Post # 65 – Come, Follow Me Week 1 Review

Dear Family and Friends

In my last post we were talking about being responsible for our own learning, were you able to get the lesson read for last week?  I thought I would review the lesson with you a bit. I also wanted to share a few scriptures on learning which I found when I was reading scriptures this week and I needed to look up a reference. The first column I found under Education and the second column I found under Learning as they were listed with a bunch of others in the topical guide. I have only listed a few under each heading, but if you will look carefully at these few you will find some valuable information.

EDUCATION	LEARNING
Wise man will hear, and will increase learning, Prov. 1:5 – We become wise when we are willing to listen to the teachings of the prophets both old and the living prophet.	I have learned by experience, Gen. 30:27. -- We learn through our own experience that the Lord blesses us every single day of our lives. We need to give thanks to Him for those blessings.
Take fast hold of instruction Prov. 4:13. – quickly hold onto the word of God and continue to hold onto it. There are many instructions found in them.	Hear my words, that they may learn to fear, Deut. 4:10 (31:13). – by hearing His words, we learn to worship our Heavenly Father.
God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning, Dan. 1:17. – we can receive personal revelation, just as Daniel and his friends did to learn the will of God.	Statutes … that ye may learn them,  Deut. 5:1. – the commandments and ordinances are given to us from the Lord for us to learn from them and to keep them diligently.
He that seeketh findeth Matt. 7:8. –  if we don’t search the scriptures, we won’t find the value in them, or become closer to God by studying them.	Knock and it shall be opened unto you, Matt. 7:7 (3 Ne. 14:7). – as we learn, and the gospel of Jesus Christ will be unfolded to us.
Search the scriptures, John 5:39. – the scriptures testify of our Savior so why wouldn’t we want to search and study them? This is under both headings	Ye may learn to be more wise than we have been, Morm. 9:31. – we learn from the people in the scriptures, so we won’t make the same mistakes.
Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free, John 8:32. – when you know the gospel truth you are spiritually free. You develop a new, eternal perspective on life.	Seek learning, even by study and also by faith, D&C 88:118 (109:7). Remember this one from last post? We need to learn by faith as we study the scriptures and other things too.
Instructed in the way of the Lord, , Acts 18:25. – the scriptures have the instructions; the Holy Ghost instructs us in the way of the Lord.	Learn to do well, Isa. 1:17. – we need to learn to do good works. Service to those in need should be at the top od our list of things to do.
Eyes of your understanding being enlightened, Eph. 1:18. – when we have the Holy Ghost with us as we are learning He enlightens our understanding – we learn so much more through the power of the Holy Ghost.	I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes, Ps. 119:71. – we can be grateful in our trials, we are reminded of the commandments of the Lord. We should ask ourselves: “what is it that I need to learn from this trial?”
Increasing in the knowledge of God, Col. 1:10. – we can only increase in the knowledge of God if we read and study the word or God – the scriptures.	Spirit of truth … will guide you into all truth, John 16:13. – the Holy Ghost will testify to us of all truth.
Line upon line, precept upon precept, 2 Ne. 28:30. – we learn the gospel of Jesus Christ a little at a time. The Lord knows when we are ready for more and He will send it to us as we are diligently studying and doing our best to do His will each day.	Learn to maintain good works,  Titus 3:14. – we must learn to do serve others. We can pray for opportunities to serve. When we feel prompted to visit, call, text, or take something to someone – we should do it immediately, do not wait!
They had searched the scriptures diligently, Alma 17:2. – if we search the scriptures diligently, we will learn the word of God and the Holy Ghost will bring to our minds the gospel truths that we need at the time we need it.	Learned of the Father, cometh unto me, John 6:45. --  when we learn of Him, we need to witness of Him to others and share what we have learned so they too can learn of Hom.
Learn of me, and listen to my words D&C 19:23. – if we study our scriptures, we learn of Him, we are hearing His words through the scriptures. We learn how to walk with His Spirit.	Scriptures … might be for our profit and learning. 1 Ne. 19:23. – we should ponder the scriptures and apply what we learn in the scriptures into our daily lives.
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/tg/education?lang=eng	https://www.lds.org/scriptures/tg/learn?lang=eng&letter=L

 

” You are invited to use Come, Follow Me – For individuals and Families to help you and your family in your personal scripture study, family Scripture Study, and Family Home Evenings.”

https://www.lds.org/manual/come-follow-me/individuals-and-families?
lang=eng

Come Follow Me – For Individuals and Families will focus on the same scripture passages that you will learn about in your Sunday classes.”

Since we are studying the New Testament, I wanted to find out more about it. If you had chance to look at the Come, Follow Me for Manual for Individuals and Families you would have noticed that the first three words were: “What seek ye?”  You know when I thought about this question an experience came to my mind about just how important our gospel learning is or should be. If you are thinking in terms of returning to our heavenly home when this mortal life is done, what things can you take with you? This is the question Jesus asked Hid disciples in John 1:38

You can not take your home – though it is a very necessary item while living in this mortal life. You can not take your car, boat, DVD’s, books, or phones😊 what you can take with you is your knowledge, your covenants, and your family. So, with this in the forefront of your mind now answer the question “What seek ye?” shouldn’t it be education, knowledge, learning – especially spiritual things? I don’t know about you, but I am going to continue to do all that I can to follow my Savior, to learn of Him😊

I found this quote in the New Testament Seminary book about what the New Testament contains I thought I would share it with you. “Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles summarized the significant contents of the New Testament: “The New Testament… recounts the fulfillment of the ancient promises; tells of the birth and ministry and atoning sacrifice of the Promised One; expounds the doctrines of his everlasting gospel; records the growth and expansion of the gospel cause in the meridian days; predicts the universal falling away from the faith once delivered to the saints; promises a glorious restoration of the gospel in the last days; and foretells. In graphic and dramatic imagery, the events preceding, attending, and succeeding the Second Coming of the Son of Man. Its chief purpose is to bear witness of Christ” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 392).” If you want more information about the New Testament you can find it here, where I found this quote. You should really check it out – I promise you won’t be sorry that you did! https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-study-guide-for-home-study-seminary-students/welcome-to-the-new-testament?lang=eng

As I was reviewing Week One, I wanted to share some of the lesson with you just in case you had not been able to read it through yet. In the first week’s lesson “We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning” it tells us that we should ask the questions that come to our mind as we study the lessons and the scriptures each week. Then “seek diligently for answers.” “In the New Testament you will read about powerful spiritual experiences of disciples of Jesus Christ.” Then is says that “as a faithful disciple of the Savior, you can have your own powerful spiritual experiences as you accept the Savior’s invitation, found throughout this sacred volume, “Come, follow me.” Luke 18:22” The Savior promises us in Matthew 7:7 that if we seek, we will find!

The scripture verses for this section were Matthew 19:16–22. These verses are about the rich young man who had been living the gospel as he had been taught all of his life up to this point when he asks what he needed to do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. This young man tells Jesus that he has done this his whole life and asks, ‘what lack I yet?’ Jesus then tells him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me. And in the next verse says: ‘But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

studying I remembered that the manual gives us this advice: “What he learned – and what we all must learn – is that being a disciple means giving our whole souls to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We progress in our discipleship as we identify what we lack, change, and seek to more fully follow Them. Learning from the Savior starts when we strive to understand what He taught. The example comes with this question, ‘How does your understanding of forgiveness deepen as you explore the following?’

The Savior’s teachings as found in Matthew 6:14–15; 18:21–35. You should look this one up and then answer the question above😊

An example from His life found in Luke 23:33–34. This one gives e great hope of always being forgiven by my Savior. Read it and see what you think. Then answer the above question again😊

Next, we get the reminder in the lesson that our learning is not complete until we follow the Savior by living what He taught. The question now is, ‘How can you be more forgiving?’ in my last post I shared a talk by Elder David A. Bednar, he taught: “As learners, you and I are to act and be doers of the word and not simply hearers who are acted upon. Are you and I agents who act and seek learning by faith, or are we waiting to be taught and acted upon? … A learner exercising agency by acting in accordance with correct principles opens his or her heart to the Holy Ghost and invites His teaching, testifying power, and confirming witness. Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception.” (“Seek Learning by Faith,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 64).Are we prepared spiritually, mentally and physically to learn by faith and ready to get into the scriptures and act on what we are learning each day?

Our question now is:’ What does it mean to take responsibility for your own learning? Look for the answer to this question from the quote from Elder Bednar’s talk above and the following scriptures: John 7:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; James 1:5–6, 22; 2:17; 1 Nephi 10:17–19; 2 Nephi 4:15; Alma 32:27; and Doctrine and Covenants 18:18; 58:26–28; 88:118. And the next question is: What do you feel inspired to do to be more active in learning the gospel? I don’t know aout you, but I was inspired by this lesson to try harder to be ore consistent with my scripture study as well as trying harder to keep up with my lesson preparation each week – are you with me? Let’s get back at it 😊

The story of the Ten Virgins comes up next in reference to seeing those who never seem to loose their faith no matter what happens in their lives.  This story is found in Matthew 25:1–13, you should check it out if you haven’t read it in a while. The lesson points out that what we may not see with these friends who seem to never lose their faith is their ever so diligent and consistent efforts to strengthen their testimonies of the truth found in the scriptures and in the words of our living prophets😊 

“We must all learn as the foolish virgins learned, we cannot borrow conversion from anyone else.” Therefore, we all need to work hard to strengthen our testimonies – searching diligently and consistently in the scriptures and in the words and counsel from our local leaders and our living prophet.

The question as we ponder these next scriptures is: “How do we fain and nurture our own testimonies?” Luke 11:9–13; John 5:39; John 7:14–17; Acts 17:10–12; 1 Corinthians 2:9–11; and Alma 5:45–46. We must each gain a testimony for ourselves. The following is information about a testimony found here: https://www.lds.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/testimony?lang=eng

Testimony

Overview

A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior’s true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have the sacred opportunity and responsibility to obtain their own testimonies. Having obtained a testimony, each member has a duty to nurture it throughout life. Happiness in this life and throughout eternity depends largely on whether individuals are “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” (D&C 76:79; see also D&C 76:51, 74, 101). Testimony grows through the application of the following principles:

The quest for a testimony begins with a righteous, sincere desire. Speaking to a group of people who did not yet have testimonies of the gospel, Alma taught: “If ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words” (Alma 32:27).

Testimony comes through the quiet influence of the Holy Ghost. The results of a testimony can be miraculous and life changing, but the gift of testimony usually comes as a quiet assurance, without spectacular displays of God’s power. Even Alma, who had been visited by an angel and had seen God sitting on His throne, needed to fast and pray so he could receive a testimony through the power of the Holy Ghost (see Alma 5:45–46; 36:8, 22).

Testimony grows gradually through experiences. No one receives a complete testimony all at once. It grows as individuals show willingness to serve in the Church and to study, pray, and learn. It increases as individuals obey God’s commandments. Testimony grows as it is shared.

Part of a testimony’s development comes when it is shared. In the Church testimony is shared often in fast and testimony meetings, in Church classes, and in conversations with family members and friends.

The following comes directly from the Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families:

What should I do when I have questions?

As you seek spiritual knowledge, questions will come to your mind. The following principles can help you address questions in ways that build faith and testimony:

1.     Seek understanding through divinely appointed sources. God is the source of all truth, and He reveals truth through the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, and His prophets and apostles.

2.     Act in faith. If answers don’t come right away, trust that the Lord will reveal answers when the time is right. In the meantime, keep living by the truth you already know.

3.     Keep an eternal perspective. Try to see things as the Lord sees them, not as the world does. View your questions in the context of our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.

As always, I hope and pray that this review has been helpful to some of you and I hope that you are enjoying studying the New Testament with us this year. Don’t forget – if you have not done so already – make some worthy goals for the week, month, year – or like me for the day😊 Remember that you are a child of God – no matter what your age is – and as such you should take your goals to Him in prayer, as you should with everything. Until my next post – each of you continue studying and learning, be happy and make it a great week😊