Yesterday's Sessions of General Conference were, once again, Amazing!
We will continue to discuss talks from the October 2013 session until the May 2014 Ensign comes out and then we will discuss talks from this, April 2014, session.
The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith
by Elder L. Tom Perry
Years and years ago, when I was in the 8th grade, I can remember trying to teach a friend about the gospel by reciting the 13 Articles of Faith to him and then trying to explain them. I was able to recite them just fine. Luckily for me I had memorized the Articles of Faith and the songs that go with them when I was in primary. But explaining what they meant was a little harder. I had no idea how to explain some of them in simple terms and others, I didn't even know what they were about.
"Memorizing the Articles of Faith would mean nothing more than a lot of words unless we understood the doctrines and principles contained in them."
I love this talk given by Elder Perry in the General Priesthood Session, because he breaks down each article of faith and explains the basic gospel doctrine and principles each teaches us.
"This doctrine is to the Church like a battery is to a cell phone. When you remove the battery from your cell phone, it becomes useless. A church in which true doctrine is no longer taught is similarly useless. It cannot guide us back to our Heavenly Father and our eternal home."
Elder Perry teaches us that the Articles of Faith can be divided into sections:
Section 1- Articles of Faith 1-4:
The Godhead an the Basic Doctrine of Christ
1st Article of Faith- "The Godhead is three personages: God the Father, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Ghost."
2nd Article of Faith- "We are responsible for our own actions on earth."
3rd Article of Faith- "A vision of the Savior's mission for the salvation of Father in Heaven's children."
4th Article of Faith- "The importance of basic principles and ordinances.
Organization and Order of the Priesthood
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same organization that Christ organized and directed while He was on the earth." Explained in Article of Faith 6
"When we receive the priesthood, we receive the authority to act in the name of God and lead in ways of truth and righteousness. This authority is a vital source of righteous power and influence for the benefit of God's children on earth and will last beyond the veil."
"It was necessary for the priesthood to be restored before the true Church of Jesus Christ could be organized. This is the fundamental lesson we learn from the fifth and sixth articles of faith."
Eternal Resources in a Mortal Journey
7th Article of Faith- "We are given spiritual gifts to guide us as we follow the Lord's teachings and to protect us from evil."
8th Article of Faith- "The scriptures are another guide; if we read carefully the word of God, He will reveal our path back to eternal life."
9th Article of Faith- "God has revealed, does reveal, and will reveal in the future many great and important truths to His prophets, seers, and revelators.
Member Missionaries
10th Article of Faith- "The Gathering of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of the Savior.
11th Article of Faith- "Men and Women are agents unto themselves, and they can either accept or reject the word of God according to their own conscience."
12th Article of Faith- "As we spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth. . .we must respect the governments of each nation we enter. Truly, we believe in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law of each land."
Aspirational Attributes
13th Article of Faith- Insight into how we should conduct our lives and present ourselves."
"All of us should aspire to embody these attributes and lead lives that exemplify them."
"I encourage you to use your bright minds to study and learn the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach. They are among the most important and certainly the most concise statements of doctrine in the Church. If you will use them as a guide to direct your studies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will find yourself prepared to declare your witness of the restored truth to the world. You will be able to declare in simple, straightforward, and profound ways the core beliefs you hold dear as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Have you ever used the Articles of Faith to teach someone about the Church?
Next Week's Talk:
by Elder Quentin L. Cook