Sunday Lesson, Nov 20th

Our lesson this Sunday was on teaching the Gospel. The teacher began by reminding us that we must prepare ourselves and live the principles we teach for ourselves before we will be effective teachers. We know that we are instructed to teach by the Spirit. The teacher emphasized that this can only happen as we are more prepared; as we know the material and the scriptures and can respond according to that bank of knowledge. She highly encouraged each of us to us Preach My Gospel. It contains many helps for anyone who is teaching in any way.

The teacher also encouraged us to use a study journal. As we do, we will receive more revelation and show Heavenly Father that we value the scriptures and the revelation we receive as we study. We also need to make sure we go back and read the things that we have recorded, this is part of remembering insight we have gained and seeing the progress we have made.

President Hunter said that one of a teacher’s important jobs is to help students gain confidence in the scriptures. First, they need to gain confidence that Heavenly Father is speaking to them through the scriptures and come to believe that they can find answers to their problems through scripture study and prayer. Second, they need to learn to be comfortable navigating the scriptures and being able to find important scriptures and sermons. By gaining confidence in these ways we will use the scriptures in our personal lives effectively.

We gain more confidence in a scriptural knowledge by having a desire to study the scriptures. This comes by having faith that the scriptures will help us in our lives. When we don’t have much desire if we just study anyway we will feel the Spirit and see the results in our lives, helping us have more desire. We also gain more confidence by praying for help from the Holy Ghost. He will teach us all things that we need to know.

In summary, President Hunter said, “We have a great responsibility as [teachers] in the Church to make sure our own members, our own young people, do not fall into that unfortunate category of being blinded, of being good, fine, worthy young men and women who are kept from the truths of the scriptures because they do not know where to find those truths and because they do not possess confidence [in using] their standard works.”

As we teach by the Spirit, we will know how to help our students (this includes children, friends, anyone!) learn what they need to in order to gain and strengthen their testimonies and become comfortable in the scriptures. If we do not have the Spirit, we cannot teach what they will need to know. As we prepare and teach with the Spirit we will be effective in sharing what our students need to hear.

-Karen