www.kevinhinckley.com
How be it that ye have
not written this thing?
Lou’s Baby tales
When Lou was little, his mother
asked what he had
learned in
Primary.
“Well, Mom,” he replied, “our
teacher told us how God
sent Moses behind enemy
lines
on a rescue
mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to
the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon
bridge, and all the people walked across safely. Then he
used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an
air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and
all the Israelites were saved.”
"Now, Louis, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?"
his mother asked.
"Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd
never believe it!"
Lesson One: Joseph Smith’s
Gospel Doctrine Class
Trivia question:
What scripture did the
Prophet Joseph Smith
quote more than any
other?
Malachi 4: 5,6
Different Layers of Meaning
3 Nephi 25: 5,6
D&C 2
D&C 98: 16,17
5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the coming of
the great and dreadful day of the
LORD:
1And
Behold,
I will
reveal
unto
you
6
he shall
turn
the heart
of the
16
Therefore,
renounce
war and
Priesthood
, by
the
hand
Elijah
the
fathers
to
the
children,
and
the
proclaim
peace,
and
seekof
diligently
the
prophet,
before
the
coming of
heart
ofthe
thehearts
children
to their
to
turn
of the
children
to
the great
and
dreadful
day
of
the
fathers,
lest
I and
come
and
smite
their
fathers,
the
hearts
ofthe
the
Lord.with
earth
a curse.
fathers
to the
children;
2 And
shall
plant
in the
hearts
17
And he
again,
the
hearts
of the
of the
children
the promises
made
Jews
unto
the prophets,
and the
to the fathers
, and
the ;hearts
prophets
unto the
Jews
lest I of
the children
shall
to their
come
and smite
theturn
whole
earth
fathers.
with
a curse, and all flesh be
3 If to
it were
not so,
the
whole earth
Now- why was this quoted
Joseph,
by
Moroni,
consumed
before
me.
would be
wasted at his
while revealing the location
ofutterly
the plates?
coming.
The Title Page of the Book of
Mormon
“Which is to show unto the
remnant of the House of
Israel (the children) what
great things the Lord hath
done for their fathers;
…and that they (the
children) are not cast off
forever.”
Question:
So, for the Children of Israel
(Jews, “remnants”, and
adoptees), what
additional spirit attends
the Book of Mormon and
touches their hearts?
The Spirit of
Elijah
Lesson 2:
The Savior as Editor
in Chief…
And now it came to pass that when Jesus
had said these words he said unto them
again, … Behold, other scriptures I would
that ye should write, that ye have not.
And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye
have kept.
And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he
cast his eyes upon them and said:
Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he
should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify
his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the
dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he
said unto them: Was it not so?
And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy
according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.
And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that
many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?
Sobering Thought
Prophet Joseph Smith:
"if I now had in my possession, every decision
which had been had upon important
items of
doctrine and duties since the
commencement of
this work, I would not part with
them for any sum
of money.
But this has been neglected,
and now we cannot bear record to the Church and to the world, of the
great and glorious manifestations which have been made to us with
that degree of power and authority we otherwise could, if we now had
these things to publish abroad….
Perhaps, for neglecting to write these things when God had revealed
them, not esteeming them of sufficient worth, the Spirit may withdraw,
and God may be angry; and there is, or was, a vast knowledge, of
infinite importance, which is now lost
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 72-73).
Brigham Young
How many thousands have been
miraculously healed in this Church
and yet no one has recorded the
circumstances. Is this right? Should
the miraculous manifestations of the
power of God be forgotten and pass
into oblivion?
Should the knowledge of these things slumber in the hearts of
those who witnessed them, and extend no further than their
verbal reports will carry them? . . . We should keep a record
because Jesus commanded it. We should keep a record
because the same will benefit us and the generations of
our children after us.
We should keep a journal because it will furnish many
important items for the general history of the Church which
would otherwise be lost. (Millennial Star: 11:153)
President Hinckley
"And perhaps, out of all we
have heard, there may be a
phrase or a paragraph that
will stand out and possess
our attention. If this occurs, I hope we will
write it down and reflect on it until we
savor the depth of its meaning and have
made it a part of our own lives"
Oct 2000 Conference
Questions:
Has the Lord done great and marvelous works for
you and your family?
Has He answered your prayers, letting
you know that He knows and loves
you?
Have you written those things
down, that your children may
know “what great things the
Lord hath done for their fathers;
and that they may know the
covenants of the Lord”? (title
page, BoM)