Acts 9, 13-18/ Choice 2

Student Choice assignment- Choice 2

1. Trace Paul’s second missionary journey from Bible Map 13. List the names of four cities he visited, to whom he later wrote epistles. Read Acts 16:6–10; 18:9– 11. Write a paragraph explaining the different ways the Holy Ghost directed Paul and his companions during their journey. Write a second paragraph describing how the Spirit has directed your missionary efforts, and one way you could be more directed by the Spirit in your life.

          The four cities were: Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi and Colosse. He eventually writes epistles to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.

          In Acts 16: 6-10 we read about Paul and his journeys through different lands but the Spirit of the Lord does not give them the direction to preach to those in Asia or in other smaller areas. These versus show us that the Spirit guides by not giving direction. There are times when the Spirit does not give us an impression of where to go or if we are going along the right path because it is his way of telling us we are meant to move on or go another direction. In Acts 18: 9-11 Paul receives a vision and is told by the Lord that he should not hold back the words of the Lord and that He is with them so they will not be harmed. Here we see the Spirit giving comfort to Paul and strengthening him to continue.
          I have not served a full-time mission for the Church, but I have tried my best to be a "member missionary" to the best of my ability. I have followed promptings from the Holy Ghost in sharing my testimony, posting a talk by a General Authority on social media or just sharing something I learned in church on a given Sunday. I think my missionary experiences have been strongest in the family history work I have done for my ancestors. I have done countless baptisms, confirmations and now initiatory, endowment and sealing work for my loved ones who have passed on. I have felt such a strong feeling of joy and happiness when doing this work that I cannot deny that they are excited to have this work done for them. I think a way I can work to be more directed by the Spirit is to be more immediate in responding and acting upon promptings I receive from the Holy Ghost.
          
2.    Review Acts 16:9–33. Make a list of the reasons Paul was able to preach the gospel so effectively. 
There were 3 things that stood out to me from this section of scripture
1) Paul's immediate response to the promptings of the Spirit
2) Constant, sincere prayer
3) True faith in the Lord and in the things he was sharing with others.

o In what ways did Paul turn his experiences into missionary opportunities? 
Paul was able to use his situation, no matter how awful, to teach others about Christ. The prime example I would use is in Acts 16: 25-31. Paul and Silas are in prison but they pray and sing praises to God and the prisoners hear. However, after the praises their shackles were undone and the prison doors were open but instead of leaving they remain and preach to the jailer who believes their message.
o What can you learn from Paul’s missionary experiences?
For me, an important lesson is to never be afraid to speak of the Lord. No matter the situation or circumstance we must share the gospel.
o How is the jailer an example of a true convert? 
Conversion is a life long process, but the jailer showed that he was willing to follow the Lord and join His people even without seeing miracles or amazing acts performed.
o How does Mosiah 4:9–10 expand your understanding of Acts 17:30–31?
In both Mosiah and Acts we are told that we must repent. It is in Mosiah that it is clarified that we must repent from our iniquities and now that we have been taught the truth we must always live by it. 
o What can you do now to better prepare yourself to share the gospel, whether as a full-time missionary or as a member? 
I would love to serve as a full-time missionary, but at this time it is not meant for me to do that. However, I can and do strive to share the gospel with my family and friends who are not members. Somethings I can do to prepare better is to be more knowledgeable about the scriptures. I often read the scriptures to gain a deeper understanding of a principle or doctrine but I rarely think about how I can share it. Also, being more open to the Spirit and allowing him to guide me to those whom I can help will be a great blessing not only for them but for me as well. 
          

Acts 1-8; 10-12/ Choice 5

So just as an intro to my next several entries, I am taking a Religion class, New Testament Acts- Revelation at BYU-Idaho and part of the class is to pick a personal "student choice" activity and one is to post on a blog so I figured I'd put this to some use since it's been a while since I last posted. Also my references come from the King James Version of the Bible. The Joseph Smith- History referred to in the student choice section is a section of scripture found in the LDS scriptures in the book known as the Pearl of Great Price. It can be found on LDS.org.


For this class we are required to read the selected chapters and then find at least three principles within them. The three I want to share are 1. We are not meant to know the Lord's timing in everything. (Acts 1:7) 2. The works of men will not last but the works of the Lord will. (Acts 5:38-39) and 3. God is "no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34-35)

The Lord's Timing

To give a little background of this chapter Christ is ministering to His apostles after His resurrection. Christ mentions the restoration of Israel and they ask Him when that will happen and he responds:

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

I think Elder Neal A. Maxwell said it best, "Faith in the Lord includes faith in His timing." We must always hope for things that have been promised to come but if we are showing true faith to God then we will be patient and learn to live by his timing and not our own no matter the situation.

The Works of the Lord


In Chapter 5 of the book of Acts we read of the Apostles continuing to perform miracles just as Jesus had. However, the Pharisees and the Sadducees did not like this and Peter and John are arrested but are freed by an angel and are found again at the gates of the Temple performing miracles. Peter then proclaims that Jesus Christ is the name in which they are able to perform these miracles and they are riled up to anger and want to kill Peter and John, but it was Gamaliel, a Pharisee, who spoke saying:


"38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:


39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God."


Though Gamaliel may not have believed in what Peter and the other apostles were teaching and/or doing, but either way he gave us a strong gospel principle, even if unintended. We must always turn to the Lord to know what is right and if it is we will receive confirmation through the Holy Ghost that it is right/true. If it is not, then we will have to readjust our path and seek guidance to find what is right/true.


"No Respecter of Persons"

It is in Chapter 10 verse 34 that we find Peter speaking this phrase. In my copy of the scriptures, there is a footnote on the word "respecter" and that leads me to Acts 15:9 which says, "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." I think we can come to a consensus that this phrase simply means that in the eyes of the Lord we are all equal. For Him there is no differentiation between the rich or poor, educated or uneducated, nationalities etc... We are all simply Children of God and He can see our divine potential. I think verse 35 sums it up rather well, "But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." We just have to be willing to repent and follow Him.



Student Choice Option 5: Peter's vision

Who appeared to Cornelius and what was his message?
An angel of God appeared to him and told him that his prayers have been heard by the Lord and that he was to send men to Joppa to find Simon Peter who will be lodging with the tanner Simon.
What was Peter’s reaction to the Lord’s command during his vision upon the housetop?
I would say at first Peter was against the command, but after the vision I believe he was just unsure as to what the vision meant. 

Why did Peter react the way he did?
It was common practice in that time for Jews to not eat anything that wasn't "clean" such as pork. This revelation, I think, was leaning towards something that Peter was uncomfortable with or at least was about to change the traditions that he knew.

Read Joseph Smith—History 1:30, 44, 46 and discuss why you think the Lord repeated the vision three times for Peter.
In the Joseph Smith-- History the Angel Moroni appears to Joseph 3 times and in verse 46 Joseph says, "By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in astonishment at what I had both seen and heard." Using the information from Joseph's experience, I think we can infer that by the third time Peter received the same vision that he was more aware of what was going on and was able to better understand what the vision was even though he was still unsure as to what it meant. 


Why did Peter react the way he did?