Moroni 7-10

Quotes of the Week:

Try reading the Book of Mormon because you want to, not because you have to.  Discover for yourself that it is true.

--Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 11/03

To gain unshakable faith in Jesus Christ is to flood your life with brilliant light.

--Richard G. Scott,  Ensign, 11/91, 86 

Further Reading:

M. Russell Ballard, “Finding Joy through Loving Service,” April 2011
Steven E. Snow, “Hope,” April 2011
Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Virtue of Kindness,”  Ensign, 5/05
 Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Ministry of Angels,” Ensign, 11/08
Susan Easton Black, “Names for Christ in the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, 7/78, 60-61

Handouts:

Moroni 7:12-19—Light of Christ

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:49-50
The Holy Ghost should not be confused with the Spirit [light of Christ] which fills the immensity of space and which is everywhere present.  This other Spirit is impersonal and has no size, nor dimension; it proceeds forth from the presence of the Father and the Son and is in all things.

Statement of the First Presidency regarding God’s Love for All Mankind, 2/15/1978
The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals. . ..
We believe that God has given and will give to all peoples sufficient knowledge to help them on their way to eternal salvation.

Boyd K. Packer, “To Learn with Joy,”  The Book of Mormon: Jacob through Words of Mormon, 3-4
This knowledge of right and wrong, is called the light of Christ, moral sense, or conscience, it moderates our actions unless, that is, we subdue it or destroy it. . . . It affirms. . . the reality of good and evil, justice, mercy, honor, courage, faith, love, and virtue, as well as their necessary opposites, hatred, greed, brutality, and jealousy.

Robert D. Hales, Ensign, 5/02, 70
Each of us brings a light to the earth—the Light of Christ. . . .
By using the Light of Christ to discern and choose what is right, we can be led to an even greater light:  the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Moroni 7:17—Inspiration

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 1/83, 55-56

The spiritual part of us and the emotional part of us are so closely linked that it is possible to mistake an emotional impulse for something spiritual.  We occasionally find people who receive what they assume to be spiritual promptings from God, when those promptings are either centered in the emotions or are from the adversary.

Moroni 7:29-31—Angels

Bruce C. Hafen, Ensign, 4/92, 16

When do angels come?  If we seek to be worthy, they are near us when we need them most.

Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Ministry of Angels,” Ensign, 11/08
Usually such beings are not seen. Sometimes they are. But seen or unseen they are always near. Sometimes their assignments are very grand and have significance for the whole world. Sometimes the messages are more private. Occasionally the angelic purpose is to warn. But most often it is to comfort, to provide some form of merciful attention, guidance in difficult times. . . .
not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind. . . .
I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself.

Moroni 7:40-44--Hope

Steven E. Snow, “Hope,” April 2011
Hope is an emotion which brings richness to our everyday lives. . . . Hope brings a certain calming influence to our lives as we confidently look forward to future events. . . .
Our hope in the Atonement empowers us with eternal perspective. Such perspective allows us to look beyond the here and now on into the promise of the eternities. We don’t have to be trapped in the narrow confines of society’s fickle expectations. We are free to look forward to celestial glory, sealed to our family and loved ones.

Elder Russell M. Nelson, “A More Excellent Hope,” Ensign, Feb. 1997, 61
 Faith is rooted in Jesus Christ. Hope centers in the Atonement. Charity is manifest in the ‘pure love of Christ.’ These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable and may not always be precisely distinguished. Together they become our tether to the celestial kingdom.

Moroni 7:43-44--Meek

Neal A. Maxwell, “Meekly Drenched in Destiny,” BYU Devotional Speeches 1983, 2
[Meekness] is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness.  It reflects certitude, strength, serenity; it reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control.

Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, 5/93, 64-65
And what of the meek?  In a world too preoccupied with winning through intimidation and seeking to be number one, no large crowd of folk is standing in line to buy books that call for mere meekness.  But the meek shall inherit the earth, a pretty impressive corporate takeover—and done without intimidation! . . .. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that gentleness is better than brutality, that kindness is greater than coercion, that the soft voice turneth away wrath.

Moroni 7:45-47--Charity

M. Russell Ballard, Finding Joy through Loving Service, April 2011

When this pure love of Christ—or charity—envelops us, we think, feel, and act more like Heavenly Father and Jesus would think, feel, and act. Our motivation and heartfelt desire are like unto that of the Savior.

. . . Brothers and sisters, may I reemphasize that the most important attribute of Heavenly Father and of His Beloved Son that we should desire and seek to possess within our lives is the gift of charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). From this gift springs our capacity to love and to serve others as the Savior did.

M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, 11/92, 33

Working together, these three eternal principles will help give us the broad eternal perspective we need to face life’s toughest challenges, including the prophesied ordeals of the last days.  Real faith fosters hope for the future; it allows us to look beyond ourselves and demonstrate the pure love of Christ through daily acts of obedience and Christian service.

Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, 5/92, 19
Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. . . .
Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 11/00, 34
Charity . . . is not an act but a condition or state of being.  Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion.  Charity is something one becomes.

Moroni 9:18-20--Past Feeling

Neal A. Maxwell, A Time to Choose, [1972], 59
When we become too encrusted with error, our spiritual antennae wilt and we slip beyond mortal reach.

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 11/91, 22
This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless. . . .
Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit.

Moroni 10:3-5--The Promise

Henry B. Eyring, “Always,” Ensign, 10/99, 9-10
My message is a plea, a warning, and a promise: I plead with you to do with determination the simple things that will move you forward spiritually.
Start with remembering Him.  You will remember what you know and what you love.  The Savior gave us the scriptures, paid for by prophets at a price we cannot measure, so that we could know Him.  Lose yourself in them.  Decide now to read more, and more effectively than you have ever done before.

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 5/05, 6-8
My experience has been that a testimony does not burst upon us suddenly.  Rather, it grows. .  .
Do not be disappointed if you have read and reread and yet have not received a powerful witness.  You may be somewhat like the disciples spoken of in the Book of Mormon who were filled with the power of God in great glory “and they knew it not” (3 Nephi 9:20).
Do the best you can.

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 5/86, 61
No missionary, no member can fulfill that promise—neither Apostle nor President can fulfill that promise.  It is a promise of direct revelation to you on the conditions described in the book.  After you have read the Book of Mormon, you become qualified to inquire of the Lord, in the way that He prescribes in the book as to whether the book is true.  You will be eligible, on the conditions He has established, to receive that personal revelation.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Be Thou and Example, p. 103-05
If there are miracles among us, certainly one of them is this book. . . . They may discount our theology.  But they cannot in honesty dismiss the Book of Mormon.  It is here.  They can feel it.  They can read it.  They can weigh its substance and its content.  They can witness its influence. . ..
If the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. . ..
If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. . . .
If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world. . ..
If the Book of Mormon is true, then this land is choice above all other lands; but if it is to remain such, the inhabitants of the land must worship the God of the land, the Lord Jesus Christ. . . .
If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. . ..
If this book is true, . .. . [we have a living prophet]. . . .
If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true.

L. Aldin Porter, Ensign, 5/01, 31-32 (emphasis added)
Do not treat lightly this astonishing promise. . . .
It will not be easy reading. There will be roadblocks along the way. Persist. . . . .
After this sacred witness comes, you will see His hand in a thousand things.

Chauncey C. Riddle, The Book of Mormon: It Begins with a  Family, 140

The Spirit teaches us the truth of the gospel.  But it is another thing to learn to live by the Holy Spirit.  The difference is like hearing a violin concert expertly performed and acknowledging its merit, then personally mastering the violin to be able to play as expertly ourselves.

Moroni 10:8-18--Spiritual Gifts

Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, 11/87, 20
Additional gifts of the Spirit are not always evident or noteworthy but the are very important.  Among these may be your gifts—gifts not so evident but nevertheless valuable.
Let us review some of these less-conspicuous gifts: the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; 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.

Gene R. Cook, “Trust in the Lord,” Hope, 1988, 90-91
One of the great processes you go through in life is to discover yourself, to find those gifts and capacities God has given you.  He has given you great talents, the smallest part of which you have just begun to utilize.  Trust the Lord to assist you in unlocking the door to those gifts.  Some of us have created imaginary limits in our minds.  There is literally a genius locked up inside each of us.  Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise.

Virginia H. Pearce, Ensign, 11/92, 91-92
As we concentrate on pleasing the Lord rather than others and continue to work hard, doing the things we don’t know how to do yet, we will experience personal growth. . . . Are you remembering that you have had hands laid on your head—that you have been given a gift?  Use that gift to conquer your fears!

Moroni 10:31—Beautiful Garments

Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 10/83

This is a season for strength. I conclude with these stirring words of Moroni, written as he sealed his record to come forth in the dispensation of the fulness of times:

 (Moro. 10:31–32.)

Put on thy beautiful garments, O daughters of Zion. Live up to the great and magnificent inheritance which the Lord God, your Father in Heaven, has provided for you. Rise above the dust of the world. Know that you are daughters of God, children with a divine birthright. Walk in the sun with your heads high, knowing that you are loved and honored, that you are a part of his kingdom, and that there is for you a great work to be done which cannot be left to others.

God be thanked for the wonderful women of this Church. May he plant in your hearts a sense of pride in your capacities and a conviction of truth which shall be as a rudder to keep you safe through every storm.

A Final Testimony . . .

Christianson and Bassett, Life Lessons from the Book of Mormon, 249-534

What began as an attempt to digest the book ended with my being digested by the power behind the book.  . . . . The Book of Mormon will feed a person only if that person comes to its pages hungry.. . . In my own youth, this book seemed to be lifeless and void of flavor until I prepared myself to sup at its table.  From that moment forward, its pages have fed me in ways I could never have imagined.

Ether 12-Moroni 6

Quotes of the Week:

I thank God for my handicaps; for through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.

--Helen Keller, Light in my Darkness, 134

Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence.  To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality.

 --Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 5/87, 24

Further Reading:

D. Todd Christofferson, “To Always Remember Him,” Ensign, 4/11, 49
L. Tom Perry, “The Sabbath and the Sacrament,” April 2011
Dallin H. Oaks, “Desire,” General Conference, April 2011
W. Cole Durham, “Moroni,” Ensign, 6/78
Jeffrey R. Holland, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” address given at BYU 1/12/88
D. Todd Christofferson, “As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and I Chasten,” April 2011

Handouts:

Ether 12:6 Trial of Your Faith

“Faith and Infertility,” Ensign, 4/11, 27
When someone has an ailment or an illness and they are healed as a result of a blessing, their faith is being strengthened.  But for those who aren’t healed but continue faithful, their faith is being perfected.  The first is a faith-promoting experience.  The second is faith-perfecting.

Henry B. Eyring, To Draw Closer to God, 83-84, 86-87
It is an absolute certainty that you will go through trials of your faith.  For some it will be a physical or perhaps a financial problem.  For others it may not be anything that an outsider would see as a trial.  But the real trial of your faith is not necessarily that moment when disaster obviously strikes you; in fact, you may go through a lifetime with little or almost none of that.  The real trial of your faith is anything that would divert you from doing what God would have you do. . . .
One of the reasons why you will be tried is that opposition is always part of being a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You should expect that great difficulties will come to you in the pursuit of doing what the Lord would have you do.  But you should also feel that these trials are a blessing, because “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). . . .
When you’re enduring what seems to be a trail or a test, when things don’t seem to be going well, you can know that you have a loving Father who is allowing you to have experiences that can bless you.
When you’re experiencing a severe trial, ask yourself this question: “Am I trying to do what the Lord would have me do?” If you’re not, then adjust your course. . . .
I bear you my testimony that the Lord will always prepare a way for you to escape from the trials you will be given if you understand two things.  One is that you need to be on the Lord’s errand.  The second thing you need to understand is that the escape will almost never be OUT of the trial; it will usually be THROUGH it.  If you pray to have the experience removed altogether, you may not find the way prepared for you.  Instead, you need to pray to find the way of deliverance through it. . . .
Now, if your afflictions truly humble you, then you see that you’re in a position to have the Holy Ghost whisper to you—not the way to have your difficulties taken from you, but the way to go through them on your errand for the Lord.  If you will be humble and ask God what to do, I promise you that he will always prepare a way for your deliverance.

Ether 12:27--Weakness

Dallin H. Oaks, “Desire,” General Conference, April 2011
When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and power to act will increase enormously.

Hartman Rector Jr., CR, 4/70, 139-40

Where do you suppose we get these weaknesses? . . .

The Lord tells us the answer to this question very plainly in the Book of Mormon (Ether 12:27). . . . We get them from the Lord; the Lord gives us weaknesses so we will be humble. This makes us teachable. Now don’t misunderstand me—the Lord is not responsible for the sin; he is only responsible for the weakness.  It seems that all men have weaknesses in one form or another, character traits that make one more subject to a particular temptation than another. . . . Giving us weakness, however, is one of the Lord’s ways of getting our attention.  He says this is the means he uses to make us humble, but he also says that if we will come unto him and have faith in him, he will make us strong wherein we are weak.  I know this is the truth.

Howard W. Hunter, CR, 10/90, 20
Obviously, the personal burdens of life vary from person to person, but every one of us has them.  Furthermore, each trial in life is tailored to the individual’s capacities and needs as known by a loving Father in Heaven.

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 11/80, 21
Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely.  Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of old age.  Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity.  Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury.  All are part of the test. And there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect.

Sterling W. Sill, CR, 10/63, 80

The most widespread disease in the world is the inferiority complex.  And when we think inferiority, that is what we get. . . . . One of our most unfortunate weaknesses is that we sometimes think we are under sentence to remain forever as we presently are.  Yet one of the most exciting ideas in life is the possibility of changing ourselves for the better.

Neal A. Maxwell, One More Strain of Praise, 28
This process [of weaknesses being turned to strengths] is painful.  It is unavoidable.  It is repetitive.  It is relentless!

Glenn L. Pace, Ensign, 1/05, 32

What is the difference between [humility and lack of confidence]?

To be humble is to recognize our utter dependence upon the Lord. . . . We are conscious of our weaknesses, but we know the Lord can use those very weaknesses to bless our lives . . .

To lack confidence is to have feelings of low self-worth.  We are preoccupied with our weaknesses, and we lack faith in the Lord’s ability to use those weaknesses for our good.

Ether 12:27-28  Faith

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 11/98, 63

It is not an easy thing, however, to be shown one’s weaknesses, as these are regularly demonstrated by life’s circumstances.  Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness.

Ether 13:2-11 New Jerusalem

Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:103-4

In the day of regeneration, when all things are made new, there will be three great cities that will be holy.  One will be the Jerusalem of old which shall be rebuilt according to the prophecy of Ezekiel.  One will be the city of Zion, or of Enoch, which was taken from the earth when Enoch was translated and which will be restored; and the city of Zion, or New Jerusalem, which is to be built by the seed of Joseph on this the American continent.

Moroni

W. Cole Durham, “Moroni,” Ensign, 6/78
Infused into these lines is all the depth of Moroni’s earthly experience and all the vibrancy of his soul; they reflect the testimony of one who truly saw Christ, and suggest the promise and the glory awaiting all those who accept his challenge.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Heroes from the Book of Mormon, 195-96
Of all the characters who walk the pages of the Book of Mormon, none stands a greater hero, save Jesus only, than does Moroni, son of Mormon. . . .
Who can sense the depth of his pain, the poignant loneliness that constantly overshadowed him as he moved about, a fugitive relentlessly hunted by his enemies?  For how long he actually was alone we do not know, but the record would indicate that it was for a considerable period.  His conversation was prayer to the Lord.  His companion was the Holy Spirit.  There were occasions when the Three Nephites ministered to him.  But with all this, there is an element of terrible tragedy in the life of this man who became a lonely wanderer.

Moroni 2-5 Ordinances

Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, 11/85, 82
Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel will neither redeem nor exalt mankind; covenants and the ordinances are essential.

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 5/01, 84
No combination of science, success, property, pride, prominence or power can provide [the eternal blessings secured by covenants and ordinances].

Moroni 4-5 The Sacrament

Discourses of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1:396
Do you know that when the priest who is at the sacrament table pronounces that prayer which was given by revelation, he places all of the congregation under covenant with the Lord?  That is so very, very important. Think of the meaning of the sacrament every time you partake of the sacrament, and be true—true to the faith.

Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p. 287-88

Brigham Young declared, “The Lord has planted within us a divinity; and that divine immortal spirit requires to be fed. . . . That divinity within us needs food from the Fountain from which it emanated.”

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 5/85, 80

. . . A follower of Christ is obligated to serve him. . . . By witnessing our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, we signify our willingness to do the work of his kingdom.

Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 172

It is one of the greatest blessings we could enjoy, to come before the Lord, and before the angels, and before each other, to witness that we remember that the Lord Jesus Christ died for us.

L. Tom Perry, “The Sabbath and the Sacrament,” April 2011 General Conference

Partaking of the sacrament is the center of our Sabbath day observance.

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p. 283

One of the invitations inherent in the sacramental ordinance is that it be a truly spiritual experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.

James E. Talmage, as cited by Jeffrey R. Holland, “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments,” 1/12/88, p. 12

“It is peculiar to the theology of the Latter-day Saints that we regard the body as an essential part of the soul.  Read your dictionaries, the lexicons, and encyclopedias, and you will find that nowhere, outside of the Church of Jesus Christ, is the solemn and eternal truth taught that the soul of man is the body and the spirit combined.”

Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, 4:60

We eat in remembrance—in remembrance of that Paschal hour, in remembrance of Gethsemane, of Calvary, of an open tomb.

Moroni 6:4 Converts

Gordon B. Hinckley, Regional Representatives’ Seminar, 4/3/87
The greatest tragedy in the Church . . . is the loss of those who join the Church and then fall away.  With very few exceptions it need not happen

Discourses of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1:116

With ever-increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way.  Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God.” It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things.

. . . I ask each of you to please help in this undertaking.  Your friendly ways are needed.  Your sense of responsibility is needed.  The Savior of all mankind left the ninety and nine to find the one lost.  That one who was lost need not have become lost.  But if he is out there somewhere in the shadows, and if it means leaving the ninety and nine, we must do so to find him. . . In my view nothing is of greater importance.

Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 5/82, 37
Church members did not become inactive while crossing the plains, when the sense of belonging and being needed was so profound.

Ben B. Banks, Ensign, 11/99, 10
Most active members believe that less-active members behave differently because they don’t believe the Church’s doctrine. A study by the Church’s Research Information Division does not support this assumption. It shows that almost all less-active members interviewed believe that God exists, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Church is true.

As part of another study, a group of active members who previously had been less active were asked why they did not attend church. The most common reasons given were:

•  Feelings of unworthiness.
• Personal or family problems.
• Parents or spouse were less active.
• Teenage rebelliousness or laziness.
• Conflicts with work schedules.
• Church too far away, lacked transportation.

They were then asked what had influenced them to return to activity in the Church. The most common answers were:

• Faced with crisis in life.
• Overcame personal problems.
• The example of a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend.
• Influence of family members.
• Wanted the gospel influence for family.
• Fellowshipping from ward members, moved to a new ward where people cared about them.

Moroni 6:5 Meeting Together

Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, 5/05, 28
The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings.  The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.

Moroni 6:7-8  Church Courts

Ronald E. Poelman, Ensign, 11/93, 85

Church discipline . . . is not for the purpose of punishment only, but is intended to heal and renew.

James E. Faust, Ensign, 11/93, 36

Church discipline is not limited to sexual sins but includes other acts such as murder, abortions, burglary, theft, fraud, and other dishonesty, deliberate disobedience to the rules and regulations of the Church, advocating or practicing polygamy, apostasy, or any other unchristianlike conduct, including defiance or ridicule of the Lord’s anointed, contrary to the law of the Lord and the order of the Church. . . .

Among the activities considered apostate to the Church include when members “(1) repeatedly act in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the Church or its leaders; (2) persist in teaching as Church doctrine information that is not Church doctrine after being corrected by their bishops or higher authority; or (3) continue to follow the teachings of apostate cults (such as those that advocate plural marriage) after being corrected by their bishops or higher authority” (General Handbook of Instructions, 1989, p. 10-3).

Book of Mormon Student Manual Religion 121 and 122, 1989, 144

Church courts and the policies that govern these courts serve three general purposes:  to protect the sacred name of the Church, to clear the name of the innocent who are falsely accused  and to provide an opportunity for the guilty to repent.

Moroni 6:9 Church Meetings

Ulisses Soares, Ensign, 11/05, 98
The gospel of Jesus Christ is about people, not programs.  Sometimes, in the haste of fulfilling our Church responsibilities, we spend too much time concentrating on programs, instead of focusing on people, and end up taking their real needs for granted. When things like that happen, we lose the perspective of our callings, neglect people, and prevent them from reaching   their divine potential to gain eternal life.

Ether 1-11

Quotes of the Week:

I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work.

--Gordon B. Hinckley, as quoted by Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, 11/97, 16

Even the good can become careless without the Lord’s being there to chasten.

--Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, 11/87, 31

Further Reading:

Henry B. Eyring, "The Brother of Jared: An Expert at Learning," Ensign, 7/78
Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, chapter 2

Handouts:

Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 361
The book of Ether covers over 1700 years of history from 2200 BC down to the time of Coriantumr.  We don’t know exactly when Coriantumr lived, but it was somewhere between 500 and 250 BC.

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 487
Moroni says that he had not written the hundredth part of the record, and as it is we have 15 chapters or about 31 ½ printed pages.

Ether 1:34-35--Brother of Jared
Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 362
“While residing in Kirtland Elder Reynolds Cahoon had a son born to him.  One day when President Joseph Smith was passing his door he called the Prophet in and asked him to bless and name the baby.  Joseph did so and gave the boy the name of Mahonri Moriancumer.  When he had finished the blessing he laid the child on the bed, and turning to Elder Cahoon he said, the name I have given your son is the name of the brother of Jared; the Lord has just shown [or revealed] it to me.

 Ether 1:43--Prayer

Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 363
Joseph Smith taught, Come to God, weary him until he blesses you.

Marvin J. Ashton, “Personal Prayer,” Prayer, p. 77
If a contrite spirit and a broken heart are united with faith unwavering, our prayers, no matter how simple the words, will be significant.

Neal A. Maxwell, “What Should We Pray For?” Prayer, p. 45
There is a lack of realization on our part that we can actually be guided in terms of what we should pray for.  We tend to pour out petitions without letting inspiration pour in. God can truly prompt us in our prayers to ask for that which is right to not ask amiss.  God can educate our desires. . . . We too often pray in generalities rather than specifics.  A vague prayer is hardly a prayer at all.

Spencer W. Kimbaal, “Prayer,” New Era, 3/78, 17
Do you get answers to your prayers?  If not, perhaps you did not pay the price.  Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord?  Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly?  Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation?  When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? . . . Should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our lives for a reason.
 

Ether 2:7-9, 12,15—Conditional Land of Promise

J. Reuben Clark, Stand Fast by Our Constitution, 176
From that day until now, the price of the promised blessing has always been, and will ever be, the serving of Jesus Christ, the God of this land.  There is no other way to get the blessing nor to escape the judgment.  This fact must never be forgotten.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:321-22
These passages of scripture from the Book of Mormon are true:  Ether 2:7-12 this nation is not exempt, and the people, if they continue to pursue the course of evil and ungodliness that they are now treading, shall eventually be punished.  If they continue to disregard the warning voice of the Lord, deny their Redeemer. . . . The judgments of the Lord will come upon this land, and this nation will not be saved; we will not be spared from war, from famine, from pestilence and finally from destruction, as a nation.

Discourses of President Gordon B. Hinckley, 2:523-24
I hope that there is not a day that passes that you and I, every one of us, does not get on our knees and pray for this land of which we are a part and those who preside here, that they may be guided and blessed to do that which the Lord would have done.

Ether  2:14—Rebuked

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p. 15
It is difficult to imagine what a three-hour rebuke from the Lord might be like, but the brother of Jared endured it.  With immediate repentance and prayer, this prophet again sought guidance for the journey they had been assigned and those who were to pursue it.  God accepted his repentance and lovingly gave further direction for their crucial mission.

Henry B. Eyring, “The Brother of Jared: An Expert at Learning,” Ensign, 7/78, 62
The numbers in that sad account are keys to the brother of Jared’s problem and to the Master’s solution: four years and three hours. The brother of Jared, and his caravan of people and animals, had been stopped four years in a journey they knew was to take them over many waters to a promised land. And the Master took not a minute, not five minutes, but three hours of His time to rebuke inattention. What do those four years and three hours show us about barriers and gateways to learning? . . .
How could Moriancumer—a man able to accept his brother’s counsel, a man blessed by the Master’s personal attention for his mighty prayer, a man strong enough to lead people and flocks of every kind across trackless wastes and seas and finally reach the edge of the great ocean—how could he pitch his tent and, four years later, be chastened for forgetting the Lord? . . .
If we will open ourselves to learning, as the brother of Jared did, we can someday share the record of his spiritual blessings. The story seems to suggest that the main barrier to such blessings is our inability to feel the danger we are in if we do not receive spiritual counsel—if we forget to call on the Lord. The story also aptly illustrates the main gateway to these blessings, which is faith. Clearly shown in the time and care which the Master lavished on rebuking and teaching Moriancumer is the lesson that mighty prayer is heard and answered. . . .
Since few of us will have spectacular manifestations as the brother of Jared did, we might well add to that frequent picture of Moriancumer that pops into our minds (the blinding light from the stones on a mountaintop) the quiet scene of four years by a lovely seaside and the image of a three-hour interview. The tents by the sea could remind us that our dependence and gratitude must be unending, not just when we are in the “trackless wastes” or buried in some raging spiritual ocean. And a three-hour interview, longer than we may ever give our child or brother or husband or wife, could remind us of the availability, the patience, and the love of our Teacher. And with that sense of need and with that faith in God’s availability, we will have learned a crucial lesson from the brother of Jared, a master learner.

Ether 2:19-3:6--The Stones

Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, 243-44
This is the principle in action. If you want the blessing, don’t just kneel down and pray about it.  Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to make yourselves worthy to receive the blessing you seek.

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 16-17
Things.  The Brother of Jared hardly knew what to call them.  Rocks undoubtedly did not sound very inspiring.  Here, standing next to the Lord’s magnificent handiwork, the impeccably designed and marvelously unique seagoing barges, the Brother of Jared offered for his contribution rocks.  As he eyed the sleek ships the Lord had provided, it was a moment of genuine humility.
For all of his self-abasement, the faith of the Brother of Jared was immediately apparent—in fact, we might better say transparent in light of the purpose for which the stones would be used.  Obviously, Jehovah found something striking in the childlike innocence and fervor of this man’s faith.  “Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this.”  In a sense there may be no more powerful expression of faith spoken in scripture.  It is almost as if the brother of Jared was encouraging God, emboldening him, reassuring him.  However uncertain the prophet was about his own ability, he had no uncertainty about God’s power.  This was nothing but a single, assertive declaration with no hint of vacillation. It was encouragement to him who needs no encouragement but who surely must have been touched by it. 
What happened next ranks among the greatest moments in recorded history, surely among the greatest moments in recorded faith.  It established the brother of Jared among the greatest of God’s prophets forever.

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 18-19
Preparatory faith is formed by experiences in the past—by the known, which provides a basis for belief.  But redemptive faith must often be exercised toward experiences in the future—the unknown, which provides an opportunity for the miraculous.  Exacting faith, mountain-moving faith, faith like that of the brother of Jared, precedes the miracle and the knowledge.  He had to believe before God spoke.  He had to act before the ability to complete the action was apparent.  He had to commit to the complete experience in advance of even the first segment of its realization.  Faith is to agree unconditionally—and in advance—to whatever conditions God may require in both the near and distant future.

Ether 4:15—Rend the veil of unbelief

 Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 29
The Book of Mormon is predicated on the willingness of men and women to “rend that veil of unbelief” in order to behold the revelations—and the Revelation—of God.  The brother of Jared may not have had great belief in himself, but his belief in God was unprecedented.  In that there is hope for us all.  His faith was without doubt or limit.
From the moment of that utterance, the brother of Jared and the reader of the Book of Mormon would never again be the same.  Once and for all it was declared that ordinary people with ordinary challenges could rend the veil of unbelief and enter the realms of eternity.  And Christ, who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem his people, would stand in all his glory at the edge of that veil, ready to receive the believers and show them “how great things the Father had laid up” for them at the end of faith’s journey.

Ether 3:14--Light/Life

Robert J. Matthews, The Book of Mormon: From Zion to Destruction, 25
In all editions of the Book of Mormon from 1830, the Lord said in Ether 3:14, “In me shall all mankind have light and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name” . . . . However, since 1981 the word light  has been replaced with the word life. . . . .
The change of wording from light to life was brought about in the following manner.  During the preparation of the 1981 edition, it was brought tot the attention of the Brethren that even though all printed editions of the Book of Mormon to this time had read light, the printer’s manuscript, from which the type was set for the first edition of the Book of Mormon, clearly said life. The Scriptures Publications Committee, consisting of three members of the Twelve, unanimously agreed that life was a stronger word than light, and since the manuscript read life, the correction should be made.  An examination of the context also justified this correction, for they who believe will become the sons and daughters of Christ.  They are thus spiritually begotten by him and are given eternal life, which includes having eternal light, but is far, far greater.

Ether 3:15—“Never Have I Showed Myself unto Man”

Kent Jackson, Studies in Scripture, 252-54
It seems from the scriptures that with one exception, in all the recorded manifestations of Jehovah prior to his birth in the flesh, he appeared in his role as God the Father, speaking the words of the Father.  The exception is this appearance to the brother of Jared in Ether 3. . .
It appears that the uniqueness of this situation, brought about because of Mahonri Moriancumer’s unparalleled faith, was the fact that Jehovah appeared to him in his role as Jesus—whereas to others he had shown himself as the Father. . . .  Nowhere else in the scriptures do we have an example of Jehovah appearing in his role as Jesus until his coming in the flesh.

Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p. 21-23
A final explanation . . . is that Christ was saying to the brother of Jared, “Never have I showed myself unto man in this manner, without my volition, driven solely by the faith of the beholder.” As a rule, prophets are invited into the presence of the Lord, are bidden to enter his presence by him and only with his sanction. The brother of Jared, on the other hand, seems to have thrust himself through the veil, not as an unwelcome guest but perhaps technically as an uninvited one.  . . . Obviously the Lord himself was linking unprecedented faith with this unprecedented vision.  If the vision itself was not unique, then it had to be the faith and how the vision was obtained that was so unparalleled.  The only way that faith could be so remarkable was its ability to take the prophet, uninvited, where others had been able to go only with God’s bidding.

Ether 3:14-15—Jesus as Creator

Selected Writings of Gerald N. Lund, p. 161
Someone calculated that if we took the distance from the earth to the sun, which is 93 million miles, and reduced that in scale down to where it was the thickness of a single sheet of paper, the distance from our earth to the nearest star would be a stack of paper 71 feet high!  On that same scale, the diameter of the Milky Way, our own galaxy, would be a stack of paper 310 miles high.  And if we carried that same scale on to the edge of the known universe, we would have a stack of paper 31 million miles high—a stack of paper that would stretch from the earth nearly one third of the way to the sun.
When we consider the incredible vastness of the numbers of creations, all of which were completed under the direction of the Father by the Only Begotten, we begin to sense the position, the majesty, and the power that were his before his coming to earth.

K Douglas Bassett, The Barber’s Song, 37-38
[The] body is a wonderful, personal gift from their Heavenly Father—custom made by the Master.  Within its less-than-perfect features and functions will be the divine lessons that will connect each child to our Father in Heaven.  Can’t all of us bear witness that life’s greatest personal lessons have come not only through the body but also because of the very body we are wearing?   Is this not perfect proof of the divine tutoring of our God through his great gift of a body, designed individually for each of us?
The body, then, becomes a type of classroom in which the Lord tutors us individually, giving us celestial lessons through the classroom we will wear from the moment we are born until the day we die.  This individual tutoring is one of the reasons that the Lord can promise each of us that we will not be tested more than we can withstand.

Ether 4:4; 5;1--Sealed portion of Book of Mormon

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 494-95
It is not absolutely clear what portion of the plates of Mormon was sealed. Joseph Smith simply said, “ The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed.” . . .
[When will the sealed record be revealed?] it is not clear . . . However, some of the prior conditions that must exist are enumerated.  For example, the Lord said that before the record is revealed the people must exercise faith in him “even as the brother of Jared did.”(Ether 4:7) Also, . . . the people must “become sanctified” in him.

Ether 5—Three Witnesses

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 5/99, 37
[The testimony of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon] stands uncontradicted by any other witnesses.  Reject it one may, but how does one explain three men of good character uniting and persisting in this published testimony to the end of their lives in the face of great ridicule and other personal disadvantage?  Like the Book of Mormon itself, there is no better explanation than is given in the testimony itself,  the solemn statement of good and honest men who told what they saw.

Ether 6:3—Light

Ardeth G. Kapp, The Joy of the Journey, 69
You have the light within.  You can shine in darkness.  You can light up the world.  You can help dispel the darkness.  You can make a difference.

Ether 7:23-27--Prophetic Warning

Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, 11/98, 32
Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger.  That call to warn is made harder and more important by the fact that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don’t yet think are real.

Ether 8:25-26--Satan

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 214
The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.

Ether 9:19--Animals

Unlocking the Book of Mormon, p. 503
These animals were unknown either to the Nephites or to us (probably both), according to Hugh Nibley, so their names could not be translated. Nibley also said that elephants became extinct in Asia sometime between 1500 and 500 BC, as they did likewise in the Americas.

Ether 9:28-31--Natural Disasters

Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 55
We believe that these severe, natural calamities are visited upon men by the Lord for the good of his children, to quicken their devotion to others, and to bring out their better natures, that they may love and serve him.

General Conference Recap, April 2011

Quote of the Week:

The counsel you have heard is . . . the will of the Lord, the word of the Lord, the voice of the Lord, the power of God unto salvation. Jeffrey R. Holland

Other Quotes:
Kindness is the essence of greatness. It is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends. Joseph B. Wirthlin

Desires dictate our priorities. Priorities shape our choices. Choices determine our actions. Dallin H. Oaks

We must and we can resist temptation of any kind. Boyd K. Packer

If you hold Family Home Evening, in spite of the bedlam in a houseful of bedlamites, give yourself high marks.  Jeffrey R. Holland

Look, I'm the gardener here.  I know what I want you to do.  Hugh B. Brown

Apparently, the Gospel is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Harold B. Lee.

Anyone who thinks Jesus taught “no-fault theology” didn’t read the fine print in the contract. Jeffrey R. Holland