Mission Farewell

Today was my Mission Farewell this was my talk:

Farewell Talk    By Jarrek Nelson

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters. I have been asked today to speak on Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As it says in Alma 32:21: “Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, which are true and faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things.” To have faith is to have confidence and trust in something or someone. In his epistle to the Hebrews 11:1, Paul describes Faith as the assurance of things hoped for and the proof of things not seen. Faith is much more than passive belief. We express our faith through action by the way we live.


Faith, specifically, faith in Jesus Christ; is the first principle of the gospel and is essential for everyone to have in order to be saved in the kingdom of Heaven. Faith is a principle of action and of power. In order to use this power a person must make sure their faith has works otherwise it is dead, as, James describes in James 2. When we want or need something from God, whether it be help with something, or an answer to a question; we must ask for it and be ready to receive it through work.


 Prayer is described as a form of work, and since it is, we can obtain blessings by asking for them in Faith. By Faith, men in the past have performed miracles, healed, and have done many wondrous things that would be otherwise impossible for man to do; such as dividing the Red Sea or making the walls of Jericho fall down without touching it.


How do we obtain Faith?  Where does it come from? The bible dictionary says: faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: “Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God’s laws the greater will be the endowment of Faith.”


 In the Guide to the Scriptures it says “Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, faith comes by righteousness. True faith brings miracles, visions, dreams, healing's, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his Saints. By faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually is able to dwell in God’s presence. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.”  In the Bible Dictionary it adds, “miracles often confirm one’s faith.”


Many of the children of men have shown great Faith. One example is The Brother of Jared. He and his brother Jared were in the land of Babel at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people. When the lord began to destroy the tower and confound the people's language, Jared asked his brother to pray and ask God not to confound their language and also the language of their families and friends. The brother of Jared acted in Faith and asked the Lord. The lord answered his prayer by not confounding his family's language nor the language of Jared’s Family and friends. The Brother of Jared later showed Faith in Jesus Christ that was so great that he could not be kept from within the veil. He saw the ante-mortal lord and saw many things that no man had seen before.


Another example is Abraham. He also had great Faith. He left his home in Ur, with Lot and others; and went, not knowing beforehand where he was going. Because of famine he traveled to Egypt and acted in faith on what the lord told him to do. The lord told him that the Egyptians would kill him so that they could have his beautiful wife Sarah. The Lord warned him to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister and he obeyed. By so doing he wasn’t killed by the Egyptians. Not only were the Egyptians taken by Sarah’s beauty, but also was Pharaoh. When he heard that Sarah was Abraham’s sister he wanted her, but he soon found out that she was Abraham’s wife; not his sister. Pharaoh ordered Abraham to come to him and asked Abraham to explain why he told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister. Abraham explained that the Egyptians would have killed him if they knew. Pharaoh now knowing this, sent a decree that none of his people should harm Abraham or his wife on penalty of Death. Later on Abraham received the son he had been so long ago promised to have, Isaac. The Lord years later told him to go to a certain place and sacrifice Isaac on an alter. This must've been very hard for him to do, but even then he obeyed. As he was about to sacrifice Isaac he was stopped by an angel. Because of his Faith in the test, he was blessed without measure and he was promised by the Lord that his seed would be as numberless as the stars. He is a very good example of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.


Lehi and his son Nephi showed Faith in leaving their home with their family, leaving behind all their possessions to go to a promised land. Nephi continued to exercise his faith in God throughout their journey there and even after they obtained the promised land. Their families’ Faith was tested when they were given the liahona, or compass. The Lord gave it to them to help get to the promised land. The compass only worked according to the Faith and diligence shown in obeying the commandments of the Lord. When their Faith was weak the compass ceased to work and they were hindered on their Journey, but when they repented the compass worked again. Later Nephi, by Faith; learned, or rather was shown how to build a ship. His brothers doubted him and his abilities to build a ship and mocked him. Nephi through a commandment from the Lord and Faith shocked his Brothers proving to them that he could do anything the Lord commanded him if needed and was able to build the ship that brought then to the promised land. He proved that his Faith in the Lord was not vain.

Hannah in the Bible showed Faith in the Lord by pleading for a child. Her plea was heard and she was promised a child. Later Samuel was born but he was not the only one Hannah received. She ended up having several, because of her Faith in asking for one. Our Savior had unshakable faith in his Father in Heaven and in His power. In the gospels written by the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; our Savior is shown having great faith. In Matthew 8 He stilled the tempest by merely commanding it to be still. In Mark 11 he commanded a fig tree to never bear fruit anymore forever and it was done.


Our Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ love it when we exercise faith in them.  In Hebrews 11 verse 6 it says that “without Faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to god must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Our Heavenly Father is pleased with us when we exercise faith in him, because it not only shows that we love him, but it also shows that we trust him enough to help us with difficult things.


Satan tries to stop us from having faith in Jesus Christ by having us exercise faith in anything but Christ. In 2 Nephi 28:31 it says “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” In order to combat this we must put on the Whole Armour of God. With its most important component being the shield of Faith. With it we will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.


Satan also uses doubt and fear to undermine Faith. Faith cannot exist where doubt and fear are. Satan tries to get us to doubt what we know and also tries to get us to doubt what we hear the messengers of God say. In Luke 1 is described the story of Zacharias. Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were in Jerusalem. One Day Zacharias was called to the temple. He was called to the temple, because he was selected that day to burn incense in the temple. He went in and as he was burning the incense and praying to God, he was visited by the Heavenly angel Gabriel. Gabriel told him that he and his were going to have a child and that this child’s name would be John; but Zacharias doubted and did not believe the angel and because of his doubt he was struck dumb and could not speak until John was born. This curse upon Zacharias was a result of his doubt and disbelief in the Angel's words. Even though he doubted John was still born regardless of Zacharias’s disbelief.


In one of his parables our Savior uses a mustard seed and compares it to Faith. He said later on that if his disciples would have the Faith of a mustard seed they could say to a tree and command it to be planted in the sea and it would happen. Here he shows that it is the quality not the quantity of Faith that matters. We sometimes think that we should have more Faith to better ourselves, but we should really be focusing on improving the quality of our Faith that we already have to do so.


 In Alma 32, Alma the younger uses symbolism to describe Faith to the Zoramites. Alma compares the word of God to a seed that is planted in your heart. He says that you must experiment and plant the seed to see if it is good. The seed will begin to grow so long as you do not cast it out by unbelief. As it grows you will begin to feel a swelling within you and realize that the seed is good. The fact that it feels good helps you know that it is good. This increases your Faith in the word of God. Then you will want to receive more of the word and nurture the seed until it grows tall and becomes a tree. But if you neglect the tree and do not nourish it, then it will not get root: and when the heat of the sun comes and scorches the tree; it withers away because it has no root. Unless you nourish the word and look forward with an eye of Faith to the fruit of the tree. You will never pluck the fruit from the tree of life that grows from the seed. But if you will nourish the tree diligently and with Faith and Patience that it may have root, eventually you will pluck fruit from the tree, which Alma describes as most precious and sweet above all that is sweet. You will then feast on the fruit until you are filled and you will neither hunger nor thirst. The tree only grew because of the Faith and diligence that was shown in taking care of and nourishing it.


Faith can also be used to save your life and the life of others. Our Savior saved many because of the Faith they showed in him. A centurion was blessed with having his servant healed. The Ten Lepers were healed as they acted in Faith going to the Priests. A woman was healed of a disease in her blood, she had had for twelve years. All of these were healed because of the Faith they showed in the Savior and his power.


Many of you know and love the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3. In the Chapters preceding, these three hebrews were taken captive from the kingdom of Judah, along with their friend Daniel; during the Babylonian invasion of the Kingdom. They were only children at that time. Now they were grown and at this particular time the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; had command all that were in his Kingdom to worship the Golden image he had set up for them to worship. Otherwise any who would not worship this image would be thrown into the fiery furnace. They were to worship when they heard the music play. Later when the music to tell everyone in Babylon to worship played, some chaldeans accused certain Jews before the King. These three Jews were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had refused to worship the Golden image. Nebuchadnezzar was furious, and commanded that they be brought unto him. He decided to give them one more chance to worship the Golden image or be cast into the fiery furnace. He then asked “who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?. They were not careful when they answered the King. They said in verses 17 and 18 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” The real show of Faith in these words is not the fact that they believed that the Lord would save them. The real Faith was when they said “But if Not.” They were willing to risk their lives to defend their Faith and would not give in and worship the Golden image even when they were to die. After Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego finished what they said; Nebuchadnezzar was only the more furious and commanded that his men make the fiery Furnace seven times hotter. Then the men were commanded to throw the accused into the furnace, but the fire was so hot that as they did so they were killed, but it was a different story with the three friends. Nebuchadnezzar was astonished when he saw that there were not three, but four men in the furnace. He then went near the furnace and commanded that the three men come out. They came out and they were unharmed. Their clothes were not even harmed. Then Nebuchadnezzar praised God. The Faith of these three men saved them and God was pleased with their righteousness and preserved them.


   I have some stories of Faith in my own life. The one I wish to tell you is one my Mom told me. My Mother was six months pregnant with me and she began to feel contractions. She was worried and went to the doctor. They found that the amniotic fluid around me was infected. I had to be born or me and my mom would die. On the way to the hospital the spirit told my mom that everything would be alright. I was born on June 16, 1998. After I was born I had to spend 11 weeks in the NICU and I didn’t have any major complications. I am grateful to my Mom for her Faith, I would not be alive without it.


I know that if we trust in God and show Faith in him we will be able to do anything. I know that God lives and that he died for you and me. I am grateful for the gifts God has given me. I know the Lord is sending me to Brazil for a reason and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I will be leaving for the MTC on Dec. 14, 2016.