Post # 131 – Come, Follow
Me – Week # 29 -- Acts 16–21 “The Lord Had Called Us for to Preach
the Gospel”
Dear Family
and Friends
Just so you
have a heads up, I will be without internet service for the next little while. I
hope it won’t be too long because I don’t want to get further behind in our
lessons. But in case it takes longer than I know at this time. I wanted you to
be aware that I will still try to get my posts out there to you as often as I can
so that we can continue to study together😊 And I can share with you the things
that are important to me- my family and the gospel of Jesus Christ😊
And I can share my smiles 😊 😊 😊 with each one of you to maybe brighten
your day!\
I hope you
have each had a wonderful summer. It is truly winding down now isn’t it. It won’t
be long before the lids will all be back in school and back into our school day
routines I suspect. For me not a whole lot of changes except my grandson goes
back to school and he is so excited to be going into the first grade😊It
is so good to see kids excited about going to school. It seems in this day and
age that many of our children do not like going to school☹
My classroom
goes year- round so the only thing that will change is no more field trips and
possibly more new students to fill up my room. I have only had a handful of
students throughout this summer – very unusual for me. Usually I have a full
classroom as soon as the others graduate out. Sometimes I will have one or two who
are not quite old enough to move on to the net age group so they will stay with
me for the summer😊
Usually by the
first of June my room is full again, but this summer, it has definitely been
different. I think there was even one day during the summer when I didn’t have
any students at all☹ Any how I truly do hope and pray that
you have had an amazing summer and you are looking forward to the fall season
and the wonderful blessings it brings😊 I love the crisp fall mornings and
the cool fall evenings. I only hope that I will be able to do some walking in
them.
It is so hard
to see the spouses of friends who have passed on☹ You never
know the right thing to say because you don’t want them to be any sadder when
you mention their spouses name. It is so good to know that the one that has
gone on ahead of their spouse will be waiting for them to come when it is their
time. The Lord made that possible through His glorious plan of happiness😊
And, when you
have seen your friends in so much pain and struggling each day only to survive
another day full of pain and suffering, you are grateful that they no longer
need suffer here in their mortal bodies. You are so grateful that they now can
be pain free😊 and this is good, right? But then
there are the loved ones that they have left behind them☹ here
on the earth to go on living without them. They are the ones that need us the
most now!
Both of my
friends were a part of an eternal family, so they were sealed to their spouse
and family members for time and all eternity. That is why their family members
who are left behind for now can look forward to seeing their missed loved one
when they reach the other side of this mortal life. When I think of their
suffering, I then think of our Savior suffering so-o-o much more for each one
of us and our individual sins and transgressions.
To have
suffered great pain myself to this mortal body of mine I cannot even begin to
fathom all the pain and suffering that our Savior had chosen to endure for each
one of us. He graciously and willingly took upon Himself all the pains, all the
suffering – of our mind, body, emotional being, and our soul! He took this all
upon Himself that each one of us might choose to do what we need to do here in
this mortal life – yes, the choice is ours to make. Each one of us has to make
that decision for ourselves.
So that we
might someday return to life with Him and our Heavenly parents. You know as a
parent if we see our child suffering, we wish that we could take away their suffering.
Even if we could take away their suffering and go through their suffering
ourselves, no matter what kind of suffering it may be – right? We want to protect
them from suffering at all if we can😊We as their parent would take upon
ourselves their pain and suffering so that they would not have to go through it!
Well, you
know what? That is exactly what our Savior has done for each one of us – He has
taken on our pains and sufferings so that we do not need to go through them! He
loves each one of us – He loves you – so very much He was willing to do this
for each one of us – for you, and for me! Anything that we might endure while
in this mortal life is nothing compared to what He suffered – what we ourselves
– each one of us individually will suffer if we do not change our ways and
follow the iron rod to return to live with Him someday😊
He only
requires that we have faith as small as a mustard seed! Have you ever seen a
mustard seed? They are teeny tiny, itsy bitsy seeds! That we only have a desire
to believe😊 Like Alma taught us about growing the
seed of faith, first we must plant it, then give the plant (our faith) the
required nourishment. I believe that we would nourish our seed of faith by foing the following things: saying our prayers daily, studying our scriptures daily, by attending our
church meetings – especially the sacrament meeting, by keeping the
commandments, by following the counsel of our living prophet, just to name a
few😊
There are
other things that we can do to nourish our faith to help it to grow and blossom.
We begin with a desire to believe, with faith as small as a mustard seed😊
Remember that Faith is believing that something is true without actually seeing
it. He explained this in Alma 32:21 –
“And now as I said concerning faith –
faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore, if ye have faith
ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”
Alma
explained that our faith grows as we want to believe and as we listen to the
word of God – study our scriptures. The word (God’s word or the seed) is
planted in our heart and then like a seed it begins to grow. As we learn more
about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the seed will sprout up and continue to grow.
We know that the word (of God or the seed) is good and then our faith grows stronger
and stronger. Alma teaches us that just as a good seed will produce good fruit,
the word of God will bring blessings to those of us who have faith. As he explains
this in Alma 32: 31, 41 –43.
31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this
is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own
likeness.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea,
nourish the tree as it begineth to grow, by your own faith with great
diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall
take root; and behold it shall be a free springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your
faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye
shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is
most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is
white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye
shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not,
neither shall ye thirst.”
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the
rewards of your faith, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree
to bring forth fruit unto you.”
Well, now
that I have shared with you a little bit about faith, shall we get into our
lesson? Today’s lesson is about a man who had such great faith – the apostle
Paul. We will learn about two of his missionary journeys and of what he taught
the people. In learning about his missionary work, we too can learn how to go about
our own member missionary work. Just remember it all begins with Faith😊and
trust in the Holy Ghost to do the teaching!
I think I will begin with this
first section directly from the Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families
manual:
Among the Lord’s final
words to His Apostles was the commandment, “Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you” (Matthew
28:19–20). While the Apostles didn’t quite make it to all nations, Acts
16–21 does show that Paul and his companions did make remarkable
progress in establishing the Church. They taught, baptized, and conferred the
gift of the Holy Ghost. They performed miracles, even raising a man from the
dead, and foretold the Great Apostasy (Acts
20:7–12; 20:28–31).
And the work they started
continues with living Apostles today, along with devoted disciples like you,
who are helping fulfill the Savior’s commission in ways Paul never could have
imagined. Perhaps you are aware of people who do not know their Heavenly Father
or His gospel. Perhaps you have felt that your “spirit was stirred in [you]” to
share with them what you know about Him (Acts
17:16). If you follow Paul’s example of humility and boldness in
sharing the gospel, you may find someone “whose heart the Lord [has] opened” (Acts
16:14).
As members of the Church, we testify of Jesus
Christ and share His gospel.
This talks about us, as members of the
Church – (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) So, if you are
a member and have for one reason or another become inactive – now may be the
time for you to reconsider your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints😊 Now may be the time for you to begin
again with faith as small as a mustard seed! Yes, you can begin where you are
at spiritually and line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and
there a little, you can make your way back to being an active member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receive all the blessings that
you deserve😊
·
Because Acts 16–21 describes two of Paul’s missionary
journeys, family members and friends may be able to learn from these chapters
how to testify of Jesus Christ and share His gospel effectively. To help and to
inspire the discussion with your family
members and friends on this topic, perhaps you could invite a few of your
family members and /or friends to come to this lesson prepared to share some of
the insights which they have gained from studying in Acts 16–21 about sharing the gospel.
·
·
Then to deepen the discussion you are having;
you could also have them share a few statements from a recent general
conference address about missionary work. This could be another perfect opportunity to
help your family members and friends with a family home evening activity. For the
activity you could teach them how to look up conference talks on a specific topic
or you could use the list below and have them choose a talk to look up and
share it at the next family home evening😊
·
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
·
The Spirit will guide me in my efforts to share the gospel.
·
Everyone needs the gospel of Jesus Christ, but some people are
more prepared than others to receive it. This is one reason we need the Holy
Ghost when we share the gospel—to
guide us to those who are ready. As you read Acts
16–21, note instances in which the Spirit guided Paul and his companions.
What blessings came because they followed the Spirit? When have you felt the
Spirit prompting you in your efforts to share the gospel?
·
See also Alma
7:17–20; Dallin H. Oaks, “Sharing
the Restored Gospel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2016, 57–60; Preach My Gospel, 92–93.
·
Messages about missionary
work.
·
Dallin H. Oaks, “Sharing the Restored Gospel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2016, 57–60. you can find his talk here: https://generalconferencetalkchallenge.blogspot.com/2017/03/sharing-restored-gospel-dallin-h-oaks.html
·
you can find his talk here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng
·
you can find his talk here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/a-witness-of-god?lang=eng
·
Mervyn B. Arnold, “To the Rescue: We Can Do It,” Ensign or Liahona, May
2016, 53–55. you can find his talk here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/to-the-rescue-we-can-do-it?lang=eng
·
S. Gifford Nielsen, “Hastening the Lord’s Game Plan!” Ensign or Liahona, Nov.
2013, 33–35. you can find his talk here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2013/10/hastening-the-lords-game-plan?lang=eng
·
I hope that you noticed the one prominent message that is found in
these chapters is that of the important role the Holy Ghost has in sharing the
gospel with others. For example, your family members and friends could discover
together just how the Holy Ghost helped Paul and Silas in Acts 16:6–15. Then the next thing for you to do is that
you might also want to read together 2 Nephi 33:1 and Doctrine and Covenants 42:14 and share the truths you
find together, about the importance of having the Spirit with us when we(each
of you and I) or they are sharing the gospel
Perhaps you or your family members and friends could share
experiences of ties when the Holy Ghost has guided their efforts to share the
gospel with others. What are some experiences you each have had with sharing
the gospel with someone the Lord has put into our path? (see also Preach My Gospel, 3–4).
Okay, now let’s think about how can we (each
one of you and I) might use Paul’s experiences to help your family members and
friends have courage when they are prompted to share their testimonies? It may
be good for us ( each one of you) to consider reviewing together (with your
family and friends) scriptural accounts that describe Paul testifying, such as
his experiences in Macedonia (see Acts 16:19–34), in
Athens (see Acts 17:16–34), and
in Corinth (see Acts 18:1–11).
·
As we review these scriptural accounts let’s
look to see what evidence we can find of Paul’s courage and boldness? Look
through these verses again to find out what doctrines did Paul teach (and
understand) that gave him the confidence in his message? Now, this is personal so I want you to really
think about this next set of questions: Why are we sometimes afraid to share
the gospel, and how can we overcome this fear? now this next section comes from
the Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
·
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
I can declare the gospel in all circumstances.
Being thrown in prison
for preaching the gospel might seem like an understandable reason to stop
preaching. But to Paul and Silas, it became an opportunity to convert a jailor
(see Acts
16:16–34). Throughout Acts
16–21, look for other examples of Paul’s willingness to share his
witness with everyone. Why do you think he was so bold and fearless? What do
you learn from Paul’s example?
There are many more
messages about sharing the gospel in chapters
16–21. If you look carefully, you can find some that are especially
applicable to you. Try reading these chapters with this goal in mind. What do
you find
I want to encourage each one of you and
suggest that you might want to encourage each of your family members and
friends to think of one way that you and /or they can follow Paul’s example and
be more courageous in sharing yours and
/or their testimony of Christ. And if you are not a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints please feel free to contact our missionaries😊 You
can contact the missionaries here: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/chat
Questions about the Church
If you
have questions about the beliefs, teachings, and practices of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we encourage you to select one or more of
the following options:
- Talk to a Church member in your area. This
option also allows you to request a visit from Church representatives.
- Come and worship with us.
- View a list of frequently asked questions.
- Ask a question of your own. (Please note: This feature is not
intended for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to
contact Church headquarters. Church members should discuss questions or
personal matters with their local leaders.)
Or
you may want to contact some of your friends who are also members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and invite them to come over and share the
gospel with you. I promise that you will not be sorry that you did😊
Learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ from a couple of Sister Missionaries
has completely changed my life. And might I just say that my life was totally
changed for the better😊 I have never been so blessed as I have
been since I accepted the gospel and repented and was baptized and became a member
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints😊
We are the offspring of God.
On Mars’ Hill, Paul taught about Heavenly Father to a group of
people who knew little about God’s true nature. In order for you to explore
these teachings, you could have family members and friends get together and
they could read Acts 17:24–31 and make a list together of the
truths they find about Heavenly Father, our relationship with Him, and our
relationships with each other. What experiences can you or your family members and
friends share in which they have felt the truth of Paul’s statement that God is
“not far from every one of us”? (verse 27).
As you examine these verses together, consider discussing the
truth taught in verse 29, “We are the offspring of God,” meaning
that Heavenly Father is the literal father of our spirits. To do this, you
could write on a large paper or poster board, divided into two sides. On the
first side write Because we are children of God and on
the second side write If we did not know we are children of God. It
may be good for you to ask your family members and friends to suggest some ways
to complete these sentences.
You may want to consider the following questions:
what does the fact that we are children of God teach us about
ourselves?
what does the fact that we are children of God teach us about
the way we should treat each other?
How would our lives be different if we did not know about our
true relationship with God?
These questions might lead to a great family and/ or group discussion
about how we can help others understand that they are children of God. The
following statement by Elder Dallin H. Oaks in may add to this discussion.
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the
importance of seeing ourselves first and foremost as spiritual children of God:
“Be
careful how you characterize yourself. Don’t characterize or define yourself by
some temporary quality. The only single quality that should characterize us
is that we are a son or daughter of God. That fact transcends all other
characteristics, including race, occupation, physical characteristics, honors,
or even religious affiliation. …
“We
have our agency, and we can choose any characteristic to define us. But we need
to know that when we choose to define ourselves or to present ourselves by some
characteristic that is temporary or trivial in eternal terms, we de-emphasize
what is most important about us, and we overemphasize what is relatively
unimportant. This can lead us down the wrong path and hinder our eternal
progress” (“Be Wise” [Brigham Young University–Idaho
devotional, Nov. 7, 2006], byui.edu).
You can read or watch the entire talk here:
We are all children of God.
“The Family: A Proclamation to
the World” shares eternal truths about our relationship to God:
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is
a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a
divine nature and destiny” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 129).
·
now this next section comes from the
Come, Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual:
·
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
“We are the offspring of
God.”
In
Athens, Paul found a people of diverse opinions and religious views. They were
always seeking “to hear some new thing,” and what Paul had to offer was
definitely new to them (see Acts
17:19–21). They worshipped many gods, including one they called “the
unknown God” (Acts
17:23), but they believed that the gods were powers or forces, not
living, personable beings, and certainly not our Father. Read what Paul said to
help them come to know God, and note the characteristics of God that you find.
What
does it mean to you to be the “offspring of God”? (Acts
17:29). In your opinion, how is being a child of God different from
being just one of His creations? If you had stood beside Paul as he was
testifying, what would you have told the ancient Greeks about our Heavenly
Father? Do you know someone who could benefit from hearing your testimony?
Baptism must be followed by receiving the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
Right here in Acts 19 is a very good place for us to
emphasize how important it is to be confirmed after we are baptized. You may
want to consider sharing this statement from the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Baptism
by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half—that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 95).
Now I want each of you to think about this
question:
How do Paul’s teachings in Acts 19:1–7 confirm
the statement made by Joseph Smith?
You and your family members and friends
may also benefit from searching “Holy Ghost, Baptism of” in
the Topical Guide together to learn more about the blessings of receiving the
gift of the Holy Ghost. This could even be the topic of another family home evening
for your family members and friends😊 you can find it here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/tg/holy-ghost-baptism-of?lang=eng
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening
As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help
you know what principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of
your family. Here are some suggestions:
To help your family visualize what is happening in these
chapters, it could be fun, as you read together, to mark the cities that Paul
visited on a map (see the map at the end of this outline).
How can we be more like
the Saints in these scriptures? How does studying the scriptures daily make us
more “noble”? (Acts
17:11). What can we do to be “mighty in the scriptures”? (Acts
18:24).
These teachings from the
Prophet Joseph Smith might help your family discuss Acts
19:1–7: “Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for
nothing without the other half—that
is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. … ‘To be born of water and of the Spirit’
meant to be immersed in water for the remission of sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost thereafter. This was given by the laying on of the hands of one
having authority given him of God” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph
Smith, 95). What
blessings have come to us from receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost?
What inspired the people
in these verses to burn their books worth “fifty thousand pieces of silver”? (Acts
19:19). Are there worldly possessions or activities we need to give
up in order to receive heavenly blessings?
When has your family
experienced Christ’s teaching that “it is more blessed to give than to
receive”? (Acts
20:35). Is there someone who could benefit from service, time, or
gifts that your family could give? As a family, discuss some ideas and make a
plan to serve someone. How do we feel when we serve others? Why is it more
blessed to give than to receive?
At the end of our class our instructor posed
this question to each us: “If you had the chance to tell the leader of our
nation about the gospel, what would you say?” Our instructor told us that
in Acts 22–28, we will
find out what Paul said to some of the most powerful leaders of his day. This
may be a bit of enticement or encouragement for you and your family members and
friends as well to read Acts 22–28 during
the upcoming week 😊
Gosh, are we at the end of our lesson already?
I found Paul’s journey’s quite interesting, as I hope you did too! He was so brave
and courageous – knowing that he would not see his family and friends again
when he left them for his last journey. Knowing that he would die for believing
in and teaching others about his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He was only
doing as he was commanded and fulfilling his calling to the best of his ability😊
As always, remember who you are – a son
or daughter of Heavenly Father, you indeed have heavenly parents😊
Please keep studying with me and saying your prayers each day. Attend your church
meetings, especially the sacrament meeting. Repent each day. Share with your
family members and friends what you are learning in the Come, Follow Me program😊
Pray for your towns, cities and states. Pray for your country and for the
safety within it’s borders for all!
I do hope and pray that you will share my
blog with those you meet that you think might benefit from our lessons or any
of the information that I have shared about my daily journey with cancer😊 I
know that we can make it through any and all of our trials in this life with
the power and the peace and the strength that the Atonement of Jesus Christ
offers each one of us! Please keep reading my blog and learning with me, and if
you think of a topic that you would like to learn more about, feel free to
leave me word so that we can explore it together -- until next time make it a
great week!
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