As Gospel learning facilitators we have the wonderful opportunity to assist our sisters and brothers to learn Gospel doctrines, and to apply them to their everyday lives.
To become better teachers, we all need to put on the whole armor of God, and encourage our learners to do the same.
In Elder Kim B. Clark's recent masterful discourse on Gospel Teaching he said the following:
"Whatever level of spirituality we now enjoy in our lives; whatever degree of faith in Jesus Christ we now have; whatever strength of commitment and consecration; whatever degree of obedience, hope, or charity is ours; and whatever level of professional skill or ability we have obtained, it will not be sufficient for the work that lies ahead."
He also shared two key questions to prayerfully ask ourselves and invite our learners to ask themselves:
"Many years ago, in a very difficult time in our lives, I felt under attack from the adversary. At that time the Lord made it very clear to me that I needed to do more and to be better. Let me give you just a little background. Sue and I had been married at that time for more than thirty years, and we had been active and involved in the Church all our lives. We served in the Church; we attended the temple every week; and we prayed with our children, studied the scriptures with them, and held family home evening. We tried to be good Latter-day Saints. And yet the Lord said to me, 'You need to do more.' One night I had a terrible nightmare. I awoke very anxious and concerned, and I knelt and prayed to my Father in Heaven for help. As I prayed, there came into my mind a passage from Ephesians:
In the morning I looked up the scripture and read these words:
When I read the words “put on the whole armour of God,” I felt a powerful witness of the Spirit that this was the answer to my prayers. I needed to put on the whole armor of God—every bit of it.
Sue and I talked about what that might mean, and we prayed for guidance. I learned that we needed to ask ourselves two questions. I believe these are the questions whose answers will lead us to do what we need to do to prepare for what lies ahead. Here they are:
1. What am I doing that I should stop doing?
2. What am I not doing that I should start doing?
As we asked those questions in prayer, we received very specific answers. We changed how we spent our time, what media we allowed into our home, how we served in the temple, how we studied the scriptures, and how we served the Lord. We needed to increase our spirituality. Through this process of repentance the Lord Jesus Christ reached out and changed our lives. We felt His mercy, His grace, His love, and His power in greater measure. Through His matchless power He changed our hearts and our minds and lifted us up to Him. It was a turning point in our lives."
The Lord’s Pattern - Elder Kim B. Clark - BYU Provo - 22-AUG-2016
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/kim-b-clark_the-lords-pattern/
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In the news:
Shaking up Sunday School: 'Revolution' in LDS teaching seeks to activate learners - 28-SEP-2016
"We have had a revolution in teaching in the church. Most of you have not caught onto it yet, but the Brethren are modeling it,"
Tyler Haws: My Most Influential Teacher Was My Bishop - 10-OCT-2016
"Love must be genuine for the Spirit to come and teach. Love is strengthened through consistent friendship and kindness."
https://www.lds.org/church/news/tyler-haws-my-most-influential-teacher-was-my-bishop?lang=eng
How can we prepare our youth for missions ? Teach them how to repent.
"Our youth need to understand that repentance denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God and about oneself. Then repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God and a renunciation of sin. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation. If a young person understands that true change is repentance, he or she will look at missionary work very differently."
Mark Pendleton - Member of General Young Men Board
https://www.lds.org/callings/aaronic-priesthood/leader-resources/biographies?lang=eng