We have recently been reminded whose church this is and what we should call it. This reminder was first given to us back in April 1990, before our prophet was the prophet. He spoke clearly and directly that this church is The Church of Jesus Christ.
Back in 1990, then Elder Nelson explains in his talk the importance of the words in the name of our church. Saint, Latter-day, The Church, and especially Jesus Christ. He explains how each part of the whole reflects our devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now, as our prophet, he has taken steps to emphasize this devotion and worship in Christ.
I remember how the universal rumble doubted how anyone could change an Internet address. You would lose all your followers. And possibly never regain them. Pres. Nelson didn’t care. He expected none of us to care as well. Obediently, we all changed our website names from LDS to Latter-day Saint, or a totally new name.
Well, the Church has succeeded in changing all of its websites, no small feat, and most of us have survived by doing the same. We have been reminded that viewership and followers is not the point of our existence. Representing the name of the Savior well, is.
Mormon will always be a part of our identity, but hopefully, the world is beginning to recognize that we are truly Christians who worship Jesus Christ, and only Him.
Listening to a podcast about some Latter-day Saints who were being investigated for an ugly crime, the moderator kept referring to our church as The Church of the Latter-day Saints. It was almost as if he was avoiding using the name of the Lord. Granted, the Church probably doesn’t want that kind of publicity anyway, but this is, unfortunately, how the public still views us, as non-Christian.
Our prophet is reminding us that the Lord is coming very soon, and we need to do everything we can to prepare. Some of that preparation is making sure people recognize that His Church is on the earth today, called after His name.
Which is funny because there are a lot of churches around that don’t use the name of the Lord in their title, yet everyone recognizes that they are Christian. We, for some reason, have to work that much harder.
In urging us to acknowledge Jesus Christ online, President Nelson promised us blessings. In 2018, he said,
“I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen.”
He renewed that promise in our most recent General Conference.
By aligning ourselves with Jesus Christ, and actively using and representing His name, He will come and rescue us. As the world rages on in a downward spiral of wickedness, we need His help. And allowing His full name to shine forth, with complete hope and faith in Him, even Jesus Christ, we stand ready for His coming to save His people.