Gospel Doctrine: Did Not Our Heart Burn?

Posted on July 20, 2007 by Nola Redd

Yesterday, we spoke somewhat concerning the scriptures that Christ cited as He walked with His disciples. Today, I would like to talk a bit about the result of those scriptures, and the testimony of the Holy Ghost. Following His resurrection, Jesus met two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. They did not recognize Him, and so told Him of the crucifixion of their Master. They shared the report of the women who visited the sepulchre. He obviously saw that they were slow to believe the reports of these witnesses, for He called them “fools, and slow of heart … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Release Barabbas

Posted on July 11, 2007 by Nola Redd

When Pontius told the Jews that he found no fault in Jesus, he sought to release the Savior as a free man. Instead, the angry mob insisted that the murderer, Barabbas, be instead released. When asked what to do with the Lord and Savior, the crowd cried out that He should be crucified. The Jewish people chose a man of the world over a man of God. When Pontius gave them a second chance, they cried out again for the convicted criminal rather than the man free of all sin. They embraced the world rather than the Lord. Repeatedly through … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Blessings of the Elect

Posted on June 5, 2007 by Nola Redd

Yesterday, we took a look at the signs of the Second Coming of the Savior. Many of those were a bit scary – things like wars, famines, and persecutions. Things like that give the end of the world a bad name! Today, I’d like to explore some of the blessings promised to the elect. We’re going to talk more about the elect tomorrow, but for today, let’s just say that the elect are those who are chosen by God. In a nutshell, it includes sincere Latter-day Saints. That means that the blessings we are about to review are ones that … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The Rich Young Man

Posted on May 2, 2007 by Nola Redd

The story of the rich young man, as found in Mark 10:17-30, is one that is fairly well known. The youth asks the Savior how he might obtain eternal life. When told to give up his riches, he declines and leaves the Savior. Often, we focus on the negatives of the story, but today, I’d like to point out a few positive aspects that might be missed. The first thing that struck my eye was the eagerness the youth had when it came to Jesus. If you look at verse 17, you read “there came one running.” This young man … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The Parable of the Sower

Posted on April 14, 2007 by Nola Redd

Circumstances did not allow for posting these lessons the weeks they were completed. However, it is my hope that you will still be able to take something from them. Today’s posts address lesson 11, “He Spake Many Things unto Them in Parables.” Today’s scripture study focused me on the parable of the sower, found in Matthew 13:1-8. The first thing I did was to match up the verses of the parable with the verses of Christ’s interpretation (found in 13:19-23). As we examine Christ’s explanation, try to remember that one of the interesting things about parables is their wide array … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Why Speakest Thou…In Parables?

Posted on April 14, 2007 by Nola Redd

Circumstances did not allow for posting these lessons the weeks they were completed. However, it is my hope that you will still be able to take something from them. Today’s posts address lesson 11, “He Spake Many Things unto Them in Parables.” This week’s Sunday School lesson encompasses the whole of Matthew 13. While the easiest way to progress would be to start at the beginning, I am going to try to take a more comprehensive look at the chapter. Thus, I am going to start with why the Savior uses parables before I move on to the seven parables … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Focusing on Christ

Posted on April 5, 2007 by Nola Redd

When Peter, James, and John were taken to the Mount of Transfiguration with the Savior, I found their response interesting. Only a week after he had testified of the divinity of Christ, Peter seemed to put Him on equal footing with the resurrected prophets. How could a senior disciple make such a grievous error? Perhaps because he was, like the rest of us, only human. Only one chapter prior, Peter had declared Christ to be the Son of God. Why, then, would he suggest an alter be built to worship the Savior, Moses, and Elijah? Shouldn’t he recognize that Christ … Continue reading →

The LDS Families Week in Review: April 2nd – April 8th

Posted on April 7, 2007 by Nola Redd

Gospel Doctrine: This week’s Gospel Doctrine covers the upcoming lesson 13, “I Will Give Unto Thee the Keys of the Kingdom,” which involves Matthew 15:21-17:9. In “Great Is Thy Faith”, we examined the faith of the Canaanite woman who asked the Savior to heal her daughter, and how we can press on even when we seem to receive no answer to our pleadings. In The Signs of the Times, we considered the fact that we might look too often for the sensational and miss the small and simple signs of the Lord. In “Flesh and Blood Hath Not Revealed It … Continue reading →