Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 5 "This is the Spirit of Revelation" -- Alison

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 5

Doctrine and Covenants 6, 8, 9, Joseph Smith—History 1:8–17

“This Is the Spirit of Revelation”

Introduction

Before we start in on this week’s lesson, I just wanted to clarify something we talked about last week. Mary Musselman Whitmer, wife to Peter and mother to David was, as far as we know, the only person to be shown the individual plates outside of the Three and Eight Witnesses. Emma only saw them covered and felt them through the covering; Lucy Harris, like Oliver Cowdrey, saw them in a vision or dream.[1] The next two weeks the lessons are on revelation, specifically working through the process as Oliver Cowdery experienced it. This week we will examine how to receive revelation, and next week how to recognize it. It follows very well on everything we learned from Br. Jordan and Br. Stout in Sacrament meeting last week, Sis. Stout in Sunday School, and, for the sisters anyway, Sis. Black in Relief Society. As always, at the end of this post are links that hopefully will enrich and enhance your study of this lesson. Several popular television programs from both side of the pond feature life in this era of history, both pioneer America and England on the verge of the industrial revolution. The role of school teacher was vital, and teachers often came from outside the community. Oliver Cowdery came to Palmyra New York in 1828 to teach there. Customarily a teacher would board with the parents of his pupils, and so we find Oliver living with Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith.[2]

1. Our need for personal revelation

When you think of personal revelation, what impact does it have on your life. The Bible Dictionary defines revelation:

“Divine revelation is one of the grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it, man could not know of the things of God. … Continuous revelation from God to his saints … makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom. … Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion” (Bible Dictionary, “Revelation,” 762).

Elder Packer said:

“No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration” (Ensign, Nov. 1991, 23).

We know that the Prophet receives revelation for the whole Church, that sweeping, wide-ranging revelations have been received that last for time and eternity, but as individual members of the Church, heads of families, and just ourselves, we too can receive revelation to aid us in our daily struggle to be disciples of Jesus Christ. From the child who has lost a beloved toy, to the parents whose beloved child has gone astray, revelation is our blessing and our gift.

True to the Faith tells us

Quiet spiritual promptings may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are more powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on the soul that is more significant than anything you can see or hear. Through such revelations, you will receive lasting strength to stay true to the gospel and help others do the same.

2. Understanding what we should do to receive revelation

If for any reason you feel you are not able to receive revelation, please work through these steps that the lesson manual outlines for us. And if you are able to receive revelation, this is a good review. Remember what we learned from Elder Devn Cornish in last week’s Relief Society/Priesthood meeting (here I am hoping the brethren covered it!)

Let me be direct and clear. The answers to the questions “Am I good enough?” and “Will I make it?” are “Yes! You are going to be good enough” and “Yes, you are going to make it as long as you keep repenting and do not rationalize or rebel.” The God of heaven is not a heartless referee looking for any excuse to throw us out of the game. He is our perfectly loving Father, who yearns more than anything else to have all of His children come back home and live with Him as families forever. He truly gave His Only Begotten Son that we might not perish but have everlasting life!¹ Please believe, and please take hope and comfort from, this eternal truth. Our Heavenly Father intends for us to make it! That is His work and His glory.[3]

And that includes the vital gift of revelation without which, as the Bible Dictionary said, “all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion.”

Let’s look at these scriptures to see what the process is to receive revelation:

Study

Doctrine and Covenants 9:8; Joseph Smith—History 1:8–10.

Ponder and Meditate

Doctrine and Covenants 138:1–11; Joseph Smith—History 1:11–12

Inquire of the Lord in Faith

Doctrine and Covenants 6:5, 14; 8:1; 42:61; 88:63–64

Be Obedient and Serve God

Doctrine and Covenants 63:23; 76:5–10; 93:1, 28; 101:7–8

Be Meek and Humble

Doctrine and Covenants 5:24; 19:23; 112:10; 136:32–33

Focus on the Things of God, not of the World

Doctrine and Covenants 25:10; 30:2.

This is a lot. But then the gift is a lot also. How do we teach children? Let me put it in terms of Lego. You start a child of with very simple building blocks that perhaps only make one thing. You progress to Duplo, maybe a couple of kits so that the end result is a variable of two or three things, finally you graduate to Lego and as they get older suddenly everything is Awesome. The gift was never the end result, but the building blocks to achieve that end. Revelation is the gift that becomes increasingly more complex as our ability to receive it grows. The child finds its lost toy, but the parents regain their Prodigal Son.

One of my personal mentors for receiving revelation was Elder Scott. And I am ashamed to say I have not very often followed his advice, so posting it here is a reminder to me to repent. And a renewal of commitment to follow it.

When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord wants me to do. . . .There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions such as anger or hurt or defensiveness will drive away the Holy Ghost. Those emotions must be eliminated, or our chance for receiving revelation is slight. Another principle is to be cautious with humor. . . . A good sense of humor helps revelation; loud laughter does not. A sense of humor is an escape valve for the pressures of life. . . .On the other hand, spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation. . . . Revelation can also be given in a dream when there is an almost imperceptible transition from sleep to wakefulness. If you strive to capture the content immediately, you can record great detail, but otherwise it fades rapidly. . . . When it is for the Lord’s purposes, He can bring anything to our remembrance. That should not weaken our determination to record impressions of the Spirit. Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation. Such recording of direction of the Spirit should be protected from loss or intrusion by others.

Additional Material

Lesson 5: “This Is the Spirit of Revelation”

• “Oliver Cowdery’s Gift”: This article gives context for the revelations now found in Doctrine and Covenants 6–9.
• “Time Line: Palmyra, Fayette, and Harmony”: This time line lists significant events in early Church history by location and helps show how Oliver Cowdery’s translation work fit into the longer Book of Mormon translation process. 
• “Your Passion, the Lord’s Purpose”: This excerpt is from an article by Evan Stephens, a hymn composer and former Tabernacle Choir director, on how the Lord has guided the development of music in the Church. 

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[1] https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/07/i-have-a-question?lang=eng.

[2] https://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-oliver-cowdery?lang=eng.

[3] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/am-i-good-enough-will-i-make-it?lang=eng.

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 4 "Remember the New Covenant, Even the Book of Mormon" --Sara

Doctrine and Covenants Lesson #4

Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65

Doctrine and Covenants 3; 5; 10; 17; 20:5–15; 84:54–62

Our Heritage, pages 5–10

This lesson topic caught me off guard when I read which sections of scripture we would be covering this week. The experience we are studying is of Martin Harris' losing the 116 pages of translation from Joseph Smith. In these lessons, there are links given to provide historical context for the revelations received and I found this one fascinating:

https://history.lds.org/article/doctrine-and-covenants-martin-harris?lang=eng

It explains the contributions of Martin Harris and gives a lot of details I never knew about the situation and about the man. It's definitely worth a read if you want to learn something new.

From the prophet Joseph Smith, here is a summary of what happened:

“Some time after Mr. [Martin] Harris had begun to write for me, he began to importune me to give him liberty to carry the writings home and show them; and desired of me that I would inquire of the Lord, through the Urim and Thummim, if he might not do so. I did inquire, and the answer was that he must not. However, he was not satisfied with this answer, and desired that I should inquire again. I did so, and the answer was as before. Still he could not be contented, but insisted that I should inquire once more. After much solicitation I again inquired of the Lord, and permission was granted him to have the writings on certain conditions; which were, that he show them only to his brother, Preserved Harris, his own wife, his father and his mother, and a Mrs. Cobb, a sister to his wife. In accordance with this last answer, I required of him that he should bind himself in a covenant to me in a most solemn manner that he would not do otherwise than had been directed. He did so. He bound himself as I required of him, took the writings, and went his way. Notwithstanding, however, the great restrictions which he had been laid under, and the solemnity of the covenant which he had made with me, he did show them to others, and by stratagem they got them away from him, and they never have been recovered unto this day.

“In the meantime, while Martin Harris was gone with the writings, I went to visit my father’s family at Manchester.” (History of the Church, 1:21.) 

From the Institute manual it helps to finish the story:

His mother, Lucy Mack Smith, wrote about Joseph’s arrival at their home in Manchester and of his anguish when he learned that Martin Harris had lost the manuscript. After a long delay, Martin showed up at the house and confessed that he could not find the papers.
“Joseph who had not expressed his fears till now, sprang from the table, exclaiming, ‘Martin, have you lost that manuscript? Have you broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon my head as well as your own?’
“‘Yes; it is gone,’ replied Martin, ‘and I know not where.’
“‘Oh, my God!’ said Joseph, clenching his hands. ‘All is lost! all is lost! What shall I do? I have sinned—it is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied with the first answer which I received from the Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my possession.’ He wept and groaned, and walked the floor continually.
“At length he told Martin to go back and search again.
“‘No’; said Martin, ‘it is all in vain; for I have ripped open beds and pillows; and I know it is not there.’
“‘Then must I,’ said Joseph, ‘return with such a tale as this? I dare not do it. And how shall I appear before the Lord? Of what rebuke am I not worthy from the angel of the Most High?’ …
“The next morning, he set out for home. We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that all which we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratification, had in a moment fled, and fled forever.” (History of Joseph Smith, pp. 128–29.) 

Questions to ask while reading the scripture block for the week:

What do you learn about God from this experience?

Why is this lesson titled and meant to emphasize the Book of Mormon?

What does this mean for us now?

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 3 "I Had Seen a Vision" --Alison

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 3

  Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26.

Our Heritage, pages 1–4.

“I Had Seen a Vision”

Introduction

How to approach this topic that was so eventful in the history of this earth and our sojourn on it? On the last page are some wonderful resources that I hope you all get a chance to read, watch, and work through. Well, the writers of the lesson manual want us to understand its place in history. Starting with the apostasy. Interestingly, our Gordon B. Hinckley lesson last week gave us some strong insights into what the apostasy entailed, and the events leading up to the Restoration of the Gospel and The Church of Jesus Christ. So maybe we can now look at the Doctrine and Covenants as one of the end results of centuries of preparation—it means that much.

1. After the Apostasy, God prepared the way for the Restoration.

We talked last week about not being able to remember what you believed in the past once you knew the truth. Can we imagine what it was like not to have the Priesthood on the earth? How would having the heavens closed feel? What if we had to rely on what other men thought to direct our beliefs? Truly we can see why it was described in D&C 1:15–16

For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

We can perhaps imagine it better when we listen to what Joseph was going through:

My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all [1]others (JS—H 1:9).

There is a cutting from the Palmyra newspaper from 1820 in one of the multimedia links on the last page that might give us some insight into the times:

In this 1820 article, for example, the editor of Palmyra’s newspaper claimed it was a “notorious fact” that Methodist camp-meetings attracted “the intemperate, the lewd and dissolute part of the community.” Demeaning statements such as this one may have contributed to the feeling of religious tumult as much as doctrinal differences did.

Preparation for the Restoration began in the 14th century and the events were summarized in the Gordon B. Hinckley manual :Renaissance; Reformers such as Wycliffe, Tyndale, Martin Luther; the discovery of the Americas, and the establishment of the Constitute of the United States. I realize I was perhaps a little negative on the subject of religious freedom, guaranteed by the Constitution, but know that I must have faith that, although in the last days, the Constitution will be in danger,[2] it will not fall.

2. God prepared Joseph Smith to be the prophet of the Restoration.

Thanks to the Joseph Smith Papers project, we have Lucy Mack Smith’s history in which:

Beginning with details of her New England ancestors, Smith related an account of her family’s early experiences and support of [Joseph Smith] during the founding era of the church. Adversity and persecution are vividly evident, as are hard work, faith, love, and testimony. Many details that we know about early church history can be attributed to Lucy, such as [Joseph Smith’s] leg operation when he was a child; the death of [Joseph Smith’s] oldest brother, Alvin; the dreams, visions, and blessings of Joseph Smith Sr.; and a wife and mother’s grief as she buries her “beloved husband” and many of her children. She also provided details and perspective about missions, moves, travels, mobbings, and arrests that are not available elsewhere.[3]

There are many stories that show how remarkable Joseph was as a child and youth. Perhaps the most famous is when he had to have what was loosely called surgery on his leg.

Joseph Jr., was seven years old when he survived a typhoid epidemic that caused more than 3,000 deaths in the New England area. As he was recovering, a severe infection developed in the marrow of the bone in his left leg, and the almost unbearable pain lasted for more than three weeks. The local surgeon decided that the leg would have to be amputated, but at the insistence of Joseph’s mother, another doctor was sent for. Nathan Smith, a physician at nearby Dartmouth College, said that he would try to save the leg using a relatively new and extremely painful procedure to remove part of the bone. The doctor brought cords to bind the boy, but Joseph objected, saying that he would bear the operation without them. He also refused brandy, the only form of anesthetic available to him, and asked only that his father hold him in his arms during the operation.[4]

The manual tells us:

Joseph Smith came from a rich spiritual heritage. His parents and grandparents were religious, patriotic, educationally minded, and of strong moral convictions. His paternal grandfather, Asael Smith, stated years before Joseph was born, “It has been borne in upon my soul that one of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world of religious faith” (in Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials in Church History, 27th ed. [1974], 25).

3. The First Vision ushered in the restoration of the gospel.

We talked last week about how the First Vision changed completely what the world knew about God. If you can take some time to look through the resources at the end of the post, I’d like to hear from you on Sunday how the First Vision has affected you personally. I will offer a poignant quote from Pres. Uchtdorf:

In my growing-up years in Germany, I attended church in many different locations and circumstances. . . The Zwickau chapel had an old air-driven organ. Every Sunday a young man was assigned to push up and down the sturdy lever operating the bellows to make the organ work. Even before I was an Aaronic Priesthood bearer, I sometimes had the great privilege to assist in this important task. . . . There was an additional benefit that came from this assignment: the bellows operator sat in a seat that offered a great view of a stained-glass window that beautified the front part of the chapel. The stained glass portrayed the First Vision, with Joseph Smith kneeling in the Sacred Grove, looking up toward heaven and into a pillar of light. . . . I often looked at this depiction of a most sacred moment in world history. In my mind’s eye I saw Joseph receiving knowledge, witness, and divine instructions as he became a blessed instrument in the hand of our Heavenly Father. I felt a special spirit while looking at the beautiful scene in this window picture of a believing young boy in a sacred grove who made a courageous decision to earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father, who listened and responded lovingly to him. Here I was, a young boy in post–World War II Germany, living in a city in ruins, thousands of miles away from Palmyra in North America and more than a hundred years after the event actually took place. By the universal power of the Holy Ghost, I felt in my heart and in my mind that it was true, that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and heard Their voices. The Spirit of God comforted my soul at this young age with an assurance of the reality of this sacred moment that resulted in the beginning of a worldwide movement destined to “roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth” (D&C 65:2). I believed Joseph Smith’s testimony of that glorious experience in the Sacred Grove then, and I know it now. God has spoken to mankind again!

4. Many truths were revealed in the First Vision.

Again, can we think back to when we didn’t know these truths? This post is overlong, but I will list just some of them

a. God the Father and Jesus Christ live.

b. The Father and the Son are real, separate beings with glorified bodies of flesh and bones.

c. We are created in the image of God.

d. Satan and his power are real, but God’s power is infinitely greater.

e. God hears and answers prayers and cares for us.

f. None of the churches on earth had the fulness of Christ’s gospel.

g. Revelation has not ceased.

President Monson tells us how we can have our own “Sacred Grove experience”:

[John said] “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” . . . Moroni . . . counseled, “And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.” President David O. McKay counseled: “‘The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.’ … It is a good thing to sit down and commune with yourself, to come to an understanding with yourself and decide in that silent moment what your duty is to your family, to your Church, to your country, and … to your fellowmen.” The boy prophet Joseph Smith sought heavenly help by entering a grove which then became sacred. Do we need similar strength? Does each need to seek his or her own “Sacred Grove”? A place where communication between God and man can go forth unimpeded, uninterrupted, and undisturbed is such a grove.

 

Accounts of the First Vision

https://www.lds.org/topics/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng&_r=1

Stephen Harper’s synthesis of the First Vision accounts

https://history.lds.org/article/first-vision-accounts-synthesis?lang=eng

Additional material

Lesson 3: “I Had Seen a Vision”

·       “First Vision Accounts”: This Gospel Topics essay introduces the different accounts of the First Vision recorded during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. 

·       “The First Vision: Journey to the Sacred Grove”: This multimedia narrative uses immersive images from the Smith farm and the Sacred Grove to tell how Joseph Smith’s experiences led to the First Vision. 

·       “Joseph Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision”: In this series of short videos, scholars address differences between Joseph Smith’s accounts of the First Vision. 

·       Artistic Interpretations of the First Vision: This online exhibit includes selections of artwork from the Church History Museum’s collection depicting Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

·       “Preparation of Joseph Smith: The First Vision”: This two-minute video depicts the First Vision story as told in the Pearl of Great Price. 

Joseph Smith History by his Mother, Lucy Mack Smith

http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/1

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[1] https://history.lds.org/narrative/first-vision?lang=eng.

[2] Interestingly I was about to quote “hanging by a thread” but there is no evidence that Joseph actually used those words—here is the analysis afrotc.byu.edu/sites/default/files/files/CONSTITUTIONHANGINGBYATHREAD.doc

[3] http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/5#ft-source-note.

[4] https://www.lds.org/manual/our-heritage-a-brief-history-of-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints/chapter-one-the-first-vision.p6?lang=eng.