I was asked to give a talk at the baptism of an adult convert this weekend. I spoke on the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
There were three components to my talk.
First, I used the scriptures Alma 34:17; Moro. 8:25; and 2 Ne. 31:17 to illustrate that it isn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t baptism that washes away our sins, at least not strictly speaking. Remission of our sins happens only after we go through a process of exercising faith, repenting, being baptized, and receiving the Holy Ghost. You can’t get baptized without the other three parts of the process and expect your sins to be remitted.
Second, I used 2 Ne 31:13,14,18; 32:2,5 to emphasize the importance of or having to receive the Holy Ghost. I included 2 Ne 31:12 to show the the Gift of the Holy Ghost has two parts: Heavenly Father?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s giving and our receiving.
Finally, I used John 14:26; 2 Ne 31:18; 2 Ne. 32:5; Moro. 10:5; and D&C 121:46 to list the roles of the Holy Ghost, namely: comforting us, teaching all things, helping us remember what Jesus has taught us, testifying of God and Jesus, directing our actions, bringing knowledge of truth to us, and being our constant companion.
sounds like a very well thought out talk!