Church Talks
THE HOLY GHOST
[Talk given by John E. Enslen at the Baptism of John Edward Enslen on June 6, 2015.]
This is a beautiful day. My name is John Emerson Enslen. My son is John Jacob Enslen. His son is John Edward Enslen.
These four young men are a part of about 6,000 people who will be baptized into the Church this week. For a few fleeting seconds, each one of them will be the newest member of the Church.
This will be an unforgettable day for them. For one thing, each Sunday we return to the chapel and renew our baptismal covenants. They are repeated in the sacrament prayers. Those three promises are to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember him, and to keep his commandments. We should never be further removed than one week from remembering our baptism.
As baptized members, whom do we worship? First, we worship God the Father, whom we call Heavenly Father. He hears our prayers. He is the great overall ruler. He is the father of the spirits inside of our bodies. Our spirit is the part of us that gives life and animation and movement to our physical body.
Second, we worship Jesus Christ. He is the only Son of God begotten in the flesh. He is our Savior and Redeemer. We could not get back to Heaven and Heavenly Father without Him. He saves us from our sins and provides us with a resurrected body after we die. We belong to his Church which is called The Church of Jesus Christ.
The third God we worship is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a messenger for God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. As a messenger, he reveals and testifies of important, divine truths. One of those truths is that Jesus is our Savior. “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)
These three Gods that we worship are not all the same. Each is different from the other, although all three of them think alike and work together in perfect harmony to accomplish their common goals. “The Father [and the Son each] have a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; [that means you can touch them, even hug them;] but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a [male] personage of Spirit. [T]he Holy Ghost has to be a Spirit so that [we can feel] his influence dwell within us.” (See D&C 130:22) Like the sun in a clear blue sky, the Holy Ghost is only in one place at a time, but his influence of warmth and light can be felt by many people in different places at the same time.
So long as we keep ourselves worthy by being good, making the right choices, and obeying our parents, the Holy Ghost can be our constant friend and companion after you receive the ordinance that we call “The Gift of the Holy Ghost By the Laying On of Hands.”
What are some of the things the Holy Ghost will do as our constant friend and companion? He can speak to us. He speaks to us through our feelings. He sends warm, burning feelings of peace and comfort to us. He reveals eternal truths to us in that way. “By the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5)
He will testify or tell us that God the Father is the father of our spirits. In other words, he will tell you that you really are a child of God, just like the song says. He will tell us that Jesus is the only begotten Son of Heavenly Father and that Jesus suffered for us in Gethsemane and on the cross so that our sins can be washed away through repentance and baptism so that we will not have to suffer, and so that we will be clean enough to return to our prior Heavenly home.
The Holy Ghost will tell us that the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the words of our living prophets are true as we hear and read and ponder and pray about their inspired words.
The Holy Ghost will tell us that Jesus has once again organized his Church upon the earth and that we belong to His church which bears His name—even the name of Jesus Christ.
The convincing power of the Holy Ghost will give us the courage we need in our lives to make right choices under hard, difficult, and challenging circumstances.
The Holy Ghost is our friend. He will protect us by warning us when there are dangers present, either physical or spiritual, even though it is often after the fact that we will realize his intervention in our lives.
May I close by bearing my witness to you that the Holy Ghost has helped me to grow in my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ over the past 42 years since the day I was baptized; a day I have never forgotten, the same as you will not forget this special day. The Holy Ghost has indelibly stamped my soul with valuable truths that I can never forget. He has communicated directly with my spirit, spirit to spirit, in such a way that I have no doubt that Jesus Christ lives, and he is our Redeemer and Savior. You will have those same revelatory experiences. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.