All that the Savior did

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood Session of the October 1983 Conference.

Elder Jack H. Goaslind has an interesting take on the meaning of missionary work:

Our call to cry repentance to all people is a direct consequence of the infinite and eternal Atonement. It is by teaching the gospel and administering the ordinances that the Atonement becomes effective in a person’s life.

I thought that was such an interesting insight! I guess it's really the same principle that makes us learn the most about parenthood not by HAVING parents, but by BEING parents. So of course we would learn more about salvation by participating in it than by just accepting it. I like that idea.

Elder Goaslind quotes Jesus declaring what His mission is (“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”) and then makes this remarkable claim:

The conditions of our discipleship impose on us the identical mission, for [Jesus] said, “The works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do.” We are empowered, as necessary, to do all that the Savior did—except for the Atonement itself—in our labors to save our fellowmen. In fact, we are told that we must be “the saviors of men”…

The Lord has not left the accomplishment of this sacred labor to chance. Through sacred covenants he imposes this responsibility on all members of his kingdom, and simultaneously empowers us to fulfill these covenants. Even young children and youth have this sacred duty and also the power to do it.

I akready knew we are to be "saviors of men" in small ways, of course, as we try to follow the Savior—but for some reason I had never thought that might mean that we could do all that He did in pursuit of that goal. Not that we are trying to usurp His role or put ourselves on His level, but just that—Jesus wants so much for us to feed his sheep that he will empower us fully—with His own power—when we make the attempt! I think that is such a cool thought. And I love the idea that this power is given through the making of our own covenants, bringing the whole thing kind of full circle: Jesus saves us--> by letting us make covenants--> in which we promise that we will help save others--> by inviting them to make covenants with Jesus Christ themselves. There is power infused into that cycle at every turn! When I look at it like that, I wonder how I can ever doubt! It's all so beautifully simple, such a generous gift Christ gives us as soon as we accept Him—the chance to work with Him and grow to be like Him through doing His work!