Elder Ulisses Soares on following Jesus Christ

Elder Ulisses Soares (born October 2, 1958 in Brazil) has served as a Seventy since April 2005, and as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since January 2013. He was sustained to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles on April 1, 2018.

"You may recall that two disciples of John the Baptist followed Jesus Christ after hearing John witness that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Messiah. These good men accepted Jesus’s invitation to 'come and see' (see John 1:38–39) and abode with Him that day. They came to know that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and followed Him for the rest of their lives.

"Likewise, when we accept the Savior’s invitation to 'come and see,' we need to abide in Him, immersing ourselves in the scriptures, rejoicing in them, learning His doctrine, and striving to live the way He lived. Only then will we come to know Him, Jesus Christ, and recognize His voice, knowing that as we come unto Him and believe in Him, we shall never hunger nor thirst. (See John 6:35.) We will be able to discern the truth at all times, as occurred to those two disciples who abode with Jesus that day.

"Brothers and sisters, that doesn’t happen by chance. Attuning ourselves to the highest influences of godliness is not a simple matter; it requires calling upon God and learning how to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the center of our lives. If we do so, I promise that the influence of the Holy Ghost will bring truth to our heart and mind and will bear witness of it (see John 16:13), teaching all things (see John 14:26)."

- Ulisses Soares, "How Can I Understand?," General Conference April 2019
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

Elder Soares gave the opening talk in the recent general conference. It's appropriate that he discussed how we learn and understand the Gospel, and particularly how to find and follow truth.

I love the example from those early disciples, who were invited to "come and see" so they could further understand the message of the Savior. We need to take actions in our lives to come to Him, to see what His message is about, to follow His example and live His teachings. Then we will truly "see" the eternal importance and significance of the powerful life He invites us to live. Note that Elder Soares counsels that the important step is "immersing ourselves in the scriptures, rejoicing in them, learning His doctrine, and striving to live the way He lived." It's the "immersing" part that we sometimes fall short on.

Once we have immersed in the scriptures, we must call on God to find His counsel on "how to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the center of our lives." Through the Holy Ghost, we will receive teaching and testimony from on high to guide and inspire us.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)