D&C 43-44 | Boundaries and Oz

 

TODAY’S LEARNING JOURNEY COMES FROM
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 43-44

  REMEMBER: Prayer before gospel study invites the Spirit of the Lord to guide you and reveal truth.

 

GET READY FOR A GREAT WORK WITH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO ; )

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TODAY’S LEARNING ADVENTURE
ONE SCRIPTURE BLOCK WITH TWO GUIDED STUDY CHOICES
TODAY during your LEARNING ADVENTURE choose how you want to study
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 43-44
As you study, record your thoughts and feelings in your Scripture Journal or in your Gospel Library digital notes.

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      CHOICE NUMBER ONE:

BOUNDARIES | MY PROPERTY STARTS HERE

A boundary is anything that helps to differentiate you from someone else or shows where you begin and end.
(Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries, 35)

People with poor boundaries struggle with saying no to the control, pressure, demands, and sometimes the real needs of others. They feel that if they say no to someone, they will endanger their relationship with that person, so they passively comply — but inwardly they dislike what they are doing. If you can’t say no to the internal and external pressures, you have lost control of your property and are not enjoying the fruit of “self-control.”

   

WHAT MAKES GOD, GOD? Boundaries. He knows exactly where His power begins and His power ends. This gives Him the ultimate freedom and enjoys the fruit of living within His boundaries. If we are to become like Him, we too must learn where our “property” begins and ends.

 

CHURCH HISTORY: In 1831, the Saints in Ohio were enjoying the return of New Testament manifestations of the Spirit. As Joseph encouraged many to seek revelation for themselves, some members made false claims that they were receiving revelation on behalf of others. They imitated the role of a prophet and began to lead Saints astray. Joseph could discern the error but was struggling to persuade others to see for themselves. Joseph sought guidance from the Lord and a revelation was received, now known as Doctrine & Covenants 43.

AS YOU STUDY SECTION 43 you will learn how the Lord establishes clear boundaries for his children.

Boundaries help keep the good in and the bad out. Healthy boundaries guard our time, our treasures, and our hearts. Sometimes we have the bad on the inside and the good on the outside. We need to be able to open our boundaries to let the bad out and the good in. Our boundaries need gates.

 

   

“The concept of boundaries comes from the very nature of God.
God defines himself as a distinct, separate being, and he is responsible for himself.
He defines and takes responsibility for his personality
by telling us what he thinks, feels, plans, allows, will not allow, likes and dislikes.”  
( Cloud and Townsend, Boundaries,  34 )

 

DEEPEN YOUR LEARNING
In the first 14 verse of Section 43 Jesus establishes the boundaries of his Kingdom.
In the remaining verses he invites all those who will hearken to protect themselves by setting up their own boundaries.

1. READ D&C 43:1-14 and LOOK FOR the boundaries and the gate that Heavenly Father has established to protect his kingdom, his doctrine, and his revelations.
• What is the Gate?
• What represents the Fencing?
• What is the Good Inside?
• What is the Bad that God Desires to Keep Outside?
• What allows you Access the Boundaries of God’s Kingdom? (Clue: D&C 43:7)

2. THINK ABOUT…
Study D&C 43:15-21 and find three different ways the Lord invites you to establish boundaries in your dealings with others.

3. PREPARE for your class GATHERING: Share your thoughts to the following question with your teacher in the “Assignment Box” below.
• What might you use as your gate to protect your personal property of faith, time, values, etc?

    CHOICE NUMBER TWO:
LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY!
WHEN THE TESTIMONY OF MAN WEARS OUT,
THE TESTIMONY OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING TAKE OVER

WHAT DO YOU HEAR in the crack of lightning and the rumbling of thunder? The voice of mercy? Or the voice of justice? 

In the famous telling of the Wizard of Oz, Dorthy and her friends confront the mighty wizard. His voice is like thunder and his countenance like lightening. But he was all smoke and mirrors—an imposter. God is trying to communicate truth. He tries to communicate through parents, friends, prophets— even His own voice. Alas, His children won’t listen. So He uses the voice of thunderings, tempests, earthquakes, and hailstorms. Though the voice has changed, the message remains the same. 

DEEPEN YOUR LEARNING
1. STUDY D&C 43:22 & 25: What is the consistent message of every voice that God uses?

When Dorthy unveiled the Wizard they discovered a fraud.

READ D&C 43:26-33 and LOOK FOR what people will find when God is unveiled.
Knowing the Savior’s coming is inevitable, the Lord gives us fair warning on how to prepare in D&C 43:34-35 .

SEARCH AT LEAST TWO of the following FOOTNOTES and prepare to share with the class what you learned about how we must prepare to receive Christ.
D&C 43:34-35

“…^bTreasure these things up in your hearts and let the ^csolemnities of ^deternity ^e rest upon your ^fminds”
“Be ^asober.”

2. THINK ABOUT something that relates to…

The whole world has heard COVID’s testimony. It has wreaked havoc on the entire population of the Earth.
• How have you felt the voice of mercy gathering you as a chick or the voice of repentance and judgement over the past year?

3. PREPARE for your class GATHERING: Share your thoughts to the following question with your teacher in the “Assignment Box” below.
• What did you learn from your study of the footnotes on how you can best prepare to receive Christ?