In Preach My Gospel we are taught: "Your responsibility is to teach [doctrine] clearly and powerfully" (10). Why is this so critical? B.H. Roberts explained: "To be known, the truth must be stated and the clearer and more complete the statement is, the better the opportunity will the Holy Spirit have for testifying to the souls of men that the work is true" (PMG, 182). We teach clearly and simply so that the Holy Ghost can testify of what we say. If we wander and meander when teaching doctrine, without stating simple and clear truths, the Holy Ghost will not be able to testify as powerfully.
There are a few things we can do to ensure that we teach clearly and powerfully. We must:
- Know the basic doctrines of the gospel by studying and restudying the principles and scriptures found in Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel;
- Create a specific lesson plan for each investigator lesson; and
- Practice teach the lesson during companion study before presenting it to the investigator.
This is the Lord's way of preparing to teach. These simple steps take effort and commitment, but make a huge difference in our ability to teach clearly and powerfully. I invite you all to apply the steps above when you teach so that the Holy Ghost can witness of the truthfulness of your message.
Thank you for your sincere efforts to teach clearly and powerfully.
Love,
President Pingree