Note: As the Church has said, the manual has been prepared as the primary source of lesson material. This supplement, from a general conference address, is only meant as a complement to your study on this lesson’s topic.
Excerpt from "Who's on the Lord's Side? Who?," by Elder Robert C. Oaks, April 2005 General Conference:
In a recent conference talk, Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated: “These signs of the Second Coming are all around us and seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity. … While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to influence the preparation of those around us. We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 7–9).
And these statements of warning came well before a season of unprecedented hurricane destruction in the Caribbean area and the tsunami devastation in East Asia.
Our hymn “Who’s on the Lord’s Side?” instructs us, “Now is the time to show.” Now is the time to stand fast in our faith and on our principles, as did Captain Moroni. We are needed now, deacons, teachers, priests, bishops, elders, high priests, and patriarchs. Now is the time to show our appreciation for the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now is the time to show our faith through our obedience to such basic commandments as the laws of chastity and tithing, the Word of Wisdom, and keeping the Sabbath day holy.
Now is the time to warn our neighbors by sharing the gospel message with them. Now is the time to provide the world with an example of decency and modesty, an example of virtue and cleanliness. We should never squander our priesthood power, wallowing in the corruptive, corrosive filth and slime of pornography.
Now is the time to review the covenants we have made with the Lord at the waters of baptism, covenants we made when we accepted the oath and covenant of the priesthood, and covenants we have made in His holy temples.
Now is indeed the time to show we are on the Lord’s side.