Church Services This Week at Ridge Crest Ward Northridge Stake Layton Utah 15 February 2015

Sunday School

My lesson Why Is Teaching the Gospel Important in the Plan of Salvation?

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What have you learned this week in your personal gospel study?  What conversations have you had with friends about the gospel this week?

Why is teaching the gospel important in the plan of salvation?

Watch video of Jesus teaching in the temple.

What was his father's business?

Moses 1:39

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

How was Jesus doing his father's work?

Is it also our father's business and should we be doing our Father’s business?

We should be working to bring to pass the eternal life of man.  A big part of that is teaching.  We teach others outside church by our example and explaining the Savior’s doctrine’s.  We teach each other in the Church by fulfilling our callings to our best ability and given our thoughts about the lesson in our classes.

2 Nephi 2:8

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

Why is it so important that people know that no one can dwell in the presence of God except by following Jesus?

People have to know the rules in order to win the game. Winning the game does not mean beating out others, but it means doing what is required to get the prize.

Part of getting the prize is helping others to also get the prize.

Jesus talked about teaching other others through our example in 3 Nephi 18:24:

“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”

The Teaching No Greater Call manual talks about who is supposed to be teaching:

"In this instruction the Lord made no distinction among those who heard His voice. All were commanded to teach.
The same is true today. The responsibility to teach the gospel is not limited to those who have formal callings as teachers. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you have the responsibility to teach the gospel. As a parent, son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, Church leader, classroom teacher, home teacher, visiting teacher, coworker, neighbor, or friend, you have opportunities to teach. Sometimes you can teach openly and directly by the things you say and the testimony you bear. And you always teach by example."

No matter what our calling is in the Church, we are to be teaching all people.  This included teaching members and nonmembers both.

Let’s read some from some of the Church’s material on some things that Heavenly Father has for us.

Invite the youth to read the “Education” section in For the Strength of Youth, including the scripture references. Ask half of the class to look for things Heavenly Father wants us to do, and ask the other half to identify blessings that He has promised.

Ask the youth to read “Plan of Salvation” in True to the Faith (pages 115–17), including the scriptures cited, and find something they didn’t already know.

• What have the youth learned about aspects of the plan of salvation (such as covenants, obedience, the Atonement, or life after death)? What could they share with each other?

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Elders Quorum

Chapter 4 - Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson

The happiest people in life don't have the best of evening. They make the best of everything.

We need to do what God wants us to do first in order for our growth to happen.

"He has given us His Atonement, His gospel, and His Church, a sacred combination that gives us the assurance of immortality and the opportunity for eternal life.” (Elder Dallin H Oaks, The Gospel in Our Lives, April 2002 General Conference)

Changing our character in certain principles take great work. Once we have done the work it sticks with us. If we do not put the work in it does not stick .

We need to move from the idea that charity is giving to those less fortunate than us to charity being loving others.

Ogden Utah Weber Heights Stake Conference 3-22-09

Choral Edition was the choir that sang for this session of conference.

Matthew 12
36 But I say unto you, That every ^aidle ^bword that men shall ^cspeak, they shall give ^daccount thereof in the day of ^ejudgment.

37 For by thy ^awords thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Eph. 4: 29
29 Let no corrupt ^acommunication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Just like we should be careful what comes out of us, we should be careful what we put in (movies, music, websites...).

Make good choices.

Rev. 3: 21
21 To him that ^aovercometh will I grant to ^bsit with me in my ^cthrone, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

When we go to the temple we can make sense of what is going on in the world.

The speaker said that the word religion comes from the Latin root "to be bound again." He also stated that the word of reconciliation comes from the Latin root "to be seated with again"

It is devotedly Christian to do work for the dead.

1 Peter 3:12
12 For the ^aeyes of the Lord are over the ^brighteous, and his ears are open unto their ^cprayers:

Job 38:7
7 When the morning stars ^asang together, and all the ^bsons of God shouted for ^cjoy?

Rev. 12: 7
7 And there was ^awar in heaven: ^bMichael and his ^cangels fought against the dragon; and the ^ddragon fought and his angels,

The plan of salvation is also called the plan of redemption and also the great plan of happiness.

If we don't water and nurse our testimony it dies.

Mal. 3: 10
10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be ^bmeat in mine house, and ^cprove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not ^dopen you the ^ewindows of heaven, and pour you out a ^fblessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

D&C 59: 9
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself ^aunspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of ^bprayer and offer up thy ^csacraments upon my ^dholy day;

A member of the stake presidency talk of avoiding shopping and sporting events on Sunday.

Keep the commandments; keep the commandments!
In this there is safety; in this there is peace.
(Keep the Commandments, Children’s Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Each week when taking the sacrament we have the opportunity to evaluate our lives.

The Savior gave us apostles and prophets to guide us. He gave us covenants to remind us.

All roads in this church lead to the temple.

The temple endowment is a personal gift from God.

General Conference Saturday Morning Session April 5, 2008

Session Audio and Video
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - Second Counselor in the First Presidency (Audio, Video)
The Sustaining of Church Officers

He led a Solemn Assembly. We sustained President Monson as the new prophet and the new first presidency and the new Quorum of the Twelve Apostles today. They did it with a solemn assembly, which each quorum votes individually starting with the First Presidency and ending with the Young Women of the Church.

Elder Russell M. Nelson - Apostle (Audio, Video)
Salvation and Exaltation
Why did God give prophets and apostles? Ephesians 4:11-14

11 And he ^agave some, ^bapostles; and some, ^cprophets; and some, ^devangelists; and some, ^epastors and ^fteachers;

12 For the ^aperfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the ^bedifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the ^aunity of the faith, and of the ^bknowledge of the Son of God, unto a ^cperfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more ^achildren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of ^bdoctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Article of Faith 3 "We believe that through the ^aAtonement of Christ, all ^bmankind may be ^csaved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
An example of a law would be "Thou shalt not kill." An example of an ordinance would be baptism.
Obeying Jesus is possible or he wouldn't have told us to.

Elder Nelson stated that the development of faith in the Lord is an individual matter. Salvation and repentance is also an individual matter. It can not be coerced by a government or group.

Resurrection or being saved from physical death is free. Exaltation or Eternal Life or being saved from spiritual death is a conditional gift. Heb. 5: 9 "And being made ^aperfect, he became the ^bauthor of eternal ^csalvation unto all them that obey him; " (see also Matt. 6: 24, Luke 16: 13, Acts 5:32)

Moses taught, "And thou shalt ^ateach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt ^btalk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. " Deut. 6: 7, Deut. 11: 19

Elder Nelson counseled us, "Parents love each other and treat our children as an heritage from the Lord."

We are release from church callings, but we are never released as parents.

The Church is to assist and not replace parents in their sacred responsibilities.

Do not try to control your children. Listen to them.

He reminded us of what God's work is. Moses 1:39 - "For behold, this is my ^awork and my ^bglory—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man. "

We will be judged by the desires of our hearts as well as by our actions.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband - Presidency of the Seventy (Audio, Video)
Special Experiences
"These solemn assemblies confirm to us that this is the Lord's true and living church." I find living church to be an interesting phrase.

D&C 1: 23 - "That the ^afulness of my ^bgospel might be ^cproclaimed by the ^dweak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before ^ekings and ^frulers."

"Our personal journey through life provides us with many special experiences that become building blocks of faith and testimony."
"Let us remember our own spiritual experiences" They will be to us spiritual building blocks.

Cheryl C. Lant - Primary General President (Audio, Video)
Righteous Traditions
What are our traditions? Do are our traditions lead us to where we want to go?

Elder Kenneth Johnson - Seventy (Audio, Video)
Restoring Faith in the Family
I have often thought that religion is a type of science. You read the materials of authorities in the field and then apply the principles they outline.

Elder Johnson stated, "Scientists gain their knowledge mainly through research, conducting experiments, and the application of intellect.
Disciples of Christ receive their witness by studying His words, observing His works, putting gospel principles into practice, and receiving the spirit of inspiration."

He also talked of the necessity of education. " It is, therefore, our responsibility to safeguard the home as a center of learning where these virtues can be instilled in an atmosphere of love and through the power of example."

You can also see some counsel on this in Proverbs 22:6.

He stated that he learned loyalty, integrity, and dependability in the home of his parents.

"...never be satisfied with anything less than your best efforts."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin- Apostle (Audio, Video)
Concern for the One
Elder Wirthlin stated, "True disciples of Jesus Christ have always been concerned for the one." He then quoted Matthew 18:11. (See also Luke 15:4.)
11 For the aSon of man is come to bsave that which was clost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred asheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

He stated that three reasons people get lost is because they are different, they are weary, or they have strayed.

He spoke of having compassion for those that are different. He related a story of a child that was picked on when he was in school. After a while he stood up for the boy. He thought this would damage his friendship with the boys doing the teasing, but rather they drew closer to him and they had increased compassion for the boy they had teased.

The Lord often chooses the weak things of the word. The Lord is aware of their limitations and also their strengths.

The question is not if we will trip or fall. It is how we will respond to those trials.

1 Cor. 2: 14
14 But the anatural man breceiveth not the things of the cSpirit of God: for they are dfoolishness unto him: neither can he eknow them, because they are fspiritually gdiscerned.

President Henry B. Eyring - 1st Counselor in the First Presidency (Audio, Video)
The True and Living Church
Elder Eyring stated, "This is the true Church, the only true Church, because in it are the keys of the priesthood. Only in this Church has the Lord lodged the power to seal on earth and to seal in heaven as He did in the time of the Apostle Peter. Those keys were restored to Joseph Smith, who then was authorized to confer them upon the members of the Quorum of the Twelve.
When the Prophet Joseph was murdered, the enemies of the Church thought that the Church would die. They thought it was the creation of a mortal man and therefore would perish with him. But their hopes were dashed. It was the true Church, and it also had the power to live on, even when those chosen for a time to lead it died.
Those that killed the prophet Joseph thought that it was the church of a man and would die with him."

Because of the disobedience of the members of the church following Christ's day, the church was removed from them. this was called the apostasy. If we are not obedient we will lose that which we have as well.

"Those who never give up will find that God never gave up and that He will help them."

Sunday March 16, 2008 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament Meeting
The bishop read a letter from the first presidency. The letter stated that they were concerned about the financial situation of the members of the church. It stated that we should avoid debt, especially consumer debt, and also risky financial investments. It stated that all investments are risky, but that risk can be mitigated to some degree by adhering to proven financial principles, avoiding debt, and being wise.

1st Speaker
She took points of her talk from a talk give by Elder John B. Dickson of the Seventy at the April 2007 General Conference.

We are here for a purpose. God has given us the plan of salvation and we need to be working for our purpose and not get distracted by the other things of the world or the things that our society presents to us. We should commit ourselves to the Lord's pattern. Psalm 37:5 - "^aCommit thy ^bway unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. "

Elder Dickinson related that there was one who had already committed to not drink alcohol , so every time he was offered in a business setting he did not have to think about it what he should do.

2nd Speaker
1st speaker had stated that she was nervous. The 2nd speaker stating that he was not nervous because he is a high school teacher and he knows no one is listening to him.

Matt 11:28 - "28 ¶ ^aCome unto me, all ye that ^blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest."

He quoted the second verse of Master, the Tempest Is Raging (Hymns 105)
"Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!"

Luke 9:6 - "And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the ^agospel, and healing every where." Although healing is limited to the Savior's will.

Mosiah 24:14-15 -

" 14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord."

Sunday School
Book of Mormon - Lesson 10
2 Ne 26-30
The Pride Cycle and Priestcraft

I had a little trouble gathering my thoughts, so for Sunday school I just wrote what notes I gathered from the teacher and class discussion.

It is good to be proud of what your family has done or what not, but it is more correct to be happy and thankful.

You do not enter the kingdom of God except you are as a little child.

It is good to be proud to be a member of the church. It is wrong when that moves to feeling you are better than others that are not members of the church.

The Lord never forgets those that are unrighteous, but his attention is keenly focused on those that are righteous.

Paul was passionate that what he was doing was correct even though he was on the wrong path. The Lord appeared to him to correct his perspective. Paul then changed and was just as passionate, if not more, in the truly correct path.

A dimension of Priestcraft is that they teach that we need no further revelation and we have everything we need from God to guide our lives.

Our guilt will come to us in the end because of the things that we rationalize that have kept us from becoming like Jesus.

If you say that you are not coming back to church while so and so is there, who does that hurt? The person you have a problem with or you?

When one is pulled in because of the flash of a church rather than whether it can bring them to Christ robs the poor in spirit. One loses their guidance from God in order to be entertained.

There are charities to help the poor where the leaders of the charities draw huge salaries.

All is not well in Zion when half of us don't come to church.

We get comfortable and we don't pay attention to the things dragging us away and then things get hard and we have to be humbled. This is the pattern of man or the pride cycle. Eventually if we don't learn from that it can lead to destruction.

It is not enough to come on Sunday and do nothing with it the rest of the week.

Priesthood
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith
Chapter 5: Repentance
I had to leave early so I did not get any notes from class.

Primary
My one son gave a scripture in primary. Enos 1:4 - "And my soul ^ahungered; and I ^bkneeled down before my Maker, and I ^ccried unto him in mighty ^dprayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. "

My other son gave a talk in primary. He read the summary from picture 240 of the Gospel Art Picture Kit - Jesus the Christ. - "The gospel of Jesus Christ can bring us peace. As we follow the example of Jesus and do what He has taught us to do, we are blessed with the influence of the Holy Spirit. During times of trouble or when we feel afraid, the Holy Ghost will be with us, and we can feel this peace in our hearts. The Holy Ghost helps us remember Jesus and obey His teachings."

Sunday January 13, 2008 - Sunday Services Cumberland Ward

Sacrament Meeting
One of the full time missionaries spoke on the plan of salvation.

He talked about the purpose of Adam and Eve in the plan. He quoted scriptures from 2 Nephi 2
11 For it must needs be, that there is an ^aopposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
25 ^aAdam ^bfell that men might be; and men ^care, that they might have ^djoy.

He talked of how after his resurrection that Christ preached to those in prison. He quoted 1 Peter 3:18-20

18 For Christ also hath once ^asuffered for sins, the just for the ^bunjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to ^cdeath in the flesh, but quickened by the ^dSpirit:

19 By which also he went and ^apreached unto the ^bspirits in ^cprison;

20 ^aWhich sometime were ^bdisobedient, when once the ^clongsuffering of God waited in the days of ^dNoah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were ^esaved by ^fwater.

He talked of where we go after death to wait for the resurrection. He then talked of the
1 Corinthians 15:39-42
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.

40 ^aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the ^bcelestial is one, and the glory of the ^cterrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the ^asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ^bstars: for one star ^cdiffereth from another star in ^dglory.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in ^acorruption; it is raised in incorruption:
This scripture outlines that there are different types of flesh of animal. It then tells that there are different types of bodies after we are resurrected.

2 Corinthians 12:2 - references being caught up to the third heaven. Much like was talked about with having different levels we are resurrected to.
2 ^aI knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the ^bbody, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the ^cthird ^dheaven.

A stake high councilman spoke.

He cited DnC 58:26 - Showing that we should use our agency to chose good whether we have a specific commandment or not. We may not have been commanded to do some good thing or refrain from some bad thing, but we should learn to chose wisely.
26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is ^acompelled in all things, the same is a ^bslothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

He read “The Bridge Builder” poem by Will Allen Dromgoole, which President Monson quoted in the first presidency message in the Ensign this month.
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide—
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head:
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

Are we building bridges or allowing those around us to fall in the pit.

In commenting on adversity the high councilman stated that the strongest timbers that grow through winds and storms.

In commenting on our free will he stated, we choose how we will respond to life. We choose to be in a good mood or bad. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause. We are not spectators in life.

Sunday School
Book of Mormon Lesson 2 - “All Things According to His Will”
Lehi prophesied of Jerusalem's destruction. The reception to his words was a lot more extreme, but similar to the responses one gets if they suggest that disasters or trials of our day could be a consequence of our wickedness.

Lehi was commanded to get the plates to preserve their literacy, genealogy, and religion.

1 Nephi 3:7 - And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I ^awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no ^bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall ^cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Priesthood
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Chapter 1: The First Vision: The Father and the Son Appear to Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith is known as the prophet of the restoration. The instructor pointed out that the restoration is ongoing and that all the prophets of this dispensation are prophets of the restoration.