What have you learned in your personal gospel study this week?
Have you had any gospel conversations with friends or family that you would like to share?
Today we are going to talk about: What can I learn from living prophets and apostles?
Past prophets had specific instructions for the people in the times they lived in. The instructions and things they were asked to do were specific to their time but are things that we can learn from and much still applies to us, because they are key points of the gospel in all ages like the ten commandments and the beatitudes.
Some past prophets were specifically writing to our day that we might be prepared for things to come in our day. Some of the prophets that wrote to us or about us were Isaiah, John, and Moroni.
Can you think of scriptures that are specifically for our day? Use your topical guide and see what you can find.
The living prophets and apostles receive revelation to guide the Church, and their counsel reflects the will of the Lord, who knows us perfectly and understands our challenges. Their teachings can help us with the challenges we face today. We are blessed to be led by living prophets and apostles and to receive their counsel every six months during general conference.
What are some items of counsel or commandment that living prophets have given to the church in the last day? (word of wisdom, FHE, food storage)
What are some things you remember from our current general conference that the prophet and apostles talked to us about that are very specific to what is going on in our world now. (tolerance, freedom to choose,
DnC 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.
Let’s look at some thoughts from our prophet from last general conference.
"let us consider our callings; let us reflect on our responsibilities; let us determine our duty; and let us follow Jesus Christ, our Lord."
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"Let us take most seriously the callings, the responsibilities, and the duties... " - President Monson
What is a calling?
What is the difference between duty and responsibility?
I saw someone online describe the difference between duty and responsibility like this :
" Duty is that you ought to do. Duty is derived from certain rights. For instance, it is my duty as a father to feed my kids. Violation of duty is a serious offense. Whereas, responsibility can be any commitment towards anything where you are free to obey or not to obey.."
Go around the room and ask each of them what their calling is. (church calling, daughter, sister, mother, son, brother)
It is my belief that all women are called from birth to be mothers. Not in the sense to bear children, but to raise up everyone around them.
Go around the room and ask what are their responsibilities.
Go around the room and ask what is one of their duties.
What else did our prophet share with us during our last conference?
“This year we anticipate rededicating 2 temples and dedicating 5 new temples which are scheduled for completion.
“For the past two years, as we have concentrated our efforts on completing previously announced temples, we have held in abeyance plans for any additional temples. This morning, however, I am very pleased to announce three new temples which will be built in the following locations: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Bangkok, Thailand.“
The prophet is guiding the work of the Lord in this time of great expansion of the Church and the work of the Lord. He is sharing with us and allowing us to share in the great joy of temple building. What does it feel like when a temple is announced that is built in our town, or in a place that is significant to us, or in a place that has world significance?
When President Monson once announced the first temple in my home state of Indiana it was a great feeling for me, even though I am now far from there. That temple is now getting ready to be dedicated.
When he announced the temple in Rome, Italy you could hear a reaction from the audience as it sunk into them what this could mean. Rome is the headquarters to the Catholic church, which is likely the Christian church with the most members worldwide. They consider their church to be descended directly from Peter while he was still alive.
The prophet also talked about our behavior in the temple and some of the purpose of temples.
“As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and a respite from the cares of our lives.
“As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other feeling which could come into the human heart. We will grasp the true meaning of the words of the Savior when He said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”1
He tells us to leave behind distractions when we enter the temple. He tells us that the temple is a sanctuary from things of the world. He tells us that there is peace in the temple. In that peace we can find clarity about things that are troubling us.
In his conference talk the prophet also talks about overcoming temptations as we visit the temple.
“My brothers and sisters, in our lives we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple we can find peace.”
He tells us will have trials and challenges, but as we go to the temple and remember our covenants, we will better be able to fight temptation when we are outside the temple.
