“‘By This All Will Know That You Are My Disciples'”

General Conference Applied

S5 E6 – Thursday, May 1, 2025 | “‘By This All Will Know That You Are My Disciples’” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf; April 2025 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Announcements

• We have created the President Russell M. Nelson listening schedule. This podcast episode will go live on Thursday, May 1, 2025, and the President Nelson listening schedule starts on Friday, May 2, 2025. Take a journey back through President Nelson’s public ministry by listening to one of his 155 addresses (general conference, BYU, worldwide devotionals, etc.) each day up until the day before the October 2025 General Conference. Mitch’s focus this time through the addresses: find one precept to abide by.
• We have a new YouTube channel! Thank you to those who subscribed to our previous channel, and we would invite you to subscribe to this new channel: https://www.youtube.com/@generalconferenceapplied

Introduction

Bio

• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Gospel at 30,000 Feet“: “Allow me to share with you an experience from my own boyhood. When I was eleven years old, my family had to leave East Germany and begin a new life in West Germany overnight. Until my father could get back into his original profession as a government employee, my parents operated a small laundry business in our little town. I became the laundry delivery boy. To be able to do that effectively, I needed a bicycle to pull the heavy laundry cart. I had always dreamed of owning a nice, sleek, shiny, sporty, red bicycle. But there had never been enough money to fulfill this dream. What I got instead was a heavy, ugly, black, sturdy workhorse of a bicycle. I delivered laundry on that bike before and after school for quite a few years. There were times when I was not overly excited about the bike, the cart, or my job. Sometimes the cart seemed so heavy and the work so tiring that I thought my lungs would burst, and I often had to stop to catch my breath. Nevertheless, I did my part because I knew we desperately needed the income as a family, and it was my way to contribute.
  
  “If I had only known back then what I learned many years later – if I had only been able to see the end from the beginning – I would have had a better appreciation of these experiences, and it would have made my job so much easier.
  
  “Many years later, when I was about to be drafted into the military, I decided to volunteer instead and join the Air Force to become a pilot. I loved flying and thought being a pilot would be my thing.
  
  “To be accepted for the program I had to pass a number of tests, including a number of very strict physical exams. The doctors were slightly concerned by some of the results and did some additional medical tests. Then they announced, ‘You have scars on your lung which are an indication of a lung disease in your early teenage years, but obviously you have healed now, and you qualify to enter the training program.’ The doctors asked me what kind of treatment I had gone through to heal the disease. Until the day of that examination I had not known that I had any kind of lung disease. Then it became clear to me that my regular exercise in fresh air as a laundry boy must have been a key factor in my healing from this illness. Without the extra effort of pedaling that heavy bicycle day in and day out, pulling the laundry cart up and down the streets of our town, I might never have become a jet fighter pilot and later a 747 airline captain.
  
  “We don’t always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn’t worth the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning.
  
  “Fortunately, we are taught by the prophets, seers, and revelators of our day. How deeply grateful I am for the inspired leadership of the President of the Church, a living prophet of God for our time. His prophetic view helps us to see the end from the beginning.”
• As a side note, it was fun seeing Elder Uchtdorf conduct a session of General Conference again. He looked like a natural!
• This was Elder Uchtdorf’s 72nd general conference address (the Gospel Library app shows 82 addresses, but 10 of those have been the sustaining of church officers). His most recent address was “Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow” from the October 2024 General Conference.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the Lord, through Elder Uchtdorf, inviting us to do?
2. Thinking of the most recent Church Meeting you attended, would you say that Elder Uchtdorf’s words apply: “When people visit our Church meetings, the Savior wants them to leave with stronger faith in Him! The love our friends feel among us will lift them closer to Jesus Christ! That is our simple goal every time we gather.”?
3. Elder Uchtdorf stated: “There will always be a gap between the ideal and the real. … One thing we should not do is give up on the ideal!” Why is is so important not to give up on the ideal?
4. How are you “anxiously engaged in building [God’s kingdom]?” Did Elder Uchtdorf’s message spark inspiration for what Heavenly Father desires you to do to build up His kingdom here on earth?
5. Elder Uchtdorf stated that unity “is what Christ’s true Church is all about.” Why is unity so important, and how can we become more unified?

---

“Many years ago Sister Uchtdorf and I were traveling through southern Germany. It was just before Easter, and we invited a good friend, who was not a member of the Church, to join us in our Sunday worship service. We loved this dear friend, so it was normal and natural to share with her how we felt about the Savior and His Church and to invite her to come and see! She accepted the invitation and joined us at the meetings of a nearby branch.

“If you have ever brought a friend to church for the first time, you can probably relate to the way I felt that Sunday morning. I wanted everything to go perfectly. Our friend was a highly educated, spiritual person. I earnestly hoped the meetings of this branch would make a good impression on her and represent the Church well.

“The branch met in some rented rooms on the second floor of a grocery store. To get there, we had to take the stairs at the back of the building, passing the strong aromas from goods stored there.

“As the sacrament meeting began, I thought about my friend experiencing this for the first time, and I couldn’t help but notice things that made me cringe a little. The singing, for example, didn’t exactly sound like the Tabernacle Choir. Restless, noisy children could be heard during the sacrament. The speakers did their best, but they were not skilled at public speaking. I sat uncomfortably through the meeting, hoping that maybe Sunday School would be better.

“It wasn’t.

“All morning I worried about what our friend must think of this church we had taken her to.

“Afterward, as we drove home, I turned to talk to our friend. I wanted to explain that this was just one small branch and it didn’t really represent the Church as a whole. But before I could say a word, she spoke up.

“‘That was beautiful,’ she said.

“I was speechless.

“She continued, ‘I’m so impressed with how people treat each other in your church. They all seem to come from different backgrounds, and yet it’s clear that they genuinely love each other. This is what I imagine Christ wanted His Church to be like.’

“Well, I quickly repented of my judgmental attitude. I had wanted picture-perfect meetings to impress my friend. But what the members of this branch had achieved was a heart-perfect spirit of love, kindness, patience, and compassion.

• Elder Ulisses Soares, “A Friend to All“: “We should understand and have empathy for every person.
  
  “My parents came to the church when I was a little boy. They were good people, but they had worldly habits. My father drank and smoked. My father had other habits that came from the world. My mother was a very religious person, but she also had different habits. What really helped them to stay in the church was the group of people in our little branch that embraced us, helped us, loved us.
  
  “We would receive visits every other week from someone in the church. We would be invited to family home evenings in their homes. They made everything possible to embrace us and to bring us together in that new environment.
  
  “My parents stayed in the church because of those three or four families that were very nice with them.
  
  “When we understand people and their conditions and their circumstances, we tend to act in love. We tend to embrace them according to their needs.”
• Doctrine and Covenants 38:24-27 – “[24] And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me. [25] And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself. [26] For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just? [27] Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”

That Faith Might Increase in the Earth

“My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, I love The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the Savior’s true and living Church, and it teaches the restored fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His priesthood power and authority reside here. Jesus Christ leads this Church personally, through servants He has called and authorized, and by a living prophet, even President Russell M. Nelson. The Savior has given the Latter-day Saints a unique mission to gather God’s children and prepare the world for the Savior’s Second Coming. I bear my witness that all of this is true.

“But it’s important to remember that when most people experience the Church of Jesus Christ for the first time, they aren’t thinking about priesthood authority or ordinances or the gathering of Israel. What they’re likely to notice, above all else, is how they feel when they’re with us and how we treat each other.

“‘Love one another,’ Jesus said. ‘By this all will know that you are My disciples.’ Very often, a person’s first testimony of Jesus Christ comes when he or she feels love among disciples of Jesus Christ.

“The Savior declared that He restored His Church so ‘that faith … might increase in the earth.’ Therefore, when people visit our Church meetings, the Savior wants them to leave with stronger faith in Him! The love our friends feel among us will lift them closer to Jesus Christ! That is our simple goal every time we gather.

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: Every meeting in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must “lift [participants] closer to Jesus Christ!”

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I look for opportunities to serve others. (Mosiah 2:17)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[17] And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• No promises identified.

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “Anyone who is seeking greater faith in Christ or a closer connection to Heavenly Father should feel right at home in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Inviting them to our meetings can be as normal and as natural as inviting them into our homes.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• “In the Savior’s Church, we gather all of God’s children who are willing to be gathered and who seek the truth. It is not our physical appearance, our political views, our culture, or our ethnicity that brings us together. It is not our common background that unites us. It is our common objective, our love for God and love for our neighbor, our commitment to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We are ‘one in Christ.’
  
  “The unity we seek is not to have everyone stand in the same place; it is to have everyone face in the same direction—toward Jesus Christ. We are one not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.
  
  “That is what Christ’s true Church is all about.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• Elder Robert M. Daines, “Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus“, October 2023 General Conference: “That is what we all want—we want to see Jesus for who He is and to feel His love. This should be the reason for most of what we do in the Church—and certainly of every sacrament meeting. If you’re ever wondering what kind of lesson to teach, what kind of meeting to plan, and whether to just give up on the deacons and play dodgeball, you might take this verse as your guide: will this help people see and love Jesus Christ? If not, maybe try something else.”
• “We Talk of Christ“, October 2020 General Conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen: “In our worship services, let us focus on the Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of His atoning sacrifice. This does not mean we cannot tell an experience from our own life or share thoughts from others. While our subject might be about families or service or temples or a recent mission, everything in our worship should point to the Lord Jesus Christ.
  
  “Thirty years ago, President Dallin H. Oaks spoke of a letter he had received ‘from a man who said he had attended [a sacrament] meeting and listened to seventeen testimonies without hearing the Savior mentioned.’ President Oaks then noted, ‘Perhaps that description is exaggerated [but] I quote it because it provides a vivid reminder for all of us.’ He then invited us to speak more of Jesus Christ in our talks and class discussions. I have observed that we are focusing more and more on Christ in our Church meetings. Let’s consciously continue with these very positive efforts.”
• Mitch: In our weekly family scripture study, I will more intentionally “point [my family members] to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Anyone who is seeking greater faith in Christ or a closer connection to Heavenly Father should feel right at home in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Inviting them to our meetings can be as normal and as natural as inviting them into our homes.

The Ideal and the Real

“Now, I realize that I’m describing the ideal. And in this mortal life, we rarely get to experience the ideal. And ‘until the perfect day,’ there will always be a gap between the ideal and the real. So, what should we do when the Church doesn’t feel like the perfect day? When, for whatever reason, our ward doesn’t yet nurture perfect faith or love? Or when it feels that we don’t fit in?

“One thing we should not do is give up on the ideal!

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: Don’t give up on the ideal, even though it will never be reached.

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I believe that someday I will dwell with God and become like Him. (Ether 12:4)” (Hope)
  • “[4] Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• “May God bless us to patiently but diligently seek to live up to the ideals our Savior, Redeemer, and Master has set for us—so all will know that we are His disciples.” -Elder Uchtdorf

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “So, while we hold ourselves to the Lord’s high standards, let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for the kingdom of God on earth.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• “May God bless us to patiently but diligently seek to live up to the ideals our Savior, Redeemer, and Master has set for us.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• “The Gap and the Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success” by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy:
  • “You’re in the GAP every time you measure yourself or your situation against an ideal.”
  • “Being in the GAIN means you measure yourself backward against where you were before.”
  • “An ideal can’t be measured. It’s there for emotional, psychological, and intellectual motivation, but it’s not there for measurement.”
  • “The future isn’t a reality - it’s a projection. And because it’s not reality, it can’t be part of any real measurement of your progress. The only way to measure goals is backward, against the past. Use the reality of where you currently are and measure backward from there to the reality of where you started.”
• “The Slight Edge: Turning Simple Disciplines into Massive Success and Happiness” by Jeff Olson:
  • “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”
• Mitch: I will update the list of goals on my bathroom mirror.

“The title page of the Book of Mormon includes this important caution: ‘If there are faults,’ it says, ‘they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God.’

“Can a book—or a church or a person—have ‘faults’ and ‘mistakes’ and still be the work of God?

“My answer is a resounding yes!

“So, while we hold ourselves to the Lord’s high standards, let’s also be patient with one another. We are each a work in progress, and we all rely on the Savior for any progress we make. That’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for the kingdom of God on earth.

“The Lord invites us not just to join His kingdom but also to be anxiously engaged in building it. God envisions a people who are ‘of one heart and one mind.’ And to be of one heart, we must seek pure hearts, and that requires a mighty change of heart.

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: Jesus Christ invites us to be active participants in building up His kingdom here on earth. And to do that effectively, we must seek for unity.

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I am kind and patient with others, even when they are hard to get along with. (Moroni 7:45)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[45] And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• No promises identified.

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• “But that doesn’t mean changing my heart to align with yours. Nor does it mean changing your heart to align with mine. It means that we all change our hearts to align with the Savior.” -Elder Uchtdorf
• Mitch:
  • President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lift Where You Stand“, October 2008 General Conference: “Some years ago in our meetinghouse in Darmstadt, Germany, a group of brethren was asked to move a grand piano from the chapel to the adjoining cultural hall, where it was needed for a musical event. None were professional movers, and the task of getting that gravity-friendly instrument through the chapel and into the cultural hall seemed nearly impossible. Everybody knew that this task required not only physical strength but also careful coordination. There were plenty of ideas, but not one could keep the piano balanced correctly. They repositioned the brethren by strength, height, and age over and over again—nothing worked.
    
    “As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next, a good friend of mine, Brother Hanno Luschin, spoke up. He said, ‘Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.’
    
    “It seemed too simple. Nevertheless, each lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved into the cultural hall as if on its own power. That was the answer to the challenge. They merely needed to stand close together and lift where they stood.
    
    “I have often thought of Brother Luschin’s simple idea and have been impressed by its profound truth. Tonight I would like to expand on that simple concept, ‘lift where you stand.’
    
    “Although it may seem simple, lifting where we stand is a principle of power. Most of the priesthood bearers I know understand and live by this principle. They are eager to roll up their sleeves and go to work, whatever that work might be. They faithfully perform their priesthood duties. They magnify their callings. They serve the Lord by serving others. They stand close together and lift where they stand.
    
    “However, there are those who sometimes struggle with this concept. And when they do, they seem to fall into one of two camps: either they seek to lead, or they seek to hide. They covet a crown or a cave.”
  • I will study “Lift Where You Stand” and write thoughts in my journal about these “two camps” – those who seek to lead and those who seek to hide.

“But that doesn’t mean changing my heart to align with yours. Nor does it mean changing your heart to align with mine. It means that we all change our hearts to align with the Savior.

“If we are not there yet, remember: with the Lord’s help, nothing is impossible.

Fit and Belonging

“And if you ever feel like you don’t quite fit in, please know that you are not alone. Haven’t we all been in life situations when we felt like the stranger in the room? I have experienced this more than once. When I was 11 years old, my family was forced to leave our home and move to an unfamiliar region. Everything was different from what I was used to. And my accent made it clear to the other children that I was different from what they were used to. At a time when I desperately needed friendship and belonging, I felt lonely and displaced.

“Here on earth, most of the differences we notice—the differences some of us use to categorize each other—have to do with earthly things: physical appearance, nationality, language, clothing, customs, and so on. But ‘God does not view things the way people do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’

“From His perspective, there is one category that comes before all others: child of God. And we all fit perfectly in this one.

“It’s natural to want to be around people who look, talk, act, and think like we do. There is a place for that.

“But in the Savior’s Church, we gather all of God’s children who are willing to be gathered and who seek the truth. It is not our physical appearance, our political views, our culture, or our ethnicity that brings us together. It is not our common background that unites us. It is our common objective, our love for God and love for our neighbor, our commitment to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. We are ‘one in Christ.’

“The unity we seek is not to have everyone stand in the same place; it is to have everyone face in the same direction—toward Jesus Christ. We are one not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.

“That is what Christ’s true Church is all about.

One Body

“If you love God, if you want to know Him better by following His Son, then you belong here. If you’re earnestly seeking to keep the Savior’s commandments—even though you’re not perfect at it yet—then you are a perfect fit for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“And what if you’re different from people around you? That doesn’t make you a misfit—it makes you a needed part of the body of Christ. All are needed in the body of Christ. The ears perceive things that the eyes never could. The feet do things that the hands would be ineffective at.

“That doesn’t mean your job is to change everyone to be like yourself. But it does mean that you have something important to contribute—and that you have something important to learn!

One Voice

“In every session of general conference, we’re blessed with inspiring music from talented choirs. As you listen, you might notice that the singers don’t all sing the same notes. Sometimes one section carries the melody, sometimes another. But they all contribute to the beautiful sound, and they’re completely unified. Each choir member has the same central goal: to praise God and lift our hearts to Him. Each must have his or her mind and heart fixed on the same divine purpose. And when that happens, they truly become one voice.

“If you are not yet a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we invite you to join us as we rejoice in the Savior’s ‘song of redeeming love.’ We need you. We love you. The Church will be better with your efforts to serve the Lord and His children.

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

• In my own words: If you ever have the thought that you are not a necessary part of your ward and stake, that is an erroneous thought. You are both needed and important. There is something for you to share and something for you to learn every week.

Why does it matter, or why is it important? (Doctrines, Principles, Christlike Attributes)

• Christlike Attribute: “I look for opportunities to serve others. (Mosiah 2:17)” (Charity and Love)
  • “[17] And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”

What’s in it for us? (Promises)

• No promises identified.

How will we take action? (Directives, Personal Revelation)

• President Dallin H. Oaks, “The Need for a Church“, October 2021 General Conference: “Some say that attending church meetings is not helping them. Some say, ‘I didn’t learn anything today’ or ‘No one was friendly to me’ or ‘I was offended.’ Personal disappointments should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served. With this in mind, another member described the focus of his Church attendance:
  
  “‘Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church. No longer do I go to church for my sake, but to think of others. I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, … to volunteer for an assignment. …
  
  “‘In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active, not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives.’
  
  “President Spencer W. Kimball taught that ‘we do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility. … If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord.'”
• Mitch: Oftentimes, I serve out of duty rather than out of love. I will prioritize “serving others for the Savior CHEERFULLY” (see General Conference Applied S5 E4).

“If you have already shown, through baptism, through making covenants with God, your desire to ‘come into the fold of God, and to be called his people,’ thank you for being part of this great and divine work and for helping to make the Church of Jesus Christ what the Savior wants it to be.

“As I learned from my friend in Germany, our love for God and His children is a powerful testimony to the world that this is truly the Savior’s Church.

“May God bless us to patiently but diligently seek to live up to the ideals our Savior, Redeemer, and Master has set for us—so all will know that we are His disciples. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

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 April 2025 General Conference address that was delivered by Elder David A. Bednar and was entitled “The Times of Restitution of All Things.”

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, and to like and share our content on social media.

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

Belonging | Discipleship | Love | Unity

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“As a Little Child” by President Jeffrey R. Holland)

Next Podcast Episode (“The Times of Restitution of All Things” by Elder David A. Bednar)

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