How to Teach by the Spirit

Today's conceptualization comes from a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in the May 1999 Ensign entitled "Teaching and Learning by the Spirit." I know that there is no greater call than to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, and as such I regret not discussing this topic earlier. Elder Oaks starts out quoting the Lord's command, "If ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach" (D&C 42:14).

Elder Oaks further justifies this scripture, noting that "we cannot compete with the world on its terms. If we are to fulfill our calling, we must teach the Lord's way." If we do not teach by the Spirit, we do so by "some other way" (D&C 50:17); although we may have varying degrees of the Spirit to guide us as we teach, it is clear that the "other way" is by our own intellect, which "is nit of God" (D&C 50:20). In quoting Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Elder Oaks relayed:

"...God did not present the message through me because I used the power of intellect instead of the power of the Spirit. Intellectual things—reason and logic—can do some good, and they can prepare the way, and they can get the mind ready to receive the Spirit under certain circumstances. But conversion comes and the truth sinks into the hearts of people only when it is taught by the power of the Spirit."

So how do we accomplish teaching by the Spirit and not our own intellect? First, we must keep the commandments of God, ever following King Benjamin's admonition:

But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not. (Mosiah 4:30)

We must always remember the Son of God. If we do this, as explained in the sacrament prayer which renews the covenant we made at baptism to obey God's commands, we "may always have his Spirit to be with [us]" (D&C 20:77).

We must prepare to teach by the Spirit. As Elder Oaks observed, Hyrum Smith wished to teach the Gospel to others before having received what to teach. We read,

Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.
(D&C 11:21)

If we do not prepare, we do not have the reservoir from which the Spirit may draw. God does not pull out of us that which is not there. That is simply not how it works. If we want to teach by the Spirit, let us study out that which we want to teach, and prepare our hearts, that the hearts of those we teach may be touched as well.

Lastly, Elder Oaks talks about be willing to receive the Spirit, and to follow its dictates. This is huge. We can keep the commandments and we can prepare what we are going to teach, but we still must be open to being led by the Spirit as we tailor the lesson to those being taught. Elder Oaks noted that the Spirit comes to us in the Lord's way and on His timetable. We are only entitled to invoke the Spirit as far as the Lord sees fit. Let us remember that as we strive to humble ourselves before God, proving to him that we are willing to be instruments in his hands, and not to use the role of teaching to vaunt our own abilities.

In sum, there are three ways that by which we obtain the Spirit to teach:

1. Keep the Commandments of God
2. Prepare to receive the Spirit
3. Be willing to follow that which the Spirit dictates

Ii is my hope that we can remember Elder Oaks' words as we look to fulfill any call to teach. I believe that these principles apply when teaching even the simplest Gospel principles, but also apply when teaching entire lessons, or giving discourses on Gospel-related topics. Have a great week!

Among the Residue of Men

For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.

For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.

And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.
--Moroni 7: 28-32

I am happy to say that I am among the "residue of men." What does this mean, exactly? If we look closer at Moroni's words, he gives us the answer. The first aspect we should note is that miracles have not ceased, and as such angels do not cease to "minister unto the children of men." We already know from 2 Nephi 32:3 that "angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ." This is in accordance with with the next verses above, which state that angels are subject unto Christ to speak His words, foremost being to declare repentance unto the inhabitants of the earth (as an aside, is that not what Christ would do if He were physically on the earth today?). These angels oversee the fulfilling of covenants, as well as appearing unto the Lord's "chosen vessels," that they may bear testimony of Him.

Who are these chosen vessels? I believe it is apparent that they are the ones we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators: the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I feel safe adding anyone who declares repentance with the entire globe under his stewardship, and thus include all General Authorities under the blanket of "chosen vessels." I am grateful for them, because it is through them that I may better gain faith in Christ. The word "residue" in the scriptures by my surmising can best be interpreted as "the rest." Just as the Costanza family in NBC's Seinfeld had a "festivus for the restovus," we too should be joyous and glad that Heavenly Father has included us as well in his Plan. We read in Alma 26: 37:

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

We should all be happy to "lift where we stand." We should not try to do too much, and likewise should not try to do too little. President Dieter f. Uchtdorf, in his talk by the same name, said the following to the priesthood brethren of the Church, which I believe may be applied universally:

...we too easily and too often get caught up in seeking the honors of men rather than serving the Lord with all our might, mind, and strength.

Brethren, when we stand before the Lord to be judged, will He look upon the positions we have held in the world or even in the Church? Do you suppose that titles we have had other than “husband,” “father,” or “priesthood holder” will mean much to Him? Do you think He will care how packed our schedule was or how many important meetings we attended? Do you suppose that our success in filling our days with appointments will serve as an excuse for failure to spend time with our wife and family?

The Lord judges so very differently from the way we do. He is pleased with the noble servant, not with the self-serving noble.

Those who are humble in this life will wear crowns of glory in the next.

As the "residue of men," let us seek after those "crowns of glory" that we will wear in the next life, and not seek after those which are but temporal. Let us know when we have reached our limit, but let us also be "diligent, that thereby [we] may win the prize (see Mosiah 4:27). I know that as we do this, being "anxiously engaged in a good cause (see D & C 58:27)" we will give place for the Spirit in our hearts, and we will be continually counted among the Residue of Men.

Have a Great Week!!

Seeing "Things as They Really Are"

Happy Sunday to all, and Happy Mother's Day to most!! Well, everyone should have a happy Mother's Day, but it is my hope that mothers more than anyone else enjoy this day. I too have an "Angel mother" (see quote by Abraham Lincoln), and am grateful for her. Mothers are always there to offer perspective that most often we do not see, helping us to see things as they really are. Mothers in the Gospel, especially, who are closer to the Spirit, are able to point us to eternal truth that oftentimes is so basic, it boggles the mind. I think we need this grounding, however, as it seems human nature to complicate things past what they need to be. Getting back in touch with the "simple truths" in life is the theme of today's post.

Just over a year ago, Elder David A. Bednar gave a CES Fireside talk entitled "Things as They Really Are." He brought to light the now-pervasive problem of people adhering more to the virtual world than the world in which they actually live. He noted that in so doing we are forgetting the sacredness of our physical bodies, thus offering them up to Lucifer, who has none, and would so like for us to defile ours in an ultimate act of revenge. Elder Bednar said that this is one the "ultimate ironies" of eternity.

Going on, Elder Bednar observed that losing touch with reality has adverse effects on our interpersonal relationships, saying that as we love fake things "important opportunities are missed for developing and improving interpersonal skills, for laughing and crying together, and for creating a rich and enduring bond of emotional intimacy. Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement...we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones."

Elder Bednar said that advanced technology is neither good nor bad, but that "the real challenge is to understand [it] within the context of the eternal plan of happiness." As such, I submit that the real issue is not the e-world or any other change in how the world does things; the real issue is how we react to these changes. One may recall that in November I posted some words given by David A. Neeleman (former CEO of JetBlue) in a YSA conference in Boston. At that conference Brother Neeleman described the efforts that we can put forth to share the Gospel using advanced computer technology. There is use for all things in the Great Plan of Happiness, but we must be willing to seek out those opportunities.

How do we get there? How do we see things as God sees them? The principles are the same for any truth we wish to know. Elder Bednar said:

I long have been impressed with the simple and clear definition of truth set forth in the Book of Mormon: “The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:13; see also D&C 93:24).

The First Principle: seek the Spirit, for he will show us what is real.

The Second Principle: seek to put God first.
This one takes great faith, but I think we in the Church often have more faith than we wish to give ourselves credit for due to our inability to daily live up to the standard of perfection. Let us start with the simple things, the little truths that testify that Heavenly Father has manifested his hand in our lives. From there, let us be willing to heed the Spirit, being like the Prophet Samuel, even saying "thy servant heareth (see 1 Sam. 3: 9-10)." After we receive direction, let us have the faith necessary to "go and do," taking no thought for our lives, what we shall eat, or what we shall drink (see Matt. 6: 25, 31, 34). I promise that Heavenly Father will take care of us if we put him first. This is a simple truth.

The Third Principle: seek to lift the hearts of others
One of the great realities of eternity is that we are not in it alone, and that everyone else could use our help in some way, even if it is but a simple greeting with a smile. This third principle is directly related to the first two, and with good reason. Although we work out our salvation on our own, we are not meant to be alone, as the family is central to the Plan of the Great Creator (see The Family: A Proclamation to the World). If we abase ourselves, putting others before ourselves, we will be lifted up. Even when it seems that no one cares, that we cannot go another day making such sacrifices, let us remember the great and supernal sacrifice wrought by the Savior, even Jesus Christ. Remember the words of Mormon, written to his son Moroni. They were two of a dwindling race of righteous, surrounded by people seeking their lives for what they knew to be true:

And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9:6)

It is my prayer that we may adhere to these principles, ever staying in touch what is simple and true. Have a great week!

Preparation Brings Blessings

We have reached the last week of our month-long review. I would like to end with President Thomas S. Monson's talk in Priesthood Session, entitled "Preparation Brings Blessings." I know that President Monson is God's mouthpiece, a true prophet, called by God to warn us of the things to come. I believe that the voice of warning can be heard during General Conference, if we are attuned to the urgency that the prophet conveys. I think President Monson's warning here is clear: it is time now to prepare, to be proactive about doing all we can to receive the blessings Heavenly Father has stored for us. As this talk is relayed, I encourage you to think about those blessings that you seek, and what you can do to better prepare to receive them.

President Monson said:

Young men, I admonish you to prepare for service as a missionary. There are many tools to help you learn the lessons which will be beneficial to you as well as helping you to live the life you will need to have lived to be worthy. One such tool is the booklet entitled For the Strength of Youth, published under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It features standards from the writings and teachings of Church leaders and from scripture, adherence to which will bring the blessings of our Heavenly Father and the guidance of His Son to each of us. In addition, there are lesson manuals, carefully prepared after prayerful consideration. Families have family home evenings, where gospel principles are taught. Almost all of you have the opportunity to attend seminary classes taught by dedicated teachers who have much to share.

Begin to prepare for a temple marriage as well as for a mission. Proper dating is a part of that preparation. In cultures where dating is appropriate, do not date until you are 16 years old. “Not all teenagers need to date or even want to. . . . When you begin dating, go in groups or on double dates. . . . Make sure your parents meet [and become acquainted with] those you date.” Because dating is a preparation for marriage, “date only those who have high standards.”²

...

How you speak and the words you use tell much about the image you choose to portray. Use language to build and uplift those around you. Profane, vulgar, or crude language and inappropriate or off-color jokes are offensive to the Lord. Never misuse the name of God or Jesus Christ. The Lord said, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”⁴

Our Heavenly Father has counseled us to seek after “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”⁵ Whatever you read, listen to, or watch makes an impression on you.

Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive. Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs.

Don’t be afraid to walk out of a movie, turn off a television set, or change a radio station if what’s being presented does not meet your Heavenly Father’s standards. In short, if you have any question about whether a particular movie, book, or other form of entertainment is appropriate, don’t see it, don’t read it, don’t participate.

...

Let us have faith first, that we may act to work out our salvation. I have met many in my station (myself included) who have been fearful of what the future holds, of what to make of the here and now, and how to fulfill responsibilities. I think it is important for those of us with those questions to look at what we can do now, and let the Lord handle the rest. For if we have faith, we will be anchored, and we will have a greater hope for future blessings. I know this to be true as I see my life being molded in the hands of the Lord day by day. It is my hope and prayer that we may all continue in this vein, preparing our spirits to receive the Lord's choicest blessings.

Have a great week!