Lesson: Single Members of the Church

Single Members of the Church
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have taught that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children" ("The Family: A Proclamation to the World,"Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). While this family unit is the ideal, many Church members find themselves in a variety of other circumstances. Some are not married, but have good support from their parents or siblings. Others may not have support from an extended family. The gospel of Jesus Christ was given by God to bless all His children, without exception, regardless of the family situations in which they find themselves. The gospel provides a brotherhood and sisterhood to strengthen and help all God's children.

Our Heavenly Father designed the gospel of Jesus Christ to help and strengthen families, and the family is central to His plan for His children. Each person on the earth is part of the great family of God the Father. Those who join the Church become part of another great fellowship, a true fellowship of brothers and sisters who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ.

In an address to single adult members of the Church, President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

"Because you do not happen to be married does not make you essentially different from others. All of us are very much alike in appearance and emotional responses, in our capacity to think, to reason, to be miserable, to be happy, to love and be loved.

"You are just as important as any others in the scheme of our Father in Heaven, and under His mercy no blessing to which you otherwise might be entitled will forever be withheld from you.

"You are precious and important to Him. You are precious and important to the Church. You are precious and important to all of us" ("To Single Adults,"Ensign, June 1989, 72).

FHE: Thought for Single Adults / Young Single Adults

There are a tremendous amount of Single Adults in the Stakes and Wards of the Church that have fallen into inactivity. Some have moved to a school or employment far away from home and have wanted to get lost and have succeeded. Some have stayed in the same area that they have grown up in and have made the conscious decision to withdraw from the blessings of the gospel and a ward family. I have learned in my Bishops Trainings that the percentage of YSA that fall away is in the 75 to 85 percent range. As a Bishop, I see some of these members return to activity later, some much later, in life. The thing that breaks my heart is that these young members sometimes don’t realize the huge blessings they are forfeiting. Our Stake President has recently made the comment that “Not one more youth will be lost” in our stake. It is my prayer that the young lost souls will find it in their hearts to at least look into and pray about this important decision to return to a ward family that loves them and wants them to succeed.

Bishop Richard Jay Carpenter

Belgrade 2^nd Ward

Bozeman Montana Stake

Teaching the Gospel lesson 1

The Lord declared: "I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand" (D&C 88:77–78).

In giving this commandment to Church members, the Lord gives a sacred responsibility. This responsibility also provides countless opportunities for meaningful service. Few experiences compare to the joy of helping others learn and live the gospel.

In all efforts to teach the gospel, Jesus Christ is the example. He showed genuine love and concern for people. He strengthened them individually, teaching gospel principles in a way that would help them with their unique needs. He awakened in some the desire to understand and live the gospel. At times He asked questions that would help them apply what they learned. He taught the saving truths of the gospel, helping His hearers understand what they needed to know, do, and be in order to receive the gift of eternal life.

Effective gospel teaching nourishes and uplifts those who are willing to listen. It builds their faith and gives them confidence to meet life's challenges. It encourages them to forsake sin and obey the commandments. It helps them come to Christ and abide in His love.

The most effective teaching occurs by the power of the Spirit, or the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead who manifests "the truth . . . of all things" (Moroni 10:4–5). The Lord said, "The Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach" (D&C 42:14). Only through the influence of the Spirit can gospel teaching be edifying and inspiring.

If Church members prepare spiritually, they will have the privilege of feeling the Holy Ghost teach, testify, and inspire others through them. As the prophet Nephi taught, "When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men" (2 Nephi 33:1).

Spiritual preparation includes praying often, studying the scriptures, living the gospel, and being humble

Mark 16:15

Mark 16:15

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Kendall:thought...vicarious work

“Through Joseph Smith was restored the doctrine of the gospel being preached to the dead in the spirit world to those who did not have a fair chance on earth to hear it (see D&C 128:5–22; see also D&C 138:30–34). This was not the invention of a creative mind; it was the restoration of a biblical truth. Peter had long ago taught, ‘For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit’ (1 Peter 4:6).”

Tad R. Callister, “Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 36

FHE Lesson : Vicarious Work

What comes to mind when you first hear the term vicarious work? Those of us who are Latter-day Saints have heard this term on several if not many occasions within the church. The word vicarious means "performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to be the benefit or advantage of another." This means that one do something for and inbehalf or someone else. When we say vicarious work we do indeed mean "work." The vicarious work that we do is well put by Bruce R. McConkie, "Salvation itself is based on the vicarious atoning sacrifice of Christ. Through his suffering, death, and resurrection, immortality comes to all men and eternal life to those who obey the full gospel law. He acted on man's behalf, that is, vicariously, paying the penalty for our sins on condition of repentance, ransoming us from the effects of Adam's fall. In conformity with this pattern of vicarious service, the gospel law enables worthy members of the Church to act on behalf of their dead ancestors in the performance of the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Baptism is essential to salvation in the celestial kingdom, endowments and sealings to an exaltation therein. The living saints, acting on a proxy basis, perform these ordinances for and in behalf of those who have died and who did not have an opportunity while in this life to receive the ordinances personally."
There will be people who will say, "it is impossible for someone to do a vicarious action." But I would say to them, wasn't Christ's life a perfect example of Vicarious work? We too can and should find ourselves participating in such vicarious ordinances as is the plan of our Heavenly Father because this is the Plan of Salvation. Of this I do testify, Amen.

VICARIOUS WORK --D&C 138: 33

"These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands"

Scripture: Word of Wisdom

D&C 89

A WORD OF WISDOM, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion--

2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days--

3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.

4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation--

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.

8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.

9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man--

11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground--

17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Lesson on the Word of Wisdom

Most of us have grown up in the Church and are well aware of what the word of Wisdom entials. Put simply it is a law of health revealed by the Lord for the spiritual and physical benefit of his children. Heavenly Father loves us more then we can comprehend, and this law is one of the greatest ways that he shows his love by protecting our minds, bodies, and spirits. When the revelation was given to Joseph Smith in 1833, modern medicine had yet to reveal that most of the substances in the word of widsom were even bad for our bodies. For example, it took over a hundred years after the revelaion for the FDA to finally realize that tobacco smoke was terrible for your lungs and could cause cancer and other diseases. How blessed were the Saints back in the day to have such an inspired set of laws to protect them from harm that they otherwise would have been completely unaware of!
We are taught that our bodies are a temple and we therefore need to take care of them. Specifically the word of wisdom states that we are to stay away from "tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, or anything else that is habit-forming, or harmful." And along with that I believe it is also our responsibility to try to eat healthy and exercise as our way of taking care of our bodies as well. Even food can become an addiction and can end up being abused.
So if "to every law is predicated a blessing"- what blessings do we recieve when we do follow the word of wisdown? D&C 89 spells it out for us:
"And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall recieve health in their navel and marrow to their bones; "
"And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;"
"And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint."
"And I the Lord give them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not destroy them."

What a GLORIOUS promise! I testify that these promises are real and that we truly are protected as we stay away from harmful substances. I have loved ones that I have watched struggle for years with addictions and have seen the effects of which break hearts, break lives, and break up families. May we all continue to be wise and prudent with our bodies and truly treat them as a temple of God.