Teaching Helps Save Lives

by Russell T. Osguthorpe
http://lds.org/conference

President Joseph F. Smith said: “When [we receive] the truth [we] will be saved by it. [We] will not be saved merely because someone taught it to [us], but because [we] received and acted upon it”



Elder David A. Bednar shared these three simple elements of effective teaching...: (1) key doctrine, (2) invitation to action, and (3) promised blessings.


As President Monson has taught: “The goal of gospel teaching … is not to ‘‘pour information’’ into the minds of class members. …… The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles””


...taught “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul”. They taught with virtue garnishing their thoughts, and because of that, the Holy Ghost was their constant companion.

1. As a teacher, do I view myself as a messenger from God?


2. Do I prepare and then teach in ways that can help save lives?


3. Do I focus on a key doctrine of the Restoration?


4. Can those I teach feel the love I have for them and for my Heavenly Father and the Savior?


5. When inspiration comes, do I close the manual and open their eyes and their ears and their hearts to the glory of God?


6. Do I invite them to do the work that God has for them to do?


7. Do I express so much confidence in them that they find the invitation hard to refuse?


8. Do I help them recognize promised blessings that come from living the doctrine I am teaching?



Today, I wasn’t sure how to put the FHE lesson together from 2 conference talk in a way that would touch my kids. I used the above 8 questions to format my lesson today and the spirit was amazing as I was giving the lesson. I will be using this in the future.