Endowed From On High Temple Preparation Seminar Teacher's Manual NOTE: This is an incomplete document. I believe that the Student Manual, The Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer, is the actual intended reading referenced in the D2G handbook. Introduction 1. The Temple Teaches about the Great Plan of Salvation 2. We Must Be Worthy to Enter the Temple 3. Temple Work Brings Great Blessings into Our Lives 4. Receiving Temple Ordinances and Covenants 5. Learning from the Lord through Symbols 6. Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple 7. Continuing to Enjoy the Blessings of Temple Attendance Introduction PURPOSE This course of instruction is designed to help members of the Church prepare to attend the temple. Members who have previously attended the temple may also take the class to learn more about the temple. PARTICIPANTS Participants in this course should desire to go to the temple and be worthy of a temple recommend. If they have not yet received a recommend, they should be preparing to receive one. If participants have not yet taken a Sunday School class that discusses the Gospel Principles manual, it is recommended, but not required, that they do so before taking this course. They should have a reasonable understanding of gospel doctrines such as the Sabbath day, the Word of Wisdom, tithing, and chastity before taking this course. Worthiness and striving for personal righteousness are necessary for participation in temple ordinances. Each participant should receive a personal invitation to attend the class from the bishop or another Melchizedek Priesthood leader in the ward or branch. TIME AND PLACE The classes for this course may vary in size, but they should usually be kept small. Classes may be taught at the meetinghouse or in a home. The place, time, and frequency of the instruction should be convenient for the participants and the instructor. The material is divided into seven lessons. However, instructors should spend as much time as the class members need on each lesson. This may require more than one time period for each lesson. CLASS MATERIALS Class members should each have access to copies of the standard works. They will be referring to the scriptures in class throughout the course. Each person should also have access to a copy of the booklet The Holy Temple (30959), by Elder Boyd K. Packer. It is the student supplement for this course. It is frequently referred to throughout the lessons, and class members should be asked to read it during the weeks the course is presented. INSTRUCTOR The instructor should have a strong testimony of the gospel and be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. He or she should have received the temple ordinances, should have a current temple recommend, and should understand the importance and sacredness of what transpires in the temple. A married couple may also be considered to present these lessons. When possible, the instructor should accompany the participants to the temple when they receive their temple ordinances. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INSTRUCTOR As the instructor for this course, you have the privilege of helping Church members prepare for one of the most sacred opportunities of their lives. Be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit so that you can present the lesson material in a way that is best for the participants. Remember the Lord's counsel: "The Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach" (D&C 42:14). Read this manual from beginning to end before the first lesson so you will understand how the material fits together. Prepare each lesson well in advance so that you will understand the ideas and be able to present them well. As you teach the lessons, be sure that participants fully understand the ideas before moving on. Do not hurry through the lessons. Be patient and allow participants to think through the messages and respond to them. Before each lesson and at any time during the lessons, provide opportunities for class members to ask questions and discuss ideas. Help them to apply the principles they learn in their lives. Answer questions by using the scriptures, the teachings of the latter-day prophets, and the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. Be careful about trying to answer all questions. Some can be answered only in the temple. Work to strengthen your own testimony of the temple, and testify to your class often about the truth of the principles you teach. Also provide opportunities for the class members to bear their testimonies as appropriate. Always remember the vital importance of temple work. Elder Boyd K. Packer said: "Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, p. 27; or Ensign, May 1987, p. 24). THE TEMPLE TEACHES ABOUT THE GREAT PLAN OF SALVATION OBJECTIVE To help class members understand that the plan of salvation is taught in the temples. PREPARATION 1. Before class begins, prepare a chalkboard or poster illustration of the incomplete diagram showing the plan of salvation (see p. 3). (You may wish to make a similar incomplete diagram on a piece of paper for each class member to be completed during class discussion.) 2. Make sure that each class member has access to a copy of the scriptures. Also provide a copy of the booklet The Holy Temple, by Elder Boyd K. Packer, for each class member. These should have been ordered as part of the class materials. 3. You may want to assign several class members to help you with the second section of the lesson. You could give the scripture references mentioned under each part of the plan of salvation (premortal life, the Fall, etc.) to a class member and ask him or her to come to class prepared to summarize what these scriptures teach about the plan of salvation. 4. If it is available in your area, you may want to show Man's Search for Happiness, on the Come unto Me videocassette (53146). LESSON PRESENTATION THE TEMPLE IS A SPIRITUAL SCHOOL Invite someone to give an opening prayer. Explain that the scriptures will be used in each lesson. Encourage class members to bring their copies of the scriptures to each class. Distribute copies of The Holy Temple booklet to the class members. Explain that this is the student supplement for the course. Material from the booklet will be discussed throughout the lessons, and each class member should read the booklet during the weeks the course is taught.