RESOURCES: Teaching no Greater Call p. 43
The following quotation from Gene R Cook in his book
“Teaching by the Spirit”
“Testify
frequently while you are teaching. This is probably as important-and in some
cases more so-as what you are teaching. Testify in the name of the Lord that
the things you are teaching are true. If you will do that, it will bring the
Spirit of the Lord.
“We out to make
it a regular practice to testify to one another. When things are not going well
in your teaching, don’t hesitate to stop and say, “I feel impressed to bear my
witness to the truthfulness of what I’ve been saying.” And I have found it
helpful at times to stop my teaching and ask some in the audience to come up
and bear testimony of what they’re feeling at that moment. I don’t do that to
fill up time but because the work of the Lord is carried out by our
testimonies. Don’t denigrate your own testimony. Bear it powerfully and
frequently while you’re teaching. Humble testimonies are carried to the hearts
of those listening and bring the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Nephi 33:1)
“When we declare
with faith the convictions we have about the gospel truths, the Holy Ghost will
reveal the truth with power to those listening. They then use their agency to
accept or reject that witness. Our obligation is to declare the truth by the
Spirit, to declare testimony in the name of the Lord, to testify from our own
life experiences, and then our testimonies will transmit with power.
“There is great
power in bearing your testimony. Remember ‘when a man speaketh by the power of
the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the
children of men’ (2 Nephi 33:1) I bear testimony that that is exactly what
happens.”
-
Gene R Cook
RESOURCES: Teaching No Greater Call p. 172-173
The following quotation from Gene R Cook in his book
“Teaching by the Spirit”
“If you want to
invite the Spirit into a teaching experience, sing a hymn. Throughout the
history of the Church, singing hymns has been an important preparation to
worship. Hymns are prayers of fait hand righteousness. Blessings from heaven
come as a result of singing sacred hymns.
“Music has a
great impact on the souls of men… It prepares our hearts so that we begin to
think of the Lord; we begin to feel the Spirit – and then we pray.
“The hymns of
the church will bring the Spirit of the Lord into a setting immediately. It
would certainly not be inappropriate, if need be, to stop in the middle of your
teaching and say, “Let’s sing a hymn together,” and then pick a hymn that
relates to what you are teaching.
“The great
spiritual influence of music was described by the Lord in a very personal
statement about Himself. There are not very many passages where he speaks
personally, but in D&C 25:12…
“I desire such a
blessing upon my head, as do you. There is great power in sacred hymns. They
are not just songs; they are prayers to God. Sing them that way and they will
help you humble yourself, and they will help to bring the Spirit into you
teaching.”
-
Gene R Cook
No comments:
Post a Comment