{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep. 405: Doctrine & Covenants 138:1-28 - Recipe to Receive Revelation","description":"Introduction Welcome back to Streaking the Scriptures! I\u2019m Jeff Downs, and today\u2019s study session is coming to you right in the middle of the day\u2014a little lunchtime lift. Earlier this morning I was blessed to attend an endowment session in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. Our home temple in Saratoga Springs is temporarily closed for maintenance, so a whole bunch of us just \u201cmoved temples\u201d for a couple of weeks. What an incredible blessing it is to live where, even when one temple is closed, you can choose from several others within about 30 minutes. That thought alone sets the tone perfectly for today\u2019s study in Doctrine and Covenants section 138\u2014a section all about the reach of the Savior\u2019s redeeming power and the hope He offers to everyone. In this episode, we\u2019ll walk with President Joseph F. Smith as he sits in his room, pondering the scriptures and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and then receives a sweeping vision of the spirit world. We\u2019ll connect his pattern of pondering to President Russell M. Nelson\u2019s invitation to study the names of Christ and to Elder Peter M. Johnson\u2019s experience of wrestling with hard questions and finding peace in remembered revelation. Along the way, we\u2019ll highlight a simple, repeatable pattern you and I can follow to better receive personal revelation. And because we\u2019re all about tiny, consistent actions here on Streaking the Scriptures, I\u2019ll also invite you to turn what we\u2019re studying today into a living, breathing streak in your life\u2014something you can track daily in the MyStreaks \u2013 Streak Tracker app so this kind of pondering doesn\u2019t just happen once in a while, but becomes part of who you are. Let\u2019s dive in. Chapters 00:00 \u2013 Lunchtime Study & Temple Tender Mercy Saratoga Springs Temple closure, attending Mount Timpanogos, gratitude for multiple nearby temples, and welcoming listeners to a lunchtime study in D&C 138. 02:26 \u2013 Historical Setting: Joseph F. Smith\u2019s 1918 Vision Context for section 138: October 3, 1918; General Conference; Joseph F. Smith\u2019s divine communications and the canonization process of this revelation. 04:33 \u2013 \u201cI Sat in My Room Pondering\u201d: A Pattern for Revelation Begins President Smith\u2019s simple setup: a dedicated place, pondering the scriptures, and reflecting on the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God\u2014all scriptures pointing to Christ. 05:33 \u2013 Names of Christ & President Nelson\u2019s Topical Guide Challenge Searching for the talk, discovering that the \u201c2,200 references\u201d story grew out of earlier teachings, and then connecting to Elder Neil L. Andersen\u2019s \u201cWe Talk of Christ\u201d and President Nelson\u2019s invitation. 10:20 \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m a Different Man\u201d: Drawing on the Power of Jesus Christ Reading from President Nelson\u2019s April 2017 talk \u201cDrawing on the Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives\u201d; the danger of shortcut phrases like \u201cthe Atonement,\u201d and the need to focus directly on the Savior Himself. 14:46 \u2013 Pondering the Savior, Not an Abstract Event Tying Nelson\u2019s counsel back to section 138: Joseph F. Smith pondering the Son of God and His atoning sacrifice, and how that focus sets the stage for receiving revelation. 19:10 \u2013 Resurrection, \u201cBone to His Bone,\u201d and a Fullness of Joy Reading Joseph F. Smith\u2019s description of the hosts of the dead awaiting deliverance; cross-referencing Ezekiel 37\u2019s valley of dry bones, and exploring what it means to have spirit and body reunited in a fullness of joy. 22:22 \u2013 Curiosity, Questions, and the Mechanics of Revelation Watching Joseph F. Smith\u2019s curiosity awaken: noticing Peter\u2019s teachings about preaching to the spirits in prison and wondering how the Savior could do that work in so short a time\u2014modeling how our own questions can trigger revelation. 29:18 \u2013 Elder Peter M. Johnson: Wrestling with History & Remembering Revelation Reading Elder Peter M. Johnson\u2019s story from \u201cThe Power of Administering to the One\u201d: learning difficult church history, feeling unseen and confused, receiving love from a companion, and being led to D&C 6 to remember earlier spiritual witnesses. 32:54 \u2013 Tearing Down Spiritual Walls & A Template for Personal Revelation How anger, hurt, and perceived unfairness can block the Spirit; the need to soften our hearts, pray, ponder, and remember prior witnesses\u2014parallels between Elder Johnson\u2019s experience and Joseph F. Smith\u2019s pattern. 34:00 \u2013 Your Turn: Pondering, Recording, and \u201cKeep Streaking the Scriptures\u201d Summarizing the \u201crecipe\u201d for revelation; previewing the next study session (picking up at verse 29), invitation to email thoughts, and the closing reminder to have charity in traffic and keep streaking the scriptures. Conclusion As we wrap up today\u2019s study of Doctrine and Covenants section 138, look at the pattern the Lord quietly teaches us through President Joseph F. Smith and Elder Peter M. Johnson: Set a place and a time. \u201cI sat in my room pondering\u2026\u201d A simple, dedicated spot and a deliberate moment. Ponder the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. Not an abstract \u201catonement,\u201d but the living Jesus Christ\u2014His love, His mission, His power to redeem. Let questions come. Joseph F. Smith wondered how the Savior could preach to the spirits in prison in such a short span. That honest question opened the way for vision. Remember past revelation. Elder Johnson was led back to a previous spiritual experience that restored his ability to feel the Spirit. Remembering is often the key to feeling again. Soften the heart and tear down walls. Love, humility, and a willingness to be tutored make room for the Holy Ghost to speak. If you want this pattern to become part of who you are\u2014not just something you heard in one episode\u2014turn it into a streak. In the MyStreaks \u2013 Streak Tracker app, you might create streaks like: \u201cPonder 1 verse about Christ daily\u201d \u201cRecord one revelation thought per day\u201d \u201cReview one past spiritual experience each week\u201d MyStreaks will quietly help you keep those commitments alive\u2014tracking your days, visualizing your consistency, and nudging you with simple reminders so your spiritual life isn\u2019t left to chance or mood. It\u2019s a way to \u201cthink Celestial\u201d not just in big moments, but in small, daily actions that build into a life of steady discipleship. If something from today\u2019s study sparked a thought, a question, or an experience you\u2019d like to share, I\u2019d love to hear from you. Send me an email at jeffery@mystreaksapp.com\u2014that\u2019s J-E-F-F-E-R-Y at mystreaksapp.com. Until we study together again, have a marvelous, fantastic, wonderful day. Remember to have charity in traffic, and as always\u2026 keep streaking the scriptures. ","author_name":"Streaking the Scriptures","author_url":"https:\/\/sites.libsyn.com\/494578","html":"