Hastening the Work of Salvation: Explained

The "Hastening the Work" is a time that we, as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been told about since the start of 'the Restoration'(don't sleep through it!~ Be informed).  

"Do you realize that the restored Church was 98 years old before it had 100 stakes? But less than 30 years later, the Church had organized its second 100 stakes. And only eight years after that the Church had more than 300 stakes. 

Today we are more than 3,000 stakes strong.

Why is this growth taking place at an accelerated rate? Is it because we are better known? Is it because we have lovely chapels?

These things are important, but the reason the Church is growing today is that the Lord indicated it would. In the Doctrine and Covenants, He said, “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.” 

We, as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, were sent to earth at this time that we might participate in hastening this great work."  -Thomas S. Monson, "Hastening The Work" (Emphasis Added)

There is a yearly broadcast called 'Worldwide Leadership Training' which includes instruction on missionary service, serving as a bishop, auxiliary leadership, and the duties of a stake president and patriarch.

In 2013 broadcast titled, "The Work of Salvation", it was announced that the work is being hastened!

It seemed like a pretty big deal at the time for all of us missionaries, after all, in that broadcast we were told we would start having access to Facebook, blogs, and ipads!

But then nothing happened(that we saw) for several months and the hype died down.

...

Then, a general authority, Elder W. Craig Zwick, came to our area for a mission-wide conference and told us that this so-called 'Hastening of the work' is something to get excited about!  

That conference was fantastic!~  It got us pumped.  It prepared us for the oncoming wave!~

Elder Zwick taught us many things during this day long conference but to me, one thing stuck out among the rest:

This is serious business. 

The 'hastening of the work' is real.  The Lord is trusting us, a bunch of young men and women Elders and Sisters(there's a difference), with the task of helping His children to come closer to him.  

He is trusting us to be the undertow of 'the Wave'.

Now, missionaries have access to the internet for teaching purposes and missionary work across the board has increased.

The purpose of a missionary is to-

"Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

So success is measured in invitations given, not invitations accepted!~  

Technology also plays a major role in the Hastening of the Work. Randall L. Ridd stated,

"The divine purpose of technology IS to hasten the work of salvation. As members of the choice generation, you understand technology. Use it to accelerate your progress toward perfection. Because you have been given much, you too must give (see “Because I Have Been Given Much,” Hymns, no. 219). The Lord expects you to use these great tools to take His work to the next level, to share the gospel in ways that are beyond my generation’s wildest imagination. Where generations past influenced their neighbors and their town, you have the power through the Internet and social media to reach beyond borders and influence the whole world."

BUT WAIT:  There's more!~

Hastening the Work of Salvation is not limited to Full-Time or member missionaries on this side of the veil!

Family History(Genealogy) is also part of the 'Hastening of the Work' as President Monson stated in a recent Ensign article,

"The Lord has never, to my knowledge, indicated that His work is confined to mortality. Rather, His work embraces eternity. I believe He is hastening His work in the spirit world. I also believe that the Lord, through His servants there, is preparing many spirits to receive the gospel. Our job is to search out our dead and then go to the temple and perform the sacred ordinances that will bring to those beyond the veil the same opportunities we have.
Every good Latter-day Saint in the spirit world is busy, said President Brigham Young (1801–77). 'What are they doing there? They are preaching, preaching all the time, and preparing the way for us to hasten our work in building temples here and elsewhere.'"

If you want to learn more about how to do your own Family History Work or where to begin, go 'here' to create an account and 'here' to access some FREE tutorials on Facebook!

I simply want to say that I know that the Hastening of the Work is real and that all of us can participate in it.  I simply wish to echo Pres. Uchtdorf's words, "Come, join with us" in this monumental undertaking!

To close, a quote from President Monson's "Welcome to Conference" from 2013,

“The holy scriptures contain no proclamation more relevant, no responsibility more binding, no instruction more direct than the injunction given by the resurrected Lord as He appeared in Galilee to the eleven disciples. Said He, ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’ [Matthew 28:19]."

EXTRA STUDY FUN: (If you happen to want to learn more...)

Why We Share the Gospel

The Choice Generation

Roots and Branches

Hastening the Work of Salvation

Preparing for the Coming of Our Lord

"Hastening the Work of Salvation" Is More than a Catchphrase

The Book of Mormon, the Gathering of Israel, and the Second Coming