Report on Rigby Ward and Local Growth

My brethren and sisters, I feel that my being called to occupy this position is a far greater honor to me, possibly, than a benefit to you. As has been stated by Apostle Clawson, I preside over a very humble ward in the State of Idaho. I am from the youngest stake of Zion, I believe, the Rigby stake, that has just recently been orgainzed. I feel, however, under these conditions, that you will not expect very much from me. For the last 23 years, probably longer, I have placed my services in the hands of the Lord, for Him to use me in any way that He could get the most good from me. I rejoice in mingling with you at this conference. I have been greatly interested in the instruction that has been given unto us. We always hear something new, or that appears new to us, at each of these conferences. ¶

The Gospel that we have received is a great plan. It embodies a very large scope of thought and reason. We cannot learn all about this Gospel in one day, or in a limited time. It takes diligent thought, humility and prayer to our Heavenly Father. When our Savior was upon the earth, He established this plan. He made the fundamental principles of the Gospel very plain, simple, and easy of comprehension. He told us what would be required of us in order that we might enjoy the benefits of His mission to mankind upon this earth. Among other things, he said, "This is eternal life to know thee, the only true and living God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." My brethren and sisters, if we are to be saved in the kingdom of heaven, to receive an exaltation therein, there is a great work for us to do. It is necessary that we keep busy at it all the time. If we do not, we will fall short of those blessings that we desire to enjoy. ¶

It is necessary, in order to intelligently worship the Almighty, to know who He is, to know something of His attributes. If we do not know these things, it is impossible for us to worship Him intelligently. He says we must know Him in order to gain eternal life. He has pointed out the way whereby we - can claim and obtain this blessing. It i-s imoossible for us to know God only through revelation. Peter, the great apostle, knew Him only through this principle. When the Savior of the world asked Peter, among other things, who He, Jesus, was, Peter answered emphatically, "Thou art Christ the son of the living God." The Savior then said unto him, "Blessed art thou, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven." As further evidence showing that we cannot know the Father only through revelation, we have learned through that principle that God is a tangible being, as is also His Son, that He lives and that He hears and answers the petitions of His children ; that He has the power to chastize us when we do wrong, and to bless and reward us when we do good. Not all of the people of the world know God in this true sense. They have not received this information as we have received it. Notwithstanding the fact that Jesus made the conditions very plain when He was upon the earth. The Savior said then that He was the express image of His Father, that whosoever had seen Him had seen the Father also. After the Messiah was put to death, and came forth out of the tomb, a resurrected being, it appears that many of the disciples questioned as to the kind of being He was, whether He was tangible or not. The Savior knew this doubt existed in their minds. As a consequence, He appeared to them from time to time, in His resurrected form, that they might be convinced of His personality, that there might not be any doubt left in their minds concerning His tangibility, that they might be able to go forth and teach the people the kind of beings God and His son Jesus Christ are. We find in this dispensation that,' when the Gospel was restored to the earth, and the plan of salvation inaugurated among the people, the Lord impressed this great principle upon the minds of those whom He placed in charge of His work. He was so particular in this matter, and deemed it of such consequence that the Father and the Son both came down to the earth, and appeared unto the chosen Prophet, Joseph Smith. Hence we have the testimony renewed in this dispensation; we have the evidence of righteous men who have seen these Heavenly Beings, and know of their tangibility ; and they have given unto us the means by which we also may know them. How ? They are the same principles by which Peter knew, and that the Savior established so that we may know. The Spirit of the Lord, that we are entitled to be in possession of, will impart this knowledge, and place us in the proper condition to obtain salvation and exaltation. These, my brethren and sisters, are great principles. They are things that we should understand thoroughly. I would exhort the Latter-day Saints, both young and old, to seek for evidence along these lines, to work out salvation for yourselves, because it is a personal work. The Lord is a just God, and has never asked His people to do something for nothing. Do not let us place faith too strongly upon the arm of flesh; but let us stand squarely on our individual knowledge in these matters. ¶

I feel well in the work of God, and I feel to encourage the Latter-day Saints. As has been stated, I come from Idaho, and I want to say, before I sit down, that the work is progressing there, the same spirit which permeates you here is enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints there, they are prospering and growing. Wards and stakes are being organized in the southeast of . the state of Idaho, probably faster than anywhere else in the Lord's vineyard. I wish to say, further, that those who are not of us, not members of our Church, are friendly, as a rule. We have a multitude of such friends who are fair-minded, and willing that we should enjoy our rights as Latter-day Saints, in accordance with the privileges guaranteed unto us by that sacred instrument, the Constitution of the United States. We have a few enemies, but friends are greatly in the majority, and we are very thankful for this. We are grateful for all of the blessings we have received from the Lord. We are thankful that we are permitted to live in this dispensation, to know, and to see, and to hear the living oracles of God, and to partake of the inspiration that flows from the Prophet of God. I know that he is a Prophet, that he stands at the head of the work of the Lord here, and I sustain him as such, as it is our duty to do so. ¶

Let us, my brethren and sisters, order our lives so that we will be above criticism; be honest, true, just, and shun that which is evil, and the Lord will continue to bless us. Let our light so shine that others will see our good works and follow in our footsteps, as Saints of God. May the Lord bless us to this end, I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. ¶