My brethren and sisters, if I say anything that will be helpful to you this afternoon, it will be because you join your faith and prayers with mine that the Lord may bless me.

The other night Sister Ivins and I attended a meeting in the Assembly Hall in which the theme of the Mutual Improvement Associations was treated:

. . . be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity  1 Tim. 4:12

I would like to tell you the thoughts that that has brought to me.

Be thou an example of the believers—

I would like to add there the faithful Christian believer—"in word." What is the word of the faithful Christian? In those days the most electrifying thing that the world had experienced in years was so close to them that they no doubt were still startled by it—the resurrection the actual, glorified resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We are going to celebrate it now, but it was a new thought in that day, that it could be possible. It became a reality, and it was the thing that was passing from believer to believer, publicly and in private conversation. The resurrection of Jesus Christ verified the statement that he was and is the Son of God, and that must have been the theme of every devout Christian of that day, just as it must be today. Of course, they would amplify it, after bearing testimony that Christ had risen, that he was the Son of God, that he was born of Mary by miraculous means, then they would pass on to his teachings as to how men and women should live to gain an exaltation in the kingdom of God. That, it seems to me, would have been and should have been and must have been the "word" of every faithful Christian in that day. Likewise it should be your "word" and my "word" today. We, however, have something to add to that because we must tell the world not only these things but also that not too far back Christ the Lord and his Father appeared to the boy Prophet Joseph Smith and brought back to man the testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Then we must teach also that Peter, James, and John, John the Baptist, the Angel Moroni, and the men who had held the keys of the various past dispensations, came back to the Prophet Joseph Smith restoring unto him the keys, all of the keys that had ever been given to man through the various dispensations of time. We are under that obligation, too, and we must do it, not only publicly, but we must do it in our conversations. This should be the theme of every religious conversation of a good member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And it should go out as a living testimony that it is true. Of course when we bear that testimony to others who have not received it, we should do it in all charity, but we should do it with spirit, fearlessly, courageously, and never doubting. If we can develop the faith that will enable us to do that, a faith that God is the Father of our spirits, that he is the Father of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world, and that if we will repent and purify our lives, he will carry the burden of the sins of the world, (and it is only upon that condition, brethren and sisters, that he says he will do it), if we can develop that faith in our hearts, then we should be able to carry on. We must not only develop that faith, but also the faith of a good Latter-day Saint, the faith of a good Christian must be in himself, in his neighbors, and especially in his leaders, that the Church shall go forward vigorously, courageously to a wonderful realization of its purposes.

Now I say, it must be done very largely in conversation, and in that each one of us becomes a missionary for the Church. He who is warned must warn his neighbor, and if we have that testimony given to us by the Spirit of God, it remains for us to pass it on by word of mouth to those who have not received it. It does not require a call from President McKay to enable us to bear our testimonies to our neighbors. We have been warned. God himself has given us the charge to do it. Then it is not only by word of mouth that we bear testimony, but it is also by purity of life. Through the power we hold in the priesthood of God, we must be able to demonstrate by our lives its value. We can if we will. Our problem is to will to do it, and we must do it in good spirit. I wonder if many of us are sorry that we have so many things that we are told we ought not to do, whether or not they become burdensome to us. I frequently tell the missionaries when I talk to them that they must consider the rules that are set up in the mission field for their protection, and so it is with these things which we ought not to do as members of the Church. They are for our protection; they are the reflection of purity of life.

Brethren and sisters, if we will be an example of the faithful believer, all these things we will do, and in this time of decreasing missionary help, those of us who can should make available our services and go forth to bear this testimony. There is no compromise with the testimony that Jesus Christ was born of Mary by miraculous means, that he is the Son of God, that he was the firstfruits of the resurrection  1 Cor. 15:20 that through that resurrection he made possible to you and me a return to the presence of God our Heavenly Father, contingent only, that is, an exaltation in his presence is contingent only upon faithful service unto him and our fellows. Let us let that service be in good spirit. Let us be glad to give up the things we are asked to give up. Let us be glad to devote ourselves to His service. Let us do it without fear, without compromise, with great courage, and with all the energy which we may possess. If we will do this, my brethren and sisters, we will always enjoy the Spirit of God, that testimony will always remain with us, and the devil will never prevail against us. God grant it, I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.