Dec 9, 20246 min read

Following Christ

Written By April Tribe Giauque

Elder Oaks: Following Christ

Each time I listen to Elder Oaks, I prepare myself for law and order. He is blunt, firm, and stands in truth. He is a judge of Israel, and I love the candid way he shares the truth.

His orderly delivery of messages makes it easy to follow. He split this talk into three parts or sections, and BAM! I noticed immediately that he was the fourth speaker to talk about the “Two Great Commandments.” But then he hit with “Permanent and Temporary Commandments,” which led to his third point of becoming Peacemakers, “Avoid Contention and Love Others,” which loops back to “The Two Great Commandments.”

Part I: Following Christ is Not Casual

Oaks is a Beacon of Light slicing through the foggy chaos of satan’s evil. He punched in with, “Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places. His teachings and His example define the path for every disciple of Jesus Christ. And all are invited to this path, for He invites all to come unto Him, ‘black and white, bond and free, male and female; … and all are alike unto God.’”

Instantly, I felt myself take an inventory of my life to see which direction I am headed to see my course correction to stay on the right side of God with my blemished by ever trying heart and will. Elder Oaks helps me check myself often, and I am grateful for his direction and guidance as an apostle, seer, and revelator.

Part I The Two Great Commandments

Two Great Commandments (again) This is the fourth reference of this commandment in six talks. The commandments of God provide the guiding and steadying force in our lives. Elder Oaks shares the story of a boy and his father flying a kite. The boy wanted to cut the string for it to fly higher; however, “His wise father counseled no, explaining that the string holds the kite in place against mortal winds. If we lose our hold on the string, the kite will not rise. These winds will carry it about and inevitably crash to the earth.”

Part I: Strings and Covenants

Of course! The kite would do that. We have experience to know and understand that, but the child didn’t. If we trust in our Heavenly Father we would see him as a WISE and ALL KNOWING BEING that looks at the obvious flaws but loves us enough to teach us and give us a way to return to him.

Elder Oaks continues, “That essential string represents the covenants that connect us to God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. As we honor those covenants by keeping Their commandments and following Their plan of redemption, Their promised blessings enable us to soar to celestial heights.” YES!! That is where I want to be!

Christ’s Light is the Example:

Christ is “the light of the world.” As we have been studying the Book of Mormon this year, Elder Oaks refers to Christ’s appearance to the Nephites. “The risen Lord explained that teaching by telling them: “I have set an example for you.” “I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do.” He is our role model.”

As President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to do, we should learn what He has said and done by studying the scriptures and following prophetic teachings. We should also take the sacrament weekly and make a covenant with him to “always remember him and keep his commandments.”

Part II: Permanent and Temporary Commandments

The Lord gave us the fundamentals in what He called “the doctrine of Christ.” These are

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Repentance,
Baptism,
Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost,
Enduring to the end and becoming a little child means trusting the Lord and submitting to all He requires of us.

These are permanent commandments. They are not an option if you want to live in His gospel and return to live with Him.

When Elder Oaks shared about “Temporary commandments,” my ears perked up. He said, “Those are necessary for the needs of the Lord’s Church or the faithful in temporary circumstances, but to be set aside when the need has passed.” My mind jumped to the question, “What does he mean by that?” And in Elder Oaks fashion, one second later he gave an example:

“An example of temporary commandments are the Lord’s directions to the early leadership of the Church to move the Saints from New York to Ohio, to Missouri, and to Illinois and finally to lead the pioneer exodus to the Intermountain West.”

My face smiled and I bowed my head in gratitude for living Prophets and Apostles who know Christ and follow His will and share it with all of us. Elder Oaks quickly reviewed some Permanent Commandments:

Tithing
Proclamation on the family,
The Church to be known by its revealed name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

With my heart happy and soaring with all of these clarity markers, I wanted to hear more, and boy, did he deliver.

Part III: Spirit of Contention

Elder Oaks was a Supreme Court Judge in the State of Utah for many years before he became an apostle. He understood law and order, how to judge, and how to separate the facts from the fiction. He smashed in with the next truth. (This always reminds me of the scripture in the Book of Mormon, “The wicked take the truth to be hard—1 Nephi 16: 2).

“Today's world of enmity and contention is destructive to business, recreation, and family.

‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’”

Elder Oaks reminded us that Christ asks us to be peacemakers, and he quoted from the Bible, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Peacemakers! How it would change personal relationships if followers of Christ would forgo harsh and hurtful words in all their communications?

“One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats others. …

“… True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers.

“… One of the best ways we can honor the Savior is to become a peacemaker.”

Concluding his teachings: “Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always.”

The Golden Rule

To follow our Perfect Role Model and His prophet, we must practice what is popularly known as the Golden Rule: “All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” We need to love and do good to all. We need to avoid contention and be peacemakers in all our communications.

Have Boundaries

This does not mean compromising our principles and priorities but ceasing harshly attacking others for theirs.

“Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life? Will you allow His words, His commandments, and His covenants to influence what you do each day? Will you allow His voice to take priority over any other?”

Perfect Role Model

As followers of Christ, we teach and testify of Jesus Christ, our Perfect Role Model. So let us follow Him by forgoing contention. As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior.

Elder Oaks has the clarity of thought and power to cut through the chaos and lead us to eternal life.

Come and check out the LIVE Beacon of Light Podcast From the Pulpit on Tuesday, December 10, at 6:30 p.m.