Parables of Christ: Eternal Truths

This week in institute I have had the opportunity to study and learn from 5 Parables in the New Testament in Luke.  I think that Parable that stood out to me most was the Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus and how we treat others especially those who ask for our help.  The picture I attached really made this parable come alive to our time, and we all had interactions with "Lazarus" of our own.   I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from these Parable and have the opportunity of hear their message and listen to the Spirit as it tries to teach me.

Here is what I learned this week:

Luke 16:1-12 the Parable of the Unjust Steward

 We need to be honest in our daily dealings with fellow men whether it is in the workplace, home or church.  We must worry more about our inheritance in heaven than the riches on earth.  How can the Lord trust us with his greatest gift if we can not be trustworthy in our trial period?

Luke 16:19-31 Lazarus and the Rich Man

We need to serve the Lord in this world, and forgo the worldly treasures.  Those who are obedient will inherit the kingdom of heaven, and those like the rich man who treats others unrighteous will long to be in the celestial kingdom.  The rich man also begged that his family be warned of what he was experiencing after death, and he was told that they had been warned by the prophets.  We must learn and listen hear, because this is the Lord warning us.

Luke17:11-19 Healing of Ten Lepers

 We need to have faith that when we ask for a blessing that it will be given unto us.  We also need to be humble “fell down on his face at his feet” and have gratitude.  We need to thank our Heavenly Father for all the blessings that he grants us each day, and he will continue to make us whole.

Luke 18:1-8 the Parable of the Unjust Judge

We must pray continually, even if our prayers are not answered quickly and may take a long time. 

  

Luke 18:9-14   the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

We need to pray in humility, not for show, not for the content of the wordiness of our prayers, but with the humility of our souls.  We do not pray for the world to see (as the Pharisee) but for Heavenly Father to hear. 

“The Lord Appointed Other Seventy Also"

. “The Lord Appointed Other Seventy Also”

1. Review Luke 10:1–24. Based on these verses, write a summary of the Lord’s counsel and instructions He gave the seventy.

The Lord told the choosen Seventy that the potential for the followers was great and there were few members and missionaries to spread the gospel.  He told them to go forth and spread the gospel to every city and place, but that they may experience danger, they would not be given money, nor shoes.  They were also told not to delay getting started on His work. He told them to let the Spirit guide them on which house to visit, and teach of the true gospel of Christ. They were instructed not to be prideful because they were given the opportunity to know the gospel.  

2. Articles of Faith 1:6 states, “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church.” Using the principles taught from Luke 10:1–2, 8–9, 17–20, write a paragraph that supports this Article of Faith.

Primitive Church	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Lord Called the Seventy	Lord Called the Quorum of the Seventy
Missionary Work	Missionaries Called
Authority over enemy (Satan)	Priesthood

The same structure and commandments given to the Seventy in the New Testament is the same structure in the Church today.   The Lord is unchanging and so is his church.

3. Go to the Church’s scripture website and read the topic of “Seventy” in the Guide to the Scriptures. Describe in one or two sentences how the scriptures show the existence of this office in the priesthood.

SEVENTY

An office to which men are ordained in the Melchizedek Priesthood. Today, the quorums of Seventy are General Authorities of the Church who are given the apostolic authority but are not ordained Apostles. They devote their full time to the ministry.

The Lord appointed other seventy:Luke 10:1;

. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-04-24-seventies-interviews-part-1?lang=eng

Matthew Chapter 18: Become as Little Children

BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN

1.    Review Matthew 18:3–4 and Doctrine and Covenants 78:17–18. Explain in writing the ways we are like little children. In these verses, how does the Lord ​say He will help us?

D&C 78:17-18

 17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

 18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

Matthew 18:3-4

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

When I think of a little child, I think of my four beautiful children that I have been so blessed to teach and raise in the gospel.  When I teach them of the gospel they open their eyes, hearts, and minds to all that I teach, and they know of the truthfulness that the gospel tells us from the very first time they hear it.  I think this is what the Lord is trying to tell us, that we need to have complete faith and trust in all his commandments that it is for our eternal happiness.   I found this quote from a conference talk by Neil L. Andersen that explains it much better than I can:

“We need the believing heart of a child. Through the power of His Atonement, we are to become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.”  This is the mighty change of heart. “

-Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

2.    Read Mosiah 3:19 and list the ways in which we are to become as little children.

Mosiah 3:19 

 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child,submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

We become like a little child by putting off the natural man, taking advantage of the Atonement in our lifes, be submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit all things that the Lord desires. 

Christ Feeds the Multitudes

This week we studied many stories of Christ and his teachings to the Disciples.  But I had the chance to read and review one of my favorite bible stories as a child.  I hope you find what I found out to be interesting.  Side note:  Ether 12:27 is my favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon and I had the opportunity to apply and ponder it relevance as well. 

I hope you enjoy. 

Topic Choices (Choose One)

Choice 1: Matthew 14:14–21; 15:32–38. The Feeding of the Multitudes

1. The Savior provided two similar miracles. As a summary of what took place, complete the following chart:

	Matthew 14:14-21	Matthew 15:32-38
How many people were present?	5000	4000 men, besides women and children
What did they need?	To eat	Needed to eat after following the Savior for 3 days without eating. -
What were they able to offer in an effort to meet that need?	5 loaves 2 fish, themselves to follow Christ.  There need for spiritual nourishment and healing.	Seven loaves and a few fishes.
What words or phrases describe the Savior’s feeling toward the multitudes in their time of need?	He wanted them to stay close and listen to come “hither”	He did not want to leave them hungry or faint on their journeys home.
What words or phrases describe what the Savior was able to provide for the multitudes?	5 loaves and 2 fishes and brake and gave them to the disciples and they gave them unto the multitude.	7 loaves and a few fish and brake and gave them to the disciples and they gave them unto the multitude.

2. In each story, the available food was insufficient to feed the multitude, yet with the help of the Lord the insufficiency was overcome. Read Romans 3:23 and explain in writing another way human effort is insufficient in receiving the glory of God. According to Ether 12:27, how does the Lord help us overcome this insufficiency?

Romans 3:23

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Without the atonement glory can not be ours, we all have sinned and must repent and accept the gospel.  We will always be shot in glory with out the help of God.

Ether 12:27

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

If we can find humility in ourselves and ask the Lord our weakness (sin) his grace (atonement) and our faith in Him we will be made strong and new by the promise of repentance and forgivenss.

https://www.lds.org/friend/online-activities/videos/scripture-stories/new-testament/28-jesus-feeds-5000-people?&lang=eng

The Parables Of Christ

What is a Parable?

The Bible dictionary defines a parable as follows:

A parable was to veil the meaning. The parable conveys to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story. It reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Only he who seek finds.

Parable is a Greek word meaning setting side by side or comparison. In parables divine truth is presented by comparison with material things.

There is a difference between interpretation of a parable and the application of a parable.

Consider context and setting. The persons, to whom it is addressed, all give a clue to the right interpretation.

The Parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30)

24 ¶Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: (A man who is faithful and obedient)

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
(Satan and Worldliness)

26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
(We have the righteous and unrighteous member in our wards in the Church. But also all of us have some "tares" in our own lives. We need to be wise to recognize them and weed them out.)

30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

(We can gather the "tares" in our lives and "burn" or take them out and for doing this we will be gathered up in the wheat (righteousness) and be taken to his barn (kingdom of God).

What are the tares in your life?


We also read this week about the Parable of the mustard seed and the leaven (Matthew 13:31-33), Parable of the gospel net (Matthew 13:47-50), and the Parable of the treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46)


This week in our assignment we were given an assignment to match up which one of the Parable's that would answer the following questions. Here are the questions with my answers. If you do not agree post your comments.

1. What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

----The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven

2. Why does the Church send out so many missionaries?

----The Parable of the gospel net

3. How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church, considering that it is fairly new compared to most world religions and started small in the American frontier?
----The Parable of the Gospel Net

4. Why are some members of the Church willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and reconition in order to maintain membership in the Church?
----The Parable of the treasure and the pearl of great price

5. Why do some Church member chose to leave the Church?
----Parable of the Tares

Parable of the Treasures and the Pearl of Great Price

44 ¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

 45 ¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

What sacrifices would you be willing to make to obtain the tresure of the gospel?

I sacrificed the possiblity of loosing my family.  I told my parents 10 years ago this July that I wanted to be baptized and become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The possiblity of loosing my family held me back from joining the church many years prior.  But I could not deny the promptings of the Spirit and the Truthfullness of the gospel.  I have found the pearl and I will never let go.  This was the hardest,but the best life altering decision of my life.  Because of this decision I have been blessed with a worthy Priesthood holding husband and 4 amazing children in a short 10 years of my conversion. 

Parable of the gospel net (Matthew 13:47-50)

47 ¶Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The gathering of every kind is the missionary work that is taking place throughout the world.  The missionaries will gather all kinds of converts and all will be given the chance to repent and come unto Christ.  Some will be sincere followers and other will not, some may even reject the message.  All will be given a chance, but there will be a day of judgement. 

Thanks for taking the time to look at the Parable's of Christ with me, and hope you learned a little and I hope you will teach me a little as well with your comments. 

The Miracles of Christ

The Miracles of Christ

This week as we have been studying the New Testament, I had the opportunity to study the
miracles of Christ. Below you will find a chart telling you about what I learned.

As I read these scriptures we learn about how Christ healed physical impairments, but I think that the real healing was that of their spiritual infirmities. He shows us that he can heal physical, spiritual, and even temporal needs. This is a great reminder that we can turn to the Lord in all and any of our problems that we face.

The baptism of Jesus Christ

This week in institute we are learning about John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus Christ. What an amazing man John was and how humble. He was the one who shut the door on the old law and opened the way for the new law or for the teachings of Jesus Christ. Being raised Catholic we were taught that the Godhead were all one and this never felt right to me, and after studying Matthew this week I love the clarification that the Godhead is 3 separate personages.

1. Why was John Hesitant to baptize Jesus?

John was hesitant to baptize Jesus because he was perfect, and John felt like it should be he that asked Jesus to baptize him and not the other way around.

2. What is taught her about the Holy Ghost?

We all receive the Holy Ghost to be our companion or gift following the covenant of Baptism.

3. Jesus Christ said He must be baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” List three reasons why Jesus Christ was baptized.

 To do the will of the Father and show obedience to the His commandments
 To be an example
 To receive the constant companionship or be full of the Holy Ghost.

What evidence is found in Matthew 3:16-17 that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate personages in the Godhead?

Two examples were given that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are separate personages. The first being that the Holy Ghost descended as a personage “like a dove” following the baptism of Jesus Christ, and also the Father proclaimed “ This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” All three were at the place, all at the same time, therefore they cannot be one in the same.