Teaching (2 Peter 2)

In 2 Peter 2, Peter talks about how to recognize and avoid false teachers. Some of the characteristics that he points out in verses 1-19 are:

•  Denying Christ (verse 1)
• Covetous (verse 3)
• Despise government (verse 10)
• Presumptuous (verse 10)
• Speak evil of others (verse 10)
• Speak evil of things that they don't understand (verse 12)
• Eyes full of adultery (verse 14)
• Forsaken the right way (verse 15)
• Lure people away with vain words (verse 18)

 This list was not only valid in Peter's time, it can be applied now as well as we try to avoid listening and following false teachers or prophets. These are things that we should be aware of so that we can compare the words/actions of people and determine with the Spirit whether or not we should listen to the things that are being taught.
In verse 20 of chapter 2, Peter talks about escaping "the pollutions of the world" and then he goes on to talk about why we shouldn't return to the sins we have done in the past. The reasons for this are that when we know what is right and we have repented for what was wrong and go back to that, we receive the "greater condemnation" (Doctrine & Covenants 82:3). Once we have repented we need to try our best to stay on the path of righteousness so that we can receive the blessings that God wants for us.

Be Ye Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only (James 1)

James 1 is an amazing chapter! One that has changed my life and the lives of millions throughout the world. In it James invites us to go to God for direction in our lives and outlines what a true follower of Christ should be doing in their lives. In verse 5 James says "if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...and it shall be given him." I love this verse because we all "lack wisdom" sometimes but this verse promises that if we ask God for direction, He will guide us and give us the answers that we need. In the next verse James goes on to talk about asking in faith and he defines that as not wavering which can be a hard thing to do because as humans we tend to doubt things that we can't physically see, especially when the answers to our prayers don't come immediately. But faith is a very important element in getting answers to prayers because it requires us to trust that God will keep His promises and be there to help us.
In verse 8 James says that "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways." To understand more what he means by "double minded man" we can go to Matthew 6:24 where Christ says that "no man can serve two masters" in other words, we can't serve both God and Satan. We are always on one side or the other. Another example is found in 1 Kings 18:21 when Elijah tells the people that they need to choose whether they are going to follow God or Baal. In the world today we have to choose between whether we are going to stick to God's standards that have never changed or live the constantly changing standards of the world.
In verses James 1:13-15, 19-27 James gives an outline of how we can better follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, these are some of the things that I found as I read it:

• Remember that God never tempts us to do evil, that is always Satan (verse 13)
• Listen and think before you speak or get angry (verse 19)
• Only the application word of God can save our souls, not the things of the world. (verse 21)
• We have to do something with the knowledge that we receive, we can't just hear it and then forget about it (verses 22-25)
• Pure religion involves helping others and being kind (verses 26-27)

James 1:22 is a very powerful verse talking about being a doer of the word and not just a hearer. There are many examples of this is the scriptures but we can also see examples of this in our everyday lives. One way that I have seen this principle in action recently is with a man that I met while I was serving as a full time missionary. He was a very nice man but he hadn't really practiced religion much in his life and he'd had a bit of a rough past. As we started teaching this man about the gospel of Jesus Christ he was a little hesitant at first to try things out and start living it but once he did he was committed. He knew that it was what God wanted him to do and he was willing to accept any and all commandments that we taught him about. It added to my testimony of how living the gospel can truly bless our lives and change us into the people that God knows we can become.

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The last thing I want to write about are the verses from this chapter that have impacted my life the most. They are verses 5-6 and about these verse Elder Bruce R. McConkie (a former member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said "this single verse of scripture has had a greater impact and a more far reaching effect upon mankind than any other single sentence ever recorded by any prophet in any age" (The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ & His Apostles). The reason that he said that is because these are the verses that led Joseph Smith to ask God which church he should join and because of that question we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today. I am grateful to be a part of this restored gospel and to have the knowledge that we have a living prophet on the earth today.

Works of Righteousness (Hebrews 13)

Hebrews 13 is the last chapter in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews and he closes with advice about several different things. I like this chapter because it is good advice for us now as well of how we can live the gospel better in our own lives. Here are some of the things that I found:

• We should remember and have compassion on those "in bonds." We should care about people the same way that Christ did, regardless of who they are or what their background may be. We never know how we can help them or how they can help us. (Hebrews 13:2-3)
• "Marriage is honourable" and we need to be faithful within marriage because it is sacred and "the family is ordained of God" as it says in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. That is discounted more and more in the world today so we have to stand up for what we know is right. (Hebrews 13:4)
• We need to be content with the things that we have and not covet the things of others. We have all been given great blessings and it is a lot better to think of all the blessings we do have rather than the things we don't. God has promised us that He will never leave us and that is the greatest blessing of all because as long as we are obedient we will have the things we need. (Hebrews 13:5)

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• Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will always be there to help us and support us. His church and His gospel are always the same, the standards never change like those in the world. That is such a comfort to me. (Hebrews 13:8)

• We are sanctified through Christ. In the Guide to the Scriptures it defines sanctification as "the process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the atonement of Jesus Christ." We can only be made clean through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and as we strive to be obedient and live the gospel in our lives. (Hebrews 13:12-15)
• We need to obey those that are in charge of us because they are looking out for our salvation. It is hard sometimes to humble ourselves and to do what we are asked because we may not see how it will help us but our leaders are called of God to help us. They don't want to see us suffer. (Hebrews 13:17)
• Paul asked the people to pray for them, the leaders of the Church. It is important that we pray for our leaders so that they can be led by the Spirit to help us and also so that they will be strengthened to fulfill their duties. (Hebrews 13:18)

I really enjoyed reading this chapter because it was a good reminder of some of the things that I need to focus on more in my life. I invite you to read the whole chapter and think about what you might need to change or do better in your own life to come closer to the Savior.

Entering into the Lord's Rest (Hebrews 3-4)

There is an interesting phrase used in the scriptures about "the Lord's rest" so I decided to find out what is meant by that and how we can obtain that. In Hebrews 3-4 Paul talks about the children of Israel that Moses brought out of Egypt, many of them were disobedient and Paul says that they were not able to enter into the Lord's rest. In chapter 3, verse 19 he states that it was because of their unbelief and throughout chapter 3 he states other reasons like being hard hearted.

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In Doctrine & Covenants 84:24 it defines the Lord's rest as "the fulness of His glory" so the children of Israel were denying themselves the glory of God. In order to avoid making the same mistake ourselves we have to learn from the past and Paul helps us do that by repeating things we should avoid. The main one is not being hard hearted, we have to make sure we are doing what has been commanded of us and we have to encourage each other to do the same. We have to be obedient and follow the counsel of our leaders to lead us down the right path. In Hebrews 4, Paul gives counsel on things we should do to enter into the Lord's rest. He says that we need to do the opposite of what the children of Israel did and he also talks about how we need to rely on Christ in order to receive that rest. We can't make it on our own because we make mistakes but with Christ all things are possible. We can't just say we believe, we have to actually act on that belief like Christ says in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." We have to be obedient in order to receive the reward, it isn't enough to just say that we believe something and not do anything about it.

Find Solutions in the Scriptures to Life's Challenges (Philippians 1-4)

One of places that I find a lot of answers to my day-to-day questions and problems is in the scriptures. Different things stick out to different people at different times but we can all find answers. In this post I am going to list a few common problems and solutions found in Philippians.

1. People sometimes argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week.
        This is a common problem in church, people get caught up in little things that other members do that they lose sight of the big picture. In Philippians 2:3-5 Paul says that we need to see each other as equals and be fair like Christ was. We are all working toward the same goal so we need to remember to take into account the views of others. We have to humble ourselves and think about things from another perspective.

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2. Many youth feel that their parents' testimony is sufficient for them. Since they have good parents, they rely on them for all of their spiritual strength.
        This is a very common misconception of youth that grow up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When I was younger, I relied on the testimony of my parents but as I got older I had to gain my own because they weren't always going to be there. This is exactly what Paul teaches in Philippians 2:12 where he says to "work out your own salvation," it is fine to rely on someone else for a while but that will only get you so far. We each have to know for ourselves and do something about it in order to gain salvation through Christ.

3. An investigator is considering joining the Church, but his family will no longer associate with him if he does.
         This is a really tough problem that, for me, would be really hard to deal with. I love the Church and the gospel but I also love my family so choosing between the two would be really hard. One of my favorite verses in Philippians is Philippians 4:13 where Paul says "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." In chapter 3 he talks about the things that you give up for the gospel are always worth it even when they are really hard. That is why I love 4:13 because when we have Christ on our side we can do anything that we need to.

Those are just a few examples of solutions to problems but there are many in store for each of us if we "feast upon the words of Christ" as we are directed in 2 Nephi 32:3.

Live as Saints Should Live

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In Romans 12-16 Paul talks about the importance of living like saints and working out our salvation. In 13:11 he says that "our salvation [is] nearer than we believed" so now is the time that we have to prepare. We find more information on how to work out our salvation from Ezekiel 3:20 and Doctrine & Covenants 14:7. In Ezekiel it say that we have to avoid sin so that we can be prepared because we don't know when Christ is going to come again so we need to be living the gospel at all times. In Doctrine & Covenants it says that when we keep the commandments until the end of our lives then we will gain eternal life.
In Romans 12-13 Paul describes several things that lead to salvation. I will list some of the counsel he gave here:

• Be willing to give everything to God. Serve Him to the best of your abilities. (Romans 12:1)
• Don't conform to what the world says but do the will of God in all things. (Romans 12:2)
• Cling to the things you know are good and stay away from evil. Love sincerely. (Romans 12:9)
• Help others when they need it. (Romans 12:13)
• Don't put yourself above others. Be willing to help anyone who needs help (Romans 12:16)
• "Be not overcome with evil, overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)
• We are all subject to the power of God, He and those He calls are the only ones authorized to lead the Church. (Romans 13:1)
• We shouldn't fear God because the people who are punished are those who don't obey. God blesses those who do obey. (Romans 13:3)
• Love one another. (Romans 13:8)
• Keep the Ten Commandments. "Love thy neighbor as thyself." (Romans 13:9)

In Romans 14:1-13 and 15:1-3 Paul talks about judging other people. He says that we need to refrain from judging others because we are all imperfect. We all need to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives so we need to be kind and patient with each other. The most important thing to remember is that we are all children of God and He sees what is on the inside. That is why He is the one who is going to judge all of us in the end. In Doctrine & Covenants 38:25-27 there is a parable that compares God to a man with 12 sons. The man doesn't put one son above another and it is the same with God. He sees all of us equally so we need to remember to see each other that way as well. Paul frequently referred to the members of the Church as saints and the definition of a saint is "a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence." We have to remember that each of us is special and unique to our Heavenly Father so we need to treat each other with the same respect.

Here is the link to a really good video I found on not judging others: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/international-video-contest-winners?lang=eng&id=2011-04-010-judgment#2011-04-010-judgment

Baptism

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In Romans 6 Paul discusses several things about baptism and why we do it the way we do in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. One of the first things that Paul teaches is that before baptism we must recognize and stop doing the things we were doing that were against the commandments (verses 1-2). He goes on to talk about why Jesus Christ was baptized the way He was and the symbolism of His baptism. In verses 4-10 Paul compares baptism to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. He says that when we are baptized we are leaving behind our old life of sin and starting a new life as a follower of Jesus Christ. That is the reason that we are baptized by immersion in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we must go completely under the water so that our sins are completely washed away and we can begin that new life. Paul also talks about how to stay on that path and maintain the "newness of life" (verse 4). He talks about being dead to sin and not going back to the things that we did before and trying our best to stay on the path. He also talks about not yielding to temptations that arise. This is also linked to Mosiah 3:19 where King Benjamin counsels the people to "put off the natural man" or those things that are tempting to us as human beings. That is what we want to leave behind when we are baptized, we want to become a new person and follow Christ throughout our lives.
In the last half of the chapter (verses 14-23) Paul talks about serving God throughout our lives. He says that we become servants to whomever we obey so if we are obedient we are serving God and if we are not than we are serving Satan. He says that we can know whom we are serving by the things that happen in our lives or the "fruit" of our lives. We will be blessed as we are obedient to the commandments of God (although sometimes those blessings don't come immediately) and we are not blessed when we follow Satan (even when it may seem like things are fine for a time. I love the last verse of the chapter, "for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It sums up the rest of the chapter very nicely because when we are obedient and trying our best then the Lord will bless us, but if we aren't than He can't and we have to suffer the consequences on our own.

Forgiveness

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In 2 Corinthians 2:1-11 Paul talks about the importance of forgiving the people who hurt us. In verses 5-8 he says that rather than holding a grudge against people who offend us we should "forgive him, and comfort him....[and] confirm your love toward him." That is not an easy thing to do by any means but there are wonderful blessings promised to those who are willing to forgive. The biggest blessings is found in Matthew 6:14 where Christ says that if we forgive others then Heavenly Father will forgive us. We all make mistakes and we all want to know that we are forgiven. It is always a relief to hear someone say that they forgive us for messing up and we all need that. So we need to give that to other people, even when it's hard. If we don't forgive others we are told that we will stand condemned before the Lord because we have the greater sin (see Doctrine and Covenants 64:9). God is the one who can judge because He is perfect, as human beings who make mistakes we have to forgive everyone. That is a really hard thing to do but in order to be forgiven we have to be willing to forgive.

The Impact of Example

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In 1 Corinthians 4:2 Paul says that people who are teaching the gospel need to be faithful to the gospel. We also learn, in verses 9-17, that the apostles are specifically chosen to be examples to the people. But it isn't just the apostles that have to be examples. Any baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has taken the name of Christ upon themselves and we have a responsibility to try and live the way He did. We should all be sharing the gospel at all times through the way we live and by our examples.
In the Book of Mormon there is a story of someone who was a bad example in Alma 39. Alma's son, Corianton, was a missionary but he didn't live the things that he was teaching. In verses 11-12 Alma tells Corianton that because of his (Corianton's) bad example the people wouldn't listen to what Alma was teaching. It is so important that we don't just know what is right and then do the opposite because people notice what we do more than what we say. Especially if we are doing the exact opposite of what we say.
There are also great blessings that come to us when we are faithful and obedient to the gospel and what we know. In 3 Nephi 8:1 it talks about a man who was faithful and the way that they knew he was faithful is because he performed miracles in Christ's name. When we are faithful in keeping the commandments people see our example and we are able to do the things that God wants us to do. When we are obedient we can have the Spirit with us and that is when people will see the fruits of living the gospel in our lives.

Paul's 2nd Mission (Acts 16;18)

On his second mission, Paul taught in several cities including four that he would later write epistles to. Those four were Philippi, Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus. In the chapters talking about this mission we learn a lot about the kind of missionary that Paul was. Here are some of the things that stuck out to me.

Guidance of the Holy Ghost in Missionary Work
In Acts 16:6-10; 18:9-11 we read about the different ways that Paul was led by the Spirit to know where he should go to teach the gospel. In the first section they were forbidden by the Spirit (prompted) to teach the gospel in Asia and Bithynia before Paul had vision and was instructed to go to Macedonia. In the second section Paul is shown another vision and is told to stay in Corinth and continue preaching the gospel.

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In my own missionary work I have often been guided by the Holy Ghost in who I should talk to or what I should say. As a full-time missionary the promptings I received were directed more toward "who should we go see right now?" or "should we knock on this door?" But I know that when we followed those promptings my companions and I were always blessed to find people who were willing to listen to message. In my work as a member missionary I have been prompted to invite people to church, share my testimony, ask a specific question, and even draw out the Plan of Salvation on a napkin. One thing that I would like to do more though is to constantly be seeking the guidance of the Spirit to help me share the gospel so that I am continually looking for those opportunities.

What Made Paul a Good Missionary? (Acts 16:9-33)
One of the things I discovered about Paul in these verses was that he was obedient. He acted immediately on the promptings he received and he was diligent in carrying out his responsibilities. He was also very faithful and never apologized for teaching the truth. Another thing is that he was always sharing the gospel with everyone in every situation. In these verses he cast out a devil and taught that it was by the power of the Priesthood. He was also cast into prison where he prayed and sang with his companion. When the jailer came in after the earthquake he taught him the gospel and what he had to do to be saved. The jailer was a true convert because he didn't just ask what he had to do to be saved. He listened and then he acted by being baptized and bringing others with him. In Mosiah 4:9-10 we learn that believing in God is not just saying the words, it is trying to emulate the way that Christ lived. We have to repent and continually strive to be better in order to truly be "saved." Being saved is a lifelong process, not just a one time event.
One of the things that I took away from reading this section is that I want to be the kind of missionary that Paul was. I want to be willing and ready to share the gospel at any time and in any situation. As Peter stated later in the New Testament, I want to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh...a reason of the hope that is in [me]" (1 Peter 3:15). To better prepare to do that I have to be living in a way that I can be open to the Spirit. I need to make a priority in my life to study the scriptures daily and focus on the things that really matter.

Paul's 1st Mission (Acts 13-14)

Paul started his first mission in Seleucia, which is in Syria. He later went to many other cities including Salamis and Paphos in Cyprus and Perga and Antioch in Pisidia. We can learn many things about missionary work from Paul's missions, here are a few of the things that I learned.

Helps for Discouraged Missionaries (Acts 13:1-5)
1. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have in whatever situation we are in. Whenever we are discouraged or in need, we can talk to our Heavenly Father in prayer and He will help us. That is something that was very helpful to me many times on my mission when I felt alone or like I didn't have anyone I could talk to. I always knew that my Father in Heaven was there to listen and comfort me.

2. Along with prayer, another thing that is very helpful is fasting. The Bible Dictionary describes fasting as a means of "developing spiritual strength" and I have found that to be true. Fasting is one way that we can receive answers to our prayers and guidance for our lives.

3. Another important principle we learn from these verses is how the Holy Ghost can help us and guide us. One thing that really stuck out to me in verse 4 is that Paul and Barnabas were "sent forth by the Holy Ghost." Where they went wasn't random or by chance, they were directed by Heavenly Father. There were certain times as a missionary when I needed to remember that I was called to certain areas or responsibilities because God wanted me there not just because my mission president decided it would be a good idea. Those were really hard times until I remembered why I was really there, then I could focus on my calling and helping the people rather than wondering why I was even there.

Barnabas and the Importance of Companions
Barnabas was a Jew who sold all of his possessions and gave the money to the apostles to help the work progress. He was the one who first went to ask Paul to join the ministry after Paul's conversion and they later went on a mission together. According to the Bible Dictionary "he was regarded as an apostle" even though he was not one of the twelve.
Just as Paul and Barnabas did, having a companion is important in missionary work because they can support each other and bear testimony together. They add a second witness to each other and expound on each other's teachings. They can also protect each other from danger.

Giving the Glory to God and Facing Trials with Faith
In Acts 14:8-18 Paul and Barnabas have an experience where they are approached by a man that had been a cripple his whole life. They heal the man and immediately he starts walking. All of the people around them start praising Paul and Barnabas and giving them gifts, basically treating them like gods. When they saw what the people were doing Paul and Barnabas were upset and started telling the people that they were just men and didn't deserve this praise. They told the people that they needed to honor and worship the true God of heaven and earth.
In comparison to that story, in the next few verses (19-22) it tells of a time when Paul was stoned and thought to be dead but he rose and continued preaching and teaching the people. The two instances are complete opposites but Paul used both as teaching opportunities. I love verse 22 because Paul is talking about his experiences and says that we enter the kingdom of God "through much tribulation." Both of these experiences were a test of faith for Paul and Barnabas. In the first they had to direct the praise of the people to the true God. That might have been difficult because missionaries get used to being rejected so it might have been nice to receive that kind of treatment for once. But they didn't allow that to happen. In the second experience, it would be really hard to go back and preach after almost being stoned to death but Paul did it because he knew he would be strengthened and that he need to help the people.

The Martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7)

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In Acts 7, the apostle Stephen is killed for sharing the gospel. In his final words to the people he asks them to stop denying the Holy Ghost and persecuting the prophets. He pleads with them to repent but the people just get more angry. Then he is filled with the Holy Ghost and sees a vision of Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God. This is one of the very few scriptural instances where all three members of the Godhead are present. From this we learn that they are three distinct beings because they are in three different places. The part of these verses that is most impressive to me though, is that as they are stoning him, Stephen asks the Lord to "lay not this sin at their charge" (Acts 7:60) The last words he speaks in his mortal life are pleading with God to forgive those who are killing him. It reminds me of Christ when he was on the cross and He plead with the Father to "forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). I can't even imagine praying for God to forgive the people that are killing me as they are doing it. It's hard enough for me to pray for the driver of the car who just cut me off in traffic. Just reading these verses makes me realize how much farther I have to go to get to that level of perfection.

There is a similar story in the Book of Mormon about a man named Abinadi (Mosiah 17:7-20). Both Abinadi and Stephen were killed because they would not deny their testimonies and the things that they prophesied about. They made the greatest sacrifice they could ever make, the sacrifice of their lives. They loved the gospel and those people so much that they were willing to die to help the people come to the truth. As I read their stories I have a greater desire to live the gospel. I want my testimony to be strong enough that if I were called upon to die for that testimony I would be willing.