Enter to learn, go forth to SERVE!

Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

This verse reminded me of a quote one of my teachers said that I really liked. He said on the sign for BYU it says "Enter to learn, go forth to serve" NOT "Enter to learn, go forth to earn!" I think often we get caught up in thinking about our future jobs and incomes that we forget why we really are here at the Lord's University. BYU is here so we can go out and be of service to the world and I think all too often we dismiss this important reality.

Lord, what wilt thou have me do?

"Paul's expression, 'Lord, What wilt thou have me do?', followed by righteous action produced a change of heart and created the foundation for the life of one of the greatest missionaries."

THE
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES CHAPTER 9

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Paul's character is reflected in Chapter 9 of Acts. He seems to have been a man that was very driven and dedicated to what he felt was right. Before his "change of heart experience" he was dedicated to the cause of the law of the pharisees. He lived the Law of Moses in the way he deemed correct. He was however persecuting the Saints and performing acts that caused him need of future retribution and repentance.

When on the road to Damascus the errors of his ways were thrown before him. He responded, as we must continually respond; "Lord, what wilt thou have me do?" His statement of willingness did not end at that moment... it was reflected time and time again in his faithful service as a missionary.If we too continually seek to have a change of heart we must make sure are statements are followed by faithful action. Paul's expression, 'Lord, What wilt thou have me do?', followed by righteous action produced a change of heart and created the foundation for the life of one of the greatest missionaries.

The Power of God Is Pure

The power of God is pure and unobtainable through the world.

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

When Simon, a man that had been a successful sorcerer, had repented and been baptized. He was a powerful man among the people and wanted to have the very same power that the apostles had. Now he either wanted the power to do good, or it was for evils sack. Which ever the reason it was I learn a good lesson on why one has the priesthood and how it should be obtained.
It makes no deference who you are or how much money you have obtained in this life. It only matters how much you want to serve the Lord. Only when you are willing to serve others for God’s sack are you ready to receive and use his priesthood.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."

In Acts chapter 20 verse 35, Paul reveals a teaching from Jesus saying, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." This chapter seemingly skips around, and the happenings of Paul are briefly touched upon, I could not help but think that I'm missing a lot of what was happening. The chapter begins with an "uproar" after which having been ceased, Paul calls together his disciples. Then the next several verses passively describe his travel itinerary, and who he travels with. Now it seems like he's traveling with dignitaries, with a description of where each of them are from. The rest of the chapter touches on lengthy speeches Paul gives to the disciples, more itinerary, callings received, witnesses of the Holy Ghost...OK, so does this sound familiar to anyone else? This sounds a lot like it would be for a modern day apostle if you asked me. Or even a mission president, or member of the 70. Then towards the end of the chapter, Paul delivers us a gem, but it comes across as something like, oh by the way, don't forget, Jesus said that it its better to give than to receive. Then its described that he prayed for them, then the people wept, and fell upon their knees and kissed his neck. This must have been one action packed journey that Paul just went through here, yet all we get in the passage is, he went here, here, and here. Oh what it must have been to have traveled with Paul, and watched the discourse he gave, how grateful I am that in my day, I do have that opportunity. Modern technology has made it so easy for me to learn from, every day, the discourse of the prophets of the Lord. I don't have to wonder what was taught, or what was it like to feel of the spirit of the Lords Apostles, I can learn from them anytime I want to turn on the TV and go to KBYU, or make a quick visit to lds.org, what a blessing that is. So when I come across a spiritual gem such as Christ's teaching that is it more blessed to give than receive, I can read the whole story, and see the blessings that are there to behold.

Doubting Nothing

In Acts 10, Peter is praying and sees a vision in which he learns that the gospel is to be preached to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. He is pondering this vision when three men, the servants of the centurion Cornelius, arrive seeking Peter. In verse 20 he is commanded by the Spirit of the Lord, "Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them." I think the command to doubt nothing is significant. Because the spirit of the Lord speaks with a still, small voice we sometimes doubt whether it is a spiritual prompting or our own thoughts, and we hesitate to do good. When have a thought to do something good, we should doubt nothing and just do it. As long as it is a good thing, does it matter whether it is from the Spirit or from ourselves? We are commanded to be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and when we are, we are blessed (see D&C 58:27-28).

When You're on the Lord's Side, You're Given the Lord's Power

In Acts 4:13 it states that Peter and John were "unlearned and ignorant men". They were not the greatest scriptorians nor the the wisest servants of the Lord but they had great faith. It was through this faith in the Savior that they were able to gain such incredible power. The Sadducees recognized this power that they had and because of it they "marveled and took knowledge of them". In the same chapter Peter and John pray that they may be granted the ability to preach "with great boldness"(vs29) The result if this prayer is seen in vs 31 where it says, "and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled wih the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness." I love these scriptures because they demonstrate that the Lord can use anyone to accomplish His work. We don't have to worry about what we think we are capable of because the Lord already knows. If the Lord gives us an assignment in life it is because He trusts us and knows that we will be able to accomplish whatever task it may be with His aid. If we are able to put faith in the Lord and pray for His guidance we too will have access to the Lord's limitless power.

For us to impart the love of god to those around us is truely for our good.

If we outwardly express the rightousness of our hearts, we shall be added unto. Refering to Apollos, in Acts 18:24-26.
Here we have a man that is truely doing the very best that he knows, he is teaching the gospel. Only knowing of the baptism of John. Now when Aquila and Priscilla that knew more of the gospel expounded unto him more, he accepted the truth, believed, and not just believed but knew that what they spoke was true.
He was humble and sensitive to the spirit, he was a teacher but not afraid to be taught, he stood immoveable in truth but allowed himself to be lifted to a higher truth and knowledge. He felt the Holy Ghost bear truth to his soul, because he allowed it to do so.

So what I would like to draw from this is.....
Living the gospel is not a stagnant thing, a thing of meaningless motions, but more a beautiful, deep inner dance with not just those around us but more importantly the Holy Ghost who leads us in the ways of hope truth and light, of which leads to greater and greater love and peace till only ourselves stop us.

Jake Bigler

Be Joyful

Simple Statement of Principle: The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings Joy.

Scripture: The Acts 13: 52
52. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Sometimes when reading scriptures I'll have thoughts come into my mind that have nothing to do with the context of a scripture but with something mentioned in the scripture that hits me. That's kind of how it was in this situation. Previously in the text Paul and Barnabas are preaching in Antioch (I believe). The Gentiles wanted to be taught by the disciples but the Jews were not happy with the preaching and "stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts". Paul and Barnabas "shook off the dust of their feet against them..." I am sure that they did not desire to shake of the dust, but they were filled with the Holy Ghost and, I believe, were joyful because of the mission they were on. They were preaching of Christ and wanting to bring more people to the Gospel. We should have a joyful disposition because of the knowledge we have the God lives. The Gospel of Christ truly bring joy!

Gospel Message Brings Light, Hope, and Joy

"In the middle of [the] despair [of postwar Germany], my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?" Ensign, Nov. 2007, 19

We need to be steadfast and immovable in the gospel

Acts 14: 2
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.

Simple Statement of Principle: We need to be steadfast and immovable in our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For some reason, this scripture jumped out to me. I think often we talk about how, as members of the Church, we have the ability to be such good examples to other people in the world. This is true. Not only is it true, but it's our calling to be disciples of Christ. However, I think we also need to acknowledge that there are people who are unbelievers who can influence for bad just as we can influence for good.

I think the term "unbeliever" can be viewed as a person who directly opposes the teachings of Jesus Christ, but not all "unbelievers" are obvious to spot. Sometimes "unbelievers" might come in the form of inappropriate media or friends' supporting one's rationalizations. We need to build our testimonies on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. We need to have a faith that is strong, that is fundamentally sound. Often the life of a Latter-day Saint feels like a check list: Did I go to the temple this month? Did I do my Visiting Teaching? Did I read my scriptures? It's easy to feel like we're just checking boxes on a table, but it's these things, these habits, that will keep our testimonies strong and safe from the unbelievers of the world.

"God Is No Respecter of Persons"

God is no respecter of persons; we can all be accepted by Him.

In Acts 10:34-35 it reads:
34 ¶ Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

When I was younger and first read this scripture I think like many I misunderstood it. To think that God is no respecter of persons sounded like a bad thing. I was taught of course to respect others, so it sounded strange that God was not a respecter. In Lesson 30 of the New Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, we learn that really this means God will provide every person with the opportunity to receive the blessings available through the plan of salvation. By saying that God is “no respecter of persons” it is really saying that God loves us all and therefore accepts us all equally as we do our part.

This is made clear also with Acts 15:9, which reads:
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

If we keep the commandments and stand by the covenants we made, God will not save some of us but not others. He loves us all. Maybe I should work on not being a “respecter of persons”; although I think that would probably end up having a negative affect.

Be Bold

In Acts 4: 6-13 is a great passage of scripture. Throught the example of Peter and John we can see the power of boldness when testifying of the gospel. Having the spirit with us helps us to be bold and know that what we testify of is truth. Even though our testimonies may be simple they will leave an impression on those that hear it.

Nothing can Stop God's Work from Progressing

Simple Statement of Principle: Nothing can stop God’s work from progressing.

Reference: Acts chapter 5
17 ¶ Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,
20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Even though it may have seemed all was lost because the apostles were put in prison, God never abandons his disciples. Just like in our lives it may sometimes seem we are losing in the battle against the adversary, in the end God will always triumph. Nothing can stop God’s work from progressing. I take comfort in knowing as long as I am fighting for the right team I will always be in good hands.

This idea reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures found in Alma chapter 30.
60 And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.
This helps us see that Satan does not support his followers in the end but our Heavenly Father always will.

The Lord Chooses His Servants

Simple Statement of Principle: The Lord chooses who will be his servants, regardless of the opinions of man.

Reference: Acts 9:10-18

10 ¶ And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named ^aAnanias; and to him said the Lord in a ^bvision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much ^aevil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a ^achosen vessel unto me, to ^bbear my ^cname before the ^dGentiles, and ^ekings, and the children of Israel:

16 For I will shew him how great things he must ^asuffer for my name’s sake.

17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his ^ahands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that ^bappeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath ^csent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the ^dHoly Ghost.

18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received ^asight forthwith, and arose, and was ^bbaptized.

This story really impressed me, as when the Lord gave Ananias instructions to go unto Saul and give him his sight, Ananias was reluctant because of all the harm that Saul had recently caused. However, the Lord insisted that he knew what was best as He always does. The Lord knows each one of us much better than we know one another, and even better than we know ourselves. It is really not up to us to critique his instructions and commandments. When Ananias went, the Lord was right and Saul converted and was baptized. He ended up doing great good in the Kingdom of God. I think we run into trouble with this a lot in our daily lives. For example, we often judge people called to certain positions within the church because of what we think we know about them or because of our own personal feelings, whatever they may be. We often forget that it was the Lord that called these individuals and that because He knows what is best, it is not our place to judge.

True Conviction

"True Conviction is manifested in boldness."

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
CHAPTER 4

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,
9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Peter and John knew that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. This fact they could not deny and even though the mob stood before them in an effort to silence them they stood firm to their witness. This true convertion to the gospel of Jesus Christ was manifested in their boldness in the face of impending danger.

No Need to See to Believe

"Pure and powerfull faith is an act of submission to the will of God without the prerequisite of sight."

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
CHAPTER 8

29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Soon after the disciple Philip had received instruction from the Angel of the Lord he rushed to meet a certain man from Ethiopia. This man, a eunuch, questioned Philip regarding the scripture; "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened not his mouth.” After bearing witness that Jesus the Christ was the fulfillment of the scripture they went on their way until they reached a body of water. Upon arriving the eunuch said “See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” What amazing faith this eunuch must have had. He did not have to see the Savior to know that he was the son of God. He listened to the words of Philip and responded with a perfect act of submission and faith. This reflects the simple statement of truth that pure and powerful faith is an act of submission to the will of God without the prerequisite of sight.

Simple Statement of Truth: The spirit cannot be purchased, but can only be obtained by the power of the priesthood.

Reference: Acts 8:17-22

17 Then ^alaid they their hands on them, and they received the ^bHoly Ghost.

18 And when Simon saw that through ^alaying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

19 Saying, Give me also this ^apower, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the ^agift of God may be ^bpurchased with money.

21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not ^aright in the sight of God.

22 Repent therefore of this thy ^awickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the ^bthought of thine ^cheart may be forgiven thee.

When Simon saw the apostles giving the Holy Ghost, he offered them money that he might have not only the power of the Holy Ghost, but also the power to give it. It is possible that he even desired to sell it himself. Even though Simon was right to realize that the Holy Ghost is a desirable thing to have, he did not fully comprehend its power or the power of God. He did not understand that God works in His own ways, not in the ways of man. I know that the power of the Holy Ghost is both miraculous and essential to our mortal lives and our eternal salvation. However, in order to have its presence with us always we must earn that right through obeying the commandments. We cannot obtain it any other way.

Simple Statement of Truth: When one is truly moved upon by the spirit, it will lead him to action.
Reference: Acts 2:37-38
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This means that when we feel the spirit and recognize it, we will tend to act upon the feeling. In the scripture it happend to be the first principles of the gospel. I think that this is often tough to always act upon the prompting of the spirit. Sometimes we might not be prepared to receive the spirit or we are not listening to the spirit and so we cannot act upon what is trying to be told to us. I know that if we are striving to always be in tuned with the spirit we will know exactly what we need to do, and how to do it.

Reference:
Acts 6
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Simple Statement of Truth: Christ's true church has been restored in modern days in every aspect: We, like Stephen and as children in God's kingdom, are prayerfully asked to carry out callings and are set apart by the Lord’s stewards to do them.

I have a very strong testimony of the restoration of the gospel, but every once in a while something comes along that I haven't really thought much about before. I never really thought that the way that we serve in our church and the way that we are called by our bishops mirrors the behavior of the church of Christ's time. I think what I really like about this example in the scriptures is that the apostles saw a problem, the widows were being neglected, and they needed to take care of it. Although they wanted to help the widows themselves, they recognized that they have great responsibilities and it would be more effective to delegate authority to other faithful members. To me, this really is a testimony of the holiness of callings; it shows me that my calling is part of an ancient tradition, part of the church that Peter led. And, more than that, it shows me that callings and the willingness of people to serve in callings help the Church to be an efficient and charitable institution, bringing all of us closer to a Christ-like existence.

President Uchtdorf urges all of us to "lift where we stand." Not only do I think this is a call for all of us to engage ourselves in the work of the gospel, but I also think that the act of serving in God's Church and being called to serve is a testimony of the restoration of the gospel.

Live for Today

Faith is for the future; faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there.

Acts 7: 39-40
To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into egypt.
Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

My simple statement of principle actually comes from Elder Holland, from his devotional this past Tuesday. The title of his talk was "Remember Lot's Wife". The problem with Lot's wife wasn't just looking back, she was missing it. She was missing what it had to offer here; she looked back longingly. I do not think that the children of Israel was missing being in bondage, but they idealized and romanticized the past and missed it. I know there have been times that I look back and I start remembering the fun things and wishing to be back; in this process I do not wish to be where I am at but in a sense with less knowledge and understanding.
Elder Holland said, "The worst kind of wallowing in the past is being tied to past mistakes of ourselves or others. This is in opposition to the Atonement." Live in faith for the future. Remember the past, don't live in it.

Why a Blog for Our Institute Class?

As we dive into the scriptures together this semester I want to try something that might be new to an institute experience. My motivation to do this stems from two guiding principles that have lead me to try this out.

First, in 2003 the Church Educational System came out with what is called the Teaching Emphasis. 'The Emphasis' was developed to help seminary and institute teachers have more impact while the student are in our classes. If correctly used the emphasis' goal is to help student take their gospel knowledge from their head to their heart. President Henry B. Eyring said of this increased effort and emphasis:

"The pure gospel of Jesus Christ must go down into the hearts of students by the power of the Holy Ghost. It will not be enough for them to have had a spiritual witness of the truth and to want good things later. It will not be enough for them to hope for some future cleansing and strengthening. Our aim must be for them to become truly converted to the restored gospel of
Jesus Christ while they are with us." (WE MUST RAISE OUR SIGHTS
Elder Henry B. Eyring, CES Conference on the Book of Mormon • 14 August 2001 • Brigham Young University)

If you want to look at this document click on the following link: The Teaching Emphasis

The document says we need to do two things in class more:

• We are to help students understand the scriptures and the words of the prophets, identify and understand the doctrines and principles found therein, and apply them in their lives in ways that lead to personal conversion.
• We are to help students learn to explain, share, and testify of the doctrines and principles of the restored gospel. We are to give them opportunities to do so with each other in class. We are to encourage them to do so outside of class with family and others.

Second, from this second bullet you can see in class we need not only the teacher to explain share and testify of principles and doctrines from the scripture but all of us together in class need to have this chance both in an out of class. This blog is my hopes for 'another' venue in which you can share your insights and principles of the gospel. Why the web? in Elder Ballard's recent Ensign article: Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet, by Elder M. Russell Ballard, tells us to join in on the conversation that is out there. Minding that we need to be part of the conversation but be ever aware of the traps of the internet.

"There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time." M. Russell Ballard, “Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet,” Ensign, Jul 2008, 58–63. If you would like to see a video of a similar speech he gave at BYU Hawaii here you go: Video of Speech.

So here we go. I hope this blog turns into a repository of your thoughts, principles, expereices, to show to one another alike of our belief in Christ and how being able to find and verbalize simple statements of principle can help us to come closer to our Heavenly Father.

Brother Boyce