Nephi's Broken Bow - Visuals for Teaching Primary

I created these visuals to go with the lesson in the Primary 4: Book of Mormon manual, lesson #5, entitled "Lehi and His Family Are Led through the Wilderness."  

I used my own words and interpretation to choose the graphics.  The kids loved it and the visuals helped them pay attention to and understand the story.

Click HERE for the PDF files.

I designed it so there were two visuals on each page.  I printed on cardstock and then cut the pages in half.  For the lesson, have the kids read along (or listen) to 1 Nephi 16:17-32.  Lay out all the pictures on the floor and then have kids point to a picture when it fits with the story.  Put them up on the board using magnets.

Here are some links to supplementary material about Nephi's broken bow.  I personally like to study a lot about a topic before I teach it so that I can gain insights, even if I don't share all the info with the class.

Story from The Friend magazine called "Nephi's Bow" (and little boys).

"When Your Bow Breaks" Speech (more for adults)

The Book of Mormon Study Manual

Info about Nephi's Bows from the New Era

Youth Talk - Faith and the Pioneer Trek

This talk was given at church on Sunday 11/22/15 by an awesome young man in my ward named Mitchell. He gave me permission to share it on my blog after I told him how much I enjoyed it.

Good morning brothers and sisters. I was asked by Brother Richins to share some experiences that I had personally on Trek. I’d like to start out by sharing a story from Brother Fielding, the resident cameraman that was taking video all throughout Trek. Throughout the weekend our family had become pretty well acquainted with him, and one night he decided to share a personal experience to us. When Brother Fielding was a teenager, he decided to go on a Joseph Smith-esque journey to figure out if his church (The LDS Church was true). Trying to believe in the Mormon faith was hard for him mainly because he couldn’t read. Brother Fielding had severe dyslexia, and couldn’t really read anything. He had only heard bits and pieces of The Book from stories told by others. But, he decided to make an effort to try to read The Book of Mormon. After much trial, Brother Fielding had finally been able to read the fullness of the gospel. At that time, the Book of Mormon was the only book he could read. He said to us that we may not have the same experiences and miracles that he experienced, but our Heavenly Father is watching us, and he will answer our prayers, and we will be able to be fully converted. He certainly touched the hearts of everyone in my family. This is a great example of how the impossible can be reached through the work of the lord. Prior to Trek, I (for a lack of a better term) was terrified. I’m not in that great of shape, and I don’t really do a lot of exercise.

The first day of trek when we all met at the Stake Center, I was worried out of my mind, and I didn’t eat a good lunch, which I now regret, considering we didn’t eat again that night til 1 am. Though Trek wasn’t nearly as bad as I was making it out to be, I still struggled. The first night was really tough for me, and at times I felt like quitting. While going over Rocky Ridge - a stretch of trail that was littered with boulders, rocks, and other obstacles - I felt like I couldn’t go on for much longer. But, through my faith in the lord and constant prayer in every moment that I could spare, I made it! I knew I was going to make it eventually, but I made it in one piece. This, for me, was overcoming the impossible. Trek was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I did it! This trial was not nearly as great as Brother Fielding’s tremendous challenge, but for me, this was an amazing example of how the Lord touches our lives at all times. Russell M. Nelson said in the April 1988 General Conference this: “If any tasks ever deserved the label impossible, those would seem to qualify. But, in fact, our Lord had spoken: ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible’”.

He continued on to say that Faith is the foremost requisite for overcoming the impossible. He quoted the New Testament in the book of Matthew which said “If ye have faith, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” President Nelson said “Faith is nurtured through knowledge of God. It comes from prayer and feasting upon the words of Christ through diligent study of the scriptures”. He continued to proclaim this to the congregation: “You who may be momentarily disheartened, remember, life is not meant to be easy. Trials must be borne and grief endured along the way. As you remember that ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’, know that He is your Father. You are a son or daughter created in His image, entitled through your worthiness to receive revelation to help with your righteous endeavors”.

As said in Ether 12:27, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them”.

This has played a huge part in my life, not just on Trek. I’ve gone through many experiences that I thought I wasn’t capable of doing, but I made it, and I know when we put our faith in the lord, that everyone can do the same. I’d like to thank everyone that worked on Trek, and a big thank you to all of the kids in my family, as well as my Ma, Pa, and Big Brother and Sister for helping me along the way. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and through the power of god, we can make it through all of our trials, and make the impossible possible. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Primary - Book of Mormon Lessons

I came across a website called teachldschildren.com that has some wonderful lesson tips for teaching Primary lessons on the Book of Mormon.  Check it out!

My Giant Book of Mormon

I love reading the scriptures and often write in the margins.  I have a really nice set of scriptures that I read but I decided to purchase a "Extra Large Print Triple Combination" to use when I personally study the Book of Mormon (click HERE if you're interested in buying one too, they're only $5.00).

I bought it several months ago and LOVE it!  There is so much room to write in the margins and it lays nice and flat when I am studying.  I use it as a workbook and since it was only $5.00 I don't feel bad writing all my random thoughts and insights in it.

Only bad part is that I get teased!  My friends saw me reading it one day while I was waiting for a meeting to start and church and they harassed me for being old and needing a large print book.  I can take a lot of teasing, having grown up with all brothers, so I handled it well.  They changed their tune once I showed them how cool it was to have all that space for notes and they saw all the stuff I had written in there.

Now that I have been asked to teach Primary this year, this "workbook" will come in even more handy.  I can even put post in notes or sheets of paper in the book for when I am teaching.

Just thought I'd share my idea in case you'd like to try it.  And I promise I won't tease you if you get one too.

P.S.  We still use the Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families for our family scripture study (see my earlier POST about that).

Washington and Zarahemla: The Beltway-Nephite Disease

Click here for a great article written by Gary Lawrence in Meridian Magazine on-line. I have listed a few highlights below from the article.

Six years.

In the thousand-year span of the Nephite people, that’s the time on stage for a prideful group known as the king-men.

The last fourth of the book of Alma, in which the king-men story is imbedded, is a sharp break from the doctrine-laden chapters of the first three-fourths of the book, as Mormon turns to stories about war strategy and political happenings.

Why did Mormon include this story of arrogance? Is it a parallel for our time, a warning, something we should learn?

I think so. Because Mormon saw our time, what he decided to include in his abridgement was not happenstance.

Doing a bit of reverse engineering on the actions of king-men based in the government town of Zarahemla, and drawing on other scriptures describing Nephite behavior, here are nine characteristics to watch for, if and when king-men pop up in Washington.

1. They Will Be Subtle
2. They Will Exploit the Desire for Power
3. They Will Consider Themselves the New Nobility
4. They Will Look Down on Others
5. They Will Flatter
6. They Will Deceive
7. They Will Strike When Crises Provide Opportunities
8. They Will Not Trust People’s Freedoms
9. They Will Oppose Efforts to Defend the Country

If the events of 2009 and the attitudes of those currently in power are not those Mormon saw in our day, such that he included the king-men story in the Book of Mormon, what further parallels must occur before we learn the intended lesson?

Are we so complacent to think that the king-men parallel lies yet in the future, a problem for some other generation? Are we willing to take a chance that 2009 could not possibly be the king-men day that Mormon saw?

Look around, America. The answer is clear — very clear.

Book - The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families

We bought this book around five years ago at Deseret Book. Our kids were ages 7, 4 and 1 and we were struggling with scripture study with them. We knew we needed to improve and teach our kids to read the scriptures regularly. So we decided to read daily and this book helped us keep our goal.

This book contains the normal Book of Mormon writings in it. They haven't changed anything. They simply added some helpful features. Here is a sample page that I scanned into the computer (obviously a bad scan job!). Note how the chapter is subdivided by red titles within that chapter. This gave us a clear stopping and starting point while reading. Sometimes we would read a whole chapter or two and sometimes we just read from one little red subtitle to the next and called it good if the kids were being nuts.

Notice how there are also quotes from latter-day prophets, explanations, word definitions, questions, etc. on each page. We read through these also with our kids to help them understand things better.

The Book of Mormon is a true book, in fact THE most true book on this earth. We love to read it together each night and have a testimony that our consistent scripture study (however short) has made us a stronger family. If you are struggling with family scripture study, I would recommend spending the money to buy this book. I think it was around $50.00 but worth 10 times that much to us.

These are the last days. There is no time to be flakey with our spiritual needs (scriptures, prayers, church attendance, etc.). We would rather miss dinner than to miss reading scriptures and praying as a family.

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 48

Book of Mormon Lesson #48: “Come Unto Christ”
Moroni 7- 8, 10

1. Joseph F. Smith: [Moroni 7:3 – the rest of the Lord] The ancient prophets speak of “entering into God’s rest”; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into “God’s rest.” Gospel Doctrine, p. 58.

2. George Q. Cannon: I will tell you a rule by which you may know the Spirit of God from the spirit of evil. The Spirit of God always produces joy and satisfaction of mind. When you have that Spirit you are happy; when you have another spirit you are not happy. The spirit of doubt is the spirit of the evil one; it produces uneasiness and other feelings that interfere with happiness and peace. Journal of Discourses, vol. 15, p. 375.

3. Joseph Smith: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas. … Thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 151.

4. Joseph Smith (to Brigham Young in a dream): You can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits – it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evils from their hearts, and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Manuscript History of Brigham Young.

5. Theodore M. Burton: God’s light [the Light of Christ] includes the physical light we see, which makes us feel so warm and comfortable. God’s light is also the power to understand and comprehend all things. In other words, all kinds of light are related to intelligence and truth. Gen. Conference, April 1981.

6. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Light of Christ should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the Light of Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and preparatory to one’s receiving the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to “hearken to the voice” [D&C 84:46] to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 2003.

7. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 7:27-28 – miracles] The greatest of all miracles is the Atonement. Mortal mind cannot fathom or comprehend how one being can assume the burdens and sins of another, much less how one infinitely pure person can take responsibility for the stains of billions of impure persons. Nor can we begin to grasp how one man, Jesus of Nazareth, could take up his physical body in the resurrection and then make immortality available to all who have been tabernacled in flesh. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 339.

8. John Taylor: [Moroni 7:29-31 – angels] The angels are our watchmen. Angels ward off evil. One might as well undertake to throw the water out of this world into the moon with a teaspoon, as to do away with the supervision of angels upon the human mind. They are the police of heaven and report whatever transpires on earth, and carry the petitions and supplications of men, women, and children to the mansions of remembrance where they are kept as tokens of obedience by the sanctified in “golden vials” labeled “the prayers of the saints.” The Gospel Kingdom, p. 31.

9. Joseph F. Smith: When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. Gospel Doctrine, pp. 435-36.

10. Joseph Smith: The doctrine of baptizing children, or sprinkling them, or they must welter in hell, is a doctrine not true, not supported in Holy Writ, and is not consistent with the character of God. All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 5.

11. Joseph Smith: [Moroni 10:3-5] Search the scriptures … and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory, nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 11-12.

12. William Grant Bangerter: I had great joy yesterday in hearing the call of Elder Helio da Rocha Camargo, our companion and fellow member of the Church. Brother Camargo and his wife were stalwart, faithful people before they joined the Church. They had been brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Brother Camargo was a graduate of the military academy of Brazil. Later, still a young man, he became a Methodist minister. … One evening two young men called at his home. … He invited the young men in, and in the process of their presentation they left him a copy of the Book of Mormon. On a subsequent visit they inquired if he had read the book. He explained that he had read considerable, making notes of the things with which he did not agree. The elder then suggested that it was not in keeping with a book of scripture to read it to see what was wrong with it, but that it should be read as Moroni says, “with a sincere heart” and “real intent,” having “faith in Christ” and desiring to know the truth of the book. Brother Camargo said he found it necessary to read the book again. In the process the Spirit witnessed to him that it was the true word of God, and he joined the Church with his family. Gen. Conference, April 1985.

13. Gordon B. Hinckley: If the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. … If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world. … If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. … If this book is true, we have a living prophet. … If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true. Be Thou an Example, pp. 103-05.

14. Keith B. McMullin: The Holy Ghost has a more powerful effect upon the soul than anything else received in any other way. A millennium of experience through sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and all the powers of the universe combined cannot approach the sublime and complete experience of one brief moment under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Gen. Conference, April 1996.

15. Gordon B. Hinckley: I plead with you, my brothers and sisters, that if you have any doubt concerning any doctrine of this Church, that you put it to the test. Try it. Live the principle. Get on your knees and pray about it, and God will bless you with a knowledge of the truth of this work. Gen. Conference, April 2005.

16. Stephen E. Robinson: [Moroni 10:32 – come unto Christ, and be perfected in him] Perfection comes through the Atonement of Christ. We become one with him, with a perfect being. And as we become one, there is a merger. Some of my students are studying business, and they understand it better if I talk in business terms. You take a small bankrupt firm that’s about ready to go under and merge it with a corporate giant. What happens? Their assets and liabilities flow together, and the new entity that is created is solvent. … Spiritually, this is what happens when we enter into the covenant relationship with our Savior. We have liabilities, he has assets. He proposes to us a covenant relationship. I use the word “propose” on purpose because it is a marriage of a spiritual sort that is being proposed. That is why he is called the Bridegroom. This covenant relationship is so intimate that it can be described as a marriage. I become one with Christ, and as partners we work together for my salvation and my exaltation. My liabilities and his assets flow into each other. I do all that I can do, and he does what I cannot yet do. The two of us together are perfect. Believing Christ, 1989-90 BYU Devotional and Fireside Speeches.

17. Harold B. Lee: [Moroni 10:32 – then is his grace sufficient for you] Spiritual certainty that is necessary to salvation must be preceded by a maximum of individual effort. Grace, or the free gift of the Lord’s atoning power, must be preceded by personal striving. Stand Ye in Holy Places, p. 213.

18. Jeffrey R. Holland: The Savior said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. … Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). I submit to you, that may be one of the Savior’s commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-day Saints, almost universally disobeyed; and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord’s merciful heart. I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. In that same spirit, I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when he finds that his people do not feel confident in his care or secure in his hands or trust in his commandments. Come Unto Me, Ensign, April 1998.


Next week: Introduction to the Doctrine & Covenants and Church history (read Explanatory Introduction to the D&C)

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 47

Book of Mormon Lesson #47: “To Keep Them in the Right Way”
Moroni 1-6

1. Gordon B. Hinckley: Of all the characters who walk the pages of the Book of Mormon, none stands a greater hero, save Jesus only, than does Moroni, son of Mormon. … Who can sense the depth of his pain, the poignant loneliness that constantly overshadowed him as he moved about, a fugitive relentlessly hunted by his enemies? For how long he actually was alone we do not know, but the record would indicate that it was for a considerable period. His conversation was prayer to the Lord. His companion was the Holy Spirit. There were occasions when the Three Nephites ministered to him. But with all of this, there is an element of terrible tragedy in the life of this man who became a lonely wanderer. Heroes from the Book of Mormon, pp. 195-96.

2. Robert E. Parsons: Why should ordinances be so important? … First, God has commanded them. (D&C 52:15-16). Second, ordinances are the legal means for the orderly accomplishment of stated purposes. … Third, ordinances are effective teaching symbols that clearly portray what is happening. The ordinance of baptism is a perfect example. … The burial in the water symbolizes the burying of the man of sin in a watery grave. The rising of the person from immersion in water is analogous to the dead rising from an earthly grave. … As we wash away our sins in a watery grave and bury the man of sin in a watery tomb, so we come forth to a new, spiritual life, cleansed and forgiven through the sacred ordinance of baptism. Fourth, ordinances serve as witnesses to spiritual agreements between God and man. Studies in Scripture, pp. 287-88.

3. Joseph Fielding Smith: [Moroni 3 – ordinations] There were no Levites who accompanied Levi to the Western Hemisphere. Under these conditions, the Nephites officiated by virtue of the Melchizedek Priesthood from the days of Lehi to the days of the appearance of our Savior among them. … When the Savior came to the Nephites, he established the Church in its fullness among them, and he informed them that former things had passed away, for they were all fulfilled in him. He gave the Nephites all the authority of the priesthood which we exercise today. … We may be assured that in the days of Moroni the Nephites did ordain teachers and priests in the Aaronic priesthood; but before the visit of the Savior they officiated in the Melchizedek priesthood. Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, pp. 124, 126.

4. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [Moroni 4:3 – take upon them the name of thy Son] Those who have thus been born again become members of the family of Christ and thus take upon them the family name – they become Christians in the true sense of that word and are obligated by covenant to live by the rules and regulations of the royal family, to live a life befitting the new and sacred name they have taken. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 326.

5. Bruce R. McConkie: Family members bear the family name. By it they are known and called and identified; it sets them apart from all those of a different lineage and ancestry. Adopted children take upon themselves the name of their newfound parents and become in all respects as though they had been born in the family. And so it is that the children of Christ, those who are born again, those who are spiritually begotten by their new Father, take upon themselves the name of Christ. By it they are known; in it they are called; it identifies and sets them apart from all others. They are now family members, Christians in the real and true sense of the word. Promised Messiah, p. 63.

6. Melvin J. Ballard: [Moroni 4:3 – always have his Spirit to be with them] If we have done wrong; if there is a feeling in our souls that we would like to be forgiven, then the method to obtain forgiveness is not through rebaptism; it is not to make confession to man; but it is to repent of our sins, to go to those against whom we have sinned or transgressed and obtain their forgiveness, and then repair to the sacrament table where, if we have sincerely repented and put ourselves in proper condition, we shall be forgiven, and spiritual healing will come to our souls. It will really enter into our being. Improvement Era, Oct. 1919.

7. Gordon B. Hinckley: Be true to the promise that you make every Sunday when you go to sacrament meeting and partake of the sacrament. Do you know that when the priest who is at the sacrament table pronounces that prayer which was given by revelation, he places all of the congregation under covenant with the Lord? That is so very, very important. Think of the meaning of the sacrament every time you partake of the sacrament, and be true – true to the faith. Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, vol. 1, p. 396.

8. Dalllin H. Oaks: Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. … That is what we should ponder as we partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. Gen. Conference, April 1985.

9. Russell M. Nelson: The apostle Paul taught that divine doctrines, such as these of identity and priority, are to be written “not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:3). … When the sacred emblems of His flesh and blood are administered to us, we are invited to take them into our bodies. As we do, His atoning sacrifice literally becomes a part of our own identity. One day you will be asked if you took upon yourself the name of Christ and if you were faithful to that covenant. Fireside Address, Provo, Utah, 10 Sept. 2000.

10. Gordon B. Hinckley: [Moroni 6:4 – nourished] Any convert whose faith grows cold is a tragedy. Any member who falls into inactivity is a matter for serious concern. The Lord left the ninety and nine to find the lost sheep. His concern for the dropout was so serious that He made it the theme of one of His great lessons. We must constantly keep Church officers and the membership aware of the tremendous obligation to fellowship in a very real and warm and wonderful way those who come into the Church as converts, and to reach out with love to those who for one reason or another step into the shadows of inactivity. Church News, 8 April 1989.

11. Gordon B. Hinckley: With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God” (Moroni 6:4). Gen. Conference, April 1997.

12. Thomas S. Monson: Long years ago, Joseph Lyon of Salt Lake City shared with me the lesson of a lecture which a minister from another faith observed as he spoke to the Associated Credit Men of Salt Lake. The minister boldly proclaimed, "Mormonism is the greatest philosophy in the world today. The biggest test for the Church will come with the advent of television and radio, which tend to keep people away from the Church." He then proceeded to relate what I've called the "hot coals" story. He described a warm fireplace where the pieces of wood had burned brightly, with the embers still glowing and giving off heat. He then observed that by taking in hand brass tongs, he could remove one of the hot embers. That ember would then slowly pale in light and turn black. No longer would it glow. No longer would it warm. He then pointed out that by returning the black, cold ember to the bed of living coals, the dark ember would begin to glow and brighten and warm. He concluded, "People are somewhat like the coals of a fire. Should they absent themselves from the warmth and spirit of the active church membership, they will not contribute to the whole, but in their isolation will be changed. As with the embers removed from the heat of the fire, as they distance themselves from the intensity of the spirit generated by the active membership, they will lose that warmth and spirit." The reverend closed his comments by observing, "People are more important than the embers of a fire." As years come and then go and life's challenges become more difficult, the visits of home teachers to those who have absented themselves from Church activity can be the key which will eventually open the doors to their return.

13. Mervyn B. Arnold: As a member of the branch presidency in Fortaleza, Brazil, Brother Marques with the other priesthood leaders developed a plan to reactivate those who were less active in his branch. One of those who was less active was a young man by the name of Fernando Araujo. Recently I spoke to Fernando, and he told me of his experience: "I became involved in surfing competitions on Sunday mornings and stopped going to my Church meetings. One Sunday morning Brother Marques knocked on my door and asked my nonmember mother if he could talk to me. When she told him I was sleeping, he asked permission to wake me. He said to me, 'Fernando, you are late for church!' Not listening to my excuses, he took me to church. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so on the third Sunday I decided to leave early to avoid him. As I opened the gate I found him sitting on his car, reading the scriptures. When he saw me he said, 'Good! You are up early. Today we will go and find another young man!' I appealed to my agency, but he said, 'We can talk about that later.' "After eight Sundays I could not get rid of him, so I decided to sleep at a friend's house. I was at the beach the next morning when I saw a man dressed in a suit and tie walking towards me. When I saw that it was Brother Marques, I ran into the water. All of a sudden, I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Brother Marques, in water up to his chest! He took me by the hand and said, 'You are late! Let's go.' When I argued that I didn't have any clothes to wear, he replied, 'They are in the car.' "That day as we walked out of the ocean, I was touched by Brother Marques's sincere love and worry for me. He truly understood the Savior's words: 'I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick' (Ezekiel 34:16). Brother Marques didn't just give me a ride to church—the quorum made sure I remained active. They planned activities that made me feel needed and wanted, I received a calling, and the quorum members became my friends." Following his reactivation, Brother Araujo went on a full-time mission and has served as bishop, stake president, mission president, and regional representative. His widowed mother, three sisters, and several cousins have also entered the waters of baptism. Gen. Conference, April 2004.

14. Joseph B. Wirthlin: The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father. Gen. Conference, April 2005.

15. Theodore M. Burton: [church court] The most loving action the Church can take at times is to disfellowship or excommunicate a person. When deemed necessary through inspiration, these repentance remedies can help the sinner fully realize the seriousness of his transgression. If a serious transgression is treated too lightly, it is more likely to be repeated. Such church actions can ensure that the necessary price for repentance is paid. Gen. Conference, April 1983.


Next week: Moroni 7- 8, 10 “Come Unto Christ”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 46

Book of Mormon Lesson #46: “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled”
Ether 7-15

1. John H. Groberg: [Ether 12:4 – hope] The basis of all righteous hope is the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Him all hope has its existence. Without Him there is no hope. But because He was and is and ever will be, there was, is, and ever will be hope. In Christ who lives and loves and works miracles now, there is always hope. Hope, p. 48.

2. Bruce R. McConkie: Hope is not merely wishful thinking, fantasizing, or emotional escapism. It is a moving confidence and a firm expectation of eternal life that comes from trusting in and following the Savior. The hope that is an anchor to the souls of men is riveted to the infinite and eternal sacrifice of the Lord. It is by reason of the Atonement that we have hope for a better world. … It is an inner peace that results from a personal relationship with Deity. Mormon Doctrine, pp. 365-66.

3. Henry B. Eyring: [Ether 12:6 – witness after trial of faith] When you’re experiencing a severe trial, ask yourself this question: “Am I trying to do what the Lord would have me do?” If you’re not, then adjust your course. … I bear you my testimony that the Lord will always prepare a way for you to escape from the trials you will be given if you understand two things. One is that you need to be on the Lord’s errand. The second thing you need to understand is that the escape will almost never be out of the trial; it will usually be through it. If you pray to have the experience removed altogether, you may not find the way prepared for you. Instead, you need to pray to find the way of deliverance through it. Draw Closer to God, pp. 86-87.

4. Spencer W. Kimball: Just as undaunted faith has stopped the mouths of lions, made ineffective fiery flames, opened dry corridors through rivers and seas, protected against deluge and drouth, so in each of our lives faith can heal the sick, bring comfort to those who mourn, strengthen resolve against temptation, relieve from the bondage of harmful habits, lend the strength to repent and change our lives, and lead to a sure knowledge of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Indomitable faith can help us live the commandments with a willing heart and thereby bring blessings unnumbered, with peace, perfection, and exaltation in the kingdom of God. Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 12.

5. Joseph Smith: Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea that he actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is in accordance to his will. For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive. Lectures on Faith, Lecture Third, 2-5.

6. Bruce R. McConkie: Miracles without number have been wrought by faith by the prophets and saints of all dispensations. And always faith precedes the miracle; always the power of faith performs the miracle; always the miracle proves that faith was present and in active operation. New Witness, p. 199.

7. Howard W. Hunter: [Ether 12:27 – weakness] Obviously, the personal burdens of life vary from person to person, but every one of us has them. Furthermore, each trial in life is tailored to the individual’s capacities and needs as known by a loving Father in Heaven. General Conference, Oct. 1990.

8. Bruce R. McConkie: Our Eternal Father knows all of his spirit children, and in his infinite wisdom, he chooses the very time that each comes to earth to gain a mortal body and undergo a probationary experience. Everything the Lord does is for the benefit and blessing of his children. And each of these children is subjected to the very trials and experience that Omniscient Wisdom knows he should have. The Millennial Messiah, p. 660.

9. Boyd K. Packer: Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of old age. Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury. All are part of the test. And there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1980.

10. Chieko N. Okazaki: Strengthen yourselves by seeking the source of true strength – the Savior. Come unto him. He loves you. He desires your happiness and exults in your desires for righteousness. Make him your strength, your daily companion, your rod and your staff. Let him comfort you. There is no burden we need bear alone. His grace compensates for our deficiencies. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1984.

11. Neal A. Maxwell: Indeed, when we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it – we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars. Because God wants us to come home after having become more like Him and His Son, part of this developmental process, of necessity, consists of showing unto us our weaknesses. Hence, if we have ultimate hope we will be submissive, because, with His help, those weaknesses can even become strengths. It is not an easy thing, however, to be shown one’s weaknesses. … Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness. Besides, as Elder Henry B. Eyring has wisely observed, “If you want praise more than instruction, you may get neither” (1993 Annual University Conference, BYU, 42). Gen. Conference, Oct. 1998.

12. C.S. Lewis: When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along – illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation – he is disappointed. These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now? Because God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of before. It seems to us all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us. Mere Christianity, p. 172.

13. H. David Burton: A missionary district leader was wondering why Elder Parker, who was about to conclude his mission, was successful in spite of his inability to memorize the discussions. To understand, he teamed with Elder Parker to give a discussion. Elder Parker’s presentation was so disorganized that by the end of the formal lesson, the district leader was confused and surmised that the family being taught felt the same way. It was then that “Elder Parker leaned forward and put his hand on the arm of the family’s father. He then looked him straight in the eyes, told him how much he loved him and his family, and bore one of the most humble and powerful testimonies that the district leader had ever heard. By the time he finished, every member of the family, including the father, and both elders had tears running down their cheeks. Next, Elder Parker taught the father how to pray, and they all knelt down while the father prayed that they might receive testimonies of their own and thanked Heavenly Father for the great love that he felt. Two weeks later the whole family was baptized.” Later, Elder Parker apologized to his district leader for not knowing the discussions. He said he struggled with memorization, even though he spent hours each day working on it. He said that he knelt in prayer before teaching each family and asked Heavenly Father to bless him when he bore his testimony so that people would feel his love and the Spirit and know they were being taught the truth (see Burgess & Molgard, “That Is the Worst Lesson I’ve Ever Heard!” in Sunshine for the Latter-day Saint Soul, pp. 181-83). Gen. Conference, Oct. 2004.

14. Bruce C. Hafen: Inadequacy is not the same as being sinful – we have far more control over the choice to sin than we may have over our innate capacity …. A sense of falling short or falling down is not only natural but essential to the mortal experience. Still, after all we can do, the Atonement can fill that which is empty, straighten our bent parts, and make strong that which is weak. The Broken Heart, pp. 19-20.

15. N. Eldon Tanner: [Ether 13:13-15 – reject the living prophets] A man said to me, “You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn’t right, and it doesn’t appeal to them, then that’s different.” He said, “Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn’t want.” I thought, how true! We will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1966.

16. Ezra Taft Benson: If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord, let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain. How closely do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed – the living prophet, the President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency? May God bless us all to look to the prophet and the presidency in the critical and crucial days ahead is my prayer. 1980 BYU Devotional Speeches of the Year.

17. Bruce R. McConkie: The Lord and his prophets are one, and no one can believe in Christ and reject his prophets. The Mortal Messiah, vol. 2, p. 79.

18. James E. Faust: The gap between what is popular and what is righteous is widening. … Revelations from the prophets of God are not like offerings at the cafeteria, some to be selected and others disregarded. Gen. Conference, Oct. 2003.


Next week: Moroni 1-6 “To Keep Them in the Right Way”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 45

Book of Mormon Lesson #45: “Never Has Man Believed in Me as Thou Hast”
Ether 1-6

1. H. Donl Peterson: The book of Ether was discovered by the Nephites about 92 BC, and translated by the prophet Mosiah with the aid of the Urim and Thummin. The 24 plates containing Ether’s abridgement appear to have been passed down, along with Mosiah’s translation of them, from prophet to prophet, until they came into Mormon’s hands. … Moroni completed the abridgement of the book of Ether on the plates of Mormon, which we often call the Gold Plates. The Book of Mormon, p. 241.

2. George Reynolds: While residing in Kirtland, Elder Reynolds Cahoun had a son born to him. One day when President Joseph Smith was passing his door he called the Prophet in and asked him to bless and name the baby. Joseph did so and gave the baby the name of Mahonri Moriancumr. When he had finished the blessing he laid the child on the bed, and turning to Elder Cahoun he said, the name I have given your son is the name of the brother of Jared; the Lord has just shown it to me. Elder William F. Cahoun, who was standing near, heard the Prophet make this statement to his father; and this was the first time the name of the brother of Jared was known in the Church in this dispensation. The Juvenile Instructor, vol. 27, p. 282.

3. Alvin R. Dyer: The Jaredites began their migration to this land at the time when the great tower of Babel was under construction. This occurred in about the year 2200 BC. … This tower has been identified in our modern time at a place called Hillah in modern Iraq, southwest of the city of Bagdad, on the east bank of the Euphrates River. Here is found a ruin known as Birs Nimrud, standing like a watchtower on a vast plain. Inscriptions on the pyramid-shaped ruins were found by Professor Rawlinson to bear the name of “The Temple of the Seven Planets.” This ruin was supposed to be what is left of the tower of Babel. General Conference, Oct. 1968.

4. Daniel H. Ludlow: What does it mean when the record states that the Lord “did not confound the language of Jared”? Does it mean the same as saying that the Lord did not change the language of Jared? If so, Jared and his people apparently spoke and wrote the language of Adam, because so far as we know there was only one language before the “great tower” of Babel. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 309.

5. Spencer W. Kimball: [Ether 1:43 – because this long time ye have cried unto me] The Lord does answer our prayers, but sometimes we are not responsive enough to know when and how they are answered. We want the “writing on the wall” or an angel to speak or a heavenly voice. … There must be works with faith. How futile it would be to ask the Lord to give us knowledge, but the Lord will help us to acquire knowledge, to study constructively, to think clearly, and to retain things we have learned. … Do you get answers to your prayers? If not, perhaps you did not pay the price. Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? … When you pray, do you just speak or do you listen? Your Savior said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20) … The Lord stands knocking. He never retreats. But he will never force himself upon us. If we ever move apart, it is we who move and not the Lord. And should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our lives for a reason. New Era, March 1978.

6. George Washington: [Ether 2:7-9 – choice land] No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. … The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality. … The propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained. Harvard Classics, vol. 43, pp. 226-27.

7. Gordon B. Hinckley: I hope that there is not a day that passes that you and I, every one of us, does not get on our knees and pray for this land of which we are a part and those who preside here, that they may be guided and blessed to do that which the Lord would have done. Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, vol. 2, p. 524.

8. Hugh Nibley: [Ether 2:16-17 – barges] The Bible is not the only ancient record that tells about the ark. … There are various versions of the Flood story floating about, all of which tell some of the story. The oldest accounts of the ark of Noah, the Sumerian ones, describe it as a “magur boat,” peaked at the ends, completely covered but for a door, without sails, and completely covered by the waters from time to time, as men and animals rode safe within. The remarkable thing about Jared’s boats was their illumination. … The rabbis tell of a mysterious Zohar that illuminated the ark, but for further instruction we must go to much older sources: the Pyrophilus is traced back to the Jalakanta stone of India, which shines in the dark and enables its owner to pass unharmed beneath the waters; this in turn has been traced back through classical and Oriental sources to the Gilgamesh epic, where Alexander’s wonderful Pyrophilus stone turns up as the Plant of Life in the possession of the Babylonian Noah. Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, p. 473.

9. Daniel H. Ludlow: [Ether 2:20] In providing a solution for the difficulty of obtaining air, the Lord informed the brother of Jared: “Behold thou shalt make a hole in the top thereof, and also in the bottom thereof; and when thou shalt suffer for air, thou shalt unstop the hole thereof, and receive air. And if it so be that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole thereof, that ye may not perish in the flood.” This quotation is taken from the first edition of the Book of Mormon because the four thereofs underlined above appear in the early editions, but for some unexplainable reason were deleted from the 1920 edition and all subsequent editions (perhaps the revising committee thought they were superfluous). A careful reading of this verse in the first edition seems to indicate that the terms “in the top” and “in the bottom” do not refer to the barge itself. Rather, they refer to the top and bottom of something else such as a chamber or cylinder (designated here as “thereof”) which could be used to admit air. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, pp. 313-14.

10. Andrew C. Skinner: [Ether 3:1 – shining stones] The King James Version of the Old Testament reports that Noah’s ark was to have a “window” for a light: “a window shalt thou make to the ark” (Gen. 6:16). However, some modern Jewish translators of the Hebrew text render this passage: “a light shalt thou make to the ark.” The word in question, tsahar, in the dual form means “noon” or “midday.” Ancient Jewish legend relates that it was not just a light in the ark but was actually a “precious stone which illuminated the whole interior of the ark.” (Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftorahs, p. 26-27). Studies in Scripture, p. 265. [See also the footnote to Gen. 6:16 in the LDS Bible regarding the tsohar.]

11. Joseph Smith: [Ether 3:9 – because of thy faith] Are you not dependent on your faith, or belief, for the acquisition of all knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence? Would you exert yourselves to obtain wisdom and intelligence, unless you did believe that you could obtain them? Would you have ever sown, if you had not believed that you would reap? Would you have ever planted, if you had not believed that you would gather? Would you have ever asked, unless you had believed that you would receive? Would you have ever sought, unless you had believed that you would have found? Or, would you have ever knocked, unless you had believed that it would have been opened unto you? In a word, is there anything that you would have done, either physical or mental, if you had not previously believed? Are not all your exertions of every kind, dependent on your faith? Or, may we not ask, what have you, or what do you possess, which you have not obtained by reason of your faith? Your food, your raiment, your lodgings, are they not all by reason of your faith? Reflect, and ask yourselves if these things are not so. Turn your thoughts on your own minds, and see if faith is not the moving cause of all action in yourselves; and, if the moving cause in you, is it not in all other intelligent beings? Lectures on Faith, Lecture First, #11.

12. Sidney B. Sperry: [Ether 3:15 – never have I shown myself unto man] The Lord’s statement may have to do with the principle that he does not reveal himself to men, (meaning “sons of men,” unbelieving men); he only reveals himself to believers, to those who trust in and rely on him, who like Moriancumr, become redeemed from the Fall. Answers to Book of Mormon Questions, p. 49.

13. Daniel H. Ludlow: Another possible interpretation is that Jesus Christ is essentially saying in Ether 3:15 that he has never had to show himself unto man before. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 318.

14. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: Perhaps the matter [in Ether 3:15] is simpler than we had supposed. Could it be that the pronouncement is a relative statement, that it pertains only to the Jaredites? That is, it may be that Jehovah was explaining, in essence, “never before have I showed myself to anyone in your dispensation, the Jaredite dispensation.” Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol.4, p. 278.

15. Jeffrey R. Holland: [Ether 4:13-15 – rend the veil of unbelief] The Book of Mormon is predicated on the willingness of men and women to “rend the veil of unbelief” in order to behold the revelations – and the Revelation – of God. It would seem that the humbling experience of the brother of Jared in his failure to pay and in his consternation over the 16 stones were included in this account to show just how mortal and just how normal he was … at least in some ways so much like ourselves. His belief in himself and his view of himself may have been limited – much like our view of ourselves. But his belief in God was unprecedented. It was without doubt or limit. … Ordinary individuals with ordinary challenges could rend the veil of unbelief and enter the realms of eternity and Christ would be standing at the edge of that veil to usher the believer through. Sperry Symposium, 1995.


Next week: Ether 7-15 “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 43

Book of Mormon Lesson #43: “How Could Ye Have Departed From the Ways of the Lord?” Mormon 1-6; Moroni 9

1. Joseph Fielding Smith: We may conclude that Mormon received the priesthood at a very tender age. He was only ten years old when Ammoron counseled him and placed in him the wonderful trust as guardian of the sacred plates. Moreover, when he was fifteen years of age he had a visitation by the Lord and “tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.” Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 2, pp. 9-10.

2. Erastus Snow: If our spirits are inclined to be stiff and refractory, and we desire continually the gratification of our own will to the extent that this feeling prevails in us, the Spirit of the Lord is held at a distance from us; or, in other words, the Father withholds his Spirit from us in proportion as we desire the gratification of our own will. Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 352.

3. Dean L. Larsen: [willful rebellion] While the Lord has made it clear that he will not permit apostate influences to engulf his Church in this dispensation, he may, from time to time, require a purging of those who fail to withstand the tests, in a manner that he has described in unmistakable terms. Such purging, if it is required in our day, will be as painful and devastating as any experienced by God’s children at any time on the earth. The Book of Mormon: Alma, The Testimony of the Word, p. 12.

4. Orson Pratt: [Mormon 2:13 – sorrowing not unto repentance] There are different kinds of sorrow. Thieves, robbers, murderers, adulterers, etc., are frequently sorrowful because they have been detected in the crimes they have committed. They are not sorrowful because they have sinned against God, or because they have injured others; but they are sorry because their crimes have been exposed, or that they have been prevented from a realization of the happiness which they anticipated. This is the sorrow of the world; and it is of the same nature as the sorrowing of the evil spirits in hell: they are sorry when they fail to accomplish their malicious designs against God and His people. This kind of sorrow worketh death. Others have a species of sorrow arising through fear. They are convinced that they have, in numerous instances, violated the law of God; but yet they feel no disposition to reform. … But the sorrow that is acceptable in the sight of God is that which leads to true repentance, or reformation of conduct; it is that sorrow which arises not only through fear of punishment, but through a proper sense of the evil consequences of sin; it is that sorrow which arises from a knowledge of our own unworthiness, and from a contrast of our own degraded and fallen condition with the mercy, goodness, and holiness of God. We are sorry that we should ever have condescended to do evil. We are sorry that we should ever have rendered ourselves so unworthy before God; we are sorry at the weakness of our own fallen nature. This kind of sorrow will lead us to obey every commandment of God; it will make us humble and childlike in our dispositions; it will impart unto us meekness and lowliness of mind; it will cause our hearts to be broken and our spirits to be contrite; it will cause us to watch, with great carefulness, every word, thought and deed; it will call up our past dealings with mankind, and we will feel most anxious to make restitution to all whom we may have, in any way, injured. … These, and many other good things, are the result of godly sorrow for sin. This is repentance not in word, but in deed; this is the sorrow with which the heavens are pleased. Writings of an Apostle, pp. 30-31.

5. Spencer W. Kimball: [Mormon 2:15 – the day of grace was past] It is true that the great principle of repentance is always available, but for the wicked and rebellious there are serious reservations to this statement. For instance, sin is intensely habit-forming and sometimes moves men to the tragic point of no return. Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, and without forgiveness all the blessings of eternity hang in jeopardy. As the transgressor moves deeper and deeper in his sin, and the error is entrenched more deeply and the will to change is weakened, it becomes increasingly nearer hopeless and he skids down and down until either he does not want to climb back up or he has lost the power to do so. The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 117.

6. Boyd K. Packer: [Mormon 4:5 – wicked punished by the wicked] As was the case with the Nephites, so often is it the case that God does not have to personally curse, condemn, or punish the wicked; their actions and associations produce natural consequences that in and of themselves become severe punishments. Many of the destructions, plagues, and atrocities that come upon the world are a direct result of the wickedness of man. Teach Ye Diligently, p. 262.

7. C.S. Lewis: It is men, not God, who have produced racks, whips, prisons, slavery, guns, bayonets, and bombs; it is by human avarice or human stupidity, not by the churlishness of nature, that we have poverty and overwork. The Problem of Pain, p. 89.

8. Ezra Taft Benson: [Mormon 5:10 – realize and know from whence blessings come] In the outer office of the Council of Twelve hangs a painting by Utah artist Arnold Friberg, depicting George Washington, the father of our country, on his knees at Valley Forge. That painting symbolizes the faith of our forebears. I wish it could be in every American home. In the 1940’s, while serving as the executive officer of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives in Washington, D.C., I saw in a Hilton hotel a placard depicting Uncle Sam, representing America, on his knees in humility and prayer. Beneath the placard was the inscription “Not beaten there by the hammer and sickle, but freely, responsibly, confidently .… We need fear nothing or no one save God.” That picture has stayed in my memory ever since. America on her knees – in recognition that all our blessings come from God! America on her knees – out of a desire to serve the God of this land by keeping His commandments! This is the sovereign remedy to all of our problems and the preservation of our liberties. This Nation Shall Endure, pp. 45-46.

9. Sidney B. Sperry: Before the last great battle ensued between the Nephite and Lamanite armies at Cumorah in the year 385 AD, Mormon entrusted the plates containing his abridgement of the plates of Nephi to his son, Moroni. Nevertheless, after the battle – in which he was wounded – Mormon again obtained the plates and added some final words found in chapters 6 and 7 respectively of the book called after his name. All of the other records of his people he had previously hid up in the hill Cumorah. It seems almost incredible, but the apparent fact remains that Moroni wandered alone over the face of this land for sixteen years (Mormon 8:6) before adding anything to the abridged record as commanded by his father. A Book of Mormon Treasury, p. 122.

10. Gilbert Charles Orme: [Mormon 5:17 – Christ as their shepherd] A story is told about the great Lincoln in the dark days of the Civil War. As the president paced the floor wondering who would be the victor, North or South, his secretary said, “Mr. Lincoln, I hope the Lord is on our side.” To this, the president answered, “I hope we are on the Lord’s side.” What a difference in point of view. When the whole world is in turmoil, we can all ask, are we on the Lord’s side? The Four Estates of Man, p. 121.

11. Robert D. Hales: [Mormon 9:3-5 – anger] When my sweetheart and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, Elder Harold B. Lee gave us wise counsel: “When you raise your voice in anger, the Spirit departs from your home.” We must never, out of anger, lock the door of our home or our heart to our children. Like the prodigal son, our children need to know that when they come to themselves they can turn to us for love and counsel. Gen. Conference, April 1999.

12. Spencer W. Kimball: [Mormon 9:9 – that which was most dear and precious] The lack of chastity, fidelity, and virtue – fast becoming great, worldwide sins which need to be repented of – causes rivers of tears to flow, breaks numerous homes, deprives and frustrates armies of innocent children. Loss of virtue, as you know, has toppled many nations and civilizations. Moral decadence is a villain, and his forehead is branded with the words, dishonesty, bribery, irreverence, selfishness, immorality, debauchery, and all forms of sexual deviation. Each of us is a son or daughter of God and has a responsibility to measure up to a perfect, Christlike life of self-mastery, finally returning to God with our virtue. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1979.

13. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: Despite the terrible scenes of wickedness and warfare he has observed and described to Moroni, Mormon ends his epistle with hope and encouragement that is centered in Christ. He prays for the protection of his beloved son and gives a final exhortation to Moroni not to despair because of the terrible things happening around them, but to be of good cheer in Christ. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 362.

14. Ezra Taft Benson: The gospel is the only answer to the problems of the world. We may cry peace. We may hold peace conferences. And I have nothing but commendation for those who work for peace. But it is my conviction that peace must come from within. It cannot be imposed by state mandate. It can come only by following the teachings and the example of the Prince of Peace. Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 705.


Next week: Mormon 7-9 “I Speak Unto You As If Ye Were Present”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 42

Book of Mormon Lesson #42: “This is My Gospel”
3 Nephi 27-30; 4 Nephi

1. Boyd K. Packer: Others refer to us as Mormons. I do not mind if they use that title. However, sometimes we are prone ourselves to say “Mormon Church.” I do not think it is best for us to do so. Ensign, April 1998.

2. Dallin H. Oaks: The First Presidency has requested that we not refer to ourselves as “the Mormon Church” but by the name the Lord gave his church by revelation: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”. Ensign, March 1998.

3. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: The Savior said that it becomes his Church “if it be called in my name” and also is “built upon my gospel.” The name alone is insufficient. The true Church of Jesus Christ will undoubtedly bear his holy name, but it also must be built upon, preach, and practice his gospel as he has conveyed it to the earth both through his prophets and through his own personal ministry these verses concerning the name of the Church serve as a preface to Jesus’ subsequent teachings about the gospel upon which the Church must be built. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 176.

4. Richard O. Cowan: [3 Ne. 27:13-14 – gospel] This word is derived from the Old English godspel which is a combination of god (meaning “good”) and spel (meaning “story”). Godspel was a translation of the Latin evangelium, which in turn was derived from the Greek evangelion meaning “well,” or “beautiful news.” It is related to the Greek word angelos (meaning “messenger”). Hence, the English word gospel and angel are closely related in meaning even though in our language they have taken on rather different forms. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is “good news” – the best we could hope to receive. This is My Gospel, p. 228-29.

5. B.H. Roberts: There is no one greater thing that man can do and then do no more and obtain salvation. It is by resisting a temptation today, overcoming a weakness tomorrow, forsaking evil associations the next day, and thus day by day, month after month, year after year, pruning, restraining and weeding out that which is evil in the disposition, that the character is purged of its imperfections. … Nor is it enough that one get rid of evil. He must do good. … He must cultivate noble sentiments by performing noble deeds – not great ones, necessarily, for opportunity to do what the world esteems great things comes but seldom to men in the ordinary walks of life; but noble deeds may be done every day; and every such deed performed with an eye single to the glory of God, draws one that much nearer into harmony with Deity. The Gospel and Man’s Relationship to Deity, p. 197-98.

6. Bruce R. McConkie: [judgment] The book of life is the record of the acts of men as such record is written in their own bodies. It is the record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of the mortal body. That is, every thought, word, and deed has an effect on the human body; all these leave their marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal as easily as the words in a book can be read. By obedience to telestial law men obtain telestial bodies; terrestrial law leads to terrestrial bodies; and conformity to celestial law – because this law includes the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost – results in the creation of a body which is clean, pure, and spotless, a celestial body. … Men’s bodies will show what law they have lived. Mormon Doctrine, p. 97.

7. Harold B. Lee: [3 Ne. 27:20 – sanctification] The most important of all the commandments of God is the one that you’re having the most difficulty keeping. … Today is the day for you to work … until you’ve been able to conquer that weakness. Then you start on the next one that’s most difficult for you to keep. That’s the way to sanctify yourselves by keeping the commandments of God. Church News, 5 May 1973.

8. Spencer W. Kimball: [3 Ne. 27:27 – even as I am] Hard to do? Of course. The Lord never promised an easy road, nor a simple gospel, nor low standards, nor a low norm. The price is high, but the goods obtained are worth all they cost. The Lord himself turned the other cheek; he suffered himself to be buffeted and beaten without remonstrance; he suffered every indignity and yet spoke no word of condemnation. And his question to all of us is: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?” And his answer to us is: “Even as I am.” Gen. Conference, Oct. 1977.

9. Neal A. Maxwell: It is always easier to be a character than to have character! After all, getting attention is not as important as getting wisdom; the asserting of self is not as important as serving others. Yet, for some, getting attention is their way of validating their worth. Furthermore, focusing on being a character keeps us from directing our lives toward becoming the men and women of Christ by emulating His character. Those with sterling character, always in short supply, are invariably the high-yield and low-maintenance individuals who deflect attention from themselves to others. … It is too bad if seeking the spotlight diverts us from worshipping the Light of the World. Character, after all, is the composite of what we carry into eternity; it is not only portable but eternal. There is no limitation on such luggage. Whom the Lord Loveth, pp. 13-14.

10. Joseph Fielding Smith: Translated beings are still mortal and will have to pass through the experience of death … although this will be instantaneous. … Translated beings have not passed through death; that is, they have not had the separation of the spirit and the body. Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, p. 165.

11. Joseph Fielding Smith: [4 Ne. 1:1-18 – a Zion society] What a glorious time that must have been when everybody was happy, when everybody was at peace, when everyone loved his neighbor as himself, and above all he loved God, because we are informed here that the thing which brought about this condition of happiness was the fact that the love of God was in the hearts of the people There never will be a time of peace, happiness, justice tempered by mercy, when all men will receive that which is their right and privilege to receive, until they get in their hearts the love of God. Doctrines of Salvation, 3:319-20.

12. John Taylor: [4 Ne. 1:2 – every man did deal justly] When all act for the benefit of all – when while we love God with all our hearts we love our neighbor as ourselves; when our time, our property, our talents, our mental and bodily powers are all exerted for the good of all; where no man grabs or takes advantage of another; where there is a common interest, a common purse, a common stock; where, as they did on this continent, it is said of them that “they all dealt justly to each other,” and all acted for the general weal, … and every evil are subdued and brought into subjection to the will and Spirit of God. Teachings of the President of the Church – John Taylor, p. 102.

13. Marvin J. Ashton: [4 Ne. 1:2, 13, 15, 18 – no contention] If the adversary can influence us to pick on each other, to find fault, bash, and undermine, to judge or humiliate or taunt, half his battle is won. Why? Because though this sort of conduct may not equate with succumbing to grievous sin, it nevertheless neutralizes us spiritually. The Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell where there is bickering, judging, contention, or any kind of bashing. … Let us open our arms to each other, accept each other for who we are, assume everyone is doing the best he or she can, and look for ways to help leave quiet messages of love and encouragement instead of being destructive. Gen. Conference, April 1992.

14. Gordon B. Hinckley: We need not contend, … but if we will pursue a steady course, our very example will become the most effective argument we could ever advance for the virtues of the cause with which we are associated. … We have no desire to quarrel with others. We teach the gospel of peace. … Should we be surprised if we are called upon to endure a little criticism, to make some small sacrifice for our faith when our forbears paid so great a price for theirs? Without contention, without argument, without offense, let us pursue a steady course, moving forward to build the kingdom of God. If there is trouble, let us face it calmly. Let us overcome evil with good. This is God’s work. Ensign, Jan. 2005.

15. Russell M. Nelson: [4 Ne. 1:17 – nor any manner of –ites] Throughout the world, strident voices are engaged in divisive disputation and name-calling. Often demeaning nicknames are added to – or even substituted for – given names. Unfortunately, terms of derision obscure the true identity of children of the covenant. … When the Nephites were truly righteous, they avoided divisive nicknames. … “There were no … Lamanites, nor any manner of –ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.” That lesson from history suggests that we also delete from our personal vocabularies names that segregate. Gen. Conference, April 1995.


Next week: Mormon 1-6; Moroni 9 “How Could Ye Have Departed From the Ways of the Lord?”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 41

Book of Mormon Lesson #41: “He Did Expound All Things Unto Them”
3 Nephi 22-26

1. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [3 Ne. 22:4-5 – shame and reproach] Scattered Israel’s unfaithfulness – her failure to forsake the ways of Babylon and receive the covenants of Zion – shall be forgiven; Israel’s God will remember her and the promise he made to her. The reproach of her youth, her spiritual sterility, shall be forgotten. The bridegroom, the Lord of Hosts, has returned to receive his bride, repentant Israel. The wanderings of Israel over the generations, her tendencies toward unfaithfulness, her inclination to go whoring after other gods (Exodus 34:15-16), will be a thing of the past. Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 155.

2. Jeffrey R. Holland: [3 Ne. 22:7-10 – covenant with Israel] The imagery of Jehovah as bridegroom and Israel as bride is among the most commonly used metaphors in scripture, being used by the Lord and his prophets to describe the relationship between Deity and the children of the covenant. … Christ has, on occasion, been rightfully angry with backsliding Israel, but that has always been brief and temporary – “a small moment.” Compassion and mercy always return and prevail in a most reassuring way. The mountains and the hills may disappear. The water of the great seas may dry up. The least likely things in the world may happen, but the Lord’s kindness and peace will never be taken from his covenant people. He has sworn with a heavenly oath that he will not be wroth with them forever. Christ and the New Covenant, p.290.

3. Cynthia L. Hallen: [3 Ne. 22:8 – I hid my face] Among orthodox Jews, a husband is not allowed to watch his wife going through the labor of childbirth. He sits in the corner of the delivery room with his back turned so that she will not feel embarrassed or immodest in her unavoidable hour of agony. He does not abandon her, although she may feel very much alone. The woman recites or sings psalms as she endures contractions. When the pain becomes too great for her to continue singing, the husband takes over, reciting psalms for her. Although Zion cannot see the Lord in the time of her probation, when she weeps, he weeps with her; when she sings, he rejoices with her. Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 7, No. 1:46.

4. Patricia Pinegar: [3 Ne. 22:13-14 – great shall be the peace of thy children] The world is not a safe place. It is not a place where children will feel peace, hope, and direction unless they are taught to love and follow the Savior. … We believe that Christ-centered Primaries can help parents as they teach their children the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only knowledge that will give our children peace, hope, and direction. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1999.

5. John Taylor: [3 Ne. 22:17 – no weapon formed against thee shall prosper] The day is not far distant when this nation will be shaken from centre to circumference. And now, you may write it down, any of you, and I will prophesy it in the name of God. And then will be fulfilled that prediction to be found in one of the revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Those who will not take up their sword to fight against their neighbor must needs flee to Zion for safety. And they will come, saying, we do not know anything of the principles of your religion, but we perceive that you are an honest community; you administer justice and righteousness, and we want to live with you and receive the protection of your laws, but as for your religion we will talk about that some other time. Will we protect such people? Yes, all honorable men. When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. Journal of Discourses, 21:8.

6. Ezra Taft Benson: We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: “Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.” The sentiments of John Adams were these: “But whatever may be our fate, be assured that this Constitution will stand. … It may … cost us blood before we are through. It is my conviction, however, that when the Lord comes the Stars and Stripes will be floating on the breeze over this people. The Constitution, A Heavenly Banner, p. 28.

7. Victor L. Ludlow: [3 Ne. 23:1 – great are the words of Isaiah] Isaiah was not only difficult, he was deliberately difficult. We must study his words, wrestle with them, and ponder them at great length before his powerful, sublime teachings begin to emerge and inspire us. Because of this, it is easy to become discouraged and give up before we begin to understand his message. However, through serious and prayerful study, when we finally grasp the language and ideas of a particular chapter until they not only make sense, but enlighten and inspire as well, we realize that we have arrived at a profound level of understanding. Isaiah: Prophet, Seer and Poet, pp. 134-35.

8. Wilford Woodruff: [3 Ne. 23:11 – record keeping] “What shall I write?” you ask. Write about anything that is worth preserving, or the best you have; and if you begin this while you are young, it will be quite easy for you when you become men and women. How pleasing it would be to you, and to your children, thirty, fifty, or eighty years hence, to sit down and read what took place around you in your childhood and youth! Would you not like to read what took place with our fathers, and mothers, and grandparents, while they were young and during their lives? But the object is not so much to get you to keep a journal while you are young, it is to get you to continue it after you become men and women, even through your whole lives. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Wilford Woodruff, p. 131.

9. Joseph Smith: [3 Ne. 23:14 – Jesus expounds scriptures] Nothing could be more pleasing to the Saints upon the order of the Kingdom of the Lord, than the light which burst upon the world through the vision [D&C 76]. Every law, every commandment, every promise, every truth, and every point touching the destiny of man, from Genesis to Revelation, where the purity of the Scriptures remains unsullied by the folly of men, go to show the perfection of the theory [of different degrees of glory in the future life] and witness the fact that the document is a transcript from the records of the eternal world. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 11.

10. Dallin H. Oaks: [3 Ne. 24:8-12 – tithing] During World War II, my widowed mother supported her three young children on a schoolteacher’s salary that was meager. When I became conscious that we went without some desirable things because we didn’t have enough money, I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: “Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that he will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along.” Gen. Conference, April 1994.

11. Heber J. Grant: I bear witness – and I know the witness I bear is true – that the men and the women who have been absolutely honest with God, have paid their tithing. … God has given them wisdom whereby they have been able to utilize the remaining nine-tenths, and it has been of greater value to them, and they have accomplished more with it than they would if they had not been honest with the Lord. Gen. Conference, April 1912.

12. Joseph Fielding Smith: [3 Ne. 25:5 – Elijah and keys of sealing] The sealing power bestowed upon Elijah, is the power which binds husbands and wives, and children to parents, for time and eternity. It is the binding power existing in every Gospel ordinance. … It was the mission of Elijah to come, and restore it so that the curse of confusion and disorder would not exist in the kingdom of God. Elijah the Prophet and His Mission, p. 5.

13. Richard H. Winkel: When you come to the temple you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before. The temple is about families. As my wife, Karen, and I have increased our temple service, our love for each other and for our children has increased. And it doesn’t stop there. It extends to parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, forbears, and especially our grandchildren! This is the Spirit of Elijah, which is the spirit of family history work; and when inspired by the Holy Ghost, it prompts the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Gen. Conference, Oct. 2006.

14. Joseph Fielding Smith: [3 Ne. 26:9-10 – greater portion of the word] Now the Lord has placed us on probation as members of the Church. He has given us the Book of Mormon, which is the lesser part, to build up our faith through our obedience to the counsels which it contains, and when we ourselves, members of the Church, are willing to keep the commandments as they have been given to us and show our faith as the Nephites did for a short period of time, then the Lord is ready to bring forth the other record and give it to us, but we are not ready to receive it. Why? Because we have not lived up to the requirements in this probationary state in the reading of the record which has been given to us and in following its counsels. Gen. Conference, Oct. 1961.

15. Neal A. Maxwell: Just as there will be many more Church members, families, wards, stakes, and temples, later on there will also be many more nourishing and inspiring scriptures. However, we must first feast worthily upon that which we already have! Gen. Conference, Oct. 1986.

16. Spencer W. Kimball: I have had many people ask me through the years, “When do you think we will get the balance of the Book of Mormon records?” And I have said, “How many in the congregation would like to read the sealed portion of the plates?” And almost always there is a 100-percent response. And then I ask the same congregation, “How many of you have read the part that has been opened to us?” And there are many who have not read the Book of Mormon, the unsealed portion. We are quite often looking for the spectacular, the unobtainable. I have found many people who want to live the higher laws when they do not live the lower laws. Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 531-32.


Next week: 3 Nephi 27-30; 4 Nephi “This is My Gospel”

Sunday School - Book of Mormon Lesson 40

Book of Mormon Lesson #40: “Then Will I Gather Them In”
3 Nephi 16, 20-21

1. Bruce R. McConkie: [Lost tribes of Israel] Our friend Mormon, as he nears the end of divinely appointed work, that of preserving the everlasting word as it was had among the Nephites, says: “I write unto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence, that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance.” Then, as though this salutation was not sufficient, and lest any should be confused as to the people to whom the Book of Mormon shall go, Mormon wrote: “Yea, behold I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel.” The Book of Mormon is written to the twelve tribes of Israel. And this includes the lost Ten Tribes. For that matter, the New Testament is addressed “to the twelve tribes, which are scattered abroad.” Millennial Messiah, p. 215.

2. Bruce R. McConkie: But, says one, are they [the lost tribes of Israel] not in a body somewhere in the land of the north? Answer: They are not; they are scattered in all nations. The north countries of their habitation are all the countries north of their Palestinian home, north of Assyria from whence they escaped. Query: What happened to the Ten Tribes after the visit of the Savior to them near the end of the thirty-fourth year following his birth? Answer: The same thing that happened to the Nephites. There was righteousness for a season and then there was apostasy and wickedness. Be it remembered that darkness was destined to cover the earth – all of it – before the day of the restoration, and that the restored gospel was to go to every nation and kindred and tongue and people upon the face of the whole earth, including the Ten Tribes of Israel. Millennial Messiah, p. 217.

3. Daniel H. Ludlow: The literal descendants of Abraham (Hebrews) include, among others, the descendants of Jacob (Israelites) and Judah (Jews) [Judah was the fourth-born son of Jacob]. … The basic meaning of the word Gentile is “foreign,” “other,” or “non”. Thus, to a Hebrew, a Gentile is a non-Hebrew; to an Israelite, a Gentile is a non-Israelite; and to a Jew, a Gentile is a non-Jew. In this sense, some Latter-day Saints have referred to those who are not members of the Church as Gentiles, even though the non-members might be Jews! The word Gentile might also be used in different ways to refer to family, religious, political, or even geographical relationships. For example, a person might be considered an Israelite in a family or blood sense, but might be called a Gentile in a political or geographical sense, because he lives in a land or nation that is primarily Gentile, or non-Israelitish. Ensign, Jan. 1991.

4. Neal A. Maxwell: [3 Nephi 20:11 – search the scriptures] One of the unique features of the living Church of Jesus Christ is its ever-expanding body of fundamental spiritual knowledge about man’s identity and purpose. … Lost books are among the treasures yet to come forth. … Thus, just as there will be many more Church members, families, wards, stakes, and temples, later on, there will be many more nourishing and inspiring scriptures. However, we must first feast worthily upon that which we already have! Gen. Conference, Oct. 1986.

5. David J. Ridges: [3 Nephi 20:19 – symbolism] The word, “horn,” is symbolic of power and protection, for instance, in ancient Israel, the altar had four horns on it, and anyone who was in danger from another could grab hold of the horns of the altar and be safe and protected. Also “horses” symbolized military might, triumph and victory in Biblical culture. Therefore, “hoofs of brass” in verse 19, next, could symbolize horses, in other words, victory over those who try to prevent Israel from being gathered in in the last days. In addition, “brass” is sometimes associated with Christ as in Rev. 1:15, wherein the Savior’s feet are described as being “like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.” Thus, “I will make thy hoofs brass,” in verse 19, could symbolize that righteous Israel will have the help and power of the Lord in ultimately triumphing over their enemies. Pay special attention to the word, “I,” as the Savior tells these Book of Mormon people that the reason Israel will be gathered in the last days is that He, the Lord, will be involved, and will use His power to fulfill the prophesies of the gathering. The Book of Mormon Made Easier, part 3, p. 193.

6. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [3 Nephi 20:20 – sword of my justice] God’s justice will not be limited to some sort of vigilante group of Lamanites attacking America. Rather, the sword of justice, wielded by the Almighty, shall fall upon the wayward and rebellious of all nations. The Lord explained that until the coming of the Son of Man in glory “there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and at that hour [that is, at the time of the Second Advent] cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked. And in that day I will send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire (D&C 63:53). Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 140.

7. Brigham Young: When the Savior visits Jerusalem, and the Jews look upon him, and see the wounds in his hands and in his side and in his feet, they will then know that they have persecuted and put to death the true Messiah, and then they will acknowledge him, but not till then. They have confounded his first and second coming, expecting his first coming to be as a mighty prince instead of as a servant. They will go back by and by to Jerusalem and own their Lord and Master. Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 279.

8. Bruce R. McConkie: The Jews shall begin to believe in Christ before he comes the second time. Some of them will accept the gospel and forsake the traditions of their fathers; a few will find in Jesus the fulfillment of their ancient Messianic hopes; but their nation as a whole, their people as the distinct body that they now are in all nations, the Jews as a unit shall not, at that time, accept the word of truth. But a beginning will be made; a foundation will be laid; and then Christ will come and usher in the millennial year of his redeemed. Millennial Messiah, pp. 228-29.

9. Henry B. Eyring: [3 Nephi 20:40 – beautiful upon the mountain] Even the smallest act to build faith in another person or in a family qualifies us for the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. You can expect that, every time you go to a home to build faith, as a home teacher or a visiting teacher or a friend. Some may not feel that blessing in their Church service. But that is because they have focused on the mechanics and not the glorious opportunity of publishing “peace, yea, tidings of great joy” to God’s children in His kingdom. When that is how we see our service, we will not only be lifted up at the last day but refreshed and encouraged along the way. And the Spirit will testify that this is the Lord’s kingdom restored in the latter days. Gen. Conference, Oct. 2003.

10. Gordon B. Hinckley: [3 Ne. 20:40 – him that publisheth peace] I am satisfied that a man cannot do well in his work unless there is peace in his home. You recall that when the Prophet Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon, he quarreled with his wife and discovered that “the gift and power of God” left him. Brethren, be true to your wives. Wives, keep faith with your husbands. Parents, admire and respect your children. Without peace and mutual respect in your homes, there will be neither peace nor proficiency in your labors. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 424.

11. John H. Groberg: [3 Ne. 20:41 – be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord] There is no individual power in the priesthood outside of individual purity. … Since there is nothing Satan can do about the power of the priesthood, he concentrates his energy on trying to limit our individual power in the priesthood by attempting to dirty our hands, hearts, and minds through abuse, anger, neglect, pornography, selfishness, or any other evil he can entice us to think or do. He knows if he can sufficiently soil us individually, he can, to that degree, keep us from the purity needed to properly exercise the priesthood and thus bring more light, life, and love to this earth and all the inhabitants thereof – past, present, and future. Gen. Conference, April 2001.

12. Ezra Taft Benson: [3 Ne. 21:3-5 – destiny of America] The establishment of this great Christian nation with a spiritual foundation was all in preparation for the restoration of the gospel following the long night of apostasy. … This then becomes the Lord’s base of operations in these latter days. And this base will not be shifted out of its place – the land of America. This nation will, in a measure at least, fulfill its mission even though it may face serious and troublesome days. The degree to which it achieves its full mission depends upon the righteousness of its people. A Nation Asleep, pp. 8, 10.

13. Joseph Fielding McConkie & Robert Millet: [3 Ne. 21:8 – kings shall shut their mouths] The great ones of the earth shall yet rise up and acknowledge Joseph Smith and Mormonism as a preeminent blessing to the world. … Josiah Quincy, a man who became the mayor of Boston, visited Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. He later wrote: “It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet. And the replay, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants.” (Figures of the Past,1883, pp. 376-77.) It is reported that Count Leo Tolstoy, in speaking of the Mormons, said: “Their principles teach the people not only of heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this church, nothing can stop their progress – it will be limitless. There have been great movements started in the past, but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generation, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known.” Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 148-49.

14. Joseph Smith: [3 Ne. 21:5-6 – Gentiles numbered among my people] The effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150.

15. Orson Pratt: [3 Ne. 21:22-24 – who shall build New Jerusalem?] The Latter-day Saints in these [Rocky] mountains can never have the privilege of going back to Jackson County and building that city which is to be called the New Jerusalem, until quite a large portion of the remnants of Joseph [Lamanites] go back with us. Now then, here is a work for us, and we have no need to pray to the Father to return us to Jackson County until the work is done. The Book of Mormon, the Lamanite, and His Prophetic Destiny, P. Felt, pp. 32-33.


Next week: 3 Nephi 22-26 “He Did Expound All Things Unto Them”