One Endeavor – An Introduction

One Endeavor – An Introduction

By President James A. Vun Cannon

Volume 19, Number 1, Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr 2018 Issue NO. 74

Saints, it is an exciting time to be alive. We have the fullness of the gospel, and the beginnings of Zion are being built up right before our very eyes. If we will take counsel and seek the promises from the scriptures that speak to our day and time, we will see the majesty and grandeur of the plan of our Savior. By embracing this plan, we can become a substantial army overflowing with enthusiasm for this work, whose principal desires are to assist in both building the kingdom and helping to carry the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

One Endeavor is an initiative of the church, thepurpose of which is, as Jesus said, to become one,“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). In this initiative, we will share, “What is the Kingdom?”, the “Fundamentals of the Fullness of the Gospel,” and the “Vision to the Kingdom.” All of this together is designed to help you develop your faith and understanding of what Jesus has in store for all of us as we continue to build the kingdom.

One Endeavor is about the reasons we were placed here at this time. It is about the ministry each one has and the fulfilling of the measure of creation God intended for us. It is simply about doing the work of the ministry! Without the work of the ministry, no change in our spiritual life can occur or will happen until we start today, right now, doing that work. It is much more than just being a good person. It is an outward reflection of the righteousness of our inward soul and can only find expression in performing holy works for God, for others, and for self. The unity Christ spoke of above in John is the foundation that will lead us to follow the commandments, become more accountable, seek and speak the truth in love, and change our spiritual countenance.

Every member of the Remnant Church has an active role in our missionary efforts. This means at every stage of missionary work we are involved by creating friendships with those not of our faith, sharing church materials, sharing our feelings and testimony about the church, sharing our experience and testimony of the fullness of the gospel, and inviting these new-found friends to our homes and church activities, service projects, Lunch Partners, and worship services.

Statistics show that a personal invitation by members is twenty to thirty times more likely to lead one to join a church than just providing names to missionaries. We must embrace new member prospects by becoming their friends. You can start by inviting them to a meal or wholesome activity, until eventually you can invite them to cottage meetings in your home to be taught the fullness of the gospel.

Some saints do not actively share the gospel because they don’t feel comfortable starting a religious conversation, or they just do not know what to say. In the beginning, we do not have to be a scholar of the Scriptures; just a friend who loves and cares about them. However, as we grow spiritually, these feelings of inadequacy can be overcome as we learn the fullness of the gospel and how to introduce it to our friends and acquaintances in simple, non-threatening ways.

So, to what do we bring our friends that have heard the gospel message and have come bending to the standard of Jesus? We are unique in the Restoration in that we can show them the beginnings of Zion in our community at Bountiful, the Storehouse, Lunch Partners, and Zion’s Academy. “The Vision to the Kingdom” is like a blueprint to help us envision how the church is needed for the building of the kingdom with its ministries, priesthood, and governmental structures that are designed to build Zion. Our understanding of this vision will help us explain to our friends the high calling of this church which has a very solemn and holy purpose; to build the kingdom of God on earth. This means the building up of our churches by leavening our communities, or, if we are so privileged, by living in Zionic communities.

What can we do today? Our congregations and branches need our immediate help by providing our time, our talents and even our treasure to expand and fortify Zion. New communities will need land, congregations and branches of teh church need workers, Lunch Partners needs volunteers; there is no end to the work we can still do while “It is yet day…” (D&C142:5b).