Hank Smith: 00:05 Hello, my friends. Welcome to another FollowHIM Favorites, where we take a single question from each week’s lesson and answer it. John, the lesson this week is Hosea and Joel. And I’m going to pull the question right out of the manual. It quotes Joel 2:28 about the Lord pouring out his spirit upon all flesh.

  00:28 And then they ask this question, what do you think it means that the Lord would pour out his spirit upon all flesh? So John, how would you answer that question? What do you think it means?

John Bytheway: 00:39 Well, after what you just read, it says, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions.” And Hank, both of us are pretty lucky to be able to hang out with young adults. And even in the 20 something years I’ve been teaching, they’re amazing. And so many of the sisters or return missionaries now coming into the classes, your daughter shall prophesy. I was thinking about when I saw that verse, remember how Nephi says that, “Oh, Isaiah was hard for my people to understand but they’re not hard if you have the spirit of prophecy.” And thankfully we’ve got, in the book of Revelation it says, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” And so if you have a testimony of Christ, you’re a prophet or a prophetic. Small letter P. And where did you get that testimony? You got it because the Lord poured out his spirit and told you that. And I think he’s willing to do more. President Nelson has asked us to learn to hear him I think because he knows the Lord wants to give us more if we’ll go ask.

Hank Smith: 01:46 Yeah. John, I’ve been super impressed with my students just through the years. The way they follow promptings, some of the insights they give when we’re studying the scriptures together. I’ll stop and say, “I got to write that down. That is such an impressive insight.” And I don’t think that they know about themselves that they’re part of this promise. That you listening right now, you listening to John and I talk, you, there you, you the person. You’re like, “Me?” Yes, you. You are part of this outpouring of the spirit. It’s been on you. You’re one of these sons or daughters who is prophesying and dreaming dreams and having visions and it’s impressive. You are impressive spiritually speaking. You have gifts that maybe you don’t realize.

John Bytheway: 02:33 I remember President Hinckley saying that back when he was young, he said, “Not very many of us were doing very much scripture study.” Do you remember that quote? But then he said, “A new generation is arising that are familiar with the word of the Lord.” And Hank, I look back at me as a young adult and then look at my students and think they’re ahead of where I was. Perhaps because our curriculum has changed in seminary and in everything else, they are so awesome. And it’s supposed to be the other way around. But I find I’m taking notes from them and it’s just evidence that really is happening, that Joel mentions right there.

Hank Smith: 03:08 Absolutely. We wanted you to come away from this followHIM Favorites at least thinking I am part of this, I am part of something big, I do know my scripture. I served a mission, or I have taught, I have spread the gospel in my own way. And to know that you are part of something big, you’re a big part of something big. You’re just not part of something big. You are a big part of this. And that you matter so much to the Lord and his plan and his work.

John Bytheway: 03:35 Yeah. Hank, we were in Liberty jail this last summer, not as inmates, just as visitors. And remember looking at those sister missionaries and I was walking away and I just turned back and said, “Do you even understand how unique you are to be here doing this? Do you understand how amazing that is for a young adult to take a couple years out of their life and to do what you are doing?” Well sometimes, like you said, they may not even realize it themselves. But think of that. Think of the uniqueness of saying, “I’m going to go on a mission and teach people about God and being willing to do that and smiling about it.” That’s so unique. And whether they even feel it, the Lord has poured out his spirit upon them, I think.

Hank Smith: 04:21 Yeah, I’m just so impressed. One of my good friends who I’ve just seen grow up, her name’s Holland Bowler. She’s going to open her mission call, John, tonight. And yet another instance of our sons and daughters prophesying and being part of this spirit, being poured out on all flesh. So to Sister Bowler and so many like her, just know that we at followHIM, love you, and we’re excited to see what the Lord has in store for you.

  04:49 We hope you’ll join us on our full podcast. It’s called followHIM. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. And then come back next week and join us back here for another followHIM Favorites.