Sunday, September 11, 2011

Church Services This Week at Sullivan Hollow Second Ward Weber Heights Stake Ogden Utah September 9-11-2011


Elders Quorum
"Chapter 41: The Postmortal Spirit World," Gospel Principles, (2009)
The post mortal world (paradise and prison) is a foyer to an eternal existence.

“Apparently the spirit world is incorporated with the physical world. The earth has a spirit in it just as our physical bodies have spirits in them. Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote that the spirit world ‘is here on the very planet where we were born; or in other words, the earth and other planets of like sphere, have their inward or spiritual spheres, as well as their outward, or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles, and the other by spirits. A veil is drawn between the one sphere and the other, whereby all the objects in the spiritual sphere are rendered invisible to those in the temporal.’ (Key to Theology, 9th ed., Deseret Book, 1965, pp. 126–27.)” (Ensign January 1977, THE SPIRIT WORLD, OUR NEXT HOME)

“Spirit beings have the same bodily form as mortals except that the spirit body is in perfect form (see Ether 3:16). Spirits carry with them from earth their attitudes of devotion or antagonism toward things of righteousness (see Alma 34:34). They have the same appetites and desires that they had when they lived on earth. All spirits are in adult form. They were adults before their mortal existence, and they are in adult form after death, even if they die as infants or children (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 131–32).” (Gospel Principles Chapter 41: The Postmortal Spirit World)





This life is a school and a test.  We are taught and prepared through the life experience for the responsibilities and blessings of eternal life.  When we go to elementary, high school, and college, depending on how we do determines how successful we are in the level of education and in finding and keeping a job.




Even though one of the parts of the post mortal life is paradise, it is not a fulness of eternal life.

Sunday School
The Corinthians had some problems:
-Being converted to the missionary that taught them and not the
gospel.  This caused divisions because people would say pridefully
that They are a convert of Paul or of this person or that.
-Greek philosophy
-They did not like the idea of being trapped in a body, so the
resurrection is hard for them.
-Being influenced by the god of war and Aphrodite, so they have
violence and morality issues.  Perhaps not too different than our day.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

There was some discussion about our bodies being a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit and some folks started to explore it from the perspective  that our body is not our own, but belongs to God.

They started related our bodies to being rentals, since it belongs to God and he has given it to us to use.  I have heard that a lot, but as I listened I started feel like if we are going to make a comparison like that, it is more like a company car.  We are given it to do company business with.  The company (Heavenly Father) buys the car, pays for the gas, and so forth.  We are to take car of it and not abuse it.  If we use it for our own purposes or in ways that are against company policy, there are consequences.

Again, its sole purpose it to further the business of the company.  If we use it for non company business we may lose it or our job may have to pay for it ourselves or at the very least will have to pay for the gas and repairs.

If we use our bodies for God's purposes then the Holy Ghost can dwell there.


Sacrament Service
Do we just go to church or do we worship?

Worship is to connect with God in deep and powerful ways,

We should incorporate the reverence of the temple into our Sunday worship.

“Followers of Christ are invited to ‘gather,’ ‘stand in holy places,’ and ‘be not moved’ (D&C 45:32; 87:8; 101:22; see also 2 Chronicles 35:5; Matthew 24:15). These holy places include temples, homes, and chapels. The presence of the Spirit and the behavior of those within these physical structures are what make them ‘holy places.’” (Church Handbook of Instructions Book 2, 1.4.1 Strengthening the Home)



Elder Robert C. Oaks, Worship through Reverence, Ensign, Dec 2009, 20–23
"Much of what we say in the Church about reverence usually focuses on being quiet in places of worship, with special emphasis on children being quiet. Certainly, quiet is a key part of reverence, but the full, rich meaning of the concept of reverence includes much more than the absence of noise and commotion. Quiet does not necessarily equal reverence."



From the Bulletin
"The ordinance of the sacrament makes sacrament meeting the most sacred and important meeting in the Church. It is the only Sabbath meeting the entire family can attend together. Its content, in addition to the sacrament, should always be planned and presented to focus our attention on the Atonement and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. ...During sacrament meeting — and especially during the sacrament service — we should concentrate on worship and refrain from all other activities, especially from behavior that could interfere with the worship of others. Even a person who slips into quiet slumber does not interfere with others. Sacrament meeting is not a time for reading books or magazines. Young people, it is not a time for whispered conversations on cell phones or for texting persons at other locations. When we partake of the sacrament, we make a sacred covenant that we will always remember the Savior. How sad to see persons obviously violating that covenant in the very meeting where they are making it."
Dallin H. Oaks, Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament, Ensign, Nov. 2008, 18-19


Teacher Development
The teacher gave the following handout.
{
Teaching the Gospel Seminar, September 11, 2011 Asking Questions and Facilitating Discussions
Helping individuals take personal responsibility for learning the gospel (p. 60-62) -Who is responsible for gospel learning?
-How can teachers assist in personal gospel study?
-How can our gospel classrooms reinforce the importance of personal gospel study?
Teaching with questions (p. 68-70)
-What is the purpose of teaching with questions?
-How do questions help others to learn the gospel?
-What are the different kinds of questions we can ask? When is each most appropriate?
Facilitating Discussions (p. 63-65)
-Why do we use discussions so often in gospel instruction — at least for adults? -What separates a good gospel class discussion from a poor one?
-What techniques can a teacher use to maximize the effectiveness of discussions? -What techniques can a teacher use to keep discussions from going off track?
}

I was so engrossed in the discussion that I did not get any notes.

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