A Talk: Purpose and Priority

A talk given at Kerava Ward while touring the Helsinki Stake after my return from my mission to Sweden.

Dear friends, my brothers and sisters,

I am thankful for this opportunity to talk to you on this great Sunday. To all old acquaintances it is a joy to say: "Nice to see you again!", and to all new faces: "Nice to meet you!".

Let us begin with this: Who am I? While I tell my own thoughts, ask this question from yourselves and ponder the answer to it.

My name is Markus Lappalainen. I am 23 years old Arts Management-student. My hobbies are music and self-defense/martial-arts.

In more spiritual terms...

I am a beloved son to Heavenly Parents. I have been sealed to an eternal family with my parents and siblings. By the way of baptism, I made a covenant with my Heavenly Father to follow His commandments always, everywhere and in all situations. Then I received the gift of the Holy Ghost, a divine help and a friend for the rest of my life who would be with me according to my righteousness. As time went on I received first the Aaronic priesthood and then the Melchizedek priesthood, authority to use the power of God for the salvation of His children.

Probably one of the best things what I've brought home with me from my mission has been the perspective and priorities which I found during those two years. I firmly believe that my decision to go on a mission was a result of a divine interception.

Brothers, a promise to teach and preach the gospel is an essential part of the oath and the covenant of the priesthood. Serving a mission is therefore a priesthood duty and when done, keeping our promises to God (=keeping our covenants). Young sisters, you have a great influence on how brothers will fulfill their responsibilities and duties. Do therefore everything within righteousness so that the brothers would keep this part of their covenant with the Lord. I promise, it is the best what you can do for the benefit of your future children and families in addition to preparing yourselves.

My original plan was not to serve as a missionary. I didn't feel the same burning as many of my friends did. And I didn't want to go just because I was expected to. The Lord had something else in mind. He organized some things and I found myself sitting in the general priesthood meeting in October 2010. My friend needed me to give him a ride there - go figures. I had not intended to attend. When I heard a living prophet of God say the words: "every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission" I knew the Lord had called me to work. My heart was burning, my mind was clear and enlightened by inspiration.

In my head and in my heart was a clear thought: "If you are going to become the man you want, you must serve a mission."

My aim, purpose and priorities were clear from that moment onwards.

For two years I knew exactly what was my purpose. My purpose was to simply help people find the truth. Truth, that was restored on earth after centuries.

Truth of who we are.
Truth of where we came from and where we are headed.
Truth of why we are here.
Truth of how we find true happiness.
The one and the only truth.

I testify you will find these truths, every and each one, from this Church, The Church of Jesus Christ.

I return to the divine intervention now. Because I didn't understand myself that the direction of my life was spiritually destructive, the Lord commanded a time-out for me. This is at least how it partly feels in retro perspective. I had to get a new perspective to life; real purpose and real priorities.
This is what I found.

We are children of a living God and as such we have a divine potential.

If we do not set God and keeping our covenants as first priority, we do not keep even the first of the ten commandments which was meant to stiff necked children of Israel. Let us serve God of all our heart, strength, mind and love. Let us keep Him first always, in all things and everywhere.

Family is the next priority; establishing it, strengthening it and taking care of it.
Men and women, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, those who are and are going to be, let us do all we can to fulfill our sacred obligations. Let us remember that the most important responsibilities for women AND FOR MEN are at home.

These are followed by work and other responsibilities.

We have been given great blessings, promises and knowledge. Of these the Lord demands a reckoning at the last day. Let us be determined. We have a Father in Heaven and He loves us.

Brothers and sisters, the message of the restored gospel is true and real.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Talk: Three We Are Responsible Of

This is my home coming talk. I had returned from my mission to Sweden on the Wednesday prior to the meetings on Sunday.

Brothers and sisters,

Already a year ago I discussed with my missionary companion about what would we say in our home coming talks. This discussion took place on our way home from the last lesson of the evening. We had visited a less-active brother, helping him to figure out his faith and conviction.

Together with my companion we ended up to a simple message with three items. Of these I'd like to talk now.

1. Let's take good care of our home teaching assignments
2. Let's explain the gospel
3. Let's live according to the gospel

1. Let's Take Good Care of Our Home Teaching Assignments

At the concluding interview my mission president told me of the following when he served a bishop. Every home teaching companionship had several elderly sisters to take care of. Visiting percentage was not the highest. A comment along the lines of the following was made by one of the leaders in a priesthood meeting.

"Next time when you visit sister so and so (lonely, age 75+), you may consider to start by asking: "Sister so and so, now that it has been about a month of our last visit, would you tell how have you survived alone this whole month?"

So why do we home teach?

Point, which my mission president wanted me to understand was, that where a need is found, there we visit often. Home and visiting teaching are the easiest and clearest way to fulfill our baptismal covenant:

...and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;  Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in...

(Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:8-9)

Where the work is done well, there the Lord will send his children to hear the message of the restored gospel.

2. Let's Explain the Gospel

New members and many of the less- or in-active brothers and sisters are confused and unsure. Let us not be afraid of questions. People need answers. If we do not know, it is perfectly okay to say "I don't know, let's ask someone who knows". Let's guide each other in order to grow together on the ways of the gospel.

Reading from Ephesians chapter four. Paul teaches the members of the Church about the responsibilities of leaders and teachers. These verses are applicable to us too. We all do have a responsibility to teach and guide each other. Verses 11-16...

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

(The Holy Bible KJV, New Testament 4:11-16)

3. Let's Live According to the Gospel

In the days of Alma the younger (a prophet in the ancient Americas) the way how the members of the Church lived  became a stumbling block and a hinder for many in joining the Church. In the Scriptures Isaiah teaches that Zion should rise from the dust and put on her beautiful clothes.

Christ spoke of His followers as the light of the world. Of the pharisees he spoke as hypocrites. Let us take care that we are in the group Christ called the light of the world.

Light casts away the dark.

Light clarifies.

Light gives warmth.

Light gives life.

Light guides.

Light shows the truth clearly.

Let us be an uplifting force in this world. Someone once told he felt he had failed if one could not see without saying that he was a disciple of Christ. Christ meant His Church as a place where the children of God could come and find a way home

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.