Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from October 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “The Power of Ministering to the One”
- Elder Peter M. Johnson | General Authority Seventy
- Sunday morning session of October 2025 general conference.
- Theme: As Latter-day Saints minister to the one, they invite the one to come unto Christ and to worship in the house of the Lord.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Johnson’s message here.
Outline
- In October 2024, President Russell M. Nelson encouraged everyone to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and make discipleship their highest priority. He also encouraged regular worship in the temple and promised “every sincere seeker” will find the Savior in the temple.
- Believers can become and help others become devoted disciples of Christ by ministering to the one in the Savior’s way.
- Jesus Christ ministered with love to the Samaritan woman at the well. (See John 4:5-26.) She felt His love and received a witness through the Holy Ghost that He is the Messiah.
- Christ’s apostles Peter and John ministered to a lame man outside of the temple. (See Acts 3:1-8.) Peter healed and lifted the man to his feet, and the apostles walked with him into the temple.
- As a young missionary and new member of the Church, Elder Johnson learned that for a period of time, members of Black African descent were not allowed all blessings of worshipping in the temple. This caused confusion and doubt, but with the love of a patient and compassionate companion who ministered to him, Elder Johnson gained the courage to pray for direction.
- As he prayed, Elder Johnson was drawn to Doctrine and Covenants 6:21-23, which in part reads, “Cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart” (verse 22).
- Elder Johnson remembered the day he had fasted and prayed to know the truthfulness of doctrinal principles. He felt the Savior’s love and mercy, which allowed him to recognize the Spirit and understand more fully that Jesus is the Christ.
- Those with unanswered questions and feelings of discouragement and doubt can be of good cheer and press forward with faith.
- Living the doctrine of Christ helps ensure ministering is in the Savior’s way and is the most effective. Studying the scriptures daily and partaking of the sacrament weekly enhance the ability to live the doctrine of Christ.
Reflection questions
How can you minister to “the one”? What specific plans can you make this week to minister to them?
What actions can you take each day to live the doctrine of Christ more abundantly?
How do we become and help one another become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ?
In what ways can you ensure that your ministering is the most effective?
What can you learn from the Savior’s example of ministering that can apply to your own ministering?
Speaker quotes
- “Christ ministered to the one with love; as a result, others became His devoted disciples.”
- “At times we will have unanswered questions and feelings of being unimportant, discouraged, alone and unseen. However, my friends, we must press forward with faith in Jesus Christ.”
- “Our ability to live the doctrine of Christ will be enhanced by daily studying the Book of Mormon and weekly partaking of the sacrament.”
Reference scriptures
- “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?”
- “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
- “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Invitations and promises
- “Prayerfully partaking of the sacrament each week will increase our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and provide spiritual renewal, comfort and the power of godliness in our lives. Remember, ‘in the ordinances [of the priesthood], the power of godliness is manifest’ (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20), and this power, which comes from Jesus Christ, strengthens our desire and our ability to minister to the one.”
- “I promise that as we live the doctrine of Christ and minister to the one in ways that lead to the house of the Lord, we will press forward with faith in Jesus Christ even amid unanswered questions and feelings of being unimportant, alone, discouraged and unseen.”
- “We will invite the one to come unto Jesus Christ and to worship in the house of the Lord to receive of His redeeming power and love. In the house of the Lord, we will ‘feel [the Savior’s] mercy. [We] will find answers to [our] most vexing questions. [And we] will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.’”
Stories
- In John 4, a Samaritan woman came to a well alone during the hottest part of the day in Samaria. She may have felt unimportant, alone, discouraged and unseen. Jesus Christ visited this woman, taught her the way to receive eternal life, declared He was the Messiah and ministered to her with love. After this witness of Christ, she returned to the city and invited others to come and see Him. Many believed that the Jesus she visited with was indeed the Savior.
- In Acts 3, a certain man, lame from birth, lay daily at the gate of the temple asking for money. This man may have felt unimportant, alone, discouraged and unseen. Peter, one of Christ’s apostles, commanded the man to “rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter took the man by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and the man was made whole. Immediately following the miracle, the man entered the temple with Peter and John.
- As a 19-year-old, Elder Johnson was baptized and confirmed. A year later, he accepted the call to serve as a full-time missionary, but there was much he had not yet learned about Church history. While on his mission, he learned there was a period of time when men of Black African descent were not allowed to enjoy all the blessings of worshipping in the house of the Lord. This knowledge brought feelings of confusion, anger and doubt, which led to an inability to recognize the Holy Ghost. However, with the help of prayer, the Spirit and a loving companion who ministered with kindness, his doubts faded over time.
From the footnotes
- 3. Historically, most visited Jacob’s well early in the morning. It was a place to gather and fellowship one with another. The Samaritan woman came alone to Jacob’s well in the middle and warmest part of the day at the sixth hour, which is at noon. Arriving at this time may indicate how she perceived what others may have felt about her and how she may have felt about herself.
- 12. This experience [from Elder Johnson’s mission] is explained in greater detail in [Elder] Peter M. Johnson, “Applying the Doctrine of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives” (Brigham Young University–Idaho devotional, March 14, 2023), byui.edu.
- 16. The doctrine of Christ constitutes five interconnected elements: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, receiving ordinances and honoring covenants, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a principle of action and of divine power. Repentance is the exercising of one’s faith in Christ by turning our hearts and souls toward Him. Repentance is not punishment. It is the process of being spiritually born of Jesus and receiving His image into our countenance. Receiving of ordinances and honoring covenants made with God and Christ give us greater access to Their power and Their love and allow us to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. The final element of the doctrine of Christ is enduring to the end, which is living each element of the doctrine of Christ “repeatedly and iteratively” so that we can become and help one another become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ and feel of His joy as we worship in the house of the Lord. (See Elder Dale G. Renlund, “The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ,” April 2024 general conference; see also President Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” October 2022 general conference.)
Additional resources
- Related image: “Christ and the Samaritan Woman” by Carl Heinrich Bloch
- Related video: “Jesus Christ: The Source of Love in Our Lives”
- Related hymn: No. 1044, “How Did the Savior Minister?”
Recent conference talks on ministering
- Elder William K. Jackson: “Remembering the Sheep” (October 2025)
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong: “Ministering” (April 2023)
- Elder Juan A. Uceda: “The Lord Jesus Christ Teaches Us To Minister” (April 2023)
Who is Elder Johnson?
- Elder Peter M. Johnson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in the April 2019 general conference. Born in Queens, New York City, Elder Johnson was raised in a religiously diverse family. During his career, he was an associate professor at BYU–Hawaii, assistant professor of accountancy at BYU and associate professor of accountancy at the University of Alabama.
