EQ lesson - ideas/help?

[Robin Hood]

I have been assigned to teach the Elders Quorum lesson this coming Sunday, and the title is:
Trust Not In The Arm Of Flesh.

I wondered if anyone has any ideas or links/resources that would be helpful.
Thanking you in advance.

[Hosh]

I have been assigned to teach the Elders Quorum lesson this coming Sunday, and the title is:
Trust Not In The Arm Of Flesh.

I wondered if anyone has any ideas or links/resources that would be helpful.
Thanking you in advance.

This will be a fun thread.

[DivineSpark]

Grab a knife, gently slice open your arm and let them see you bleed. Now explain to them that if they do the exact same thing to the red chairs they would likewise bleed.

End of lesson, sit down, nothing else is needed.

[BeNotDeceived]

I have been assigned to teach the Elders Quorum lesson this coming Sunday, and the title is:
Trust Not In The Arm Of Flesh.

I wondered if anyone has any ideas or links/resources that would be helpful.
Thanking you in advance.

This will be a fun thread.

The backyard professor has some talking points.

https://ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=1203#p1203

Stake Presidents are freaking out.

[Godislove]

I have been assigned to teach the Elders Quorum lesson this coming Sunday, and the title is:
Trust Not In The Arm Of Flesh.

I wondered if anyone has any ideas or links/resources that would be helpful.
Thanking you in advance.

Read from Nephi

2 Nephi 4:34
O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Also D&C 1:19

The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man should not counsel his fellow man, neither trust in the arm of flesh

[sushi_chef]

probably .. sriptures should be quoted foremost of all so as to
invite the holy spririts to class participants hearts/dicussions,
like 2 nephi 28, jst mark 9 etc
"44. Therefore, let every man stand or fall, by himself, and not for another; or not trusting another.
45. Seek unto my Father, and it shall be done in that very moment what ye shall ask, if ye ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive.
46. And if thine eye which seeth for thee, him that is appointed to watch over thee to show thee light, become a transgressor and offend thee, pluck him out.
47. It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God, with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
48. For it is better that thyself should be saved, than to be cast into hell with thy brother, where their worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched.
"
and perhaps church authorities talks should be avoided as much as possible,
if not then its kinda very contradictory .. might be a failure as a teacher ..

[Godislove]

Just as an aside:
Interesting how the jab took place 'in the arm of the flesh.'

[iWriteStuff]

You could talk about my boss who got five courses of mRNA vaccine and is still out this week with COVID.

[TheChristian]

Simply speak about Calvary and to put ones trust in the "Holy One"whom hung there for our sakes, He alone is the one to trust......

"Jesus our Lord has engraven us apon the palms of His hands"

[Reluctant Watchman]

JST mark 9, 2 Nephi 28, and D&C 1 all talk about not trusting the arm of flesh.

You could dive deeper into JST Mark 9...
https://www.reluctantwatchman.com/hand-foot-eye

[Reluctant Watchman]

BTW, at first I thought this was a thread directed toward endlessQuestions...

[John Tavner]

And jeremiah 17:5.

Though being bold, I would say to put your money where you mouth is i.e. don't trust in your own arm and preparations and trust in God for this lesson. Just Keep treasuring up the word for yourself, to know God more. Do you believe God loves the EQ members? Do you treasure up the word of God? If yes on both accounts, the Lord will give you what you need, because He is God and He is amazing. Do you trust His word, that HE will give you what you need- or do you trust your own arm of flesh and need to rely on your own arm in order to teach? He loves those that seek Him and He has given you HIs Spirit to speak His word per. TheChristian's post - It is because of Him we have life at all and if we believe, life more abundantly through and in Him.

[LDS Physician]

JST mark 9, 2 Nephi 28, and D&C 1 all talk about not trusting the arm of flesh.

You could dive deeper into JST Mark 9...
https://www.reluctantwatchman.com/hand-foot-eye

This essay is very important. Especially this section:

"Deception through omission

Now, this is where things get a little crazy. I had to do a double-take when I first read this and couldn’t believe what the church had done. They wrote the following as part their introduction to JST Mark 9:

“Jesus compares cutting off an offending hand or foot to discontinuing associations that may lead one astray.”

Did you catch that, or not catch that in this case? There are only three elements to this parable, which one did they intentionally leave out? The eye!! Why in the world do you think they didn’t include the eye in this description? And not only that, they openly admit that this parable taught by Christ is about “discontinuing associations that may lead one astray.” Yep, you read that correctly. They actually used those words. As I noted in the beginning, one of the longest-held faith traditions in the LDS church is that the prophet, “can never lead you astray.” Church leaders know, through their own omission, that they have directly contradicted the teachings of Jesus Christ for generations and they couldn’t openly condemn themselves."

[blitzinstripes]

I would show them the infamous photo of Nelson with his sleeve rolled up getting the jibbety jab.

download.jpeg (8.71 KiB) Viewed 542 times

That's your LITERAL arm of flesh. So literal and so ironic, I get goosebumps and hear the words of that scripture resounding in my soul, every time I see this photo.

Then let them sit there and squirm as the truth sinks in.Those who have ears to hear, will hear.

[Dusty Wanderer]

Here are a few thoughts:

Maybe a short discussion on dependency and trust. In all of scripture there are only 5 references to 'depend' and they're all in the Book of Mormon, and they all result in trusting in something - something other than God, and in different ways.

Also, traditions of men, false or foolish traditions would be another profitable association.

Oh, also associated with trust is our treasure and our hearts.

------

“The time is here when the Saints cannot come to Joseph F. Smith, Francis M. Lyman or Charles W. Penrose, or others, for counsel.  But they must go to the Lord and not depend upon the arm of flesh for guidance” (Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake Temple, 1909).

Cross reference this one with Hel. 16:21
And you could even incorporate Pres. Nelson's counsel here to curb any accusations of being a prophet-hater ("But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.")

-----

I like the story in Jeremiah 35:

• The Rechabites: Jeremiah commanded to try them and see if they’ll break their vow to the Lord. Rechabites are commended by God for disobeying the prophet to keep the word as they received it from the Lord.

-----

Or the one in Malachi 2

• Priestly servant teaches truth and turns many from iniquity; but later departs out of the way and causes the people to stumble because they continue to follow him.

-----

I put this quote here as a bit of a joke, as I'm sure it would not go over very well, depending on how your EQ views the vax:

I preached to a large congregation at the stand, on the science and practice of medicine, desiring to persuade the Saints to trust in God when sick, and not in an arm of flesh, and live by faith and not by medicine, or poison; and when they were sick, and had called for the Elders to pray for them, and they were not healed, to use herbs and mild food.
Joseph Smith Jr., Documentary History of the Church, Volume 4, p. 414

[Pahoran]

Just as an aside:
Interesting how the jab took place 'in the arm of the flesh.'

Good point. I don't think that was a coincidence. You could probably write a pretty good book about that topic!

[Chip]

The ironies are getting so thick at church these days that I sometimes cannot stand to be in the room. Sunday school is the absolute worst because the BS level is at least twice what it is in elders quorum.

Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying Matthew 6 about not doing your performances to God in front of men, to be seen by them. Then, we had a quick lesson on using proper deity pronouns in prayer, like that really matters to God who desires sincerity first, second, and thrid. So, we all learned anew to pray like a Pharisee. It's funny that the church emphasized this again recently after people were getting upset about their engagement with everything covid. It's a way for them to turn the tables on the members and put them on their heels, suggesting they are the ones that are deficient and need to learn how to pray with eloquence.

This pronoun lesson was received with utter glee by the biggest Pharisees in the ward. I mean, they just ATE IT UP and were saying how glad they were that this was being taught. It was like crack cocaine to them, because it completely validated their lust for performative signalling that indicates their specialness above the rube members. All these people are vaxxed up the butt, by the way.

They think someday that all the lost souls will flock to the church in a time of trouble, but I'm sure that nobody is going to feel loved by people like them and they would be far more a deterrent than attractant.

[Reluctant Watchman]

Try to fit this one in there:

"…prophets, seers and revelators. There are 15 on the earth today, you can trust them completely." -RMN

Then quote Jesus.

[onefour1]

My thoughts are that you should define what is meant by "the arm of flesh". My personal opinion is that all that have sinned and fallen short and are in need of the grace of Jesus Christ and are subject to sin and need repentance and can make mistakes. Even in scripture, apostles and prophets have made mistakes. There has only been one man who ever lived on earth that made no mistakes and committed no sin. We must put our trust in him and his Father and in the Holy Ghost who are all testators of truth in whom we all must have faith and trust in. I would mention the fall and the effect it has had on all of us as the "natural man".

Mark 14:38
38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

We must learn to trust in the gift of the Holy Ghost. The gift was given for this very reason. The fall has made our flesh weak and all have sinned and fallen short and are in need of the gift of the Holy Ghost for guidance. Our trust should be in God and not fallen man. Even when our prophets and apostles speak, we should seek confirmation of the Holy Ghost. As members of God's true church, we are blessed with the gift. We must learn to use it.

[Chip]

My thoughts are that you should define what is meant by "the arm of flesh". My personal opinion is that all that have sinned and fallen short and are in need of the grace of Jesus Christ and are subject to sin and need repentance and can make mistakes. Even in scripture, apostles and prophets have made mistakes. There has only been one man who ever lived on earth that made no mistakes and committed no sin. We must put our trust in him and his Father and in the Holy Ghost who are all testators of truth in whom we all must have faith and trust in. I would mention the fall and the effect it has had on all of us as the "natural man".

Mark 14:38
38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

We must learn to trust in the gift of the Holy Ghost. The gift was given for this very reason. The fall has made our flesh weak and all have sinned and fallen short and are in need of the gift of the Holy Ghost for guidance. Our trust should be in God and not fallen man. Even when our prophets and apostles speak, we should seek confirmation of the Holy Ghost. As members of God's true church, we are blessed with the gift. We must learn to use it.

You can tell them all those things and they will think, "Yep, that's why WE have prophets and apostles, so we won't be lead astray."

Nobody will think you are saying anything unusual. You would have to be extremely explicit and smash their idols in front of their faces before they would know what the heck you were getting at. And that is just a maybe.

You might need to bring a ceramic bust of the First Presidency, along with a hammer.

[Dave62]

The ironies are getting so thick at church these days that I sometimes cannot stand to be in the room. Sunday school is the absolute worst because the BS level is at least twice what it is in elders quorum.

Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying Matthew 6 about not doing your performances to God in front of men, to be seen by them. Then, we had a quick lesson on using proper deity pronouns in prayer, like that really matters to God who desires sincerity first, second, and thrid. So, we all learned anew to pray like a Pharisee. It's funny that the church emphasized this again recently after people were getting upset about their engagement with everything covid. It's a way for them to turn the tables on the members and put them on their heels, suggesting they are the ones that are deficient and need to learn how to pray with eloquence.

This pronoun lesson was received with utter glee by the biggest Pharisees in the ward. I mean, they just ATE IT UP and were saying how glad they were that this was being taught. It was like crack cocaine to them, because it completely validated their lust for performative signalling that indicates their specialness above the rube members. All these people are vaxxed up the butt, by the way.

They think someday that all the lost souls will flock to the church in a time of trouble, but I'm sure that nobody is going to feel loved by people like them and they would be far more a deterrent than attractant.

In my missionary calling, I deal regularly with people who struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to prayer. In our meetings I deliberately avoid using high English pronouns for this reason. God does not care!

[Robin Hood]

The ironies are getting so thick at church these days that I sometimes cannot stand to be in the room. Sunday school is the absolute worst because the BS level is at least twice what it is in elders quorum.

Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying Matthew 6 about not doing your performances to God in front of men, to be seen by them. Then, we had a quick lesson on using proper deity pronouns in prayer, like that really matters to God who desires sincerity first, second, and thrid. So, we all learned anew to pray like a Pharisee. It's funny that the church emphasized this again recently after people were getting upset about their engagement with everything covid. It's a way for them to turn the tables on the members and put them on their heels, suggesting they are the ones that are deficient and need to learn how to pray with eloquence.

This pronoun lesson was received with utter glee by the biggest Pharisees in the ward. I mean, they just ATE IT UP and were saying how glad they were that this was being taught. It was like crack cocaine to them, because it completely validated their lust for performative signalling that indicates their specialness above the rube members. All these people are vaxxed up the butt, by the way.

They think someday that all the lost souls will flock to the church in a time of trouble, but I'm sure that nobody is going to feel loved by people like them and they would be far more a deterrent than attractant.

In my missionary calling, I deal regularly with people who struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to prayer. In our meetings I deliberately avoid using high English pronouns for this reason. God does not care!

I think "thee, thy, thou, thine" are important prayer language. They're used for a reason.
It is appropriate to modify our language when in the presence of royalty.
When we read the scriptures we will notice that the more colloquial "you, your," etc co-exists with the more formal language. This is because the translators were translating different words, informal and formal, because that's how they are rendered in the original languages.
Even in modern times we have examples in the D&C of formal language, and it should be noted that the sacrament prayers, which were given by revelation, employ the more formal prayer language.

[Dave62]

The ironies are getting so thick at church these days that I sometimes cannot stand to be in the room. Sunday school is the absolute worst because the BS level is at least twice what it is in elders quorum.

Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying Matthew 6 about not doing your performances to God in front of men, to be seen by them. Then, we had a quick lesson on using proper deity pronouns in prayer, like that really matters to God who desires sincerity first, second, and thrid. So, we all learned anew to pray like a Pharisee. It's funny that the church emphasized this again recently after people were getting upset about their engagement with everything covid. It's a way for them to turn the tables on the members and put them on their heels, suggesting they are the ones that are deficient and need to learn how to pray with eloquence.

This pronoun lesson was received with utter glee by the biggest Pharisees in the ward. I mean, they just ATE IT UP and were saying how glad they were that this was being taught. It was like crack cocaine to them, because it completely validated their lust for performative signalling that indicates their specialness above the rube members. All these people are vaxxed up the butt, by the way.

They think someday that all the lost souls will flock to the church in a time of trouble, but I'm sure that nobody is going to feel loved by people like them and they would be far more a deterrent than attractant.

In my missionary calling, I deal regularly with people who struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to prayer. In our meetings I deliberately avoid using high English pronouns for this reason. God does not care!

I think "thee, thy, thou, thine" are important prayer language. They're used for a reason.
It is appropriate to modify our language when in the presence of royalty.
When we read the scriptures we will notice that the more colloquial "you, your," etc co-exists with the more formal language. This is because the translators were translating different words, informal and formal, because that's how they are rendered in the original languages.
Even in modern times we have examples in the D&C of formal language, and it should be noted that the sacrament prayers, which were given by revelation, employ the more formal prayer language.

I agree with you for some public prayers but I have issues with people who 1. cannot use the grammatical cases appropriately (I have to teach grammar case almost every day) and 2. these are usually the people who look down upon those who cannot pray using high English. I have had saints express their anxiety about being asked to give a public prayer and being able to use the proper high English cases. This really ought not to be.

[Fight for the right]

I have been assigned to teach the Elders Quorum lesson this coming Sunday, and the title is:
Trust Not In The Arm Of Flesh.

I wondered if anyone has any ideas or links/resources that would be helpful.
Thanking you in advance.

Moroni. Chapter 10 verse 5. AND BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST YE MAY KNOW THE TRUTH OF ALL THINGS. THE MOST IMPORTANT VERSE IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. THE OLDER BOOKS OF MORMON ADDED TO THE FIRST PAGE AS WELL AS WHERE IT IS IN MORONI.

[Robin Hood]

The ironies are getting so thick at church these days that I sometimes cannot stand to be in the room. Sunday school is the absolute worst because the BS level is at least twice what it is in elders quorum.

Yesterday in Sunday School we were studying Matthew 6 about not doing your performances to God in front of men, to be seen by them. Then, we had a quick lesson on using proper deity pronouns in prayer, like that really matters to God who desires sincerity first, second, and thrid. So, we all learned anew to pray like a Pharisee. It's funny that the church emphasized this again recently after people were getting upset about their engagement with everything covid. It's a way for them to turn the tables on the members and put them on their heels, suggesting they are the ones that are deficient and need to learn how to pray with eloquence.

This pronoun lesson was received with utter glee by the biggest Pharisees in the ward. I mean, they just ATE IT UP and were saying how glad they were that this was being taught. It was like crack cocaine to them, because it completely validated their lust for performative signalling that indicates their specialness above the rube members. All these people are vaxxed up the butt, by the way.

They think someday that all the lost souls will flock to the church in a time of trouble, but I'm sure that nobody is going to feel loved by people like them and they would be far more a deterrent than attractant.

In my missionary calling, I deal regularly with people who struggle with feelings of inadequacy when it comes to prayer. In our meetings I deliberately avoid using high English pronouns for this reason. God does not care!

I think "thee, thy, thou, thine" are important prayer language. They're used for a reason.
It is appropriate to modify our language when in the presence of royalty.
When we read the scriptures we will notice that the more colloquial "you, your," etc co-exists with the more formal language. This is because the translators were translating different words, informal and formal, because that's how they are rendered in the original languages.
Even in modern times we have examples in the D&C of formal language, and it should be noted that the sacrament prayers, which were given by revelation, employ the more formal prayer language.

I agree with you for some public prayers but I have issues with people who 1. cannot use the grammatical cases appropriately (I have to teach grammar case almost every day) and 2. these are usually the people who look down upon those who cannot pray using high English. I have had saints express their anxiety about being asked to give a public prayer and being able to use the proper high English cases. This really ought not to be.

There isn't really such a thing as "high" English. We're not Germans!