Behold, I Am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World

January 13, 2013

Today I taught my first adult Sunday school lesson from the Doctrine and Covenants. I must admit that i was very humbled this past week seeking guidance from the Spirit on how best to teach from this book of scripture. Being a missionary before i was very comfortable with the book of Mormon and had a good idea how it flowed and such. Well i don't have that comfort zone yet with the Doc. & Cov. I guess its a good thing because it keeps me humbled and more willing to listen to the spirit. I read the introduction to the Doc and Cov as well as the intro to using the Doc and Cov manual and i was kindly reminded how unique a book of scripture it is! Of all the scriptures we have it is the only one not translated from an ancient language, it was given to us in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph Smith! What a great blessing! Another neat thing about the Doc & Cov is that its purpose is to teach and edify those who have become members of the church in preparation to becoming worthy of the temple and Celestial Glory! Its basically a book to help guide us to our greatest goals. It is also neat to know that all the revelations recorded were given in answer to prayers seeking knowledge and wisdom. We are truly blessed to have them in a place where we can study them often along with the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures.

So this week was lesson 2 based on the Atonement of our Savior. The attention activity had me display some tree branches that were broken off a tree. These branches were not receiving any more nutrients in order to grow because they were separated from the tree who's root system feeds and nourishes the branches. This was likened to those who are separated from the Atonement, they can receive no nourishment and healing from the Atonement because they are separated. Then a brother in the class pointed out that the Atonement is not part of the gospel, it is the gospel. Without the Atonement none of the rest of the gospel matters. The Atonement are the roots of the tree and the key to everything in the gospel. The lesson then went through lots of different scriptures that would help class members gain a greater testimony of the Savior Atonement and what it means to them in their lives. One that really had an affect on me was the last few versus in Doc and Cov 122 where Joseph was locked in Liberty Jail. Such sad events but i love what verses 7-9 say, "7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the a pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. 8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

What powerful words! Today especially it was a great need of mine to be reminded that all trials will be for my good and that the Savior knows and understands where i am coming from, and he is there always to support no matter what the circumstances. I learned so much from the comments of my class members as well. Each one had such great things to say and i was very grateful for all the participation! This is usually the hardest part about teaching in church, and i didn't have any problems with it today. In fact i think the class did more talking than i did!

Towards the end of the class (we ran out of time) i played a version of the song "I Stand All Amazed" and invited the class to reflect on the feelings and thoughts they might have had during class while listening to the words of the song. It was a great 5 minutes, the prefect way to solidify their thoughts and feelings of the Atonement. Music has such a powerful influence when used the right way. The lesson pointed out that there were at least 5 lines of the song that were supported by scriptures in the Doc & Cov. We were going to go through them as a class but with the lack of time we just listened to the song.

I truly felt so bless to be able to teach such a Spirit directed lesson. There were a lot of moist eyes through the lesson, and that tells me that i accomplished my weekly goal for each class, to help at least one person in my class to feel the spirit. if i do that then my lesson was a success. I am so grateful to God for the talents and abilities he has given me, and for the opportunity i had as a missionary to increase those abilities. And i thank him often for the chance to teach and share my testimony again and again. Only He would know that this particular calling was exactly what i needed at this time in my life. He sure knows what is best for us and i know he works in the small details of our lives whether we see it or not. 

I know the Savior lives! I know He loves us and through the Atonement he has made a way for us all to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven! I love this gospel and i know i wouldn't be where i am without it.