November 20, 2025, 4:00 AM MST
Editor’s note: To support individual and family gospel study, Church News is publishing articles about the October 2025 general conference messages. In addition to checking out these resources, we encourage you to listen and read the entire address.
About this lecture
“The Power of Serving One Person” Elder Peter M. Johnson | General Authority Seventy October 2025 General Conference Sunday Morning Session. Theme: Latter-day Saints serve others by inviting them to come unto Christ and worship in the Lord’s house. Read the full message here. Read a summary of Elder Johnson’s message here.
overview
In October 2024, President Russell M. Nelson encouraged all people to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and make discipleship a priority. He also encouraged regular temple worship and promised that “every sincere seeker” would find the Savior there. By serving others in the Savior’s path, believers can become devoted disciples of Christ and help others become devoted disciples of Christ. Jesus Christ lovingly ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well. (See John 4:5-26.) She felt the Lord’s love and received a testimony through the Holy Spirit that He was the Messiah. Christ’s apostles Peter and John ministered to a lame man outside the temple. (See Acts 3:1-8.) Peter healed the man, raised him to his feet, and the apostles walked with him into the temple. As a young missionary and new member of the Church, Elder Johnson learned that at one time members of black African descent were denied all the blessings of temple worship. This caused confusion and doubt, but the love of the patient and compassionate companions who served him gave Elder Johnson the courage to pray for direction. As Elder Johnson prayed, he was drawn to Doctrine and Covenants 6:21-23. It says, “Remember the night when you cried out to me in your heart” (verse 22). Elder Johnson recalled the day he fasted and prayed to know that the principles of the doctrine were true. He felt the love and mercy of the Savior, which enabled him to recognize the Spirit and more fully understand that Jesus is the Christ. Those who have unanswered questions, discouragement, and doubt can take heart and move forward in faith. Following the doctrines of Christ helps ensure that ministering is the Savior’s way and is most effective. Studying the scriptures daily and participating in the sacrament weekly increases our ability to live the doctrines of Christ.
reflection questions
How can we serve “the one”? What concrete plans can you make to serve them this week?
What actions can you take each day to more fully live the doctrine of Christ?
How can we become dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ and help each other?
How can I minister most effectively?
What can we learn from the Savior’s example of ministering that we can apply in our own ministering?
speaker’s words
“Christ served others in love so that others became His devoted disciples.” “Sometimes we have unanswered questions and feelings of being unimportant, discouraged, alone and unseen. But, my friends, we must move forward in faith in Jesus Christ.” “Our ability to live the doctrine of Christ is enhanced by daily study of the Book of Mormon and weekly participation in the sacrament.”
Reference scripture
“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God; I am the same that came to me, and mine received me not; I am a light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not understand it. Truly, truly, I say to you, , If you desire further testimony, remember the night when you cried to me in your heart to know the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your heart in this matter? What is a greater testimony than this?” “Peace I leave with you; I give to you; not as the world gives, but give to you; do not be troubled; do not be afraid.”
invitation and promise
“Each week in prayer and participation in the sacrament deepens our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and brings spiritual renewal, comfort, and the power of godliness into our lives. Remember that ‘the power of godliness is manifested in the ordinances of the (priesthood)” (D&C 84:20). This power that comes from Jesus Christ strengthens our desire and ability to serve the One.” “We invite that person to come to Jesus Christ and worship in His house and receive His saving power and love. We feel that we will feel (the Savior’s) mercy and have answers to (our) most questions.” (And we will) better understand the joy of His gospel. ”
story
In John 4, a Samaritan woman came to the well alone during the hottest part of the day in Samaria. She may have felt unimportant, lonely, discouraged, and unseen. Jesus Christ visited this woman, taught her how to receive eternal life, proclaimed Himself to be the Messiah, and served her with love. After this testimony of Christ, she returned to the city and invited others to come and see Christ. Many believed that the Jesus she accompanied was the very Savior. In Acts 3, a man who was lame from birth lay at the temple gate every day asking for money. This man may have felt unimportant, lonely, discouraged, and unseen. Peter, one of Christ’s apostles, commanded the man to “get up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter took the man by the hand and helped him to his feet, and the man became healthy. Immediately after the miracle, the man entered the temple with Peter and John. Elder Johnson was baptized and confirmed when he was 19 years old. A year later, he accepted a call to serve as a full-time missionary, but there was still much he had yet to learn about the history of the Church. During my mission, I learned that there was a time when black African men were not allowed to enjoy all the blessings of worship in the Lord’s house. This knowledge brought feelings of confusion, anger, and doubt, and an inability to recognize the Holy Spirit. But with the help of prayer, the Spirit, and loving companions who taught him kindly, his doubts faded over time.
From footnote
3. Historically, most people visited Jacob’s well early in the morning. It was a place to gather and socialize with each other. The Samaritan woman came alone to Jacob’s well at the middle of the day and at the warmest hour, the sixth hour of noon. Arriving at this time may indicate how she perceived how others felt about her and how she felt about herself. This experience (according to Elder Johnson’s mission) is detailed in Peter M. Johnson (Elder), “Applying the Doctrine of Jesus Christ to Our Lives” (Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional, March 14, 2023) byui.edu.16. The doctrine of Christ consists of five interrelated elements: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, receiving ordinances and keeping covenants, sanctification by the Holy Spirit, and endurance to the end. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the principle of action and the power of God. Repentance is exercising faith in Christ by turning our hearts and souls to Him. Repentance is not punishment. It is a process of being spiritually born of Jesus and receiving His image in our faces. Receiving ordinances and keeping the covenants we have made with God and Christ brings us closer to their power and love and enables us to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The final element of Christ’s doctrine is to endure to the end. It is living out each element of Christ’s doctrine “again and again” so that we can help each other to become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ and to feel His joy as we worship in His house. (See Elder Dale G. Renlund, “The Powerful Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ,” in April 2024 general conference; see also President Russell M. Nelson, “Overcoming the World and Finding Rest” in October 2022 general conference.)
additional resources
Talks at recent conferences on ministering
Who is Elder Johnson?
Elder Peter M. Johnson was sustained by the General Authority Seventy in April 2019 general conference. Elder Johnson was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in a religiously diverse family. During his tenure, he served as an associate professor at BYU-Hawaii, an assistant professor of accounting at BYU, and an associate professor of accounting at the University of Alabama.
