Sis. Kirksey gave the lesson this week from Chapter 3 - Our Testimony of Jesus Christ.
She passed out some books to some of the sisters in attendance. The books varied from golfing techniques, to scrapbooking and photography. She asked each sister to look through the book and find 1 thing they could learn from it. The sisters shared the things they found that were relevant to them.
Sis. Kirksey said all these books give us knowledge but there is no book that we can pick up that says " How to gain a testimony. Just follow steps 1, 2, 3...."
A testimony is gained and different for each person. It is like knowledge for the soul.
A testimony is a sure knowledge received from the Holy Ghost.
On page 21 of the manual it says: "On one occasion he (president smith) spoke at a Church meeting in Cardston, Canada, about the life and mission of Christ. The next morning he went to the railway station to buy a train ticket. While he waited in line, he overheard a conversation between a woman and the ticket agent. The woman mentioned that the evening before she had decided to attend a Latter-day Saint worship service.
The ticket agent looked surprised. “My goodness,” she said. “You do not mean to say you went to church there.”
“Yes, I did,” the woman answered. “Why not?”
The ticket agent said, “They do not even believe in Jesus Christ.”
Then the woman replied, “Only last night I listened to one of the elders of the Church speaking of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and I have never heard anybody who seemed more profoundly impressed with a knowledge that Jesus was indeed the Christ, than the speaker on that occasion."
The manual listed out 3 parts of our testimony:
1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He lives today as our resurrected Savior.
2. We accept the Bible's testimony of Jesus Christs divine mission.
3. The Book of Mormon and the testimony of Joesph Smith give us additional evidence of Christ's divinity.
Each of us can gain our own personal testimony and our mission is to share it.
Sometimes it's hard to share our beliefs with others.
Sis Laraway commented that one of the best places to share our testimony and start practicing is in our homes with our family.
The manual says: The happiest men and the happiest women that you know in the world are those who are conforming their lives to the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are those who have the assurance of eternal life; they are those who understand the purpose of our being. … As I have traveled to and fro in the world bearing this message, my soul has been filled with joy, and my eyes have been dimmed with tears, when I have seen how perfectly men’s lives may be transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen those who were discouraged, those who were in darkness, those who questioned the purpose of their being, and when they have had taught to them the glorious truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they have changed, they have learned to be happy, to be contented, to be satisfied, to be enthusiastic in believing and teaching the gospel that was proclaimed by Jesus Christ when he dwelt upon this earth and traveled in Galilee.
There were so many wonderful bits of wisdom from President Smith in this lesson. Please take a moment to read the full lesson this week.
Thank you Sis. Kirksey!
- Sis. Pyrah