Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Teaching with the Power and Authority of God

I've been searching and planning for a teaching class over the last couple of weeks (sorry for the delays in blogging) and this talk by Elder David M. McConkie has been a great resource and I've been putting stickies in my manual all week!

 What fun it's been to prepare this course. I loved this talk because it had all kinds of things that went with the "Teaching- No Greater Call" manual.

"The First Presidency has promised: 'The Holy Ghost will help you to know what to do. Your own testimony will grow, your conversion will be deepened, and you will be strengthened to meet the challenges of life.'"
I will especially use the two ways the gospel comes to men- by the word of the gospel and by the power of the gospel.

Elder McConkie reminds us of the sons of Mosiah and their very effective teaching methods in Alma 17:2-3.

And I have a couple stickies for the words by Elder Holland to missionaries where Elder McConkie replaces the terms missionaries and investigators with the terms teachers and students.

I will definitely use the following words of Elder McConkie:
"After you have prepared yourself and your lesson to the very best of your ability, you must be willing to let go. When the quiet promptings of the Holy Ghost come, you must have the courage to set aside your outlines and your notes and go where the promptings take you. When you do this, the lesson you deliver is no longer your lesson, but it becomes the Savior's lesson."
I did this in a lesson a few months back, not out of a prompting, but because for some strange reason, the lesson I had been preparing over the last month and reading everyday and going over and over even the night before, seemed to disappear Sunday morning and couldn't be found anywhere.  I left for church knowing that I was not supposed to use the lesson from the manual.  And it was a great lesson! Not the one I had prepared, but the one that needed to be given.

11 comments:

  1. In Conference of April 1998' Elder Jeffrey R Holland taught: "Most people don't come to church looking merely for a few new gospel facts or to see old friends, though all of that is important, they come seeking a spiritual experience. They want peace. They want their faith fortified and their hope renewed. They want in short, to be nourished by the good word of God, to be strengthened by the powers of heaven. Those of us who are called to speak or teach or lead have an obligation to help provide that, as best we possibly can. Inspired instruction in the home and in the church helps provide this crucial element of nourishing by the good word of God.

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  2. President Hinckley said: " Effective teaching is the very essence of leadership in the church. Eternal life will come only as men and women are taught with such effectiveness that they change and discipline their lives. They can not be co-erced into righteousness or into heaven. They must be led, and that means teaching by the Spirit."

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  3. One of my favorite scriptures is: "Wherefore he that preacheth and he that recieveth , understands one another and both are edified and rejoice together.". DC 50:20. When both giver and receiver pray for the Holy Spirit, both communicate spirit to spirit.

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  4. Certain principles must accompany our teaching through the influence of the Spirit. First, we must be holy. Then we need confidence in the Holy Ghost, believe in Him, and expect His presence to be with us. And when it comes, we need to recognize His presence and be able to help others to feel the influence that He brings.

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  5. President Howard W Hunter in April Conference of 1971 stated: " Abstract ideas may be difficult to understand, but when principles can be visually demonstrated to students, they comprehend more readily. A picture is worth a thousand words. The Lord has been explicit in our day about the responsibility of the bearers of the priesthood (Relief Society) to teach the gospel. (DC 42: 12-13). And again, the elders, priests, and teachers (sisters) of the church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which is the fullness of the gospel. And they shall observe the covenants and church articles to do them, and these shall be their teachings, as they shall be directed by the Spirit."

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  6. Elder Merrill at the Oct. 2006 Conference taught: " I have come to better understand how vitally important of teaching by the Spirit. But we need to remember that the Lord has placed equal, if not greater importance on receiving the Spirit. Such receiving is a foundational gospel pattern. It is set forth in the very ordinance by which we are confirmed members of the Church. In the ordinance, we are instructed to 'recieve the Holy Ghost'."

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  7. President Howard W Hunter in April 1971 Conference taught: "
    1. Every bearer of the priesthood (and sister) within
    His/her sphere of influence.and responsibility is to
    Teach the gospel through precept and example. That
    Is he should be teaching by the example of living the
    Gospel, also through words, learning experiences and
    Instructional materials.
    2. Every bearer of the priesthood is to prepare himself
    To be an effective teacher by study, prayer and faith.
    3. Every bearer of the priesthood and sister should seek
    The direction of the Spirit to guide him/her in his/her
    Life and inspire them in thier teaching efforts.
    4. Every member has a sacred stewardship in the
    Kingdom of God. Our time, talents and our property,
    Our callings are part of this stewardship.

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  8. The Prophet Joseph Smith told President Martin Van Buren that the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, was one way our religion differed from others. This powerful gift entitles all worthy members of the church to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead, whose function it is to inspire, reveal and teach all things. Inspiration and revelation are so common and so widespread, so universal among the leaders and and faithful members of the church that there is a strong spiritual base underlying what is done. The church grows and flourish because of divine direction. Every Latter Day Saint may know the Spirit of revelation and inspiration James E Faust. April 1980

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  9. Elder Ballard in Oct. 1998 said "With the announcement of at least 100 temples in operation by the end of the century. Even since this stunning announcement, I have thought what great confidence the Lord and His prophet have in you and me. How much responsibility now rests upon all of us to prepare ourselves and others to be worthy of the blessings of these holy temples. The temple ordinances becomes the crowning blessings the Church has to offer. There is an urgency in this work that motivates us to extend the blessings of the temple to as many of our Heavenly Fathers children as possible. Our prophet is dynamically out in front showing the way. The question we must all ask ourselves is, are we keeping pace with him? Each of us must be prepared to answer that question. Every council (every member) should be working together in ways to be more effective in preparing our members to be worthy to enjoy all the blessings of the church and especially the blessings of the temple. Are the Home and Visiting Teachers involved in serving those families? Are we concerning ourselves with helping every new convert and less active member become fully fellow shipped and completely anchored to the doctrines of the church? Brothers and Sisters there is much to be done by us to complete the work assigned by the Lord to the dispensation. We must focus our work and work smarter to teach and help prepare all Church members to recieve their temple blessings."

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  10. Elder Ballard continued: " I know the power of inspired men and women, who unitedly strive to strengthen families and individual members of the Church. Please fully utilize your combined abilities to bless the lives of every person - man or woman, teenager or child, member or non member - who lives within the ward boundaries. Brothers and Sisters let us unite as never before to do our part, individually and collectively, to prepare our people to recieve the blessings that can only be given in the House of the Lord. This is our day brothers and sisters. It is a time that has been foreseen by holy prophets, since the world began. It is the dispensation of the fullness of times, when the final scenes of the world's history will be played out. Our latter day prophets have warned us of the solemn, slobbering obligation that is ours to prepare for ' the great and dreadful day of the Lord.'. That day is steadily moving towards us and there is still much to be done.". Oct. 1998

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  11. President Joseph Fielding Smith in his book, Church History and Modern Revealation, 1:184-85 stated: " No one should attempt to teach the doctrine of the Church unless he is fully converted and has an abiding testimony of their truth. This testimony can only be received through prayerful study and obedience to all the commandments of the Lord. No man or woman can teach by the Spirit what he or she does not practice. Sincerity, integrity, and loyalty are essential factors, and these will be accompanied by the Spirit of prayer. The Comforter, "who know etch all things", we should rely on, and then our teachings shall be approved of our Father in Heaven."

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