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What Does It Mean To "Be" Active Members?
President Dallin H. Oaks told us what Heavenly Father wants for each of us: “That is to be or become active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proceeding forward on the covenant path into the eternities.”
Today I am going to talk about being an active member of the church, what that means, and different ways we can go about it.
There are many directions I could take this discussion and I recognize that what I say are my opinions and experiences. Please feel free to join the discussion by leaving a comment or question.
Being active could have a range of meanings anywhere from attending church every once in a while to being extremely involved in many church activities at home and at church and in other ways. Here is a possible list of things an active member might do:
- Attend church
- Attend classes
- Read Scriptures daily
- Temple service
- Ministering
- Serve in callings
- Do missionary work
- Research family history
- Pray for one another
- Strive to live and teach the gospel in the home.
- Pay tithes and fast offerings.
- Clean the church when assigned.
- Volunteer for service assignments.
- The list can go on.
When these things are put into a list like this, I think it can start to feel unauthentic and even forced by peer pressure. A person might even start to feel resentment that they may not be as good at all of these things as the person next door. There could even be some comparison and pride that you are perhaps more active than someone else.
I want to get away from any of those feelings and think about a more personal perspective of being active in the church. Maybe we could ask ourselves, “How is my activity in the church blessing me?”
In my own experience, a lot depends on where my heart is. When I am actively seeking Jesus Christ and the influence of the Holy Ghost, church activity has been a huge blessing for me.
Here are some encouraging words from Nephi:
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)
How does church activity bless you?
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By Darren BastianPresident Dallin H. Oaks told us what Heavenly Father wants for each of us: “That is to be or become active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, proceeding forward on the covenant path into the eternities.”
Today I am going to talk about being an active member of the church, what that means, and different ways we can go about it.
There are many directions I could take this discussion and I recognize that what I say are my opinions and experiences. Please feel free to join the discussion by leaving a comment or question.
Being active could have a range of meanings anywhere from attending church every once in a while to being extremely involved in many church activities at home and at church and in other ways. Here is a possible list of things an active member might do:
- Attend church
- Attend classes
- Read Scriptures daily
- Temple service
- Ministering
- Serve in callings
- Do missionary work
- Research family history
- Pray for one another
- Strive to live and teach the gospel in the home.
- Pay tithes and fast offerings.
- Clean the church when assigned.
- Volunteer for service assignments.
- The list can go on.
When these things are put into a list like this, I think it can start to feel unauthentic and even forced by peer pressure. A person might even start to feel resentment that they may not be as good at all of these things as the person next door. There could even be some comparison and pride that you are perhaps more active than someone else.
I want to get away from any of those feelings and think about a more personal perspective of being active in the church. Maybe we could ask ourselves, “How is my activity in the church blessing me?”
In my own experience, a lot depends on where my heart is. When I am actively seeking Jesus Christ and the influence of the Holy Ghost, church activity has been a huge blessing for me.
Here are some encouraging words from Nephi:
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)
How does church activity bless you?