Editor’s note: To support elders quorum and Relief Society classes, the Church News is publishing lesson resources on messages from October 2024 general conference. These are meant to be a starting point and not a strict lesson plan.
About this talk
- “God Loves All His Children”
- by Elder Gregorio E. Casillas | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday morning session of October 2024 general conference.
- Theme: Jesus Christ uses His ordinary disciples to help bring Heavenly Father’s children to Him.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Casillas’ message here.
Outline
- God needs ordinary servants who know how to be disciples of Jesus Christ and help bring Heavenly Father’s children to Him.
- Elder Casillas shared a story of serving a woman and her son with a stake president. The experience confirmed to him that Jesus Christ loves them deeply.
- Each person has a divine potential, with spiritual abilities that are unique. One crucial mission in life is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and follow the impressions of the Spirit.
- Disciples of Jesus Christ can make a positive difference in the world and help others feel Heavenly Father’s love.
- An invitation to help others stay on the covenant path.
- Overcome destructive, hopeless thinking with words of encouragement and support.
- Seeking to bless the lives of others will bring a revitalization of testimony to “continue with our own difficulties and personal trials.” Believe in Jesus Christ.
- Jesus Christ perfectly understands everyone and their difficult moments, and He has the power to help in those moments they feel most vulnerable.
Discussion questions
How can we better recognize and follow spiritual promptings?
What are spiritual gifts, and how can we use them to serve others?
What impact could serving others have on our own spiritual and emotional needs?
How can we use our testimony of Jesus Christ to encourage others who have deviated from the covenant path or lost hope?
What can we do to minister to those around us?
Notable quotes
- “Although we face many difficulties, I know they are there in part to allow us to help others feel the love of our Heavenly Father.”
- “We have the privilege to watch over people who need a helping hand, an embrace, a feeling of comfort, or for us simply to be with them in silence. If we can help lighten their burdens, even if only for a moment, then we will be able to see the great manifestations of the Savior’s power in their lives.”
- “Let us be good neighbors, good employers, good workers. Let us strive to be good Christians at all times.”
Key scriptures
- “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.”
- “And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe — that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.”
- “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Invitations and promises
- “While it’s certainly important to prepare yourself to succeed in this very competitive world, one of your crucial missions throughout your life is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and to follow the impressions of the Spirit. As you do this, God will bless your life; He will bless your current or future family; and He will bless the lives of His children who you encounter.”
- “By going and blessing the lives of our brothers and sisters, we will collect testimonies that will fill our lives with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These testimonies will revitalize us to try once more ourselves. The Holy Spirit will revive us and help us with renewed testimonies to continue with our own difficulties and personal trials. Whenever we seek to bless the lives of others, the Lord takes mercy upon us even more; He strengthens us and helps us in our lives.”
- “Please remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior and understands you personally. He knows what it is to have to fulfill a calling and leave things behind to help the children of God. He has the power to bless you in everything if you believe in Him and do not doubt.”
Stories
- Elder Casillas and a stake president visited a sister who had received chemotherapy the day before and wasn’t able to help her adult son. They served this family, and the Lord blessed them with His Spirit. Elder Casillas received a confirmation that Jesus Christ loves them deeply.
Additional resources
- Related image: “The Lost Lamb” by Del Parson
- Related video: “Helping Others | Napping in Church”
- Related hymn: No. 308, “Love One Another”
Recent conference talks on discipleship
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson: “Bridging the Two Great Commandments” (April 2024)
- Sister Rebecca L. Craven: “Do What Mattereth Most” (April 2022)
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong: “Room in the Inn” (April 2021)
Who is Elder Gregorio E. Casillas?
- Elder Gregorio E. Casillas was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2024. He served as a full-time missionary in the México Tampico Mission and later as mission president of the México México City South Mission.
