Teaching the Gospel

Everyday I read something about teaching, specifically gospel oriented teaching. I am always trying to figure out how to be a better teacher and also separate my personal study and teaching study. It is quite the undertaking to always think about this, sometimes overwhelming. I listened to Elder Mcconkie's talk from conference today entitled "Gospel Learning and Teaching" which helped immensely.

He shared four basic principles of gospel teaching that I would like to share.

"First, immerse yourself in the scriptures. We cannot love what we do not know. Develop a habit of daily scripture study, separate and apart from your lesson preparation. Before we can teach the gospel, we must know the gospel.

Second, apply in your life the things that you learn.

Third, seek heaven’s help. Appeal unto the Lord for His Spirit with all of the energy of your heart. The scriptures state, “If ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.” This means that even if you use all the right teaching techniques and what you are teaching is true, without the Spirit real learning is not going to take place.

Fourth, brothers and sisters, it is of utmost importance that we exercise our agency and act, without delay, in accordance with the spiritual promptings we receive."

So study the scriptures everyday, apply, pray, and act quickly on promptings. Sounds like what we should be doing anyways in life regardless of if we are a teacher. Yet, almost everyone is a teacher in the gospel...either in church, to their children, for a paid job, to friends, the list goes on. And when you get discouraged or overwhelmed like I tend too, it helps to remember that the Lord is there for you. Or his closing statement in his talk also helps...

"Dear teachers, you are one of the great miracles of this Church. You have a sacred trust. We love you and have confidence in you. I know that if we will search the scriptures and live so that we are worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will magnify us in our callings and responsibilities so that we may accomplish our errand from the Lord."