Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/AEfA44YvOaM
A PROCESS FOR UNDERSTANDING
ICEBREAKER
Does anybody know what a Rube-Goldberg machine is? And these are really fun. They are these highly complicated and impractical contraptions where one action triggers the initiation of the next which triggers another and another and so on and so on. I’ll provide a video link here for you to see a good example of one of these and when I teach this particular scripture study skill, I might show a class a short clip of one of these things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nORRgU8sGdE). Rube-Goldberg machines are a good example of a working process where one step leads to another, all culminating in an ultimate goal. When you study the scriptures, it’s also good to look for processes and break down instructions into steps that you can apply in your own life. The beginning of 3 Nephi 17 is a good example of one of these scriptural processes.
TRANSITION
Jesus has just finished teaching the people the Sermon at Bountiful with its numerous profound truths and principles and doctrines. They’ve been drinking from the spiritual fire hose (so to speak) and I think we can all relate to how the people are feeling at this time. Jesus tells us that when he says:
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my
words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at
this time.
Have you ever felt that way? Weak in your understanding or comprehension of spiritual things? Ever listened to a talk or a lesson at church and you went home feeling like everybody else seemed to get it but you? Ever come away from General Conference feeling overwhelmed? Have you ever had a time when you sincerely tried to grasp a certain section of the scriptures but still came away confused? Like reading Isaiah or Revelation? When you go to the temple, are you puzzled by the symbolism and the ceremony? Here I think Christ has a solution for us, when we feel that way.
SEARCH
From 3 Nephi 17:3, see if you can put together a sequence of actions suggested by the Savior when this happens. A scriptural process. I see five steps. What do you see? Here’s mine.
Go home. That’s easy enough. I think we can all handle that one. But it is an important step. Sometimes we just need to put a little distance between us and the material to give our minds and our spirits a break and a little room to breathe. I’m afraid though, that all too often, that’s all we do. Just the first step. We simply go home. After church, conference, or the temple. But Jesus has some other steps for us to take.
Ponder upon the things which I have said. We need to spend some time thinking about those things. Mull them over in your minds. Ask questions. Consider possible solutions. When we ponder, we give the Spirit space and time to influence and inspire us. Maybe we’ve grown a little too accustomed to having immediate answers to everything. Nowadays, when the mass of all human knowledge is available at our fingertips and in our pockets and all we have to do is simply "google” and voila, we have instantaneous information. God doesn’t really work that way. Joseph Smith once said ““The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.” Joseph Smith Teachings p.137. So, we need to take the time to ponder the things we’ve heard.
Ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand. This step can’t be underestimated. One of the most common promises we find in the scriptures is "Ask and ye shall receive”. And that makes sense. If you want a certain gift for your birthday or Christmas, you have to ask. If you want help from a teacher to understand a difficult concept, you have to raise your hand and ask. If you want to go on a date with that special someone, you have to ask. If you want to better understand things of a spiritual nature, you need to ask. It’s the James 1:5 solution that set in motion the entire Restoration. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, . . . and it shall be given him.” Make it a matter of prayer. Your Father in Heaven will hear it and added understanding will come.
Prepare your minds for the morrow. How can we prepare our minds? Give them plenty of rest and nourishment so they will be fresh and ready for a new experience. Open them and your hearts to added knowledge. Go with specific questions and goals in mind. Seek to clear them of the adversary’s doubts and fears and fortify your faith and trust in a God that can and will increase your understanding.
Finally, Christ says, I come unto you again. But we also need to make the effort to be there. We need to go back so that he can teach us again. All our pondering, and prayer, and preparation will mean nothing if we don’t continue to give him a chance to teach us. So go back to the temple, frequently, revisit those general conference talks, reread that chapter of scripture. God won’t give up on us as long as we continue to seek understanding.
I’ll give you just one example of this. I remember feeling very overwhelmed by the temple endowment experience the very first time I went. There was so much to take in, and so much I didn’t understand. In my mind I kept asking myself questions that began with why? Why am I dressed this way? Why are we watching that? Why are we praying like this? Why are we doing that particular thing? I’ll admit it was a little troubling at first. It wasn’t until later that I realized that this is exactly what my Father in Heaven wanted me to do. That’s why the temple experience is designed the way it is. It naturally leads us to ask questions, therefore giving Him the opportunity of answering them, through the influence of the Spirit. I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on trying to understand the temple experience after that initial visit. Over the years of applying this process of going home, pondering, praying, preparing and then returning to the temple, I’m pleased to tell you that my understanding and appreciation for the endowment has grown immensely over the years.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A question you could ask your class could be:
Have you ever felt like any of the steps of this process have helped you increase your understanding of God’s truth?
What happened?
CONCLUSION
My hope here, is that you will remember these steps the next time you feel overwhelmed or confused by God’s truths and I can assure you that, if you will, the understanding will eventually come.
CHRIST’S HEART
The rest of chapter 17 is really beautiful. I can’t think of many other places where you really get a sense of the Heart of Christ. It’s a glimpse right into his soul. What kind of a being is Christ? So let me point you to a couple of verses and I want you to consider what they say to you about Christ’s nature.
17:5-6
17:7
17:14
17:17-20
17:21-22
There are many things these verses could reveal to the individuals in your classes, so just let them share.
But here are some of my thoughts.
When Jesus says that he needs to go, in vs. 5 he senses that they really don’t want him to leave. They are in tears and look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. Have you ever felt that before? Have you ever been in a testimony meeting where the Spirit was so strong, that you just didn’t want it to end? Have you ever been listening to a talk or been engaged in your scripture study so deeply or felt the Spirit so strongly in the temple, at church, in nature, that you wished it could stay forever? Have you ever felt the warm, comforting influence of the Holy Ghost during a challenging time in your life that you longed for the reality and intensity of that moment to remain indefinitely? If you have, you’re having an "Abide with Me" moment. I think that God gives us those little touches of heaven from time to time in our lives when he opens the windows of the Celestial Kingdom just a crack and casts a beam of that brilliant light on us, to help us to move forward, to confirm our faith, to assure us of his love and awareness. Have you ever had those moments? In a class I would ask if anyone would be willing to share one.
We just don’t want those kinds of moments to end do we. That’s why one of my favorite hymns in our hymn book is #166 Abide with Me. A teaching suggestion here. Have somebody sing it, or sing it together, or watch a video of it, or just have them read the words and pick out their favorite line. Then you could have some share why they chose the line they did and what it means to them. Mine, I love in verse 3 where it says, “Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, Abide with Me!” We’re all going to have our fair share of both cloud and sunshine in our lives. I think it’s important to invite Christ to be a part of both kinds of experiences. It’s often easier to call upon him through the clouds of trial, temptation, and tragedy, but do we also call upon him in the radiant light of our successes, blessings, and happiness's. I want Christ to be my constant companion through both; through cloud and sunshine.
The wonderful thing about this desire that the people feel in chapter 17 is that Christ does "abide with them" a little longer. He has compassion on them, and he heals their sick, and he prays for them, and he takes their little children one by one and blesses them, and then he offers them the sacrament and teaches them a little bit more. Christ always gives and then goes the extra mile like he taught us to do in the Sermon on the Mount. The principle to me is clear. Jesus Christ is never too busy for you. He has time and to spare to abide with you and bless you and strengthen you. I believe he will give us those special experiences from time to time if our hearts are open to them. They create longing for a better world, and strength to endure to the end. And one day, if we remain faithful, I believe they will become our constant reality.
In 17:7 we learn that Christ loves to alleviate suffering. He heals the sick and the afflicted. He is a compassionate, healing person. His ultimate act of sacrifice, the atonement and resurrection, I believe were done out of the same desire to remove both physical and spiritual pain from our lives.
In 17:14 he groans within himself as he thinks of the wickedness of the House of Israel. And if you look back in verses 11-12 you see that this happens right after he has brought all the little children to him, and he’s surrounded by them. I think that’s significant. As he looks at the innocence and purity of those little children, perhaps he groans to think that so many of his children will have to grow up surrounded by the influence of a wicked world. I know I’ve had that experience before when I look at my own little children. It pains me to think of some of the things they will have to face. And so I pray for them. Which is what Jesus does here as well.
I love 17:17-20 where we find out what brings Jesus a fullness of joy. And what is it? It’s when he sees the joy of the people. That’s the kind of being Christ is. He finds joy in our joy.
And then 17:21-22 He weeps tears of joy as he blesses each one of those little children. You can just sense his deep love for those little children. What a beautiful moment to visualize. What a powerful reminder of the worth of souls. I try to imagine how I would feel if I was able to bring up each one of my own children up one by one for Jesus to bless. How grateful I would be for that. This scene amplifies and even improves on the scene with the little children that we find in the New Testament. His blessing them, weeping for joy over them, praying for them, and then having angels and fire surround them. It gives new meaning and depth to His command to “become as a little child”.
How can you not help but love a being like this?
IN REMEMBRANCE
I like to cover 3 Nephi 18 as a handout. It’s a secret phrase activity where class members can work together or on their own to fill in the boxes with the answers and then use those boxes to discover the secret phrase. But the handout is really just a tool to get them familiar with the material. The real lesson comes as you go through the answers. They serve as a vehicle to a deeper discussion about making the ordinance of the sacrament a more meaningful experience. I think there’s a lot in these verses that can help us to magnify what can be one of the most special spiritual experiences we can have each week. Far too often it can become routine and hollow if we allow it to be. I know that I’m guilty of that at times. Each question on the handout can act as a starting point for a discussion on making the sacrament more significant.
What’s the first thing Jesus commanded the multitude to do?_____ ____________ ________ (18:2) To “SIT THEMSELVES DOWN" upon the earth.
Why do you think he had them do that? I think that suggests reverence and reflection. In life, we are almost always up and doing, as we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and putting our shoulder to the wheel. But the sacrament is a different kind of time. It’s a time to reflect, to pause, to sit down and focus on spiritual things. So this is a preparatory step to a more meaningful sacramental experience. Sit down, not just physically, because you already will be. But mentally. We are so used to having inputs and stimulation from cell phones, television sets, music, news, work, social media from sun up to sun down that when we finally have a moment of silence, our minds can’t stop racing, and thinking about what we have to do, or humming a tune, or thinking about the game, or writing our next social media post, or contemplating the movie we watched last night. So many of us struggle with silence because our lives are filled with too much noise. If you want to make the sacrament more meaningful, the first thing you have to do is have that overworked, overstimulated, overanalyzing consciousness inside your head pause, and sit down. Try to clear your mind of all those inputs and focus on the ordinance. All the other suggestions here won’t work if we can’t do that first.
The breaking and blessing of the bread is to be done in remembrance of his ________. (18:7) The answer here. His BODY. Why do you think we have two emblems for the sacrament? Why not just one? I think it’s because there are two specific aspects of Christ’s sacrifice that we can focus on. The first is his body. But which body? The body that was broken on the cross, or his resurrected body? In verse 7 which is it? He says to do this in remembrance of the body which he had shown unto them. The body he had shown unto them was his resurrected body. Which do you think of when you partake of the sacrament? And I think it can be both. I can think of Christ’s body on the cross and the pain he suffered on my behalf. But I can also rejoice in the resurrected body of Christ. So, to make the sacrament a more meaningful experience, during the blessing and the passing of the bread, ponder on what Christ’s victory over death means personally to you. You could think of those whom you love that you’ve lost. Christ’s victory over death will return them to you. You can think about the physical pains and challenges that a mortal body brings you and others you love and rejoice and feel gratitude for the fact that Christ’s resurrection will one day eliminate all those pains and sorrows. You could think about the eternal nature of your soul that resurrection makes possible. You are eternal and will live forever. How does that eternal perspective change the way you view the challenges and tasks of your past week? The sacrament experience can then become a grounding, revelatory experience that puts all things into perspective.
Partaking of the sacrament “shall be a _____________ unto the Father” (18:7). “This doth __________ unto the Father” (18:10). TESTIMONY, and WITNESS. When was the last time you bore your testimony in sacrament meeting? Sometimes people will get to the pulpit on fast Sunday and say that they haven’t borne their testimony in public for years. But they would be wrong in saying that. The answer to that question is always, the last time you partook of the sacrament. The sacrament is a way of bearing testimony. Unto the father, and, in a way, to yourself, and all those around you”. What are you testifying of? Your belief in Christ. Your trust in Him, in his words, in his sacrifice. How can this make your sacramental experience more meaningful? The next time you bring that piece of bread to your lips, or that cup, in your mind, bear testimony. I like to repeat to myself as I do that the words “I believe in Christ”. It changes that act and deepens its meaning. We bear testimony or witness every time we partake of the sacrament.
The blessing and drinking of the water are to be done in remembrance of his _________. (18:11) BLOOD
Here is the second aspect of his sacrifice. The bread was to remind me of his victory over physical death. The water is to remind me of his victory over spiritual death or sin. So my thoughts and ponderings change for the second emblem. And I’d like to link the answer to this particular emblem with one of the promises we make in the sacramental covenant.
So the answer to the next question.
What is it that we are witnessing unto the Father when we partake of the bread AND the water? That we do ____________ __________ ______ (18:7, 11)
What? And before we answer that one. Something to ponder. Can you list the three promises we make each week in the sacrament? Think of the prayer on the bread. What are they? That we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given us. But in the two prayers on the sacrament which we’ve probably all heard hundreds of times in our lives, you may have noticed that the blessing on the water is shorter. Do you know why? It’s because only one of those three promises is repeated a second time in that blessing. Do you know which one it is? To always remember Him. I think the purpose of that is to emphasize the importance of that promise. We do always remember him. But how do we do that? Does that mean I need to have Christ on my mind continuously in my life? If that’s what it means, none of us is keeping that. And it’s impossible. We have to put our focus on other things in life. We can’t sit there and think about Christ all the time. Two thoughts on what I think it could mean.
I think I used to look at that promise in terms of generalities. I need to overall, think about Christ and remember Him. So I’d sit there and think of pictures of Jesus that I’d seen. Christ on the cross, in the garden, teaching the Sermon on the Mount, or just a picture of him, his face. And that would only last for a while before my mind started to wander. Instead, now, I’ve found it more meaningful to think in specific terms according to what aspects of Christ’s character that I need most in my life. So during the blessing and passing of the water, which represents his atoning blood, I ponder the areas of my life where I need to remember him more, specifically. To remember his example. So I think back over my week and the areas where I need to be more like Him. What part of His character do I need more of? So I think, I’ve been a little impatient this week with my children, and I think of Christ who said, suffer the little children to come unto me, and in that I find resolve to be more patient. Or I think, I need more of Christ’s forgiving nature, and I think of him on the cross saying “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. Perhaps I need to be more kind, so I think of Zacchaeus and how Jesus focused his attention on him even though the rest of the crowd had cast him out.
And when I look at it that way, his promise to me changes as well from generalities to specifics. What’s his promise to us if we always remember him?
Next question. Christ promises us that if we always remember him, that “ye shall have my __________ to be with you” (18:7,11). I used to think of that in general. I’ll have the Holy Ghost. Which is true. But specifically, I will have whatever element of his Spirit that I’m needing at that time. I will have his Spirit of patience. I will have his Spirit of Forgiveness. I will have his spirit of kindness. I will have his spirit of obedience and trust. Let THAT spirit always be with me. If I approach the sacrament like that each week, then it will be a unique and growing experience every time. It won’t be routine or hollow anymore. I think it can become the profound self-examination and weekly recommitment that I think it was always intended to be.
That’s one way of approaching it. I think there’s another way we can always remember Him. If I’m looking at myself and comparing myself to Christ, I imagine that sometimes it’s possible for us to become discouraged with our progress. There have been times in my life where I’ve been sitting in sacrament meeting thinking of my shortcomings, the mistakes I made that week, the times when I didn’t remember his example, when I got impatient, when I wasn’t kind, when I was disobedient. At those times, I think the Savior whispers to us “Always remember me”. And maybe we react by trying harder to think about him and to be more grateful for him. And he repeats, “No, always remember me”. And we say, “I do Lord, I do remember you, I’m grateful for you, I’m trying to be more like you”. And he gently repeats himself again. “No, you don’t understand, always remember me”. And I look down at that bread, or that water, and I realize what those emblems made possible. It made forgiveness and mercy possible. So when he says to always remember him, it’s not just to remember him in gratitude. It’s to remember him in hope. Don’t just sit there and think about how bad you are. Try thinking about how good He is.
CONCLUSION
And that leads us to our secret phrase. Right. What is it? THE SACRAMENT WILL FILL MY SOUL. That’s perhaps my favorite word in the whole chapter. You’ll see it in 4, 5, and 9. They partook of the sacrament and were FILLED. So I ask you. What does the sacrament Fill us with? Many answers to that question. It fills us with hope, it fills us with his Spirit, it fills us with gratitude, it fills us with resolve, it fills us with love. I’m so grateful for the sacrament and more importantly for the sacrifice that it symbolizes. I believe it can have great power to bring you closer to Christ. I hope that the next time you partake of the sacrament, that it will be a deeply meaningful experience for you. Perhaps 3 Nephi 18 can help you make it that way.
PRAYER
There are some really great thoughts on prayer in each of these chapters. I won’t spend much time there but I’ll quickly point out 18:20 where Christ adds what I think to be a very important qualification for the oft repeated scriptural promise “Ask, and ye shall receive” He says “whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you”. So like we spoke about last time, prayer isn’t so much about bending God’s will to ours, as it is about bending our will to his, and discovering what is right for us”.
I also like 18:21 which is one of the only places in scripture that I can think of that specifically asks us to pray as families. Family prayer can be powerful.
But I’d like to move on and go a bit deeper on the message of chapter 19.
AS BRIGHT AS JESUS
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker, I like to give my students the following recognition quiz. I’m going to display a number of famous individuals. The challenge is to name them. To recognize them just by their faces. So here we go:
The Rock-Duane Johnson
Taylor Swift
Lebron James
Donald Trump
Beyonce
Russell M. Ballard
Dallin H. Oaks
Neil L. Andersen
David A. Bednar
Russell M. Nelson
So how did you do? And if you do this activity, you may wish to pick different individuals based on who your audience is and where you’re from in the world. But usually, in my experience, especially with young people, most do really well on the first five, and not so great on the last five. And I like to ask them why they think that is? Why do we so easily recognize movie, music, political, and sports stars but not the Apostles of God? What do you think that indicates? And is that ok? I like to share this little story related by Elder Andersen long before he was ever called as an apostle. He said:
“I once found myself among a group of deacons in the southeastern United States. The subject turned to the Atlanta Braves. The boys knew each of the players on that baseball team. They knew the starting lineup, the home-run leader, the pitcher with the best record, and those on injured reserve. My questions then turned to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I asked if the boys knew the names of those Church leaders. Silence. Finally, the name of the prophet was spoken. With some encouragement, the last name of one of the counselors in the First Presidency surfaced. No other names were known.
Some might say it is not the leaders who are important, but the message they bring. Yet, if our children do not know the names of the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, they most likely will not know their messages either. Others might say there are so many General Authorities that our children cannot know them all. However, our focus must rest with those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. While the Church has grown, that number—fifteen—has remained the same.”
Neil L. Andersen
(Ensign April 1996)
The point of the activity is not to make anyone feel guilty, but hopefully will give them reason to reflect and motivation to pay a little closer attention to the brethren. But I hope you don’t mind my boldness in suggesting that I feel it is a significant thing to be able to recognize the brethren by name and be familiar with their teachings.
TRANSITION
When Jesus visited the Nephites in 3 Nephi, he gave them a powerful visual lesson about prophets and apostles. Consequently, it’s also a lesson for us as we read this account in 3 Nephi 19. When Jesus came, he called twelve apostles, just like he had in the old world. And, they are even named! In verse 4. There they are. Perhaps suggesting the importance of knowing them by name.
I suggest you read the entire chapter looking for Prophet Principles. What do we learn about apostles and prophets from this account? Remember that although we usually refer to the President of the Church as “THE” prophet, every single member of the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve have been set apart as prophets, seers, and revelatory. We actually have 15 prophets on the earth today. What does Jesus want us to know about them? Specifically pay close attention to the visual aspect of what happens here.
If you want to be more specific and you don’t feel you have time in class to read the entire chapter, take a closer look at the following verses:
19:6, 8, 9,13, 14, 20, 21, 25, 28, 30
What did you find? Here are some of my thoughts:
:6 They teach. That’s one of their primary responsibilities. Since Jesus can’t be with us personally at all times, he sends special witnesses to teach in his place. How can we know they won’t lead us astray?
:8 Because they teach the “same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken”. We can have confidence in them because they speak the words of Christ, nothing varying. They aren’t teaching their own thoughts and ideas. They represent Christ. Like it says in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
Did you catch that? The voice of his servants is the same as his voice. What if there was a general announcement to the church and world that at the next general conference, Jesus himself would be the final speaker. Would that change things? Would people pay closer attention? Would there be more excitement? Would attendance be higher? The thing is, Jesus is going to speak at the next general conference. Actually, he’s going to speak 15 times. How? Through the voice of his servants. It is the same. We would do well to pay attention.
:9 What do they desire most? The Spirit. They desire that closeness and guidance of the Holy Ghost.
Consequently, :13, they are filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. God grants them that desire. Do you get that sense from them? Do you sense that they are filled with the Spirit when they speak? I do! There is a special power in their words that you don’t feel anywhere else. Not from celebrities, politicians, great eloquent speakers, or world figures. There is a special spirit that accompanies the words of the prophets. It’s the Holy Ghost.
Here, Jesus seems to want to communicate that point with a visual object lesson. So in :14 what happens to the apostles? They are encircled about by fire. Can you picture that? This wonderful, glowing, brightness and warmth surrounding those men. What would that say to you? They truly are filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of God like a fire is burning. And then also in that verse. Angels come down and minister to them. Heavenly beings communicating with and helping them.
:20 Why are they chosen? Because of their belief in Christ. Their faith sets them apart. Do you sense that faith in them?
And speaking of the Holy Ghost and belief. Since the brethren are filled with it, what happens when we believe in their words? :21 We are filled with the Holy Ghost. The Spirit accompanies us as well. If you feel like you don’t have the companionship of the Holy Ghost much in your life, listen to the brethren. It will come.
And then my favorite part. :25 whose ideas are repeated again in :30.
25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray
unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light
of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as
white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and
behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea,
even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness
thereof.
Can you visualize that? What does that say about God’s prophets and apostles? Imagine yourself in that kind of situation. You go to general conference and lo and behold, Jesus shows up. And he just emanates such light, and warmth, and power. His glory is brighter and lighter than anything you’ve ever seen before. And then the brethren all begin to glow and brighten with the whitest light you’ve ever seen. They too, just like Jesus are surrounded but that glorious, warm fire and light. They glow with the exact same illumination and magnificence. And then Jesus turns around and looks at them, and his face brightens into the most wonderful smile and approval. He just literally beams at them. At President Nelson, and Elder Eyring, and Elder Holland, and Elder Soares, and all the others. What does that communicate to you? Visually? To me, it tells me that I can follow them with the same confidence and comfort and trust as I would following Jesus himself. They are LIKE Him!
And if I do follow them. One more verse. :28 I can be purified as they are pure. If we want to be pure as they are, we need to listen to and heed their words. Faith on their words will lead to that purity. And that’s because they will teach us how to apply the power of Christ’s atoning sacrifice in our lives.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Some statements to ponder here. How accurate are these statements in your life? If you had to rank yourself on a scale from 1-10 on each, where would you fall.
I can recognize the First Presidency and 12 apostles by name and face?
I feel the Spirit when they speak.
I listen to each of their talks at General Conference.
I have a testimony that they are men called of God.
I try to apply what they teach in my life.
And then I invite you to ponder what you can do to more fully know, accept, and follow the brethren.
CONCLUSION
I’m so grateful for the brethren; for Apostles and Prophets. We are certainly spoiled with great leadership, aren’t we? I remember on my mission speaking to a man who was rather confrontational about our beliefs. We were kind of going back and forth on Bible passages that seemed to be contradictory. He would share his verse, then we would share ours and we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. At one point, it seemed like it was starting to turn more into an argument than a discussion, and I just stopped, and I said, “We could go back and forth all day, but what it really comes down to is how these specific verses are interpreted. We could both read the exact same verse and come to completely different conclusions. That’s why we need living prophets. God calls special witnesses to help us understand the proper interpretation of the scriptures”. And he just stopped for a second, and his face softened, and he looked at us very intently and asked “You mean, if there was something you didn’t understand in the Bible, you could go to the prophet and he would tell you what God meant by it?” And I said, “in a way, yes. The prophets teach and communicate to us God’s intent in the scriptures, so there is no way for us to err in their interpretation”. And I’ll never forget this, but he just kind of leaned back in his chair and looked up and said very sincerely. “Wow, I long for that”. And then he kind of snapped back to himself and his arguments. But the idea resonated with him and he couldn’t help but see the beauty and the wisdom of that kind of arrangement between God and man. We have that longed-for blessing as members of Church of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, we don’t take it for granted.
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