Elder James R. Rasband, a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had the opportunity to come to BYU-Idaho and address the students. He gave a devotional talk called “Always Remember Him” about the importance of remembering Jesus Christ in our daily lives.
“I think more than anything else I want (students) to take away that Jesus is the Christ, that he lives,” Elder Rasband said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. “His life didn’t end at Golgotha but continues.”
One of the ways he said we can remember Jesus Christ is by saying the correct name of the Church as President Russel M. Nelson has said in General Conference. This also includes saying the full phrases, “atonement of Jesus Christ” and the “Gospel of Jesus Christ.” He said it also means we should say we have “faith in Jesus Christ” rather than just faith, because He is the one who makes it possible for us to heal.
“In each case, the name or doctrine is best understood and appreciated when connected to the Savior,” Elder Rasband said in his devotional talk.
explained the importance of using the name of Jesus Christ so it’s easier to remember and understand that it’s His Gospel and we can receive strength from Him. He told BYU-Idaho Radio it is crucial to be aware of saying Christ’s name when it’s appropriate and how that can benefit other people.
“To me if we think about missionary work or ministering to all using the name of the Savior, caring about the nature of our Gospel vocabulary has really powerful missionary applications,” Elder Rasband said.
His emphasized he doesn’t want students to feel pressure about the words they say.
“One of my purposes is not to have someone say, ‘oh no, I’ve misused…I uttered the Mormon word…I said the atonement rather than his atoning sacrifice or the Savior’s atoning sacrifice,’ but it’s just an invitation to us all to try in our Gospel vocabulary to center on Him,” he said.