Faith Presentation, Based on Missionary Fireside 2012, Lund

7/31/2019 Faith Presentation, Based on Missionary Fireside 2012, Lund

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Faith

Hope & Charity


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Faith


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Facts of Faith

1. It is the first principle of the gospel

2. God created all things by faith

3. Without faith it is impossible to please God4. We need to seek learning and study by faith

5. Without faith you can do nothing

6. The opposite of faith is fear


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4 Key Concepts of Faith

1. Faith is a hope (a desire) for things whicharent seen, but are true.

2. Faith is kindledby hearing the testimonyof those who have faith.

3. Strong faith is developed through

obedience and righteousness. 4. Faith is a principle of action and power.


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We must know how to Exercise and Learn by Faith:

Exercising our faith is the process.

Learning by faith is the result.


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Exercising Faith: The Process

2 Preconditions to the Process:

1. EXTERNAL: The Kindling (Or the Hearing of the Word) We must hear statements of truth or doctrine, followed by promises that

come from the corresponding doctrine

These promises must be true, and cannot be seen or proven by natural

means. (it must require faith) Example: reading the ensign, watching conference, a testimony meeting or

reading scripture)

2. INTERNAL: The Softening (Or opening of our Heart) The spirit can only carry it unto our hearts, we must use our agency to allow

it to be carried into our hearts. (read 2 Nephi 33:1)

We can even pray for the Lord to help us soften our hearts or accept what wehave heard. Nephi asked the Lord to soften his heart.

(1 Nephi 2:16)


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The Steps of Faith 1. Trust

We need to have a hope or desire in the word that we have heard, or the truth weve been

taught and trust the promise that came from the doctrine we have been taught.

"Hope is not a knowledge but the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises."-

President Uchtdorf

2. Action

We have to DO something about it. This is our witness to God that we want his help or

confirmation. Faith initiates action!---Whenever we act or do something, [it] witnesses to God

that we want to be taught, that we want his promises and then he extends hispower on our behalf, Elder Lund

Missionaries ask: will you pray about this, come to church, read this, or be baptized, to

help people act on their growing faith.

If you will act, not based on waiting for proof but your hope that something istrue then god will confirm it to you, Elder Lund

3. Witness

God then gives us a witness: also known as proof, evidence, confirmation or a

testimony. The world says show me or prove to me that this is true, and then I will

believe. God says, act on your hope that it is true, and then I will confirm that it is.


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Missionary Example of the Formula(Tell story)

1. TRUST

(A hope or desire)

2. ACTION

3. WITNESS

A cute family plays in the park.The Truth: Missionaries testify to the father that theycan be together forever in joy.Next father needs to use his agency and open his

heart---allowing the spirit to enter in and testify.

Man says "I hope that it is true""and if you can prove it, I'll join your church."Missionaries cannot prove it to him because faith isin things which cannot be seen or logically proven.The man will not allow the spirit to enter into hisheart.

Preconditions:1. Missionaries testified of

truth and promisedhappiness.

2. Man at first opens hisheart, then wants logic.

Missionaries ask himto just test it out and

ask in faith if it is true.He has nothing to lose.

The missionaryscompanion testifies that

God has answered theirprayer and has given her awitness before that theBook of Mormon is true,reassuring the man thatthe Lord will answer hisprayer too. (The promise)

The missionary just madea promise to the man afterpreaching a truth.

The man notices as he

tests out this truth, thathis home is filled withmore love and lesscontention, and he iskinder to his children.

This is his answer.


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1. TRUST(A hope or desire)

2. ACTION

3. WITNESS

The truth: Lord willnot let us make a wrong choice,

and we have a hope thatthe Lord wants us to be happyand grow and develop.The promise: he will not lead usastray and that we will be happierand make a better decision than if

we did not faithfully ask.

An Example of Faithfully Making Decisions with the Faith Formula

We move forward despitethe fear and anxiety thatwe have, knowing thatwe have made the bestchoice according to theknowledge, facts and

what we have ponderedthat this is the best choiceas far as we know.

The witness orconfirmation comes afterwe have had the trial ofour faith. The Lord,according to his masterfultiming gives us a sense of

peace, positivity andcomfort that the decisionwe have made is correct,

Or it will feel wrong andwe will no longer have thedesire to go forward, andwe will be lead down adifferent path in theLords timing.

(Story now we know that it was the wrong

direction)

Preconditions:1. Hear the word. We read D&C 8-9, talking about making

inspired decisions.

2. We open our hearts, Accepting whatever thewill of God is, especially if it is opposite of what we want.


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The Result: What is Learning by Faith then?

It is by the trial of our faith that we learn.

Our witness comes after the test of our faith: Are you willing to act based on

Step 1: Trust, and not Step 3: Witness?

We must ask based on our trust in the Lord, a perfectbrightness of hope in the truth of his doctrine, undimmed by

fear or doubt, and act on what we have been promised. The witness will come, usually in a confirmation that what we

have done works, or through a feeling of peace, joy, relief, orconfidence.


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Scripture References

1 Nephi 3:7

1 Nephi 7:12

2 Nephi 1:10

Alma 18:35 Ether 12:30

Moroni 3:3

Moroni 7:26 Moroni 7:33

Moroni 10:23

Ephesians 2:8

Luke 7:50

Luke 9:29

Hebrews 10:22 Hebrews 11:17

James 1:6

James 2:20-22


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Hope


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What is hope?

1. Hope is the confident expectation of and longing forpromised blessings of righteousness.

2. Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust

that the Lord will fulfill his promise to us.3. It is a perfect brightness.

4. It is a commandment.

5. It is the foundation of our faith.

6. Hope is a gift of the spirit.

7. Hope is: sure, unwavering, and active.


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Continued

8. It is confidence that if we live according to Gods laws and thewords of His prophets, we will receive the promised blessings,even peace in this world and the world to come.

9. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered.10. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm and patient

perseverance.11. The things we hope in sustain us through our trials temptations

and sorrows.12. Without hope we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.13. The opposite of hope is despair, or that which kills ambition,

advances sickness, pollutes the soul and deadens the heart.


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Hope: How do we get more?

1. Obedience As we strive to live the gospel, we grow in our ability to abound

in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost (Romans 15:13). We learn to cultivate hope the same way we learn to walk, one step at

a time. As we study the scriptures, speak with our Heavenly Fatherdaily, commit to keep the commandments of God, like the Word ofWisdom, and to pay a full tithing, we attain hope.28

We grow in our ability to abound in hope, through the power of theHoly Ghost,29as we more perfectly live the gospel.

There may be times when we must make a courageousdecision to hope even when everything around us

contradicts this hope PRACTICE: Each time a hope is fulfilled, it creates

confidence and leads to greater hope.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hope


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Continued

2. We increase in hope as we pray and seek God's forgiveness. In the Book of Mormon, a missionary named Aaron assured a Lamanite king, If

thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on hisname in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receivethe hope which thou desirest (Alma 22:16)

3. We also gain hope as we study the scriptures and follow theirteachings The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we

might havehope

4. With hope, we can find joy in life.

We can have patience, and bear with . . . afflictions, with a firm hope that yeshall one day rest from all your afflictions (Alma 34:41) Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness, therefore we must also

choose to hope, and to be happy.


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What can we hope in?

And what is it that ye shall hope for? Mormon gave the saints this answer: Behold I say unto you that ye shall have

hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to beraised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to thepromise.

We hope in Jesus the Christ, in the goodness of God, in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, in the knowledge that prayers are heard and answered Because God has been faithful and kept His promises in the past, we can hope with

confidence that God will keep His promises to us in the present and in the future. In times of distress, we can hold tightly to the hope that things will work together for

[our] good27as we follow the counsel of Gods prophets.

This type of hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courageduring difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened byenclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hope


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2 Nephi 31:20

Jacob 4:6

Alma 22:16

Moroni 8:26 Articles of Faith #13

Psalms 38:15

1 Corinthians 15:19 Colossians 1:23

1 Thessalonians 5:8


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbsU3b2srQA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbsU3b2srQAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbsU3b2srQA


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Charity


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What is Charity?

1. Charity is a gift, or something bestowed upon us.

2.It comes through our faith and hope in Christ.

3.It grows and builds gradually as our faith in Christ

grows.4.It is the most joyous thing to the soul, the highest,

noblest and strongest kind of love.

5. It is the greatest of all the gifts of God.

6.The opposite of Charity is selfishness and the naturalman.


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What are the Prerequisites?

1. We must be able to see ourselves as God sees us.

2. We must see others as God sees them.


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How?

It is when we expect the best of each other. Elder Marvin J. Ashton beautifully observed: Perhaps the greatest charity

comes when we are kind to each other, when we dont judge or categorizesomeone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt orremain quiet. Charity is accepting someones differences, weaknesses, andshortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resistingthe impulse to become offended when someone doesnt handle something the

way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of anothersweakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity isexpecting the best of each other.14

We focus on who people are, not what they arent. Her hair is cuter, my legs are fatter, her children are more talented, or her

gardens more productivesisters, you know the drill. We just cant do that.We cannot allow ourselves to feel inadequate by focusing on who

wearent

instead of on who we are! (Sister Bonnie D Parkin, RS General President, Choosing thebest part)

We choose the good part Do we judge one another? Do we criticize each other for individual choices,

thinking we know better, when in fact we rarely understand anothers uniquecircumstance or individual inspiration? Have we ever said, She works outsidethe home. Or, Her son didnt serve a mission. Or, Shes too old for acalling. Or, She cantshes single. Such judgments, and so many others

like them, rob us of the good part, that pure love of Christ.
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/11/choosing-charity-that-good-part?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/11/choosing-charity-that-good-part?lang=eng


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What does Charity look like?

When we possess charity, all of our natural human tendencies aretransformed, and we relate to others in a new way

Christ like love helps us overcome our natural fear or insecurity ofothers. We may fear difference; we may worry about being hurt or slighted. But Christ

like love is a love beyond fear. It reaches across the divide of difference. It is in

our nature to serve our own interests or the interests of those closest to us. Butcharity takes us beyond our comfort zone. Suddenly we are less worried aboutwhether others will approve of us. Our concern flows toward them regardless oftheir feelings for us.

Those with charity seem to forgive others in advance They learn to help others feel their love.

Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire andmake a part of yourself. Rather, it is an internal condition that must bedeveloped and experienced in order to be understood.

People with Charity learn to love themselves more (they see themselves and others as God sees them) and are more kind, gentle,

long suffering, patience, humble, meek and loving.


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What can we do to possess it?

1. Recognize the Fathers love: (Why not learn from those who know it and are it the best?) It is part of the gift of charity to be able to recognize the Lords hand and feel His love in all

that surrounds us.

2. Pray with all energy of heart for it3. Choose to see the best part in people

4. ACTION: Convey His love to others (Ye are my hands)

As with faith and hope, we must first try it, before we can receive itperfectly. We have to ACT and do our best before we can master the divineattribute. It is a process.

REMEMBER:Am I long-suffering? Am I kind? Am I humble? Do I think of others first? Do Ihold my temper?

We need to remember that charity is a gift. These attributes are not simply ato-do list; they are a description of the way we will be if we are fully inpossession of this gift. (we cant just do charitable things, we must becomesomeone with charity.


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Alma 7:24

Alma 13:29

Ether 12:18

Moroni 7:43-48 Matthew 5:43-44

1 Corinthians 8:1

1 Corinthians 13:4 Luke 6:35

Luke 10:34


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http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=enghttp://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/parable-of-the-good-samaritan?lang=eng


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Combined: Faith, Hope and Charity

Faith, Hope and Charity are a three legged stool. They need each other togrow and be strengthened. President Uchtdorf

Faith, hope, and charity complement each other, and as one increases, theothers grow as well. Hope comes of faith,32for without faith, there isno hope.33In like manner faith comes ofhope, for faith is the substance ofthings hoped for.34

Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode

faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatiencechallenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for ourfellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, thegreater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.

The things we hopefor lead us to faith, while the things we hope in lead us

to charity. The three qualitiesfaith, hope, and charity35workingtogether, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of JesusChrist, lead us to abound in good works.36

Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that faith is rooted in Jesus Christ.Hope centers in the Atonement. Charityis manifest in the pure love ofChrist. These three attributes are intertwined like strands in a cable andmay not always be precisely distinguished. Together they become our tetherto the celestial kingdom (A More ExcellentHope,Ensign, Feb. 1997, 61).
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hopehttp://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng&query=hope


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Alma 13:29

D&C 4:5

D&C 18:19

1 Corinthians 13:13


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm4LS7Ke2Sk&feature=plcp&context=C471fb84VDvjVQa1PpcFPqZ

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Faith Presentation, Based on Missionary Fireside 2012, Lund