ICEBREAKER
Who is one of your heroes and why?
Q: Joseph Smith had a hero that gave him strength and inspiration. See if you can figure out who it is and why he admired him so much?
Article of Faith 13
D&C 127:2
D&C 128:13-16
Compare D&C 135:4 with Acts 24:16. Who is Joseph quoting?
JSH 1:24-25
A: PAUL
TRUTH
We can find strength and inspiration in scripture heroes.
Who are some of your scripture heroes?
JOSEPH SMITH’S HERO
AofF 13 Indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul which you find in Phillippians 4:8. Joseph felt that this description that Paul gives of a true disciple of Christ was fitting to include in these core statements of our beliefs.
127:2 While Joseph is in hiding because of slanderous reports against him and threats made on his life, he tells us that he felt it his common lot in life to suffer the perils, and the envy and wrath of man, that it had all become second nature to him, and that he felt like Paul, to glory in tribulation. So here he is finding the inspiration to go on in the face of adversity and persecution from this scripture hero of his.
D&C 128:13-16 Joseph quotes Paul and uses that to teach what Joseph calls “the most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel” the baptism for the dead.
If you compare D&C 135:4 with Acts 24:16 you’ll find that just before Joseph is martyred at Carthage Jail that he quotes Paul in the middle of vs. 4. He says that he had “a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men” matching Paul’s exact same words. So in the last moments of Joseph’s life, he has Paul on his mind and finds a connection with the New Testament apostle.
And finally, probably the most direct and powerful reference to Paul is found in JSH 24-25, and I saved this one for last on purpose, because it leads you straight into this week’s chapters in Acts. And here, Joseph compares his situation to Paul's. Joseph saw himself in Paul. They both had had miraculous visions that changed their lives, they were both called to be special witnesses to the world, and they both were hated and persecuted for testifying of their visions. And you should really read these verses out loud to your students saying something like: Listen closely to these verses, because they perfectly describe Paul’s experience, conviction, and commitment to Christ as well as Joseph Smith’s.
TRANSITION
It is clear by this description that Paul, like Joseph Smith, had absolute confidence and conviction in his witness of Jesus Christ. Do you wish you could have that same power of testimony and confidence? Paul will show us how.
SUMMARIZE ACTS 22-28
If you remember in Acts 21 Paul is being beaten by the Jews at the temple in Jerusalem when Roman soldiers pull him from the crowd to put him in the castle. Paul requests to speak to the people who have just beaten him and we get an account of his vision on the road to Damascus in Acts 22 The people are not impressed and they demand his execution. The soldiers take him into the castle to bind and scourge him to which Paul basically says, “you realize I’m a Roman citizen right?” You feel ok doing this without due process of law? And this is a place where Paul’s Roman citizenship really comes in handy. The chief captain unties him and allows there to be a trial of sorts. But from this point on, Paul is in Roman custody until the end of his life. He’ll never be a totally free man again. And to make a long story short, in the succeeding chapters from Acts 23-26 we watch Paul defend himself and testify first to the Sanhedrin (the Jewish leadership), then before the Roman governor “Felix” in Caeserea, then the new governor Festus, and then before King Herod Agrippa. For years, Paul is passed from one jurisdiction to another while the Jews consistently plot against him, slander him, and encourage his execution. During one of those trials, Paul appeals to Caesar which is his right as a Roman citizen, and the governor agrees to send him to Rome. So chapter 27-28 describes the account of Paul’s journey by ship to Rome and the book of
Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome. And the last verse of Acts is so fitting.
Q: What is the last description we have of Paul?
A: Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
Q: What gave Paul his confidence to testify with such conviction and power?
SEARCH
Acts 23:11 How do you cheer up Paul?
Find joy in the testifying
Acts 24:16 What gave Paul confidence to testify with power according here?
Strive to have a conscience void of offense towards God and your fellowman
Acts 26:22 Was Paul alone in his efforts to testify?
If you put your trust in God, he will help you
Compare Acts 22:1-21 and Acts 26:2-23 What experience does Paul always share when testifies of Christ?
Share personal faith-building experiences
Acts 26:26 How do you think the last line of this verse gives Paul confidence?
Remember you are part of something bigger than yourself
Acts 26:27-29 Who does Paul try to convert here and what does that teach you?
See everyone as a potential convert
ALMOST, or an ALTOGETHER.
Do you study the scriptures?
Do you keep the Sabbath Day Holy?
Do you seek to serve others?
Are you kind to your fellowman?
I’m afraid that if we get to the judgment and all we can answer to those question is a hesitant, ALMOST, I almost did, I intended to, Almost, almost, almost. When we gather up the courage to ask “So, Did I make it into thy kingdom Lord”, he might sadly look at us and say: Almost.
TRUTH
If I almost live the gospel of Christ, I will almost receive the blessings. BUT
If I altogether live the gospel of Christ, I will altogether receive the blessings.
LIKEN
If I wish to testify with the power and confidence of Paul, I can:
Find joy in the act of testifying
Strive to have a conscience void of offense to God and my fellowman
Put my trust in God. He will help me!
Share my personal faith building experiences
Remember I am part of something bigger than myself
See everybody as a potential convert
Be an "altogether disciple", instead of an "almost disciple"
Q: Have any of these things helped you to witness with power? What happened?
CONCLUSION
May we all, just like Joseph Smith, find inspiration and strength in the example of Paul. I invite you to do the things he did, and if we do, I promise that you will have the power to testify like he testified.
ACTS 27
ICEBREAKER
Do you recognize these warning signs?
Radioactive
Poison
Electrical Shock
Biohazard
Falling rocks.
Q: What if you didn’t recognize one of these warning signs or you decided to ignore them? What could be the result?
TRANSITION
Q: Paul gives a very specific warning to the people traveling with him by ship on their way to Rome. What was it in vs. 9-10?
A: Paul warns them that they should not continue their voyage at that time. That they should stay in the location that they are at until the dangerous winter season was over.
REASONS TO IGNORE PAUL
Can you find the reasons not to follow Paul in Acts 27:11-13.
1. Acts 27:11 The “master” disagreed
2. Acts 27:12 It was not commodious (convenient) to winter there
3. Acts 27:12 The “more part” disagreed
4. Acts 27:12, 13 It’s not very far and they will stay close to shore
5. Acts 27:13 All conditions seemed advantageous
REASONS TO LISTEN TO PAUL
He is a prophet!
CONSEQUENCES
And what happens because they decided not to listen to Paul?
Have a student read Acts 27:14-20.
27:10 hurt and much damage
27:14 tempestuous winds.
27:15 caught
27:15 could not bear up into the wind
27:16 much work
27:17 fear of the quicksands.
27:17 driven.
27:20 no sun or stars to guide them many days.
27:20 all hope was taken away.
27:21 harm and loss.
TRUTH
What truth is this story teaching us? How would you complete the following sentence. If I ignore the warnings of the prophet, then ______________________.
If I ignore the warnings of the prophet, then “storms” will come and knock me off course.
If I ignore the warnings of the prophet, then it will bring hurt, much damage, harm, and loss.
If I ignore the warnings of the prophet, then I may be lost and lose hope.
LIKEN
Can you think of any examples of how people today use some of the same reasons to ignore the prophet’s warnings? How?
The “masters” disagree.
Who are some of the “Masters”of the day that may disagree with the prophet’s counsel?
Celebrities, social media personalities, scholars, so called “experts”, those with a “master’s” degree in something. Oftentimes these individuals promote ideas contrary to the words of the prophets.
Some examples I can think of:
Nutritionists come out and say “Actually, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine a day is good for you!” These are the masters. But the prophet says something different. Keep the word of wisdom. And people may rationalize and say, yeah, but what does the prophet know about that. He’s not a trained nutritionist. What qualifications does he have to tell me otherwise.
Some financial advisor may come out and say, don’t worry about saving money, or paying off debt, just invest, invest, invest. While the prophets have consistently warned us to strive to stay out of debt, and to have a reserve of savings for hard times. But somebody might say, what business does the prophet have in giving me financial advice? What qualifications does he have. These bankers and investors have years of study and experience under their belt, why not listen to them?
Some social expert may come out and say that immorality and pornography are just normal human behaviors that if everybody would just accept that, it wouldn’t really be a problem.
It was not commodious.
Are there commandments that are not convenient to live? Have there been times in your life where it would have been much more convenient not to be a member of the church? In my mind yes.
Paying tithing in a time of financial stress may not be convenient.
Being the only one in the workplace not going out for drinks after work may not be convenient.
Being honest and failing the test may not be as convenient as copying the paper of the person next to you and passing.
Standing out like a sore thumb amongst your peers that all use foul language while you don’t, may not be convenient.
Trying to find modest clothing in today’s marketplace may not be convenient.
Keeping the commandments is oftentimes not convenient, in the short term. Although, I would be sure to make the point that every single one of these unrighteous behaviors will eventually lead to storms in the long term.
The more part disagrees
This is a common rationalization. What are the “more part” or majority of people saying about the issue? It’s hard to go against the grain of “the more part". Everybody’s doing it “a common teenager justification” but adults can be just as bad at that one. Are we tempted to go social media for our opinions?
How does the majority feel about the issue of gay marriage?
How does the majority feel about the church’s dating standards?
What movies and music and video games and entertainment are the majority of people engaging in?
It doesn’t seem like a big deal, or you’re not traveling that far from the safety the commandments shore.
Do we ever rationalize our actions with this one? It’s not that big of a deal to push the boundaries of the prophet’s counsels a little. It’s not like I’m stepping way out of line.
For example, a teenager may say:
It’s not like I’m going to ruin my life by dating before I’m 16 right?
Or an adult might say, just a little gambling isn’t going to hurt me that much. If I just do it a couple times a year, what’s the harm in that
Or So I lose my temper now and then, that’s just the way I am.
So I abuse these pain pills or have a drink of alcohol now and then, I can stop whenever I want,
So, we push a little past the fence of the prophet’s counsel, we comfort ourselves by saying we’re only compromising a little, you can stay in control. Unfortunately when we loose form the safe shores of the prophet’s warnings, we are putting ourselves into dangerous waters.
I love the name of the place they are staying. What are they called? The fair havens. Even that name suggests safety, comfort, beauty.
We too should stay in the Fair Havens of the prophet’s counsels.
The south wind blew softly, or all conditions seem advantageous.
We too may look out at the sea of human experience and say, everything looks ok for me to proceed.
We say things like:
I know a guy who did this and this and this in their youth, and they still served a mission,and fixed things later and were ok. So can I!
That person drinks and smokes and they have lived an long full life, I should be ok too!
I feel it will actually be better for me and my family if we don’t attend church on Sunday. We’ll spend time together and build our relationships that way. How can that be bad.
LIKEN
Is this true in the real world? Without naming names, can you give me any real life examples of something like this happening? Somebody who ignored the warnings of the prophets and it bringing harm and loss?
READ
ACTS 27:22-25
SUMMARIZE
Acts 27:26-44
So there is one more test of these sailors. After a long time in the storm, they sight land and now they are worried about being driven into the rocks, so the shipmen are about to abandon the boat in a lifeboat and leave the rest of the passengers to fend for themselves, so Paul says to the centurion with him in vs 31 Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Which if you think about it, is another really challenging instruction from Paul the tentmaker. Cut off the lifeboat, and stay in the ship. And now they have a decision to make, do I follow the prophet or the master and the more part. And thankfully, this time they listen to Paul, and he sits them all down, he calms their fears, tells them they should eat a little food. And vs. 36 tells us that they were all of good cheer. In the next verses they run the ship aground on the island of Malta, and the ship is ripped to pieces by the waves and people are swimming and holding on to broken pieces of the ship. And then be sure to point out the last phrase of the chapter. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
CONCLUSION
I know that you can trust the prophets, they are men of God and will never lead you astray.
I invite you to listen to the tentmakers! And here I might point to a picture of the prophet and apostles. Like you used to sing in primary. Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, don’t go astray, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, he knows the way.
I promise that if you will, you will always enjoy the safety of the Fair Havens of the commandments, as incommodious as they may seem at times.
You will avoid the storms and shipwrecks of the “more part”.
Also, I promise you that if you are in the midst of a storm right now, there is hope! Start listening to the prophets. As soon as you do, they will help you to escape the storm and get back safely to land.
