For baptismal talks, we briefly discuss about faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost. This is to help remind and uplift people getting baptised, but share the message and this understanding to those attending who are not of the faith.
So what is faith? I have mentioned how faith is an unchanging belief, where belief is when you believe something because you can see it, and faith believes more in what you can’t see also.
And for investigators, it can be hard to believe in something we can’t see, such as God, and to try and understand who he is. But through events in our lives, we can gain this faith and testimony, assured by the Holy Spirit.
As a scripture says in the bible, “Faith is dead without works.”
Through learning and commitment, we obtain faith and put it to work; by getting baptised.
One good example of showing this faith involved a youth activity where the men were biking. On return, the young women had prepared a nice BBQ under the shelters but it started to rain. The president of the young men asked the stake president if he could bless the food and also pray for a bit of sunshine. The stake president walked out into the rain, blessed the food and asked for sunshine, and it came. He didn’t just ask with faith, but acted on it to show his trust in the Lord to answer righteous requests.
Also, having faith in God, we repent of any sins that we may have. Because we understand who God is, we understand why even the smallest of things at times is a sin, where we might not have thought of so, such as anger.
Once repented, we enter the waters of baptism and are submerged completely to wash away reminisces of our sins and reborn through the fire of the Holy Ghost.
Not only being reborn by the fires of the Holy Ghost, we also now receive the Holy Ghost, one of the greatest blessings.
Where we would feel the Holy Ghosts testify of truths, we now feel it consistently to continually guide us, such as a strong feeling when talking about missionary work, compared to an empty feeling when talking about drinking alcohol.
Through learning and gaining faith, we act on it and repent, baptise, and are reborn. We walk with a new companion beside us and we continue to grow.
I know this is true because I continue to grow and learn things as I feel the Holy Spirit and this wouldn’t have been possible without the restoration of the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Prophet Joseph Smith.
I have to act on my faith that there are still many things I do not have answers to, but I know why I'm here and have faith in the Lord.
And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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