Book of Mormon Teaching Ideas (Power Point Presenations for Seminary and Institute Lessons by Eric Richards)

“Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right.  It looks sideways to man and argues who is right…Pride is characterized by “What do I want out of my life?” Rather than by “What would God have me do with my Life?” To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts” (President Benson, Cleansing the Inner Vessel” 6-7, Ensign, May 86).

 “The Savior’s atonement is…the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness.  The Atonement is not just for sinners” (Bruce C. Hafen, “Beauty for Ashes:  The Atonement of Jesus Christ”, Ensign, 4/90, 7).

 “However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. … “… We can decide now to do quickly whatever God asks of us. And we can decide to be steady in the small tests of obedience which build the faith to carry us through the great tests, which will surely come”  (President Eyring, “Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 38, 40.)

 “Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine. For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and adversities to be experienced, time to be well spent, talents and gifts to be well employed. Just because we were chosen ‘there and then,’ surely does not mean we can be indifferent ‘here and now.’ Those called and prepared must also prove to be ‘chosen and faithful.’ (See Rev. 17:14; D&C 121:34–36.)” (Elder Maxwell, “Premortality, a Glorious Reality,” Ensign, Nov. 1985, 17).

 “You can begin to think as missionaries think, to read what missionaries read, to pray as missionaries pray, and to feel what missionaries feel. You can avoid the worldly influences that cause the Holy Ghost to withdraw, and you can grow in confidence in recognizing and responding to spiritual promptings and gradually become the missionary you hope to be and the missionary the Savior expects. …” (Elder Bednar, October 2005 General Conference).

 “May I tell you how I gained a testimony of the truth and divine nature of this great latter-day work? I’m afraid my experience isn’t very dramatic. It is not a story of heavenly hosannas or thundering shouts. It is not a story of lightning, fire, or flood.  But I have always known the reality and goodness of God. From my earliest memories it was there—a sure and abiding testimony of this great work.” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, General Conference, Oct. 2000.)

“To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry.” (President Monson, October 2009)

 “Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed! A prerequisite to taking up the cross is giving “away all [our] sins” in order to “know God” (Alma 22:18) for the denial of self precedes the full acceptance of Him.”  (Neal A. Maxwell, General Conference, April 1995)

Changing one’s beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God.  Conversion includes a conscious decision to give up one’s former ways and change to become a disciple of Christ. Repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ make conversion complete. A natural man will be changed into a new person who is sanctified and pure, born again in Christ Jesus. (www.lds.org, ‘Conversion’)

 “Perhaps more of us… could literally, or at least figuratively, behold the angels around us if we would but awaken from our stupor and hear the voice of the Spirit as those angels try to speak…. “I believe we need to speak of and believe in and bear testimony to the ministry of angels more than we sometimes do. They constitute one of God’s great methods of witnessing through the veil…” CES Symposium on the Book of Mormon • 9 August 1994

“In a world filled with skepticism and doubt, the expression ‘seeing is believing’ abounds. We want all of the proof and all of the evidence first. It seems hard to take things on faith. When will we learn that in spiritual things it works the other way about—that believing is seeing?

“When we believe in things that are not seen but are nevertheless true, then we have faith.” (President Boyd K. Packer, Faith,  February 1983 Ensign, 43.)

“Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient.  They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control.

“We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see” (Boyd K Packer, Conference Report, Apr. 1983, 89-90).

“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2007 General Conference

“To you who have sincerely repented yet continue to feel the burden of guilt, realize that to continue to suffer for sins when there has been proper repentance and forgiveness of the Lord is prompted by the master of deceit. Lucifer will encourage you to continue to relive the details of past mistakes, knowing that such thoughts can hamper your progress. Thus he attempts to tie strings to the mind and body so that he can manipulate you like a puppet to discourage personal achievement.” (Elder Scott, October 2000 General Conference)

“We must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road to Damascus, Enos praying far into the night, King Lamoni. Such astonishing examples of the power to change even those steeped in sin give confidence that the Atonement can reach even those deepest in despair.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

“We all are prone, once in a while, to be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness, and not necessarily because we have pursued wickedness or iniquity to a full extent.   We may have become a little careless. We may have neglected our relationships with those closest to us. … Perhaps we may have permitted small bad habits or attitudes to enter into our lives; or perhaps we have even lost to some degree an understanding of the importance of keeping a covenant with exactness. If so, we are in a dangerous state. We must become aware of it.

  “We may observe that for some time we are not really happy, that we must constantly force ourselves to smile…In order to be close to the words of the Lord’s anointed, it is necessary to read and study the scriptures with commitment and dedication.”  (Elder F. Enzio Busche, “University for Eternal Life,” Ensign, May 1989, 72)

President Boyd K. Packer,: “Youth today are being raised in enemy territory with a declining standard of morality. But as a servant of the Lord, I promise that you will be protected and shielded from the attacks of the adversary if you will heed the promptings that come from the Holy Spirit. “Dress modestly; talk reverently; listen to uplifting music. Avoid all immorality and personally degrading practices. Take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant. Because we depend so much on you, you will be remarkably blessed. You are never far from the sight of your loving Heavenly Father” (Nov. 2011).

“While we are profoundly grateful for the many members of the Church who are doing great things in the battle for truth and right, I must honestly tell you it still is not enough. We need much more help. … We need you. Like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, … you too can be endowed with power to build up and defend His kingdom. We need you to make sacred covenants, just as they did. We need you to be meticulously obedient and faithful, just as they were.” (Elder Russell M. Nelson, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 46–47).

“Power dwells in unity, not in discord; in humility, not pride; in sacrifice, not selfishness; obedience, not rebellion” (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [1945], 64).

The Polynesian Saints are characterized by a tremendous faith. Why do they have this great faith? It is because these people are of the blood of Israel. They are heirs to the promises of the Book of Mormon.

As Latter-day Saints we have always believed that the Polynesians are descendants of Lehi and blood relatives of the American Indians. (Elder Mark E. Peterson, 1962 General Conference)

 “If our lives are centered in Christ, nothing can go permanently wrong.  On the other hand, if our lives are not centered on the Savior and His teachings, no other success can ever be permanently right.”  (Howard W. Hunter, Teachings, 40)

 “To be firm and steadfast is to be constant, consistent, and vigilant in one’s faith and approach to living the gospel” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary, 3:419).