“Sunday Sermon”
A major reason why members stop coming to church, thereby leaving the covenant path and forsaking the Lord, is because their expectations were not met. However, these expectations are unrealistic and false.
Unrealistic and False Expectations
Church Leader Mistakes
Some member’s faith is shaken because a prophet, apostle, or local leader, past or present, does or says, something wrong. This is based on a false assumption.
We never have believed in the “infallibility of prophets, apostles, stake presidents, or bishops, etc.” “Nobody’s perfect.” “Everybody, including church leaders, makes mistakes.”
The foremost principle of the gospel is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, not faith in His church leaders. The keystone of our religion, and testimonies, is the Book of Mormon, not the conduct or statements of leaders.
Frankly, I take comfort when a church leader does something dumb, or says something stupid. If the Lord can work with them, then there is hope for a lesser mortal, like me.
Being “Offended” and Frustrated with other Members
We Latter-day Saints are “forced” to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and personalities. Frankly, if the choice were mine, I would not associate with some of them. They can be very annoying.
But this interaction is vital to social, spiritual, and emotional growth. We learn to develop divine attributes, like mercy and forgiveness, tolerance and respect, patience and long-suffering. And above all else, we learn to “love our neighbor” through everlasting kindness (O.T. Heb. “hesed“) and Christ-like love (N.T. Gr. “agape“).
Some people stop attending church, claiming to be “offended.” Being offended is a choice.
Brigham Young said it best: “He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool. And he who takes offense when offense is intended is a greater fool. For he has succumbed to the will of his adversary.”
“Offended” members think, “I’ll show them!” or “They can’t do without me,” by leaving the church. Most of us don’t even notice they’re gone. And history has proved, the church will go forth successfully without them.
So, why should I commit “spiritual suicide” just because of annoying words or actions of someone else? Instead of walking away from the church, we are counseled to “warn those who are out of line, comfort the feeble, support the weak, and be patient toward all men.” (1 Thess.5:14) We should not treat someone who offends us “as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thes 2:15)
Unfulfilled “Promised” Blessings
The Lord promised: “the righteous will prosper.” We sometimes misinterpret “prosperity” to include financial enrichment and worldly success. This is another false expectation.
The Lord repeatedly warned us against “setting our hearts upon the things of the world” and “aspiring to the honors of men.” (D&C 121) Materialism and power are “root” evils that lead to a plethora of sins.
Occasionally, the Lord blesses the righteous with worldly success and wealth. But he does so for only two reasons. First, to build the kingdom of God on the earth. Second, to help those who are less fortunate. Otherwise, riches will “canker your soul.”
Unexpected Trials
Sometimes we get “sucker punched by life.” Some members assume that their righteous efforts will give them immunity from afflictions. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although the Lord promised that he will help us “in” our trials, He never promised to “remove” those trials. In fact, the “chosen servants” of the Lord have often suffered most. And Jesus suffered most of all.
The Lord taught that the sun shines, and the rain falls, on both the righteous and the wicked. Therefore, we must build our house upon the Rock.
A part of mortality is to learn obedience, and gain experience, by the things we suffer. When we struggle, we must turn to the Lord, not away from Him. The Lord and His church will provide support, strength, comfort, and peace. With the Lord and His church, you are never alone.
Marriage and Family Challenges
When we are sealed in the temple, we are not promised that our mortality and marriage will be “happily ever after.” That’s for fairy tales.
If we strive to live righteously, keep the Lord at the center of our relationship, and strive to keep our covenants, and then our marriage will be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Then, in the hereafter, we will live happily ever after.
Every excuse for leaving the church pales in comparison to the promise of an eternal family.
Unfulfilled Patriarchal Blessings
Patriarchal blessings are a great source of comfort and guidance. Millions can testify that their patriarchal blessings were inspired.
However, people’s faith is sometimes shaken because of unfulfilled promises in a patriarchal blessing.
First, their expectations may be based on an erroneous interpretation of the promises. Many of the promises are not for “here,” but for the “hereafter.” It’s the Lord’s plan, and the Lord’s timing, that counts.
Second, promises in patriarchal blessings are predicated upon our righteousness.
Third, patriarchs are human, and it is possible for them to make mistakes. We do not believe in the “infallibility of patriarchs.”
In any case, if our faith is in Jesus Christ, and the keystone of our testimony is in the Book of Mormon, unfilled expectations in a patriarch blessing, are no reason to forsake the Lord, our covenants, and His church.
Unfulfilled Healing Blessings
Occasionally, our expectations are shattered when a loved one is not healed despite a priesthood blessing to the contrary. This is no reason to forsake the Lord and His church.
Millions of Latter-day Saints have witnessed countless miracles, including the miracle of healing.
Divine healing is based on faith of the individual, priesthood power, and, most importantly, the will of the Lord.
I am reluctant to give priesthood blessings because of the awesome responsibility of discerning the mind and will of the Lord on the spot. Some priesthood holders have the “gift of healing.” I don’t. In one blessing, I promised a sister she would die, and she did.
Priesthood holders are not perfect. Sometimes, they are not completely in tune with the Spirit and the will of the Lord. We do not believe in the “infallibility of priesthood blessings.”
The most important part of the ceremony is the anointing of the sick with consecrated oil, not the sealing blessing of the anointing.
Do we truly trust in the Lord? Do we have faith NOT to be healed?
Frustrations with Church Callings
I have had several “yucky callings,” I didn’t want (Stake Clerk, Scoutmaster etc.). But I strived to learn and magnify those callings (D & C 107:99) , and in the end, they turned out to be some of my greatest blessings.
We do not believe in the “infallibility of church callings.” For example, I turned down a calling because it conflicted with my code of judicial ethics the bishop was unaware of.
I heard of a man who was called to be the primary pianist.
Bishop: “The Lord wants you to be the primary pianist.”
Member: “Okay. I accept.”
Bishop: “Can you start this Sunday or the next?“
Member: “No.“
Bishop: “Why not?“
Member: “Because it will take six months to a year to learn how to play the piano.“
Bishop: “I thought you played the piano. Then, why did you accept the calling?”
Member: “Because you said that’s what the Lord wants.“
(When issueing calling, I learned to say: “Based on what we know, we feel good about calling you to this position. But before I issue the calling, is there anything else I should know that might be important.” When I decide not to procede, based on the new information, the member does not feel guilty about turning down a calling.)
If you are struggling with a calling, let your leaders know. They can provide help or make adjustments. It’s no reason to leave the church.
Feelings of Inadequacy or Unworthiness
Some people feel uncomfortable sitting in church among the well-dressed, well-groomed, “righteous” “saints.” This is another false perception.
We are all sinners. This includes all of the church leaders and teachers. It’s the only measurement where the church is consistently 100%. It is really the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sinners.
The church is a spiritual hospital. Sometimes we are doctors or nurses, and sometimes we are patients in intensive care. All of us have ailments, seen and unseen.
Why would a person we stop going to the doctor because they are sick? Likewise, why would a person leave the church because we are struggling spiritually?
When we visited Utah, my kids were appalled to see members walking to church while smoking. I thought it was beautiful and inspiring. “I love the smell of tobacco in the chapel.”
Sometimes, I start my Sunday School class by announcing, “Welcome, fellow sinners!”
“I Get Nothing Out of Church”
We do not go to church to be entertained. We do not even go to church to be taught. Instead, we go to worship the Lord, and renew our covenants. We cannot “always have his spirit to be with us,” without regularly partaking of the sacrament. Talks and lessons are secondary.
Spencer W. Kimball declared: “We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility. … If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord.”
President Eyring’s father taught him to pray for the speaker/teacher, and make every effort to tune in to the spirit. “When the speaker begins, I listen carefully…. Once I think I know what he is trying to accomplish, I give myself a sermon on that subject….Since then I have never had a bad meeting.”
We All Need the Church
We all need the church more than the church needs us. The church will do just fine without us, but we won’t “do fine” without the church.
We cannot have true peace and joy without the Prince of Peace and the Comforter. Our safety and ultimate success depend upon our “always having the Spirit to be with us.”
I testify that everything good in my life, and all my blessings, I owe to the Lord and His church. Without the Lord and His church, I am nothing.
Why would I ever want to leave the church? Why would I ever want to commit “spiritual suicide?”
The Book of Mormon is the Keystone and Foundation of Our Religion and Testimonies
Jeffrey R. Holland proclaimed:
“For 179 years this book [The Book of Mormon] has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died … None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. My own great-grandfather said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”
” I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. If anyone is foolish enough or misled enough to reject 531 pages of a heretofore unknown text teeming with literary and Semitic complexity without honestly attempting to account for the origin of those pages—especially without accounting for their powerful witness of Jesus Christ and the profound spiritual impact that witness has had on what is now tens of millions of readers—if that is the case, then such a person, elect or otherwise, has been deceived; and if he or she leaves this Church, it must be done by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” Gen. Conf. 2009)
Hugh B. Brown declared:
“Undergirding and overarching all the rest, I say to you from the very center of my heart, I know [that the Book of Mormon is true and] that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. All the evidences may have the effect of giving me an intellectual conviction, but by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit one may come to know, and by these whisperings, I say, I do know!”
Therefore, I will strive to keep the focus of my faith on Jesus Christ. I will strive to keep the Book of Mormon as the keystone of my testimony. And I will strive to remain “active” in His church.
(www.londonedition.net)
The London Edition 