Elder Renlund General Conference Oct 2024
Written By April T Giauque
Elder Renlund starts with a powerful story about black powder and nitroglycerin and compares their explosive power. One can launch cannon balls, and the other can blow up mountainsides. WOW!! KABOOM!! The challenge was harnessing the power of nitroglycerin because it was so unstable. Alfred Nobel figured out how to stabilize it with a substance called Kieselguhr; you suddenly have TNT!
I remember taking fast and furious notes about this talk, and my mind questioned, “Why would he start a talk like this? To grab our attention?” Well, yes, but I thought, “He has talked about this substance before, and he compared it to temple work and gathering Israel.” Check it out here.
I was curious and excited to know more, so I focused my listening even more. In the next breath, Elder Renlund compared nitroglycerin and kieselguhr as the combination of Christ's Gospel and his Divinely Appointed Church.
"Similarly, combining the gospel of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides powerful and transformative benefits for us."
My mind flew back to when I served my Mission in Carlsbad, CA 1995. We were constantly bombarded with people who would spit and mock us for “working our way to heaven.” They would argue that you only need to accept Christ, and He would take care of everything else. “You Mormons, just think you can work your way to Heaven,” I remember vividly knowing that that was NOT TRUE, but I would bow out of the argument and ask to leave with a word of prayer and then go on to the next door to knock and find the true in heart. But it was so hurtful. All I wanted to share was with the fullness of Christ's Gospel, we feel a desire to follow Him. In following Him, we grow to love Him and want to obey His commandments and keep His covenants.
Priesthood Authority is Foundational
Elder Renlund then shared,
"The gospel is perfect, but a divinely commissioned church must preach it, maintain its purity, and administer its sacred ordinances with the Savior’s power and authority.”
The Church isn't exceptional without the Savior’s gospel and the authority to administer ordinances. I paused my notes and whispered a prayer of gratitude to Elder Renlund for making it so CLEAR! Jesus is the Gospel. And the Church of Jesus Christ is how to receive and administer the sacred ordinances.
Renlund then quoted President Nelson as saying,
“Without priesthood keys, you could not be endowed with the power of God. Without priesthood keys, the Church could serve only as a significant teaching and humanitarian organization but not much more.”
Christ is the Truth and Light; His Church holds the organization for us to make covenants with God.
Humanity is Unstable
I reflected on history and thought that people must be “governed.” Our natural man leads us to rebellion and sin, but the Lord and his church stabilize us. He states, “As history has shown, without the Lord’s Church, humanity’s understanding of His gospel was likewise unstable—prone to doctrinal drift and subject to the influence of different religions, cultures, and philosophies.”
Christ Authorized His Church to Teach Salvation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enables access to God’s power because it is authorized by Him both to teach the doctrine of Christ and to offer the gospel’s saving and exalting ordinances. We need both in order to return to Heavenly Father one day. This is what I know to be true. That’s why we follow God, build temples, and help our fellow brothers and sisters return home.
Jesus Christ has the power to do this. He didn’t simply sympathize with our imperfections and lament our eternal condemnation due to sin. No, He went beyond that, infinitely beyond that, and restored His Church to enable access to His power.
Personal Story
I loved the personal story that Elder Renlund shared about his grandfather and how it changed him. Two American missionaries taught him this truth. He read the information and shared it with his wife. She was angry and threw them out. He left to return to the fishing boat. She felt nudges to read the information. She knew it was confirmed when she compared her Bible with the information.
Later, they all joined the gospel. His grandparents traveled to SLC, received their savings ordinances, returned to Sweden, and kept their covenants. His grandfather served their community for over 33 years.
We Need Both Christ and His Church
The combination of nitroglycerin and kieselguhr made dynamite valuable. What if we do the same in our lives when we combine the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church? The Savior refers to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as “my church” because He commissioned it to accomplish His purposes—preaching His gospel, offering His ordinances and covenants, and making it possible for His power to justify and sanctify us.
“Without His Church, there is no authority, no preaching of revealed truths in His name, no ordinances or covenants, no manifestation of the power of godliness, no transformation into who God wants us to become.“
Commit Yourself To Christ and His Church
This is where I step into action. When a challenge has been given, especially by the prophets and apostles (because I know it comes from Jesus and Heavenly Father), I feel like running to be first in line! I love Elder Renlund's statement,
“Commit yourself more fully to the Savior, His gospel, and His Church. As you do so, you will find that combining the Savior’s gospel and His Church brings power into your life. This power is far greater than dynamite. It’ll shatter the rocks in your way and transform you into an inheritor in God’s kingdom. And you will be “filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.”
When the Savior invites you to “Come Follow Me [Him],” He does so with open arms. As we lay down our selfish will at the altar and follow His light, we will be saved in a manner that gives hope and strength to all people—not because we are good, but because God is Awesome!
Please combine the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the Life-saving ordinances of His Church and see what light and Joy come into your life!
I can’t wait to see what you have to share with Joy!
Join the Beacon of Light Podcast from the Pulpit LIVE on Saturday at 10:00 am to receive this hope and Light as we prepare for Christmas!
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