Winning the World for Christ

WINNING THE WORLD FOR CHRIST By Elder Melvin J. Ballard, of the Council of the Twelve [At the April annual Conference of the Church, Elder Melvin J. Ballard directed his remarks to this subject. He called attention to the Bok peace prize of $100,000 offered to anyone who would submit a plan that would produce world peace. He asked, "What have we to do with a proposition of that character? What have we to do with the world and its peace problems?" And then he answered his own questions by saying, "We have much to do with the world and its affairs, not because of ambition which we have to become a world power, but because of the appointment of the Lord unto this people. We cannot separate ourselves from the world and its affairs." He then read from the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants from and including the 17th to the 24th verses, and also from the 133d section beginning with the 57th verse and ending with the 72nd inclusive. He called attention to the fact that there are three specific purposes which these scriptures leave upon the Church as binding obligations to the world; namely, proclaiming the gospel, working for the salvation of the dead, and perfecting the lives of the members of the Church and building them up in preparation to be the people worthy of the King of kings when he shall come. — EDITORS.] Elder Ballard said: As to Proclaiming the Gospel I wish, with all earnestness, my brethren and sisters to direct your attention to the first obligation, the obligation of carrying the gospel to the world. I conceive our heavenly Father as deeply in- terested in all these, his children, but it was his way to commune with them through his chosen servant, the Prophet Joseph Smith. Knowing the calamity which was to come, and out of consideration for his children, he sent the warning voice, the message that was to be delivered by the angel whom John saw flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting gospel for Earth's children crying: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That is the message the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is under obligation to carry to all the world. And as I have observed, the Lord gave, in connection with this warning, the fulness of the everlasting gos- pel, as the means of saving the world from the perils that were to come. I rejoice that so far as this obligation is concerned, we have been performing our duty acceptably, I believe, before the Lord, and yet the task is not completed. We have acted as if we were on serious business. We have not been indifferent towards the world, nor the delivery of this message. We believe that we have a vital message for all men. We know it, and we have acted as men who did believe it. From the time the first elders of the Church left their homes to begin this task, when their families and they were outcasts, when chills and fever were raging, the men themselves were

WINNING THE WORLD FOR CHRIST 803 sick and had to be lifted up into the wagon, and as they were about to leave their loved ones, who were sick and afflicted and sorrowing, abiding in poor little hovels, temporary quarters, these exiles, gave three cheers for Zion, to raise their drooping spirits, and left, making these sacrifices, to cross the water to carry this message to the peoples of the old world, which the Lord has required of the Church. There have followed in their wake thousands of men and hundreds of women, and never a dearth of missionaries. We have never seen a time when we could not supply, generously, those needed to discharge this obliga- tion to the world. Nothing Ever Deterred the Elders From This Duty In the time when gold was discovered in California, and the whole world was interested and thousands were coming westward to seek their fortunes, I suppose it was a matter of great surprise to the gold seeker to meet companies of "Mormon" missionaries going away from the gold, pushing their little hand-carts, with their few earthly belongings, to preach the gospel to the peoples of the old world. There has never been anything that has deterred the men of this Church from performing this sacred obligation. When I think of it, however, and recognize the fact that there are yet nations that have not heard the gospel, and the great war through which we have passed seems to me to have prepared in many places the way for delivering the message, I am concerned that we shall fulfil our obligation before the Lord, within the times he would like to have us do it; and, there- fore, we are calling for more help. Great as our sacrifices and service have been, the labor is not yet completed, and it must go forward; we cannot stop now. More Effort Asked in This Line We are asking that there shall be more cooperation on the part of the Church members in helping to discharge this obligation. It is not the duty and task of the man who happens to have a son, to pay his way and to bear the whole burden. Of course he will have to make a sacrifice, the sacrifice of his son's time, and means to maintain him, but the burden of keeping these representatives in the field rests upon every member of the Church, and so there has been ap- portioned among the wards a certain number that each ward should have in the missionary field, and it is every man's duty, in the ward, to see that his representatives are in the field. It ought to be indeed a matter of regret, and I was going to say shame to any ward that would allow the representatives from that ward to come home because perchance their parents have exhausted their means and cannot go any further. The wards should rally to the help of their representatives and keep them in the missionary field, discharg- ing the obligation that rests upon all of us.

804 IMPROVEMENT ERA How Funds May Be Obtained for This Purpose Again, it is splendid to have missionary farewell parties. Some- times, however, we have a very successful missionary party, a large sum is realized, but the missionary is to go to some nearby mission. Then the next missionary farewell party is for one who is going to South Africa, or to Germany or elsewhere at a distance, and if it happens to be an unfavorable night, a small amount of money is con- tributed, not nearly sufficient to take him to his field of labor. We feel that the practice adopted by some stakes would be splendid if carried out elsewhere. Have your missionary farewell parties contribute liber- ally. Let the means, however, go into a fund in the ward from which the fare of your missionary to his field of labor, be it long or be it short, shall be paid, as the Church does in returning them, and let that fund be built up by the contributions of those who have never performed missionary service. There are men who could not go be- cause of their own business affairs, or because of physical disabilities. It would be a splendid thing for every such man to give five dollars, ten dollars, fifteen dollars, or twenty-five dollars or more a month for two years to such a fund, from which these, our representatives, might be sent into the field and assist those in need to remain; for there are hundreds of young men in the Church today anxious to go, but their finances will not enable them to fully take care of themselves. The Gospel the World's Hope By a united effort and cooperative spirit we may continue this work acceptably to the Church and before the Lord. I feel earnest about it because I recognize that it is the world's hope. I recognize that there is no salvation for this generation except through the gos- pel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I recognize that the Lord has re- quired it at our hands, and that it has to be done and done speedily. The time may not be so definitely fixed that we know exactly how long it shall be, but it has to be done in the period of time known as the "times of the Gentiles." It will not last forever; the time will come when the Gentiles will close their doors and no longer wish the elders of this Church, when the wheat has been gathered. I expect to see that time, but when it does come I want our missionaries to be there in force, as a witness before God and all men that we have acquitted ourselves honorably and acceptably to the Lord, and that we are free from the responsibility that has been upon us, and that the obligation has been fully discharged. I believe that our heavenly Father is very much like an earthly father in some respects. How Can the Children of God be Saved? What' can an earthly father do to save his disobedient boy or girl? He can plead with him, he can point out the way of danger

WINNING THE WORLD FOR CHRIST 805 and the path of safety, just as our heavenly Father, seeing the course and the tendency of this generation, leading towards sorrow and distress, wanted to save men, and he gave the warning and the way to save them. So an earthly father can plead with his son or daughter, point out the danger, and the way of safety. He can say: "My boy, the course, you are taking is going to lead you to bonds and im- prisonment, to sorrow and to distress. Turn away from it. But, here is the path that will lead you to happiness, to success, to virtue, to prosperity. Take this path, my son." When a father has done that, he has nearly reached his limit. If his son takes the wrong course, wilfully disobeying his father and mother, that father cannot save his boy. The boy comes to bonds and imprisonment, as many are today doing, to pay the penalty of their transgression, with their own lives, or a life sentence. There are those who would give their lives to save these boys, but they cannot veto the sentence, they cannot set it aside; the law must have its way. Our heavenly Father can plead with his sons and his daughters, to abandon the course they are taking. He can point out the dangers, and he has always done that, whether it was in the days of Noah or now, it has been the same, he has had the same attitude towards his children, pointing out the danger, pleading with them to turn away from that danger, and point- ing the path of safety and of success. But if men disregard it, even God cannot save them, because he is limited. He must himself obey law. He cannot save his sons and his daughters, only inasmuch as they repent. We have spoken about the time when Satan shall be bound, and will have no more power over the hearts of the children of men. How will he be bound? When all men turn away from him and cease to follow after him, so far as they are concerned, he will be bound. But do you know that we can bind the Lord also by our wickedness? By our own rebellion, we tie his hands, we make him helpless to save us, and he cannot do it except men will repent. That being true, recog- nizing that the children of men are in peril and are in danger, and the only hope — is in the hands of this people, and it is that which is known as the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ought we not to be active, ought we not to be anxious to bring to them the glad news that has brought us peace and salvation? Results of the Rejection of the Gospel I bear witness to you that following the rejection of the testi- mony of the servants of the Lord, there will be new witnesses raised up by the Lord — he himself has spoken of it — they shall be the thunder, the lightning, the earthquake, the perils by land and by sea, famine, plagues, and distress that shall naturally come. As you sow, so shall you reap. We do not want to have the world reap that kind of harvest. I have no delight in it, for I love the souls of the children of men.

806 IMPROVEMENT ERA Our Offering to Prevent Such Results How can I help it? Thirteen years of my life have been spent in the mission field. How could I give that time for men without loving them? I do love them; yet I recognize that my love ror them cannot save them. God's love for them cannot save them except they repent. Jesus himself, with all the love he had for the children of men, upon the Mount of Olives, wept over Jerusalem and said: "Oh, that thou wouldst have received the message. How I would have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens." But they would not. So, my brethren and sisters, I speak of our offering to the world with some degree of pride. If one hundred thousand dollars has been offered by one of our distinguished citizens in this country to produce a plan for world peace, we have offered the services of more than sixty thousand missionaries, and I have estimated, at a reasonable figure, the probable value of their time, and the money sent to them in the field and to take them there and bring them back, and this little handful of people have contributed, to bring peace to the world, more than two hundred millions of dollars in time, service and money. That is our offering, and we have not stopped offering yet. We are on serious business. We recognize that this is a stupendous task, for a little handful of people to perform, yet we have given our time and service freely, out of the love we have for the souls of the children of men. The Gospel is the Message of Peace to the World But we know as we know that we live, that this is the message of peace for this world. Measures, such as offered in the plans of men to bring peace to the world, may be good, they are undoubtedly steps to- ward the end, but I say to you, there is no plan to settle the world's troubles, only as it is found in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; and when men receive it and repent and are baptized and come under the influence of the Holy Ghost, and he becomes the common teacher of all men, he will never teach them to go to war with one another, but he will soften their hearts, take hatred out of their souls, and the spirit of repentance shall come, and love for their fellowmen shall abide. All the plans of men cannot duplicate this system of our God. Our Mission to Win the World for Christ I have no fear for schism and division of this Church, over the questions on doctrine that are arising in other churches. Or whether modernism or fundamentalism shall ever be a question among us — fundamental things in this Church have clearly been established from the beginning. And we have continuous revelation that will settle all such questions. We are founded upon the truth, that God lives, a real being, our Father, that Jesus Christ is his son, the Only Begotten in the flesh, the Firstborn in the spirt, the literal Son of God, and

WINNING THE WORLD FOR CHRIST 807 the only Savior of mankind. I know it as well as I know that I live; you know it; and we are to tell the world of it and try to win the world for Christ. Oh, that we could tell all men! Oh, that these amplifiers could carry today the message to the ears of all flesh, that God has spoken, and in an age of the world's dire peril, he has extended his helping hand to save them, and if they will but repent and receive the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall find salvation here and here- after. May the message be carried forward and reach all fle->h; and blessing and honor shall be upon every man and every woman who thus contributes to this noble world cause. May it eventually pre- vail, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. A Little Child Shall Lead Them 0 girl of mine — my heart is dull with wonder, And days go by with blinding tears undried, Since that dark hour when we were snatched asunder, And I am left to wonder why you died. My little one to me so full confided, To shun my day and fill my every need, Your childish steps by mine so gladly guided And now 'tis I who grope and you must lead. No idol I, nor have I heart to reason, Nor words have I to frame in epigram, With your sweet life gone out before its season, I only know how hurt and stunned I am. 1 have not courted laurel nor dominion, Nor fuller pride than love like yours could bring, And now your arms are loosed that used to pinion, And baby fingers stilled that used to cling. Yes, loosed and stilled yet guiding us the stronger, For over all your precious star will shine. And though the days are grey and lone and longer, I know your little hands will steady mine. O little heart, lead on, through years belating. Dear little shrine with oracle so true; For over there the best of all is waiting, When your dear steps shall lead us on to you! Mesa, Arizona BERTHA A. KLEINMAN