2 Nephi 31:20
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of bhope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and dendure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eeternal life.
Media Kit is being replaced by Gospel Art Book a spiral bound color booklet.
Elders' Quorum
Chapter 28: Missionary Service: A Holy Calling, a Glorious Work 327–38
In June of 1837 Joseph Smith started sending missionaries to England. The Church was only 7 years old.
"From Nauvoo, Joseph Smith continued to send missionaries throughout the world. Elder Orson Hyde landed in England in 1841 and later continued his assigned mission to Jerusalem. He carried a letter of recommendation from Joseph Smith recognizing 'the bearer of these presents, a faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, to be our agent and representative in foreign lands, to … converse with the priests, rulers and Elders of the Jews.'5 On October 24, 1841, Elder Hyde knelt on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives and petitioned Heavenly Father to dedicate and consecrate the land 'for the gathering together of Judah’s scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy prophets.'6 Elder Hyde then made his way to Germany, where he laid an initial foundation for the growth of the Church there."
Why is faith important for missionary work? Faith is action. Missionary work requires action.
Why is virtue important for missionary work? The spirit is necessary for conversion. Un-virtuous thoughts and actions chase the spirit away. Virtue entails a good work ethic and honesty. A person of virtue has things they hold sacred. Their attitudes are less casual.
Why is diligence important for missionary work? The work of the Lord is done line upon line little by little. We must be diligent in the work as people are prepared a little bit everyday.
Why is charity import for missionary work? You are able to look past people's short comings and have compassion and service. Being a good steward and keeper of our fellow men is charity. Being a steward or keeper does not mean lording over people, but we are to watch over them and take care of them.
Don't contend. Stay away from mysteries and things we don't know. Stick to the basics.
Sunday School
Lesson 10: “This Is My Voice unto All” 53
We many times get caught up in our our problems that we forget the promises that have been made to us.
Doctrine and Covenants 25:5
5 And the office of thy calling shall be for a acomfort unto my servant, [insert husband's name], thy bhusband, in his cafflictions, with consoling words, in the spirit of dmeekness.
“Marriage [is] an institution of heaven, instituted in the garden of Eden.” (History of the Church, 2:320; from a Joseph Smith journal entry, Nov. 24, 1835, Kirtland, Ohio.)
“It is the duty of a husband to love, cherish, and nourish his wife, and cleave unto her and none else [see D&C 42:22]; he ought to honor her as himself, and he ought to regard her feelings with tenderness, for she is his flesh, and his bone, designed to be an help unto him, both in temporal, and spiritual things; one into whose bosom he can pour all his complaints without reserve, who is willing (being designed) to take part of his burden, to soothe and encourage his feelings by her gentle voice.
“It is the place of the man, to stand at the head of his family, … not to rule over his wife as a tyrant, neither as one who is fearful or jealous that his wife will get out of her place, and prevent him from exercising his authority. It is his duty to be a man of God (for a man of God is a man of wisdom,) ready at all times to obtain from the scriptures, the revelations, and from on high, such instructions as are necessary for the edification, and salvation of his household.”(“On the Duty of Husband and Wife,” an editorial published in Elders’ Journal, Aug. 1838, p. 61; paragraph divisions altered; Joseph Smith was the editor of the periodical.)
At a meeting of Relief Society sisters, Joseph Smith said: “You need not be teasing your husbands because of their deeds, but let the weight of your innocence, kindness and affection be felt, which is more mighty than a millstone hung about the neck; not war, not jangle [quarreling], not contradiction, or dispute, but meekness, love, purity—these are the things that should magnify you in the eyes of all good men. …
“… When a man is borne down with trouble, when he is perplexed with care and difficulty, if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur—if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings; when the mind is going to despair, it needs a solace of affection and kindness. … When you go home, never give a cross or unkind word to your husbands, but let kindness, charity and love crown your works henceforward.(History of the Church, 4:605–7; spelling modernized; paragraph divisions altered; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on Apr. 28, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Eliza R. Snow; see also appendix, page 562, item 3.)
“[The Prophet Joseph Smith] exhorted the sisters always to concentrate their faith and prayers for, and place confidence in their husbands, whom God has appointed for them to honor.”(History of the Church, 4:604; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on Apr. 28, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Eliza R. Snow; see also appendix, page 562, item 3.)
"The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen" ("Beware of Pride", President Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign May 1989)Dictionary.com defines enmity as "a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism."
We need to balance self reliance with humility and faith.
When talks and lessons are given and scriptures are read, dig for how it applies to us and not dwell on others you think it applies to.
Do we trust that God will do what he says? If we trust him, we will do what he asks in order that he can give us those things He has promised us. That includes things in this life as well as the next.
Sacrament Service
20 There is a alaw, irrevocably decreed in bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all cblessings are predicated—
John 14:15
15 ¶ If ye alove me, bkeep my ccommandments.
"The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change. 'Repent' is its most frequent message, and repenting means giving up all of our practices—personal, family, ethnic, and national—that are contrary to the commandments of God. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change.
John the Baptist preached repentance. His listeners came from different groups, and he declared the changes each must make to 'bring forth . . . fruits worthy of repentance' (Luke 3:8). Publicans, soldiers, and ordinary people—each had traditions that had to yield to the process of repentance.
The teachings of Jesus also challenged the traditions of different groups. When the scribes and Pharisees complained that His disciples 'transgress[ed] the tradition of the elders" by omitting the ritual washings, Jesus replied that the scribes and Pharisees "transgress[ed] the commandment of God by [their] tradition' (Matthew 15:2–3). He described how they had 'made the commandment of God of none effect by [their] tradition' (v. 6). 'Hypocrites' is what He called those whose adherence to their traditions kept them from keeping the commandments of God (v. 7).
Again, in modern revelation the Lord declares that the 'wicked one' takes the innocent children of God away from light and truth 'through disobedience . . . and because of the tradition of their fathers' (D&C 93:39).
The traditions or culture or way of life of a people inevitably include some practices that must be changed by those who wish to qualify for God's choicest blessings." ("Repentance and Change", Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference, Oct 2003)
If we focus too much on the steps of repentance we can lose focus of the purpose, which is to change our hearts and life. Though, the steps of repentance are necessary.
If we are spiritually self-reliant, the better prepared we are to face adversity in our lives.
To be spiritually self-reliant we must work.
"Much of life’s misery centers in the lack of using common sense." ("Becoming Self-Reliant—Spiritually and Physically", Elder M. Russel Ballard, Ensign, March 2009)
The parable of the 10 virgins. Is about spiritual self-reliance.
“The oil of spiritual preparedness cannot be shared. ” (A Time of Urgency, Marvin J. Ashton, General Conference, April 1974)
When we take the sacrament we witness to God that we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ.
We talked about Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk from October 1995 General Conference“This Do in Remembrance of Me”
The sacrament is our Passover. We are marking our lives each week with the blood of the Lamb.
The sacrament does not cleanse us. Repentance cleanses us. We get dirty everyday and should repent every day
From the Bulletin
"The great prophet Amulek taught, 'And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.' (Alma 34:16)" (Elder Earl C. Tingey, "The Great Plan of Happiness", Ensign, May 2006, 72-73)
No comments:
Post a Comment