Focus on Prophetic Teachings

Skill: Using Questions to point to prophetic teachings in the moment of inquiry.

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Introduction

President Eyring taught, “There seems to be no end to the Savior’s desire to lead us to safety. And there is constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so that it will reach those willing to accept it. And those means always include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets, whenever people have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to safety” (Henry B. Eyring, “Finding Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, May 1997, 24).

Elder Christofferson added, “In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ‘we believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God’ (Articles of Faith 1:9). This is to say that while there is much we do not yet know, the truths and doctrine we have received have come and will continue to come by divine revelation. We value scholarship that enhances understanding, but in the Church today, just as anciently, establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal deviations is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with apostolic authority” (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Doctrine of Christ: Elder Christofferson,” May 2012).

To fulfill the objective of seminary and institute, teachers should take the time to become familiar with the words of living prophets such that their words flow naturally from them to the students.

The words of prophets are the words of Jesus Christ, and the words of Jesus Christ are the words of prophets, seers, and revelators (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38).

Here are a few questions a teacher can ask throughout the school year:

1. What are my study habits as it relates to the words of living prophets?

2. How much time do I invest in studying their words?

3. How often do I quote their words or use their words in my home, at work, in school, or at play?

4. How familiar am I with what President Nelson is saying this week?

5. What can I do to pay the price to know the words of the prophets and their priorities?

This is one of four micro-training courses designed to help teachers and students learn and use the words of the prophets. This is a process that will take time to develop. As teachers and students begin, the words of the prophets will become more familiar to them, and line upon line, they will quickly learn the content and context of prophetic teachings. They will also become adept at locating these teachings in the Gospel Library and other places where they can be found. In time they will be able to claim the promise in Deuteronomy 6:6: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.”

What is my initial understanding or ability? (Assessment)

• How often do I use the words of living prophets in the moment of inquiry in the classroom?

• How often do I seek to use prophetic teachings to help resolve concerns or answer questions of my students?

What is it and why is it important? (Define):

Using questions to point to prophetic teachings in the moment of inquiry can occur during the flow of the class. When a student asks a question, a teacher responds by asking questions that help the student think of or search for a prophetic teaching that helps answer the question. Here are examples of these types of questions:

1. Can you think of how President Nelson has answered this question?

2. What have prophets taught that could help us with this?

3. Go to Gospel Library and type in the key words from your question—let’s see if one of our prophets have taught something related to this. What did you find?

4. A teacher may need to point students to a specific talk and invite students to see how prophets have answered this question.

Doing this will help our students to better understand the importance of and the role of living prophets. Their understanding of their words will increase as they use them in the context of their lives. They will become a ready resource for answers to their scripture-based and life questions.

Who or what provides a good illustration of this? (Model):

While students were studying verses in 1 Corinthians 14 during class, Kathy asked this question: “Why does it sometimes feel like women have no say in the Lord’s kingdom?” The teacher then asked Kathy and the other students the following question: “Class, let’s look at a talk President Nelson gave called ‘Spiritual Treasures’ for the next few minutes. As you read, where and how does President Nelson help answer Kathy’s question?”

How can I practice using this skill or applying this principle? (Practice):

Point the following students to the words of the prophets by asking a question based on the example above or write down one of your own.

1. A student asks, “What goes on in the spirit world? Do they see us? Do they know what we are doing?”

2. A student asks, “Why would the Lord give feelings to some people that go contrary to His plan?”

Ponder or discuss:

• Why is it better to point students to the words of the prophets in the moment they ask a question than giving them the answer from our own memory or knowledge?

• What are you learning about pointing students to the words of the prophets?

Incorporate:

Practice using one of the above questions or a similar question of your own regularly in class for the next month. Identify what happens. Be patient with the students and yourself. See how things improve as you help them get better and better at finding the right answers in the revealed word.

For the next meeting with your program administrator, share how things are progressing.

Want More?

Elder McConkie shared the following, “In every age the Lord gives his people the direction they need at the moment of their peril and danger. And surely in the days ahead there will be times when nothing but the wisdom of God, descending from heaven and flowing forth from prophetic lips, will be able to save his people” (in Carol F. McConkie, “Live according to the Words of the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 79).

An example of how a prophet’s answer can be crystal clear:

Dallin H. Oaks, “Trust in the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019