The Church and Kingdom of God

The more I learn about former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Joseph Fielding Smith, the more I admire him. Yesterday, I got to teach lesson 8 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, "The Church and Kingdom of God". In the first section about his life, we read one incredible story:

A simple and unassuming man, Joseph Fielding Smith never sought these positions. But when the Lord called him to serve, he willingly and enthusiastically obeyed. He quietly exhibited this dedication one day when, at age 89, he went to a meeting. Walking from his home, he slipped and fell down a flight of steps. Although he hurt his leg, he walked about a quarter of a mile—“limping like an old man,” he said—so he could fulfill his responsibilities. After the meeting, he walked back home, where he finally allowed a doctor to examine him. The doctor found that President Smith’s leg was fractured in multiple places. President Smith later commented on the experience. “The meeting got a little long,” he said. “But then, most meetings do.”

To have that much dedication is amazing. To be able to joke about it later is fantastic! He must have had an astonishing dedication to his responsibilities in  the Church, which is a wonderful example for the rest of us.

In sacrament meeting yesterday, I was thinking about my lesson and how I was going to teach it, and the thought occurred to me that in a lot of respects, the church is like a ship. this idea stuck with me, and so my entire lesson formed itself around this idea.

We started out discussing the apostasy and what it was, and what effect it had. We read President's Smith's words:

 The everlasting covenant had been broken; the correct understanding of gospel principles had disappeared through apostasy; the right to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel had ceased among men. It became necessary that all this might be restored, and that faith might increase among the people through an opening of the heavens and a restoration of the gospel.

So the Lord sent his messengers from his presence, with the fulness of the gospel, and with power, and the authority of the priesthood to bestow upon men, and gave them commandments … because the Lord knew the calamities which were to come upon the world, and it was his will that a proper warning, and the opportunity to receive the gospel be given unto men that they might repent and turn from their evil ways and serve the Lord [see D&C 1:17–23].⁴

I compared the apostasy to a stormy ocean, and drew waves on the chalkboard. We talked briefly about what calamities have occurred since the restoration, and what calamities we expect to happen in the future. Then we read the following paragraph:

We announce that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth, the only place where men may come to learn the true doctrines of salvation and find the authority of the holy priesthood.⁵

I compared the Church to a ship, a place of safety amid the chaos and turmoil of apostasy, and drew the ship on the chalkboard.

As we proceeded through the lesson, I added more to my drawing. For section 2 (The Lord Himself directs the work of the Church, and it is our privilege to have membership in it.) I added a stick figure at the steering wheel to represent Jesus Christ because he is at the head, directing the church. We read President Smith's words:

I desire to say that no man of himself can lead this church. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ; he is at the head. The church bears his name, has his priesthood, administers his gospel, preaches his doctrine, and does his work.

He chooses men and calls them to be instruments in his hands to accomplish his purposes, and he guides and directs them in their labors. But men are only instruments in the Lord’s hands, and the honor and glory for all that his servants accomplish is and should be ascribed unto him forever.

If this were the work of man, it would fail, but it is the work of the Lord, and he does not fail. And we have the assurance that if we keep the commandments and are valiant in the testimony of Jesus and are true to every trust, the Lord will guide and direct us and his church in the paths of righteousness, for the accomplishment of all his purposes.⁸

In section 3, (The Church is organized to help members find joy and happiness in this life and eternal life in the life to come.) I had the sisters name the different programs in the church that help the people in the church move forward. To my drawing, I added oars, sails, and a crows nest to represent the different programs, like Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Priesthood Quorums, etc.

In section 4, (Our service in the Church expresses love for others and appreciation for the Lord’s infinite service.) we talked about how the Lord needs us to make those programs work. We talked about the blessings that come from serving in the church, and read the paragraph which states:

Never refuse to serve. When a presiding officer asks your help, be glad to accept and give the best you have to that labor. The Lord expects this of us, and we are under covenant to do so. This course brings joy and peace, and at the same time those who serve receive the greatest blessing. The teacher gains more than the one taught; the blessing returned to us when we accept a call to work in the Church is far greater than the blessing we can impart to others. He who refuses to perform any labor or shirks responsibility when it is given him in the Church is in grave danger of losing the guidance of the Spirit. Eventually he becomes lukewarm and indifferent to all duties, and, like the plant that is not cultivated and watered, he shrivels up and dies a spiritual death.¹⁷

I added people to the ship; lots of people. I even drew a person in a rowboat, trying to only save himself. At this point, I called for a couple volunteers to come up to help with an object lesson. I had a couple of 1" blocks which I put down on the table. I told them they could only use the last joint of one finger to try to get their block up onto the podium. (I got the idea from here.) After a few minutes the sisters figured out that they could do it if they worked together, pushing their blocks together in order to lift them up. I related this to how in the church we can't do everything on our own, but we need help, and we are needed to help others.

For section 5, (In this dispensation, the kingdom of God and the work of the Lord will spread throughout the world.) we talked about what a dispensation is, and what the purpose of this dispensation is. To use the ship analogy, each dispensation has been a ship. Each one was directed by the Lord, and each one was similar in shape and form. The difference between this ship and the others? This one isn't going to sink. It isn't going to flounder in the waves or get lost or be hijacked by pirates. This ship is going to reach it's destination. This dispensation is going to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. He is going to arrive. The ship will finally land on firm ground.

I finished with my testimony that this is God's Church on the earth today. This was a fun lesson to teach, but the message is an important one. While this IS Christ's church, he can't do everything on his own. He needs our help. We must serve where ever we are called - whether it is up in the crow's nest in the sunlight, or unseen in the depths of the ship pulling an oar. Everyone is important and everyone is needed to help us reach our destination. If we had this kind of understanding, we might gain the same kind of dedication that President Smith had, to walk a quarter mile on a broken leg at 89 years of age, or to do whatever might be necessary, in order to fulfill our responsibilities for the Church of Jesus Christ.