Youth Lesson - How can I help others understand my standards?

Is there anything from your personal study that you would like to share?

Today we are going to talk about, How can I help others understand my standards?

What questions have others asked you about your standards?

How have you helped them understand why you live according to those standards?

What situations do the people face in which they must explain their standards to others?

Why might this sometimes be difficult for them?

What can you do to help prepare for these situations?

The manual says:

"Others will often ask us about our standards. We can be prepared to answer their questions and testify of the blessings that come from obeying God’s commandments. In this way we can be a light unto the world."

How many of you get the New Era at home?

How many of you read it?

Did you know you can read it on your devices?  Phones, tablets, home computers.  There is some good stuff in the New Era that you might like.

Let’s read an article together from the August 2015 New Era called, "Just Be You".  It is about sharing the gospel, but can also applied to sharing our standards with people.

Let’s read and talk about some scriptures that might help us tell people about our standards?

Be Not Ashamed

Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

2 Timothy 1:7-8

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

2 Nephi 8:7

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

What are these scriptures talking about?

One of the first things we need to do if we are going to be able to explain our standards to others is to not be ashamed of our standards.  We should not be embarrassed by our standards.

Just like being a boy or a girl.  It is who we are.  We do not have to be embarrassed that we are a boy or a girl or things that others might not understand about being a boy or a girl.  We just have to honor Heavenly Father in the way that we behave as a boy or a girl.

The same is true for our standards.  We should be determined that our standards do not change because someone doesn’t understand them or doesn’t agree with them.

We also don’t fight with people about our standards.  If we are to fight with people about being a boy or a girl that does not bring understanding to the other person it just brings bad feelings about boys and girls.

The same is true for our standards.  We don’t argue with people about our standards.  If they want to know who we are and why we are like we are, then we can calmly explain it to them.  If they just want to fight, then we can be pleasant and move on to something else and let our behavior be a witness of our standards.  If we behave well, even when people are mean to us, it is a witness to others about our standards.

Let’s look at some scriptures that talk about these this.

1 Timothy 4:12

12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Someone break this scripture down for me and explain the things it is trying to teach us.

3 Nephi 11:29

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

If we are angry with people and contentious, then the holy ghost leaves and we are left with the devil to teach with.

When we have trouble knowing what to say, here are some scriptures that talk about that.

Doctrine and Covenants 11:21

21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.

Doctrine and Covenants 100:5-8

5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.