“Share What You Love,” For the Strength of Youth, July 2023.
Share What You Love
Your love for the gospel, for others, and for the Lord empowers you to share the gospel.
For This Purpose, by Yongsung Kim, Havenlight.com
I first visited the River Ribble near Preston, England, while serving as a young missionary in the British Mission. There, Apostle and missionary Heber C. Kimball baptized the first converts to the restored Church of Jesus Christ outside of North America in July 1837.
As I stood on a bridge overlooking the river and thought about what had occurred there, I received an overpowering witness of Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.
My mission was a wonderful, defining experience in my life. Today, I often reflect on what a joy it has been for me to spend much of my life sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I cannot think of anything more important.
The Need to Share the Gospel
Imagine you had been a disciple of Jesus Christ at the time of His Resurrection. How wonderful would it have been to see Him and hear His message?
The risen Lord’s overwhelming message was an invitation and command to share His gospel. He said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19), and “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
President Russell M. Nelson has declared that “the gospel of Jesus Christ has never been needed more than it is today. … We have the sacred responsibility to share the power and peace of Jesus Christ with all who will listen and who will let God prevail in their lives.”1
The Lord Needs You Now
You live in a unique and pivotal time—the last dispensation before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied that before the Lord comes again, “the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”2
Who is going to help achieve this? You!
You don’t need to be a full-time missionary to share the gospel. The Lord needs you now to make sharing His joyous, eternally significant gospel in word and deed a way of life and a part of who you are.
Focus on Love
The most important reason we share the gospel is that the Lord has asked us to. Sometimes this can be challenging, but I promise that as you focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and how much you love Him and how much He loves you, you will be guided in your efforts.
He Is Risen, by Greg Olsen
Your love for the gospel, for others, and most important, your love for the Lord will empower you to accept His divine invitation to share His gospel.
Love the Gospel
The Lord has said, “Learn of me” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23; Matthew 11:29). The more you study the gospel and learn of Jesus Christ and His sacred mission as Savior and Redeemer, the more your love for the gospel will grow.
You share your love for the gospel as you live it. The Apostle Paul taught, “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Often people are receptive to the gospel because they have had positive experiences with Church members. Please do not live in spiritual camouflage. “Let your light so shine” (Matthew 5:16) and show others that the gospel is an important part of who you are and what you do.
Love Others
Think about your friends. Do you share the movies, music, and food you like with them? Do you share your talents and hobbies? Maybe you have wondered if they will respond to the gospel if you share it with them. You will never know unless you try. President Nelson has taught, “Everyone deserves the chance to know about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”3
Reach out in love to friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, and others—remembering that they are your brothers and sisters and beloved children of your Father in Heaven—and you will find it easier to share the gospel with them.
Love the Lord
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our message to the world is that Jesus Christ lives! He has made it possible for each of us to gain salvation and exaltation.
You will feel the Lord’s love for you as you ponder all that He has done for you. Your soul will be filled with love for Him, and you will find that you cannot help but share the wonderful truths you have received from Him.
Great Shall Be Your Joy
My spiritually inspiring experience on the bridge over the River Ribble as a young missionary brought me the eternal joy promised to those who share the gospel (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:15).
As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am even more sure today that sharing the gospel is a joy and a profound expression of our love for the restored gospel, for God’s children, and for the Lord.
Elder Cook talks with young evacuees of the Taal Volcano in Batangas, Philippines, on January 15, 2020.
I testify that as you accept the Lord’s invitation and share what you love, you help Him build up His Church and prepare the world for His return, when “He will rule as King of Kings and … Lord of Lords.”4 I pray that you will follow Him and share His gospel throughout your life.