The thought today was based on President Henry B Eyring’s February 2013 Ensign article, God Knows Our Gifts
Training
Teach by the spirit. Be flexible to adjust what you are teaching to what the spirit tells us during our lessons and conversations.
Elders Quorum
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow chapter 4
Matthew 16:17-19
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The rock Jesus was referring to revelation as the rock not Peter.
“We should try to learn the nature of [the spirit of revelation]. . . . This is the grand means that the Lord has provided for us, that we may know the light, and not be groveling continually in the dark.”
( Conference Report, Apr. 1899, 52.)
We do not need to go to the prophet for every little thing. He will set forth general principles and programs. We are responsible for personal revelation for matters to our self and our own household.
Write down your spiritual experiences, so you can review them later and so you can ponder to find if the lord has more you than you heard.
"It is the privilege of the Latter-day Saints to live in the Gospel in such a way that they will feel approved of God. Of course, we do things sometimes that we are ashamed of when we come to consider them, but we repent of them in our hearts and determine to do them no more. That is all the Lord asks of us; and men and women who so live, live without condemnation. They have righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Lorenzo Snow, Deseret Weekly, Nov. 4, 1893, 609)
"On the last day of the cruise, a crew member asked him which of the farewell parties he would be attending. It was then that the man learned that not only the farewell party but almost everything on board the cruise ship—the food, the entertainment, all the activities—had been included in the price of his ticket. Too late the man realized that he had been living far beneath his privileges
The question this parable raises is, Are we as priesthood holders living below our privileges when it comes to the sacred power, gifts, and blessings that are our opportunity and right as bearers of God’s priesthood?”
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“A sure testimony of Jesus Christ and of His restored gospel takes more than knowledge—it requires personal revelation, confirmed through honest and dedicated application of gospel principles.”
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"If we are not seeking to use this channel of revelation, we are living beneath our priesthood privileges." (President Dieter F Uchtdorf, Your Potential, Your Privilege, April 2011 General Conference)
Sunday School
The First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel
Articles of Faith 4
4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 - requirements for baptism
37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.
Sacrament Service
A missionary that recently returned from the North Carolina Charlotte mission spoke to us.
There is more to church than just showing up. We much spiritually prepare.
We are an invited guest into the Lord's chapel and we and our children should behave as such.
"You should be reverent in your behavior as well as your attitude. Reverent behavior includes prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings. It includes wearing modest clothing and using clean, wholesome language. The depth of your reverence is evident in your choice of music and other entertainment, in the way you speak of sacred subjects, and in the way you dress and act when you attend church and the temple. You show your reverence for the Lord when you serve other people and treat them with kindness and respect." (True to the Faith, Reverence)
"We should be the happiest people on earth. We should also be the most reverent people, but here I think every individual and every family should take a look at themselves. Are we a reverent people? Do our actions in the home and at church show reverence for our Creator?" (President Spencer W Kimball, We Should Be a Reverent People, booklet, 1976)
"Example is always the best teacher, and children learn reverence by observing the behavior of their parents. They also learn reverence by participating in regular family prayer and gospel study." (Elder Keith L. Smith, Reverence, Ensign July 2003)
"In this regard, as members of the Church in our worshiping assemblies, we have much room for improvement. Presiding authorities in stake, ward, and quorum meetings, and especially teachers in classes, should make special effort to maintain better order and more reverence during hours of worship and of study. Less talking behind the pulpit will have a salutary effect upon those who face it. By example and precept, children should be impressed with the inappropriateness of confusion and disorder in a worshiping congregation. They should be impressed in childhood, and have it emphasized in youth, that it is disrespectful to talk or even to whisper during a sermon, and that it is the height of rudeness, except in an emergency, to leave a worshiping assembly before dismissal. " (David O. McKay, In Conference Report, Oct. 1956, 7)
From The Bulletin
"We must know Christ better than we know him; we must remember him more often than we remember him; we must serve him more valiantly than we serve him. Then we will drink water springing up unto eternal life and will eat the bread of life.
"What manner of men and women ought we to be?" (President Howard W Hunter, "He Invites Us to Follow Him", Ensign, September 1994)
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