Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy delivered the first CES devotional of 2014 on Jan.12 in the Marriott Center to young adults around the world.
Elder Callister addressed his audience as “those who are the prospective leaders and parents of this Church.”
Elder Callister began by telling the audience about a time when he and his wife decided to build a new home to accommodate their growing family. He then went on to compare the architect’s blueprint for his home to Christ’s blueprint of His church.
“In a similar way, Christ built a home to best accommodate the spiritual needs of his children — it was called his church,” Elder Callister said.
He further explained that this spiritual blueprint of Christ’s church can be found in the New Testament. This blueprint was changed through revelation from Jesus Christ and other revelations that would come to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
“Our church is the only church that matches Christ’s blueprint in every material respect,” Elder Callister said.
The blueprint consisted of five “pages,” including organization, teachings, ordinances, fruits and revelation. Elder Callister then explained each “page” of the blueprint in detail, starting with organization.
“We believe the current church of Jesus Christ should have the same organization that existed in Christ’s original church, subject only to revelatory changes,” Elder Callister said.
He then went on to describe the teachings of Christ’s blueprint and showed the audience how these teachings are still implemented in today’s Church. Elder Callister supported each teaching with scriptural references that can be seen as Christ’s blueprint.
“I thought it was a really powerful talk,” said Matthew Tannyhill, a freshman studying business. “He used a lot of evidence and examples from the Bible.”
Elder Callister continued with this pattern when discussing several of the ordinances and fruits in Christ’s church and today’s Church. “The blueprints to Christ’s church are in perfect harmony,” Elder Callister said. The fruits and revelation blueprints are in the same manner, and their importance is stressed.
“He really helped me to understand why our Church today is the same as the church established when Christ was on the earth,” said Chris Glen, a freshman studying business. “The example of the blueprint of the house was really effective.”
Elder Callister explained that the fruits of the Church today are the same as those of Christ’s original church.
“If you come to know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the same fruits as Christ’s original church, or if you come to know that the Book of Mormon is of divine origin, then this is the only true and living church upon the face of the earth,” Elder Callister said.
Elder Callister continued by providing counsel to young adults on how to handle difficult questions by knowing the answers to the questions that matter most in a comparison to a ruling in the Supreme Court.
“Questions go both ways; the prosecutor’s key witnesses are not immune to cross examination, and neither are the Church’s toughest critics,” Elder Callister said.
Elder Callister concluded the devotional with these words: “May we have the spiritual eyes to see the corollary between that blueprint and Christ’s restored church today, for it is one of God’s compelling witnesses to us.”
The next CES devotional will be given by Sister Linda K. Burton on March 2.
