Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 14 “The Law of Consecration” —Sara

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 14 “The Law of Consecration”

I'm so sorry to those who keep up on this blog every week. I feel like I've failed you. This week is about the law of consecration, and while there are a lot of scriptures you could read on the subject, I just wanted to post a few quotes about it that I really enjoyed:

Pres. Kimball:

"...we must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit. In the Church, as in the Welfare system also, we can give expression to every ability, every righteous desire, every thoughtful impulse. Whether a volunteer, father, home teacher, bishop, or neighbor, whether a visiting teacher, mother, homemaker, or friend—there is ample opportunity to give our all. And as we give, we find that “sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!” (Hymns, no. 147.) And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.

How can we consecrate our time, talents, and possessions to help build the kingdom of God today?


Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve taught:

 “Going on a mission teaches you to live the law of consecration. It may be the only time in your life when you can give to the Lord all your time, talents, and resources. In return, the Lord will bless you with His Spirit to be with you. He will be close to you and strengthen you” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 50; or Ensign, May 1996, 36).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve said:

 “We tend to think of consecration only in terms of property and money. But there are so many ways of keeping back part” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 90; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 66).

And on another occasion Elder Maxwell taught:

An unwillingness to be completely submissive to the Lord’s will. “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar,” Elder Maxwell said. “The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 30; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 24).

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 13 “This Generation Shall Have My Word through You” —Alison

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 13

“This Generation Shall Have My Word through You”

Introduction

I am writing this the day after the first General session of the April 2017  conference where, for the first time, Pres. Monson wasn’t present, and the conference lasted just over an hour and 10 minutes. I am wondering what was left out. More important, however, is what was put in. As I start working on this lesson, resonating in my mind and spirit is the admonition from Sis. Roberts for us to be "certain" [men and] women. Poignant stories illustrated her point and, as the sisters always scour the Priesthood session to learn, so I would encourage the brothers to do the same with this first session. My hope for all of us is that our study of the scriptures, especially the Doctrine and Covenants this year, will make us more “certain.”

This week’s lesson focuses on the immense library that constitutes restoration scripture. I have said before that it is impossible to remember what it was like not to know what we know now, but, nevertheless, I was frankly amazed at the list of revealed doctrine that was no longer on the earth before the Lord restored it through Joseph (the list is at the end of this blog post with scriptural references).

And in addition to all that, for example, “latter-day scriptures, priesthood ordinances, the organization of the priesthood, and temple building have come from the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith.”[1]

1. The Lord declared that the people in this dispensation would receive His word through Joseph Smith.

This comes from D&C 5:10. Elder Tad Callister tells us:

In many ways the gospel of Jesus Christ is like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. When Joseph Smith came on the scene, perhaps 100 pieces were in place. Then Joseph Smith came along and put many of the other 900 pieces in place so that people could say, “Oh, now I understand where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going.” As for Joseph Smith’s role in the Restoration, the Lord defined it clearly: “This generation shall have my word through you”[2] 

It is now Sunday 2nd April and the first 4 sessions of Conference are behind us with the last two to come. How many of those talks referred to His word through Joseph Smith? I am struggling to put into words what that means to me. For no other reasons than now, through the restored Gospel, I am sealed to my parents; I have a purpose; Christ and Heavenly Father are real to me; I keep learning new things from the scriptures; the Lord has seemingly infinite patience with me, for which I am exceedingly grateful. It would be nice if you could think about this before next Sunday and offer some of your insights.

2. Many ancient and latter-day scriptures have come through Joseph Smith.

So let’s talk about the scriptures. I remember being in a class with the immortal Hugh Nibley when he said that Joseph had revealed, through his translation of the Bible in Moses 6:21–68 and Moses 7:1–69, more about Enoch than any other ancient source. It caused Nibley to write a whole tome showing just how much had been revealed about Enoch. We know from Moses 7:4 that Enoch “Saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face.” And from it we have another book written by Elder Maxwell on the City of Enoch.[3]

Equally ground-breaking is the Book of Abraham, to which Nibley devoted a lot of his study. It has come under a lot of criticsm, but the many studies undertaken at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute have borne out its authenticity. For instance, with Michael Lyon, I embarked on a study of hypochephali, the round papyrus fragment shown in Facsimile 2, we found about 30 of them in various Egyptian texts. A couple of them have the same themes as ours.

The books of Abraham and Moses and the translation of Matthew in the Pearl of Great Price are just some of the revealed plain and precious truths. Together with Joseph Smith—History and the Articles of Faith, we can see why it truly is a pearl of great price.

Transcendent, of course, is the Book of Mormon. One wonders what Joseph must have thought when he translated 2 Nephi 3:11–15. Did he know that he was the seer referred to? I’m asking a lot of you, and myself come to that, this week, but what impact is the Book of Mormon having in your life? Would you be willing to share something? Or at least record your feelings in your journal, or maybe just tell someone this week.

In the additional material at the end of this post, there is a link to “Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation.” This is well worth the click! I didn’t realize that Joseph started this work soon after the Church was organized. And that many of the revelations in the D&C had to do with this task. Here’s a quote from that link:

But the translation also had a significant influence on the Church in the way it shaped the content of the Doctrine and Covenants. More than half of the current Doctrine and Covenants consists of revelations received during the three-year period in which Joseph Smith labored over the Bible translation. Many revelations were received as direct answers to questions Joseph was inspired to ask as his understanding of the gospel expanded during the effort to restore plain and precious parts of the Bible.

Finally, the Doctrine and Covenants themselves. Even if we had the temerity to dismiss ancient scripture as not pertinent to our modern life, the Doctrine and Covenants was given for us specifically in this, the last dispensation of the fullness of times. As I said at the beginning, hopefully we can gain a great testimony of the Lord’s desire to shape us into true disciples by studying and applying the principles given us in this volume of scripture.

3. Plain and precious doctrines of the gospel have been restored through Joseph Smith.

The lesson manual has a chart of just some of these plain and precious doctrines. I will post it here and hope that we have time in class to look at a couple of them. But, quite honestly, can you imagine what it would be like not to know this?

Subject	Scriptures in the Bible	Scriptures Given through Joseph Smith
Physical nature of the Godhead	Matthew 3:16–17; John 4:24; Acts 7:55	Joseph Smith—History 1:17; D&C 130:1, 22
Our creation in God’s image	Genesis 1:27	Moses 6:8–9
Apostles and prophets	Ephesians 2:20; 4:11–16	D&C 107:23, 33, 35, 39, 58; 112:30–32
Melchizedek Priesthood	Hebrews 6:20; 7:17	D&C 84:19–25; 107:1–8, 18–19
Aaronic Priesthood	Hebrews 7:11	D&C 13; 84:18, 26–27, 30; 107:1, 13–14, 20
Mode of baptism	Matthew 3:16	3 Nephi 11:22–26; Moroni 8:8–12; D&C 20:71–74
The gift of the Holy Ghost	Acts 8:17	D&C 20:41, 43; 35:6; 121:46
Premortal existence	Jeremiah 1:4–5	D&C 93:29; Abraham 3:22–26
Baptism for the dead	1 Corinthians 15:29	D&C 128:16–18
Resurrection	Job 19:25–26; John 5:28–29; 1 Corinthians 15:22	Alma 11:42–45
The three kingdoms of glory	1 Corinthians 15:40–42	D&C 76:50–112; 131:1
Eternal marriage	Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 11:11	D&C 131:1–4; 132:19
Our potential to become like Heavenly Father	Romans 8:17	D&C 88:107; 93:20; 132:20–24

Additional resources for this lesson

• “Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation”: This article discusses the translation process and the ways in which different sections of the Doctrine and Covenants relate to the Bible translation.
• “William McLellin’s Five Questions”: This article discusses William McLellin as a witness to revelation through Joseph Smith.

• “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham”: This Gospel Topics essay discusses the book of Abraham, addressing questions that have been raised about the relationship between the papyri Joseph Smith obtained and the text we have today.
• “Old Testament Revision 2”: This page from the Joseph Smith Papers website introduces Joseph Smith’s Bible translation. 
• “Revelation and Family: Joseph and Emma’s Five Ohio Homes” Explore five places in and around Kirtland, Ohio, where Joseph and Emma Smith lived—homes that became places of revelation.

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[1] https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-gospel-doctrine-teachers-manual/lesson-13-this-generation-shall-have-my-word-through-you?lang=eng.

[2] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/joseph-smith-prophet-of-the-restoration?lang=eng.

[3] Hugh Nibley, Enoch The Prophet (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1986). Hugh Nibley, https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/03/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-4?lang=eng.

 Neal A. Maxwell, The Enoch Letters (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1975).

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 12 “The Gathering of My People” -- Sara

Doctrine and Covenants 29:1–8; 33:3–7; 37;38:24–41; 52:2–5, 42–43; 57:1–3; 110:11; Articles of Faith 1:10

Here is one of the scripture passages for this week, look for the promises and gifts God will give you as you help gather his elect:

D&C 29:1-8

1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins;
2 Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer.
3 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that at this time your sins are forgiven you, therefore ye receive these things; but remember to sin no more, lest perils shall come upon you.
4 Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump.
5 Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom.
6 And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive.
7 And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;
8 Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.

This week, I would really like you to go on to everydaymissionaries.org and read through some of the ideas we discussed in class and application of these ideas through the different experiences people share. Remember, just as it was brought up in class, there is no template for missionary work. But I really believe that the more ways we learn and see other people doing missionary work, the more we can learn by the spirit to apply it into our lives with the people we know. If that wasn't the case, then there are a whole slew of missionary stories in the Book of Mormon that are there for no reason. We need to see examples. We need to hear ideas. Success stories strengthen our faith.

Here are the testimonies from our class. I've left them anonymous because I didn't warn you. Here are some of your testimonies about Christ:

I've learned from the Christ scripture challenge that God wants us to be educated and use our skills for good. I was impressed by the scripture "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, harmless as doves." in Matthew

We have loved studying the scriptures of Christ. I learned in Mark 1:17 that Christ tells us to come follow him, and he will help us to BECOME a disciple of Christ. It is a lifelong process, and I want to continue repenting and changing and to become more like my savior.

I also learned from the sermon on the mount about our savior's example to be agreeable. This means to me that we can be peacemakers AND stand up for truth and righteousness.

From reading the scriptures about Christ, I have learned how much Jesus loved and cared about all people. It has given me a greater desire to pay attention to the needs of all people I come in contact with. It has taught me to serve and love others unconditionally.

I've been working on the reading challenge and before I started I just had a thought of I wonder if Jesus had siblings or technically half siblings. I figured he did just couldn't ever remember hearing about them. Then in one of the first few verses I read that he had 4 brothers and a few sisters. It was a small thing but a testimony to me that I would be learning a lot through this challenge.

What I've learned: Jesus teaching at the Temple when 12 At TWELVE! Understanding his mission and his comment to his parents when they found him.

I've learned in the scripture study that the savior did a LOT in his ministry, in three short years. It was packed with service, and we probably don't know everything that he did. He is amazing!

I am doing the scripture challenge and I'm not even behind! Woohoo!!!! Oddly enough, I feel like I've learned a lot about the people who were around Christ, which wasn't what I expected. I think a lot about how they felt, what they really understood, and why they acted the way they did. Did Pilate look around at the people he was governing and feel disappointed or disgusted to be one of their leaders? How did the disciples view and understand Christ's miracles?... I think I've learned a lot about Christ too. I've been insanely excited about Easter after reading about the resurrection. It's been really cool to read everything in order, from multiple books. It really gets certain events and teachings to stick.

So far I'm loving the scripture challenge. I like how it's lined up in chronological order. Even being where I am in the reading I feel more of a connection with Christ than I did before. I think it's a great idea to have this invitation to everyone.

The scripture challenge has made it more enjoyable to read scriptures in my home for all of us and especially my toddler.

Thank you so much for sharing those testimonies of what you are learning about Christ! They really help to strengthen my faith. Here are some of the things people shared about how they are building the kingdom in our ward:

I'm doing my best to be friendly and help make people comfortable and happy to be in church and church activities. Befriending the lonely.

I am working with others in the elders quorum assisting in the temple doing baptisms for the dead.

I am building the kingdom in our ward right now by strengthening relationships (visiting teachers, companions, relief society sisters, friends). As I strengthen relationships, I know that I will be blessed with opportunities to serve.

In this ward I am striving to be a good home teacher to build the kingdom of God. I have not yet been given a calling so I want to look for other ways to serve. After hearing our great sacrament meeting today I think I need to take time for family history.

I think of those I visit teach and their needs out of a true love and desire for the best for them.

I know exactly who I am, I am I a daughter of God. I try to give my testimony to the new members in church and that helps me a lot with my own testimony!

Building the kingdom by being a great example of a great father and friend to my neighbors.

As you can see, missionary work is all encompassing. It includes people who are already baptized. Starting with those who are in our stewardship and reaching out to all around us in Christ's place.

Here are the questions you have about missionary work:

What are the English missionaries names and numbers for our ward?

Who are the English speaking missionaries assigned to our ward? We would like to have them over for dinner and ask them how we can help with people they are teaching.

How can I find people who are looking for the gospel when I'm a stay at home mom and don't leave the house all too often?

How can I find missionary opportunities when pretty much the only the two places I find myself at home taking care of my baby or at BYU in class?

How do I find people to do missionary work with? We hardly ever see our neighbors, how do we break the ice with them?

Sometimes I feel like i don't know any non-members--which actually, as I think about it, is true. I know of people that are non members but it's difficult for me to reach out to strangers. How can I find opportunities to do so?

How can I be a missionary when I'm surrounded by members? Ever since I've moved to utah, I've had a hard time with missionary work. It was so easy to be a missionary when I was surrounded by non-members and now I have a difficult time.

I'm not used to being around so many members. I have a hard time figuring out where I would interact with nonmembers.

What is the consequence of not doing member missionary work?

I know that I want to help my sister come back to the church but I don't know how to share the gospel with her without pushing her away or offending her.

How can I better reach my non-member brothers and their families?

I get scared of rejection. What do I do if I've extended an invitation and then when I follow up I get ignored?

I'm friends with a lot of people who have left the church, and I'm never sure how to share my testimony of something that they've already rejected.

How do we know when a friend is ready to hear about the gospel and ready to accept our invitations?

Gene, our garbage man, comes every Tuesday morning around 6:30 am. He is always in a hurry but I often see him and we have become friendly. I don't know how to 'break the ice' to invite him to hear he gospel. I think he needs it.

How do you do missionary work without seeming like you are trying to persuade someone to believe what you believe?

How can I use social media better for missionary work?

How do I overcome the laziness I often feel towards being a member missionary? It's a desire I want to feel, but I struggle making time for it between school, work, family, and all of the other things I feel I'm supposed to do in the church. I get overwhelmed by family history, going to the temple, being a member missionary, home teaching, fulfilling my calling as a teacher, and everything else we're asked to do and don't end up doing any of it.

What are ways to stay motivated to do missionary work?

Thank you for your participation in class this last week. This next week, the lesson is on gathering the elect. We'll be discussing and practicing the answers to these questions. I can't wait! Oh and for the record, the missionaries' information is on lds.org in the directory when you sign in. Click on the word 'Missionary' on the left. Our missionaries are listed there.

Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 11 “The Field is White Already to Harvest” -- Sara

Oh missionary work... probably one of the most stressful topics for us in Sunday school lessons. Why? Many of us served missions or were converts ourselves. Many of us have seen friends or family members join the church. I could probably say that most (if not all) have experienced the joy that comes with missionary work. It's hard but somehow there is so much happiness.

I will keep my thoughts about missionary work brief today for those of you who have accepted the Christ scripture challenge. (If you are wondering what I am talking about, email me)

This week, I want you to ponder what type of member missionary you have always wanted to be. Write down what it would look like. What kinds of things you would invite people to do, the relationship you would have with the missionaries, how often friends and families would enter the waters of baptism etc.

Then, I want you write down all the things that have kept you from becoming that member missionary and all of your past or current frustrations. Rejection, lack of testimony, unable to make new acquaintances, fear, etc.

We'll be talking about what it looks like to be a member missionary and what we can do to be successful. I have always loved the motivation I feel when I read this quote by Elder Eyring, to talk to someone TODAY about the gospel:

“It’s easy to say, ‘The time isn’t right.’ But there is danger in procrastination. Years ago I worked for a man in California. He hired me; he was kind to me; he seemed to regard me highly. I may have been the only Latter-day Saint he ever knew well. I don’t know all the reasons I found to wait for a better moment to talk with him about the gospel. I just remember my feeling of sorrow when I learned, after he had retired and I lived far away, that he and his wife had been killed in a late-night drive to their home in Carmel, California. He loved his wife. He loved his children. He had loved his parents. He loved his grandchildren, and he will love their children and will want to be with them forever.
“Now, I don’t know how the crowds will be handled in the world to come. But I suppose that I will meet him, that he will look into my eyes, and that I will see in them the question, ‘Hal, you knew. Why didn’t you tell me?’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 33).I guess the theme of this week's lesson could be "No regrets".

The following list comes from the lesson itself, it lists scriptures and then a direction to ponder. We might go through a few of these as a class, but in case we spend the majority of class doing a Q&A style, I wanted to put these up here as a scripture study exercise for those of you so inclined:

1. D&C 18:15–16. Invite class members to express their feelings for Church members who shared the gospel with them or to describe their feelings as they shared the gospel.
2. D&C 31:7; 109:55–57. Invite class members to share experiences when the Lord has opened their hearts or the hearts of others to the gospel.
3. D&C 31:11; 84:85; 100:5–6. Invite class members to share experiences when the Spirit has guided their efforts or inspired them as they have shared the gospel.
4. D&C 31:13; 75:9–13; 84:88. Invite class members to share experiences when they have felt the Lord support them and bear them up as they have shared the gospel.
5. D&C 71:9–10. Point out that the Lord gave this promise at a time when the Church was under attack from a bitter apostate. How can this promise help us today?
6. D&C 84:80. Invite class members to tell how the Lord has sustained them mentally, physically, and spiritually as they have preached the gospel.
7. D&C 100:7–8. Invite class members to share experiences when they have felt the Holy Ghost bear record while they have shared the gospel.
I am so excited to have a discussion and counsel on missionary work in our class this week!