STIMULATOR message for the week of May 23, 1972
Message from President Eugene C. Ludwig, dated May 23, 1972
“THE MESSAGE WE DECLARE INCLUDES THE GLORIOUS REASSURANCE THAT IN THE END RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND HAPPINESS WILL COME TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH.”
Dear Fellow Missionaries:
Are we testifying and challenging missionaries??? Brigham Young said, “I had only traveled a short time to testify to the people before I learned this one fact, that you might prove doctrine from the Bible till doomsday, and it would merely convince the people but would not convert them…Nothing short of TESTIMONY, by the power of he Holy Ghost would bring light and knowledge to them, bring them in their hearts to repentance. Nothing short of that would ever do.”
If we are in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord, we will be led to the choice people who will respond as we testify of the truth. The majority of the converts come into the Church not because of the way we teach the Gospel, but because of the power of the testimony which we bear to them while teaching. This testimony actually produces the interest in the heart of the honest seeker.
Remember, an investigator gains a testimony of hearing the word of God through the testimony of the servants of God. In a bulletin on missionary work prepared by Elder Alvin R. Dyer, he said: “In the ranks of modern-day heralds of the Gospel truths will be found the ‘challenging and testifying’ missionary. This type of missionary is responsible for leading most of the converts into the church and is a missionary of true valiance, having learned by courageous application that challenging and testimony, more than anything else, lead people to baptism. Yes, the challenging and testifying missionary is the one the Lord wants to proclaim His gospel. He knows that the time is short and that not a single day can be wasted. His morning prayer is: ‘Father, lead me this day to a family with which I can fulfill my purpose. I will testify unto them by thy power without hesitancy or fear, and I will lead them by the power of the Spirit to baptism into Thy Kingdom.’ He knows that without the power of the spirit he is nothing so far as leading souls into baptism. The challenging and testifying missionary has learned one thing above all else, that of the power of testimony and how it awakens interest in the hearts of god people. He has learned that his talent as a missionary is to testify and challenge upon every occasion . Time after time as he goes through the labors of each day, this gift is bestowed upon him, and it must be used or it will be lost.”
Let us all go forth teaching, testifying, and challenging our contacts to find out for themselves that this Church is true. Having the Spirit and being challenging and testifying missionaries will lead to weekly baptisms.
May we all have the strength and courage to fulfill this challenge.
Faithfully yours,
President Eugene C. Ludwig
“The Spirit of the Lord blesses that which edifies and leads men to Christ.”
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