President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged members of the faith in Nevada and some parts of California and Arizona, on Sunday to increase their preparation for worship in a house of the Lord.
“The covenants and eternal truths of the temple are at the heart of the gospel,” the prophet said in a live broadcast from the auditorium of the Church Office Building on Temple Square. “Every time a temple is dedicated, more light comes into the world. Every time we go to the temple, our lives are reinforced by that light and by the covenants we make with God. In the temple, we are endowed with the Lord’s power and blessed to have His angels round about us. In this day of intensifying evil, there is nothing that will protect us more than regular time in the temple.”
Other devotional speakers were the prophet’s wife, Sister Wendy Nelson and President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Paul B. Pieper of the Seventy conducted the devotional and was joined by his wife, Melissa. Music and prayers were provided by Latter-day Saints in various locations in Nevada.
The Church of Jesus Christ currently has 300 temples around the world in operation or some stage of development. Latter-day Saints consider each temple the most sacred space on earth. Two temples in the broadcast area still to be built will be in Elko and Lone Mountain, Nevada.
The ceremonies within each temple teach the purpose of life and unite families, past and present. The presence of temples in communities around the globe reminds Latter-day Saints of the importance of faith in the common Father of all humanity, the need for constant improvement of the soul, the possibility of family relationships that reach beyond the grave and the salvation that comes only through the grace of Jesus Christ.
President Nelson shared what he called his ABCs of personal preparation for worship in a temple:
- A is for ancestors
- B is for being prepared for worship in a house of the Lord
- C is for children and the need to teach them truth
To read more from President Nelson’s address and summaries of the other messages given at Sunday’s devotional on Church Newsroom.