Doctrine and Covenants 88
“Establish ... A House of God”
August 11 - August 17
scripture
quote
God Does What's Good For Us
<p>It is so hard when sincere prayer about something you desire very much is not answered the way you want. It is difficult to understand why your exercise of deep and sincere faith from an obedient life does not grant the desired result. The Savior taught, “Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you” (D&C 88:64). At times it is difficult to recognize what is best or expedient for you over time. Your life will be easier when you accept that what God does in your life is for your eternal good.</p> <p>You are asked to look for an answer to your prayers. Obey the Master’s counsel to “study it out in your mind” (D&C 9:8). Often you will think of a solution; as you seek confirmation that your answer is right, help will come. It may be through your prayers, or as an impression of the Holy Ghost, and at times by the intervention of others.</p>
Richard G. Scott, “Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer”, April 2007 General Conference
commentaries
School of the Prophets
<p>The Lord commanded the early Saints to “teach one another the doctrines of the kingdom” (D&C 88:77). The reason for the command was so the Saints “may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God” (v. 78). The Lord admonished the Prophet Joseph Smith and his followers to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass” (v. 79).</p> <p>Wanting to implement these directives, Joseph instructed his followers to establish private schools to educate the children of the Church. In response, Latter-day Saints in Ohio opened their homes, shops, and barns for academic instruction. Eliza R. Snow taught the basics—reading, writing, and arithmetic. Orson Hyde taught English grammar, oration, and writing. M. C. Davis opened a singing school.</p> <p>As for Joseph Smith, he started the School of the Prophets for men in Kirtland in response to this revelation given on December 27, 1832. The School of the Prophets was held each winter from 1833 to 1836. During the winter months, participants were offered courses that were spiritual in nature as well as secular—history, languages, current events, reading and writing, mathematics, and doctrinal teachings.</p> <p>The first sessions of the school were held in an upper room of the N. K. Whitney & Company store. Those in attendance reported having spiritual outpourings, such as manifestations of the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues. At the 1835 school sessions, Joseph Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon gave lectures on theology, later known as the Lectures on Faith. In the 1836 session, Joshua Seixas, a teacher at Oberlin College, taught a course in Hebrew.</p> <p>Through the years, the Church has used the basic model of the School of the Prophets to begin other schools, such as the University of the City of Nauvoo, University of Deseret, and Brigham Young University. The Church has also established seminaries, institutes of religion, and missionary training centers.</p> <p>With such emphasis on education, it was not surprising that President Henry B. Eyring shared this story at the April 2011 general conference:</p> <blockquote> <p>One young man left his little Welsh village in the early 1840s, heard the Apostles of God, and came into the kingdom of God on earth. He sailed with the Saints to America and drove a wagon west across the plains. He was in the next company after Brigham Young coming into this valley. His priesthood service included clearing and breaking ground for a farm.</p> <p>He sold the farm for pennies on the dollar to go on a mission for the Lord in the deserts of what is now Nevada to take care of sheep. He was called from that to another mission across the ocean in the very village he had left in his poverty to follow the Lord.</p> <p>Through it all, he found a way to learn with his priesthood brethren. Bold missionary that he was, he walked down the lane in Wales to the summer estate of a man who was four times the prime minister of England to offer him the gospel of Jesus Christ.</p> <p>The great man let him into his mansion. He was a graduate of Eton College and of Oxford University. The missionary talked with him about the origins of man, the central role of Jesus Christ in the history of the world, and even the fate of nations.</p> <p>At the end of their discussion, the host declined the offer to accept baptism. But as they parted, that leader of one of the great empires of the world asked the humble missionary, “Where did you get your education?” His answer: “In the priesthood of God.”<a id="_ftnref1" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn1">[1]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn1" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Henry B. Eyring, “Learning in the Priesthood,” <em>Ensign</em>, May 2011.</p> </div>
Insights and Stories of the Doctrine and Covenants by Susan Easton Black
Commentary on D&C 88:62–73
<p>The Lord shifts here from teaching about the nature of the universe to addressing more earthly concerns among the Saints. The Lord promises that if they will sanctify themselves and make their minds single to the glory of God, “he will unveil his face unto [them]” (D&C 88:68). He also commands them to call a “solemn assembly” (D&C 88:70). Both of these commandments are linked to the construction of the first temple of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio. </p> <p>Within two weeks of receiving this revelation, Joseph Smith wrote to the Saints in Missouri to tell them about the plans to build a temple in Kirtland. In a letter written on January 11, 1833, Joseph wrote to William W. Phelps to inform him “that the Lord commanded us in Kirtland to build an house of God, & establish a school for the Prophets, this is the word of the Lord to us.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> A few years later in a meeting with the newly called Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Joseph instructed: </p> <blockquote> <p>We must have all things prepared and call our solemn assembly as the Lord has commanded us, that we may be able to accomplish his great work: and it must be done in God[’]s own way, the house of the Lord must be prepared, and the solemn assembly called and organized in it according to the order of the house of God . . . it is calculated to unite our hearts, that we may be one in feeling and sentiment and that our faith may be strong, so that Satan cannot over throw us, nor have any power over us,—the endowment you are so anxious about you cannot comprehend now, nor could Gabriel explain it to the understanding of your dark minds, but strive to be prepared in your hearts, be faithful in all things that when we meet in the solemn assembly that is such as God shall name out of all the official members, [we] will meet, and we must be clean every whit.<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> </blockquote> <p>The commandment to hold a solemn assembly and the promise that the Lord would unveil His face were both fulfilled during the events surrounding the dedication of the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 109–110). </p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Letter to William W. Phelps, 11 January 1833, p. 19, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Discourse, 12 November 1835, p. 33, JSP. </p> </div>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
Commentary on D&C 88:74–80
<p>The commandment to “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom” (D&C 88:77) was given to the leading elders of the Church but has also been applied to the importance of education for Latter-day Saints. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught, “For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> The Lord instructs His disciples to gain learning on a number of subjects, both secular and spiritual. Disciples with educated minds are better prepared to “magnify” their callings (D&C 88:80). </p> <p>President Gordon B. Hinckley echoed the same message: “You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car, sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world.” While education is a commandment and great blessing in our lives, there is no specific field or discipline held above any other. President Hinckley emphasized this when he taught, “The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. I repeat, you will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Two Principles For Any Economy,” October 2009 General Conference. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth” [broadcast, November 12, 2000], <em>Ensign</em>, January 2001. </p> </div>
Doctrine and Covenants Minute by Casey Paul Griffiths
