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
- “The Words of Christ and the Holy Ghost Will Lead Us to the Truth”
- by Elder Takashi Wada | General Authority Seventy
- Sunday afternoon session of October 2024 general conference.
- Theme: Feasting on the words of Christ and seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost show what one must do.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Wada’s message here.
Outline
- God is Father in Heaven to His spirit children, who are created in His image. As a child of God, each has divine potential to become like Him. Loving His spirit children and wanting the best for them, He prepared a plan for them to receive His greatest blessings — immortality and eternal life.
- According to that plan, spirit children would have agency, leave God’s presence, gain bodies of flesh and bones, gain their own experience and develop faith. As natural men, they would succumb to temptation, becoming unclean and distant from God. He sent His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be their Savior, making it possible for redemption, resurrection and eternal life.
- Expressing gratitude for these glorious truths, Elder Wada said he wanted to share how the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost helped him find these important peace-giving truths in his teenage years.
The words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do
- Elder Wada was born in Nagano, Japan, of “goodly parents,” with a religious father who prayed every morning and night in front of the Shinto and Buddhist altars. The young man believed in an unseen power or a God, but life without a plan of salvation was confusing.
- Through a New Testament in English given out in school, Elder Wada learned about Jesus Christ. He found that the words of Christ comforted him, lifted his soul and gave him hope. He wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ.
The Holy Ghost will show you all things what you should do
- Years later, Elder Wada met Latter-day Saint missionaries. He came to see in the restored gospel what he yearned for when he had studied the New Testament — the words of Jesus Christ and the hope and peace that come from them.
- Struggling to understand the Holy Ghost, he one day stepped out to take a break while meeting with the missionaries and heard them pray for him. He wondered why they cared so much for him. He realized their prayer in his behalf was a reflection of Heavenly Father and the Savior’s love.
- Elder Wada’s decision to follow the Savior by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost blessed his life more than he ever imagined. Those who enter into the baptismal covenant promise they are willing to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ, keep the commandments and serve God. In turn, Heavenly Father promises His Spirit — the continued guidance from the Holy Ghost.
- Knowing Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation helps His children know who they are and that they can become like Him.
Discussion questions
How does the plan of salvation help us reach our divine potential?
Why is it necessary to have agency to build faith in Jesus Christ?
How have the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost brought peace into your life?
How can we receive the continued guidance of the Holy Ghost?
In the days to come, how can we “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3)?
Notable quotes
- “I am extremely grateful for these glorious truths — what we call the Father’s plan of salvation, His plan of mercy or His great plan of happiness. Learning these important truths has helped me know my true identity and the great blessings of exaltation and eternal life God has prepared for us.”
- “Praying to Heavenly Father helped me know who He is and my relationship with Him — that I was His beloved spirit son. I learned that because Heavenly Father knows and loves me, He would speak to me personally, uniquely and in ways I would understand through the Holy Ghost.”
- “Knowing this incredible plan will help us know we are children of God and we can become like Him. I am grateful for this important truth.”
Key scriptures
- “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
- “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”
- “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Invitations and promises
- “As we enter into the baptismal covenant with God, we promise that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, keep the commandments of God and serve Him for the remainder of our lives. Our Heavenly Father, in turn, promises us that we can always have His Spirit to be with us — the continued guidance from the Holy Ghost.”
- “I invite you to have faith in the message Nephi taught us — that the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost will direct you to ‘all things what [you] should do’ (2 Nephi 32:3). Everything. This is an incredible gift from God.”
- “I bear you my witness that the words of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost will lead us to receive eternal life.”
Stories
- Born of “goodly parents,” like Nephi (1 Nephi 1:1), Elder Wada grew up in Nagano, Japan, in a home where honesty, diligence and humility were strongly encouraged. His father was a religious man, praying every morning and night in front of the Shinto and Buddhist altars. The young Elder Wada had no idea to whom his father was praying or what he was praying for, but the boy believed in an unseen power or a God who would help if one sincerely asked.
- Like other teenagers, Elder Wada experienced hardships, felt lost and didn’t have a sense of direction. Life without knowing the plan of salvation was confusing. While learning English in junior high school, he was given a copy of the New Testament. He was drawn to a list of statements and questions of the soul included just before the biblical text in this Gideon Bible. Each item on the list was followed by a reference to verses and pages in the New Testament. Elder Wada realized the words of Jesus Christ comforted him, lifted his soul and gave him hope. He felt that Jesus Christ was someone he knew. He hoped to learn more about Him in the future.
- As a teenager, Elder Wada met missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He came to see in the restored gospel what he had yearned for when studying the New Testament — the words of Jesus Christ and the hope and peace that come from them. A sacred experience was when the missionaries taught him to pray. He learned that because Heavenly Father knows and loves him, He would speak to him personally and uniquely through the Holy Ghost. But he misunderstood how to recognize the Holy Ghost. One day while the missionaries were teaching him, he took a break and then heard the missionaries praying for him. He realized their prayer in his behalf was a reflection of Heavenly Father and the Savior’s love for him. That love gave him hope, and he was able to pray and feel a joyful and peaceful feeling that he was, indeed, a child of God with divine potential and destiny.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Young Woman in Prayer”
- Related video: “Come, Follow Me — Feast Upon the Words (2 Nephi 32:3)”
- Related hymn: No. 283, “The Glorious Gospel Light Has Shone”
Recent conference talks on revelation
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson: “Promptings of the Spirit” (October 2023)
- President Dallin H. Oaks: “The Teachings of Jesus Christ” (April 2023)
- Elder Dale G. Renlund: “A Framework for Personal Revelation” (October 2022)
Who is Elder Wada?
- Elder Takashi Wada was sustained on March 31, 2018, as a General Authority Seventy. He formerly served as director for temporal affairs for the Church in the North America West, North America Northwest and Asia North areas. From 2013 to 2016, he was president of the Japan Tokyo South Mission.
