Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 30 Jul 2017

Bulletin

“Stay humble; stay prayerful…And try to put your lives in order so when you are on your knees alone at night without anybody watching and you lift your voice to Heavenly Father, you can feel His direction.” (Elder Neil L. Andersen, Arizona State University, January 26, 2016)

Sacrament Service 

First Speaker

A young man spoke on visiting Cove Fort.

Next Speaker

A new couple in the ward spoke.

“Diversity and unity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in Gospel Topics on the Church’s website.

“We also read that “his blood atoneth for the sins of those … who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned” (Mosiah 3:11). Similarly, ‘the blood of Christ atoneth for [little children]’ (Mosiah 3:16). These teachings that the resurrecting and cleansing power of the Atonement is for all contradict the assertion that the grace of God saves only a chosen few. His grace is for all. These teachings of the Book of Mormon expand our vision and enlarge our understanding of the all-encompassing love of God and the universal effect of His Atonement for all men everywhere.”

…

One of the things I learned in this most recent reading of the Book of Mormon was how much God loves all of His children in every nation.

…

“Truly, the gospel is for all men everywhere—every nation, every people. All are invited.” (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “All Men Everywhere”, April 2006 General Conference)

Mosiah 4

7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.

She spoke of visiting the Swahili branch in Salt Lake City.

Next Speaker

He talked about that he served his mission in the Dominican Republic.

“‘He inviteth them all.’ We understand ‘male and female.’ We also understand “black and white,’ which means all races. But what about “bond and free’? Bond—the opposite of free—means more than slavery. It means being bound (in bondage) to anything from which it is difficult to escape. Bond includes those whose freedom is restricted by physical or emotional afflictions. Bond includes those who are addicted to some substance or practice. Bond surely refers to those who are imprisoned by sin—’encircled about’ by what another teaching of the Book of Mormon calls ‘the chains of hell’ (Alma 5:7). Bond includes those who are held down by traditions or customs contrary to the commandments of God (see Matt. 15:3–6; Mark 7:7–9; D&C 74:4–7; D&C 93:39). Finally, bond also includes those who are confined within the boundaries of other erroneous ideas. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that we preach to ‘liberate the captives.’Our Savior ‘inviteth … all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; … he denieth none that come unto him … ; and all are alike unto God.’” (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “All Men Everywhere”, April 2006)

Official Declaration 2 - Heading

Sunday School 

Adversity

The teacher referenced P255 in Revelations in Context book.

We have adversity to polish us.   Rocks that go through a tumbler or a river have intense knocking around, with many things banging into them, including other rocks. 

The teacher referenced On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion’s Camp By Elder David A. Bednar from the July 2017 Ensign.

Adversity does not always come as a punishment.  Whether for punishment or not it always comes because God loves us and knows what we need to be happy in the long term. 

If we are given struggles are we willing to accept them and stay with God or will face them with anger and bitterness without God. 

Joint Priesthood / RS Meeting 

The theme for the meeting was “Behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands… Built mansions for us all. “  It looks like this is taken from the song , Behold the Wounds in Jesus' Hands“

One criticism is that Mormons believe they can work their way to heaven. We definitely believe that we must work. We also believe that our effort is necessary and miniscule and we need Christ. 

Will what we do ever earn us salvation?  No.  Can what we do or not do keep us from salvation?  Yes. 

Moroni lived in such a terrible time of war. For him to give a message of hope in such circumstances, that is huge and should be an encouragement for us to be positive and hopeful when our trials are way less than Moroni. 

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 23 Jul 2017

Bulletin 

“We need to walk together as today's pioneers, living Christlike lives, supporting good causes in our communities, and strengthening our families and homes “ - Elder M Russell Ballard 

Sacrament Service 

First Speakers

One of the priests reported on AP Camp.  One of the YW reported on Daughters of Faith Camp.

Next Speaker

A new guy in the ward talked on faith.

DnC 78

17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

“Trust in the Lord. Live to have His Spirit, and let Him lead and guide you. But when uncertainty strikes—and it will—take comfort in the fact that the Lord trusts you and is giving you an opportunity to learn, grow, and become more like Him.

“One of the most important principles of the restored gospel is that we are not slaves of circumstance. We are free to choose—with all of the glorious responsibilities that come with that knowledge and power.

“So examine your desires, replace fear with faith, and glory in the mystery of your future. The future may be uncertain, but we can be sure that our efforts to face it with faith will be for our ‘profit and learning’ (2 Nephi 2:14).” (Megan Armknecht, “How to Face Uncertainty with Faith”, Ensign June 2017)

Next Speaker

A sister spoke about Corrianton and Zeezrom.

We have to receive the Holy Ghost.  We are given the Gift of the Holy Ghost, but we have to receive it.

The Holy Ghost is a guide, not a chauffeur.

The Holy Ghost is a comforter and also a bearer of truth.  As a bearer of truth, He sometimes has to chastise us.

Sunday School 

The teacher talked about the saint’s abuse they received in Missouri. 

Dnc 101
7 They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.

There were  some women and children in Zion’s camp. 

Elders Quorum 

 

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 16 Jul 2017

Bulletin 

Alma 37:37

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Sacrament Service 

First Speaker

One of the young men reported on scout camp from last week.

Next Speaker

A young man that is leaving for a mission to Madrid, Spain.

He spoke of Christopher Columbus coming from Spain to America.  He talked of how Columbus prepared the way for the restoration.

Next Speaker

A stake high councilman spoke to us.

Ether 1

42 And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.

1 Nephi 13

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.

Sunday School 

Matthew 28:19

19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Dnc 88:81

81 Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.

Elders Quorum 

My Lesson 

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B Hinckley, Chapter 14 Losing Ourselves in the Service of Others

The First 4 Paragraphs under “From the Life of Gordon B Hinckley” - P201

“Young Elder Gordon B. Hinckley struggled through his first few weeks as a full-time missionary in England. He was sick when he arrived, and his attempts to preach the gospel were repeatedly rejected. During that difficult time, he was blessed with what he later called his ‘day of decision’—an experience that influenced his service for the rest of his life.

“ ‘I was discouraged,’ he recalled. ‘I wrote a letter home to my good father and said that I felt I was wasting my time and his money. He was my father and my stake president, and he was a wise and inspired man. He wrote a very short letter to me which said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.” Earlier that morning in our scripture class my companion and I had read these words of the Lord: “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35.)

“ ‘Those words of the Master, followed by my father’s letter with his counsel to forget myself and go to work, went into my very being. With my father’s letter in hand, I went into our bedroom in the house at 15 Wadham Road, where we lived, and got on my knees and made a pledge with the Lord. I covenanted that I would try to forget myself and lose myself in His service.

“ ‘That July day in 1933 was my day of decision. A new light came into my life and a new joy into my heart.’ ”

This story reminds me of something I often say, “Never pass up an opportunity to get over yourself”.

What has been your experience with forgetting yourself and getting to work?  Or the opposite, getting stuck on yourself and not getting to work? 

P202 - Last Paragraph before Teachings of Gordon B Hinckley

“I wish to be up and doing,” President Hinckley said. “I wish to face each day with resolution and purpose. I wish to use every waking hour to give encouragement, to bless those whose burdens are heavy, to build faith and strength of testimony.”

How does this compare to our goals when we face each day?  Do we desire to face each day with resolution and purpose?  Some days my resolution and purpose is just to make myself zombie walk it across the room in the morning.

How do we get to the point of desiring to be men of resolution and purpose so strongly?  To desire to be a man of strong character and set aside pride and selfishness?

P203, Top of the Page all the way to the start of section 2 on page 204

“The Lord has declared in modern revelation, ‘If your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you.’ (D&C 88:67.)

“As we look with love and gratitude to God, as we serve him with an eye single to his glory, there goes from us the darkness of sin, the darkness of selfishness, the darkness of pride. There will come an increased love for our Eternal Father and for his Beloved Son, our Savior and our Redeemer. There will come a greater sense of service toward our fellowmen, less of thinking of self and more of reaching out to others.

“This principle of love is the basic essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ.5

“If we would claim to worship and follow the Master, must we not strive to emulate his life of service? None of us may rightly say that his life is his own. Our lives are gifts of God. We come into the world not of our own volition. We leave not according to our wish. Our days are numbered not by ourselves, but according to the will of God.

“So many of us use our lives as if they were entirely our own. Ours is the choice to waste them if we wish. But that becomes a betrayal of a great and sacred trust. As the Master made so abundantly clear, ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.’ (Mark 8:35.)6

“My beloved brethren and sisters, the challenge is great. The opportunities are all about us. God would have us do His work—and do it with energy and cheerfulness. That work, as He has defined it, is to ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.’ (D&C 81:5.)

“It is to minister to those in need. It is to comfort the bereaved.  It is to visit the widow and the fatherless in their affliction. It is to feed the needy, to clothe the naked, to shelter those who have not a roof over their heads. It is to do as the Master did, who ‘went about doing good.’ (Acts 10:38.)7

“My message to you today . . . is that you resolve to dedicate a part of your time, as you map out your life’s work, to those in distress and need, with no consideration of recompense. Your skills are needed, whatever they may be. Your helping hands will lift someone out of the mire of distress. Your steady voice will give encouragement to some who might otherwise simply give up. Your skills can change the lives, in a remarkable and wonderful way, of those who walk in need. If not now, when? If not you, who?8

“May the real meaning of the gospel distill into our hearts that we may realize that our lives, given us by God our Father, are to be used in the service of others.

“If we will give such service, our days will be filled with joy and gladness. More important, they will be consecrated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to the blessing of all whose lives we touch.9”

Why do we call callings opportunities? Most of us have consecrated our time and talents and everything the Lord has given us to the work. A calling is the Lord choosing how our consecrated resources will be used.  Have you ever thought about that?

They say that service helps us overcome self-pity, selfishness, and loneliness.  Or on a day like today, for me, grief and sadness.  Do you have any experience with serving and it pulling you out of dark feeling?

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 9 Jul 2017

Bulletin

Mark 16

14 ¶ Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Sacrament Service 

First Speaker

A missionary  leaving this week to the Mexico MTC in preparation to serve in Tallahassee, Florida spoke to us.

DnC 4

1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.

7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.

Next Speaker

Ether 12:4

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

Sunday School 

Teaching in the Savior's Way 

“Doctrine does not change - - rather, it changes us, and it changes those we teach.“ - from the manual in the chapter titled “Teach the Doctrine”.

Be prepared to redirect opinion with doctrine when you ask what the group thinks. 

We want to encourage people to explore what the spirit is telling them, but we have to reinforce truth with authoritative sources. 

Make sure your topic references what it has to do with Christ. 

You are not just teaching a topic. You are teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ. 

Elders Quorum 

Teachings of Presidents of the Church:  Gordon B Hinckley, Chapter 13 - Peace and Contentment through Temporal Self-Reliance

“I believe in the gospel of work. There is no substitute under the heavens for productive labor. It is the process by which dreams become realities. It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements.

“A little play and a little loafing are good. But it is work that spells the difference in the life of a man or woman. It is work that provides the food we eat, the clothing we wear, the homes in which we live. We cannot deny the need for work with skilled hands and educated minds if we are to grow and prosper individually and collectively.

“I have discovered that life is not a series of great heroic acts. Life at its best is a matter of consistent goodness and decency, doing without fanfare that which needed to be done when it needed to be done. I have observed that it is not the geniuses that make the difference in this world. I have observed that the work of the world is done largely by men and women of ordinary talent who have worked in an extraordinary manner.” - from the manual

Callings are part of the law of consecration. 

The world's view is to have what you want now and put it on credit. The Lord's way is to be free of the bondage of debt. 

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah 2 Jul 2017

Bulletin 

2 Nephi 10:19

19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.

Sacrament Service 

Testimonies

Sunday School 

Dnc 49:23

23 Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet.

Definition of  Steadfast - resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

Frasier Eaten was offended because he had donated $700 to build the Kirtland temple and was not allowed to attend the first dedication service because there were no seats. 

Simon Ryder left the Church because his last name was misspelled on his mission call.

What little things do we let rattle us, so that we do not do our duty.

God is not our butler.  Prayer is not a grocery list. 

Elders Quorum 

LDS.Org gospel topics - Repentance

Repentance is more than changing the behavior. There must be a change of heart. 

Mosiah 2

36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—

37 I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.

We often get to jump to the end and just forsake our sin and skip the rest of the process and then we end up returning to our sin. It is like teenagers that want all the benefits of adulthood without any of the struggle to get there. 

Matthew 11

28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.