January 3 - Receive the Holy Ghost

What are the most powerful teaching/learning experiences you've had? What about them most impacted you?

• Shared personal experiences that were relevant to me in my life
• Teacher cared about me
• Felt the Spirit

How do we feel the Spirit? What does the Spirit do? (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:9–14, 1 Nephi 10:19, Alma 5:45–46, Moroni 10:3–5, D&C 11:12–14) What else?

• Engenders trust
• Leads us to do good, be humble, judge righteously, walk uprightly
• Enlightens our minds
• Fills our souls with joy
• Guides us to all truth
• Shows things to come
• Speaks/manifests truth
• Unfolds mysteries of God 
• Helps us to know the truth of all things
• Provides revelation
• Comforts us
• Brings all things to our remembrance
• Encourages us to repent
• Sanctifies us
• Prompts us
• Teaches us
• Causes our bosom to burn/Generates a feeling of warmth
• Gives us peace
• Strengthens our testimonies

 In "Receiving by the Spirit," Roger A. Merrill, General Sunday School President, relates a seminal experience where he knew the Book of Mormon was true. From those events, he identifies a few characteristics critical to his spiritual learning:

"In our Church meetings, in our personal and family scripture study, and even this day as we listen to the Lord’s prophets and apostles, some of us will receive more than others. Why? I am learning that those who truly receive do at least three things that others may not do.

"First, they seek. We live in an entertainment world, a spectator world. Without realizing it, we can find ourselves coming to conference or going to church with the attitude, 'Here I am; now inspire me.' We become spiritually passive.

"When we focus instead on seeking and receiving the Spirit, we become less concerned about a teacher or speaker holding our attention and more concerned about giving our attention to the Spirit. Remember, receive is a verb. It is a principle of action. It is a fundamental expression of faith.

"Second, those who receive, feel. While revelation comes to the mind and heart, it is most often felt. Until we learn to pay attention to these spiritual feelings, we usually do not even recognize the Spirit.

"In a recent conversation I had with one of our daughters-in-law, she suggested that we can help even young children become aware of these feelings of the Spirit. We can ask them questions such as 'How do you feel as we read this scripture together? What do you feel the Spirit is prompting you to do?' These are good questions for us all. They demonstrate the desire to receive.

"Third, those who receive by the Spirit intend to act. As the prophet Moroni instructed, to receive a witness of the Book of Mormon, we must ask 'with real intent' (Moroni 10:4). The Spirit teaches when we honestly intend to do something about what we learn."

The Spirit is the greatest teacher. In "Converted to His Gospel through His Church," Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Quorum of the Seventy related the following story: "President Spencer W. Kimball was once asked, 'What do you do when you find yourself in a boring sacrament meeting?' His response: 'I don’t know. I’ve never been in one' (quoted by Gene R. Cook, in Gerry Avant, “Learning Gospel Is Lifetime Pursuit,” Church News, Mar. 24, 1990, 10)." Had President Kimball only been in sacrament meetings where the speaker was exceptionally compelling and the topic incredibly insightful? What made the difference for him? Why wasn't he ever bored?

What roles do thinking and feeling play in our spiritual learning? Why do we need to know in our minds and in our hearts?

Once we know the truth, why do we need to act on our knowledge? When I served my mission in Ukraine, I was initially affronted with the design of the First Discussion--particularly with the inclusion and wording of the baptismal challenge. The idea of issuing that challenge the first or second time I met with someone seemed absurd. As I wrestled with both the timing and the wording, I gained a couple of insights that changed my perspective. Although I never liked the wording of the baptismal challenge in the materials, I realized that the discussion lesson guide was a framework, and that missionaries needed to word the request in accordance with the guidance of the Spirit, appropriate to the circumstance. 

I also gained an appreciation for the timing of the baptismal challenge. I have next-door neighbors who smoke. I can talk to them until I'm blue in the face about how bad smoking is for them, how it can ruin their lives and cause early death, but nothing I can say and no manner of evidence can help them unless they are willing to act on the truth. In a similar sense, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to improve our lives, to save us from temporal and spiritual death, and to help us return to live with our families and our Heavenly Father eternally. However, that knowledge can't help us if we're not willing to do something about it--to change our lives and our habits, to follow in Christ's footsteps and be baptized, to continue to repent of our sins and transgressions, to become more like Him and to help others. As my companions and I taught investigators the truths of the gospel, and they felt the Spirit bear witness, I felt inspired to let them know that if they want those truths to make a difference to their lives, they need to heed those promptings. Baptism is one step on that path. Knowing up front that we would ask them how they felt about baptism--that we would be honest and straightforward with them--was a blessing to our investigators, and they felt more loved and cared for as a result.

As our Sunday School class embarks on a spiritual journey over the coming year, I invite the students to actively seek to gain and strengthen their individual testimonies--to study the scriptures and pray regularly, to personally invest in obtaining spiritual knowledge and in developing a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through the Holy Ghost. I ask them to open their minds and hearts to see and feel the things of the Spirit and to grow in understanding. And, I encourage them to act on the knowledge and promptings they receive, for truth can only help us as we act.

January Homework: Bring one item from home that reflects the student's personal testimony. Share that item and its meaning with the class on Sunday, January 24.