That Ye May Have Fellowship with Us and with God

Unit 1

1 John 1–3. That Ye May Have Fellowship with Us and with God

1.    Read 1 John 1:1–4. Describe in writing John’s desire for those he wrote.

John wanted the saints to have fellowship with him and other apostles. He wanted to experience by his words, their experience when they saw, heard, and touched the resurrected Christ. He desired for them to share a common testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Study the following scripture references and then list what these verses teach about how we can come to know God better and have greater joy and fellowship with God:

·            1 John 1:8–10 Accept that we have committed sin, then repent from them so He can forgive us and cleanse our live making us righteous.

·            1 John 2:3–6 Keep His commandments and give testimony of Him by living upon His word, and being His witness.

·            1 John 2:9–11; 3:11–19 He showed His love by dying for us, and He asks to love one another as He loves us.

·            1 John 2:15–17 Do not love the world and the things in it, but do the will of God and abide forever with Him.

·            1 John 2:20–21, 27 We receive revelation and truth by the Holy Ghost.

·            1 John 3:4–6 If we do not sin, we cn abide with Him.

2.    Choose one of the ways to have greater joy and fellowship with God as you described it above, and write a paragraph explaining how you can better implement those principles in your life.

I love when I hear a child share their testimony; they are so pure and honest because they are free of sin. In 1 John 2:3-6, John teaches us that we need to keep His commandments and give testimony of Him. In order to testify of Him, I need to analyze my life, and repent for anything that I am doing wrong, or for not doing what I supposed to do. If I testify of Him, I need to live my testimony and not only repeat what other say, or something I do not feel or live. 

Unit 2

Revelation 2–3. “To Him That Overcometh”

1. The Lord’s counsel to each of the seven branches of the Church in Asia follows a pattern: 

             §  He told the members of the branch what they were doing that pleased Him.

             §  He told them in what ways they needed to repent.

             §  He told them of the blessings that would come if they were faithful.

• Fill in the chart below with information you find in Revelation 2–3:

City	What They Did That Pleased the Lord	How They Needed to Repent	Promised Blessings
Ephesus (2:1-7)	They did good works, labored for His sake, had patience, and could not bear evil.	They needed to remember past sins and repent from them.	To eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
Smyrna (2:8-11)	Did good works, and suffered tribulation, poverty, and blasphemy.	By being faithful unto Him even to death.	Crown of life not suffering the second death.
​Pergamos (2:12-17)	They hold fast to His name, did not denied their faith.	Repent from bearing those who follow the doctrine of Balaam.	Eat of the hidden manna, meaning Christ as hidden from the wicked.
Thyatira (2:18-29)	They had charity, service, faith, patience, and works.	Repent from tolerating Jezebel, a false prophetess who caused many to fornicate, and keep His works unto the end.	Put no other burden upon them, power over nations,
Sardis (3:1-6)	Their works	Be watchful, strength the things that remained, and perfect their works.	They will be clothed in white dresses, their names will stay in the book of life, and confessed to the Father and His angles.
Philadelphia (3:7-13)	They kept His word and did not deny His name.	Stay stronger to resist temptation.	Keep them from the hour of temptation, and dwell in His kingdom.
Laodicea (3:14-22)		Be diligent and repent	He will come unto them, and have a place for them in His throne.

2. Write a paragraph about what counsel given to the seven branches of the Church in Asia applies to you today. Which of the promises the Lord gave to the seven Churches most inspires you to seek eternal life? 

The counsel given to the branch in Ephesus is something I need to apply to my life. I tend to be give myself a hard time by punishing my heart and memories by bringing back sins from the past. I need to learn that if He has forgiven and forgotten my sins, so should I.

The promise of dwelling in His kingdom is one that inspired me the most. I need to stay be stronger and resist temptations, as he asked the saints in the Philadelphia branch. The idea of being in His presence gives me the desire to endure to the end.

3. How does Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, 63:20 give meaning to the phrase "to him that overcometh?"

It means enduring to the end. It means obeying His commandments every day with faith, and accepting His will. By doing this, we are working on a place with Him in His eternal and celestial kingdom.