This is the talk I gave in sacrament meeting at church on Sunday, November 22, 2009. It is a perfect example of my reliance on the Lord, and knowing that it's okay if I don't know exactly what to say, or exactly what the congregation needs to hear... because the Lord definitely does, and He will speak to them however they need Him to. Proverbs 3:5-6
I have this good friend named Timmy. If he were here, which he's not because he lives 100 miles away, he would probably be wearing his favorite Pac-Man t-shirt and Pink Floyd hat, because I'm pretty sure he wears that every day of his life. He is a member of another church, and loves and firmly believes in the Bible, as I do. I have a feeling, though, that if he knew a little bit about the Book of Mormon, he would love it, too. If he were here today, this is what I would tell him about the Book of Mormon.
To begin with, I would tell Timmy that the Book of Mormon tells about the lives, testimonies, successes and failures of people living in the ancient Americas. It is a companion to the Holy Bible, and clears up and confusion brought about by it. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book." The Book of Mormon truly holds all of the answers to life's many questions.
There are three main things that I think are important for Timmy to know:
First, the Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the World. Prophets throughout the Book of Mormon testified of this. As I read and study their words, I gain a deeper understanding of how much the Savior loves me, His perfect life and example, and the blessings of the Atonement in my life.
Second, I would tell him that the Book of Mormon is a book with a purpose. Explaining this purpose, Nephi, one of the prophets of the Book of Mormon, wrote, "The fullness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved." Even though the Book of Mormon is about people who lived long ago, it was written for the benefit of all people living today. It's like when your parents tell you a story from when they were younger, so that you don't make the same mistake, or so that you can learn from their experience. I have learned that the real stories I read about in the Book of Mormon can and do help me with both daily challenges and life-changing decisions.
Third, I would tell Timmy that the Book of Mormon is a book with a promise. On the introduction page to the Book of Mormon we can read about this three-part promise. It says, "We invite all men [and women] everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message that it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost." We cannot skip any of those three parts. We cannot simply ask, or ponder and ask, or ponder and read, or any combination of the three. We must read, ponder and ask, and then be open to the power of the Holy Ghost. I testify that this three-part promise has worked in my life. My testimony is strengthened by the Spirit I feel as I read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon.
I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and was written by divine inspiration. It is the keystone of Jesus Christ's true gospel here on the earth, and contains all truth. I hope that someday I can tell not just Timmy but all of the people I love about the Book of Mormon's purpose, promise, and testimony of Jesus Christ, because I know that their lives will be changed for the better, as mine has.
