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This week I'd like to go a little out of order and begin with Section 7. It's theme and message are a bit different from the others this week. 6, 8, and 9 definitely flow together. However, there is a connection between sections 6 and 7. And that connection comes in verse 27 where the Lord promises Oliver Cowdery:
And now I command you, that if you have good desires--a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven--then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity.
Well section 7 is the fulfillment of that promise. The section heading of 7 tells us that its contents had been "hidden up", but now was coming to light through Joseph and Oliver.
ICEBREAKER
And this section, though small, has a brief but powerful message you can share. I like to introduce it with this fun icebreaker. I tell them that I am going to put some statements on the board that describe one of the living apostles. Their challenge is to be the first person to guess which one it is. We'll start more general and get increasingly more specific. So here we go:
Which one of the living apostles:
· Was called to be a special witness of Christ.
· Was and continues to be a great missionary.
· Was somewhat wealthy before becoming an apostle.
· Wrote one of the most important books ever written about the life of Jesus Christ.
· Wrote one of the most important books ever written about the 2nd Coming.
· Made a career in the commercial fishing industry before becoming an apostle.
· Had a brother who was once an apostle but has since died.
· On one of his missions, he was kicked out of the country and forced to reside on a small island.
· Was boiled in oil by unbelievers, but survived.
· Had a nickname along with his brother. They were called the “Sons of Thunder”. He was also nicknamed “The Beloved”.
· Is mentioned by name in the Book of Mormon
· Helped give the Melchizedek priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
· Was present at the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
TRANSITION
Have you guessed who it is yet? It's John. And this is fun activity because they don't expect it and are guessing all the names of our modern apostles first. But John is a living apostle! The reason I say that he was somewhat wealthy is because of the huge draught of fish they caught on the day Jesus called him to be an apostle. That haul probably would have made him "somewhat" wealthy. And the part about being boiled in oil is a traditional Christian belief so, I admit that may be apocryphal. The rest of the statements are pretty straightforward though. The book he wrote about the life of Christ is, of course, the Gospel of John, and the book about the second coming is the book of Revelation. Well, how do we know that John is still alive? Because of Section 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants .
BACKGROUND
Some interesting facts about this section. This section is not a "revelation" in the traditional sense as the others in the Doctrine and Covenants. It's actually a translation and came through the use of the Urim and Thummim. Look at the section heading.
"Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John, the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself."
Now as far as I understand it. Joseph and Oliver probably didn't actually have that parchment physically with them, but that the contents of it were revealed and translated through the power of the Urim and Thummim. Regardless of exactly how it was received, the contents are fascinating and teach some significant truths.
SEARCH
This section describes the conversation between John and Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee following the resurrection. Jesus asks John "what desirest thou". Basically saying, "John, make a wish". Which is really cool. Usually it's us asking Him, “what do you desire that I do." But here, Christ is saying, "What can I do for you? I want to know what you want". A search question then: What exactly was John's wish?
I think many believe the answer to that question was "To live forever" but that's only a partial answer. Continuing to live a mortal existence until Christ's coming was really more of the means, and not the end of his desire. Like the three Nephites, John's desire to live forever didn't stem from a sense of curiosity about the future, or a selfish impulse for "fountain of youth" type powers. He wanted to live until the Second Coming, to bring souls unto Christ. He wanted to do missionary work. That is what brought John joy.
Is there a lesson in that? Does that teach us something about missionary work? Missionary work is so marvelous, like we learned in section 4, that it's the kind of work you could do for over 2000 years and not tire of it. At least to him. But hopefully we feel a measure of that desire and joy. Enough to serve for a good deal of our lives in that service or to put forth the effort to stand as a member missionary at all times, in all things, and all places.
TRUTH
The truth? Missionary work is so marvelous, it's the kind of work you could do forever.
A GOOD DESIRE
But there's another truth I want to examine here. I think the second half of this section is often misinterpreted. Peter, had a different desire. What was it? Verse 4 To "speedily come unto [Christ] in his kingdom". To basically forego "spirit paradise" and return directly to the presence of Christ after his death. Christ then says:
5 I say unto thee, Peter, this was a good desire; but my beloved has desired that he might do more, or a greater work yet among men than what he has before done.
6 Yea, he has undertaken a greater work; therefore I will make him as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth.
Here's where we need to be careful about the interpretation. Because we see the words, good in relation to Peter's desire, and great in relation to John's desire, we may come to the conclusion that Jesus felt John's desire was better than Peter's. I don't think that's what he's saying. In fact, I think Jesus's message is the exact opposite of that. Jesus doesn't encourage comparison, does he? In John 21 we get Peter's question that prompted this response from the Savior. After being told by Christ that he, Peter, will also die by crucifixion, he turns back to look at John and asks "21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Which is so human, isn't it? We're always so worried about others and how our experiences, or gifts, or opportunities compare to theirs.
So what does Jesus say? Back to Section 7
If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? For he desired of me that he might bring souls unto me, but thou desiredst that thou mightest speedily come unto me in my kingdom.
You have two very different desires and I want to please both of you.
Peter, your desire, is a good desire. John's is just different. He just wants to do "more" a of work on earth, or a greater work yet among men. So it's a clarifying statement. When Jesus says greater, he means greater as in more, or additional. John wants to do an additional work among men than what he has before done. Not more than you, more than he has before done. Yea he's undertaken an additional work among men. That was his desire. So Peter, there's no need to compare. Stop worrying about John. What is that to thee? Focus on you.
And to really solidify that idea in Peter's mind--verse 8
8 Verily I say unto you, ye shall both have according to your desires, for ye both joy in that which ye have desired.
I just want both of you to be happy. You both have different desires and that's ok. So be happy and don't compare. Because comparison destroys joy.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So how can we apply that to us?
Do you ever find yourself caught in the comparison trap? We compare too much and bring unnecessary guilt upon ourselves. We all have different desires, and strengths, and gifts, and blessings, and opportunities. And we shouldn't feel guilty if our desires and gifts are different from others.
For example, with callings. If the Lord came to me and said, what calling would you like most in the ward, I know exactly what I would say. Just let me teach the scriptures, Lord. Gospel doctrine, youth Sunday school, primary. I just want to teach, that's my desire. Now somebody else out there might say "Oh my goodness, I would rather die than teach Gospel doctrine. Teaching terrifies me". But that same person may love to have a more administrative role in the ward, or they have a passion for family history, or missionary work. Those are good desires too. But they may feel badly that they don't have that enthusiasm or gift for teaching. And they compare themselves and say, that person's desire is greater than mine. It's just not true. Honestly, as a bishop, I don't find a lot of passion for the administrative aspect of the calling. It's just not what I love. I love the speaking, and counseling with people, and working with the youth. But budgets, and meetings, and organizing callings, it's just not my strength or passion. I know of other bishops who are really good at that kind of thing. And I could be tempted to feel guilty that I'm not a very good bishop because I'm not as good at those things. And I should want to be better at those things. And I think the Lord says. Ben, you have a good desire. Others, have different desires. And that's ok. You both shall have joy in your desires.
Now, big disclaimer here. That is not to say that we reject or ignore or just give up on working with those other things that are harder for us. We don't want to dismiss them with a "well, that's just not my thing" attitude. We're here on this earth to grow, and have weaknesses turned into strengths, and to be challenged, and we should strive to participate in all areas of gospel work. But keep in mind that different times of our lives reflect different emphases. I spent two years of my life completely focused on missionary work. Right now, as a bishop, I'm doing a lot of administrative and perhaps, when I'm older I'll be able to spend more time in temple and family history work. And I think that's OK.
TRUTH/CONCLUSION
The big takeaway for me in all of this. Don't compare, but find joy in your righteous desires.
GETTING GOD’S GUIDANCE-SECTIONS 6,8,9
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker for the other sections, I use a handout activity, and I like to flat out tell them that the major theme here is personal revelation. But you know "Revelation" is such a big word for many people. It has such gravity and magnitude to it. It can be a bit intimidating for some. If that's the case for you. Maybe you could switch out the word revelation for one of its scriptural synonyms. And these sections have a number of them. Yes, the word "revelation" is found here, in 8:2 where the Lord says, this is the spirit of revelation, but he uses other words as well. Can you find them using this activity? I call it "Revelation Variations". I'll give you the verse where the word is found and the number of letters. Then you plug them in and match the numbered boxes to discover the secret phrase below. And I'll make two versions of this. An easy and hard version. The easy version provides them with the letters of the words to unscramble.
But here we go:
6:7 Wisdom
6:7 Mysteries. (Now when we hear the word mysteries in the scriptures, keep in mind that it not's defined in the same way that we use that word. It doesn't mean something mysterious and deep , that nobody understands except for the elite few. When the word is used in the Bible, the original Greek translation suggests truths that are sacred. Or truths that have been hidden from man for a time but can be revealed to the righteous. I imagine temple truths would fit into the category of mysteries).
6:14 Instruction
6:22 Truth
6:24 Witness
8:1 Knowledge
Wisdom, mysteries, instruction, truth, witness, knowledge. Perhaps using one of these words can make personal revelation a little more approachable for you.
And what is the secret phrase? Getting God's Guidance
And that’s the title of the lesson. The word "getting" can be interpreted in two ways. "Getting" as in understanding, and "getting" as in receiving. Today we'll learn principles that will help us to do both.
TRANSITION
In our Doctrine and Covenants 1 lesson we established the truth that God speaks audibly through the mouths of his servants and gives guidance through them--through his prophets and apostles. Well ,their counsel and commandments give us the general principles of the gospel, but we often need more personalized guidance for our individual circumstances. If the scriptures and the words of the prophets are the map, the Spirit and personal revelation are the compass we use to navigate that map depending on our own unique circumstances.
BACKGROUND
All three of these revelations revolve around a very important individual in church history. Oliver Cowdery. Oliver is a teacher who comes to teach in Manchester and ends up boarding with the Smith family. Now Joseph isn't there at the time. He's in Harmony, Pennsylvania, but Oliver soon learns about the plates and has a desire to meet and help Joseph in the work of translation. Joseph Smith Sr. encourages Oliver to pray about this to seek the Lord's will in the matter, and Oliver does have a revelatory experience, which we'll discuss later. It just so happened that Joseph was, at the time, in dire need of a scribe and had prayed for assistance. The Lord promised him in section 5:34 that
34 Yea, for this cause I have said: Stop, and stand still until I command thee, and I will provide means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee.
That was in March of 1829. Oliver shows up on April 5. So the Lord kept his promise. Almost as soon as Oliver arrives, he and Joseph get to serious work on the translation of the plates. And day after day they plow through this great and marvelous work. And you can imagine how amazing that must have been to hear Joseph dictate line after line the wonderful words of the Book of Mormon. Oliver described that experience like this:
“These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim . . . "JS-H Final Notes
But Oliver wanted a further witness of Joseph's divine calling and the truthfulness of the work that he was engaged in. So Joseph goes to the Lord and receives section 6 on Oliver's behalf. Later, Oliver wonders if HE might have the privilege of translating as well. And I love that Joseph isn't like "What, no, I'm the prophet. This is my job! No, he says, Let's go ask the Lord". So Joseph goes to the Lord with his question and section 8 is received. And basically the Lord says Yes. Oliver, I'll give you the opportunity. You're welcome to try. Oliver tries, and really struggles. The words just won't come. This is ,of course, concerning to Oliver and he asks Joseph why it's not working. Joseph once again goes to the Lord and Section 9 is received. And Section 9 instructs Oliver to forego his efforts to translate and to instead be satisfied with acting as scribe for the remainder of the Book of Mormon.
So you can see that all throughout this story, we have a man that is seeking God's guidance to gain understanding, to know what to do, and to have the truth confirmed. Well, Oliver's lessons can become ours as we study these three sections.
SEARCH
We'll use these sections to answer three very relevant questions about getting God's guidance. We're going to learn the Do's, the Don'ts, and the How's of Getting God's Guidance.
Question 1: What can I do to receive God's guidance?
Question 2: What shouldn't I do?
AND
Question 3: How will I know that he's guiding me? (or how will I recognize the guidance when it comes)
As a teacher, I put the words "DO , DON'T, and "HOW TO RECOGNIZE" on the board with lines between them and a list of references to explore. If you don't have a board you could do it with a handout. Then, I count off my students as 1's 2's and 3's and assign them one of the questions. As they discover things, I invite them to come to the front of the room and write what they learned in their assigned section.
Here are some of the things they might find.
DO
6:5
Our first do? Ask, or knock. Receiving God's guidance requires a request on our part. If we really want to receive help from God, we need to ask for it. Other words in this section that are similar in meaning. 6:8 Desire, 6:11 Inquire.
We are going to learn in a later verse though, that just asking isn't enough. It's a vital part of the process, but not the only part.
6:20 Do treasure up these words
I believe God will be much more likely to bless us with wisdom and instruction if we're willing to value what he's already given us. When we receive promptings and answers, do we write them down? Do we act on the promptings? Do we hold them sacred and draw spiritual strength from them in times of need? Do we protect them from influence of the adversary by maintaining our righteousness? If we don't treasure them up, we could lose them. I think that might be what the Lord means when he says:
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
And if you look back just a couple of verses the Lord tells us what the true definition of rich is.
7 Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.
The greatest treasures you can accumulate as a soul are wisdom and salvation. One leading naturally to the other.
8:1 DO Ask in faith with an honest heart, believing you shall receive a knowledge.
8:10 That idea is reiterated again in verse 10. Remember that without faith you can do nothing. Therefore, ask in faith. An important distinction to make here. I don't believe it's wise to have faith in a request, but faith in a being. If I have faith that I'm going to get a certain answer. Then If I don't get that answer, or the thing I'm praying for doesn't happen, then I might come to the conclusion that I must not have had enough faith. If the person I love wasn't healed, if I didn't get the opportunity or blessing that I wanted, if God hasn't confirmed my question at the time I wanted it, did I not have sufficient faith? But if I have faith in a being. Faith that He will provide AN answer, not THE answer I want to get. I can have faith in his wisdom and eternal perspective. I can have faith in the belief that he's loving and that he desires to help me in the way that He knows is best. I can have faith in his timetable, therefore . . .
9:3 DO be patient. Oliver wanted to translate. That's a great desire. Nothing wrong with that. However, according to God's wisdom, it was not expedient for him to translate at the present time. Oliver wanted to do it right then. I'm like that sometimes. I want God's answer now. I don't want to wait. I want this opportunity now, I want this blessing now, I want this challenge removed now. And God answers, be patient, that's not expedient at this time. We need to have faith in and patience with God's will.
In the subsequent verses God explains one of the reasons why it wasn't expedient for Oliver to translate. Oliver had made some assumptions about the work of translating.
7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
So that was part of the problem. Oliver just asked. He figured that's all he needed to do. But if we wish to receive the Lord's guidance, and wisdom, and knowledge, we have to do something more. And let me give you a quick list of verses from these sections that suggest what that "something more" might be. Look for the action words in the following verses. What should we do besides just ask?
· 6:7 SEEK for wisdom
· 6:11 EXERCISE thy gift
· 8:4 APPLY unto it
· 9:8 STUDY it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right.
This seems to suggest that a great deal of mental and spiritual effort is required to receive God's guidance. Think back to Joseph's experience with the First Vision. Did he just wake up one day wondering about religion and then walk into the sacred grove and got his answer? No. He seriously reflected on things "again and again", he studied the scripture. He sought for wisdom by going to different meetings, and talking to people, and pondering in his mind, he applied himself and exercised faith in the scriptures and the promise within them, and acted on it. Then he asked and got his answer. I think Oliver expected to just get it. God often requires work for his wisdom. Which makes sense. Things that require more work to obtain are usually the most valuable to us. Exercising brings strength. Studying sinks the knowledge deeper into our minds. The harder the hunt, the more rewarding the reward. So if you expect wisdom from God, more than likely you're going to have to work for it. Show God your desire. That's also why patience is required.
One more DO here:
9:14 DO stand fast in the work wherewith I have called you. Remember that the thing which you desire may not be your calling. Be willing to accept that. Oliver wanted to translate but the Lord said that that calling belonged to Joseph at that time. Like we talked about in Section 7. Don't compare. People have different callings, different gifts, different challenges, different opportunities. Your job is to stand fast in YOUR calling. As long as you're doing that, the Lord will give you the guidance you need in your sphere of life. I think that verse also suggests enduring to the end. Your journey and search for guidance may be years in the making. In the meantime, don't give up. Continue to stand fast in your work.
Well those are the Do's. But what are the don'ts?
DON’T
6:36 Don't doubt.
Doubt clouds the channels of celestial communication. Believe in God's love. Believe that he CAN answer and believe that he WILL answer.
6:36, 9:11 Don't fear. Part of the reason Oliver couldn't translate was because "he feared". We must have faith, not fear. Fear is how Satan operates. God operates by faith. In seeking God's guidance what might we fear? Fear that God isn't there; fear that the answer will never come; fear that we're being deceived, fear that we're not worthy of an answer; fear that the answer won't be the one we want; fear of what the answer might require of us. We've gotta push those fears out of our minds and have confidence in our Father in Heaven.
6:12 and 8:10. Don't trifle with sacred things. To trifle is to treat lightly. Don't treat sacred revelatory experiences lightly. Be careful who you share them with. Be careful how you talk about them. Don't use them to build yourself up in the eyes of others. Don't disregard them or despise them if they aren't the answer you expected or desired. There are a number of ways we can trifle with his words.
8:10 Don't ask for that which you ought not
Apparently, there are some requests you shouldn't make. Some things you shouldn't ask for. The temptations of Jesus are a good example of this. Satan tempted Jesus to ask for things he ought not. To turn the stones into bread out of a sense of selfishness and to jump off the pinnacle of the temple in an attempt to make God prove he would save him. Don't ask God to take away the agency of another. To make them fall in love with you, like the genie in Aladdin explained. Don't ask to be excused from keeping certain commandments or counsels. There are certain things you shouldn't ask.
9:6 Don't murmur
Don't murmur over the answer you receive. Like Laman and Lemuel , who immediately after hearing an angel tell them that the Lord would deliver Laban into their hands, start murmuring. They got their answer. They just didn't like the answer they got. Don't murmur about your answer Don't murmur about the Lord's timing. Don't murmur when the Lord says no, and you wanted a yes.
HOW WILL I KNOW
How will I know (that it's the Spirit and not just my own mind)? How can I recognize the Spirit?
I'd like to begin this by sharing a quote by Joseph Smith. He said:
A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.151)
That's a comforting quote to me. Joseph tells us that personal revelation is something you learn and grow into. It's not just an "either you have it, or you don't" kind of thing. That means that there is a learning process here. Learning something takes time. It even suggests that you might make some mistakes, and that's ok. You're growing into the spirit of revelation. Like Samuel and the voice of the Lord. He doesn't recognize it at first. He thinks it's Eli. But God doesn't give up on him. He keeps trying to communicate with Samuel, until he gets it. God will do the same with us. Not only do we need to be patient with God, as we saw earlier, but we need to be patient with ourselves too. We need to learn it and grow into it. But here are some things that will help.
The verse that I feel is the crux or the pinnacle of the answer to that question is 8:2.
2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Mind and heart by the power of the Spirit. Often, we associate the spirit more with our feelings than our thoughts--I know I've received an answer because of how I feel. And that is true. The Spirit does communicate with our hearts and through our feelings. But is the heart a greater judge of truth than the mind? I don't think so. God guides with both. Remember the quote, when "pure intelligence" flows into you or gives you "sudden strokes of ideas"--that's the Spirit too. I know I've had that experience before. In making decisions for my family or ward. When I'm preparing lessons or pondering the scriptures. The spirit communicates to my mind. It teaches me things. Or it confirms things in my mind that I'm hearing or being taught with a sense of clarity, or rationality. When things make sense.
"A thought, accompanied by a feeling" is the most succinct answer I can give somebody for how to recognize the Spirit. And you can see the wisdom in having this kind of system, can't you? In fact, I'll often ask my students that question. Why do you think the Spirit communicates to both mind AND heart?
My thought. It's easier to recognize truth more accurately when you have TWO gauges to go off of. Because I'll tell you, there have been times in my life where I've heard somebody speak or teach or say something that seems to make sense in my mind, but my heart says no. This isn't truth. There is more than meets the eye here. It doesn't feel right. On the other hand, sometimes I may get caught up in an emotion, and my heart is feeling something, but then my mind steps in and says no. Don't be manipulated here. They are using emotion to try and convince you of something that's not true. They use anger, or pity, or fear. Don't fall for it. Perhaps the adversary steps in with that fear we talked about earlier. Fear that maybe the church isn't true, that Joseph was a fraud that he wrote the Book of Mormon. Fear that I'm being deceived. But then, my mind steps in and says: "Wait a minute, let's think about this rationally and pragmatically. How could he have written the Book of Mormon? At the age he was? With the education he had? With the time it took? With the power the words of the book has? These are not the words of a fraud. There's no way. The mind and the heart both helping each other to gauge and recognize the truth. What a sophisticated system of checks and balances our Lord has given us!
Now you'll see this heart and mind theme all over these sections.
6:15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;
6:16 Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts (mind) and the intents of thy heart (feelings).
6:23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God? (now peace is a feeling. But he's speaking it to his mind. Mind and heart, in one. And this particular verse refers to an experience Oliver had before he ever met Joseph. Back when he was at the Smith family home, he had prayed to know if Joseph's work was divine and God spoke peace to his heart. Joseph had no idea that this had happened. Another evidence of his prophetic mantle)
9:8 Can you find both mind and heart here?
8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.
That has mind and heart all over it. Study it out, think about it in your mind, seriously reflect on it. Then ask. Then you feel something. A burning in the bosom. Now the burning of the bosom phrase has given members fits over the years. Some have expressed fear that they have never felt the Spirit because they haven't ever felt that heat.
Dallin H. Oaks helps us with understand with the following quote:
“What does a ‘burning in the bosom’ mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If that is the meaning, I have never had a burning in the bosom. Surely, the word ‘burning’ in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. That is the witness many receive. That is the way revelation works” Dallin H. Oaks
The burning doesn't necessarily need to be heat. The word "burn" is just an effort to try and explain something that's hard to put into words. If the word "burn" doesn't work for you, then try something else. That burning can be comfort, serenity, peace, joy, love; these are warm words. Those are the feelings most often associated with truth.
THE BLESSINGS
Well I have one more bonus category for you. The Blessings. The blessings of seeking personal revelation or guidance from God. If we are willing to do the DO's, and avoid the DONT's, and we've learned to recognize the HOW. Then what can we expect? There are many blessings spread throughout these sections, but allow me to highlight a few.
· 6:5 You will receive.
· 6:5 It shall be opened to you.
· 6:7 The mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you. I like that word "unfolded"
· 6:7 You shall be made rich with wisdom and salvation
· 6:20 I will encircle thee in the arms of my love
· 8:1 You shall receive a knowledge
· 8:3 I love how verse 3 applies. He says that this spirit of revelation is the same spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. Now why would he choose that particular miracle as an illustration. Liken the scriptures. How are we sometimes like the Children of Israel at the Red Sea? They were trapped. Have you ever felt trapped by your circumstances? They didn't know what to do. Have you ever felt like you didn't know what to do? Have you ever felt like you didn't have a way out? Ever felt hemmed in by your enemies or your circumstances? If you can learn how to get guidance from God, he can open a way for you, like he did for the Children of Israel. A way to escape. A way through your obstacles. A solution to your problems can be presented, even in unlikely and miraculous ways. You can part your own Red Sea's with God's guidance.
· 8:4 you can be delivered out of the hands of your enemies
· 9:14 You shall be lifted up at the last day.
And one more section to read. The very end of section 6 is so beautiful. We just have to take it verse by verse. It's so comforting. I think God realizes that this journey of faith we're on is not always going to be easy. Others may not always accept the things we do under God's guidance. So he says, starting in verse 29.
29 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if they reject my words, and this part of my gospel and ministry, blessed are ye, for they can do no more unto you than unto me.
On the surface, that doesn't sound like such a comforting verse. You know Joseph, don't worry, they can't do anything worse to you than they did to me. Ummm, but they crucified you. They can't do any worse?
Yes, yes, but . . .
30 And even if they do unto you even as they have done unto me, blessed are ye, for you shall dwell with me in glory.
Joseph, if you die for your faith, you shall dwell with me in glory.
31 But if they reject not my words, which shall be established by the testimony which shall be given, blessed are they, and then shall ye have joy in the fruit of your labors.
32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them--even so am I in the midst of you.
So I'm with you. I'm in your midst. You're not alone.
33 Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. (You're going to get good things. And I love that he calls them his sons)
34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.
(You will win in the end. Evil cannot prevail over good. Just do good, and everything will be ok in the end)
35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.
(These are the same words spoken to the woman taken in adultery. You'll probably make some mistakes along the way Joseph and Oliver. But I won't condemn you. I'll forgive your sins)
36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
(When you get discouraged. When things are dark. Look unto me. There's no need to doubt or fear. And what is it that He wants them to look at?)
37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
(Remember my sacrifice. Remember my victory over sin. Remember my victory over death. Remember my love for you. This will keep you going. This will fill you with faith and confidence)
Beautiful, isn't it? And you know, can you sense Joseph speaking with a prophetic voice that far exceeds his age and experience? For heaven's sakes, he's only 23 years old, and you already get a sense of spiritual maturity; the kind we see in our modern-day prophets who far exceed Joseph in age and experience. The only explanation I have for that is that Joseph isn't really speaking from his own age and experience. He's speaking through the prophetic mantle that's been placed on his shoulders. It's the Lord that is speaking through him. That's why we sense that maturity and power. You know, there is just as much theological and spiritual power in these early revelations as there is in later ones of his life. Section 3, and 6, and 9 flow with the same beautiful and profound voice as sections 84, 93, and 121. This builds my faith in Joseph as a prophet. How many 23-year old’s do you know that can write like this? Joseph was no deceiver; he was a prophet. That's the only rational conclusion that I can come to.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
When have you felt that you were being guided by God?
When have you experienced these blessings in your life?
TRUTH/CONCLUSION
I hope this lesson has helped you to understand God's guidance on a deeper level. God speaks to our minds and hearts. He wants to help us! But we have to learn and grow into this principle of revelation, or knowledge, or wisdom, or instruction. Seek, and ye shall find, ask, and ye shall receive, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
Doctrine and Covenants 6-9
LESSON #1 A GOOD DESIRE (DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 7)
Just like in the insight video, I’m going to start with Doctrine and Covenants 7 and then combine 6, 8 and 9 together afterwards. Thematically, I think that makes sense.
TRUTH:
Now we could focus on the missionary work=joy message from this section, and it’s certainly in there. John shows us that missionary work is the kind of work you could not only do for a lifetime, but many lifetimes and not tire of it. John understood that. But I probably wouldn’t spend a lot of time on that angle here because that message is going to come up many times in the Doctrine and Covenants. We’re really going to emphasize that message in section 18 when we get there, and we just talked about that in depth last week in section 4. So here, the truth I like to emphasize is:
We can seek to find joy in OUR righteous desires without comparing ourselves to others.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
The fire in the bones for this section is found in the common human experience of comparison. We all struggle with it. It’s very hard not to. This section can help our students to see themselves and their desires in a different light. To value their own unique gifts and strengths rather than becoming envious or prideful by comparing themselves to others. Our job as teachers is to help them feel a sense of gratitude and fulfilment in their own distinctive contributions to God’s work.
OBJECT:
I would bring in an apple and an orange and at some point during the lesson you could bring those out and refer to the common saying people use when it comes to making comparisons. We sometimes say, “Oh, it’s apples and oranges.” And just ask them what we mean by that. And what we typically mean by that is, it’s not really an issue of good, better, best. One is not inherently better than the other. They’re both fruits. They’re both good. They’re both nutritious. Which one you take is just a matter of preference. And it’s the same when it comes to our gifts, desires, and strengths. Comparison (you could say) is “fruitless”.
ICEBREAKER:
The “Living Apostle” Activity is a great one for teaching this particular section. Usually, people don’t get it right at first and there is some confusion as they name apostle after apostle, even to the point where they might have named all 15 of the brethren. Until you get to the last couple of clues where it finally becomes apparent that we’re talking about a special situation. That it’s John the Beloved, a “living” apostle.
BACKGROUND
You are then going to want to give the background to this section and then move into our search activity.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Which is just simply to invite them to look for what it was that both John and Peter desired. Jesus told these two apostles to make a wish, and he would grant it. John’s desire was to live until the second coming engaged in the work of bringing souls to Christ. Peter’s was to return speedily to God’s presence after he died.
After that, I would just, as the teacher, help my students to understand that John’s desire was no greater than Peter’s. Teach them the meaning of the word greater in this context. It’s clearly stated right there in verse 6 “my beloved has desired that he might do more, OR a greater work,” synonymously. “Greater” meaning “more” not “better”. Jesus doesn’t encourage comparison. That’s the message I most want my students to get from this section. Remind them that Peter was asking Christ about John. “Lord, and what shall this man do.” The key phrase to emphasize would be “what is that to thee?,” the implication being, “Peter, that has nothing to do with you. That’s not your concern. You focus on your path, and allow John to focus on his. Because they’re different. Your desire is good. John’s desire is good and, verse 8, ye shall both have according to your desires, for ye both joy in that which ye have desired.” It’s ok that your desires, your works, your paths are different. Give your students some examples of that so they get an idea of the principle. In my insight video, I used the examples of my own concerns serving as bishop, and my Grandma as she chose to spend more time doing humanitarian work than serving in the temple.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
I’d then take that as an opportunity to ask a Take it to Heart Question. Do you ever find yourself comparing your efforts or talents to others?
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
Why would Jesus encourage Peter not to do that? What’s the danger of comparison?
How can you celebrate the strengths and desires of others without feeling like yours are less important?
VIDEO:
Am I Good Enough
QUOTE:
I like this quote from Elder Holland giving parents advice on being careful not to compare your children. It highlights the dangers of comparison. You can also remind your students that Heavenly Father is a parent, a good parent, and he values each of his children for their individual contribution and worth. Elder Holland said this:
Try not to compare your children, even if you think you are skillful at it. You may say most positively that “Susan is pretty, and Sandra is bright,” but all Susan will remember is that she isn’t bright and Sandra that she isn’t pretty. Praise each child individually for what that child is, and help him or her escape our culture’s obsession with comparing, competing, and never feeling we are “enough.”
[Conference Report April 2007, “Tongue of Angels,”]
HANDOUT
To encourage your students to feel gratitude for and to focus on their own righteous desires, for a handout, you could ask them to write down at least one thing that they feel is a unique desire, gift, or strength they have to offer as disciples of Christ. Tell them that nobody else is going to see this. It’s personal. No comparison. And after they’ve done that, ask them to take a close look at that thing they wrote down and remind them that ,“That is a good desire. You have a lot to offer and a lot to be grateful for. Don’t worry about what anybody else wrote down. Know that God is pleased with you and your desire. Now go out and seek to give the Church, and the world your unique offering.
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
What could you do this week to act on your unique good desire? To put it to use. Don’t bury your talent. Go out and turn your desire into action.
TAKEAWAY:
Our takeaway slide, then, serves as a reminder of our principle to beware of comparison and to find joy in our personal righteous desires.
Now I’m going to combine some of the elements of lessons 2 and 3 here because they’re closely linked. The big theme here in these sections is the doctrine of “personal revelation”. But, realistically, if you only had one hour or less to teach these three sections, you probably couldn’t do all that I suggested in the insight video. There I focused on three major principles. The Do’s of personal revelation. The Don’ts. And the How’s or How to recognize the promptings of the spirit. If I had to divide that up into two lessons, I would either cover the do’s and the don’ts OR just focus on the How’s. You’ll have to decide as a teacher which truths you wish to emphasize.
TRUTH:
Some of the major suggested truths, though, that you could choose from are as follows:
Receiving God's guidance involves more than just asking, it requires faith, patience, and active effort.
Recognizing personal revelation is a skill we grow into over time.
God communicates through both our minds and our hearts, or in other words, our thoughts AND feelings.
Doubt and fear can block spiritual communication.
As we follow the principles of personal revelation, we are encircled in God’s love, guided through life’s challenges, and strengthened with wisdom and salvation.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
The fire in the bones here is easy to kindle. I have to say that this is one of the most common questions I’ve been asked as a teacher throughout my career in religious education. How do I know when it’s the Spirit guiding me? Or How do I learn to recognize and follow the promptings of the Spirit? This lesson can really help to answer those deep questions and concerns that I’m sure many of your students will have. We then, as the teacher, have the opportunity to clarify and give confidence to our students in learning how to better receive and act on personal revelation, a fundamental and essential spiritual skill in navigating mortality. If that doesn’t give us some fire in the bones, I’m not sure what will.
OBJECT:
A compass. It’s a great visual reminder of one of the Holy Ghost’s roles in providing us with personal guidance during our lives. The scriptures and the words of the prophets are like the map. They provide us with general truths and principles and give us the desired destination we are all seeking to attain. But our paths to that destination are all going to be different, and we’re going to need individualized guidance and instruction for the specific challenges, obstacles, and experiences we personally face. So understanding personal revelation is like learning how to use a compass. There are specific instructions and rules for using one effectively. This purpose of this lesson is to help them better understand spiritual orienteering.
ICEBREAKER/HANDOUT:
I would use this same icebreaker regardless of the two lessons you choose to emphasize because it helps to set the stage and effectively introduces the theme. My suggested icebreaker is the secret phrase handout that I shared in the insight video. Invite your students to find the “Revelation Variations”. Other words that we could use in place of “revelation” to make it less intimidating and more achievable. And that activity will also introduce us to the theme: Getting God’s Guidance.
BACKGROUND
After that activity, I suggest that you provide them with some context. Introduce them to Oliver Cowdery and relate a little about his story and how he came to be the prophet’s scribe. Then, give them some background on the challenges Oliver then faces as he expresses a desire to do some of the translating himself.
VIDEO:
If you were to show a video for this lesson, this might be a place to do that-to help give your students the background of the story. The Church has produced a video covering the events that are described in the section headings of these chapters. It’s called “Days of Harmony” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2018-03-1000-days-of-harmony?lang=eng . But a caution here. It’s a very long video, and I definitely wouldn’t show the whole things. But you could pull out some of the parts that are particularly focused on Oliver and his struggles to learn the workings of the Spirit. So some suggested time stamps to consider would be from time stamp 3:10-8:01 which covers the story behind Oliver and Joseph’s meeting. Then from 15:20 to 17:48 which gives you some of the background to section 6 as Oliver seeks a further witness of the divinity of the work of translation.
QUOTE:
To emphasize the importance of learning how personal revelation works, you could share this great quote from former General Relief Society president Julie B. Beck who said:
“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.”
Julie B. Beck
(Conference Report, April 2019, “And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit”)
Now with that setup and introduction, this is where the two lessons can diverge, and you’ll need to choose which direction you wish to take your lesson. The first that I’ll present here is the Do’s and the Don’ts
SEARCH ACTIVITY/HANDOUT:
For a search activity then, divide your class up into pairs and assign one half of the duo to look for the Do’s in the provided verses, and the other half to look for the don’ts in theirs. You can give them the following handout to write down what they discover as they go. You’ll notice that it’s a little different from the one I had in the insight video in that its simplified to only show the Do’s and the Don’ts and not the How’s. If you feel you have time, when they’re finished with their personal study, give them a couple of minutes to share what they’ve found with their partner. Then, have a larger discussion as a class. The insight video provides you with some of my thoughts on the things that they might find which will help you to be prepared to have a discussion on those topics. And they may and very likely will share different things than I did. Which is great. Allow them to discover what the Spirit teaches them. Then, feel free as the teacher to share any insights or verses that you feel are important that aren’t shared by your students.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
Can you share a specific experience where you felt that following one of these Do’s or Don’ts help you to receive guidance from God?
You as the teacher should be prepared to share one of your own experiences to get the ball rolling.
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
Pick one of the following suggestions for applying the truths we just learned about personal revelation that you wish to experiment with, or come up with one of your own.
· Ask God: Pray sincerely for guidance.
· Desire Guidance: Cultivate a genuine desire to receive answers.
· Study It Out: Analyze and ponder your decisions before seeking confirmation.
· Act in Faith: Trust God and take steps forward, even without all the answers.
· Be Patient: Wait on God’s timing without frustration.
· Treasure Up: Write down and act on promptings you receive.
· Seek Wisdom: Look for learning opportunities in scriptures and teachings.
· Stand Fast: Stay committed to your responsibilities and callings.
· Don’t Doubt: Replace fear and doubt with faith and trust in God’s plan.
· Don’t Murmur: Accept and follow God’s answers, even when unexpected.
TAKEAWAY:
The takeaway slide reminds us that God will guide us. That there are definite things we can do and some things we should avoid as we strive to get God’s guidance. Do the do’s, avoid the don’ts and God will provide us with help us as we seek him in faith.
THE HOW’S
Now that’s one area you might choose to focus on. Here’s the other. The How. How can I recognize the voice or promptings of the Spirit.
QUOTE:
A quote that I always like to share in conjunction with this principle is this statement made by Joseph Smith. He said:
A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.151)
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
For a search activity, I would just walk my students through the following verses one by one and for each as they are read, ask them to consider how it can help us to understand how the Spirit speaks. Although, like in the insight video, I would probably start first with section 8:2. I think that’s the linchpin for the whole discussion. All the other references grow out from that foundational understanding. The Spirit speaks to our minds and hearts. If you have a whiteboard or a chalkboard write, “How the Spirit Speaks” at the top and then as you go through each of the verses, write down the insights and ideas that they find underneath.
6:15, 6:16, 6:23, 8:2, 9:8
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
A discussion question I would be sure to ask is the following:
Why do you think he uses both the mind and the heart? Why not just one or the other? I’ve found that question to yield some insightful answers over the years.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
When have you felt like you were being guided by God?
As a teacher, have one of your own experiences ready to share.
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
What specific steps can you take to seek personal revelation in a current situation where you need guidance?
TAKEAWAY:
Our takeaway slide serves as a reminder of the principle we studied in section 8, that God speaks to our minds AND hearts and that we GROW into the principle of revelation. It’s a process that takes time, experience, and even some failures but God will help us along the way until we are comfortable in understanding HOW the Spirit speaks.
THE BLESSINGS
One final activity or point to make here, if you have time, would be to highlight the blessings. And to cover that, honestly, I would just do it quickly and straightforwardly with my slides. I’d just click through those verses highlighting one by one the blessings or the promised results of diligently seeking personal revelation. It’s a nice way to conclude the lesson and gives your students added motivation to apply what the scriptures have taught that day. It’s like saying, “here’s why it’s worth it to engage in this endeavor. Just look how God compensates the faithful.”
GAME:
Or, you could cover that idea with following game of Classic Concentration. There are 20 different tiles displayed on the screen. You divide your class into two teams and challenge them to find the matches. Behind half of the tiles they’ll find scripture references from Doctrine and Covenants 6, 8, and 9, and behind the other half are descriptions of the blessings that come from seeking personal revelation. They use their scriptures to try and determine what verse matches which message. So you have someone on one team select two different tiles, and if they match, they earn two points. If it’s not a match, the cards are flipped back over and it’s the other team’s turn. Also, there are four tiles that have “FREE POINT” underneath. If they find one of those, they automatically get a point, and still have an opportunity to select another tile to try and match. Then you just go back and forth giving each team a chance to find the correct matches. And you’ll find that the teams struggle for a while at first to make matches since it takes a bit of trial and error to become familiar with the content behind each tile. But as the game progresses, it gets easier and easier as they begin to remember what is where and fewer options remain on the board as matches are made. The team that has the most points at the end wins.
(1) Doctrine and Covenants 6:5—(9) You will RECEIVE, and things will be OPENED to you
(15)Doctrine and Covenants 6:7—(11) The mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you
(10) Doctrine and Covenants 6:13—(20) The Gift of Salvation
(18) Doctrine and Covenants 6:20—(16) I will encircle thee in the arms of my love
(3)Doctrine and Covenants 8:1—(13) You shall receive a knowledge
(12) Doctrine and Covenants 8:3—(2) Your own ”Red Sea’s” will part
(4) Doctrine and Covenants 8:4—(19) You can be delivered out of the hands of your enemies
(8) Doctrine and Covenants 9:14—(6) You shall be lifted up at the last day
(17) Free Point—(5) Free Point
(14) Free Point—(7) Free Point
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