Introduction
Elder Christofferson said, “In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “we believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9). This is to say that while there is much we do not yet know, the truths and doctrine we have received have come and will continue to come by divine revelation. We value scholarship that enhances understanding, but in the Church today, just as anciently, establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal deviations is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with apostolic authority.” (The Doctrine of Christ: Elder Christofferson; May 2012)
The words of prophets are the words of Jesus Christ, and the words of Jesus Christ are the words of Prophets, Seers, and Revelators. (D&C 1:38)
Here are a few questions a teacher can ask throughout the school year:
1. What are my study habits as it relates to the words of living prophets?
2. How much time do I invest in studying their words?
3. How often do I quote their words or use their words in my home, at work, in school or at play?
4. How familiar am I with what President Nelson is saying this week?
5. What can I do to pay the price to know the words of the prophets and their priorities?
What is my initial understanding or ability? (assessment)
· How often do I use the words of living prophets in the moment of inquiry in the classroom?
· How often do I seek to use prophetic teachings to help resolve concerns or answer questions of my students?
What is it and why is it important? (Define):
Using questions to point to prophetic teachings in the moment of inquiry can occur during the flow of the class. When a student asks a question, a teacher responds by asking questions that help the student think of or search for a prophetic teaching that helps answer the question. An example of these types of questions could be:
1. Can you think of how President Nelson has answered this question?
2. What have prophets taught that could help us with this?
Go to Gospel Library and type in the key words from your question- let’s see if one of our prophets have taught something related to this. What did you find?
3. A teacher may need to point students to a specific talk and invite students to see how prophets have answered this question.
Doing this will help our students to better understand the importance of and the role of living prophets. Their understanding of their words will increase as they use them in the context of their lives. They will become a ready resource for answers to their scripture based and life questions.
Who or what provides a good illustration of this? (Model):
While students were studying verses in 1 Nephi 5:6 during class, Kathy asked this question: “Why does it sometimes feel like women have no say in the Lord’s kingdom?” The teacher then asked Kathy and the other students the following question: "Class, let’s look at a talk President Nelson gave called Spiritual Treasures for the next few minutes. As you read, where and how does President Nelson help answer Kathy's question?"
How can I practice using this skill or applying this principle? (Practice):
Point the following students to the words of the prophets by asking a question based on the example above or write down one of your own.
1. A student asks: “What goes on in the spirit world? Do they see us? Do they know what we are doing?”
2. A student asks: - “Why would the Lord give feelings to some people that go contrary to His plan?”
Ponder or discuss:
· Why is it better to point students to the words of the prophets in the moment they ask a question than giving them the answer from our own memory or knowledge?
· What are you learning about pointing students to the words of the prophets?
Incorporate:
Practice using one of the above questions or a similar question of your own regularly in class for the next month. Identify what happens. Be patient with the students and yourself. See how things improve as you help them get better and better at finding the right answers in the revealed word.
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