Recent Lessons

This Week Last Week

Turning Points and Trials

We often like to talk about our great moments …

In Saul/Paul we have a great example of a turning point. Today, can we talk about our turning points toward faith in Christ?

The Gospel and non-Gospel condundrum.

Many of us had moments in our lives when we have thought we need to make a choice… the day!!! But what about knowing, but then having many other tugs.

Sione Havili

Oct 2nd Conference preview Sione Havili story revolves around go on a mission after burning down a house. Having to leave his mission at 14 months to go to jail.

Age of Mistakes

It is not always the young person that make mistakes. We all think of Saul/Paul as a mature person. But is he the only scriptural account?

How old was Alma “the younger” when he was converted? Do the math

  • About 100-92 BC is when Angel appeared Alma “the youunger”
  • Alma “the Elder” died at died around 91 BC at the age of 82 (see Mosiah 29:45)
  • Alma “the Elder” was at least 73 when angel came to Alma “the younger”

Associate the Quote

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness

Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy

However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise. So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

Sharing Faith-Promoting Experiences Strenghtens Myself and Others.

Some times our faith promoting experiences are big things like Saul/Paul, Joseph Smith, and Alma the Younger. However, it is the persistence and little things we see in Sione Havili story that resonate.

Does anyone have a “little thing” that has happened to promote their faith recently?

Sunday School Experience

I thought a lesson on 3/19… “Soon it will be General Conference and then Easter. All will happen before we meet in Sunday School again. As we read about Bethlehem at Christmas, so should we read about Gethsemane”.

How could this be perceived as a spiritual confirmation? My son says sometimes “I did a thing”. Read this from Church News

Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 
labeled Holy Week as: 

1. "the most important week in human history” 
2. Easter as the “most important holiday.”

Those emphatic superlatives came from President Russell M. Nelson and three latter-day Apostles — Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder Gary E. Stevenson — as they spoke this weekend during April 2023 general conference of the events, the doctrine and the many blessings associated with Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

The Jerusalem Council

A great way to determine if you are in accord with each other, is if you can eat dinner together?

Does anyone have a recent experience where they were able to overcome differences through council?

Peter and James

These great leaders needed to figure hard things out, so Jew and Gentile converts could at least eat together. The law? The spirit? The differences?

This council met to discuss ...

1. "the issue of what Gentiles (non-Jews) 
should do when converting to Christianity" 
2. "religious and ethnic background"
3. "inclusion into the emerging Christian Church"

James suggested the Gentiles should abstain from at least four things related to keeping the law of Moses (Acts 15:20, 29).

IMO, this is like the baptismal inteview or temple recomment interiew questions. Imagine an interview …

  1. do you participate in cermonies where … Meats are offered to idols ?

  2. do you have unrepented sins like … Fornication (sexual immorality) ?

  3. do you eat … Strangled meat (the animal’s blood had not been drained) ?

  4. do you eat … Blood (related to avoiding strangled meat) or Blood pudding?