| Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #1713] |
Sun, 23 December 2012 11:39  |
Seeker
Messages: 244
Registered: June 2010
Location: Las Vegas
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Senior Member |
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In church today someone said that Home teaching was not a "Calling" like Bishop or Hymn book stacker, or director...
He said it was just part of the oath and covenant of the priesthood. If you have the priesthood, then you are a home teacher by default. Deacons are or can be home teachers.
We aren't set apart as a Home teacher, we are expected and duty bound to be home teachers, but is it a calling?
What difference does it make?
~ Seeker
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #1719 is a reply to message #1713] |
Sun, 23 December 2012 16:30  |
FreddyV
Messages: 50
Registered: December 2012
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The more I learn about the priesthood, the more I feel I have never understood it. D&C 20:47 for example describes the priest's duty. Yet a priest is an office in the priesthood. I believe we too often confuse office in the church with priesthood. I think Alma 13 and D&C 76 better describe what it means to receive the priesthood.
So, as for a calling or duty? If we receive the true priesthood, I believe we will be able to follow the Spirit and visit, teach, heal, bless, and gather the Saints to Zion. I believe all of these may be considered as callings, callings we received prior to the foundation of this earth. I have always understood a calling as something we are set apart to do. However, I think that we have been called and set apart before the foundation of this earth to do many things in the Lord's service.
A duty of church office seems less celestial, more telestial. Those are my random thoughts. I'd love to hear what others may provide.
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #1727 is a reply to message #1719] |
Mon, 24 December 2012 12:55 |
iWitness
Messages: 51
Registered: November 2012
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Seeker-I believe it's a calling, but a higher calling. A calling to serve our fellow beings, cause then we're in the service of our God. But Home Teaching/ Visiting Teaching is absolutely meaningless unless we're doing it with charity and the right motives. If we're doing it to cross it off our list of "to-dos" it would be the same not doing it or doing it. BUT... Maybe it's like praying until you feel like praying kind of thing? HT/VT until you do it with the right intents? Haha
FreddyV-I look at priesthood, temple marriage, endowment, etc. as a shell. They need to be filled with real purpose to take effect. Anyone can hold the priesthood, anyone can get married in the temple. I've a handful of examples. Lots of people think that by participating in these things they've qualified for eternal life. The priesthood is just a cave(Plato's cave) allegory of what we can really have. It's to prepare us to receive God's power as God's power. We only see glimpses of that in this telestial existense I think...
-iWitness
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #2127 is a reply to message #2126] |
Tue, 29 January 2013 20:37 |
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JulesGP
Messages: 357
Registered: May 2012
Location: Davis County, UT
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Senior Member |
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Called to Serve wrote on Tue, 29 January 2013 20:24You are right, Ryan. Actually, I didn't clearly say what I feel. If we were following Christ and following His Spirit, we wouldn't NEED assignments. That is why it is unfortunate that we feel the need to assign people to visit others. That we feel the need is a sign that we aren't following the Spirit well enough to trust that everyone is going to be taken care of.
+10!!!!!
~Jules
[Updated on: Tue, 29 January 2013 20:38] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #2132 is a reply to message #2129] |
Wed, 30 January 2013 11:09 |
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JulesGP
Messages: 357
Registered: May 2012
Location: Davis County, UT
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Senior Member |
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Dragon wrote on Wed, 30 January 2013 09:02Nor would it be helpful to allow Home Teaching to be directed the way you suggest. There would be no friendships created, only slaves to the Spirit. That is not God's plan.
 "SLAVES to the Spirit"? I'm trying to figure out if I'm misunderstanding what you are saying here. We are SUPPOSED to be utterly reliant upon the Spirit and learn to rely ENTIRELY upon the direction of the Spirit. That IS God's plan. How is it even possible to be a "slave to the Spirit"?
And as an aside, I testify that my deepest and truest friendships are those that have been brought together by the spirit and NOT by the hand of man - certainly not any that were assigned to me.
~Jules
[Updated on: Wed, 30 January 2013 11:09] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #2138 is a reply to message #2129] |
Thu, 31 January 2013 00:55 |
Called to Serve
Messages: 39
Registered: December 2012
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Member |
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Dragon wrote on Wed, 30 January 2013 09:02How often do we ask God for a miracle and then get disappointed when our neighbor provides what we need instead of an angel? How many times do we look for God to lead us by the nose rather than follow our own intelligence and trust God to warn us if we've taken a wrong step?
Assuming the Spirit is strong enough in anyone on this Earth to know exactly who needs help all the time is fallacy. Many of the miracles wrought through Home Teaching/Visiting Teaching require months or even years of friendship between the parties to gain trust. The Lord has approved of Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching assignments as the best way to meet the needs of all the members of the ward. Remember, the LDS Church is not for perfected beings. It is for those shedding their Telestial life and learning to live the Terrestrial Laws, while being pointed to the path to the Celestial Kingdom. Therefore, order and organization are needed. It is like the Iron Rod. If people were capable of following the Spirit, or an Angel, as Lehi did in his vision, there would be no need for the Rod. Yet even Lehi lost sight of the Angel, and was nearly lost in the mist of darkness. Members of the LDS Church are not ready and will never be ready for the level of spiritual insights you speak of. Nor would it be helpful to allow Home Teaching to be directed the way you suggest. There would be no friendships created, only slaves to the Spirit. That is not God's plan.
okay. I'll put away the soap box now so you can return to your regularly scheduled program.
You make some interesting points, though I have to wonder what "slaves to the Spirit" means as well.
I personally believe that the iron rod is the promptings of the Spirit. It is the word of God to us. The word of God can come from any source, even a drunk on the street. Nothing, not even the scriptures, are of any use to us if we haven't gained insight through the Spirit. We simply can't overcome our own paradigms without help from a higher source. Of course, we are not compelled to follow the Spirit. We can choose to let go of that rod anytime.
Certainly, the home teaching/visiting teaching programs are the best way to meet members' needs at this time, but this is not a compliment to the church. People used to be expected to govern their behavior through the guidance of the Spirit and that always worked better. Now through these programs, people are told who they must befriend and driven by guilt to do their best at it. Some people do fine, but others just struggle no matter how badly they would like to befriend their assigned home/visit teachees. And of course others just don't try because they have other priorities.
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| Re: Is Home Teaching a Calling? [message #3412 is a reply to message #1713] |
Wed, 14 January 2015 18:52 |
InquiringMind808
Messages: 1
Registered: January 2015
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Junior Member |
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In my opinion,home teaching is an intermediary step meant to guide us to a higher way. Learning first by being obedient to assignment and progressing until we are led by the spirit to visit those whom we are inspired to visit. To say we are "slaves to the spirit" we must also be willing to say we are slaves to the EQP or HPGL. In either scenario, we have our agency to choose whether to follow the assignment.
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