Lesson 1: Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Doctrine and Covenants Section 1 Modern Revelation

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Doctrine and Covenants Section 1 Modern Revelation

Attention Activity:
Bring in two clear glasses, one full of salt water and the other full of sugar water. Have one student come up and take a drink of each one, without telling them that there is salt and sugar in them. They will of course react differently to the two tastes. Then take the glasses, turn around and switch them around so the class cannot know which is salt and which is sugar. Ask for volunteers to come up and taste the water again. Tell the class that they only have to taste one of the two. They just need to figure out which one has the sugar and the salt. Ask the students how they can know which one is which without tasting them. Is there any way? Do you have to taste them to know which one is good and which one is bad? Wait until they come up with the suggestion of asking you. The teacher is the only one that knows which is which. Even if they are switched. The teacher still knows which will lead to happiness and which will lead to misery. Ask, “How is that like the Gospel?” (Discuss answers and make sure they understand that it is like receiving revelation from the Lord. He is the only one that knows—even in a changing world.)

Class Discussion:
As we start a discussion of the Doctrine and Covenants, one of the major themes is the importance of modern revelation. The Lord teaches us that in the 1st Section as well as giving us many of the reasons for revelation as well as for the D&C. The first important doctrine of the Doctrine and Covenants is found in D&C 1:2. Who does the Lord want to know about revelation? Who does he want to tell about the salt and the sugar? So what is the main purpose of the D&C. The Lord gives at least 9 reasons in verses 17-28

He knows the calamity that is coming. Verse 17
That we might know God and be able to perform ordinances in His name. Verse 20
To increase our faith. Verse 21
Establish his everlasting covenant. Verse 22
Give us the fullness of the gospel, so that it can be preached to all. Verse 23
Tell us what we are doing wrong. Verse 25
Give us increased wisdom. Verse 26
Help us to repent. Verse 27
Be made strong and receive knowledge. Verse 28.


Have class members look through these verses and see what they come up with for purposes of the Doctrine and Covenants. Take some time to discuss these purposes of revelation. You can ask, “Which one do you think is the most important to us today?” After a few minutes of discussion ask, “What does revelation have to do with verse 30?” “Why do we consider ourselves the “only true and living church?” (We are true because we have the fullness of the gospel and we are living because we believe in modern revelation. God still speaks to us today to help with our changing world. You can go back to the salt and sugar here. What good is it to know which was which before you turned around and switched them up? What value is there today to old information? Why do we need modern revelation? What problems exist now that we need specific direction on? Make sure to point out that modern revelation does not render the Bible or Book or Mormon invaluable because they teach doctrines that never change as well as being the gateway to revelation from the Lord. Modern revelation simply gives us continual guidance to our ever-changing world.) Make sure to point out the source of revelation in verses 37-38. “What role do prophets play in helping to guide our lives?” “What do these verses teach about why we need prophets and why we need to follow them?”

Application:
Ask, “When did you learn that following revelation from the Lord will lead to greater happiness?” (Again you can go back to the example of the water with salt and sugar.) Wait to get a few responses and share your testimony as well.

Chapter 24: Leading in the Lord’s Way,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Chapter 24: Leading in the Lord’s Way

Attention Activity:
Tell the class that there is going to be a re-election of the countries president. Rather than go through the whole election process it has been decided that you (meaning the members of the class) will simply select who you would like to be president. Have each class member write down two people that they would select as president. One must be someone that most people in the class will know and one must be someone that most people in the class will not know. For each person have the class member write a characteristic or two that would make this person a great president. Discuss answers and characteristics for a few minutes. (Make absolutely sure that you do not slip into a discussion on politics!)

Class Discussion:
Have the class look at the second paragraph under the heading “Leaders receive the wisdom they need from the Spirit…” to look for the three characteristics that Joseph Smith states that good leaders will posses. (humble, desire salvation of fellow man, and don’t seek own aggrandizement and selfish interests.) The next two sections deal with these three principles. Leaders love those they serve—they are humble. Leaders lead by example and service—seek the good of others. There are great quotes in these two sections to talk about. Some good questions to ask are, “How do you feel about leaders who have shown these qualities?” “How do you develop these type of attributes?” “Why do we follow those that lead by example?” “Why do we follow those that serve us?” “What do you see that would have made you willing to follow Joseph Smith?”

Application:
Ask the class, “What is the main characteristic that inspires us to follow the prophet?” Point out the first two paragraphs of page 284. The message is that prophets teach us correct principles and those principles come from God. We follow the prophet because we want to follow God. There are two questions you could ask: “What can we do to strengthen our ability to lead or families in this same pattern?” or “What specific principle would President Thomas S Monson ask you to live?” (You may want to read President Monson’s latest conference talks so that you are aware of what he was asking the Church as a whole in order to give a few ideas about what he might ask us individually.)

Lesson 48: “Come unto Christ” Charity and Gaining a Testimony of The Book of Mormon

Lesson 48: “Come unto Christ” Charity and Gaining a Testimony of The Book of Mormon

Attention Activity:
Before class prepare about 10 cards that have written on them different priorities in life (house, money, entertainment, friends, work, family, God, prestige, looks, athletics). There are a couple of ways to do this activity. You can have all students prioritize the ten items on a piece of paper, or have the class work together to prioritize them by bringing up 10 students and have them hold one card each for the remainder of the class to see. Bring up another student and tell them that you want them to put the cards in order of what is most important, from least to greatest, in their lives. Tell them that the key to knowing their true priorities is to ask yourself would you be willing to give up this for that if you had to make a choice. Have the student move the card holding students around and put everything in priority. Ask the class what the connection is between love and sacrifice. (What we love the most is what we are most willing to sacrifice for. The card that is your highest priority is what you are willing to give the most up for.)

Class Discussion:
Tell the class that today you are going to discuss a specific kind of love. Turn to Moroni 7:47 to find the kind of love that Moroni wants to teach us about. (pure love of Christ or charity). Ask, “If love requires sacrifice, what does that teach us about what is required for ‘pure love?’” (Requires pure sacrifice or ultimate sacrifice.) Now have class members look in verse 45 and have them find the one characteristic of charity that they think takes the most sacrifice. Discuss answers for a few minutes. The two main questions that we need to answer about charity are, “How do I get it?” and “Why do I need it?” Discuss the answers to these questions on verse 48. This part of the lesson could take the whole class, but try to keep it fairly quick because you need to get to Moroni 10. If I were teaching this lesson, at this point I would have someone read Moroni 10:3-5 and share my testimony and experience gaining a testimony of The Book of Mormon and then give the rest of the time to the class to share their testimonies on The Book of Mormon. You might ask class members to keep it on topic (The Book of Mormon) and to keep it fairly brief so more class members get a chance to share. If you feel that some class members might not share their testimonies, you might prepare a few stories of people and their testimonies. Two that you might consider are included below.

Parley P. Pratt spoke of the Book of Mormon as the principal means in directing the entire course of his life. In describing his first reading of the book he said:
“I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.
“As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 20).
Elder Spencer W. Kimball had a similar experience and spoke of his “adventure” with the Book of Mormon:
“May I tell you of a great adventure? As I traveled to a weekend assignment, I took with me an unusual book which was my constant companion. I could lay it down only to sleep, eat, and change trains. It fascinated me, captivated me, and held me spellbound with its irresistible charm and engaging interest. I have read it many times.
“As I finished it, I closed the book and sat back, absorbed as I relived its contents. Its pages held me, bound me, and my eyes were riveted to them. I knew the book was factual, but as has been said, ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’ . . .
“I found in it life at its best and at its worst, in ever-changing patterns. I hardly recovered from one great crisis until another engulfed me. . . .
“This dramatic story is one of the greatest ever played by man. . . .
“Its story has a vital message to all people. . . .
“Archaeologists may be excited as they read of ruins of ancient cities, highways, and buildings. . . .
“Journalists will find in this book crisis after crisis, presenting rich material for limitless climactic stories. . . .
“This unparalleled book should intrigue navigators. . . .
“The student of economics will find in this unusual book the disintegration of nations through pride, soft living, and luxuries, terminating finally in hunger and fetters. . . .
“The astronomer and geologist here may see signs in the heavens and new stars come into focus, three days without sun . . . nights without darkness . . . and a vapor of darkness so impenetrable that no glimmer, nor candles, nor torches, nor fire could give any light. . . .
“Engineers will learn . . . that . . . centuries ago, men erected buildings, temples, and highways with cement. . . .
“The psychologists may find studies in human behavior and the workings of the human mind and the rationalizing processes where men convince themselves that ‘good is bad, and that bad is good.’ . . .
“The educator will find treasures of literature and poetry. . . .
“This comprehensive book should be studied by politicians, government leaders, kings, presidents, and premiers to see the rise and fall of empires, and the difference between statesmanship and demagoguery. . . .
“Scientists will read of unusual instruments never patented or remade or duplicated, of elements which, without recharging, illuminate dark spaces indefinitely. . . .
“Military men may learn much in strategy, intrigue, in movements, in morale. . . .
“But after all, it is not the book’s dramatic crises, its history, its narrative that are so important, but its power to transform men into Christlike beings worthy of exaltation.
“It is the word of God. It is a powerful second witness of Christ. And, certainly, all true believers who love the Redeemer will welcome additional evidence of his divinity. . . .
“My beloved friends, I give to you the Book of Mormon. May you read it prayerfully, study it carefully, and receive for yourselves the testimony of its divinity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1963, pp. 62–65, 67–68).

Joseph Smith Lesson #23: “How Good and How Pleasant It Is … to Dwell Together in Unity”

Joseph Smith Lesson #23: “How Good and How Pleasant It Is … to Dwell Together in Unity”

Attention Activity:
Have your class imagine that your ward has been asked to build a new Church building. Have the class work in groups for about 2-3 minutes to discuss how they are going to plan to build a new church. Spend some time discussing what are the ward’s greatest strengths and greatest limitations in building a new church? Do you think we could do it?

Class Discussion:
Look in the “From the Life of Joseph Smith” section to see what these Saints were asked to build. What is interesting is what Joseph Smith says is the key element in their success. Look in the 1st paragraph on page 275 for what he says allowed them to be able to accomplish the work. (“Unity of purpose and design,…put[ting] their shoulder to the wheel.”) Look at what he says is the outcome of this type of unity in the rest of that paragraph. Ask the class to explain why the last sentence, “Unity is power” is true. Now what is important is that we be able to apply this principle to our own lives. Read the last paragraph on page 274. Point out that Joseph was interested in what lead them to be able to accomplish “this great work.” What is the great work in you need to perform in your families?” Have people think about broad general topics, but also about things that would apply only to your specific family—but if there are things that are too private, don’t have class members share them with the class. So, what are some ways we can build the same kind of unity in our families that this group of Saints in Kirtland experienced?
Ask class members, “What is wrong with the idea ‘I would love total unity because then everyone would see things the same way I do?’” Now look in the 1st paragraph on page 276 for Joseph’s answer. (We more often must sacrifice our way for the Lord’s or another’s way in order to obtain unity.) The third paragraph is another idea to explore. We must sacrifice to the way God wants things done, and focus on His work if we want true unity. You can also discuss the idea on the top of page 278 that unity requires that we do nothing—especially talk about people—in a way that would be hurtful, because it also hurts ourselves. You may want to take some time discussing this principle. Also discuss the third paragraph under the heading “The greatest temporal and spiritual blessings…” Ask, “What role have you seen patience with other’s weaknesses play in your efforts to be unified in the Church and in your families?” Finally point out the great truth on page 279. Unity will take great effort, but will produce “glory and triumph.”

Application:
Have class members share the principle that they think would make the biggest impact in their family if they personally started to live it.

Lesson 47: “To Keep Them in the Right Way" Moroni Teaches on Sacrament, A Friend, A Responsibility, and Nourishing by the Good Word of God.

Lesson 47: “To Keep Them in the Right Way" Moroni Teaches on Sacrament, A Friend, A Responsibility, and Nourishing by the Good Word of God.

Attention Activity:
Have class members write down everything that they did this week to get ready to come to Church today. Starting with when Church ended last week, what all do you have to do to be ready to come back in a week? (You might offer a treat to the person who comes up with the most if you are teaching a younger class. You can also talk about all the things you have to do to get others ready if you are teaching an older class.) Take some time to discuss answers.

Class Discussion:
Moroni gives us a slightly different list of things that we need to do to be ready for Church. “Based on what you know, what do we find in the first 6 chapters of Moroni?” (Give some hints until they mention the sacrament prayers.) Turn to the Sacrament prayers in Moroni 4 and 5. (You might take a minute here and point out in chapter 1 that Moroni wasn’t planning on writing any more. He thought that the end of the Book of Ether was it. But because he isn’t dead, and he has a little space, he decided to write some more. Obviously God wanted us to have this information!) Moroni is going to teach us what we need to do to get ready for the sacrament. Go to Moroni 6:1 and find out the first thing that we needed to do to be ready this week for the sacrament. (The answer is, “brought forth fruit meet that they were worthy of it.” Point out that he is talking about baptism. As the sacrament is the renewal of the baptismal covenant, the preparation ought to be the same.) The answer here is a lot of scripture talk that we don’t use much anymore. Take a minute to discuss what that means. You may want to use the foot note that takes you to TG Baptism, Qualifications for. You can simply discuss it as a class, or if you need to get the students more involved, put them in a group or pair them up and have them look in the Topical Guide for what some of the qualifications are. Now look in verses 2-3 for the rest of the list of things we need to do to prepare for taking the sacrament. Ask, “What are some of the things that you did this week to prepare yourself in this way? What are some of the things that you can do next week to be more prepared to take the sacrament?”
The next thing that Moroni teaches us is what we do once we get to church. Find as many things as you can in verses 6-9 that we should do in church. Take time to discuss the answers. You may ask, “Which item that Moroni lists is one of your favorite parts of church?” (You may point out that these verses match up perfectly with what President Hinckley said every convert needs, a calling, a friend, and nourishment with the good word of God.) I would also point out here that Moroni now uses three chapters to talk about us renewing our baptismal covenant. Particularly in chapter 6 he talks a lot about repentance and forgiveness. Church has never been a place for people to come and show off how righteous or smart they are, but rather a place to come, with humble hearts, admitting shortcomings and hoping to improve.

Application:
What are some things that we can do to be better prepared for the sacrament next week. When has church been a help to you in your efforts to improve your life? What are the best ways you have found to focus on self-improvement while at church?

Lesson #46 “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled” Moroni's Teaching on Faith

Lesson #46 “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled” Moroni's Teaching on Faith

This lesson will be done slightly differently. I will put up some of the lesson and then add more in the next couple days, with the promise that it will be done in full by Friday night. Check back for the finishing touches and leave a comment on what you think of the lesson plan.

Attention Activity:
You should get to this lesson around Christmas time, so this will work. Ask the class to write down one physical thing they hope they will get for Christmas if money were not an option—there really is a Santa Claus. (Make sure to use the word “hope”) Now ask, “If you want to get that gift, what do you have to do? (Talk about how you would have to please Santa Claus or whoever is going to get you the gift.) Now assume it is your parents, spouse, or friend that is giving you the gift. What would you do to get them to give you the gift? Now we are going to look at this same process with a spiritual sense. Ask, “If we were making a list of spiritual gifts, what would you hope for most?”

Class Discussion:
Turn to Moroni 7:41. What does he say we should hope for? (eternal life through the atonement) Now turn to Ether 12:28. What other two things do we have to have? (Faith and charity). We will talk about charity in a couple weeks when we get to Moroni 7. Today was are going to talk about one of the other characteristics. “If we want eternal life, what are some of the things that are required of us?” (Try and stick with basic answers here; faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, endure to the end.) What is the purpose of all of these signs of faith? (You could use Hebrews 11:6 to point out that we are trying to please God.) “So if we are trying to please God, what do the scriptures teach is the best way to serve Him? (Mosiah 2:17) Another way to say this is that we have to have charity. (Ether 12:28) All three of these principles are connected. We have hope in eternal life so we work toward that goal with faith. The best way to show faith is through charity to others—particularly our families. (Two good quotes about focusing faith on the family are:

It is significant that after inviting us to have charity toward “all men,” the Lord added the phrase “and to the household of faith.” Why? Doesn’t “all men” include the household of faith? Consider the implications when this added phrase is understood to mean more specifically “your very own household of faith.” Unfortunately, there are a few within the Church who exhibit greater charity toward nonfamily members than toward their own spouses and children, siblings and parents. They may show feigned kindness publicly while privately sowing and cultivating seeds of contention, demeaning those who should be closest to them. These things should not be. (Craig A. Cardon, “Moving Closer to Him,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 94–96)

Many believe that for service to be meaningful it should consist of having elaborate plans and forming a committee. Although many of these worthwhile projects help, much of the service needed in the world today relates to our day-to-day associations with each other. Often we find these opportunities within the confines of our own home, neighborhood, and ward.
The following advice, given by the deceitful Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood in C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, describes a common malady afflicting many of us today: “Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient’s soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbours whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary. Michael J. Teh, “Out of Small Things,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 35–37

We will now focus on what this chapter teaches about faith. From Ether 12:7-22 there are many examples of faith in the scriptures. Study a few of these examples and ask, "What do we learn about faith that is so important from this story that Moroni would have put it in this chapter?" (One thing that you might want to point out is that every one of these examples show faith by service to toher people. You might even do an activity for the students to find what faithful service was performed in each example.) Ask, "What story of faith would you have used that Moroni did not? Why that story?"

It is hard to teach Ether 12 without talking about verse 27. Try to leave some time for this verse. Bring in some small weights and set them on the table. Ask all the students to guess how many times they could lift the weights. "Why is there a limit? Why can't you go forever? (Your muscles are not strong enough.) What would be the course of action if you wanted to get stronger? (Get to the point that they understand that you have to attack this problem with a show of increased strength.) How is this different from how the Lord teaches about how to overcome our problems? Why do we have to show humility--what some might even call weakness--to get stronger? What does this teach us about the character of God? Why is it so hard to be humble when you face problems? How have you been able to show humility and faith to overcome your weaknesses?

Lesson 45: “Never Has Man Believed in Me As Thou Hast” The Brother of Jared: Faith, Prayer, and Crossing the Ocean

Lesson 45: “Never Has Man Believed in Me As Thou Hast” The Brother of Jared: Faith, Prayer, and Crossing the Ocean

Attention Activity:
Start by playing a couple rounds of 20 questions. You can pick any object, person, or topic and have the class guess by asking only “Yes” or “No” questions. You can get the class involved more by having them come up with the answer and act as the “answerer” in the game. After the activity ask, “What are some of the key elements of good questions in this game?” “What are some of the best methods of finding out what the answer is?” Today we are going to look at an example of someone trying hard to find answers to questions. We will see what his best methods were.

Class Discussion:
I would start by telling the students that we are going to talk about the example of the Brother of Jared (BOJ) in his quest to get answers. Ask the class what they already know about some of the things that the BOJ did in order to get answers. (Once they have given a few ideas, you can then help them by having them look at certain verses to try and find the answers.) Here are some of the ones I found. You could find even more:

· Repentant attitude (2:14-15)
· Obedient to commandments (2:16-18)
· Worked toward an answer (3:1)
· Studied the scriptures (2:23a This one takes a little work. If you look at the footnote for this it takes you to Gen 6:16. If you look at the footnote in Genesis it states that Noah may have traveled with similar lighted stones. BOJ could have come up with this idea by studying the scriptures. Help the class come to understand this connection before moving on.)
· Humility (3:2)
· Faith that God can do all things according to His will (3:4-5)

Now, look in 3:6-13 for the amazing outcome of this situation. I would use the quote from the manual at this point.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “The brother of Jared may not have had great belief in himself, but his belief in God was unprecedented. In that there is hope for us all. His faith was without doubt or limit. … Once and for all it was declared that ordinary people with ordinary challenges could rend the veil of unbelief and enter the realms of eternity” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 29).
Point out that what Elder Holland is trying to teach is that this story is so amazing because the BOJ is just like us. He had problems and forgot to pray at one point, but still had enough faith to overcome those weaknesses and enter the presence of the Lord.
Now have class members look in Ether 5:4. What is the principle that Moroni is teaching? (That God uses the law of witnesses to establish truth) We are going to use that same principle with our ideas on prayer. Split up the class and assign or have every person choose one of the six principles above. Their assignment is to find at least one other scripture anywhere in the Standard Works that shows that principle being used to get answers to prayers. (The index and Bible Dictionary are your best resources here. You will want to do some research and come up with a few just in case you need to give some help to one group, or to add to the discussion.) Now discuss the findings of their research.

Application:
Ask class members to pick one of the principles above that they need to work on in their personal prayers. Talk with class members what they have picked and what they can do to improve their prayers.

Additional Information:
Two great talks you will want to read and incorporate into this lesson are the last two talks from Elder David A Bednar in General Conference.

http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-31,00.html
http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-14,00.html

Lesson #44 “I Speak unto You As If Ye Were Present” God is a God of Miracles

Lesson #44 “I Speak unto You As If Ye Were Present” God is a God of Miracles

Attention Activity:
There is two ways to do this. If the class is talkative and you can start with a question you can just ask the following question. If the class is less talkative and you want to get some conversation started, break the class up into groups of two or three and have them write down answers to the following question and then have them share answers. This will get them talking a little more so you can keep rolling with the conversion. Ask the class to list all the bad things that come with owning and driving a car. (Answers will include: paying for gas, oil changes, maintenance, car payment, insurance, pollution, accidents that could cause injury or death, paying for possible tickets, traffic on the freeway, road rage, etc.) Ask, “If cars are so bad, why do so many people drive them? Would it not be better to just outlaw them?” (Answers should be that there are many positives as well. You can go over some of those.) Ask, “How is that like life?” (Answer: There is some good and some bad. But we were not in heaven and are not now willing to throw away all the good just because there are some times of bad.) Today we will look at both the good and the bad of one time in life.

Class Discussion:
We will start with something that is more on the bad side. Look in Mormon 8:2-3 to find the major event that happens in these verses. (Moroni is now left as the last Nephite. After 1000 years of history—which is nearly 5 times as long as The United States of America has been a country—the Nephites have been totally destroyed.) You might spend some time here talking about some of the classes favorite Nephites and some of the great stories from The Book of Mormon. We hear stories of extreme tragedy when one person in a family dies, or when a group of people die in an accident. Imagine watching thousand of your friends, brothers, sisters, and other relatives all die. Moroni then teaches an interesting lesson in verse 8. “Who does he attribute this destruction to?” Is he blaming God or trying to help us learn something? What is the main idea that he is trying to teach here? “What does this teach us about God and life here on earth?” (Answer: There is good and bad. But most importantly, there are consequences. If we choose to disobey, there are inevitable consequences. God is always in control, but He has to exact punishment just as he has to reward righteousness.)
Now for the good part. Moroni is now writing to a group of people that he hopes to help in the future. Knowing that he is talking to people far in the future, what is the message that he would want us to understand? Look in Mormon 9:11 for the answer. (That miracles still happen) “Why do you think that is such an important lesson for us to understand today?” “How could Moroni have believed that after seeing his whole nation destroyed?” Have class members search through the rest of the chapter looking for 3 things. What are some of the miracles mentioned? Which ones have happened and which still need to happen? And most importantly, how do we qualify for the miracles?

Application:
Ask the class, “What are some of the miracles that you are looking for today, and what will you do to show faith that God can do the miracle?” (It is important to point out that there is a difference in the ability and the willingness of God to perform a miracle. God can do all things. That doesn’t mean he will do all things. You might share 2 Nephi 2:24-25. God is in charge of everything and will do all that he can to bring us joy.)

Teaching of the Presidents of the Church Joseph Smith Chapter 22: Gaining Knowledge of Eternal Truths

Teaching of the Presidents of the Church Joseph Smith Chapter 22: Gaining Knowledge of Eternal Truths

Attention Activity:
Start class by having class members make a list of all the things that a newborn baby will learn to do from birth to 2 years old. (Answers include walking, talking, holding, crawling, sitting up, rolling over, throwing, running, eating, potty training—if you are lucky!) Now have class members think back over their last two years of life and list down things that they couldn’t physically do two years ago that they can do now. (The answers here would usually be zero. You may have learned how to fish or how to knit, but you always had the physical ability to do that, you may not have known how, but physically you could have.) In this life we gain most of our physical skills in the first could of years of life. “What are we supposed to do with the rest of the years?” (Answers will probably be to increase in knowledge.) You might share another interesting situation here. When a child enters Kindergarten they usually have very basic knowledge skills. Most major skills are learned in the first couple of years of school. Reading, writing, basic math and science. So why do we have 13 years of school plus any post-high school education? Joseph Smith is going to help us understand how important this principle is.

Class Discussion:
Lets start to understand how important this is by looking at page 265 1st paragraph under the section “Gaining knowledge of eternal truths is essential…”, and the 1st paragraph on page 266. Joseph is adamant that gaining knowledge is a key to salvation and a key attribute of Godliness. Have class members think about what knowledge they have gained recently that would help in gaining salvation.
The rest of the class can go a few different directions based on what you think is most important. You can go on with pages 266 and 267 to talk about how we get knowledge from God and from the words of the prophets. Or you can go back to pages 264 and 265 to talk about how we have to receive all knowledge and that the source of knowledge is God. Either way end on page 268 with the idea in the second paragraph that it is a lifelong process to gain this knowledge, but just like on a ladder we have to keep going. We can’t stop in our search and efforts at gaining knowledge. Also make sure to hit the last paragraph on page 268 that as we continue to be faithful, God has promised to tell us everything. The more we work the more the Lord will make known to us, and the better off we are in the world to come (D&C 130:18-19).

Lesson # 43 Mormon 1-6, Moroni 9. “How Could Ye Have Departed from the Ways of the Lord?” Strength in Bearing Testimony

Attention Activity:
Break the class up into small groups of 4 or 5 people. Tell the class that they are going to be in charge of a booth at an upcoming Christmas Boutique or craft show or market. Give them one minute to decide what they are going to sell at their booth. After one minute take a few answers just to see what people are going to be doing. Now give them 4 minutes and have them come up with a strategy for getting lots of people to come to their booth and eventually buy their product. Get a few answers on this. (What you are hoping for is that someone will be giving away samples or doing a drawing to give something away. If you get that move on. If not you might ask, “How much interest would be generated if you gave away free samples or did a drawing for a free prize?”) At this point you can ask, “How many of you are going to give something away in order to generate interest?” Eventually you want to get to the question, “Why does giving something away for free help build interest and sales?” “Is there anything else in life that will give you big returns if you just give it away? Today we are going to learn about something that will.”

Class Discussion:
Have listed on the board scriptures like the following: (All from Mormon unless otherwise noted.)
1:13, 1:14, 1:18, 1:19, 2:13, 2:14, 2:18, 2:19, 2;27, 3:11, 3:14, 4:10, 4:11, 4:12, 5:2, 5:16, 5:18, Moroni 9:9-10, 18-19.
Give the class a few minutes to look through as many of these scriptures as they can. Ask, “How would you describe the times and situations that Mormon lived in?” “If you had to pick one verse out of this list that best describes the situation of the people, which one would you choose?” Discuss for a little while about how bad the situation was that Mormon had to deal with. Ask, “How do you suppose he stayed faithful when everyone around him was being wicked? How difficult is it to stand for righteousness when everyone is being wicked?” The main question to get to is, “What do you think gave Mormon the strength to stay strong in these conditions?” Take a few answers. A study of these chapters only describes Mormon doing two things. Leading the Nephite army is the first. Let’s see if we can find the second. List:
1:16, 2:23, 3:3, 3:20-21 (even when his own people wouldn’t listen, he was testifying to someone). “According to the scriptures, what was the one thing that Mormon did that helped him stay strong?” “What do you think is the connection between sharing testimony and being strong in times of trial?” “When have you felt the strengthening influence of sharing your testimony?”

Application
The application section of this lesson can take a little longer if you would like. Ask, “What opportunities do we have to testify like Mormon did?” Try to move beyond just ‘missionary work’ answers. Talk about things like Family Home Evening and mostly about informal ways to share your testimony.

Great Quote For this Lesson
It is not unusual to have a missionary say, “How can I bear testimony until I get one? How can I testify that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the gospel is true? If I do not have such a testimony, would that not be dishonest?”
Oh, if I could teach you this one principle. A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. “The spirit of man,” is as the scripture says, indeed “is the candle of the Lord.” (Prov. 20:27.)
It is one thing to receive a witness from what you have read or what another has said; and that is a necessary beginning. It is quite another to have the Spirit confirm to you in your bosom that what you have testified is true. Can you not see that it will be supplied as you share it? As you give that which you have, there is a replacement, with increase!
Boyd K. Packer, “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan 1983, 51

Teaching of the Presidents of the Church Joseph Smith Chapter 21: The Second Coming and the Millennium

Teaching of the Presidents of the Church Joseph Smith Chapter 21: The Second Coming and the Millennium

Attention Activity:
Divide the class into two groups. Have half of the class write 10 things that could happen in the next ten years that they are afraid of. Have the other half write 10 things that could happen in the next ten years that they are really excited for. Discuss with the class some of their answers. Start with the things that are scary first. Take a few of those ideas to show that there will be bad things happening in the future. (Be careful not to get into too much speculation. If someone says something a little crazy, just agree that it could happen and try to move on. You don’t want to get bogged down in this part of the lesson.) After some discussion ask, “With all of the bad things that might happen in the next 10 years how is it that we can still come up with things that are going to bring us excitement and joy?” Joseph Smith is going to teach us about something that can bring both fear and excitement.

Class Discussion:
Keep the class in two groups. Have the first group look in Chapter 21 pages 251-256 for things that are going to be scary in the 2nd Coming. Have the other half look on pages 256-258 for things that they are looking forward to. Take a few minutes to discuss these ideas.

Regarding the 2nd Coming there are two main doctrines that are important to understand in this chapter. The first in on page 253 paragraph 1. Bad things will happen even to the Saints. Ask, “What have you learned is the purpose of God allowing these type of things to happen?” “If this is the case, how do we prepare for the 2nd Coming?” (A great scripture to share here is the final scripture of Section 87 that is quoted in the “From the Life of Joseph Smith” section.)
This leads to the second important principle. “From what you have seen in this chapter as you have been scanning, how does Joseph feel about the 2nd coming and why?” (A good place to look here is page 255 last paragraph.) Why was Joseph so positive? Hat does that teach us about the future and our ability to prepare for it?” (A great talk that you might want to look at in preparation for this is Elder Quentin L Cook Ensign Nov. 2007. One of my favorite quotes from that talk is:
I know that many of you are concerned about raising your children during these difficult times and increasing their faith. When my wife and I were starting our family in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had that same concern. At a critical point our stake members were advised by Elder Harold B. Lee, then a member of the Twelve, that we could raise our families in righteousness if we would:
Follow the prophet.
Create the true spirit of the gospel in our hearts and homes.
Be a light to those among whom we live.
Focus on the ordinances and principles taught in the temple. (See D&C 115:5; Harold B. Lee, “Your Light to Be a Standard unto the Nations,” Ensign, Aug. 1973, 3–4.)
As we followed this counsel, our faith increased and our fears decreased. I believe we can raise righteous children anywhere in the world if they are taught religious principles in the home.)

3 Nephi 27-30 & 4 Nephi. “This Is My Gospel” The Gospel of Christ, the Three Nephites, and the Rise and Fall of the Nephite Nation

3 Nephi 27-30 & 4 Nephi. “This Is My Gospel” The Gospel of Christ, the Three Nephites, and the Rise and Fall of the Nephite Nation.

Attention Activity:
Have class members look forward and think about their own funeral. Have them write down 10 things that they would like to have said about them at their own funeral. Have them share some of their ideas. Ask, “What are some things that you are involved in that aren’t bad things, but that didn’t make your list?” (Examples might be their job, what car they drive, how big their house is. Younger students might include what their favorite TV show is, what their favorite class is, etc.) Explain that today we are going to talk about this list in two different ways.

Class Discussion:
Christ gives us an important list in 3 Nephi 27. Have class members turn to 3 Nephi 27:8-9, 19-21 to find the list that Christ gives about identifying His true Church. (Called after his name, teaches faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. There are a few others in there that you can add as well.) Now look in verse 2 to find why this list was so important to the people. Ask, “Why should an understanding of the basic doctrines of the Gospel help to end disputations?”
“Now we have looked at a list Jesus created, now lets get back to the list that you created.” Christ gives us a verse about one thing that should be on our list. Look in 3 Nephi 27:27. “What should we be able to say about ourselves by the time we die?” Split the class into two groups. Have half the class pick one of the attributes that was listed on their paper. Because we are trying to be like the Savior we should be able to look at the type of person that we want to become and see similarities to the life of Christ. Have the class members find a story or scripture that shows Christ living or teaching the same attribute that they have listed on their paper. (Example: If they have written that they want to be known as someone who helps others they could share the parable of the Good Samaritan or the story of Christ healing the beggar at Bethesda (John 5:1-16)) Have the other half of the class look in 4 Nephi 1:1-23 for attributes of the Nephites that are either on their list or that they would like to see on their list. Have them be prepared to explain why some of the attributes are so desirable for us today. Have a few class members from each side share their ideas.

Application:
Have class members look in 4 Nephi 1:1-23 to see what the end results were of the type of life that these people were living. What one would be most important to you? What do these end results have to do with the list that you made? “What do you need to do in your life to see the end results and to make your list come true?”

Lesson #41 3 Nephi 22-26. “He Did Expound All Things unto Them” God's Promises, Judgment, Tithing, and Temple Work

Lesson #41 3 Nephi 22-26. “He Did Expound All Things unto Them”
God's Promises, Judgment, Tithing, and Temple Work

Attention Activity:
Bring in a picture of a Magic Eye or get one online. A good resource is http://www.magiceye.com/3dfun/stwkdisp.shtml. You don’t need to be able to do Magic Eye, it helps if you can or if someone in the class can, but even if no one in the class can that is ok. Show the class the magic eye and ask some of them to come and see if they can see what is in the magic eye. After a few have tried (usually come can do it and some cannot) ask, “When people are doing Magic Eye, what are some of the questions that you think are usually asked and what are some of the feelings or expressions of people ?” Make sure that you get a few responses for both questions that are asked and feelings or expressions. You will want to write answers down on the board to refer to later. Hopefully you should be getting answers like, “How do I do this?” “How do you see that?” “What is it supposed to be?” and “That is really cool.” “I can never do that.” Both feelings of frustration and excitement. (If you don’t get those answers, you may want to suggest some of these to kind of get them started. You will want to get most of these answers before being able to move on with the lesson. You can even ask some specific people how they felt as they looked at it. How did the successful ones feel and how did the unsuccessful ones feel. Talk with people who have never been able to do it and ask how they feel about Magic Eye.) Once you have gotten some good responses point out to the class that Magic Eye is a lot like reading your scriptures. Many of the responses that were listed earlier are similar to responses that people could give about their experiences reading scriptures. Ask class members to talk about a time when maybe they have felt similar in their scripture reading to what they felt doing Magic Eye or the responses were that are written on the board. If someone were to ask the question, “What are you looking for?” when talking about reading scriptures, what would the answer be? Share the following quote:

“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior” (Pres. Boyd K. Packer Ensign, Nov. 1986, 17).

If we are trying to improve behavior through the study of the scriptures, then we need to be finding and understanding “true doctrine.” Today we are going to study a few doctrines and come to a better understanding of them.

Class Discussion:
There are four doctrines that we want to cover today. We will not be able to get into all of them really deep, but we want to establish a good understanding of each. The first is in 3 Nephi 22. This is an Isaiah chapter and Isaiah can be a lot like a Magic Eye—very hard to see what is going on sometimes. Instead of trying to figure out every verse, lets just look at the key element. Lets see if we can “see” what he is trying to say. Lets just look in verses 7-10, 16. “What is the main idea that Isaiah is trying to say here?” “How do those verses tie in with what the Lord teaches the people in 3 Nephi 24:14-18” “Why does it seem like the wicked are sometimes better off? What do these verses teach about when everything will be made right?” “Why would this be particularly important to these people at this time?” (Now this is the important question, and you may have to wait for a few minutes for some good answers, but don’t give up. Wait, and people will answer. Works every time!) “When have you felt these promises happen in your life?” or “How have you felt as you have seen these promises fulfilled in your life?”

Next principle is in 3 Nephi 23. Look (I wouldn’t have the class read these verses, that takes too long and people get bored. Just have them look on their own for a couple minutes.) in verses 7-14 and find what Nephi had forgotten to do and how Jesus felt about that. How do you think Nephi felt at this time? Why was it so important to have the prophecies of Samuel written down? (Now there is a small principle here, and a big principle here. You can go either way depending on what you think the class needs.) The small principle is that we have also been commanded to write things down. “How well are we doing at writing down the important things that the Lord tells us in our lives?” Two places you can go if you like are:
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-24,00.html This is a conference talk from President Eyring in the Oct 2007 conference about journal writing.
“Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 86. This is Elder Richard G. Scott talking about journal writing.
Either of these can be used to drive home the importance of writing in a journal.
The big principle is dealing with judgment. Nephi is going through a small judgment here about the things he is asked to do. Ask, “What things might Jesus ask us about when we get to the final judgment? How will we be able to respond?”

The third principle is 3 Nephi 24:8-12. Have the class look for every promise they can find for paying tithing. Come up with or share some modern examples of when these same promises are fulfilled today. Point out that tithing has been a part of the gospel dating back to Old Testament times. The importance of tithing is indicated by how long it has been a part of Christ’s teachings. “How can I show that it is a significant part of my life?”

The last doctrine is 3 Nephi 25:5-6. (You will really be lucky if you still have time for this. Time will probably have run out. Don’t push to get everything in. It is better to have a good discussion about a few things than a rushed discussion about a lot of things.) Your rush in this part can be part of the lesson. Point out that you don’t have much time to talk about this final topic, but have class members look in the chapter summary for chapter 25 and in the footnotes of verse 5 for other places that these verses are found. “Why do you think they are listed in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants?” Again, temple work is obviously important to the Lord, how important is it to us? If we want to be like God, how important does it need to be? What are some indications that it is important enough to me?

Lesson 40. 3 Nephi 16, 20-21. “Then Will I Gather Them In” The Israelites and Gentiles

Lesson 40. 3 Nephi 16, 20-21. “Then Will I Gather Them In” The Israelites and Gentiles

Sorry for how short the ideas are this week. My life has necessitated it. Next week will be more comprehensive.

Attention Activity:
I would start class by playing Pictionary. You play this by having people come to the front and draw while people in the class are trying to guess what they are drawing. You can’t draw words or numbers. I would use all Church related topics. Prophet, 1st Vision, parting the Red Sea, Jesus walking on water, etc. After a few drawings give a person the word “Israel.” Have them try to draw it and get the class to guess. Then give the next person the word “Gentile” and have them try to draw that.

Class Discussion:
Tell the class that we often hear about the Israelites and Gentiles, but often don’t know who they are or what the words mean. Today we will try to understand them better. Divide the class into two groups and assign them each one of the terms “Israel” or “Gentile” Have them look through chapters 16, 20, and 21 to find 7 things that are important to know about their word. Encourage them to use the Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary to find ideas as well. Then discuss what they have found as a class making sure that they understand who the Israelites and Gentiles are.

Application:
I would use 3 Nephi 21:5-9 for application. Here the Nephites are told that when the Book of Mormon comes forth and the restoration of the Gospel happens, it is a sign that the gathering has begun. This gathering is really an individual thing. Each of us much gather to Christ and become a member of the house of Israel to inherit the blessings of the covenant given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In a global sense the tool to do that is the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel. This is true for each individual as well. We all must come to Christ individually through the Book of Mormon and the Gospel. After discussing this you might ask, “How have you felt the Book of Mormon bringing you closer to Christ?” or, “When did you first discover that reading the Book of Mormon brought you closer to Christ?”

3 Nephi 17-19 Christ's Teaching in America. The Power of Prayer

3 Nephi 17-19 Christ's Teaching in America. The Power of Prayer

Attention Activity
Tell the class that you recently lost something very important (like a wallet, purse, keys, etc.) Have the class tell you the process you should go through to find it again. Write down their answers. If they don’t include saying a prayer, ask, “At what point should I pray for help to find it?” If they do say prayer include it in the list. At the end of the discussion ask, “What effect does prayer have on finding something that is lost?” This teaches us one of the principles of the day. Prayer produces outcomes.

Class Discussion
Select passages from 3 Nephi 17-19 for examples of Jesus or the people praying. Have class members find what the outcomes are for some of these examples. One that you will want to be sure to include is 3 Nephi 19:24-25. The people pray and they are blessed by the Savior. This is also the only place in the scriptures where it mentions Jesus smiling. Ask, “Why does prayer make God so pleased?” “What is the connection between prayer and the God’s presence being in our lives?” (This can take most of the lesson if you have a talkative class and if you go in depth into some of these principles. If you like you can extend this portion by asking, “Find other examples in the scriptures of prayer producing outcomes. You might start them off with Moses parting the Red Sea, or Lehi praying for where to hunt.)
The next principle is that prayer protects. Ask the class what the meaning of the word “therefore” is. We see it often in the scriptures, but what does it mean? Share the meaning: in consequence of that; as a result; consequently. So every time we see the word “therefore” it is explaining a consequence of the previous verses. Look in 3 Nephi 18:19 for what the “therefore” is. (Pray always, especially in our families.) Because it is a therefore verse we can look in the previous verses to see what prayer will do for us. Verse 18 says that Satan is always trying to get us. Ask, “When have you felt the protective power of prayer in your life?” After a few examples, ask for other examples from the scriptures where people were protected by prayer.

Application
Ask, “With all the things that you have been taught in your life about prayer, what are some of the things that you can do to improve your prayers to be more like the Nephites?”

3 Nephi 12-14 The Beatitudes and Teachings of Jesus Christ in America

The Beatitudes and Teachings of Jesus Christ in America

Principle to be Taught: When Christ teaches, we are expected to apply and make changes to our lives.

Attention Activity
Bring two clear glasses and a pitcher of water to class. Keep one glass empty. In the other glass put some red colored Kool-Aid in the bottom. Put enough in that it will make the water noticeably red when you pour it in, but not so much that the class can tell that there is liquid in the bottom. (They even have some Kool-Aid that starts out white but then changes to red when water is applied, this is the best because it is hard for the class to see white powder.) Start class by pouring water into the glass that is empty. Ask class members how this is a symbol of teaching. Many answers at this point are just fine. You can talk about how we are like the cup and the water fills us up, etc. Take a few answers and talk about them. Explain to the class that in today’s lesson we are going to look at Jesus as a teacher, and what he taught, and most importantly, how that teaching can affect our lives. Tell the class that you are going to pour water into the second cup and show a better example of what Jesus’ teachings should be like. Now pour the water into the second cup and watch the water turn red. Now, ask class members how this is more like what teaching should be like. (Get to the point where the class understands the following concept: The teachings of Jesus should change us. If we are like the cup, when the teaching of Jesus—the water—enters our lives, it should have make a significant change. We should never be the same again after coming to understand what Jesus taught.) At the bottom of the post I have included 2 quotes from the last two prophets at the end of General Conference asking us to apply the things that we have learned. You can share them here or at the end of the lesson to drive home the point.

Class Discussion
Today we are going to talk about some of the things that Jesus taught and what change it can have on our lives. Write on the board, “Because of that, I will _________________.” Now divide the class into groups or let people work individually, depending on the type of class you have. (In classes with teenagers, I would divide them into groups because it helps facilitate discussion. You can pair them up in lots of fun ways that might get them out of their comfort zone. Tallest and shortest together, oldest and youngest together, all people with blue eyes in one group, etc. In a class with adults I would usually let them work by themselves because usually the class is mature enough to work alone and still complete the task.) Have the list below either written on the board, on a handout, or on strips to give to each group or individual. Tell class members that you would like them to work through some of the following groups of scriptures (or the assigned scripture set that you have given them) and be able to tell us two things. 1) what is the doctrine Christ wanted us to understand in these verses and 2) finish the statement that you have written on the board. Have the groups tell the class what difference that doctrine will make in your life.

Use the following scripture sets for your class, or use your own. (All are from 3 Nephi)
12:3-12
12:13-20
12:21-26
12:33-48
13:1-15
13:16-24
13:25-34
14:1-11
14:12-27

Application
There is application all throughout this lesson. You may take this time to testify of some of these principles. Throughout the lesson I would ask class members to live the principle that a group is explaining.

Quotes
I've been attending conference for a long time. But I think I've never felt quite as richly blessed as during this session. We've had rapid-fire messages from a lot of speakers, but every one touched on a very important subject. We've had a smorgasbord today of faith, of love, and of counsel. Let's incorporate these things in our lives.
Thomas S Monson CR APR 2008

What a wonderful conference this has been, my brothers and sisters. As we return to our homes and to our daily activities, each of us should be a better individual than we were when the conference opened.
But what matters most is what may have occurred within each of us as a result of our experience. I, for one, have made a stronger resolution within myself to be a better person than I have been in the past. I hope that I will be a little kinder to any I meet who may be in distress. I hope that I will be a little more helpful to those who are in need. I hope that I will be a little more worthy of your confidence. I hope that I will be a better husband, a better father and grandfather. I hope that I will be a better neighbor and friend. I hope that I will be a better Latter-day Saint, with an increased understanding of the wonderful aspects of this glorious gospel.
There is room for improvement in every life. Regardless of our occupations, regardless of our circumstances, we can improve ourselves and while so doing have an effect on the lives of those about us.
Gordon B Hinckley CR OCT 2002

3 Nephi 8-11 Lesson 37 Whosover will Come, Him Will I Receive

Destruction and Christ's Visit to America

Attention Activity
Ask the class, “What are some of the things that you were afraid of when you were a little kid?” Write the answers down on the board. You can have some fun with this asking some questions about funny things that they were afraid of. If after a few minutes the fear of the dark hasn’t been brought up ask, “Has anyone had any interesting or funny stories about being afraid of the dark?” (If someone brings up afraid of the dark, ask the question when that fear gets brought up.) Have some fun talking about people and their fear of the dark.

Class Discussion
Tell the class that today we are going to talk about darkness in a different way today. Look in 3 Nephi 8. This darkness would cause real fear. Ask the class, “What are some of the things that would be most frightening during this time? What would you be most worried about?”
Chapter 9 of 3rd Nephi teaches an important principle about dark times in our lives. Times when we might be afraid. Look for the pronoun “I” in chapter 9 and see how many times it is used. (The answer I come up with is 31, correct me if I am wrong. You can encourage class members to circle or mark each of the 31 “I’s” in the chapter.) Now have class members look in the chapter heading to see who is talking. Ask the class, “What does this teach us about the role of God during the dark times in our lives?” (Make sure that if the answer is that he causes them that you point out that while he allows bad things to happen, he is always in control. You can refer to JSH 1:15-17. Here God allows Satan to have a small moment of darkness, but God is in control and delivers Joseph before he is totally destroyed. The same is true here. While many of the wicked were destroyed God was in control and preserved the righteous.) Make sure that the class understands that God is in control of the things that happen here on earth and knows about the things that are happening in our lives. Ask, “What are some other examples, either from the scriptures or from your personal life when God has been there to help and preserve during times of darkness or fear?” (This question is going to cause people to think. ALLOW THEM TO THINK! One big mistake is to ask a great question and then not allow the proper amount of time for them to answer. Don’t be afraid of silence. It just means that people are thinking. You can get things going by giving an example from your life or by asking a class member before class to think of an example from their life and have them start off. Make sure you don’t ask the question, wait 1 second and then move on. People will answer if you give them time to think. The silence is always more uncomfortable for the teacher, but let it happen and you will start to get some great answers.)
Christ comes in chapter 11 to bring the light back into the lives of these people. The word of God is what brings light into the world and into our lives. Have class members look in 3 Nephi 11:10-41 for what they feel is the most significant doctrine that He taught in His first visit.

Application
Sometimes a real simple question can be the best. I would ask from this lesson, “What will you change in your life because of what we have learned today?” I wouldn’t use this question every week, but about once every other month leads to a wonderful last few minutes. Again if you haven’t read my first posts, “Purpose for my Blog” and “A Note About my Blog”(they are in the July section of my blog.) please do so. There is a great quote from Elder Jeffery R. Holland about not cramming too much into one lesson. Make sure that you leave time at the end for application. Don’t teach until the final minute and then have a prayer. You have to get the people to think about how this lesson can help them change their lives. That is why you are teaching!

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church Chapter 18. Beyond the Veil: Life in the Eternities

Beyond the Veil: Life in the Eternities

Attention Activity
Tell the class to imagine that they have been asked to prepare dinner for the president or leader of the country. That leader will be arriving in four hours. Ask, “What are the major things that you would be worried about? How would you feel knowing that the leader has a personal chef that prepares exceptional food everyday? What would you say when the leader of the country says that the meal was wonderful? What do you think that the leader of the country expects from your dinner? (Try to help the class understand that the most important thing would be to simply do the best that you could do.) How would you feel if instead of preparations you sat and watched TV and microwaved hot dogs instead? Even if the president said that it was good, how would you feel? (Once again help the class understand that you simply have to do your best.)

Class Discussion
Today’s lesson is very similar to the situation with the leader of the nation. Have students look at the 1st paragraph on page 219 under the heading “God has prepared three degrees of glory…” to find out what event is similar to the dinner with the president. (If you want to go further to show that the doctrine of 3 degrees of glory is a Bible doctrine you can look at other paragraphs in this section where Joseph quotes the Bible to show some of the scriptural basis for this doctrine. If that isn’t a theme you want to pursue, move on after the first paragraph.) Split the class into 3 groups and assign each group a section to skim over. One group is the Celestial Kingdom, one is the Terrestrial Kingdom and one is the Telestial Kingdom. (You want to spend some time here, but make sure that you leave enough time for the final section because that is where the real power and application can come from. Unless there are some real questions from the class about any of the sections, and then let the Spirit dictate how much time to spend answering potential questions.) Tell each group to skim over the section that they are assigned and be ready to share a few points that summarize what qualifies a person to go to each kingdom. Take a few minutes to get a couple ideas from each group. After each kingdom has been discussed, you can tie things back to the attention activity. In the celestial kingdom section 2nd paragraph on page 221 it says that to be in the celestial kingdom we have to qualify to be a god. “How can we possibly live up to that? What is it that God expect of us?”
Have the class turn to page 224 2nd paragraph in the section “The torment of the wicked is to know they have come short…” to find out what the answer is. This is the best paragraph in this section, but all can be used to help teach the point that what God expects is that we do our best. What will condemn us in the next life is if we haven’t done our very best. Just like with the hot dogs, we will know for eternity that we could have done better, and we simply didn’t. We wasted our time watching TV instead of preparing for the great event.

Application
Ask class member, “What type of things do we need to do to make sure that we don’t face the sad situation described by Joseph Smith? How do we make sure we are fully living up to our potential?”

Lesson #36 3 Nephi 1-7. Unity of the Nephites

Unity of the Nephites

Attention Activity:
Have each student stand up with their hymn books. (If you have a large class you can have a select group of students do this activity) The students hold the hymn books up, end to end, to create a ‘long board’ or ramp. Have the students see how level they can make the board or the ramp. Place a ball (a plastic ball or a tennis ball) at one end of the ramp and tell the students that the purpose of this activity is to see if the can carefully angle and tilt their hymn books and roll the ball down the long ramp from one end to the other, and then back again to where it started, without having the ball fall off the hymn book ramp. (If it does fall off just put it back where it was and have them keep going.)
What is the #1 principle that we have to have in order to succeed at this activity? (Talk about this for a while and make sure that the class gets to the idea of unity.)

Class Discussion:
The first thing that we need to understand is the reason for unity and what danger is facing us today. Look in 3 Nephi 3:2-10. (I usually don’t have students read this whole section out loud. I find that the class starts to lose interest if you read too long of a section. I would just have the class look on their own.) This is a letter from Giddianhi (Gadianton Robber) to Lachoneus (Governor of the Nephites). “What is similar to what Giddianhi asked Lachoneus for to what Satan asks of us?” Make sure that the class understands that Giddianhi asks Lachoneus to yield up his possessions to him. Satan asks us to yield up our will and our happiness. Giddianhi makes some impossible promises. Satan also makes us promises that cannot be fulfilled either. Giddianhi becomes a great type of Satan. “How is the danger that the Nephites faced from the Gadianton robbers similar to the danger that we face from Satan today? What would have been the effect if the Nephites had decided to join the robbers? What is the effect if we decide to follow what Satan has planned for us?”
The Nephites now do something very interesting to prepare for the oncoming Gadianton army. There are some important principles we can learn in what they do. Look in 3 Nephi 3:12-16, 26 for things that the Nephites did that helped them be successful.

Verse 12: They were not frightened by the demands of the robbers. (Cross reference 2 Tim 1:7 and 1 John 4:18.)
Verse 13: They gathered together into one place.
Verse 14: They placed fortifications around the city and placed guards around the city.
Verse 15: They repented of their iniquities.
Verse 16: The did “exert themselves in their might” to do what their leaders asked them to do.
Verse 26: They armored themselves. (Cross reference Eph 6:11 and D&C 27:15)

Each of these can be a whole discussion. Questions like “What does God do to help us overcome our fears? What fortifications and guards can we have in our lives? How do we build our fortifications? Do we ever walk outside of those safeguards? How? How have you felt as you have exerted yourself to follow the prophet or other leaders? Etc.”

Depending on how much time you have left you can spend varying amounts of time with chapter 4. If you are in a hurry you can just have the class look at the chapter heading. You can also take them through the story and show the exceptional success. Whichever method you read, I would make sure to read verses 32 and 33. “When have you felt similar to how the Nephites felt?”

If we want to save our families we have to follow these same principles of unity against the enemies that we have today.

Application:
How would the principles that the Nephites learned through this experience change your family? Why was it so significant that they gathered together?

A great quote to share in conclusion is from Elder Russell M. Nelson:
Individual progression is fostered in the family, which is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” The home is to be God’s laboratory of love and service. There a husband is to love his wife, a wife is to love her husband, and parents and children are to love one another.
Throughout the world, the family is increasingly under attack. If families fail, many of our political, economic, and social systems will also fail. And if families fail, their glorious eternal potential cannot be realized.
Our Heavenly Father wants husbands and wives to be faithful to each other and to esteem and treat their children as an heritage from the Lord. In such a family we study the scriptures and pray together. And we fix our focus on the temple. There we receive the highest blessings that God has in store for His faithful children.
Thanks to God’s great plan of happiness, families can be together forever—as exalted beings. Our Heavenly Father declared, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Both of His objectives were enabled by the Atonement of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. His Atonement made resurrection a reality and eternal life a possibility for all who would ever live.
In Church callings we are subject to release. But we cannot be released as parents. From the first days of human history, the Lord has commanded parents to teach the gospel to their children. Moses wrote, “Thou shalt teach . . . diligently . . . thy children, and shalt talk of [God’s words] when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
In our day the Lord has added, “Bring up your children in light and truth.” The Church is to assist and not to replace parents in their responsibilities to teach their children.
In this day of rampant immorality and addictive pornography, parents have a sacred responsibility to teach their children the importance of God in their lives. Those evils, so highly destructive of divine potential, are to be strictly shunned by children of God.
We are also to teach our children to honor their parents. The fifth commandment states, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
Russell M. Nelson “Salvation and Exaltation” Ensign May 2008

Lesson #35 Helaman 13-16. Samuel The Lamanite

Attention Activity:
Tell class members that you are going to do a word association game. You are going to say a word and they are going to say the first thing that comes to mind. (You can have them write it down or raise hands and wait to answer, but don't have them shout it out--it can get out of control quickly.) Start saying the names of some famous people in the scriptures (you can also mix in some fun people like SpongeBob or Bill Cosby). Some that are good are
Moses
Adam
John the Baptist
Paul
Nephi
Abinadi
Mormon
Gordon B. Hinckley
Thomas S. Monson
Joseph Smith
Brigham Young
Alma the Younger
Do this for a while, but not too long. You don't want the activity to outdo the lesson. End the list with Samuel the Lamanite. Usually the thing that they will think of is him standing on the wall. Ask, "We know the story of Samuel the Lamanite, and many other prophets, but we sometimes don't think about what they taught. Does anyone know what it was the Samuel the Lamanite taught that made people so upset?" (People might know about the prophecies of Christ and that is part of it, but it is more.) Tell the class that we are going to talk about what it was that Samuel the Lamanite taught.

Class Discussion

Look in Helaman 13:6, 10, 14, 32, 37, and 38 for the word that Samuel the Lamanite uses that would have upset the Nephites (destruction). We learn something interesting about destruction in each verse. Have students pick one or two of the verses and see what we learn from each one.

Verse 6. The only way to avoid destruction is to repent and come unto Christ
Verse 10. The things that we do affect others and can lead to the destruction of later generations. (If you want to explore this truth further you can refer to: Jeffrey R. Holland, “A Prayer for the Children,” Ensign, May 2003, 85. This is one of the best talks ever on how what we do affects others, especially our posterity.
Verse 14. The good part of a nation can help keep that nation from destruction. (This verse is easily applied to an individual. We can choose to allow some wickedness in thinking that it won’t do much damage. But the more we let in the more it crowds out the light. President Boyd K. Packer said:
The mind is like a stage. During every waking moment the curtain is up. There is always some act being performed on that stage. It may be a comedy, a tragedy, interesting or dull, good or bad; but always there is some act playing on the stage of your mind.
Have you noticed that shady little thoughts may creep in from the wings and attract your attention in the middle of almost any performance and without any real intent on your part? These delinquent thoughts will try to upstage everybody. If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts. If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact themes of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. They may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved. When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that they are innocent, for they are but thoughts. What do you do at a time like that, when the stage of your mind is commandeered by the imps of unclean thinking, whether they be the gray ones that seem almost clean or the filthy ones that leave no room for doubt? If you can fill your mind with clean and constructive thoughts, then there will be no room for these persistent imps, and they will leave.
Boyd K. Packer, “The Message: Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts,” NewEra, Apr 2008, 6–11
It is important that we keep our lives pure so that the good does not become crowded out by the wicked and lead to destruction. This would be a good time to ask the class, “How do we make sure that we do have more good in our lives than bad?” Answers could include how we spend our time and what we let into our lives.
Another great quote from President Boyd K. Packer that can be used here is, “The scriptures are full of help on how good can influence your mind and evil control you, if you let it. That struggle will never end. But remember this:
All the water in the world, However hard it tried, Could never sink the smallest ship Unless it [gets] inside.

And all the evil in the world, The blackest kind of sin, Can never hurt you the least bit Unless you let it in.”
Boyd K. Packer, “The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 23)
Verse 32, 37, 38. All three of these teach roughly the same idea. We can get to a point where our destruction is sure and turning back is “everlastingly too late.” It might be helpful with these verses to point out that Samuel was talking to this specific group of people and referring to a time in the future if they don’t repent. He would not have come to warn them if it was too late for them to make a change. A great cross reference here is Alma 34:32-35. The scriptures teach that this time does come if we choose not to repent before we die. Samuel’s message was a message of hope and not of unchangeable doom. Prophets always teach hope and repentance, but we are limited by time and cannot procrastinate once we have been warned.

“What would lead to this condemnation from the prophet?” Look in Helaman 13:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 31, 33, 35 to find the words that show what the Nephites are guilty of that leads to their destruction. (Riches and treasure) Having riches is not a sin, but what had the Nephites done with riches that made it so bad? (set their hearts on them.) This is a great place for application. If the great sin wasn’t they were doing or what they had, but the real problem was where they put that in relation to God. What are some of the other things that can come before God in our lives and how can we know if something comes before God? (A great quote to share here from Marvin J Ashton is “What takes our time is what we love and what we love it what takes our time.) What we do in our free time is a great indicator of what we really have in our hearts and where God fits into our lives. A great cross reference is Exodus 20 in the 10 Commandments and 3 Nephi 13:33.

What is the resolution to this problem of the people being destroyed? What does that have to do with what Samuel the Lamanite teaches in the next chapters? Help students to understand the significance that the next thing that Samuel the Lamanite talks about is the birth and death of Christ. It is the atonement of Christ that can really solve their problems. That is why Samuel the Lamanite tells them that he is coming and that they need to prepare for it. He understands that they only hope they have to avoid destruction is to accept Christ, and so he teaches them about him. It is also true for us that only Christ can save us from the destruction of sin and death.

The story of Samuel the Lamanite is the great example of this principle. Look in Helaman 16:1-6. What do we know about the life of Samuel the Lamanite that would qualify him for this kind of protection. (Look in Helaman 13:2-4. Samuel was willing to do everything the Lord asked him to do. Clearly the Lord was first in his life.)

Application
“What things will you do in your free time to make sure that God is first in your life THIS WEEK?”

Teaching of the Presidents of the Church. The Great Plan of Salvation

Chapter 17 The Great Plan of Salvation

Principle to Teach: If we want to gain eternal life, we have to understand who God is, and what is His plan for us.

Attention Activity:
Bring three fairly simple puzzles to class. (A website you can try if you don’t have puzzles is http://www.biddingtons.com/content/myartkaprov.html if you scroll down there is a printable paper that you can make your own puzzles out of pictures.) Have three groups or three individuals come up to the front of the class. There is going to be a race to see who can put the puzzle together the fastest. One group gets to look at the puzzle pieces and a picture (or the box) of what the puzzle will look like for 30 second before they start. The second group gets to look at a picture (or the box) for 30 seconds, but they don’t get to look at the pieces. The third group gets to look at nothing for the 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds, let the race begin. Hopefully the group that got to look at the box and the pieces will win. Have the class discuss what the advantages that each group were given might mean in a gospel context. (It really doesn’t matter what answers you get here, just get the class to start talking. You might even call on a few of the quiet people in class to try and get them involved.)

Class Discussion:
After a few answers have been given have students look in the manual on page 211 the first paragraph under the heading “We came to earth to obtain a body…” and find what are the box and pieces that Joseph Smith said we need to study “more than any other” topic. (The answer is in the middle sentence “What is the object of our coming into existence…”) Now is a good time to point out that we are talking about The Great Plan of Salvation. An understanding of the Plan of Salvation is critical. Joseph spends a lot of this chapter talking about life on earth and what we need to do to prepare for the next life. The first thing is mentioned on page 211 3rd paragraph. We came to get a body. The second thing is to “present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom.” Joseph then teaches us how to be able to do that. On page 210 4th paragraph. Have class members look for the reason God instituted laws. (So that we could advance like Him.) Ask, “How have you felt the commandments helping you become a person that is more like God?” “What commandments have been helpful in this process?” An important point in given on page 210 5th paragraph. “What are some of the benefits of living more and more of the commandments?” (Clearer views, greater enjoyment, lost desire for sin, power and glory of God.) “What is the main thing that God is asking us to do then in this great plan? (Make sure to point out that it doesn’t matter where we are in the process of perfection. The answer is the same. We look at where we are, where we want to be, and what we have to do to get there, and then start doing one thing at a time that is necessary to achieve perfection.) Emphasize the last sentence in paragraph 5 “But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment.” Make sure to point out that this is a process and not a time for discouragement, but hope for continual improvement. This might also be a good time to go to page 213 4th paragraph and page 214 1st paragraph. Point out that we can overcome Satan. We are more powerful than his temptations if we have the Holy Ghost guiding us. Again the message is hope, not discouragement that we are not yet perfect.
Ask, “Why was the group that got to look at the box and the picture at such an advantage?” Have class members look on page 212 to find out what the connection is between knowledge and salvation. What knowledge do we need to have, and how do we go about getting it? Ask, “How are you doing at gaining the type of knowledge necessary to gain eternal life? How much time do you dedicate to this type of learning? How much of our time is wasted in things that don’t teach us anything important?”

Application:
“Because the goal is continual improvement, think of one thing that you will do better this week to become exactly like our Father in Heaven.” Have class members write it down and take it with them.

Lesson #34 Helaman 6-12. The Pride Cycle

The Pride Cycle

Principle to Teach:
If we learn from patterns in the scriptures, then we don't have to suffer through the same mistakes.

Attention Activity:
I would actually use the attention activity in the lesson. There are many fun ways to incorporate it. You can do it like it says in the book or add to it by doing the following. Get three different sizes of paper plates. Put each one inside a different paper bag. Place the bags on the table with the bag with the smallest plate first, then the middle plate, then the largest plate. (Again you are trying to develop a pattern here.) Tell students that you have something in each bag that creates a pattern. Have them try to guess what is next in the pattern. (Of course they won’t be able to tell you. That is the point) Have one student come up and reach in the bag and feel what is in the bag, but don’t look! Have the student reach in each bag. Then have them say what should come next in the sequence. Now talk about the importance of being able to feel or see what is in the bags. The goal is to relate this to the scriptures. There are patterns in the scriptures intended to help us avoid similar consequences. But, we can’t figure them out unless we actually get involved in order to “feel” what the pattern is. Now go into the scriptures to develop the pattern while emphasizing the whole lesson how it takes study and “hands on” scripture experiences to really understand what the pattern is, you can’t just sit by and expect to get it.

Class Discussion:
Again, the manual takes us through where we want to be. I think there are some additional questions and scriptures that really make this lesson interesting and applicable. The first part is that the people are righteous and are blessed. Have students find in Helaman 6:1 what two words describe the righteousness of the people. (Firmness and Steadiness) If necessary define these words for the class. Ask, “Which one do you think is more important in living righteously?” (There is no real right answer. Both are necessary, but it gets the students thinking, just don’t let it turn into an argument.) You can ask, “What are some commandments that it is difficult to be steady in—meaning you continue to do them?” “Which ones might be hard to be firm in—meaning you do them no matter what?” This can be a time for a quick application question. Ask, “What do you think the Lord would tell you to do to be more firm or steady in keeping the commandments?” Now have class members look in verses 9-13 and mark every positive thing that happened to the people.

The second stage is that they start to become wicked. Have students look in Helaman 6:17,22,25,26,29, and 30 for a word that is repeated in each verse. (Secret) “What are the things that are done in secret? Why would people what to keep things secret? Why is secrecy such a indicator of unrighteousness?” Encourage students to write on this page in their scriptures, “If you have to keep it a secret, it is usually bad.” This is a great time for a youth class to talk about secrecy and the dangers of keeping things secret from their parents. Verse 27 is a great verse to talk about how Satan uses secrets. Satan promised Cain that if would kill Abel it would be a secret. Now Cain is one of the most well known murders of all time. Satan wants us to try to keep things secret because he knows he can get us to do wickedly if he can convince us that no one will know. You can cross reference D&C 1:3 or Alma 39:8 to point out that it is impossible to keep things secret from the Lord. One great way to know that we are in this pattern of starting to fall into sin is if we are trying to do things in secret. If we are, it is usually time to repent!

The third aspect is destruction and suffering. Look in Helaman 11:7-8. What is the purpose of the suffering? Why does God allow us to go through very difficult things? What does this teach us about the character of God?
The fourth aspect is to repent and return to God. The repentance is shown well in Helaman 11:10. Ask, “Why is the fact that they ‘swept away the band of Gadianton’ an indication that they had truly repented?” “What would it have taken to sweep the robbers out of the land?” “How is that similar to what the Lord asks of us when we need to repent?”

Application
There is great application all through this lesson. If you use the plates in the bag activity remember to point out to students that unless you get in and really try to understand this process you can’t apply it to your life and have it make any difference for you. A great way to finish might be to ask students to write down what stage in the process they think they are in. Ask, “How do you stay in the ‘Righteousness and Prosperity’ section of the circle?”

Lesson #33 Helaman 1-5. Build A Sure Foundation

Build A Sure Foundation

Principle to Teach:
When we are built on the foundation of Christ’s teachings, we can overcome the temptations of the devil.

Attention Activity:
This activity can be done a few different ways and all of them are equally entertaining. It just depends on how the dynamics of your class work. The idea is to do name that tune using primary songs. You can get a CD of selected primary songs and play a few seconds of the song and have teams in the class try to guess the song the fastest. If you have a piano and someone who can play the piano you can have someone play a few measures of music and have people guess what the song is. Another fun way is to have people come up to the front of the class. Have the title of a few popular primary songs written on 3x5 cards. Have the student randomly pick a primary song from the cards. Then have the volunteer hum the song and see if class members can guess the tune. Again it all depends on if you have a CD, or a piano, or neither. (In my class I will do the humming because I think it is more fun and people can get more involved.) Do a few songs and make sure to finish with “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man.” (Primary Song Book #281) Explain to the class that we are going to talk about the critical doctrine that is taught in this great primary song.
Ask class members, “Based on the scriptures what is the difference between the wise man and the foolish man?” (Have students look in 3 Nephi 14:24-27 if they need assistance. The answer is that the wise man listens and does what the Savior says.)
Ask the class, “What simple answer did the Savior give when he was asked what the greatest commandment was?” (Matt 22:37-39)

Class Discussion:
Today we are going to talk about building on that rock by following these two great commandments. We are going to look at both a bad example and a good example.
The bad example is in Helaman 1:2-3. Look and find what is happening during these verses. (A new chief judge is going to be elected and three of his sons want to be chief judge.) Have class members cross out each of the names in verse three. Under Pahoran write the number “9” under Paanchi write the number “8” and under Pacumeni write the number “21.” Now have students look in those verses to see what happens to the people in that verse. (Each of the sons is killed in the verse listed.) “What lead to the death of each of these three sons?” Have students look in verse 4 to discover that it was contention over who should be chief judge. (In the case of Pacumeni, the dissention lead to the people being distracted and unprepared for the Lamanites when they came to battle, as shown in verse 18). Talk with the class about what this chapter teaches about why God considers how we treat others to be so important. What effect does our actions toward family or friends have on the group? How different would the chapter be in we could just change verse 4? How does this kind of action toward others get us off the solid foundation of our lives, that rock we heard sung about earlier?

Now we will talk about our love of God in a good example. Now share the quote from Elder Spencer W. Kimball found in the “Additional Teaching Ideas” section from the teacher’s manual. It is fun to give them the first part of the quote up until he says the word remember and see if they can guess what they think a prophet would say is the most important word in the dictionary. Have class members mark the work “remember” in verses 6, 9, 10, 12, and 14. Have them look for things that Lehi and Nephi are supposed to remember that will help them be firmly built on the rock of Christ. Make sure to spend enough time with verse 12. Have students share how the things listed in this chapter have helped to bring stability and happiness to their lives.

Application:
What changes have we seen that the Nephites needed to make in these chapters? What were they doing rather well at? Now, what do you need to change and what are you doing rather well at? Have students write down an answer.