Here are 2 questions to ask yourself before you go-
#1- Is the Book of Mormon the word of God?
#2- Was Joseph Smith called by God to be a Prophet?
Now, wait just a minute- if you have just quickly read and automatically answered the two questions, then please go back and re-read each question, then carefully consider your answer, based on your personal testimony.
IS the Book of Mormon the word of God?
WAS Joseph Smith called by God to be a Prophet?
If you know it in your heart because the Spirit has confirmed it to you, then you have a testimony of those things. If you aren't really sure about the answer to either one of those questions, don't panic! Today I will explain how to get those confirming answers and why it is so important. It's important for every person, but especially important for your right now if you are considering serving a full-time mission.
First, lets review what testimony is. We hear the word "testimony" often at Church, but there still seems to be somewhat of a confusion about what a testimony is. Last week, I asked my youth Sunday School class to explain the difference between testimony and bearing testimony. They struggled with this question. And based on some of the wacky things I've heard people say in testimony meetings over the past 25 years that I've been a member of the Church, I think it's safe to say that not everyone understands what a testimony is and/or what bearing testimony means.
Here is a basic refresher on the difference between testimony and bearing testimony:
WHAT IS A TESTIMONY?
A testimony is knowledge of gospel principles based on the witness of the Spirit, who testifies of truth. "A testimony is a spiritual witness, given by the Holy Ghost, of the truthfulness of the gospel...The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves us, that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that His gospel has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior’s true Church" (Come Follow Me, "What Does it Mean to Bear Testimony?")
"For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the term testimony is a warm and familiar word in our religious expressions. It is tender and sweet. It has always a certain sacredness about it. When we talk about testimony, we refer to feelings of our heart and mind rather than an accumulation of logical, sterile facts. It is a gift of the Spirit, a witness from the Holy Ghost that certain concepts are true. A testimony is the sure knowledge or assurance from the Holy Ghost of the truth and divinity of the Lord’s work in these latter days. A testimony is the “abiding, living, [and] moving conviction of the truths revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ” (Dieter F Uchtdorf, "The Power of Personal Testimony")
WHAT IS BEARING TESTIMONY? Bearing your testimony generally means telling others about your testimony (such as in Fast & Testimony meetings), but also in other settings.
"When we bear testimony, we declare to others what we know to be true by the power of the Spirit" (Come Follow Me, "What Does it Mean to Bear Testimony?")
"When we bear testimony, we declare the absolute truth of the gospel message. In a time when many perceive truth as relative, a declaration of absolute truth is not very popular, nor does it seem politically correct or opportune...Our firm conviction of gospel truth is an anchor in our lives; it is steady and reliable as the North Star. A testimony is very personal and may be a little different for each of us, because everyone is a unique person. However, a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will always include these clear and simple truths:
- God lives. He is our loving Father in Heaven, and we are His children.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and the Savior of the world.
- Joseph Smith is the prophet of God through whom the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in the latter days.
- The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
- (The living Prophet), his counselors, and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the prophets, seers, and revelators in our day" (Dieter F Uchtdorf, "The Power of Personal Testimony")
MY TESTIMONY STORY:
When I first gained a testimony (as an investigator at age 18), I knew in my heart for the first time that God our Heavenly Father lives and loves me as his daughter. As a former atheist, this was new information and a major shift in thinking for me. It changed my life. I also came to understand the mission and importance of Jesus Christ, living Prophets, and the Book of Mormon. I was so excited to serve a mission and tell everyone about the true principles I had learned.
(Did you notice that I left any mention of Joseph Smith off of my list of things that I had gained a testimony about? It wasn't that I doubted that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. I was just more focused on the other aspects of the gospel that I had learned and was very excited about. It seems weird now, but I didn't think too much about Joseph Smith and the First Vision, or how the Book of Mormon came to us. It just wasn't that important to me at the time)
Two years after I was baptized, I got my mission call. When I got to the MTC, we started teaching the missionary lessons right away. We were put into pairs and would take turns teaching different parts and bearing testimony of what we had taught. I was so excited about the lessons about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ...I was VERY enthusiastic and bore testimony of those truths like there was no tomorrow. Then we got to the lesson about Joseph Smith's First Vision. I wasn't exactly dreading that lesson, but I wasn't excited about it like I was about the previous lessons. I realized that maybe this was because I hadn't really received a testimony about Joseph Smith being called as a Prophet. It's not that I didn't believe it, but remember, believing (or hoping that something is true) isn't the same as having a testimony (see definition of testimony in blue above).
So, what did I do? I went ahead and taught that lesson about Joseph Smith's First Vision (to the Elder I've been paired up with for the assignment). As I explained the events of the First Vision that day, I suddenly felt a strong conviction in my heart that the things I was saying were true. I had a warm feeling that felt like it was welling up inside me. It was the Holy Ghost, testifying of truth to me. I could then truly testify that I knew that Joseph Smith was called by God to be a Prophet.
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE A SEPARATE WITNESS OF TESTIMONY FOR EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE GOSPEL TO GO ON A MISSION
Some people mistakenly believe that they need to have a testimony of every individual aspect of the gospel in order to have a testimony and that they must have an individual confirmation of every single thing in order to serve a mission. During my mission, I learned that if a person has a testimony of ONE of the clear and basic truths of the Restored Gospel (as listed by Dieter F. Uchtdorf above: God is our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ is the Savior and the Son of God, God restored the Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon is the word of God, & we have living Prophets & Apostles today), the others can easily fall into place.
Do you need to pray to know that Seminary or Personal Progress are inspired programs? You absolutely could if you wanted to (or felt that you needed to), but if you know that we have living prophets and apostles leading the Church, you will already know that they are inspired programs. Do you need to pray to know that each individual member of the Quorum of the 70 has been called of God? You could, but if you already know that they have been called by the proper priesthood authority under the direction of the General Authorities, then you don't necessarily need to pray about each individual sustaining. Which is why they announce all of the newly called General Authorities and General Officers in General Conference without giving time in between each one for us to pray about each one for an individual confirmation before we raise our arm to sustain. Some things are just implied, because of the true principles related to them. You have a right to pray for confirmation from God if you want to or need to, but you may find that it is not always necessary.
For example, if you have a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have a testimony of his roles as Creator, Savior, the Son of God, and our Advocate with the Father. You won't necessarily need to pray about and receive a witness of each separate aspect of his mission. They all go together. Of course, that doesn't mean that you will have a perfect knowledge of everything or totally understand how the Atonement works or how a person gets Resurrected. That's ok. Testimony doesn't mean you know everything, testimony means that you have had a witness in your heart through the Holy Ghost that something is true.
IF YOU HAVE A TESTIMONY OF ONE OF THE BASIC TRUTHS, YOU CAN KNOW THAT THE REST ARE TRUE
Prior to entering the MTC, I had a testimony of God the Father and Jesus Christ. I also had a testimony of the Book of Mormon. If I had really thought about it, I might have asked myself - "How did the Book of Mormon come to be?" Of course, I knew that the Book of Mormon was the record of ancient Prophets in the Americas, who recorded the dealings of their people, including the visit of the Jesus Christ after his Resurrection. But how did we get it? It was hidden long ago by Moroni, who was instructed to bury it so that it could be brought forth at a future time. Nobody in the modern world knew anything about this ancient record until some time after Joseph Smith was visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (called the "First Vision")...in fact, the ancient record wasn't even mentioned to Joseph until several years after the First Vision, when the very same Moroni visited Joseph Smith and told him about the plates. It was then still a few more years until Joseph Smith was able to obtain the plates to start the translation. After the amazing work of translation, the ancient record was eventually printed and published. The whole thing is really amazing - you should read more about it! But my point is, the Book of Mormon is in my possession right now. I have it. I read it. I read it when I was 18, too. No matter what anyone else says, I know I have a personal testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. We got the Book of Mormon through a string of events that began with Joseph Smith's prayer and the First Vision. Therefore, I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet. Can I still pray about it to get a confirmation? Of course! My point is, sometimes all it takes is connecting the dots to realize that we do have a testimony of all of these things if we already have a testimony of one of them.
Another example - If you have a testimony that Russell M. Nelson is a living Prophet, then (if you think it out), you can also have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet. How? Because Russell M. Nelson is the most recent in an unbroken chain of priesthood authority back to the first Prophet in our dispensation (the "latter-days"), who was Joseph Smith. So if Russell M. Nelson was a Prophet, then Joseph Smith was a Prophet. And if Joseph Smith was a Prophet, then the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It all connects together.
The same applies to the other basic gospel truths as well. If you know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, then you can know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real (because he spoke with them and testified of them). Then you can also know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today, because it was restored by Joseph Smith and has been directed by living Prophets and Apostles since that day.
DO I NEED TO HAVE A TESTIMONY IN ORDER TO SERVE A MISSION?
IF SO, WHAT EXACTLY DO I NEED TO HAVE A TESTIMONY OF?
Some potential missionaries get caught up in worrying that they can't serve a mission unless they have received a crystal-clear confirmation of the Spirit of every single minutia of the gospel and/or that they have to know everything about the gospel in order be able to teach. I can't help but think that the adversary might be behind some of this thinking. And if Satan can convince you that you don't have enough of a testimony or that you don't know enough, he might just be able to talk you out of serving a mission altogether.
You will learn what to teach at the MTC and you will continue to practice and learn as a missionary in the field. You will have Preach My Gospel as a guide and you will have a trainer and other companions to help you. You don't need to know everything ahead of time. In fact, the most important thing is to have a personal testimony of the basic truths of the gospel. When you are on a mission and you are in someone's home or talking to someone on the street and they say that don't believe in God (or the Book of Mormon, or living Prophets, or whatever) you can testify with sweet boldness that you know in your heart that it is true. They can't argue testimony. They might respond that they don't agree or say that you are wrong, but there is no real argument anymore. It's not like debating which flavor of Doritos is better, there is no opinion about it. You are sharing your personal witness, straight from your heart. And that is pure truth.
When it comes to testimony, you don't need to know or understand everything. We learn line-upon-line, just like the Savior did. It's ok not to know everything right away. But you will want to have a testimony of those things that Dieter F. Uchtdorf listed (that I mentioned at the beginning of this post):
- God lives. He is our loving Father in Heaven, and we are His children.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and the Savior of the world.
- Joseph Smith is the prophet of God through whom the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in the latter days.
- The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
- (The living Prophet), his counselors, and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are the prophets, seers, and revelators in our day"
Depending on where you serve your mission, you may or may not be dealing with people who already have a belief in God and/or Jesus Christ (although they have been taught varying doctrines about them). The Restoration of the Church and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon are usually some of the first concepts taught, because they are not familiar ideas to most people. It is important to have a testimony of all the things listed above, but you will likely spend the majority of your time testifying about the Book of Mormon, because it is a tool that people can use to find out if the things you are teaching are true (more on this later).
Having a testimony of the basic truths of the gospel is also an important part of missionary preparation because you will also be preparing to receive your temple endowment (which is a required part of your preparation for your mission). To receive your temple endowment, you must have a temple recommend (a regular adult recommend, which is different than the limited-use recommend that is used by youth and newer adult members to enter the temple baptistry to do baptisms for the dead). The temple recommend interview includes questions about whether you have a testimony of certain basic aspects of the gospel, including a testimony of Jesus Christ, the restored gospel, etc. So not only are these important areas to have a testimony of as a missionary in general, but having a testimony of these things are essential to being able to receive the next ordinances that you will need (in the temple) in preparation for your full-time mission.
If you feel like you might be lacking in testimony in one or more of the areas listed above, it's totally normal and you shouldn't feel defeated... Every single person on the Earth, including the Prophet and Apostles, has had to obtain their own testimony in these areas. Even if they grew up in the Church and had Pioneer ancestors. Everyone has to get a testimony for themselves. Luckily, the process for gaining a testimony in these basic gospel truths is very simple. It isn't always immediate, but it is simple.
In the Book of Mormon, the ancient prophet Moroni (the same Moroni who later appeared to Joseph Smith and showed him where the plates were hidden) describes how a person can gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon (he uses the words "ye may know the truth", but same thing).
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:3-5)
So basically, read the Book of Mormon (you don't even need to read the whole thing! Just read part of it! Pick a favorite story, or read the first chapter - anything!) and then pray to ask Heavenly Father if what you have read is true (as in, is it truly the word of God?). Page 1 of the Book of Mormon is as true as page 322. If part of it is true, it all is. If you are sincere and really intend to follow through with the knowledge you get in that answer and have faith, he will tell you through the Holy Ghost. How will you know if you get that answer? That I can't tell you, specifically, because the answer will come in different ways to different people. Some people feel a warm feeling in their heart/chest. Some people begin to have a feeling of strong conviction about the subject. Some people feel peace. Some people feel happiness. Sometimes you get no noticeable change or feeling right away. And thats ok and totally normal, too. Sometimes more effort may be required before you get that answer (read more, pray more, maybe fasting?), but the answer will come. And I can promise you that, because we have been promised that "(God) will manifest the truth of it unto you" (Moroni 10:4).
In April 2018 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson said,
In April 2018 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson said,
"Brothers and sisters, how can we become the men and women—the Christlike servants—the Lord needs us to be? How can we find answers to questions that perplex us? If Joseph Smith’s transcendent experience in the Sacred Grove teaches us anything, it is that the heavens are open and that God speaks to His children. The Prophet Joseph Smith set a pattern for us to follow in resolving our questions. Drawn to the promise of James that if we lack wisdom we may ask of God, the boy Joseph took his question directly to Heavenly Father. He sought personal revelation, and his seeking opened this last dispensation.
In like manner, what will your seeking open for you? What wisdom do you lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand? Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will 'grow into the principle of revelation'…
You don’t have to wonder about what is true.You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true” (Russell M. Nelson, "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives," April, 2018)
And this process is exactly what you will be teaching to people as a missionary - you will be teaching them how to get their own answer in the exact same way. Study & pray. Simple. It's either true, or it isn't. And I know you will receive that answer, just as Moroni promised anciently and President Nelson teachers today, because I received that answer myself.
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