"I Know"

President Boyd K. Packer was called to be president of the New England States Mission while he was serving as an Assistant to the Twelve.  In a book published in 1975, President Packer reflected on an experience he had as a mission president.  He found that his mission was not progressing as it should have been, but he could not immediately discover the solution.  The answer came during the testimony session of a zone conference when a particular elder stood to bear his testimony.

"The testimonies we'd heard from all the other missionaries," wrote then-Elder Packer, "went something like this: 'I'm grateful to be in the mission field.  I've learned a lot from it.  I have a fine companion.  I've learned a lot from him.  I'm grateful for my parents.  We had an interesting experience last week.  We were out knocking on doors and. . . .'  Then the missionary would relate an experience.  His conclusion would be something  like this: 'I'm grateful to be in the mission field.  I have a testimony of the gospel.'  And he would conclude 'in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.'

"This young elder was different somehow.  Anxious not to spend an extra second on his feet, he said simply, in hurried, frightened words, 'I know that God lives.  I know that Jesus is the Christ.  I know that we have a prophet of God leading the Church.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.'

"This was a testimony.  It was not just an experience nor an expression of gratitude.  It was a declaration, a witness!

"Most of the elders had said 'I have a testimony,' but they had not declared it.  This young elder had, in a very few words, delivered his testimony -- direct, basic, and, as it turned out, powerful.

"I knew then what was wrong in the mission.  We were telling stories, expressing gratitude, admitting that we had testimonies, but we were not bearing them."

Note the clear difference between saying that you have a testimony and actually bearing your testimony.  Note, also, the difference between a "thankimony" and a testimony.

During one Fast and Testimony meeting some years ago, I heard several "thankimonies" which seemed to say "I have a testimony because of this blessing or that blessing."  I stood up to bear my testimony and said that I did not have a testimony because I had a great job, or a nice house, or a wonderful wife -- though I do have a wonderful wife.  Rather, I had a testimony because I had received a witness from God, a witness of the Spirit.  What greater witness can we have than a witness from God?

It is acceptable, when bearing testimony, to express gratitude or to tell a faith promoting story, but we should remember that doing these things is secondary to bearing testimony.  The primary purpose of bearing testimony is to declare what we know.  As we read in True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, "Your testimony will be most powerful when it is expressed as a brief, heartfelt conviction about the Savior, His teachings, and the Restoration.  Pray for guidance, and the Spirit will help you know how to express the feelings in your heart."

The importance of bearing testimony in missionary work cannot be overstated.  "Personal testimony," said President Gordon B. Hinckley, "is the factor which turns people around in their living as they come into this Church."

President Hinckley also said that "[Testimony] is something that cannot be refuted.  Opponents may quote scripture and argue doctrine endlessly.  They can be clever and persuasive.  But when one says, 'I know,' there can be no further argument.  There may not be acceptance, but who can refute or deny the quiet voice of the inner soul speaking with personal conviction?"

While a testimony cannot be refuted, and cannot be taken away from the person who bore it, that doesn't stop people from trying.  If people do not want to believe, then they will find a reason not to; if they do not want to accept a testimony, then they won't.  But their actions cannot refute a witness from God and a testimony is always worth repeating.

I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy Messiah.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.




Sources:


Packer, B. K. (1975). Teach Ye Diligently. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.

(2004). True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hinckley, G. B. (1998). "Testimony". Ensign, May 1998.