Unit 1: Spiritual Preparation

Introduction

My first experience teaching primary occurred when I was about 18 years old. I was called to teach the Star A class (this same class is now called CTR 4). I loved children and spent many years babysitting prior to this calling. Looking back, I had no idea that this was the dawn of a life full of teaching and I had no idea how to manage a classroom. In the beginning, if you were to walk into my classroom you might see 1) children sitting on their chairs paying attention, or 2) children running around out of control. As time progressed, you would see option 1 much more frequently than option 2. Since that time, I have gained much experience and training in the field of teaching.

Angels in the Scriptures

Throughout the scriptures there are examples where angels have spoken to mankind. What is your favorite scripture story where an angel has spoken to man?

Assignment #1

Introduce yourself to our Primary community in the Primary Facebook group. Please share a) which class you teach and b) your favorite scripture story where an angel has spoken to man. If you are not part of Facebook (and do not wish to be), send me an e-mail with the same information.


The first scripture story that comes to my mind is the angel messenger that came to the shepherds proclaiming the birth of Jesus. The second that comes to mind is the angel Moroni coming to Joseph Smith teaching him from the scriptures. If you consider the many examples of angels speaking the mankind in the scriptures, the pattern seems to be that the purpose of such conversations is to testify or instruct of truth.

In 2 Nephi 31:14 we read, "...after ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels" [bold added].

In 2 Nephi 32:2 we read, "Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?" [Bold added].

To speak with the "tongue of angels" is to speak with the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Lord said, "...if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach" (D&C 42:14). As a teacher, you should seek to prepare spiritually before you teach. 

As teachers, you have the privilege and responsibility to teach "in the tongue of an angel," which is to teach with the power of the Holy Ghost. 

This requires spiritual preparation.

Prepare yourself spiritually to teach

Reading Assignment:

Read pages 2-3 in your Teaching Guidebook.

Additional Sources:
Alma 17:2-3
How to Always have the Spirit to be with Us

In summary, if you live the gospel, pray, and study the scriptures daily, you qualify to the have Spirit with you.

Learn to Recognize the Spirit

Think back to the last time you felt the spirit.

For me, it was in the evening while I was reading scripture stories to my children. As I feel the Spirit, I tell them that I felt the spirit and ask if they felt it too. I want my children to recognize when they feel the Spirit.

Promptings of the Spirit generally comes as a feeling.  It is a spirit to spirit communication. I have heard feeling the spirit described as a happy feeling. In D&C 6:23 it is described as a feeling of peace to the mind.

For further insight into this topic, read:
The Voice of the Spirit by Boyd K. Packer

Formula for Personal Revelation

Receiving revelation for our teaching may come as ideas or thoughts about how we can most effectively teach the principles in the lesson manual. Bruce R. McConkie's formula for receiving personal revelation is this: 1) Search the scriptures, 2) Keep the Commandments, and 3) Ask in faith.

If you are living the gospel and studying your scriptures every day, as you pray in faith for help in preparing your lesson, I know you will receive the answers you seek.

Reading Assignment:

Read the section titled "Teach by the Spirit" on pages 4-5 in your Teaching Guidebook.

Assignment #2

As you prepare your next lesson, be sure to implement one or more of the follow (from the Teaching Guidebook) to invite the Spirit into your teaching:

• Start with a prayer
• Teach from the scriptures and prophets
• Bear your testimony
• Share experiences
• Use music
• Show your love for the Lord and others

After your lesson, consider which suggested items you included in your lesson and which ones resulted in the Spirit.  Fill out the "Invite the Spirit into Your Teaching Self-Evaluation Form" and either a) Share your summary of what components brought the spirit into your teaching in our Primary Facebook group (if you feel comfortable doing so), b) send me an e-mail with your completed form, or c) give me a hard copy of your form at church.

Example of completed form:

Invite the Spirit into Your Teaching Self-Evaluation Form

Ways to invite the Spirit into teaching:	Included in lesson	Spirit was felt	Comments/Notes
Started with a prayer	X
Taught from scriptures and prophets	X
Beared my testimony	X
Shared experiences
Used music	X	X	Sang “Love One Another”
Showed my love for the Lord and others	X		I think I did this while I shared my testimony

Lesson Date: 10/11/15

Summary:

The thing that really brought the spirit into this lesson was music. I felt the spirit as we sang "Love One Another." The children felt the spirit too. We were able to discuss that we all felt the spirit and that the spirit was telling us that the words we were singing were true.