Jesus Christ—the True Vine

Recognize Jesus Christ as the true and essential vine

Elder Soares teaches that Jesus Christ is the “true vine,” the only fully reliable and eternal source of spiritual nourishment for our souls. Through Him we receive strength, hope, joy, and the fruits of the Spirit. Just as branches cannot live or bear fruit apart from the vine, we cannot reach our divine potential unless we remain connected to the Savior and His gospel.

“I am the true vine. … Ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

“Through this beautiful and moving metaphor, the Savior teaches that He is the true, trusted, and essential source of spiritual nourishment for our souls.”

“Through Him, we receive strength beyond our own not only to survive the challenges of life but to grow and thrive.”

“Therefore, just as the branches cannot bear fruit of themselves unless they remain connected to the vine, neither can we reach our full spiritual measure unless we abide in Him and His gospel.”

“In this sacred Easter season, I solemnly testify that Jesus Christ is the True Vine. He lives.”

• According to Elder Soares, what does the metaphor of the true vine teach about Jesus Christ?
• Why can branches not bear fruit apart from the vine?
• What does Elder Soares say we receive through Christ?
• How does remaining connected to Christ affect our spiritual growth?
• When have I felt spiritual strength come from the Savior rather than from myself alone?
• What helps me feel most connected to Jesus Christ?
• What signs show that I am drawing spiritual nourishment from the True Vine?
• What can I do this week to center my life more deliberately on the Savior?

Choose daily to abide in Christ

Abiding in Christ is a steady, intentional pattern of discipleship rather than an occasional religious act. Elder Soares explains that it means letting the Savior’s teachings shape our thoughts, words, online behavior, and actions. It also means living by our covenants, following the influence of the Holy Ghost, and choosing the voice of Christ and His servants over the voices of the world.

“Abiding in Christ is not an occasional or casual act; it is a constant, conscious, and sacred choice.”

“It is allowing His holy teachings to abide in us, elevating our thoughts and governing our words in every setting—including the digital spaces where we so often interact—and purifying and consecrating our actions unto Him.”

“It is letting our daily choices be guided by the covenants we have made with Him and allowing our lives to be directed by His loving and constant influence through the Holy Ghost.”

“It is choosing to listen to His voice and the voice of His servants and following what they teach, above all the enticing voices of the world.”

“Abide in me, and I in you.”

• How does Elder Soares define abiding in Christ?
• What role do covenants play in abiding in Christ?
• How does the Holy Ghost help us remain connected to the Savior?
• What does abiding in Christ look like in digital spaces?
• Why is it important to choose the Savior’s voice over other voices?
• How are my daily choices showing that I want to abide in Christ?
• What changes should I make in my thoughts, words, or online habits to better reflect His teachings?
• How can I be more intentional in remembering and honoring my covenants each day?
• When have I felt the Holy Ghost directing me toward the Savior?
• What is one specific way I can listen more carefully to the Lord’s servants this week?

Receive strength and transformation through Christ

Elder Soares emphasizes that abiding in Christ does not eliminate mortal burdens, but it does change how we carry them. Through the Savior’s grace, our burdens become lighter and our hearts are strengthened with peace and comfort. As we walk with Him, endure with His help, and take His yoke upon us, He enables us to overcome trials, weakness, and sorrow and become spiritually renewed.

“Abiding in Christ does not remove the burdens of life, but through His grace they are made lighter, and our hearts are strengthened by the comfort and peace He promises.”

“As we place ourselves in His loving care and take upon us His yoke, we receive the spiritual power to endure and overcome the trials, weaknesses, and sorrows of mortality—burdens often too heavy to bear without His redeeming help and healing influence.”

“The Apostle John taught that he who ‘abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.’”

“The Apostle Paul likewise testified, ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.’”

• What does Elder Soares teach about the relationship between abiding in Christ and life’s burdens?
• How does the Savior help us with trials, weaknesses, and sorrows?
• What does it mean to walk “even as he walked”?
• How does being “in Christ” change a person?
• What burden in my life do I need to place more fully in the Savior’s care?
• When have I felt Christ make a heavy trial lighter?
• In what ways is the Lord helping me become a “new creature”?
• What would it look like for me to walk more as the Savior walked in my current circumstances?

Discern false voices and reject counterfeit vines

A major warning in the talk is that many voices in the world imitate truth or appear spiritually appealing while drawing people away from Christ. Elder Soares describes these influences as tangled vines rooted in worldly philosophies and spread through media. They may promise happiness, security, or authenticity, but they cannot nourish the soul and often produce doubt, division, and spiritual loss.

“The word true suggests that there are, in the world, other vines that present themselves as legitimate, even appearing to represent the loving voice and word of the Savior, the True Vine, and His gospel, while subtly and deviously leading minds and hearts elsewhere.”

“We live in a world filled with many voices—voices that relentlessly seek our attention and offer persuasive messages and invitations.”

“Others are attractive in appearance but lack substance. Still others are misleading and may even appear to be connected to Christ and His gospel.”

“Over time, many of these voices grow into tangled vines, rooted in popular philosophies and spread through various forms of media.”

“They promise security, happiness, or authenticity, yet they cannot satisfy the soul.”

“Often, they quietly introduce doubt and division—first in the mind and then in the heart—leading to spiritual loss and sorrow.”

“Although becoming entangled in such voices may feel exciting at first, it ultimately draws us toward fleeting worldly pursuits and weakens our connection to the True and Living Vine, Jesus Christ.”

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

• Why does Elder Soares emphasize the word “true” in the phrase “true vine”?
• What characteristics do false or counterfeit vines often have?
• What effects can worldly voices have on the mind and heart?
• Why can these voices never truly satisfy the soul?
• How do such influences weaken our connection to Jesus Christ?
• What voices most often compete for my attention and trust?
• Are there ideas, media habits, or influences in my life that subtly weaken my connection to Christ?
• How have I seen doubt or division begin through repeated exposure to misleading messages?
• What boundaries can I set to avoid becoming entangled in counterfeit vines?
• How can I better evaluate whether a message is leading me toward Christ or away from Him?

Use modern tools with spiritual discernment

Elder Soares acknowledges the reality of living in a technological age and teaches that wisdom lies in using modern tools under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Technology can be useful, but it must never replace the rightful voice of Jesus Christ. True safety and salvation come only through the Redeemer, whose path leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the next.

“True wisdom in our technological day is found in using modern tools with spiritual discernment—through the Holy Ghost—without allowing them to replace the rightful voice of the True Vine.”

“Only our Redeemer can truly redeem us.”

“He is the way, the truth, and the life of the world.”

“His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come.”

“Jesus Christ is the way. … ‘There shall be no other name given, nor any other way nor means, whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.’”

• What does Elder Soares teach about technology and spiritual discernment?
• Why must modern tools never replace the Savior’s voice?
• What does it mean that only the Redeemer can truly redeem us?
• How does Elder Soares describe the Savior’s way?
• How am I using technology in ways that support rather than weaken my discipleship?
• When do digital tools help me hear the Savior’s voice, and when do they distract me from it?
• What role does the Holy Ghost play in how I use media and technology?
• What specific adjustment could I make to ensure Christ’s voice remains first in my life?

Receive spiritual fruit by coming directly to Christ

The talk teaches that the Savior offers blessings far greater than worldly recognition or acclaim. He invites us to come unto Him through His words and through the words of His authorized servants. As we receive spiritual nourishment directly from Him, the fruits of the gospel grow in us and we come to experience His light, life, hope, and the promise of eternal happiness with God.

“The True Vine offers something far greater and eternal than visibility or acclaim—the promise to ‘dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.’”

“With patience and perfect love, He continues to invite us to come unto Him through His words and the words of those whom He has called and ordained to represent Him, to speak in His name, and to testify of Him.”

“If we desire to bring forth good fruit, as the Savior taught, we need to receive our spiritual nourishment directly from the True Vine, for He is the source of all light and truth.”

“Only then do the precious fruits of the gospel grow in our souls, and only then do we find the true light, life, and hope that flow from Him.”

• What does the True Vine offer that the world cannot offer?
• How does the Savior invite us to come unto Him?
• Why is it important to receive spiritual nourishment directly from Christ?
• What fruits grow in the soul of someone who abides in Him?
• What kind of fruit do I hope the Lord will help grow in my life?
• How can I seek spiritual nourishment more directly from the Savior through scripture, prayer, and covenant living?
• Am I seeking visibility or acclaim in ways that distract me from eternal blessings?
• When have I felt the light, life, or hope that flows from Jesus Christ?

Invite the Savior to abide with you

Using the account of the road to Emmaus, Elder Soares shows that transformation begins with desire and invitation. The two disciples asked the resurrected Lord to stay with them, and as a result their hearts were changed, their eyes were opened, and they became witnesses of the living Christ. This teaches that we must actively invite the Savior into our lives if we want to know Him more fully.

“After His Resurrection, Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus.”

“[The Savior] made as though he would have gone further. But [the two disciples] constrained him, saying, Abide with us.”

“Those disciples invited the resurrected Savior to abide with them.”

“Without first the desire and then the invitation, their hearts would not have been transformed, their eyes would not have been opened to recognize Him, and they would not have returned to Jerusalem to bear witness of the living Christ—the True Vine.”

• What did the disciples on the road to Emmaus do that led to greater spiritual understanding?
• Why are desire and invitation important in coming to know the Savior?
• What blessings followed when the disciples asked the Lord to abide with them?
• How does this account relate to abiding in Christ today?
• How am I inviting the Savior to abide with me personally?
• What desires in my heart show that I truly want to know Him better?
• When have my eyes been opened to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life?
• What can I do to make my home and heart a place where the Savior is welcome?

Hear the Savior’s voice through His servants

Elder Soares teaches that those who abide in Christ learn to recognize and trust His voice, especially as it comes through authorized servants. He shares a sacred personal experience of feeling the Savior’s love and assurance through Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. This witness reinforces that the Lord ministers through His anointed servants and that listening to them helps us remain connected to the True Vine.

“In a world of many voices, remaining connected to the True Vine is not merely desirable; it is essential to our spiritual survival.”

“Those who abide in Jesus Christ come to recognize and trust His voice, especially as it is spoken through those He has called to represent Him.”

“In that sacred moment, I felt the Savior ministering in love to me through the voice of one of His anointed servants.”

“I felt the peace and comforting assurance flowing from the True Vine.”

“Elder Holland’s life and mighty ministry testify that as we hear the Savior’s voice through His servants and abide in Him—the True Vine—we bring forth much fruit, ‘for without [Him we] can do nothing.’”

• How do people who abide in Christ come to recognize His voice?
• What does Elder Soares teach about the role of the Savior’s servants?
• What did Elder Soares learn from his experience with Elder Holland?
• Why is hearing the Savior’s voice through His servants essential in a world of many voices?
• How have I felt the Savior speak to me through prophets, apostles, or other authorized servants?
• What recent counsel from the Lord’s servants do I need to act on more fully?
• How can I prepare my heart to recognize the Savior’s voice in general conference and other inspired messages?
• What experiences can I record where I felt peace and assurance through the words of the Lord’s servants?

Trust the living Christ and His redeeming power

Elder Soares concludes with a clear Easter testimony that Jesus Christ lives, rose from the dead, and has real redeeming power. He affirms that the Savior’s voice is the voice of truth and life and that Christ lovingly invites all to abide in Him. As we continue in His love, we can recognize His power in our lives, feel God’s love perfected in us, and know that we are in Him.

“In this sacred Easter season, I solemnly testify that Jesus Christ is the True Vine.”

“He lives. He rose from the dead, and His redeeming power is real.”

“I bear witness that His voice is the voice of truth and life.”

“With perfect love, He invites all to abide in Him and to continue in His love that we may recognize His power in our lives, that God’s love may be perfected in us, and that we may know that we are in Him.”

• What truths does Elder Soares testify of about the resurrected Savior?
• What does he say about the Savior’s voice?
• What blessings come as we continue in Christ’s love?
• How does the Resurrection strengthen the message of Christ as the True Vine?
• How has my testimony of the living Christ grown through this talk?
• When have I felt the Savior’s redeeming power in my life?
• What helps me recognize His voice as truth and life?
• How can I continue more fully in His love during this Easter season and beyond?