One of the things I value most about my mission is the opportunity I have had to learn to become a teacher of the gospel principals. I love teaching, it`s one of my favorite things to do and although I teach I know that the real teacher is always the holy ghost. Through my studies I have been able to enlarge my understanding of the gospel principals and teach them with power. ``…. first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men. `` Doctrine and Covenants 11:21. I know that this promise is truly given to us. As a companionship we obtain the word during our personal and companionship studies to be able to teach with power in the afternoon.
These past few weeks I have been reading in Mosiah. I am learning how to teach just as the great missionary Alma taught. I have learned the importance of teaching the first two principals of the doctrine of Christ, faith and repentance. I have learned that we can`t effectively guide those we teach to participate in covenants like baptism and the sacrament without clearly helping them obtain an understanding of faith and repentance.
When Alma obtained his own testimony of faith and repentance he left and taught these two principals to his people. (Mosiah 18:1) After receiving his own testimony he went out and taught others and it says ``… And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord. `` (Mosiah 18:7). He taught them what he knew through his own experience, knowledge, and testimony.
He was successful in his ways of teaching because it says that after that the people not only desired to be baptized, but ``they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. `` (Mosiah 18:11) I know that when we obtain personal testimonies and understanding of what we teach we are able to teach it clearly to help others make and keep sacred covenants. Just as he had gained a testimony he then sent the people those newly converted members to teach the same principals saying ``Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. `` (Mosiah 18:20)
When Alma later went to teach Limhi and his pueblo he taught the same principals ``preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord. `` (Mosiah 25:15) and after teaching the same principals it says ``king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also. `` (Mosiah 25:17) I know that Alma was able to teach clearly to help others have righteous desires.
Our desires root from the understanding we have. We can`t change others desires, but if we can teach clearly we can help others come to a better understanding and their desires will naturally change. It`s important to teach the doctrine clearly so that others can conform their desires to God`s desires and plan.
We have and investigator, Tomàs, who has been listening to the missionaries for many years now. As we have been teaching him I have realized that after many years of teaching he still quite doesn`t understand the atonement and Jesus Christ. Knowing this, just as Alma taught, we decided to go back to teaching these two simple principles of the gospel to him using the church`s new video `` GRACIAS A QUE ÈL VIVE``.http://www.mormon.org/easter - hero
After watching the video and taking about Christ role in his life we went to the scriptures and taught about how only through Christ we could be saved using 2 Nephi 9:41 and Mosiah 3:17 . Once he was able to understand the role of Christ in his life we were able to teach the doctrine of Christ. I wasn`t prepared to teach it and had been guided to scripture I had read in my studies, but never taught. I was using what I had learned from my studies and my ``tongue was being loosed``.
Everything was so simple, clear, and as I taught I could feel my chest burning with the spirit like and overheated computer. We all felt the spirit so strong. The best part was that Tomàs understood. I bet that was how Alma felt and taught when he taught the first principles of the doctrine of Christ.
It was an amazing lesson guided by the spirit. We were able to use what we learned in our studies and teach by the spirit. I have a theorem that I believe goes with every lesson. DOCTRINE+SPIRT=LESSONS. We obtain the doctrine by studying it out and as we are obedient we will have the spirit so that when we enter a lesson we are able to teach clearly to ``have the power of God unto the convincing of men. `` Just as Alma did. We taught what we learned by studying Mosiah and were able to have a spiritual experience.
I know that we have to have the spirit to teach. I know that through obedience and understanding we can be given the Holy Ghost to change hearts and desires. I know that teaching can strengthen our own conversion to the principles we teach. I know that Christ is our redeemer and that he lives.
Love,
Hermana Baca
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