There are three things that I learned from my study in 2 Timothy this week. I will rank them from how well I understood them before this week, so from least new to most new.



2 Timothy 1:7-8

Of all my favorite scriptures, this is probably third. The true nature of fear is that it weakens and takes away from our ability to grow. This is the reason that Satan uses fear so often and so intensely. He knows that if he can keep us from testifying of truth, he can keep us from growing. He can keep people from truth, and he can damn more people.

This was my favorite scripture while I was on my mission because while I served in the bible belt (I served in Mississippi) it meant that I could talk to anyone, or go where ever the spirit commanded. It was very intimidating when I thought that everyone else I met had a better understanding of the bible than I did. I then looked at a few scriptures that made me think differently. D&C 84:85 is incredibly powerful. The spirit is a great tool that can be used in the service of God. It will give you what you can say to others and it will give you a way to be able to change their hearts.

Furthermore, I had a far greater knowledge of truth. They might have had good training on the philosophy of man, mingled with scripture, but I had a divine calling, and the prayers of hundreds of thousands of members behind me. I had a power there that no one I talked to had or even could have had. I was called of God by a living prophet. I was part of something real and living. They only had knowledge of the last time something that great had been on the earth.

2 Timothy 3:1-14

This section of scripture is about the time right before the second coming. It is a time where people will be very evil and the whole world will be suffering. The sin of the masses will affect all. Surely the wicked will suffer, but maybe not during the time before the second coming. I think the the terrors that await there are first, probably almost all already here, and second, going to happen to about everyone. 

 

By that I mean that all of the things that the earth will be tormented with are plaguing us right now. The storm of wickedness and unhappiness that prevails on the earth right now is an example of that. We are currently suffering from the sins that others are committing.

 

(The argument that what you do does not affect anyone else is flawed. By the very nature of this planet, we all have to be in contact with others on a regular basis. Our attitude, our moods, and our activities, even those that have nothing to do with the people that we are around affect other people. If you are grumpy, you are likely to make other people that you pass by and don't even talk to grumpy as well. What you do always affects others. That is part of the human condition. Every thing that you do will have affect on another person. Just be aware.)

So while we will definitely suffer during the time before the second coming, but there is no reason to fear. See the first point.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Whenever I teach a gospel lesson, I start off by talking about how learning is not complete unless we do something different after we learn. This is kind of what you are talking about. It is not about knowing the hard things that we will endure, but rather that we must learn what to do when things get hard. It is about learning, and changing through the power of the scriptures, through "reproof", so that we can be prepared for whatever will come.

First assignment for FDREL 212

I read the sections and did a little research into customs of the time, and gave my wife a brief overview of what happened in the first few chapters of Acts. My lesson was kind of rushed, and not all that important, but my wife asked a question which sparked an important lesson for me.

She asked, “If the church was growing so quickly, and with such strength, how did it come to end?”

I told her that I thought that the church may have grown too quickly and too much. That the Apostles didn’t have enough time and ability to hold the church together, that on top of the fact that they were always busy being imprisoned and killed. It was hard to get enough leadership to keep true doctrine flowing.

She said, “but that can’t happen now because we have the ability to communicate so well across the globe.”

God has blessed us with increases in technology as part of the fulfillment of his promise that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord.” God loves us so much he has given us prophets and apostles, and has given them a voice that can be heard on every climb.

My wife is so smart. And, for the record, she did not make me write that.

219 words.

Acts 17: Image of the Unknown

     One of my favorite songs begins like this: "We're more than carbon and chemicals, We are the image of the invisible!"

    In a religion class I am taking, we read Acts 17. Paul, being the total tough guy he was, went to one of the cultural centers of the Roman empire: Athens. During the time of his visit, Athens was in decline. The people of Athens were doing what they could to restore the city to its former glory. They still used the structures which had been built in centuries previous. Among them was the marketplace. This was a place where people could go an share new ideas. This is where Paul went to preach the relatively new doctrine of Christ.

     Paul was met by a people altogether different than the Jews. The people of Athens supported many doctrines. The doctrines of the Epicureans and the Stoics. The Epicurean Doctrine was that the earth was created by chance and that the point of life was to avoid pain, and to find as many pleasurable experiences as possible. The Stoic view was that God created the world, and that trying to change your lot in life is pointless. The people of Athens also had built a shrine to the unknown god.

     Paul had minimal success with the people of Athens, but his effort was not wasted. There were a few converts and those people did receive some attention in later epistles.

     The real point of Acts 17 is the manner in which he preaches. He uses references to local landmarks, texts of the Stoics, and used the argumentative style that was popular in that area. What is more important than that, however, is the fact that he stuck to his principles. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by varying doctrines and popular opinions, he told the people of Athens the truth of the gospel. In a manner which they could understand.