“The Thing Which Will Be of the Most Worth unto You Will Be to Declare Repentance unto This People”
Doctrine and Covenants 15:6
6 And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.
President M. Russell Ballard said:
“The Prophet Joseph Smith was often asked to inquire of the Lord to learn what people should do. In the case of John Whitmer, the Lord said, ‘And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father’ (D&C 15:6).
“Jesus repeatedly called upon His disciples to preach the gospel to every living soul. Those who would believe were to be baptized in His name and enter into His church. After the Savior’s forty-day fast and the temptation by Satan, ‘Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ [Matt. 4:17]. . . .
“The First Presidency has said that one of the threefold missions of the Church is to proclaim the gospel. If we accept this mission, we should be willing to center our efforts on bringing souls unto the Lord on condition of repentance.
“[Previously] I spoke on this subject, and I continue to feel an urgent need that we must constantly remind and help each other in our responsibilities to share the message of the Restoration with others. . . .
“Oh, that I could have the power to touch your hearts that you would have the faith to take the simple steps that will bring the light of the gospel to many more of our Father’s children. The more I am involved in this work, the more I realize that Satan would have you and me believe that we cannot succeed in sharing the gospel. He lies to us. In fact, he is the father of all lies. Do not listen to him. Listen to the prompting of the Holy Ghost, and then act in faith in sharing the gospel.
“I testify to you, my brothers and sisters, that I know the Lord lives. I know that when we are willing to seek His help and guidance, when we trust in Him completely, He will bless us to understand what to do and how to proceed in the wonderful work of sharing this glorious message with others.
“We do appreciate all you have done in the past. The leaders of the Church have great faith that, united together, the members and the missionaries of this Church can do much more in the future to build the kingdom of God.
“May the Lord bless us all with increased faith to move His work forward, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
(“We Proclaim the Gospel,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 31, 32, 33.)
