President Nelson challenges members to ‘think celestial’; 20 temples announced
Sunday afternoon session
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- President Russell M. Nelson of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announces new temples to be built during the afternoon session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. Nelson was participating virtually due to an injury to his back.
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- The sun rises on the Conference Center at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints headquarters in Salt Lake City during the morning session of general conference on Sunday, Oc. 1, 2023.
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- Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provides counsel to conferencegoers during the afternoon session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.
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- Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks during the afternoon session of general conference at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.
President Russell M. Nelson delivered his address during the 193rd Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through a prerecorded video. A recent fall that injured the muscles in his back made him unable to stand and attend the festivities in person.
Nelson challenged church members to “think celestial” in every choice they make. “Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded,” he said, making decisions that will lead oneself to the highest kingdom of Heaven, to live with God.
The church believes in three degrees of Heaven, the highest being the Celestial Kingdom, where people now on earth will live with God and Jesus Christ. The Telestial Kingdom is the lowest kingdom of glory.
Said Nelson, “If we unwisely choose to live telestial laws now, we are choosing to be resurrected with a telestial body. We are choosing not to live with our families forever. So, my dear brothers and sisters, how and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.”
“When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! When tested by temptation, think celestial! When life or loved ones let you down, think celestial! When someone dies ‘prematurely,’ think celestial. When someone lingers with a devastating illness, think celestial. When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial! As you recover from an accident or injury, as I am doing now, think celestial!”
Nelson explained, the one power that God gives to his children the privilege to exercise on earth is the power to create life. “Thus, God set clear guidelines for the use of this divine power. Physical intimacy is only for a man and a woman who are married to each other. Much of the world does not believe this, but public opinion is not the arbiter of truth.”
To build faith and strive toward living celestial, Nelson advised to avoid anything that robs a person of their agency. Any kind of addiction offends God, he said, “Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it, rather than to Him, for solace.”
“Your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever.”
President Nelson wrapped up general conference by proclaiming eternal truths of how to live celestially. The other speakers explained the importance of truth and each person’s role in spreading the truth throughout the world.
Elder John C. Pingree Jr., of the Quorum of the Seventy, explained God reveals eternal truths through the collaborating roles of Himself, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, prophets and individual members.
He said God and Jesus Christ are the source of eternal truth, the Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and prophets receive truth from God and share it with members. For individual members, he said, “God expects us to seek, recognize and act on truth. Our ability to receive and apply truth is dependent on the strength of our relationship with the Father and the Son, our responsiveness to the influence of the Holy Ghost, and our alignment with latter-day prophets.”
Eternal truths of family, temples and love were shared by the other speakers. Elder Valeri V. Cordón, of the Seventy, shared the importance of implementing gospel culture into parenting. “As we choose to make the gospel culture the predominant culture in our family, then by the powerful influence of the Holy Ghost, our current parenting styles, traditions and practices will be sifted, aligned, refined and enhanced.”
He shared three parenting responsibilities to establish a higher gospel culture in the home. First, “teach freely” by spending meaningful time with children and studying the scriptures with them. Second, “model discipleship” by putting God first, attending church, honoring covenants and “treating our spouse with dignity.” Third, “invite to act” by encouraging children to nurture their testimony by feeding it truth.
The eternal truths of temples was shared by Elder J. Kimo Esplin, of the Seventy. “Through temple blessings, the savior heals individuals, families and nations — even those that once stood as bitter enemies,” he said.
He told the story of a young woman from Okinawa, Japan, who endured extensive suffering and starvation during World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She eventually made her way with 161 other adults and children to the temple in Laie, Hawaii, to be sealed to her late husband and family. They were led by a mission president who was a U.S. veteran.
Esplin shared what the young woman said about the mission president: “He was then one of our hated enemies, but now he was here with the gospel of love and peace. This, to me, was a miracle.”
Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of three languages of gospel love. He said as members of the church learn these different languages of love, all should be understanding and kind.
“Repeated experiences may be our best spiritual way to learn the gospel languages of warmth and reverence, service and sacrifice, and covenant belonging. So, where and how does Jesus Christ speak to you in love? Where and how do you hear His love spoken here? May we each learn to speak and hear His love here, in our hearts and homes, and in our gospel callings, activities, ministering and service,” Gong said.
Another part of the eternal truth of love is seeing everyone through God’s eyes, as a child of God, said Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier of the Seventy.
He shared that his wife sees others through the Lord’s eyes. “Whether you are the stake president or the ward greeter, whether you are the king of England or live in a shack, whether you speak her language or a different one, whether you keep all the commandments or struggle with some, she will serve you her very best meal in her very best plates. Economic status, skin color, cultural background, nationality, degree of righteousness, social standing or any other identifier or label are of no consequence to her. She sees with her heart; she sees the child of God in everyone.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to be an equalizer, he said, to eliminate prejudices and biases toward others.
To open the Sunday afternoon session of conference, Elder Dale G. Renlund, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said to strengthen a relationship with God, casualness must be set aside, and instead followers must prioritize going to the temple, attending Sunday worship and partaking of the sacrament.
“Living close to a temple does bring greater flexibility in scheduling time in the temple, but that very flexibility can make it easier to take the temple for granted,” Renlund said. “When we do, we ‘miss the mark,’ undervaluing the opportunity to draw closer to the savior in His holy house. Our commitment to attend should be at least as strong when the temple is nearby as when it is distant.”
To close the conference, Nelson announced the construction of 20 new temples:
- Savai’i, Samoa.
- Kahului, Hawaii.
- Fairbanks, Alaska.
- Vancouver, Washington.
- Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Roanoke, Virginia.
- Cancún, Mexico.
- Piura, Peru.
- Huancayo, Peru.
- Viña del Mar, Chile.
- Goiânia, Brazil.
- João Pessoa, Brazil.
- Cape Coast, Ghana.
- Calabar, Nigeria.
- Luanda, Angola.
- Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Laoag, Philippines.
- Osaka, Japan.
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.