We Follow Jesus Christ

Ordinances and doctrines of great importance were initiated at the Last Supper.

1. The Savior introduced the ordinance of the sacrament.
2. His overwhelming emphasis was on doctrines teaching love as a preeminent principle.
3. Through Christ’s intercession or direction, “the Holy Ghost was promised to the apostles” as another Comforter.

The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of these Easter events, said, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

Sacrament meeting is the most sacred and holy of all the meetings in the Church. … If we are to be His disciples and to be committed members of His Church, we must remember and reverence the sacrament.

As His disciples, there will be times when we will be tried and persecuted unjustly and mocked unfairly and face temporal and spiritual storms of a magnitude that will seem unbearable to us and experience bitter cups that we pray would pass from us. No one is exempt from the storms of life.

As we listen to the messages of this conference, we will be touched in our hearts and make resolutions and commitments to do better. But on Monday morning we will return to work, school, neighborhoods, and to a world that in many cases is in turmoil. Many in this world are afraid and angry with one another. While we understand these feelings, we need to be civil in our discourse and respectful in our interactions. This is especially true when we disagree. … I invite each one of us individually to recognize that how we disagree is a real measure of who we are and whether we truly follow the Savior. It is appropriate to disagree, but it is not appropriate to be disagreeable. Violence and vandalism are not the answer to our disagreements. It is sad that it should be necessary for him to specifically state that violence and vandalism are never appropriate – that should already be universally understood.

We live in a noisy, contentious world, where it is possible to be viewing or listening to information, music, or even pure nonsense virtually every waking hour. If we want to have the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, we must find time to slow down, ponder, pray, and live so we are worthy to receive and act upon His promptings.

I have felt an urgency to counsel each of us to seek the higher ground – the refuge and eternal protection of the temple.