What is a Disciple of Christ

 One of the teachings that has most impacted my life, was learning to be a disciple of Christ.  To me, that means that following Christ is more than just attending church on Sunday.  It means that I do my best to follow the example of the Savior every day.

This week we studied what the scriptures say about being a disciple of Jesus Christ. (Luke 10:38-42, 11:1-13; 1213-40; 13:23-24; 14:16-33.

As I read these scriptures here are some of the things that the Savior taught about being a disciple of Jesus Christ

• Serve the Savior like Martha
• Listen to his teachings like Mary
• Pray often
• Seek the kingdom of God first and your needs will be provided for.

 As I look at my life, I tend to be a Martha.  I show my love for the Lord and for others through my service.  And there have been times when I have had similar feelings to the ones Martha expressed.  As I contemplated which area I would like to improve on, I realized that I need to take more time to be Mary.  I need to create more balance in my life by spending more time in quiet reflection and study so that I can have the physical and spiritual energy to be "Martha" with a good attitude. 

Ultimately we are expected, as a disciple of Christ, to give him everything.  What does that mean?  I believe that it means that everything we do and say should be in harmony with the gospel.  Others should be drawn to Christ through our example.  We should uplift and help each other. As we serve our customers and each other in our jobs, we can be a disciple of Christ.  As we continue our education we build up our knowledge and skills that the Lord can help us use to spread the gospel. As we raise our families, we can help them to follow Christ and serve others as well.

The Good Shepherd

This week part of our reading block included the parable of the Good Shepherd.  As we studied the parable, we also learned more about the shepherds in Palestine.  I thought it was so interesting to learn that the shepherds named their sheep and talked to them so much that the sheep actually recognized the shepherds voice and would come when their names were called.  At night they would gather several flocks together and leave one shepherd to guard them.  In the morning each shepherd would return and "call" their sheep and they would come to him.

Learning about how the shepherds called their sheep back in Palestine helped me to understand this parable so much better.

In John 10:1-11 Jesus compares himself to the "door of the sheep" (verse 7) and he says "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep and am known of mine." (verse 14).

As the "door of the sheep" we can know that Jesus is protecting us.  When we are under his care and living the gospel, we can not be swayed by the "wolves" or those who would try to lead us astray.  Since Christ is our shepherd, we can recognize his voice and follow him.  He knows us by name and keeps track of us. 

Now that we understand what it means to be in the fold and to have Christ as our shepherd, we can more fully appreciate what it means in 3 Nephi 15 and 16 when Christ states that there are "other sheep."  There are followers of Christ in other parts of the world and they are Christ's sheep as well.  They hear and know his voice and come when He calls them.  He will help lead and guide them back to the "fold." 

Each week, as part of our assignment, we have to share what the best part of our assignment is.  I found that I did much better at expressing what I learned from this lesson as I answered that question, so I thought I'd include it here.

I know this is kind of selfish, but I think the best thing about my assignment is the increase in my own understanding.  It is so comforting to me to know that the Lord is my Shepherd and it is part of the plan for me to know and recognize his voice.  It is my responsibility to come to Him when he calls me.  He is standing watch over me and when I follow Him, He will provide a safe haven for me where I can be protected from those who would try to lead my astray.

Here is a video of The Good Shepherd.  Enjoy!

Walking on the Sea

Mathew 14:22-33 is the account of Jesus walking on water to the Apostles on the ship.  When the Apostles first saw the Savior walking on the water, they were scared.  They thought they might be seeing a spirit. When Peter asked the Savior to make him walk on water he showed that he believed that he could do anything with the Lord's help.  Unfortunately Peter got scared when the winds picked up and his faith wavered.  As his faith wavered, he began to sink. As soon as Peter called out for help, Jesus was there.  He immediately reached out to help Peter.

In Doctrine and Covenants 88:67 we read

And if your eye be ^asingle to my ^bglory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light ^ccomprehendeth all things.

 When we read this scripture and think about the experience of Peter on the water, we learn that we need to put the gospel first.  When we focus on the Savior and the gospel, we will be filled with the Spirit.  We will feel strength and peace and we will be able to see and understand the Lord's hand in our lives.  

I feel like I need to learn this lesson over and over again.  Whenever I recommit myself to reading my scriptures, praying daily and fully living the gospel, life seems to go more smoothly.  I find that I have more energy and am able to easily accomplish the things I need to do.  Inevitably I get tired or lazy and I slip up a little bit and pretty soon I realize it's been days or even weeks since I've studied the scriptures.  As I look at those times, I see that I am more anxious or feel overwhelmed.  As soon as I put my priorities back on track, I feel the Lord reaching out to me to help me.

Teaching in Parables

What is a parable?

A parable is the Lord's way of teaching divine truths by telling a story.  Based on faith and intelligence, the hearer of the story has the opportunity to understand the spiritual meaning.  While the application of a parable may vary depending on the time and the person, the interpretation is eternal and the only correct interpretation is the meaning the parable was meant to convey at the time it was spoken.

2.    Read the following parables: parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30); parables of the mustard seed and the leaven (Matthew 13:47-50); parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46); parable of the gospel net (Matthew 13:47-50). Next to each of the following questions write the name of the parable that best answers that question.

o       What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Parable of the mustard seed and the leaven 

 

o       Why does the Church send out so many missionaries?

 Parable of the gospel net

 

o       How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church, considering that it is fairly new compared to most world religions and started small in the American frontier?

Parable of the mustard seed and the leaven

​o       Why are some members of the Church willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the Church?

 Parable of the treasure and the pearl of great price

o       Why do some Church members choose to leave the Church?

Parable of the tares

3.    Write answers to the following questions:

o       Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (see Matthew 13:44-46), what sacrifices would you be willing to make to obtain the treasure of the gospel? What sacrifices have you or those you know already made for the gospel?

 While the last couple of generations of my family have struggled with their testimony and their membership in the church, we come from pioneer heritage.  I was so amazed when we did our genealogy and I found out about the incredible sacrifices my own family made.  My great, great... (can't remember how many generations back) Grandfather served in Company B of the Mormon Battalion.  Not only did he sacrifice by serving during that time and help with the Battalion's mission, but after they were released from duty, he helped to settle different areas in Arizona.  Each time he was asked to go to a new area, he did so, obediently.  When I think the choices I have to make are hard, I often reflect upon the sacrifices my ancestors made in order to share the gospel and follow the Lord.

 

o       What does the net represent in the parable of the net cast into the sea? (See Matthew 13:47). What does it mean to be gathered into the net? What is represented by the action of gathering the good into vessels and casting the bad away? (See Matthew 13:48-50).

The net is cast to gather all unto the Christ.  Some will accept Christ and remain sincere and faithful and some will fall away.  It is not up to us to decide who we should share the Gospel with.  We should share it with everyone and allow them to accept or reject it.  It is also not up to us to judge their sincerity. When the time comes, the wicked will be separated from the faithful.