Bulletin
2 Nephi 32:3
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
Sacrament Service
First Speaker
John 8
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Next Speaker
Investing in the Gospel
Where do we invest our love? Hobbies, people, jobs…?
Next Speaker
In contrast to the financial markets, the gospel is always a message of love when we invest in it.
The gospel, the doctrine, and life are all long term investments.
Do we have enough spiritual reserves to survive when your faith is tested? When it is shaken?
Eph 2:20
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 4:10-14
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
“Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold, or of fame, or of material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess, nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christlike character.” (David O McKay, True to the Faith, p. 32.)
Sunday School
The great flood was the baptism of the earth. The earth was still in telestial state at that time. When Christ returns that will be the purification by the Holy Ghost. The earth will be changed to a terrestrial state. The wicked will be destroyed. All those that can't abide a terrestrial glory.
“As yet there was no evidence of rain and flood. His people mocked and called him a fool. His preaching fell on deaf ears. His warnings were considered irrational. There was no precedent; never had it been known that a deluge [or flood] could cover the earth. How foolish to build an ark on dry ground with the sun shining and life moving forward as usual!” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 140–41).
After Noah left the ark he built an altar. Just like Adam did when he left the garden of Eden.
Elders Quorum
My Lesson on Elder Oaks Talk on the Proclamation.
Elder Dallin H Oaks, The Plan and the Proclamation
All quotes are from Elder Oaks talk unless otherwise specified.
A sister in stake conference said, “When we make an excuse as to why we are exempt from the council of a prophet we are exempting ourselves from the blessings that come from that council. “
“I think that as we get busy in our family, church, and secular lives, our inclination when confronted with uncomfortable commandments or instructions from Church leaders is to rationalize—to assert that because we are already stretched to the limit, we are doing enough, and our particular extenuating circumstances exempt us from having to obey those specific words of counsel or commandment. … These experiences have taught me that the busier we get, the more important it becomes, actually, that we exercise the childlike faith of Nephi: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them’ (1 Nephi 3:7). ” (The Power of Everyday Missionaries, Clayton Christensen )
“As is evident in our family proclamation, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are blessed with unique doctrine and different ways of viewing the world.”
“In a parable, Jesus described those who ‘[hear] the word’ but become ‘unfruitful’ when that word is ‘choke[d]’ by ‘the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches’ (Matthew 13:22). Later, Jesus corrected Peter for not savoring ‘the things that be of God, but those that be of men,’ declaring, ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’ (Matthew 16:23, 26).”
My thoughts
{
Take a second to think silently to yourself if you have any cares of the world that are trying to choke the word out of your life.
Now take a second to think if you have any cares of the world that are succeeding in choking the word out of your life.
}
“...the writings of Jesus’s early Apostles frequently use the image of ‘the world’ to represent opposition to gospel teachings. “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2), the Apostle Paul taught. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19). ”
My Thoughts
{
Take a moment to think if there are any parts of your behavior where you might conform to the world at times.
}
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While we talk today, I would like anyone who has an internet connected device to use it to search for answers to some of the questions I pose today. Present them to the class or make a note of them for yourself.
“The Apostle James taught that ‘the friendship of the world is enmity with God[.] Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God’ (James 4:4).”
My Thoughts
{
This says we should NOT be a friend to the world. Other places in the scriptures say we are to love our neighbor. What if our neighbors are worldly.
We should not be a friend to the world, but we are to fellowship those in our ward. What if our ward members are worldly?
Often when reading the scriptures or statements from modern day prophets we have to reconcile two things that seem contradictory that are both true.
So if we know that the friendship of the world is enmity to God is true because it is in the scriptures, then we must define what is “friendship of the world” and what is “enmity” and reconcile that again “love your neighbor” and “be a missionary” and “fellowship”.
Things to ponder on:
What is friendship of the world?
What is Enmity?
}
Anyone who has a device handy, dig in and see if you can find some scriptures or statements that come to your mind when we think of loving our neighbor, but not being a friend to the world. While you do that I will read another paragraph from Elder Oaks’ talk.
“President Thomas S. Monson summarized these teachings: ‘We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God.’1”
Anyone find anything about how we love our worldly neighbor and at the same time not be a friend to the world?
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“God created this earth according to His plan to provide His spirit children a place to experience mortality as a necessary step toward the glories He desires for all His children.“
“The restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the inspired family proclamation...are essential teachings to guide mortal preparation for exaltation.”
“In this mortal life, we have no memory of what preceded our birth, and we now experience opposition. We grow and mature spiritually by choosing to obey God’s commandments in a succession of right choices.”
“Latter-day Saints who understand God’s plan of salvation have a unique worldview that helps them see the reason for God’s commandments,”
“Our Savior’s Atonement reclaims us from death and, subject to our repentance, saves us from sin.”
“Inevitably, the actions of those who try to follow God’s plan of salvation can cause misunderstanding or even conflict with family members or friends who do not believe its principles. “
‘But whatever the cause of conflict with those who do not understand or believe God’s plan, those who do understand are always commanded to choose the Lord’s way instead of the world’s way.’
“[The Family Proclamation] declarations are, of course, visibly different from some current laws, practices, and advocacy of the world in which we live. In our day, the differences most evident are cohabitation without marriage, same-sex marriage, and the raising of children in such relationships. Those who do not believe in or aspire to exaltation and are most persuaded by the ways of the world consider this family proclamation as just a statement of policy that should be changed. In contrast, Latter-day Saints affirm that the family proclamation defines the kind of family relationships where the most important part of our eternal development can occur.”
“Converted Latter-day Saints believe that the family proclamation, issued nearly a quarter century ago and now translated into scores of languages, is the Lord’s reemphasis of the gospel truths we need to sustain us through current challenges to the family. “
My Thoughts
{
The Proclamation was restating existing gospel truths, perhaps to show that these are not just a policy or program that can be changed, but doctrine.
}
“gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”
“that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”
My thoughts
{
People struggle with issues that God has already given us the answer to years ago.
}
“The inspiration identifying the need for a proclamation on the family came to the leadership of the Church over 23 years ago. It was a surprise to some who thought the doctrinal truths about marriage and the family were well understood without restatement.”
“With so much of sophistry that is passed off as truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have felt to warn and forewarn.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 100.)
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