We know the Lord is coming soon and the prophet has asked us to help Him gather Israel like never before. We are all called to the work of hastening the gathering.
Joseph Smith learned early on that he was to lead the final dispensation. There must have been a lot of pressure on his shoulders to keep the church moving forward. Since then, others have tried to stall the Church, but somehow the Church has never been stalled, nor will it ever be. Joseph Smith said,
“No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but 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.”
And we have been invited, nay, commanded to be a part of this great work.
In President Spencer W. Kimball’s talk, from the April 1982 Sunday morning session, he reminds us what the threefold mission of the Church is:
Proclaim, Perfect, Redeem. The Church has since added Serve. But the original three are profound in their implications.
Proclaim
What is the message we are proclaiming? It is that Jesus Christ overcame death and the world. All of us sin, so all of us need Christ. On our own merits, we can never return to Heavenly Father’s presence because of sin. As President Marion G. Romney taught that same Sunday morning, “He has set forth the terms of his gospel—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which is the law of mercy, the first requirement of which is to accept Jesus for what he is, literally our Redeemer.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only complete gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth, and so it is our responsibility to proclaim to the world this grand news and blessing, which baptism into our church can only bring.
Perfect
Women of the church, in particular, must learn what their role is in the gathering. Our purpose is to bring people unto Jesus Christ, so He can perfect them. So many talks have been geared towards women in our day to make sure we understand our great importance in the work of gathering. Pres. Kimball said this about the Relief Society:
“The Relief Society is the Lord’s organization for women. It complements the priesthood training given to the brethren. There is a power in this organization that has not yet been fully exercised to strengthen the homes of Zion and build the Kingdom of God nor will it until both the sisters and the priesthood catch the vision of Relief Society.” (“Relief Society—Its Promises and Potential,” Ensign, March 1976).
Relief Society sisters need to let go of the world and hasten to gather people to Jesus Christ.
Redeem
Several prophets and apostles have testified that the gathering of Israel cannot happen without both men and women working together in the kingdom of God. The priesthood is the doctrine that gives us ordinances that must be completed on this earth and this is the work that must be completed. In fact, Pres. Nelson basically said the names in the FamilySearch Tree is what will be presented to the Lord at His coming (see “Generations Linked in Love,” April 2010 and D&C 128:24).
Our performing temple work on those who have passed on literally frees them from Spirit Prison, because it is only those who are baptized physically, or by proxy, accepting the work that has been done in our temples, that are allowed into Paradise (LDS Topics—Paradise). We have much work to do for the many records that are available to find the names and dates to complete their work. There are many others whose records have been lost who must wait for the Millennium to have their work completed.
And isn’t this all based on Service? There is so much work to be done!
We can sense the urgency in our leaders as they talk about hastening the gathering. We must all put our shoulders to the wheel and push the work to be completed.