The Privilege of Being a Missionary

I am very happy, my brethren and sisters, to have the privilege of being a missionary, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am sure that all of the missionaries, at times, become more or less restless, and rather anxious about the advancement of the work in the mission field. At times we feel that the work is rather slow and that we are not quite accomplishing what we should accomplish. This feeling undoubtedly comes because of the love of the gospel that we have in our hearts and the knowledge that it is the gospel of salvation, and that without it men and women cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. Therefore, we are anxious that the gospel may come to the knowledge and understanding of all of the men and women of the earth. ¶

Recently I was approached by a gentleman who has charge of a radio station. He made inquiry as to whether we wanted to use a time on the Sabbath day to deliver our message to the people by radio, reaching perhaps three million people. We have commenced that service at home and undoubtedly this kind of education, in the gospel of Jesus Christ, will be established in the different parts of the earth, so that all may have the privilege of listening in and obtaining some understanding of the gospel we are preaching. ¶

The Lord is opening the way, and as we come to the large cities and are shut out of the buildings, and it is very difficult to get in touch with the people, the Lord is opening a way whereby we can reach them in their homes and explain the gospel to them. I am sure that we will never abandon the personal labor of the missionary, but we will some day reach more of the homes than we are reaching at the present time. ¶

This gospel is a strenuous one. It makes men and women work. It requires great service at the hands of people who belong to the Church, and if men and women want to find an easy church, an easy way to get religion, the Church of Jesus Christ is not the place for them. We require service at the hands of the people, and the nearer men and women live up to the gospel precepts, the stronger and the better they are. We are not afraid for our young people who understand the gospel of Christ. We are afraid for our young people when they are ignorant and untrained in the beautiful truths and doctrines that we teach in our Church. We are convinced and have proof of the fact that if our young people will study and learn the beautiful truths of the gospel that there is no danger of their going astray or accepting other teachings. We are not withholding books from them. We are not keeping them from association with men and women. In fact we send them out by the thousands that they may come in contact with the trained and the untrained, that they may more thoroughly become familiar with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And just as surely as they will go out and study the gospel and acquire a knowledge of its principles and become educated in its service and acquire humility that they may have the Spirit of God, our young people will always stay with us and will grow up to be men and women who will serve God and keep his commandments. ¶

I am rather surprised, as I travel among the people, at their attitude in regard to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I had the opinion when I was young that everyone believed in Jesus Christ, and that our great duty perhaps in a missionary line would be to preach Joseph Smith and his great mission. But we find that it is necessary in this day to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified. In fact that was the message and the admonition of the prophet to the first elders who went out into the world to preach the gospel. The instructions of today seem almost like repetitions of what has happened in the past. We read in the Book of Mormon about Korihor and Nehor and others who went out and preached against the coming of the Savior, and told the people that he was not to come, and that it was not necessary to put faith in him, that in the end they should be saved in the kingdom of God. We know that we cannot be saved in the kingdom of God unless we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we know that he came upon the earth and gave his life that we might live again. ¶

May the Lord bless us and help us as a people to stand true and firm in the faith of our fathers. I trust that we will not give up our faith in our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. I trust that we shall never do anything that may cause us to lose our faith and so make us ashamed of the gospel or of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He is a prophet of God and restored to us the gospel of salvation. May we love our Savior, be true to his teachings and follow out his admonitions, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. ¶