Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah June 30, 2024

Sacrament Service 
First Speaker 
A young woman reported on girls’ camp. 
Find time to reflect. 
Next Speaker 
Struggling with the scriptures, trials, and questions is worth the wrestle. 
Next Speaker 
Smile at and hug others.
Read the scriptures daily. It helps quiet the noise.
Next Speaker 
The Tree of Life primary song.
Allow Christ to carry our burdens with us.
Next Speaker
Moses 7:18
18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
“Serving Him requires all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. Consequently, selflessly serving others counteracts the self-centered and selfish tendencies of the natural man.” (Elder David A. Bednar, “If Ye Had Known Me”, October 2016 General Conference)
5th Sunday Meeting
What did the prophet say we should identify as?
“First and foremost, you are a child of God.
“Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.
“Tonight, I plead with you not to replace these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.” (President Russell M Nelson, “Choices for Eternity”, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 15, 2022)
What is a child of the covenant? 
List of our covenants:
Baptism (D&C 20:37; see also Mosiah 18:8–10).
- Humble ourselves
- Repent of our sins
- Morn with those that morn
- Bear one another’s burdens
- Take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ
- Always remember him
- Stand as a witness to Christ
- Serve Christ until the end
Priesthood covenant.
- Live worthy and honor our baptismal covenants.
- To Magnify our callings and duties in the Priesthood.
Temple Endowment
- Law of Obedience, which includes striving to keep God’s commandments.
- Law of Sacrifice, which means doing all we can to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit.
- Law of the Gospel, which is the higher law that Christ taught while He was on the earth. (Love God / Love your Neighbor / 4th Article of Faith)
- Law of Chastity, which is to keep our sexuality inside the confines of God's law of marriage.
- Law of Consecration, which means dedicating our time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed us to build up Christ’s Church.
Temple Sealing
- Be faithful to God and our spouse in a three-way commitment.
What are God's promises to us for those covenants? 
Baptism
His spirit to be with us.
Priesthood
-The Lord promises worthy priesthood holders that they will be “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” They become heirs of the
promises made to Moses, Aaron, and Abraham. (See D&C 84:33–34)
Temple
-God promises perspective, power, lasting love, peace, comfort, and joy. God promises that those who keep His covenants will have the opportunity to return and live with him forever.
Sealing
-Couples are promised exaltation and the continuation of their family relationships throughout eternity (D&C 134: 19-20).
What is the purpose for being on earth?
We came here to grow, to progress, and to become more like our Father in Heaven.
We came here to change.
Our covenants help us accomplish this.
Christ set the terms of the covenants.
The wording of the temple ordinances change to emphasize certain things at our time. It is not a history lesson. 
Are you willing to do what God asks?
OR
Are you determined to do your things your way and identify as something other than a covenant child of God.
We are not here to earn Heaven; we are here to learn Heaven.  How can this be done if we are not willing to stretch?
“Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import. Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected, and those with whom you will live forever. So, think celestial.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!”, October 2023 General Conference)
The great secret to finding joy:
Matthew 16
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
You are preparing to be kings and queens, so this life is going to be hard. It is going to stretch us and break us down and build us up.   We came here to change. 
Learn to find joy in serving. In your assignments. 

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah June 23, 2024

Sacrament Service 

First Speaker

“You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives”, April 2018 General Conference)

Moroni 10:5

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

“The adversary is clever. For millennia he has been making good look evil and evil look good. His messages tend to be loud, bold, and boastful.

“However, messages from our Heavenly Father are strikingly different. He communicates simply, quietly, and with such stunning plainness that we cannot misunderstand Him.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him”, April 2020 General Conference)

Alma 5:40

40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.

“Can you think of moments when you knew that Heavenly Father was aware of you or when you felt gratitude for the Atonement of Jesus Christ? Perhaps you remember a time when you were listening to the living prophet and you knew that what he was teaching was true.” (“Holy Ghost”, “Gospel Study Guide”, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/holy-ghost-study-guide?lang=eng)

The Lord wants to talk to us.

“We are followers of Jesus Christ. The most important truth the Holy Ghost will ever witness to you is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He lives! He is our Advocate with the Father, our Exemplar, and our Redeemer. On this Easter Sunday, we commemorate His atoning sacrifice, His literal Resurrection, and His divinity.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives”, April 2019 General Conference)

Next Speaker

Moses 1:39

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

“The long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families. In this complex world today, this is not easy. The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counterstrategies and proactive plans. Accordingly, we now want to put in place organizational adjustments that will further fortify our members and their families.” 

...

“This morning we will announce a new balance and connection between gospel instruction in the home and in the Church. We are each responsible for our individual spiritual growth. And scriptures make it clear that parents have the primary responsibility to teach the doctrine to their children. It is the responsibility of the Church to assist each member in the divinely defined goal of increasing his or her gospel knowledge.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Opening Remarks”, October 2018 General Conference)

“But there is so much more to this adjustment than just shortening the Sunday meetinghouse schedule. President Nelson has acknowledged with gratitude how much is being accomplished as a result of your faithfulness to previous invitations. He and the entire leadership of the Church desire to bring greater gospel joy—to parents, children, youth, singles, the elderly, new converts, and those people the missionaries are teaching—through a home-centered, Church-supported, balanced effort. The purposes and blessings associated with this adjustment and other recent changes include the following:

“Deepening conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthening faith in Them.

“Strengthening individuals and families through home-centered, Church-supported curriculum that contributes to joyful gospel living.

“Honoring the Sabbath day, with a focus on the ordinance of the sacrament.

“Helping all of Heavenly Father’s children on both sides of the veil through missionary work and receiving ordinances and covenants and blessings of the temple.” (Elder Quentin L. Cook, “Deep and Lasting Conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”, October 2019 General Conference)

There's only one wrong way to use “Come, Follow Me”, which is to not use it at all.

The Utah Area Presidency said something like, “If you have a good teacher, the first two questions they should ask in their lesson are  ‘What did you learn at home this week?’ and ‘What has the holy ghost taught you at home this week?’”

Helaman 5:12

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Elders Quorum 

The lesson was based on these talks:
“Motions of a Hidden Fire” – Jeffrey R. Holland, “Call, Don’t Fall” – Taylor G. Godoy: “Pray, He is There” – Susan H. Porter

“Of course, we need to remember that calling is a matter of faith and action—faith to recognize that we have a Heavenly Father who answers our prayers according to His infinite wisdom, and then action consistent with what we asked for. Praying—calling—can be a sign of our hope. But taking action after praying is a sign that our faith is real—faith that is tested in moments of pain, fear, or disappointment.

“I suggest you consider the following:

“Always think of the Lord as your first option for help.

“Call, don’t fall. Turn to God in sincere prayer.

“After praying, do all you can to obtain the blessings you prayed for.

“Humble yourselves to accept the answer in His time and His way.

“Don’t stop! Keep moving forward on the covenant path while you wait for an answer.” - Godoy

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah June 16, 2024

Layton Temple Dedication

From the beginning, God's people were commanded to build temples. even when the people were living in poverty.

Through the ordinances of the temple, you can draw on the greatest powers of Jesus Christ that are available on Earth

There was a video presentation from President Russell M Nelson. He promised that if we make the temple the center of our lives, we will receive strength.

 Doctrine and Covenants 128:15

15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

  " indexing is vital”  - article or talk - 5 Points

 " I encourage you to study ... Kindred dead.. “ -  David A Bednar

 your lineage and your patriarchal blessing will become more meaningful as you research your ancestors and do their work in the temple.

 we seal things to preserve them.

 be more alert to the Lord's promptings.

 As we do our part, the Lord can do his part. 

 " the spirits on the other side Rejoice more than we do " - Wilford Woodruff

 " the  Lord takes an interest in our spiritual and temporal lives "

 Heavenly Father Knows us personally.

 " let us sing unto the Lord ...Joyful Noise " - Psalms

 anciently the word Hosanna was a cry for help. and later years and modernly it is a word of praise.

 " where they had all gone forth and witnessed for themselves " - third Nephi?

 the Apostle John was present at the dedication of the Kirtland temple. 

 The temple is not about the building. it is about the connection with the savior and the power he gives us.

 first Nephi 14: 14

 The Book of Mormon is about our future not about the past.

 if things appear scary these days, fear not. 

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah June 9, 2024

Sacrament Service 
We got a new bishopric. 

Don't let sustaining people in the ward and church become routine. 

The Savior increases our capacity when we are yoked to him. 

Mosiah 4
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

Church Services This Week at Oak Ridge Ward Layton North Stake Layton Utah June 2, 2024

Sacrament Service 

Testimonies

DnC 46

7 But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.

2 Nephi 28

9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

Sunday School

“doctrine refers to the eternal, unchanging, and simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are several key words in that definition: eternal, unchanging, simple, and truth. Doctrines are never altered. They never vary. They will always be the same. You can always count on them. There is, for example, the doctrine of the Atonement. There is doctrine related to priesthood and priesthood keys. There is doctrine related to continuing revelation and the pattern whereby our Heavenly Father communicates with us and we communicate with Him. These are eternal, unchanging truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (President David A. Bednar, “Teach Them to Understand, BYU Idaho Education Week 4 June 1998)

Mosiah 26

V14-20 - approval of the Lord 

V21-24 - doctrine of Christ

Mosiah and Alma divided responsibilities between The Church and the government. Alma then divided responsibilities among the different congregations and among the people in those congregations. 

Alma begins creating a kind of handbook of how the church should be run.