Stake leaders and bishops…
While Vivienne and I were personally in the session last Saturday in General Conference when opposition was registered during the sustaining of the First Presidency, I assume all of you were witnesses of it, too, via TV.
As you know, this is very rare, but certainly not without precedent (see http://ldsliving.com/story/78523-dissenting-votes-at-conference-everything-you-need-to-know).
If members of our stake ask you about the incident, I encourage you to share with them the very timely talk given by Elder Russell M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, just six months ago in the October 2014 General Conference: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/sustaining-the-prophets?lang=eng
In his message he states:
"When we sustain prophets and other leaders, we invoke the law of common consent, for the Lord said, 'it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.' (D&C 42:11)
"This gives us, as members of the Lord's Church, confidence and faith as we strive to keep the scriptural injunction to heed the Lord's voice as it comes through the voice of His servants the prophets. All leaders in the Lord's Church are called by proper authority. No prophet or any other leader in this Church, for that matter, has ever called himself or herself.
"No prophet has ever been elected. The Lord made that clear when He said, 'Ye have chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you.' You and I do not 'vote' on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them."
"When we sustain prophets and other leaders, we invoke the law of common consent, for the Lord said, 'it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.' (D&C 42:11)
"This gives us, as members of the Lord's Church, confidence and faith as we strive to keep the scriptural injunction to heed the Lord's voice as it comes through the voice of His servants the prophets. All leaders in the Lord's Church are called by proper authority. No prophet or any other leader in this Church, for that matter, has ever called himself or herself.
"No prophet has ever been elected. The Lord made that clear when He said, 'Ye have chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you.' You and I do not 'vote' on Church leaders at any level. We do, though, have the privilege of sustaining them."
May we appreciate the blessing of living in a day of Prophets on the earth and the privilege it is to sustain them in the same way we make covenants.
President Lewis
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