Focus on Prophetic Teachings

Skill: Listening to general conference with a student in mind.

man watching conference

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 has listening to or studying a general conference talk with a student in mind made a difference in your teaching?”

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

A teacher can listen to general conference for herself and her students. When a teacher listens to general conference for her students, she is thinking about challenges, concerns, or questions her students have or trials they are facing. She may be thinking of one student or the general class. A teacher who does this, simply approaches general conference with this question: “What will I learn today from the prophets that will help [student name] or my class?” As the teacher records lessons and impressions for her students, the love she has for them will increase and her ability to guide them toward the Savior will also increase.

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

In preparation for general conference, a teacher decided to watch for answers to address concerns of the students in his class. The general feeling in his class was that students are afraid of the future. As he watched general conference, he prayerfully sought and recorded impressions he had relating to this concern. In his subsequent study of the talks in the Liahona, he continued to search for answers that would help him point his students in the right direction when they courageously shared their concerns in class.

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

1. Review a general conference talk from President Russell M. Nelson with the general concern of the students in your class in your mind. Ask the question, “What will I learn from the prophet that will help my class today?” Record any impressions that come as you consider ways to help them.

2. Try this again, this time choosing a different talk with the concern of one specific student in mind. Ask the question, “What will I learn today from the prophets that will help [student name]?” Record impressions as they come to you.

Ponder or discuss:

What did you learn or experience as you did this? Why would this be a good practice as you seek to help your students become more converted to Jesus Christ?

Incorporate:

As you approach general conference sessions in the future, seek to adopt this skill. Think of your students generally or personally as you listen to or review the conference talks. Record your impressions and use those impressions during class as circumstances allow.

Want More?

Doctrine and Covenants 1:38: “My word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”

“Our efforts to teach do not begin with preparing a lesson or considering how it might be delivered or even reviewing the curriculum. Our efforts to teach do begin ad fontes, or ‘at the fountains.’ There is no better preparation for teaching than, as President Marion G. Romney said, drinking deeply from the spring right where the water comes out of the ground. If we want to teach the scriptures with power, if we want our students to feel the truth and importance of a passage, it surely must begin with a fresh, personal excitement inside ourselves” (R. Kelly Haws, “First Seek to Obtain My Word,” [S&I Annual Training Broadcast, Aug. 4, 2015]).