How Does Heavenly Father Teach His Children?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Acts 10-15 in a lesson titled “The Words of God Grew and Multiplied.” The lesson was preceded by these words of counsel: “Read Acts 10-15 carefully, allowing time for the Spirit to prompt you with thoughts and feelings. What is there for you to learn in these chapters?” The lesson was introduced by this paragraph: 

During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ often challenged people’s long-held traditions and beliefs. This didn’t stop after He ascended into heaven, as He continued to guide His Church by revelation. For example, during Jesus’s life His disciples preached the gospel only to fellow Jews. But soon after the Savior died and Peter became the leader of the Church on earth, Jesus Christ revealed to Peter that the time was right for the gospel to be preached to non-Jews. The idea of sharing the gospel with Gentiles doesn’t seem surprising today, so what’s the lesson in this account for us? Perhaps one lesson is that in both the ancient and modern Church, a loving Savior guides His chosen leaders (see Amos 3:7; Doctrine and Covenants 1:38). Continuing revelation is a vistal sign of the true and living Church of Jesus Christ. Like Peter, we must be willing to accept continuing revelation and live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4), including “all that [He] has revealed, all that He does now reveal,” and the “many great and important things” He will yet reveal “pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9).

The principle for discussion today is found in Acts 10; 11:1-18; 15: “Heavenly Father teaches me line upon line through revelation.” Acts 10 tells of two visions. The first vision came about 3:00 in the afternoon to “Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,” in Caesarea (Acts 10:1-3). Cornelius was a “devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2).

In the vision, an angel told Cornelius that God had heard his prayers and knew of his almsgiving (Acts 10:2). The angel also told Cornelius to “send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do” (Acts 10:5-6). After the angel left, Cornelius “called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually” and told them what had happened and sent them to Joppa (Acts 10:7-8).

As the men of Cornelius were traveling, Peter was upon the housetop praying while lunch was being prepared. He saw heaven open, and a vessel (something like a sheet) tied at the corners coming down. In the vessel, there “were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air” (Acts 10:11). Peter was told to kill the animals and to eat them even though they were considered to be “unclean” or not acceptable for Jews to eat. Peter refused, saying that he had never eaten common or unclean meat. The voice came a second time, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:15). The same thing happened a third time, and then the vessel was raised back into heaven.

While Peter was wondering if he had actually seen the animals and heard the voice, the men sent by Cornelius arrived at Simon’s house and asked for Simon Peter. The Spirit said to Peter, “Behold three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them” (Acts 10:19-20).

Peter went downstairs and presented himself to the men and asked why they were there. They told him of the vision seen by Cornelius. Peter invited the men to come into the house for the night, and they left for Caesarea on the morrow. Peter and several men from Joppa accompanied them. Long story short, Peter taught the gospel to Cornelius and his household, and they were baptized and received the Holy Ghost.

Other Church leaders is Jerusalem heard that the gospel of Jesus Christ was taken to the Gentiles, and they did not receive the news well. When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he told his story of receiving the vision three times and being told to go with the men to Cornelius. When he finished telling his experiences, the men were satisfied.

Even though Jesus Christ no longer lives on earth, He continues to direct His Church through His prophets and apostles. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke in the April 2020 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the topic “The Blessing of Continuing Revelation to Prophets and Personal Revelation to Guide Our Lives.” 

Today I will speak on continuing revelation to prophets and continuing personal revelation to guide our lives….

We were blessed this morning to hear our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, deliver a profound bicentennial proclamation to the world with respect to the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This seminal declaration by President Nelson has made it clear that the Church of Jesus Christ owes its origin, existence, and direction for the future to the principle of continuous revelation. The new proclamation represents a loving Father’s communication to His children.

In an earlier day, President Spencer W. Kimball expressed the feelings I have today. He stated: “Of all things, that … we should be most grateful [for] is that the heavens are indeed open and that the restored church of Jesus Christ is founded upon the rock of revelation. Continuous revelation is indeed the very lifeblood of the gospel of the living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Just as Jesus Christ speaks to the leaders of His Church in all ages, He also speaks to individuals. Although He may appear to prophets, He usually speaks to regular people through the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost speaks to an individual, He does so by sending thoughts into our minds and feelings into our hearts. Sometimes, messages come in dreams. Whenever I have received messages in dreams, I understood that the dream was different from normal dreams.