“Faithful Elders Who Preach the Gospel Will Gain Eternal Life”
Doctrine and Covenants 75:3–5
3 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might—
4 Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, proclaiming the truth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you.
5 And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.
Elder Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjödahl wrote:
“. . . Our Lord is the great ‘householder’ (Matt. 20:1). He has work that must be done, and He calls His laborers to do it; He needs their services, but they need the wages which He pays. He expects them to labor faithfully. There must be no idlers in His service.
“. . . A trumpet is heard far and wide. The year of jubilee was announced in ancient Israel, from hill top to hill top, by blasts of trumpets. That is the way to proclaim the gospel. The sound of harps and lutes, caressing like the soft, warm breath of love, can not be compared to the vigor and earnestness with which the truth must be proclaimed.
“. . . Elders who go out to preach the gospel sometimes return and report that they know not whether they have been the means of converting anybody or not. But if they have been faithful, the harvest is sure. The seed they have sown may sprout and come to maturity years after they have been released.
“At all events, faithful elders have the promise that they will be crowned with ‘honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.’”
(The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. [1951], 434.)
