Hating the Sin and not the Sinner

Avoiding Sin

1 Corinthians 5:7-13, Matthew 5:29-30

1. The word fornication did not mean then what it does now. The word fornication means now to for two unmarried people to have intercourse. The term then, meant any extramarital intercourse between two people. I feel as if the moral condition back then mirrors a lot of the moral condition of our day. People give way to their desires and do what feels good to them. We have prostitution as they did then and we also have people who have affairs or relationships outside of marriage.

2. Paul suggested that you “put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” To not allow yourself to trifle with sin. The verses in Matthew apply because we are not to hate the sinner but to hate the sin. We should cast away the sin and not the person. If we know we are doing something wrong then we can repent and change, and cast away that sin. 

The Resurrection: When Christ will return to earth.

Choice 7: 1 Thessalonians 4. The Resurrection.

1. The Saints who are alive will meet with Christ.

2. Those that are on the earth and in their graves shall also be caught up to meet with the Lord. Those also who have yet to hear the Gospel.

3. They will be caught up to the pillar of heaven.

4. The righteous Saints will participate in the second coming by missionary work for those who have not heard the Gospel.

5. Those who have no yet heard about the Gospel and who would be willing to accept it will be resurrected at the second coming.

6. The JST translations help the clarify that those who are alive and righteous at the coming of the Lord will not stand in the way of the righteous who are in their graves who will also be resurrected.

7. Those who are under condemnation will not survive the second coming.

8. They will be resurrected after the reign of the millennium. 

Acts 19, 20

Choice 4-Acts 19-1-12; 20:7-12

Paul laid his hands upon the people and conferred the Holy Ghost upon them, conferred gift of tongues and prophesied, cast out evil Spirits by the Priesthood power, broke bread, and preached unto the disciples.

1. Paul confirmed them members by the laying on of hands and conferred upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost.

2. This shows that only by the right authority are they given the fullness of the Gospel, and that they must be baptized by the proper authority to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to always be with them.

3.  He did it by the laying on of hands through the Priesthood power.

4. It says the broke bread “the first day of the week…” It says that Paul called upon his disciples after the uproar had stopped. 

New Testament Pt. 2

The Book of Acts 1-10, chapters summarized.

1. Peter seems as if He is teaching and preaching to the people a lot and is showing them miracles performed.

*Christ is spoken about much, how He is the Prophet and how through Him salvation comes.

*The Apostles perform miracles as Jesus would have and they keep His legacy alive through their actions.

*The Gospel begins to form on the earth as the people are given new gifts and understandings.

*The Apostles worked hard to establish the church and to establish a meaning and understanding of Christ of His resurrection.

2.  Acts 2: Peter testifies of Jesus’ resurrection and tells the people how to gain salvation. Peter also speaks of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3: Peter along with John heals a lame man. He preaches repentance, speaks about the restoration of the Gospel, and identifies Christ as the Prophet whom Moses spoke about.

Acts 4: Peter is arrested and is brought before a council. He testifies that through Christ salvation comes. The Sadducees try to silence Peter and John, but the Saints rejoice in the testimony of Christ.

Acts 5: Peter is delivered from prison by an Angel. He testifies of Christ.

Acts 8: Peter along with John come to Samaria to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

Acts 9: Peter heals and raises the dead.

Acts 10: Peter is commanded to take the Gospel to the Gentiles in a dream.

Acts 12: Peter is freed from prison by an angel.

The Holy Ghost

1.     As you study the following verses, make a list of what the Savior taught about (1) what the Holy Ghost does and (2) what disciples must do to receive the Holy Ghost:

·         John 14:15–17-If we keep the commandments then we will be blessed with the Holy Ghost who is a comforter.

·         John 14:26–27-The Holy Ghost which is sent to us from our Father in Heaven through the Savior is a comforter, he will teach us all things, and bring all things our Father has taught us to our remembrance. The Holy Ghost gives us peace from the Father.

·         John 15:26–27-The Holy Ghost testifies of truth and testifies to us when we hear truth. He testifies of our Savior.

·         John 16:7–8-Having the Holy Ghost with us is having our Savior with us. The Holy Ghost testifies to us what our Savior would have us know.

·         John 16:13–14-The Holy Ghost shows us of things to come.

2. Add to your list above as you study the following resources:

Institute student manual Points to Ponder, “The Holy Ghost Brings Man to His Fullest Potential” (pg. 168)

Institute student manual Points to Ponder, “As a Messenger of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost Teaches Faithful Members” (pg. 168)

The Holy Ghost testifies to us of truth. He is a personage of Spirit in the likeness of the Father and the Son. He is a special messenger from the Father and Son and carries out their will. He quickens the minds of those who have made covenants with Heavenly Father and makes truths known to us.

Bible Dictionary, “Holy Ghost” (pg. 704)

-The Holy Ghost has been manifest in every dispensation of the gospel since the beginning. The gift of the Holy Ghost comes only after proper and authorized baptism, and is conferred by the laying on of hands. The Holy Ghost can come upon you in two forms: in the power and in the gift. You can be given the power of the Holy Ghost before baptism, but you do not have it to be with you always until you are baptized by the proper and authorized authority and confirmed by the laying on of hands. That is when you are given the “gift” of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost knows all things and can lead one to know of future events. Other names for the Holy Ghost are: Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, Comforter, and Spirit.

3. Review your list of what the Holy Ghost does. Then write responses to the following tasks:

Describe how the Holy Ghost helped the Apostles fulfill their missions after the Savior’s death and resurrection.

Without the Holy Ghost the Apostles would not have been ready for their ministry after the death of the Savior. How could they have acted as the Savior without His instruction from the Father through the Holy Ghost? They could not have done it because they would have been acting as man, and not as Apostles of God.

Write a paragraph about a time when the Holy Ghost blessed you in one of the ways you listed above. Give an example of how the Holy Ghost has inspired you.

 The Holy Ghost has been a huge blessing in my life. I will share a personal story of a time when I was first beginning to drive. I had recently gotten my driver’s license and was very new at the whole driving alone thing. When I would switch lanes I would not use my mirrors but would turn my whole head around to look back to see if I could switch lanes. One day when I was driving I got the impression that what I was doing was really dangerous, because I wasn’t looking at the road for a long period of time. I really recognized this as the Holy Ghost because He made me aware of a danger I had no idea I was doing. It was a clear thought that came to my mind and it was for my safety and for the safety of those who are around me. The Holy Ghost inspires me, because without that inspiration I would make so many mistakes. I would have taken a far different path in life then where I am at now. I was impressed to apply for BYU-Idaho when I had absolutely no plans of attending this school. This is where I was supposed to be all along. That is a huge blessing, because it has changed my life for the better in a million ways. 

New Commandment

According to John 13:34-35 others can know we are Disciples of Christ, by if we show love unto one another.

List some specific ways a disciple of Jesus Christ might respond in the following situations (in accordance with John 13:34–35):

*Someone you know is ridiculed or made fun of because of the way he or she dresses. 

-In this situation I would show love to this person, by sticking up for them. I would refute what the person was saying, and direct the attention elsewhere. I wouldn’t want to put the person making fun of them down because then I am just acting like the person who is being unkind, but I would want to be a support to the person being made fun of. I would very much make it known, that it is not ok to say things like that to someone and would help to change the subject.

*You see a new person at church.

-The way to show love in this situation is really simple. Introduce yourself and invite them to come sit with you.

Ponder the question, “Do people know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ by the way I treat them?” Select a family member, coworker, or neighbor and make a short list of things you can do during the coming week to show him or her kind of love the Savior would show. Then follow through with what you wrote down.

-I can choose to show love to my roommates by doing dishes that are not mine, picking up after them, and helping them with little needs I hear them speak about. I know personally when people do this for me it makes a world of difference.

Preparing for the Second Coming of the Lord

These are scriptural references that help us to prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. 

Believers can watch for the calamities that have been foretold, they can be prepared by continuing in righteous ways and in prayer, and they can be aware of those that will try to deceive us.

How to prepare for the Second Coming:

Doctrine and Covenants 87:8-Stand in Holy places

Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:32-Desolation and abomination will occur, which will be fulfilling of prophecy from the Prophet Daniel.

Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:37-Those who gained and kept a solid testimony of true Gospel will be gathered together by the Angels of the Savior as His elect people.

Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:46-50-Always be prepared because we do not know the day the Savior will come again. Be prepared and continue to do those things which are right which will bless your family and make the Lord happy with you.

Doctrine and Covenants 33:17- Always be prepared for the coming of the Lord. Be prepared!

Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57-Parable of the Ten Virgins. Always be prepared by doing what is right, that it won’t matter what day the Savior returns again; we will be ready with oil in our lamps.