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
- “Be Thou Clean”
- by Elder D. Martin Goury | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday afternoon session of October 2024 general conference.
- Theme: Repentance increases sensitivity to the Holy Ghost.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Goury’s message here.
Outline
- As a child, Elder Goury misunderstood the words of a preacher, who invited the congregation to cleanse their clothes in preparation for the coming of the Savior — in the spiritual sense, not the literal sense like Elder Goury had hoped. He learned an important lesson on the pressing importance of keeping oneself clean before the Lord.
- Heavenly Father understands the mortal journey and the inevitability of sin in life, and He invites all to be spiritually clean before Him through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and His infinite Atonement.
- President Russell M. Nelson invited members in the April 2022 general conference to “not fear or delay repenting.” Though it requires courage, the joy one receives from true repentance is beyond description. He also explained that there is no such thing as straying too far off the covenant path.
- Comparable to how Sister Ruth Goury’s hearing aids must be cleaned out frequently so that she can hear more effectively, daily repentance cleanses the soul and allows one to discern the promptings of the Spirit more clearly.
- As Jesus Christ taught His apostles in the New Testament, one of the largest roles of the Holy Ghost is to caution, lead and guide every individual who seeks His counsel. He will “teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance” (John 14:26).
- The gifts of the Spirit are made accessible according to the worthiness of a person, and as the Book of Mormon warns, “the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Helaman 4:24).
- The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is crucial for spiritual growth — He can help a person make clearer decisions, receive impressions, and understand and act according to God’s will. Following the guidance of prophets and apostles is one way to grow the capacity to have the Holy Ghost as a companion.
- As one becomes more receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit, one is more able to minister effectively to others, as shown in the example of the stake president in Utah who received a clear impression to visit the Jones family, even though he did not know why.
Discussion questions
What are the challenges to repentance in our daily lives, and how can we overcome them to experience the joy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost?
How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ give you hope and peace when you struggle with sin or mistakes?
How can we help others who may feel they are “too far” or “too long” off the covenant path understand that through the Atonement, they can always return?
How does repentance help us become more receptive to the Spirit and more capable of following His guidance?
When have you been prompted by the Holy Ghost to help someone? How did you recognize that prompting, and what was the outcome?
Notable quotes
- “Repentance, a foundational principle of the gospel, is essential for our spiritual development and resilience as we navigate life’s challenges.”
- “I can assure you that the joy that emanates from genuine repentance surpasses understanding.”
- “Having the Holy Ghost as a constant companion is crucial for our spiritual growth.”
Key scriptures
- “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
- “And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples.”
- “And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.”
Invitations and promises
- “If there is something that you have not fully repented of, I encourage you to heed President Nelson’s call not to procrastinate your repentance. It may require some courage to engage in this process; however, I can assure you that the joy that emanates from genuine repentance surpasses understanding.”
- “When we consciously choose to follow the guidance of prophets and apostles, our capacity to have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion grows.”
- “I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and that as we learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost, He will lead us to repent and use the power of the Savior’s Atonement in our lives.”
Stories
- When Elder Goury was about 5 years old, while living in a small village in Côte d’Ivoire, a preacher urged the congregation to “cleanse their clothes in preparation for the Savior’s arrival.” Being young, Elder Goury took the invitation literally and asked his mother to wash his clothes. The next day, disappointed that the Savior did not come to earth, Elder Goury returned home. Only years later, when learning with the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, did Elder Goury realize the symbolic significance of the invitation from the preacher.
- Elder Goury’s wife, Sister Ruth Goury, wears hearing aids. In order to hear clearly, she must clean the connecting tubes before proceeding to wear them each morning. Similar to this process, if one wishes to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, daily repentance is essential in order to become clean.
- While presiding over a stake conference in the Salt Lake Granger West Stake, Elder Goury met a stake president who earnestly sought to cleanse himself daily in order to be susceptible to revelation from the Holy Ghost. While ministering, the stake president received a prompting to visit an additional family. A member of the Jones family needed a priesthood blessing and would not have had the opportunity to receive one had the brethren not visited the family.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Jesus Praying in Gethsemane” by Harry Anderson
- Related video: “Having the Holy Ghost”
- Related hymn: No. 143, “Let the Holy Spirit Guide”
Recent conference talks on repentance
- Elder Craig C. Christensen: “There Can Be Nothing So Exquisite and Sweet as Was My Joy” (April 2023)
- Elder Larry Y. Wilson: “Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide” (April 2018)
- Elder David A. Bednar: “That We May Always Have His Spirit To Be With Us” (April 2006)
Who is Elder Goury?
- Elder D. Martin Goury was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 6, 2024. After receiving a copy of the Book of Mormon from young missionaries in London, he received a witness of its truthfulness and was baptized in April 1993. He married Ruth Simone Kennington in the London England Temple on April 8, 1995.
