Lesson 25 - The Power of Godliness - Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 - Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Seventy said: “Of all the holy agreements pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ, few, if any, would transcend in importance the oath and covenant of the priesthood. It is certainly one of the most sacred agreements, for it involves the sharing of heavenly powers and man’s upward reaching toward eternal goals” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 56; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 43).

Reading 2 - D&C 84:33–44

Reading 3 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written:  "The oath is the solemn attestation of Deity, his sworn promise, that those who keep their part of the covenant shall come forth and inherit all things according to the promise." (Mormon Doctrine, p480)

Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 14:30-31 - page 795 of your scriptures – at the end of the Bible Dictionary

Reading 4 - President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “We magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm in those responsibilities to which we are called by proper authority. … We magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter. … We magnify our calling when we walk with honesty and integrity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 63; or Ensign, May 1989, 48–49).

"Sanctification is the process of becoming a saint, holy and spiritually clean and pure, by purging all sin from the soul."

There are three factors that make sanctification possible:

–        The Atonement of Christ.  Moses 6:60 - "For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified"

–        The power of the Holy Ghost, the agent that purifies the heart and gives an abhorrence of sin

–        "progression through personal righteousness . . . . Faithful men and women fast; pray; repent of their sins; grow in humility, faith, joy, and consolation; and yield their hearts to God."

–        "King Benjamin's people in the Book of Mormon illustrate the sanctification process. They humbled themselves and prayed mightily that God would apply the atoning blood of Christ and purify their hearts. The Spirit came upon them and filled them with joy; a mighty change came into their hearts and they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).

(All Sanctification quotes are from the definition of Sanctification in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism)

Reading 5 – Abraham 2:9-11

Reading 6 - President Joseph Fielding Smith said:  "I think we all know that the blessings of the priesthood are not confined to men alone. These blessings are also poured out upon our wives and daughters and upon all the faithful women of the Church. These good sisters can prepare themselves, by keeping the commandments and by serving in the Church, for the blessings of the house of the Lord. The Lord offers to his daughters every spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons, for neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord." (CR, Apr 1970)

Reading 7 – Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-46

Reading 8 - Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “Those who hold the priesthood must never forget that they have no right to wield priesthood authority like a club over the heads of others in the family or in Church callings. … Any man who … seeks to use the priesthood in any degree of unrighteousness in the Church or in the home simply does not understand the nature of his authority. Priesthood is for service, not servitude; compassion, not compulsion; caring, not control” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 105; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 78).

Reading 9 - Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said: “It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with Presidents of the United States and important men in other governments. At the close of each such occasion I have reflected on the rewarding experience of standing with confidence in the presence of an acknowledged leader. And then I have thought, what a wonderful thing, what a marvelous thing it would be to stand with confidence—unafraid and unashamed and unembarrassed—in the presence of God. This is the promise held out to every virtuous man and woman” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 66; or Improvement Era, Dec. 1970, 73).

Seek Learning, Even by Study and Also by Faith - Scriptures and Quotes

Gospel Doctrine - Lesson 23

On January 14, 1833, the Prophet wrote to W.W. Phelps, who was struggling to stop the apostasy in Missouri, enclosing a copy of section 88.  Part of the letter read as follows,

"I send you the 'olive leaf' which we have plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us; for though our brethren in Zion indulge in feelings towards us, which are not according to the requirements of the new covenant, yet, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the Lord approves of us, and has accepted us, and established His name in Kirtland for the salvation of the nations; for the Lord will have a place whence His word will go forth, in these last days, in purity....

“The brethren in Kirtland pray for you unceasingly, for, knowing the terrors of the Lord, they greatly fear for you. You will see that the Lord commanded us, in Kirtland, to build a house of God, and establish a school for the Prophets, this is the word of the Lord to us, and we must, yea, the Lord helping us, we will obey: as on conditions of our obedience.

“He has promised us great things; yea, even a visit from the heavens to honor us with His own presence"

Reading 1 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:118

Reading 3 - President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency said: “I believe in study. I believe that men learn much through study. … I also believe, however, and know, that learning by study is greatly accelerated by faith” (Learning for the Eternities, comp. George J. Romney [1977], 72).

Reading 3A - Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote:  "The things of God cannot be learned solely by study and reason. Despite their essential and beneficial uses, the methods of study and reason are insufficient as ways of approaching God and understanding the doctrines of his gospel." (Lord's Way, p56)

Reading 3B - Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie wrote:  "The eyes of faith enable us to see much that otherwise goes unobserved, whereas those who refuse to see and feel the things of the Spirit eventually become blind to such things and beyond feeling." (Answers: Straightforward Answers To Tough Gospel Questions, p174)

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:127-131

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:122-125

Orson Pratt said the brethren gathered in the School of the Prophets to learn about "the operations of the Spirit upon the mind of man" (The Heaven's Resound:  A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830-1838, p266).

Reading 6 – John Taylor said that Joseph Smith counseled the elders not to hesitate in expressing their thoughts, for, the Prophet said, "it was very common for the Holy Spirit to reveal some things to obscure individuals that were not known to others. Consequently, an exchange of ideas and reflections was considered profitable to all." (Ibid., p266)

Reading 7 -  John Murdock recorded the following experience at the school in the spring of 1833:  "The Prophet told us if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord. And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver gray, curled in most majestic form. His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed....  But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree." (The Heaven's Resound:  A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830-1838, p267)

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:119

Reading 9 - Elder John A. Widtsoe said:  "The temple is a place of instruction. Here the principles of the gospel are reviewed and profound truths of the kingdom of God are unfolded. If we enter the temple in the right spirit and are attentive, we go out enriched in gospel knowledge and wisdom." (John A. Widtsoe, “Looking toward the Temple,” Ensign, Jan 1972, 56)

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve wrote:

“The temple is a great school. It is a house of learning. In the temples the atmosphere is maintained so that it is ideal for instruction in matters that are deeply spiritual. …

“The temple ceremony will not be fully understood at first experience. It will only be partly understood. Return again and again and again. Return to learn. Things that have troubled you or things that have been puzzling or things that have been mysterious will become known to you. Many of them will be the quiet, personal things that you really cannot explain to anyone else. But to you they are things known. …

“So look toward the temple. Point your children toward the temple. From the days of their infancy, direct their attention to it, and begin their preparation for the day when they may enter the holy temple.

“In the meantime, be teachable yourself, be reverent. Drink deeply from the teachings—the symbolic, deeply spiritual teachings—available only in the temple” (The Holy Temple [pamphlet, 1982], 6–8).

Looking Forth for the Great Day of the Lord to Come - Lesson 21 Scriptures and Quotes

Doctrine and Covenants 59:15-16

Doctrine and Covenants 61:36-39

Reading 1 - [S]ometime not long after 9-11, I had a missionary ask me in all honesty and full of faith, “Elder Holland, are these the last days?” I saw the earnestness in his face and some of the fear in his eyes, and I wanted to be reassuring. I thought perhaps an arm around him and some humor could relieve his anxiety a little. Giving him a hug, I said, “Elder, I may not be the brightest person alive, but even I know the name of the Church.” We then talked about being Latter-day Saints. I said, “Yes, Elder, we are in the last days, but there is really nothing new about that. The promised Second Coming of the Savior began with the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. So we already have about 184 years of experience seeing the Second Coming and the last days unfold. We can be certain that we are in the last days—years and years of them,” I said . . . . (Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, fireside address at Brigham Young University on 12 September 2004)

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 45:44

Reading 3 – Doctrine and Covenants 29:9-11

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:89-95

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 49:6-7

Joseph Smith said:  "Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that he would come. Go and read the scriptures, and you cannot find anything that specified the exact hour he would come; and all that say so are false teachers." (HC, 6:254)

Reading 6 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:95-97

Doctrine and Covenants 29:13

Reading 7 - Doctrine and Covenants 101:23-34

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 45:58-59

Reading 9 – Doctrine and Covenants 101:22-23

Doctrine and Covenants 133:4-5

Reading 10 – President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “How do you prepare for the Second Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow you would be ready. Nobody knows when it is going to happen. … Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to live worthy of the association of the Savior, to deport ourselves in such a way that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a challenge in this day and age” (Church News, 2 Jan. 1999, 2).

President John Taylor said:  "The judgments will begin at the house of God. We have to pass through some of these things, but it will only be a very little compared with the terrible destruction, the misery and suffering that will overtake the world who are doomed to suffer the wrath of God. It behooves us, as the Saints of God, to stand firm and faithful in the observance of his laws, that we may be worthy of his preserving care and blessing." (JD, 21:100.)

Signs of the Second Coming – Reference Only

a)      Positive Signs

i)        D&C 45:9; 133:57–58. (The fullness of the gospel will be restored.)

ii)      D&C 45:66–71. (The New Jerusalem will be built. Zion will be built.  It will be a place of peace and safety for the righteous in the last days.)

iii)    D&C 65:2–6. (God’s kingdom will be established on the earth.)

iv)    D&C 110:11–16. (Priesthood keys will be restored.)

v)      D&C 133:8–9, 36–39. (The gospel will be preached throughout the world.)

vi)    D&C 45:24-25; see also D&C 45:43; D&C 45:51-53 (The Jews will be gathered to Jerusalem and will recognize Christ as their Messiah) - "But they shall be gathered again" (D&C 45:25; see also D&C 45:43). Joseph Smith: "Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple . . . It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make his appearance." (TPJS, p286)

vii)  D&C 133:26-27, 30-32 (The Ten Tribes will Return)- President Wilford Woodruff:  "All that God has said with regard to the ten tribes of Israel, strange as it may appear, will come to pass. They will, as has been said concerning them, smite the rock, and the mountains of ice will flow before them, and a great highway will be cast up, and their enemies will become a prey to them; and their records, and their choice treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as true as God lives." (JD, 21:301)

b)      Negative Signs

i)        D&C 29:15; 88:91. (There will be great weeping, despair, and fear. Men’s hearts will fail them.)

ii)      D&C 29:16; 45:31; 112:24. (There will be famines, scourges, sickness, and desolation.)

iii)    D&C 34:9; 45:40–42; 88:87. (There will be signs and wonders in the heavens and in the earth.)

iv)    D&C 45:26; 63:33. (There will be wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth will be in commotion.)

v)      D&C 45:27. (The love of men will become cold, and iniquity will abound.)

vi)    D&C 45:33; 88:89–90. (There will be earthquakes, tempests, and great waves of the sea. Men will harden their hearts against God and fight each other.)

Lesson 19: The Plan of Salvation – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – Hugh Nibley writes about an early member of the Church named Clement and a conversation Clement has with the Apostle Peter: "Clement has his first gospel conversation with Peter, who begins by explaining to him why a prophet is necessary. Peter compares the world in which we live to a great house filled with dense smoke—blinding smoke produced by human unbelief, malice, ambition, greed, etc. Because of this smoke, the people who live in the house can see nothing clearly, but we must imagine them groping about with weak and running eyes, coughing and scolding, bumping into each other, tripping over furniture, trying to make out a bit of reality here and there—a corner, a step, a wall—and then trying to fit their desperate and faulty data together to make some kind of sense." ("A Prophet's Reward", Hugh W. Nibley, The Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, citing Clementine Recognitions I, 3,)

Reading 2 – Joseph Smith taught: "All men know that they must die. And it is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and death, and the designs and purposes of God in our coming into the world, our sufferings here, and our departure hence. What is the object of our coming into existence, then dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is a subject we ought to study more than any other. We ought to study it day and night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject." (TPJS, 324)

Reading 3 – Joseph Smith taught: “The great plan of salvation is a theme which ought to occupy our strict attention, and be regarded as one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 68)

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 93:29

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 76:23-24

Hebrews 12:9

Reading 6 – Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught, "The entire Creation was planned by God. A council in heaven was once convened in which we participated. There our Heavenly Father announced His divine plan. It is also called the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of restoration, the plan of mercy, the plan of deliverance, and the everlasting gospel. The purpose of the plan is to provide opportunity for the spirit children of God to progress toward an eternal exaltation.

The plan required the Creation, and that in turn required both the Fall and the Atonement. These are the three fundamental components of the plan. The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began."

Abraham 3:24-25

Reading 7 – 2 Nephi 2:24-27

Reading 8 – Moses 5:10-12

Reading 9 – Alma 34:8-9

Reading 10 – Moses 4:1-2

Moses 4:3

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, speaking to us as Heavenly Father might, “All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.” (Ensign, Nov. 2000, p. 32).

Reading 11 - Elder James E. Talmage said: "This life is ofttimes, and very properly, referred to as a probation. 'And we will prove them' the Lord says, putting us upon test, to see whether we will exercise our agency in choosing to do whatsoever the Lord our God requires of us. The Lord wants to know about that. Perhaps His foreknowledge shows the result to Him, but it is necessary that we demonstrate it. There is much work ahead of us, and the Lord desires to know whom He can trust with authority and power beyond the grave, so this probationary period has been provided that we may prove and demonstrate beyond all question as to whether we can be trusted, as to whether we shall be entitled to the welcome: Well done; you have been faithful over what may have seemed to be a few things, and perhaps relatively small things, but you have been proved and you have shown that you can be trusted with many and greater things" (C.R., October 1929, p. 66).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written, "In this mortal probation it is the design and purpose of the Lord to test us: to see if we will believe in him and obey his laws now that we no longer dwell in his presence, hear his voice, and see his face. He already knows how we respond - what we believe and how we act - when we walk by sight. Now he is testing our devotion to him when we walk by faith: when his presence is veiled, his voice is afar off, and his face is seen by few men only" (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p. 84).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "Is it inappropriate to ask: Why are there different races of men? Why is there a white, a yellow, and a black race? In the days of Israel's first bondage, why did the Lord send some spirits in the lineage of enslaved Jacob and others to their Egyptian overlords? Why were some spirits sent to earth among the Amalekites, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, while others at the same moments found birth in the house of Israel? Why was Antipas sent as the son of a debauched and evil Herod, while John the Baptist came into the home of a priestly Zacharias and a saintly Elisabeth?

"All of these things operate by law; they are the outgrowth of long years of personal preparation in preexistence on the part of each individual; they come to pass according to the laws that the Lord has ordained. This second estate is a continuation of our first estate; we are born here with the talents and capacities acquired there. Abraham was one of the noble and great spirits in the premortal life. He was chosen for his mortal ministry and position before he was born, and as with the father of the faithful so with all of the spirits destined to be born as his seed." (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 512)

Reading 12 – Alma 40:11-14

Reading 13 – Regarding those who are righteous at the time they enter the spirit world, Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said, "There is no equivocation, no doubt, no uncertainty in our minds. Those who have been true and faithful in this life will not fall by the wayside in the life to come. If they keep their covenants here and now and depart this life firm and true in the testimony of our blessed Lord, they shall come forth with an inheritance of eternal life.

"We do not mean to say that those who die in the Lord, and who are true and faithful in this life, must be perfect in all things when they go into the next sphere of existence. There was only one perfect man—the Lord Jesus whose Father was God.

"There have been many righteous souls who have attained relative degrees of perfection, and there have been great hosts of faithful people who have kept the faith, and lived the law, and departed this life with the full assurance of an eventual inheritance of eternal life." (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Dead Who Die in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov 1976, 106)

Lesson 17: The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast – Scriptures and Quotes

Doctrine and Covenants 59:16

Malachi 3:10  

Doctrine and Covenants 64:23

In April Conference, 1920, Elder Orson F. Whitney said, " When white-winged peace would spread her wings abroad, and grim-visaged war would sit at her feet and learn wisdom for a thousand years. We think that time is drawing nigh; that the Almighty has set His hand to accomplish just such a work; that we are living in the Saturday night of the world's history, near the end of that week of Time each day of which is a thousand years, and that the seventh day, or Sabbath, will be the day of rest, the Millennium , the reign of peace and righteousness which the Prophets and the poets have predicted."

Reading 1 – Doctrine and Covenants 119:3-4

Reading 2 - The First Presidency has given the following definition of tithing: “The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay ‘one-tenth of all their interest annually,’ which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this” (First Presidency letter, 19 Mar. 1970).

Reading 3 - President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve explained: “It is remarkable how many excuses can be made and interpretations given as to what constitutes the tenth. … It is written, however, that as we measure it shall be measured to us again. If we are stingy with the Lord, he may be stingy with us, or in other words, withhold his blessings” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [1953], 2:92).

Reading 4 – Malachi 3:8-9

Reading 5 – Malachi 3:10-12

Reading 6 - Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke of spiritual blessings that come when we pay tithing:  “The tithe-payer establishes communion with the Lord. This is the happiest reward. Obedience to the law of tithing, as to any other law, brings a deep, inward joy, a satisfaction and understanding that can be won in no other way. Man becomes in a real sense a partner, albeit a humble one, with the Lord in the tremendous, eternal program laid out for human salvation. The principles of truth become clearer of comprehension; the living of them easier of accomplishment. A new nearness is established between man and his Maker. Prayer becomes easier. Doubt retreats; faith advances; certainty and courage buoy up the soul. The spiritual sense is sharpened; the eternal voice is heard more clearly. Man becomes more like his Father in Heaven” (in Deseret News, 16 May 1936, Church Section, 5).

Reading 7 - Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “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’ ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 43–44; or Ensign, May 1994, 33).

Reading 8 - On May 30, 1899, President Lorenzo Snow spoke to the officer's meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. He delivered a discourse on the principle of tithing and the following resolution was adopted by the conference:  "Resolved: That we accept the doctrine of tithing, as now presented by President Snow, as the present word and will of the Lord unto us, and we do accept it with all our hearts; we will ourselves observe it, and we will do all in our power to get the Latter-day Saints to do likewise"

  After the adoption of the resolution, President Snow arose and said: "Brethren, the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you. Every man who is here, who has made this promise, will be saved in the celestial kingdom. God bless you. Amen" (Comprehensive History of the Church, 6:359).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “[Tithing] funds are spent to build and maintain temples and houses of worship, to conduct our worldwide missionary work, to translate and publish scriptures, to provide resources to redeem the dead, to fund religious education, and to support other Church purposes selected by the designated servants of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 46; or Ensign, May 1994, 35).

Reading 9 – Isaiah 58:6-12

Reading 10 – Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14

Reading 11 - President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Sometimes we have been a bit penurious [unwilling to share] and figured that we had for breakfast one egg and that cost so many cents and then we give that to the Lord. I think that when we are affluent, as many of us are, that we ought to be very, very generous … and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 184).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “Think … of what would happen if the principles of fast day and the fast offering were observed throughout the world. The hungry would be fed, the naked clothed, the homeless sheltered. Our burden of taxes would be lightened. The giver would not suffer but would be blessed by his small abstinence. A new measure of concern and unselfishness would grow in the hearts of people everywhere” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1991, 73; or Ensign, May 1991, 52–53).

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21

Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts - Lesson 15 Scriptures and Quotes

John Whitmer reported:  "Some had visions and knew not what they saw, some would fancy to themselves that they had the sword of Laban, and would wield it as expert as a light dragon, some would act like an Indian in the act of scalping, some would slide or scoop on the floor, with the rapidity of a serpent, which they termed sailing in the boat to the Lamanites, preaching the gospel. And many other vain and foolish manoevers that are unseeming and unprofitable to mention. . . .  These things grieved the servants of the Lord, and some conversed together on this subject, and others came in and we were at Joseph Smith, Jr. the Seer, and made it a matter of consultation, for many would not turn from their folly, unless God would give a revelation." (Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p134)

Reading 1 – Doctrine and Covenants 46:2

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 46:7

Reading 3 – Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-9

Reading 4 – Joseph Smith taught:  "We believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost being enjoyed now, as much as it was in the Apostles' days; we believe that it [the gift of the Holy Ghost] is necessary to make and to organize the Priesthood, that no man can be called to fill any office in the ministry without it; we also believe in prophecy, in tongues, in visions, and in revelations, in gifts, and in healings; and that these things cannot be enjoyed without the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe that the holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and that holy men in these days speak by the same principle; we believe in its being a comforter and a witness bearer, that it brings things past to our remembrance, leads us into all truth, and shows us of things to come; we believe that 'no man can know that Jesus is the Christ, but by the Holy Ghost.' We believe in it [this gift of the Holy Ghost] in all its fulness, and power, and greatness, and glory; but whilst we do this, we believe in it rationally, consistently, and scripturally, and not according to the wild vagaries, foolish notions and traditions of men." (TPJS, p99)

Reading 5 - Elder Orson Pratt taught the following about gifts of the Spirit:  "...whenever the Holy Ghost takes up its residence in a person, it not only cleanses, sanctifies, and purifies him, in proportion as he yields himself to its influence, but also imparts to him some gift, intended for the benefit of himself and others. No one who has been born of the Spirit and who remains sufficiently faithful, is left destitute of a spiritual gift. A person who is without a spiritual gift has not the Spirit of God dwelling in him, in a sufficient degree, to save him; he cannot be called a Saint, or a child of God; for all Saints who constitute the Church of Christ, are baptized into the same Spirit; and each one, without any exception, is made a partaker of some spiritual gift....

"Each member does not receive all of these gifts; but they are distributed through the whole body [of the Church], according to the will and wisdom of the Spirit.... Some may have all these gifts bestowed upon them, so as to understand them all, and be prepared to detect any spurious gifts, and to preside over the whole body of the Church, that all may be benefited. These spiritual gifts are distributed among the members of the Church, according to their faithfulness, circumstances, natural abilities, duties, callings; that the whole may be properly instructed, confirmed, perfected, and saved." (Masterful Discourses of Orson Pratt, pp539-541)

Reading 6 – Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-25

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve said that this gift (knowing the differences of administration) is "used in administering and regulating the church" (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p278)

Reading 7 – Elder Howard W. Hunter said: Wisdom is the quality of being wise, of discerning in judging soundly with respect to what is true and false, the ability to deal sagaciously with facts as they relate to life and conduct. Sometimes intelligence is used synonymously with wisdom. If we were speaking mathematically, we would say that knowledge plus the proper use of knowledge equals wisdom. Knowledge, then, becomes one of the steps by which wisdom is attained. Intelligence and wisdom quicken knowledge. (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 175.)

Brigham Young said, "The people… hunt me almost to death, saying, “Won't you lay hands on this sick person? Won't you go to my house over yonder?” and so on. I am sent for continually, though I only go occasionally, because it is the privilege of every father, who is an Elder in Israel, to have faith to heal his family, just as much so as it is my privilege to have faith to heal my family; and if he does not do it he is not living up to his privilege. It is just as reasonable for him to ask me to cut his wood and maintain his family, for if he had faith himself he would save me the trouble of leaving other duties to attend to his request. (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886], 3: 46.)

Reading 8 - Heber J. Grant said, “I bear my witness to you that if a record had been made of all those who have been afflicted, those who have been given up to die, and who have been healed by the power of God since the establishment of the Church of Christ in our day, it would make a book much larger than the New Testament. More miracles have been performed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than we have any account of in the days of the Savior and His Apostles. Today, sickness is cured by spiritual power … The dead have been raised. My own brother was announced to be dead, but by the prayer of faith he lives and presides over one of the stakes of Zion. I know, as I know I live, that the healing power of Almighty God … is in the Church of Christ of which you and I are members.” (Conference Reports, October 6, 1910, p. 119)

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith declared that “all members of the Church should seek for the gift of prophecy, for their own guidance, which is the spirit by which the word of the Lord is understood and his purpose made known.” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 3 vols., Salt Lake City, Deseret Book Co., 1953, 1:201.)(Quoted by Elder Dallin Oaks “Spiritual Gifts,” Ensign, Sept. 1986, 71)

Reading 9 - Stephen L. Richards wrote: "First, I mention the gift of discernment, embodying the power to discriminate, which has been spoken of in our hearing before, particularly as between right and wrong. I believe that this gift when highly developed arises largely out of an acute sensitivity to impressions—spiritual impressions, if you will—to read under the surface as it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to find the good that may be concealed. The highest type of discernment is that which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good inherent within them. It is the gift every missionary needs when he takes the gospel to the people of the world. He must make an appraisal of every personality whom he meets. He must be able to discern the hidden spark that may be lighted for truth. The gift of discernment will save him from mistakes and embarrassment, and it will never fail to inspire confidence in the one who is rightly appraised. (Where Is Wisdom? [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1955], 199 - 200.)

Joseph Smith said:  "Be not so curious about tongues; do not speak in tongues except there be an interpreter present; the ultimate design of tongues is to speak to foreigners, and if persons are very anxious to display their intelligence let them speak to such in their own tongues. The gifts of God are all useful in their places, but when they are applied to that which God does not intend, they prove an injury, a snare, and a curse instead of a blessing." (HC, 5:31)

Reading 10: President David O. McKay tells the following story:  "The occasion was a conference held at Huntley, New Zealand, a thousand people assembled. Before that time I had spoken through interpreters in China, Hawaii, Holland, and other places, but I felt impressed on that occasion to speak in the English language. In substance I said, 'I have never been much of an advocate of the necessity of tongues in our Church, but today I wish I had that gift. But I haven't. However, I am going to speak to you . . . in my native tongue and pray that you may have the gift of interpretation of tongues. We will ask Brother Stuart Meha, who is going to interpret for me, to make notes, and if necessary he may give us a summary of my talk afterwards.'

"Well, the outpouring of the gift of tongues on that occasion was most remarkable. Following the end of my sermon Brother Sid Christy, who was a student of Brigham Young University, a Maori, who had returned to New Zealand, rushed up and said, 'Brother McKay, they got your message!'

"Well, I knew they had by the attention and the nodding of their heads during the talk. I said, 'I think they have but for the benefit of those who may not have understood or had that gift, we shall have the sermon interpreted.'

"While Brother Meha was interpreting that or giving a summary of it in the Maori language some of the natives, who had understood it, but who did not understand English, arose and corrected him in his interpretations.

"President George Albert Smith and Brother Rufus K. Hardy visited New Zealand several years after that event, and Brother Hardy, hearing of the event, brought home testimonies of those who were present, and he took the occasion to have those testimonies notarized. So it is the gift of interpretation rather than the gift of tongues, that was remarkable." (quoted in Latter-day Prophets & the Doctrine & Covenants, 2:126)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: “Spiritual gifts are endless in number and infinite in variety. Those listed in the revealed word are simply illustrations” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 371).

Elder Marvin J. Ashton said some “less-conspicuous gifts” include “the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; … the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; … the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 23; or Ensign, Nov. 1987, 20).

Reading 11 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie declared in Nauvoo at the dedication of the Monument to Women: "Where spiritual things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness-in all things men and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no respecter of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who seek him and serve him and keep his commandments." (Ensign , Jan. 1979, p. 61)

President George Q. Cannon taught: “If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that will make us perfect. Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not. So with all the gifts of the Gospel. They are intended for this purpose. No man ought to say, ‘Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.’ He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them” (Millennial Star, 23 Apr. 1894, 260).

Lesson 13: “This Generation Shall Have My Word through You” – Scriptures and Quotes

Doctrine and Covenants 5:10

Reading 1 – Brigham Young said, “What I have received from the Lord, I have received by Joseph Smith” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1941], 458).

Reading 2 - President Harold B. Lee said: “With the restoration of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Church in the dispensation of the fulness of times, we were given instructions by revelation, the magnitude of which, as the late President Brigham H. Roberts explained, was ‘not merely as to whether baptism should be by immersion or for the forgiveness of sins, but the rubbish of accumulated ages was swept aside, the rocks made bare, and the foundations of the Kingdom of God were relaid.'”

Reading 3 – Speaking of the First Vision, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “For more than a century and a half, enemies, critics, and some would-be scholars have worn out their lives trying to disprove the validity of that vision. Of course they cannot understand it. The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God. There had been nothing of comparable magnitude since the Son of God walked the earth in mortality. Without it as a foundation stone for our faith and organization, we have nothing. With it, we have everything.”

Reading 4 – Moses 1:40-41

Speaking about Joseph Smith, Elder LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve said, “As far as our records show, he has given us more revealed truth than any prophet who has ever lived upon the face of the earth” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1981, 43; or Ensign, May 1981, 33).

Reading 5 - John Taylor wrote of him: Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men. (D&C 135:3)

Reading 6  – 2 Nephi 3:11-15

Parley P. Pratt's wrote about his experience when he first read the Book of Mormon:  "As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists" (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p20)

Reading 6A - President Ezra Taft Benson said: "The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine & Covenants brings men to Christ's kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 'the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth' (D&C 1:30)....

"The Book of Mormon is the 'keystone' of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone" (Ensign, May 1987, p83).

Reading 7 - When the mob attacked the building, they tossed the unbound pages of the book into the street. Seeing this, two young Latter-day Saints, Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her sister, Caroline, at the peril of their own lives, sought to rescue what they could. Mary Elizabeth recalled:

“[The mob] brought out some large sheets of paper, and said, ‘Here are the Mormon Commandments.’ My sister Caroline and myself were in a corner of a fence watching them; when they spoke of the commandments I was determined to have some of them. Sister said if I went to get any of them she would go too, but said ‘they will kill us.’” While the mob was busy at one end of the house, the two girls ran and filled their arms with the precious sheets. The mob saw them and ordered the girls to stop. Mary Elizabeth reported: “We ran as fast as we could. Two of them started after us. Seeing a gap in a fence, we entered into a large cornfield, laid the papers on the ground, and hid them with our persons. The corn was from five to six feet high, and very thick; they hunted around considerable, and came very near us but did not find us.”

When the ruffians had gone, the girls made their way to an old log stable. Here, as reported by Mary Elizabeth, they found that “Sister Phelps and children were carrying in brush and piling it up at one side of the barn to lay her beds on. She asked me what I had—I told her. She then took them from us. … They got them bound in small books and sent me one, which I prized very highly.” (Our Heritage, page 41)

Reading 8 - Elder B.H. Roberts wrote:  "One other document of great historical and even doctrinal importance was published about the same time as this Book of Abraham, namely, in the spring of 1842. This document is what is called The Wentworth Letter. Mr. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, solicited of Joseph Smith a statement concerning the history and doctrine of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, for his friend Mr. Barstow, of New Hampshire, who was writing a history of that state. Responding to this request the Wentworth Letter was prepared by the Prophet. Beginning with the birth of Joseph Smith, in 1805, it traces in admirable manner the development of the great latter-day work, the story of its persecutions, up to the settlement of the saints in Nauvoo; and also details their prosperous condition and happy prospects at the time the letter was written.

They were not produced by the labored efforts and the harmonized contentions of scholastics, but were struck off by one mind at a single effort to make a declaration of that which is most assuredly believed by the church, for one making earnest inquiry about her history and her fundamental doctrines. The combined directness, perspicuity, simplicity and comprehensiveness of this statement of the doctrine of the church is regarded as strong evidence of a divine inspiration operating upon the mind of Joseph Smith." (CHC, 2:130-131)

8^th Article of Faith

Reading 9 – 1 Nephi 13:24-28

Brother Robert J. Matthews has written: “The Joseph Smith Translation is not just a better Bible; it was the channel, or the means, of doctrinal restoration in the infancy of this Church” (Robert J. Matthews, in The Capstone of Our Religion: Insights into the Doctrine and Covenants [1989], 64)