"Then, and Not Until Then . . ."
Bruce L. Olsen
March 2, 2004
During one of his post-resurrection visits the Savior of the world appeared to His Apostles and gave them what some call the “Grand Commission.” It is recorded in Mark 16:14-20:
. . . He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and [He] upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
And [the Lord’s Servants] . . . went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.
That Grand Commission to take the “gospel to all the world” has never been lifted. It is as much an obligation upon the Church today as it was then. Many of you have helped fulfill that commission as you have gone to nations, kindreds, tongues and people to carry the gospel message. As descendants of the Joseph who was sold into Egypt, we are commissioned and we shoulder the responsibility to preach the Restored Gospel. It has become our obligation both in our youth and in our older years. It is a glorious plan that involves us in the Savior’s injunction and gives us responsibilities and service opportunities from our teens through our senior years.
President Spencer W. Kimball gave a landmark address to the Regional Representatives in 1974. He said,
. . . when we have used the satellite and related discoveries to their greatest potential and all of the media - the papers, magazines, television, radio - all in their greatest power . . . then and not until then, shall we approach the insistence of (our) Lord and Master to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (emphasis added).
Note how President Kimball allows for future “related discoveries.” You and I recognize, with the benefit of hindsight, that the Internet may be a partial fulfillment of that prophetic statement. The World Wide Web was not simply the result of a government experiment gone right . . . but seen today, it may very well be one of the ways through which the gospel is to go to all the world. In 1992, when the Internet was still very young and its potential for good and ill uncertain, Elder Dallin H. Oaks listened to the report of a committee on the future of Church communication. The committee focused its discussion on the prospective benefits and drawbacks of using the Internet as a means of conveying the message of the Restoration. Elder Oaks turned to the scriptures and found scriptural application to the possibilities of this “on-coming” technology. In the Doctrine and Covenants, he read:
Therefore, go ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature (Doctrine and Covenants 84:62).
Just as radio, television, satellite communications, mobile phones, the Internet, DVDs, and MP3s would surprise our forefather, so, too, may forthcoming technological advances astound you when you are shepherding your own grandchildren.
With that as a backdrop, let us look at what has been done and is being done to carry the gospel to the nations and peoples of the earth. It is a given that we will continue to go two-by-two as missionaries. But as new hardware and software are developed, these devices may well be used as an Elias, that the Elect of God may be prepared to be taught by His servants, “line up line, precept upon precept” (See 2 Nephi 28:30).
Joseph Smith said
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.
Again the words of President Kimball “…then and not until will we approach the insistence of the Lord and Master… ring in our ears (emphasis added)."
In the Book of Mormon, the precious text of king Benjamin’s address to his people is recorded. It is the only complete sermon on record. What at times may go unnoticed is how King Benjamin and those who assisted him use what we might call the media. First, he used the spoken word. It is recorded in Mosiah chapter 2 that “he caused a tower to be erected, thereby his people might hear the words which he should speak to them.”
Then after he had reached as may as possible by speaking from the tower, he “…caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words” (See Mosiah 2: 7-8, emphasis added).
1) A tower or communications vehicle was used, 2) the spoken word and 3) the written word were used to reach the people.
It is interesting to note that from the early days of the Restoration, the leaders of the Church have used the communications tools available at the time to spread the gospel to the world. First came the spoken word as Joseph Smith taught of his Restoration experiences. Then later the missionaries went from door to door and congregation to congregation, community to community preaching the word.
The printed text was vital during the early days of the Church. As soon as the Book of Mormon could be printed it became a principal instrument of conversion. As Church membership increased, Parley P. and Orson Pratt produced the first missionary tracts in 1837 - the first of which was called, “The Voice of Warning.” On May 6, 1922 the President of the Church, Heber J. Grant, and his wife would participate in the first radio broadcast on top of a building across from Temple Square. This early radio station would become KSL.
A year later, in 1923, radio transmitters allowed 4,000 saints sitting on the grounds of Temple Square to hear the proceedings of General Conference. President Hinckley, then Church employee Hinckley, wrote radio and film scripts and traveled to New York City and Hollywood to produce radio programs that reached thousands and perhaps millions of people. It was the theater of the imagination. Book of Mormon stories, sermons, the Tabernacle Choir and radio advertisements - were used as missionary tools.
Then along came television. Again the Church took advantage of this new medium to tell the gospel story to millions of people. Television specials featuring the Tabernacle Choir were produced. The best known of these is probably Mr. Kruger’s Christmas, which has become a classic. You may remember The Last Leaf, Nora’s Christmas, and others.
Perhaps the most successful public service campaign in U.S. History has been the Homefront series. Centered on family themes, these so called “Mormon ads” established the name of the church and the Church’s strong family emphasis in the minds of millions of people over a thirty-year span.
Not long after President James E. Faust was called into the First Presidency he was asked with he thought President Hinckley’s contribution would be. President Faust thoughtfully replied, “I believe President Hinckley will bring the Church out of obscurity” (personally verified with President Faust). In addition to pioneering media production as a Church employee, President Hinckley’s use of the media during his presidency has been itself a marvelous work and a wonder. During the Olympics President Hinckley did 13 major interviews with reporters from newspapers and television stations from the U.S., Japan, Austria, and Germany to name a few.
President Hinckley also met with numerous heads of state who came to the Olympics. In fact, President Hinckley said that he wanted to see every visitor of note who wanted to meet “The Mormon Pope.”
Having established the premise that the Lord expects the Church to use the media to reach His children, let me illustrate another way the media was used to communicate the gospel message during this Olympic period. NBC executives invited the Church to make a presentation to the 300 local station executives from across the United States.
Another avenue for telling the story of the Restoration, which you may or may not have considered, is the open house period before the dedication of a temple. The accelerated pace at which we have been building temples in the last few years, has provided more opportunities for government officials, communities, neighbors and friends of other faiths to learn about latter-day prophets, priesthood authority and forever families. We often speak of temples as being a light to the world. Some of the most profound and moving gospel teaching I have ever seen has been in temples when I have seen General Authorities teach the plan of salvation to government and community leaders, and others.
The story of Small Temples in our day is a remarkable one! In 1998 President Hinckley went to Colonia Jaurez to be part of the Centennial Celebration of the Juarez Academy. He was given a list of the General Authorities who had come from the Colonies in Mexico. It is an impressive list and through the years has included many Seventy, members of the Twelve Apostles and even members of the First Presidency. President Hinckley was impressed with the faithfulness of the saints and that they went clear to Mesa Arizona for their temple work. It was in connection with this experience that President Hinckley received the inspiration for the smaller temples.
President Hinckley told the Church News that on the way home, “I took a piece of paper and sketched out the [floor] plan and turned it over to the architects to refine it.” (Church News, August 1, 1998)
I was in the room when he gave his foot print of the small temple to the Physical Facilities directors. He said, “Get this done right away, hire more architects if you need to, but get it done!”
At first the President referred to these new buildings as endowment houses. But as he visited the first one to be built in Monticello, Utah, the Saints came to him and thanked him for “their temple.” President Hinckley was at peace with the concept - they were temples. All the ordinances that could be performed in a large temple could also bless the lives of members in remote places. Just think - Rexburg is to have its own temple. What a blessing it will be for you! What a marvelous and significant addition a house of personal revelation will be to you as students and faculty! “The House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord” will be engraved on its walls just as the Spirit of the Lord will engrave great personal inspiration upon your hearts.
The Church produced a documentary a couple of years ago comparing ancient and modern temples. It is called, “Between Heaven and Earth.” It features several General Authorities and some notable scholars. Among them is Kristor Stendal, former Dean of the Harvard Divinity School and then the Bishop of Stockholm Sweden.
Let me share with you a few of the comments made by some of those who attended the Accra, Ghana Temple Open House last December:
A woman from the school of Nursing at the University of Ghana: “After the tour, I felt I had visited a Holy Place. The temple was exceptionally beautiful and really depicts the beauty of Christ. The place was tranquil, serene, very neat and beyond description.”
A man from Foso Training College: “I am very happy to be given the opportunity to visit this temple. It is really beautiful. It is going to change my life.”
A professor from Lagos State University in Nigeria said, “I have felt the Spirit of the Lord during that tour. I think I have to go back home and put my life in order. In my Second Coming, I have to partake of all its blessings. I know that house is truly the house of the Lord.”
A businessman from Accra wrote on his response card: “I am very impressed about what I witnessed today. My wife and children have committed themselves already. I am going back to decide. Thank you.”
A mission president from Ghana wrote: “This is a really beautiful and exciting experience for me. Wish you all the best as you make life more worth living for all Ghanaians.”
An inspector from the Ghana Immigration Service Training School: “This temple is the most beautiful and mighty building in the West Region of Africa. I feel so proud that the Temple has been sited in my country. It has also (brought) me nearer to the Almighty Father God. I wish I may be a member in the near time to come” (Recorded statements from VIP Open House for Accra, Ghana Temple, December 1-2, 2003).
“Then, and only then”-when we have used inspired technologies and methods to their highest and best use will we fully meet the Lord’s injunction to take the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
If you haven’t looked at the Church’s websites - the Missionary pages, the Welfare Department’s offering, “Provident Living” - if you haven’t used the Family History site with its millions upon millions of names; if you haven’t looked at the pictures of temples or looked at the on-line press kits available on the media pages, then you are missing some of the ways the Church is communicating to the nations of the earth.
Now let me personalize this message a bit. We’ve been talking about taking the light of the gospel to the nations. It is a gigantic task. Our studies show that after almost 175 years in many nations, only small percentages of people know who we are, much less have any idea about our doctrine.
For the Church to come out of obscurity and out of darkness and to “shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun and terrible as an army with banners…” (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:73) the individual member must personally reflect that sacred light. No technology can replace the power that comes through the lives of those who keep their covenants and radiate the gospel of peace.
Once again, studies commissioned by the Church’s Department of Public Affairs show that the most successful communications tool the Lord has on the earth is you, Y-O-U, the individual member who is living the gospel. You, the member of Christ’s Church are the light on the hill. You are the example, the instrument, the most priceless technology-that the Lord may use to reach many of His children. People we survey feel better about individual members than they do about the Church itself. That places a lot of responsibility on each of us.
“Then, and only then” when we let our “light so shine that [people] may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)…then and only then will we as a people meet the Master’s Grand Injunction to take the gospel to all the world.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.