Sunday, February 13, 2011

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah February 2-13-2011

Genesis 1 - The creation of the earth.

The word create in Genesis is the Greek word for fashion.

There is a lot of detail in genesis as to what was done.  Why is it described in such detail and told of happening over 6 days if he just spoke and it happened in an instant?  It shows the eternal principle of hard work.


The instructor said that he was going to cover a few stories from the the New Testament and if he didn't get to our favorite ones he apologized, but since we were in charge of having family home evening  tomorrow night, so we can cover what he misses there.

The men that the savior was chastising for being of little faith of the boat in the storm are apostles.  How much more do we waver in our lives?

We think about how Martin Harris could do the things he did after what he had seen and what he knew.  How can we do the things we do after what we have seen and what we know?


Pray, study, ponder

Doctrine and Covenants 112:10
10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.

Becoming steadfast
Mosiah 5:15
15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

Going to the temple we learn about God's plan and our role in it.

“I encourage you to establish your own goal of how frequently you will avail yourself of the ordinances offered in our operating temples. What is there that is more important than attending and participating in the ordinances of the temple? What activity could have a greater impact and provide more joy and profound happiness for a couple than worshipping together in the temple?” (Richard G. Scott, Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need, April 2009 General Conference)

“In the peace of these lovely temples, sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. Under the influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there. Temples are places of personal revelation. When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers. These answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways” (“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 8).

From the Bulletin
"Be One Hundred Percent" "So what does it mean to obey the commandments, to keep our covenants, and to serve the Lord with `thee tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime? It means to be a 100 percent Latter-day Saint, 100 percent of the time. In scriptural terms, it means to follow the direction King Benjamin gave to his people: "I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his"(Mosiah 5:15)." Elder Dallin H. Oaks



Teacher Development Class
“We believe it is necessary that men in this age should live and act and be in touch with God the Father and with the Son, and that they should know them, whom to know is eternal life. We believe in order to know them and be in touch with them it is necessary in this age that we should live as the Saints did in ancient times, so that we may enjoy the same blessings which they did, and be taught of Him day by day, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until we come to a knowledge of the Father and know Him for ourselves. It is impossible for me to know for you, or for any man to know for me. The Spirit of God does not reveal to you the Gospel, or bear witness to you of the Father, for me. I cannot save you; you cannot save me. No man can be a savior in this sense to any other man. Yet the man who has the testimony of the Spirit in his heart and who has a knowledge of the first principles of the Gospel may declare them to another, and by so declaring another soul may be convinced of the truth and be led to embrace it for himself. But it is his obedience to the Gospel and his own works of righteousness which save him, and not those of the man that bears testimony to him. It is only in this way that the man can be saved.” (“Discourse by President Joseph F. Smith,” Millennial Star, 19 Sept. 1895, 596–97.)

Hymns are prayers.  If we don't sing all verses are we cutting the prayer short.

The primary song Teach Me to Walk in the Light talks about “Come, little child, and together we’ll learn”.  It doesn’t say come little child and listen to me teach you.  Verse 2 and 3 talk about always and gladly walking in the light.

The teacher gave us a handout that had the following information from a talk by President Uchtdorf.
{Begin handout}
Teaching Is Opportunity to Follow Christ, President Uchtdort Says
"Each of us, at some time during our membership in the Church, will be a teacher," President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, told seminary, institute, and religion teachers and educational administrators at a Church Educational System fireside. "That is one of the beauties of this Church," he said. "The call to teach is an opportunity to follow Jesus Christ, the Master Teacher."

The fireside was held at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 28, 2011. President Uchtdorf offered five selected topics of counsel for teachers:

First, follow the Master Teacher. Everything we do should center on the Savior—"His gospel, His teachings, His example, and His love." By expressing our love for the Savior, we help others to develop the same love.

Second, teach the truth with courage and clarity. The world offers many morally-confusing philosophies. Remain committed to the eternal, unchanging doctrines of the gospel and teach them so clearly that they cannot be misunderstood.

Third, teach by the Spirit. Having the Spirit enables teachers to touch hearts and lives and allows those listening to receive eternal learning.

Fourth, teach from the heart. President Uchtdorf recalled the greatest teachers in his life as those who spoke "spirit to spirit, heart to heart.. . with sincerity, passion, and conviction."

Fifth, testify. "The teacher who bears testimony by the power of the Spirit will be able to touch the hearts and minds of the students," President Uchtdorf said. He reminded teachers of the example of Brigham Young, the second president of the Church, who felt the Holy Ghost in the testimony of a man without eloquence or talents for public speaking. He quoted Brigham Young: "The Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual [illuminated] my understanding . . . and [I knew] for myself that the testimony of the man [was] true."

In the beginning of his address, President Uchtdorf said we live in a time of fulfillment of prophecy, when the gospel will be spread unto all the world, and that modern technology will help in that process. However, "as miraculous as these new technologies may seem, they are only a small part of the fulfillment of the Lord's prophecies." An even greater miracle, he said, is bringing the gospel into people's hearts. "To accomplish this," he said, "we need something even more miraculous than modern technology. We need effective, loving teachers."

As he was leaving the Tabernacle, President Uchtdorf endeared himself to the congregation by waving farewell and then placed his hand on his heart in a gesture of love, appreciation, and support for the teachers in the Church.
{End handout}


When and where do we teach?
Doctrine and Covenants 50:13-14
13 Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained?
14 To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.

3 Nephi 18:24
24 Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:78
78 Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

1 Nephi 19:23
23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

What are we to teach?
Doctrine and Covenants 42:12
12 And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the gospel.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:78
“Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand”

Alma 5:45–46
“And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?” His answer, which sets a pattern for all teachers, is: “Behold, I say unto you [that] they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me”

Alma 5:45
“Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Gospel Teaching" October 1999
I have sometimes observed teachers who gave the designated chapter no more than a casual mention and then presented a lesson and invited discussion on other materials of the teacher's choice. That is not acceptable. A gospel teacher is not called to choose the subject of the lesson but to teach and discuss what has been specified. Gospel teachers should also be scrupulous to avoid hobby topics, personal speculations, and controversial subjects. The Lord's revelations and the directions of His servants are clear on this point. We should all be mindful of President Spencer W. Kimball's great instruction that a gospel teacher is a "guest":

"He has been given an authoritative position and a stamp of approval is placed upon him, and those whom he teaches are justified in assuming that, having been chosen and sustained in the proper order, he represents the Church and the things which he teaches are approved by the Church. No matter how brilliant he may be and how many new truths he may think he has found, he has no right to go beyond the program of the Church."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "A Teacher come from God" April 1998
Most people don't come to church looking merely for a few new gospel facts or to see old friends, though all of that is important. They come seeking a spiritual experience. They want peace. They want their faith fortified and their hope renewed. They want, in short, to be nourished by the good word of God, to be strengthened by the powers of heaven. Those of us who are called upon to speak or teach or lead have an obligation to help provide that, as best we possibly can. We can only do that if we ourselves are striving to know God, if we ourselves are continually seeking the light of His Only Begotten Son. Then, if our hearts are right, if we are as clean as we can be, if we have prayed and wept and prepared and worried until we don't know what more we can do, God can say to us as He did to Alma and the sons of Mosiah: "Lift up thy head and rejoice. . . . I will give unto you success."

When crises come in our lives--and they will--the philosophies of men interlaced with a few scriptures and poems just won't do. Are we really nurturing our youth and our new members in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie--spiritually empty calories? President John Taylor once called such teaching "fried froth," the kind of thing you could eat all day and yet finish feeling totally unsatisfied. During a severe winter several years ago, President Boyd K. Packer noted that a goodly number of deer had died of starvation while their stomachs were full of hay. In an honest effort to assist, agencies had supplied the superficial when the substantial was what had been needed. Regrettably they had fed the deer but they had not nourished them.

I love what President J. Reuben Clark said of our youth well over a half century ago. The same thing can be said of new members. "[They] are hungry for the things of the spirit," he said; "they are eager to learn the Gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted. . . . ". . . You do not have to sneak up behind [them] and whisper religion in [their] ears; . . . you can bring these truths [out] openly."

Why do we teach?
Alma 12:28-32
28 And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;
29 Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.
30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.
31 Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—
32 Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.


How do we effectively teach?
DnC 50:17-22
17Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18 And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
19 And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20 If it be some other way it is not of God.
21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.



2 Nephi 33:1
1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

Section 5.5 of the Church Handbook of Instructions Book 2.


From the Bulletin
"Be One Hundred Percent" `'So what does it mean to obey the commandments, to keep our covenants, and to serve the Lord with 'the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime? It means to be a 100 percent Latter-day Saint, 100 percent of the time. In scriptural terms, it means to follow the direction King Benjamin gave to his people: "I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his"(Mosiah 5:15)." Elder Dallin H. Oaks

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