’s suffering and we think of His Atonement, He certainly, we know, suffered for the sins of the world. We know it must have been excruciating, but we can’t really, as mortals, wrap our head around how difficult that was or exactly how that could have possibly been for us.

Now, we’ve all known pain and suffering of some kind, and we might be inclined to say, “Well, nobody really knows what I’ve been through.” But because of this scripture, we know that Jesus Christ does indeed know exactly what you’ve been through and that He knows how to succor His children, and He knows with great compassion what we need and can help us through these difficult times.

When we share the gospel with others, we can help them to come to see Jesus Christ in this way and that they will know that He is not just some distant being but that He is a very personal and loving God, and one who they can put their trust in, and one who they can follow with complete love and devotion with all their hearts.

Sister Rosana Soares: The Book of Mormon teaches us that the word of God is so precious. And it’s more powerful than this world and can heal us—can heal the wounded soul.

And in Alma 31:5 it says, “And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.”

And in Jacob 2:8: “And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.”

Elder Ulisses Soares: The Book of Mormon teaches us about the importance of having patience to endure adversity. It also teaches us that these experiences can lead us to spiritual growth and eternal progress if we turn our heart to the Lord. Alma 38:5 reads, “I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”

Alma 34:41 reads, “But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.” Thank you.

Elder Dale G. Renlund: The question of the soul for me is, What would it take—what would have to be offered—for me to want to come to Christ and choose to be bound to Him by covenant? And an answer is given by the Savior in 3 Nephi 27:13–16:

“Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works. …

“And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.

“And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall … judge the world.”

Is it sufficient for me to consider His submission to His Father’s will, his victory over death, His taking upon Himself my sins and mistakes—conditioned on my repentance—His receiving power from the Father to make intercession for me, and His ultimate redemption of me? These things are sufficient to draw me to Him. The question is, Are they for you?

Sister Ruth Renlund: I love the way the Book of Mormon concludes with this very hopeful promise that we do not need to be perfect in and of ourselves, that “yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him”—Moroni 10:32–33—“and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

“And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”

That through Jesus Christ, because of His sacrifice for us, we can repent. And through repentance the Father has said He will remit our sins, that we can become holy and once again live with Him.

Elder Christofferson: To rely primarily on the Book of Mormon in our teaching does not mean that we diminish or devalue any other scripture. To those that know and love the Bible, we can explain how the Bible and Book of Mormon support each other. The Book of Mormon amplifies and strengthens the teachings and witness of the Bible concerning Jesus Christ. We correctly note that it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” but in many ways, the Book of Mormon is the preeminent testament of Jesus Christ.

Personally, I never fully appreciated the Bible until I became a student of the Book of Mormon. Let me recount to you one of my missionary failures that helped me understand how the Book of Mormon amplifies the Bible.

My companion and I were teaching a college student who read the Bible and sincerely wanted to follow the Lord. But he was perplexed by something Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than [the] meat, and the body [more] than raiment?”¹³ Our friend asked, “Shouldn’t we get an education? Doesn’t Jesus want us to plan and support ourselves and our family? It’s just not practical to ‘take no thought’ for these things and just be vagabonds.”

I am embarrassed to tell you that at that point in my mission, I was not sufficiently well versed in the Book of Mormon to realize that it has a simple answer to the question that was vexing this young man. The account of the Lord’s sermon as given to the Nephites makes it clear that He meant this counsel only for His Twelve Apostles, or twelve disciples, not for people generally.

In 3 Nephi we read that after Jesus had instructed the multitude, he turned and “looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: … Ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore … , take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. …

“For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all … things shall be added unto you.”¹⁴

So Jesus was not telling our friend—or people generally—to live carelessly or heedlessly. He was only telling the Twelve that they should not worry about temporal things. God would grant what they needed as they focused on their unique ministry. If I had been wise enough to point this out, our friend’s appreciation for both the Book of Mormon and the Bible would have grown and he would have felt peace about the matter. I hope you will do better.

“Encouraging people to seek a witness from the Holy Ghost about the Book of Mormon should be a central focus of your teaching.”¹⁵ As you are probably aware, President Ezra Taft Benson expressed it this way: “Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. … If the Book of Mormon be true[,] … then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it.”¹⁶

Quite often, however, your challenge will be simply getting people to read, understand, and pray about it. The converting power of the Book of Mormon is there; it is real, but if a person doesn’t read and pray about it, he or she will not likely feel that power.

Chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel includes a section on helping people read and understand the Book of Mormon. Certainly, you can read together during your teaching appointments, and I hope you will do so routinely. You can read during follow-up visits and even schedule visits specifically for reading certain passages or chapters together. You might even get together remotely via technology to read where that is practical. It would be especially helpful to arrange for members to read the Book of Mormon with them, establishing friendships within the Church in the process.

I especially appreciate the suggestions in chapter 5 about how to make reading together more effective. These suggestions include such things as:

“Pray before reading. Ask for help in understanding. Pray that the Holy Ghost will witness to them that it is true.
Take turns reading. Go at a pace they are comfortable with. Explain unfamiliar words and phrases.
Stop occasionally to discuss what you read.
Explain the background and context of the passage, such as who is speaking, what the person is like, and what the situation is. …
Share your testimony and appropriate insights, feelings, and personal experiences.”¹⁷

In this matter of reading the Book of Mormon, we must be gently insistent—kindly but persistent. If a person will not read and pray about the Book of Mormon, if they genuinely won’t take an interest in learning whether it is true, how can they become truly converted? The Book of Mormon and its unique witness of Jesus Christ and His mission make the restored gospel what it is. Joseph Smith said, “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none.”¹⁸ I believe that willingness to read the Book of Mormon is the great “sifter” in determining who is ready to hear your message and who is not yet prepared.

Remember that in all of this, you are trying to help people learn how to read on their own. You want to help them develop a desire to read the Book of Mormon daily. As Preach My Gospel says, “Emphasize that reading the book daily is a key to progressing toward baptism and lifelong conversion.”¹⁹ That, of course, is true for you and me too. Reading and studying the Book of Mormon each day, even if at times it is only a few verses, is key to our own lifelong conversion. President Nelson has reminded us that the blessings that come from doing so are many. He said:

“My dear brother and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day.”²⁰

As Preach My Gospel stresses, “An essential part of conversion is receiving a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true.”²¹ The Book of Mormon has been instrumental in my own conversion. How could it not be? It’s the “most correct … book on earth.”²² Jesus Christ Himself testified that the Book of Mormon was translated at His direction by His power, and He declared in His own name that “as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.”²³

The Book of Mormon has taught me much of what I know about Jesus Christ. It is the foundation of my testimony and witness of Him. It has drawn me close to Him. It is the principal source of my understanding of the great plan of redemption. It is the basis of my testimony of the Restoration.

Some years ago, I recorded my testimony on video in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, and I spoke about the influence the Book of Mormon had in my gaining a testimony. I would like to show you a brief segment of that video.

[Start video]

These beautiful woods near the town of Palmyra in the state of New York have come to be known as the Sacred Grove. It was here on a spring morning, much like this, in 1820 that Joseph Smith Jr., a sincere and tenderhearted boy of 14 knelt in prayer, seeking to know his standing before God and to receive divine direction about the religion he should follow.

As a youth I came to this hallowed place one summer night alone. I sought a divine confirmation of the truth of what Joseph said had happened here. Though I prayed earnestly for what seemed a long time, no answer came to me, and I left keenly disappointed. Some weeks later though, as I sat at home reading and pondering the words of the Book of Mormon, the Holy Ghost filled my soul and gave me the answer I had been seeking. By this spiritual communication, not limited to words, indeed more powerful than words, I was given to know that the Father and the Son had in fact appeared to Joseph Smith here and that his witness and the witness of all the holy scriptures concerning Jesus Christ are true.

Since then, that spiritual witness has been reconfirmed to me many times in various places and circumstances. I found that it was not necessary for me to be here in this Sacred Grove to receive that testimony through the Holy Spirit, just as it is not necessary for you to come here or any other special place to receive the same spiritual confirmation. Your Heavenly Father knows you and the hopes and desires of your heart wherever you are. As with me, He’ll speak to you in His own time and way. And if you’re sincere and willing to act on His answers, He will reveal to you what you desire to know.

[End video]

Preach My Gospel puts it well:

“The central purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Jesus Christ. It affirms the reality of His life, mission, resurrection, and power. It teaches true doctrine about Christ and His Atonement. …

“As people read and pray about the Book of Mormon, they will come to know the Savior better and experience His love. They will grow in their testimony of Him. They will know how to come unto Him and be saved.”²⁴

President Ezra Taft Benson declared: “The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. It bears witness of His reality with power and clarity.”²⁵ The Book of Mormon was written “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”²⁶

Study and pray to know that the witness of the Book of Mormon concerning Jesus Christ—who He is and what He has done and continues to do—is true. I have done that, and I know that the testimony of the Book of Mormon concerning Jesus Christ—who He is, what He taught, and what He did—is true. I am converted. Jesus Christ is the resurrected Redeemer of humankind. God is His Father, Joseph Smith is His revelator, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His Church, and you are His chosen messengers. May God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.