Last updated on August 10th, 2025 at 07:40 pm
General Conference Applied
S5 E28 – Sunday, July 13, 2025 | “Divine Authority, Sublime Young Men” by President Steven J. Lund; April 2025 General Conference
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Podcast Episode Outline
Introduction
As we begin this podcast episode, if you have not recently listened to or read President Lund’s April 2025 General Conference address, please pause this podcast episode and go review his address.
Bio
- “President Steven J. Lund was sustained as Young Men General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2020.
“His past Church assignments have included service as a member of the Young Men general board, Area Seventy, mission president in the Georgia Atlanta Mission (2003–2006), coordinator of the Provo City Center Temple Dedication Committee, and full-time missionary in the Netherlands Amsterdam Mission.
“President Lund received an undergraduate degree in communications and a law degree, both from Brigham Young University.
“He worked as an attorney before becoming president and CEO of a large Utah-based cosmetics company. He is currently its executive chairman of the board of directors. He is also a former regent of the Utah System of Higher Education.
“Steven J. Lund was born October 30, 1953, in Mesa, Arizona, and grew up in California. He and his wife, Kalleen, have four children.” - This was President Lund’s 3rd general conference address. His most recent address was “Lasting Discipleship” from the October 2022 General Conference.
Invitations
- “Seeing this rolling thunder of newly ordained priesthood holders spreading across the earth, I wondered—in a ‘church of joy’ kind of way—if it shouldn’t be shouted from the rooftops. ‘Today,’ I thought, ‘there should be trumpets and crashing cymbals and blazing Roman candles. There should be parades!'”
- In our own words: Enthusiastically celebrate milestones in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such as priesthood ordinations.
- Application Idea #1: Make Ordination Sunday a celebration.
- Application Idea #2: In a worldwide devotional for young adults on November 14, 2023, entitled “Facing Life and Faith Challenges“, Elder Quentin L. Cook stated: “For your information, youth and young adults are not less active or leaving the Church in higher numbers than in the past, as has been widely circulated. The number of missionaries called to serve has significantly increased. The percentage of Church participation for the rising generation shows a continuous upward trend. Moreover, the number of young adults attending institute has also been increasing.” Counter the fake news on social media by posting examples of the true news of the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- “The Aaronic Priesthood is called the preparatory priesthood partly because its ordinances allow them to experience the weight and the joy of being on the Lord’s errand, preparing them for future priesthood service, when they may be called upon to minister in unforeseeable ways—including pronouncing inspired blessings in times when hopes and dreams, and even life and death, hang in precarious balance. Such serious expectations require serious preparation.”
- In our own words: Seriously prepare to meet the Lord’s serious expectations.
- Application Idea #1: Ponder and then act on President Lund’s statements: 1) “The weight and the joy of being on the Lord’s errand”; 2) I “may be called upon to minister in unforeseeable ways—including pronouncing inspired blessings in times when hopes and dreams, and even life and death, hang in precarious balance. Such serious expectations require serious preparation.”
- Application Idea #2: Share with your family a time when you were “called upon to minister in unforeseeable ways.”
- Clay Application: Ponder and then act on President Lund’s statements: 1) “The weight and the joy of being on the Lord’s errand”; 2) I “may be called upon to minister in unforeseeable ways—including pronouncing inspired blessings in times when hopes and dreams, and even life and death, hang in precarious balance. Such serious expectations require serious preparation.”
- “Deacons and teachers are ‘to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ’ (Doctrine and Covenants 20:59). In addition to these opportunities, priests are to ‘preach … and baptize’ (Doctrine and Covenants 20:50). … One bishop taught his new deacons quorum presidency these duties. So the young presidency began to talk about what that might look like in their quorum and in their ward.”
- In our own words: Learn our obligations and counsel together to understand how to apply them.
- Application Idea #1: Get to know all the people in your ward boundaries and what they are good at, and give them opportunities to teach those things.
- Application Idea #2: Priesthood quorum presidencies, young women presidencies, and families could set goals for how they can “warn, expound, exhort, teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” and then work together to accomplish those goals.
- Mitch Application: Work with my family to set goals for how we can “warn, expound, exhort, teach, and invite all to come unto Christ” and then work together to accomplish those goals.
Discussion Questions
- What is the Lord, through President Lund, inviting us to do? And how do we intend to take action?
- Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “is not always a very demonstrative church”, what are some ways that we can shout the joy we feel from our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ “from the rooftops”?
- What might it look like for deacons and teachers “to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ”? What might it look like for priests to “preach … and baptize”?
- What are some principles we can learn from “Alan’s boys” and how they ministered to Alan over the course of several years?
- Isn’t it amazing that in his final general conference address, President Lund utilized precious time from his 11 minute and 34 second address to share, in their entirety, the sacrament prayers that we hear every single Sunday? Do we take these prayers seriously enough?!
External Resources Referenced In This Episode
What will you do?
How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?
Conclusion
The focus of our next podcast episode will be the June 2025 General Conference+ Part One resources that were delivered by members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
As we conclude this episode, we would invite you to refer to the podcast episode details for this podcast episode where we have provided important information for connecting with us and further supporting the General Conference Applied Podcast. The best ways to help us are to like and subscribe to the podcast, to share the podcast with others, to like and share our content on social media, to share your own experiences with us on social media, and especially to contact us on our website.
Please remember that General Conference Applied is meant to be a supplement for your review of General Conference Addresses. We promise that you will get more out of each General Conference Applied episode when you study the General Conference address first.
Thank you for joining us in this effort to become doers of the word and to take action on general conference invitations.
Tags
Aaronic Priesthood | Priesthood Authority | Sacrament | Service | Youth
Additional Content
Next Podcast Episode (June 2025 General Conference+ Part One)