Notable quotes:
“As our hearts change and we receive His image in our countenance, we see Him and ourselves in His Church.”
“[Christ’s] gospel is a gospel of second and third chances, made possible by His atoning sacrifice.”
“Our standing before the Lord and in His Church is not a matter of our marital status, but of our becoming faithful and valiant disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Summary points:
- Christ invited His people to become like Him — Good Samaritans.
- There is room for all in the Lord’s inn — His Church.
- Miracles occur when Christ’s disciples care for others in His name.
Talk summary:
In this Easter season, Jesus Christ invites all to become like Him — and to make His inn — His Church — a refuge for all from life’s storms.
“We prepare for His promised Second Coming as each day we do unto the ‘least of these’ as we would unto Him. The ‘least of these’ is each of us.”
The Lord’s disciples come to His inn with imperfections.
“Yet, we all have something needed to contribute. Our journey to God is often found together. We belong as a united community — whether confronting pandemics, storms, wildfires, droughts or quietly meeting daily needs. We receive inspiration as we counsel together, listening to each person, including each sister, and the Spirit.”
The Savior’s disciples are all equal. There is no “second class.”
“When we fall short of our ideals and are rushed, unaware, judgmental or prejudiced, we seek each other’s forgiveness and do better.”
In Christ’s inn, disciples learn true perfection by helping others. They become part of a gospel community centered in Christ and anchored in restored truth, prophets, the Book of Mormon and the temple.
“We rejoice that God loves His children in our different backgrounds and circumstances, in every nation, kindred and tongue, with room for all in His inn.”
In the news:
- Elder Gong participated in a Feb. 20-21 leadership conference for young single adults in the North Salt Lake area with the theme “Believe, Belong and Become.”
- During a worldwide young adult devotional on Jan. 10, Elder Gong issued three invitations to help young adults be more inclusive and compassionate.
- Elder Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, spoke to young adults in the North America Southwest Area on Nov. 1, 2020, about a consistent study of “the good word of God.”
- He presided over the groundbreaking of the Taylorsville Utah Temple on Oct. 31, 2020. Sister Gong is a native of Taylorsville.
- In a BYU-Idaho devotional on Oct. 20, 2020, Elder Gong explained what “Les Miserables” and HALO parachuting have to do with sharing the gospel.
About the speaker:
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018, and has served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2010.
- His mother met the missionaries when she was a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated.
- The first time Elder Gong met his wife, Susan Lindsay, was at an evening devotional he volunteered to give at the Provo Missionary Training Center to help the missionaries learn more about Taiwan. They briefly met, but Elder Gong said in that moment, he “had a feeling this was somebody I’d always know.”
Recently on social:
- Elder and Sister Gong addressed young adults throughout the world in a worldwide devotional Jan. 10. On Feb. 4, he revisited one of the invitations he extended during the devotional in a social media post.
- On Nov. 14, 2020, Elder Gong emphasized the importance of truly feasting upon the words of Christ, rather than simply “nibbling” or “picking at” them.
- After Elder and Sister Gong visited virtually with a few students at BYU–Idaho, he took to social media on Oct. 21, 2020, to share the counsel he gave them regarding unity in the home.
