Welcome to closer to Christ through general conference
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent general
conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Welcome. Today we are talking about
the Book of Mormon, an immeasurable treasure
on our journey, and this is by Elder Ozani Farias
of the Seventy. So he tells a story reflecting
on receiving a life -changing gift 40 years earlier
while he was in high school. A classmate who
seemed to have a special light shared that he
was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter -day Saints and gave him a copy of the
Book of Mormon. He invited him to read it and
meet with the missionaries, his friends. After
learning about the doctrine of Christ, the speaker
followed Moroni's invitation to pray and ask
God if the Book of Mormon was true. And although
he did not fully understand everything yet, he
felt in his heart that the message was good and
from God, and he received spiritual confirmation
through the Holy Ghost. Just like any great life
decision, he was pretty immediately met with
opposition. this was the case for Elder Ferris.
After he was baptized into the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter -day Saints, friends were trying
to convince him that he had made the wrong decision.
What's the benefit to push back like that? I
asked myself. Or for us, where we were born to
homes where the gospel was already present, we
weren't seeking that. I mean, in the same way.
But I was thinking like anti - content in our
newsfeeds kind of act in the same way that the
opposition in his case was. And sometimes, you
know, it's just like a little, a little anti
-content here or there, just somebody misspeaking
about the church or speaking on behalf of us.
I'm like, totally different religions. And I
thought, what does that do to me? Does that wear
me down? And I thought, you know, Sometimes I'm
faced with those, those things that people want
me to doubt. It's, you know, the opposition in
my life. And when I look at it, when I look at
it, face value, I say I actually renew, it renews
my dedication or it strengthens my testimony
because I briefly questioned it. I'm like, oh,
does that thing bug me? It doesn't bug me. What
do I actually know to be true? So totally, it
causes you to reflect on your own, my own opinions
about it. It doesn't take the next. content that
somebody positively sharing something like, oh,
well, they said that, so now I believe it's true.
I reflect on my own, whether it's news that sustains
a belief that I was already holding or one that
makes me question things. And maybe they bring
up gritty things that are hard and will take
a minute to chew on. But what I'm saying is not
really terrible to be confronted with that because
all of those are opportunities to be questioned.
So yeah, who wants their friends telling you
you've made the worst decision of your life?
Nobody. the testimony that he has 40 years later
from that pulpit, the passion that he has, I
was like, yeah, it was probably hard, but what
a payoff. That's the testimony that he has cultivated
from that experience. So I just was thinking
about this for myself and I wrote these thoughts.
I said, I receive renewed confirmation through
studying scriptures and praying to stay true
to the covenants. And that's the same thing that
this elder had at the same time, it's like, yeah,
I'm going to take your information, but you're
not going to let it sit and like, make him stew
about it. He's going to say, do I really believe
those things to be true? And again, he comes
out of it knowing he had confirmation from God
about these things. Then he says this, since
then, the Book of Mormon has been my companion
and has become an immeasurable treasure in my
mortal journey. Love that. The Book of Mormon
is a treasure. The Book of Mormon is another
testament of Jesus Christ. It was written by
ancient prophets through revelation. Its most
significant event is the visit to the ministry
of Jesus Christ among the Nephites after his
resurrection. I'm so excited because I am in
Helaman 9 right now and I'm like, okay. He's
almost here. I always look forward to that part.
Love it. Love it. So good. And even if you're
in the Book of Mormon and that's not where you
are, skip to those chapters. Right. Celebrate.
It is so great. So, the Book of Mormon teaches
the doctrines of the gospel, explains the plan
of salvation, and it shows how people can find
peace in this life and eternal salvation in the
next. He wrote some facts out about the Book
of Mormon I thought they were worth. I'm reviewing.
He said the first edition of the Book of Mormon,
Another Testament of Jesus Christ was published
in March 1830 in a small town in New York, United
States. Joseph Smith was 23 when he completed
the translation. I always am amazed when I hear
that. 1829, he translated almost the entire book
in less than 75 days, printing process taking
about seven months. There are 80 ,000 full -time
missionaries roughly today. I'm going to be interested
to see what that number blossoms to in June,
July. There's just that huge influx of 18 -year
-olds that are trying to graduate. These missionaries
serve in more than 150 countries. And what's
awesome with this influx of missionaries, you're
seeing new missions being announced all the time.
And they serve as volunteers dedicating their
time to testify that the Book of Mormon is true
and that it bears witness of Jesus Christ. I
love that this book is so powerful. It speaks
for itself. and that truly 18 and 19 year olds
can rely on the truths and teachings of one book
and they can go throughout the world and change
lives with it. I mean that's just a testament
to its power and to its truth because who is
a masterful teacher at 18 and 19? Not very many
people. Having missionary children myself, I've
witnessed a change in my own kids as they've
dedicated the years teaching others from these
pages. It was so sweet. My son was telling us
the other day that they do a lot of Facebook
missionary work in his mission. And somehow we
got onto a forum that had like 30 ,000 people
on it. and he said, you know, he just bore a
quick testimony of Jesus Christ and said, if
you want to know anymore, well, come to find
out. I mean, it was, it was, maybe it was 300.
It was seen by 30 ,000 people and commented by
a lot. Most of it was him totally getting bashed.
Okay. Which is fine. Yeah. Like I was just listening
to what he was saying and he's like, mom, and
he started reading all the comments to me, right?
And there were a few of them. I was like, bless
this person, bless this person. He goes, man,
this guy right here, he's my homie. He happens
to be a former member of our church. And he was
like, you guys, lay off of him. Just so you know,
these boys go out there on their own dime, but
just like this says, they're volunteering. And
he just wanted to share something about Jesus.
And I was like, thank you. And there were other
things too. And there were some nice things,
but there were quite a few people that came to
his. aid, I would say. And we're just kind of
like, you guys, come on, just calm down. And
anyways, I just was kind of quiet and listening
to what my son had to say about it. And he was
telling his siblings too. And his younger sibling
was like, man, that's rough. And he goes, you
know what? I think it's a win. And he goes, even
bad publicity is good publicity, as far as the
Lord goes. And I was like, wow, where'd he learn
that? And then he said, I think it's a win because
30 ,000 people saw that testimony. And I was
like, way to go. That's a great way to think
about it, to look at it, right? Yeah. And that
they're so hyped up that they've got a comment
on something somebody's testifying of means that
it pricked something in them rather than just
scrolling past and being indifferent to it. And
also the thought came to my mind as you were
speaking that... a former member of the church
that is willing to stand up and be like an aid
to his brother. I think that potentially opens
them up to some other spiritual experiences just
kind of in passing or they'll maybe recognize
God in their life. Because he wasn't on there
to be like, I have that same testimony, brother.
What he was saying was like, allow him to testify
of Jesus Christ. And so in that way, in him saying
that. He stood up for Jesus in that moment. He's
gonna receive some blessings from that. I agree
with Adam. All that interaction is super positive.
Absolutely. And when you put yourself out there,
as we're being encouraged to share more freely
and openly in social media, we put ourselves
out here. Yeah, we're behind a microphone. There's
some safety, but we get our fair share of bad
comments directed to it. Does that make me want
to stop? Not really. Not doing it for that, right?
Yeah, absolutely. No publicity is bad publicity.
Give us a one -star rating. I'm like, did you
even listen? Oh, goodness. Just kidding. Hey,
if you're listening and you like this podcast,
go ahead and leave us a review. It will help
more people see us so we can testify to more
people. So now the talk goes on to lay out three
principles to practice to deepen our conversion
to Jesus Christ. So number one, be diligent and
consistent in our daily study. Like Alma and
the sons of Mosiah, we must search the scriptures
diligently that we might know the word of God
and be strengthened in the truth. That's in Alma
17, too. While serving a mission as mission leaders
in the Georgia Atlanta Mission, Elder Farias
and his wife encouraged missionaries to study
the Book of Mormon 30 minutes a day. This practice
strengthened their faith and helped them expect
miracles, which is one of the things President
Nelson asked us to do. Even though people may
not always have that much time after a mission,
right? It's not that we always have a full 30
minutes in our day. Sincerely prioritizing daily
prayerful study of the Book of Mormon brings
greater spiritual strength and confidence in
the Lord and His promises. And then here's a
challenge. for readers. This should air at the
beginning of Holy Week, and for the next seven
days, read the Book of Mormon every day and pray
before and after you read, asking Jesus Christ
to help you recognize one truth or one insight
that meant something special to you or that might
be significant. I love that. Step two that he
outlined was make your study more meaningful
by feasting upon the words of Christ. Nephi taught
feast upon the words of Christ for behold the
words of Christ will tell you all things what
you should do. That's second Nephi 32 .3. Feast
meaning more than just reading means savoring
and pondering and applying. As you study the
Book of Mormon, make your study more meaningful.
Maybe you can use tools like the Gospel Library
app to identify eternal truths about God's plan
and covenants. I always like to make a little
note. If I highlight something, maybe just test.
justify, so I can read my own words back. I love
nothing more than my own testimony of that same
thing years later. Yes, when you see the date
and I'm like, oh, yeah, that was 2019. This was
happening or whatever. I was doing a move. I
love that. Record impressions that you're having
and what you're reading. The Book of Mormon can
answer the questions of your souls. As Nephi
taught, we should apply the scriptures to our
own lives. When we feast on the words of Jesus
Christ, we invite revelation and guide us to
the choices and challenges we face. If you decide
to take the challenge that Amy just presented
during this holy week, start off the week with
a question that you would like to ponder and
allow time in your scriptures to find all or
part of that answer as the week progresses. So
good, Abby. Thank you. Three is bury your testimony.
of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. So
just as Lehi desired to share the fruit of the
tree of life with his family, it's interesting,
Abby, this is the second time this week that
I have heard in a talk, we also heard it in state
conference, just reminding us how great that
story is of the tree of life that once Lehi partook
of it, his very first thing that he wanted to
do. We share it with his family, share it with
everyone. I love that. And that's what bearing
testimony is. When we gain a testimony of the
Book of Mormon, we develop a desire to share
that joy that comes from knowing the gospel of
Jesus Christ. At the conclusion of this week,
whether it tracks with Holy Week when you're
listening and ends with Easter or you catch this
episode later on, we would invite and encourage
you to take an opportunity to testify of the
truthfulness of the Savior in His life, His ministry,
and His resurrection and that the Book of Mormon
has been the source of truth and that has helped
build that testimony. On a final thought about
Holy Week, last year we recorded this whole a
whole session or episode about Holy Week. And
we invite you to go back and listen to that and
please share it with others. It's so good. We
have Abby's husband who came and I could just
sit and listen to him the whole time. I loved
every minute of it. It's an episode. It's episode
six, nine. And can you listen to in one pass
or it is broken into a day or a week. a day at
a time for the whole week. Yeah. And it really,
it breaks down to some days. It's like a few
minutes. I guess. Perfect. Um, well, we don't
know a whole bunch about some of the days like
Wednesday or something. Yeah. And, and kind of,
he tried, he did a big youth activity and he
tried to pair like that woman or that thought,
you know, to center those days. And there's a
million things out there. There's a million people
that have Holy Week studies. But if you're the
type that's busy about doing things and you just
want something in your ear, it's a great way
to just help you refocus and re -center. If you
had missed your chance kind of incorporating
more Jesus into your whole season, that you can
add a little bit more of this Holy Week, basically.
Sorry. I felt such a spirit when I listened to
this talk and I, I mean, I just kind of had it
on play and not just listening for the sake of
listening. Like I was really prepared to study
it, but I was like, it was funny because like
little lines in the talk would just kind of take
me back to some moments of my life and maybe
some of the darker ones when or when I was really
seeking questions to some different things. And
it reminded me how answers have been provided
to me so many times in that book. And so you
get people that question the book, the integrity
of the book, who wrote the book, was it translated,
and a million different little attacks they want
to place at that book. But if I ever find another
book in my time on Earth that gives me more peace
and guidance, teaches me more about my Savior,
although my testimony about that book. But since
it hasn't come up for me yet, this is the book
I want to testify. It is another testament of
Jesus Christ and He did have other children that
were not in Jerusalem at the time. I know He
had children, I mean, well, when I say that,
there could be another continent of people that
He also prepared for and established the covenant
with them, you know, multi -continent things.
I do believe that He has the same love for all
of his children, and I'm just so grateful that
that book was preserved in a mountainside for
such a time as this, that it would come forth,
that it would be brought forth by a young boy
who had not a lot of education or skills. And
what I find interesting, like, did we talk about
chat in this program? Just before we talked about
chat and I'm like, the more that technology catches
up and it can do, you know, analysis of writings,
It just goes to strengthen the authenticity of
the Book of Mormon, being multiple writers and
a translation, an abridgement of multiple writers.
And I've always made this claim. I'm like, if
you're going to call Joseph Smith a liar and
a fraud, then he also needs a Pulitzer Prize.
Whatever the greatest literary awards are there.
because if he pulled this off, being a charlatan,
then that's pretty incredible. But I know, in
fact, that he was a prophet of God, and he was
not challenged with something that was easy to
do, but it was worth it. And so many of the early
people of the church, they were tasked with some
really difficult things, and some of them, they
did succumb to the attacks, people trying to
tear them down, but their testimony of this book
being valid and legitimate did not. in the knowledge
that I have of the histories that I have of the
closest to first -hand accounts that I have,
they didn't deny the book. And fair, not everybody
likes the way things are run and, you know, church
culture maybe gets in the way of things. But
what a beautiful reminder here, the closing,
almost closing words of the conference session
to just reiterate that the truth is restored
in this book and it will bring you the light
and the joy and, and sure. answer innumerable
questions that you can bring to it. So, I appreciate
that we have the opportunity to do this and we
have quite a few opportunities to testify, but
I definitely want to add my testimony that I
know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God
and it's taught me more about Jesus Christ than
anything. So, now I just need to be better at
applying what I learned. Sometimes I do, sometimes
I need a little more. Don't we all, right? Yeah.
The thing I love about the Book of Mormon is
that it truly is living scripture. As many times
as I've read it, as many times as like you said,
whether it's cover to cover or whether it's I
pick it up just for a verse or I go straight
to third Nephi, whatever it is, it is always
relevant to me in that moment. And I am always
amazed. It's just I truly have come to know not
only that God is in the details in my life and
he sees me and knows me, and because that happens
for me, I know that it's true for everybody,
meaning he sees and knows every one of his children
on this earth. And the other thing that I love
is that It has taught me more about the nature
of Jesus Christ than any other book. Sometimes
I hear other scripture and it almost feels, his
nature in that almost feels foreign to me. And
sometimes he sounds like a very harsh God or
whatever. And some people have said before like,
how do you justify like the difference in it?
And it's just interesting because for me, my
spirit recognizes Jesus Christ in the Book of
Mormon. I have come to know him there and I just
feel like everything else I have questions about.
will get worked out and filtered out because
I know and I love and I trust the Jesus Christ
I've learned to love. From those pages. Yes.
From God to a prophet onto golden plates and
translated. Through a different language. Less
editing, not knocking the Bible, but if you're
a pastor that's like fire and brimstone, The
God that you want to perpetuate in the words
of the Bible is going to be a really harsh, stern,
severe God. I feel like it's so much easier to
see the true nature of Him. I do too. I recognize
Him. With another testament, the new covenant
that He made. You were talking and I was like,
man, it's almost like what you're saying is that
the Book of Mormon is an immeasurable treasure
on our journey. What a great name for a talk,
right? I'm going to close. Thank you for your
testimony. I'm going to close with his testimony.
a testimony of the truth and divinity of the
Book of Mormon by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And this he testified in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen. Amen, Abby. Thanks so much. I think this
is Easter Sunday. It is. Happy Easter. Happy
Easter.