The Atonement of Jesus Christ cleanses me and helps perfect me.
Watch this video to learn about the Atonement.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aY3yGPdSF3o%3F
It could be said that the Book of Mormon is largely an account of people who changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Activity
Divide into three groups and give each group one of the scriptures below to read (or read or watch the illustrated Book of Mormon StoriesEnos,Alma the Younger, Anti-Nephi, Lehies. Have each group share how that person or group changed because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
In addition to suffering for our sins, the Savior also suffered our pains, sicknesses, and other infirmities so He would know how to comfort us.
Activity
Read the scriptures below and have the children list the things that Jesus suffered in the blue box below. (It will open in a new tab.)
Mosiah 3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
Mosiah 15:5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
Alma 7:11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Invite them to think of times when they have felt some of these things.
According to Alma 7:12, why did Jesus suffer all of this?
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
What does succor mean? (Give assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.)
Friend March 2019 “Family Night Fun” Have family members decorate white pillow cases to remind them to say their morning and evening prayers.
Get Help Through Prayer
Friend October 2016 “Funstuff: Picture Puzzle” Does the world ever seem big and confusing? There’s a way to find help whenever you need it! Solve the puzzle to find out how to get that help. (Answer: Pray Every Day)
Friend November 1984 “Funstuff” Use the scripture reference to complete each statement about prayer by combining the words in the first column with the appropriate words in the second column.
Friend June 2015 “Pray to Our Father” Have an adventure searching the scriptures to learn more about prayer! Look up each scripture on the map. On the blank lines, write a few words to describe what the scripture says about prayer.
Friend March 1985 “Sharing Time: What Shall I Say When I Pray?” Cut out the words and picture. Glue each title on separate piece of colored paper. Decide where you think each picture belongs—is it something you are grateful for, or is it something you might ask a blessing for? Some pictures may go either place. Glue each picture under title you have chosen. Add your own drawings as you think of other things.
Jacob CHAPTER 5 Jacob quotes Zenos relative to the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees—They are a likeness of Israel and the Gentiles—The scattering and gathering of Israel are prefigured—Allusions are made to the Nephites and Lamanites and all the house of Israel—The Gentiles will be grafted into Israel—Eventually the vineyard will be burned. About 544–421 B.C.
Jacob CHAPTER 6 The Lord will recover Israel in the last days—The world will be burned with fire—Men must follow Christ to avoid the lake of fire and brimstone. About 544–421 B.C.
Jacob CHAPTER 7 Sherem denies Christ, contends with Jacob, demands a sign, and is smitten of God—All of the prophets have spoken of Christ and His Atonement—The Nephites lived out their days as wanderers, born in tribulation, and hated by the Lamanites. About 544–421 B.C.
Friend April 2024 After you read, color part of the picture. You can read these scriptures that go along with each week’s reading from Come, Follow Me.
Allegory of the Olive Tree
As Jacob taught his people, he quoted an allegory given by a prophet named Zenos (see Jacob 5:1). An allegory, like a parable, is a story that uses symbolic characters, and familiar objects and actions to teach truths. This allegory is about people who have turned away from the Lord in sin and the Lord’s efforts to help them return to Him. As you study Jacob 5, consider how the Lord is always reaching out to you even when you have sinned.
Jacob 5 is a long chapter—the longest in the Book of Mormon. Perhaps it would help to divide it into the following sections, which describe periods of the world’s history:
Verses 3-14 The scattering of Israel before the time of Christ
To save the house of Israel, He plucks off the most wicked branches (people) and destroys them.“Now in that parable the olive tree is the House of Israel. … In its native land it began to die. So the Lord took branches like the Nephites, like the lost tribes, and like others that the Lord led off that we do not know anything about, to other parts of the earth. He planted them all over his vineyard, which is the world.
Verses 15–28. The ministry of Christ and the Apostles
The chapter ends with the Millennium and the earth’s final cleansing. The rest of Jacob 5 represents the Lord’s and His servants’ efforts to save those who live in the last days. He gathers his people and nourishes them one last time ( Book of Mormon Study Guide for Home-Study Seminary Students “Unit 10”)
Pruning removes dead branches and bad fruit from a tree. The master cut off the dead branches and cast them into the fire (see Jacob 5:9). How does God help us “prune” our lives of sins and weaknesses?
Digging includes clearing away obstacles, such as weeds, from around a tree. Digging ensures nothing will hinder the tree’s ability to grow. What obstacles keep us from growing spiritually?
Nourishing keeps a tree healthy by providing minerals and other nutrients. Like trees, our spirits need nourishment. How can we nourish our spirits? Ensign March 2020 “What Can We Learn from the Allegory of the Olive Tree?”
He commanded that the main decaying branches of the olive tree be removed and that some branches from a wild olive tree be grafted to the main tree (see Jacob 5:7–10). This grafting can represent the Lord’s efforts to help Gentiles become part of His covenant people through baptism and conversion.
He took young and tender branches from the main olive tree and grafted them into different portions of the vineyard (see Jacob 5:8, 13–14). This can represent the scattering of Israel to different portions of the world. Some of those who were scattered were righteous, such as Lehi’s family (see 1 Nephi 10:12–13). Others were scattered because of wickedness.
What did you notice about the state of the trees and the fruit during these visits?
What did you notice about the words and actions of the lord of the vineyard during these visits?
What do these words and actions teach you about Jesus Christ? (Add your insights to your journal page.)
The video below is great to help children understand this story. The only problem with this video is that it calls the wild branches bad. The wild branches are the Gentiles who have not made covenants with the Lord. The children should know that all can repent and join with God’s covenant people and and produce good works, but all those who do not change from their wicked ways will have God’s judgements come upon them–represented by the fire.
For additional insights about the allegory, see the diagram and charts below.
Symbol
Meaning
Tame olive tree (verse 3)
The house of Israel, God’s covenant people
The vineyard (verse 3)
The world
Decay (verse 3)
Sin and apostasy
Master of the vineyard (verse 4)
Jesus Christ
Pruning, digging, and nourishing (verse 4)
The Lord’s efforts to help us be righteous and produce good works
Branches (verse 6)
Groups of people
Wild olive tree (verse 7)
Gentiles—those who have not made covenants with the Lord. Later in the allegory, natural olive trees, representing portions of the house of Israel in apostasy, are also described as “wild.”
Plucking and grafting branches (verses 7–8)
The scattering and gathering of the Lord’s covenant people. In addition, the grafting of wild olive branches into the tame olive tree represents the conversion of Gentiles who become part of the Lord’s covenant people through baptism.
Burning branches (verse 7)
God’s judgments upon the wicked
Fruit (verse 8)
The lives or works of people
Roots of the tame olive tree (verse 11)
The covenants the Lord makes with those who follow Him. Roots may also represent individuals with whom the Lord covenanted anciently, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Jacob 6:4).
Ponder the phrase “It grieveth me that I should lose this tree.” What emotions do you think the Lord expressed here, and why?
Read the phrase again, and this time insert your name in place of “this tree”: “It grieveth me that I should lose [your name].” By inserting your name throughout Jacob 5 in places that are meaningful and appropriate, you will be able to relate the allegory to yourself and learn more about the Lord’s concern for you. You may also insert the word I or me in suitable places in the scriptures.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020 “Jacob 5-7” Some families have found it helpful to draw the symbols from the allegory of the olive trees as they read it. Your family might enjoy that approach, or there could be another way you can help family members visualize the symbols in the allegory. Maybe you could mark an area on a table or floor to represent the vineyard (or the world) and depict the tame olive tree (or the house of Israel) with an object, such as a puzzle, that can be divided into pieces (to represent the scattering of Israel) and then brought back together (to represent the gathering of Israel). What does this allegory teach us about the Lord? about His servants?
How can you share the story of the olive trees in a way that your children can understand? One way is to take a walk outside to look at a tree and briefly review the main points of the story. What did the Lord of the vineyard do for His trees? How can we be like workers in the story and help others feel the Savior’s love?
Jacob shared the story of the olive trees to invite his people to come unto Christ. It can do the same for your children. Perhaps you could summarize the story with verses such as Jacob 5:3–4, 28–29, 47, and 70–72 (see also “Old Testament Olive Vineyard” , Gospel Library). You or your children could then read Jacob 5:11, 41, 47, and 72, looking for things that show how much the Lord of the vineyard (Jesus Christ) cared about the trees. What does the Savior do to show that He cares about us?’
Read and explain to the children key verses summarizing the allegory of the olive trees, such as Jacob 5:3–4, 28–29, 47, and 70–72, and invite the children to draw pictures of what these verses describe. What do we learn from these verses about how the Lord feels about His people? Ask the children to pretend to take care of an olive tree as you briefly summarize verses 61–71 (they might act out digging, watering, and so on). Invite a few children to read Jacob 5:11, 41, 47, and 72, looking for things that show how much the Lord of the vineyard (Jesus Christ) cared about the trees. What does the Savior do to show He cares about us? The video “Old Testament Olive Vineyard” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help with this activity.
List some of the symbols in Jacob 5 on the board, such as the vineyard, the lord of the vineyard, the servant, and the olive trees. Then make another list, in random order, of the things these symbols might represent, such as the world, the Savior, Church leaders or missionaries, and God’s people. Read together verses from Jacob 5 that mention these symbols, and help the children draw lines on the board connecting the symbols with their possible meanings (see, for example, verses 3–4, 28–29, 47, 70–72).
“Today Latter-day Saints are going to all parts of the world as servants in the vineyard to gather this fruit and lay it in store for the time of the coming of the Master.
Watch this video from the church media library: The Olive Tree
The story of the Lord and his vineyard in Jacob 5 is an allegorical telling of the scattering and gathering of Israel. We are living in the time of the final gathering. The “other servants” (Jacob 5:70) who were called into the Lord’s vineyard include people like you. What can we do to help gather Israel in preparation for the Savior’s Second Coming?
Fruit Fun
Sing “Dare to Do Right” (Children’s Songbook, 158).
The prophet Jacob taught about missionary work by telling a story about trees. He compared sharing the gospel to helping trees grow good fruit (see Jacob 5).
Cut out paper fruit in different colors. Have everyone write one way they can share the gospel. You could even make a tasty fruit treat for dessert (see Treat Time)! Friend March 2020 “My Family Night Fun{“
Read Jacob 5:61 together and help your little ones say, “I can teach people about Jesus.” Then color nametags and dress up like missionaries! Practice talking about the scriptures and Jesus. You could sing a missionary song together, like “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” (Children’s Songbook, 168). Friend March 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones”
The allegory of the olive tree teaches us that we have a duty to help gather Israel, both among the living and beyond the veil.
Open the Family Tree app on your phone (or go to FamilySearch.org).
Select “Temple.” If you don’t already have a name prepared for the temple, select “Ordinances Ready.”
Choose the ordinance you’d like to perform, and the names of any ancestors who need that ordinance will appear.
Create a bar code to print the names at the temple or print them at home.
Set a date in the near future to go to the temple and do the ordinances.
Discussion: How does it make you feel to know you are assisting the Lord in gathering His people? Ensign March 2020 “Family Study Fun”
Show a picture of a tree, or take a walk outside to look at a tree, and briefly review the main points of the allegory of the olive trees in Jacob 5. For example: the Lord of the vineyard (who could represent Jesus) worked very hard to look after his olive trees (which could represent the people on earth) because He cared so much about them. He called laborers (who could represent missionaries) to help care for the trees. Pick one or two verses from Jacob 5 to read to the children (such as verses 71–72).
Ask the children if they know someone who has served a mission, or talk about someone you know. Help the children locate on a map the places where those missionaries are serving. Explain that Jacob compared the world to a group of olive trees. The trees are like the people on earth, and caring for those trees is like what missionaries do for God’s children. What do missionaries do to bless Heavenly Father’s children? Look together for some answers to this question in a song such as “Called to Serve” (Children’s Songbook, 174–75). How can we be like missionaries?
Jacob 6:4–5 has an important message for us when we make wrong choices. Maybe you could help your children find it. Which words in these verses give us hope in God’s redeeming love? Elder Allen D. Haynie’s story about getting dirty in a mud pit, in his message “Remembering in Whom We Have Trusted” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 121–22), could help. What do this story and Jacob 6:4–5 teach us about what we need to do to be saved in the kingdom of God?
Invite the children to give themselves a hug. How do we feel when someone we love gives us a hug? Read Jacob 6:5 to the children, and explain that the phrases “[God] cleaveth unto you” and “his arm of mercy is extended towards you” teach that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to come back to Him someday.
Come Follow Me Kid “Jacob 5-7” Outstretched/Extended Arm Hugs- Jacob 6:4-5 says that God “stretches forth His hands” to us and “His arm of mercy is extended” towards us. Remind them that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us and want us to come back, to them someday. Jacob 6:5 also says, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you.” Explain what it means to cleave unto God. Take turns stretching out our arms and hands while family members run in for a hug and “cleave unto” you. Remind them of how much Heavenly Father and Jesus love us and would love to give us a hug right now.
Sing together a song about love, such as “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75). Invite the children to name things that help them feel the Savior’s love.
Make a chart on the board with two columns labeled Heavenly Father and Us. Read together Jacob 6:4–5, and ask half of the class to look for phrases that apply to God and the other half to look for phrases that apply to us. Record what they discover in the appropriate column. Help them define words they do not understand.
One meaning of the word cleave is to adhere to or stick to something firmly, closely, and unwaveringly.
Jacob asked us to “cleave,” or stay close, to God with all our hearts (Jacob 6:5). Play a game about staying together as a team! Choose one person to be the chaser. When the chaser tags someone, they join hands and chase the other players. When the next person gets tagged, they join hands with one of the chasers too. Keep playing until everyone joins hands.
For younger children: When we “cleave” to someone, we hold tightly to them. Have your children hug a stuffed animal or comfort toy. Talk about how we can be closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by praying and reading the scriptures.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Jacob 5-7” How can you inspire your children to stand for truth like Jacob did? Your children could watch the video “Chapter 10: Jacob and Sherem” (Gospel Library) and act out the interaction between Jacob and Sherem, using Jacob 7:1–23 as a guide. How did Jacob stand for what he knew was right? Invite your children to share experiences when they stood for the right, or share your own.
Friend February 2019 “What’s on Your Mind” Someone writes to the Friend and wants to know how to help make the bad things in life better. The Friend responds with an activity of some ways to stand for the right. Unscramble the words, then put them in the correct sentence to find ways to help.
Write on slips of paper situations in which someone tries to convince a child to do something wrong and a reference to a corresponding commandment from the scriptures. For example, your friend goes with you into a store and tries to get you to steal some candy (Exodus 20:15 or Mosiah 13:22), someone offers you a taste of an alcoholic beverage (D&C 89:7), or you are tempted to stay home and not go to church (D&C 59:9). Have the children look up and read each scripture. Discuss how knowing what the scriptures teach strengthens our testimonies of Jesus Christ and helps us resist evil influences.You might want to have the children pantomime these situations and have the other children guess what is being pantomimed.
Stand for the Right Song: Teaching Ideas
Perhaps they could also sing a song that expresses courage like Jacob’s, such as “Stand for the Right,” Children’s Songbook, 159.
Ask them to stand whenever they sing words like right or true.
Jacob CHAPTER 1 Jacob and Joseph seek to persuade men to believe in Christ and keep His commandments—Nephi dies—Wickedness prevails among the Nephites. About 544–421 B.C.
Jacob CHAPTER 2 Jacob denounces the love of riches, pride, and unchastity—Men may seek riches to help their fellowmen—The Lord commands that no man among the Nephites may have more than one wife—The Lord delights in the chastity of women. About 544–421 B.C.
Jacob CHAPTER 3 The pure in heart receive the pleasing word of God—Lamanite righteousness exceeds that of the Nephites—Jacob warns against fornication, lasciviousness, and every sin. About 544–421 B.C.
Jacob CHAPTER 4 All the prophets worshiped the Father in the name of Christ—Abraham’s offering of Isaac was in similitude of God and His Only Begotten—Men should reconcile themselves to God through the Atonement—The Jews will reject the foundation stone. About 544–421 B.C.
God calls Church leaders to help me follow Jesus Christ
Book of Mormon Stories Before Nephi died, he gave the plates he had written on to his younger brother Jacob. This meant that Jacob would also be the spiritual leader of the people. Jacob 1:1–2, 8
Nephi told Jacob to write the things that would help the people believe in Jesus Christ. Jacob 1:4–6
Nephi gave his younger brothers Jacob and Joseph the power to be priests and teachers in the Church and to teach the Nephites the word of God. Jacob 1:18
Go through the Fifth Article of Faith and explain that Nephi would have prayed to find out who God wanted called to certain responsibilities. He then would have “consecrated” Jacob and Joseph for those responsibilities by the laying on of hands because he had the priesthood authority from God to do so.
Jacob and Joseph labored diligently among their people, that they might persuade them to come unto Christ and partake of the goodness of God Jacob 1:7
Make simple puppets to represent Jacob and Joseph, Nephi’s younger brothers, who were leaders in the Church. Share some verses from Jacob 1 and 2 to explain what Church leaders are called to do. For example, leaders persuade us to “believe in Christ” (Jacob 1:8), invite us to repent (see Jacob 2:5–6, 9–10), and “declare [God’s] word” (Jacob 2:2, 11). Let the children use the puppets to pretend to do some of these things.
Invite the children to name some Church leaders they know, like Primary leaders, bishopric members, and prophets and apostles. Help the children think of ways these leaders bless us.
Senior Primary
Read with the children Jacob 1:6–8 and 2:1–6, 11, helping them look for phrases that describe how God’s servants lead the Church. Ask them to write these phrases on pieces of paper and then display the papers on the board. Why does God call Church leaders to guide us? Ask the children to share experiences with learning or receiving guidance from a Church leader or teacher and the blessings they received.
Ask the children to draw a picture of a Church leader they know about, and let the rest of the class guess who they drew. What do these leaders do to help us follow Jesus Christ? Invite the children to write notes to Church leaders, thanking them for their service.
Invite a local Church leader to tell the children what he or she does to fulfill his or her calling. Ask the children to name some things they can do to sustain their leaders.
Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must die soon; so he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people, according to the reigns of the kings. (Jacob 1:9) Because of the great love of the people for Nephi, all kings after Nephi were called Nephi (1st Nephi, 2nd Nephi, etc.). (Jacob 1:11)
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Jacob 1-4” To help your children understand how a “wounded soul” can be healed, you could discuss together how our bodies get wounded and what helps them heal. Perhaps your children could talk about times when they got hurt and what helped them heal. You could even show them bandages or medicine as part of this conversation. Maybe you could share with them how the Savior has helped you when your spirit needed healing.
The people began to grow wicked during the reign of the second king, wanting lots of riches.
Some of the people in Jacob’s time were very rich and prideful, and they didn’t want to share what they had with people who were poor.
Jacob taught in the temple and told the people to repent of the bad things they were doing.
Jacob taught the following: “And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly (this phrase means that Heavenly Father had blessed them), that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are alifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.” (Jacob 2:13)
Jacob taught that we should clothe the naked, and feed the hungry, liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. (Jacob 2:19)
Jacob taught that we should be “free with [our] substance” (Jacob 2:17). That means sharing what we have with others. Make a treat to share with some neighbors or friends!
For younger children: Even small acts of service can help people feel lots of love. Help your children think of a kind thing they can do for someone else.
Some of the people in Jacob’s time were very rich, but they didn’t want to share what they had with others. As you read Jacob’s teachings to them in Jacob 2:17–19, you could give your children pictures or objects to hold that go with words or phrases in these verses. You might explain that you are sharing these objects with them; maybe you could then invite them to share the objects with you or with each other. Talk about how you feel when you share. What else could we share with others to help them feel happy?
After reading together Jacob 2:17, perhaps your children could name some blessings Heavenly Father has shared with them. Why does He want us to share with each other?
Invite the children to act out ways they can share what they have with someone in need. Testify that we are blessed as we share with others.
Bring something to class that you can share with the children. Give some of it to each child, and explain that you are sharing. Ask them how they felt when you shared with them. How do they feel when they share with others? Help them think of something they could share to help someone feel happy.
Tell the children that many people in Jacob’s time became prideful and unkind because they loved riches (see Jacob 2:12–14, 17–21). Invite a few children to read Jacob 2:17–19 out loud, and help them understand any difficult words. What should we seek before we seek riches? What should we seek to do with any riches we receive?
Read Jacob 2:17 to the children. What blessings has Heavenly Father shared with us? Why does He want us to share with each other? Invite the children to share times when they shared something with someone else, including how they felt and how the other person felt.
Story Ideas
Friend March 2020 “Harry Shares” Harry is playing with toys. He is having fun. Harry sees a girl who looks sad. Harry shares toys with her. Now they are both having fun!
Friend November 1987 “Hand-Me-Down Box” Leigh is fortunate to have a caring friend who shares her hand-me-down clothes with her. She wants to grow up to be someone who shares with others.
Was there someone in the story who was prideful and made fun of Leigh for her hand-me-down clothes?
Jacob taught the following: Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. Jacob 2:17
What does it mean to think of others like unto yourselves? (Treat others like you would like to be treated, and give to others like you would give to yourself. (Think about the things you need and then help others who don’t have those types of things so they can have them too.)
Friend December 2019 “Martin’s Favorite Toys” Martin was not happy about having to move, but eventually he got used to his new home. One Sunday, he noticed a lot of new people at church. He found out that they were refugees. He wanted to help them, but he didn’t want to give them any of his toys. Then he realized that many of the children had to leave everything behind. He remembered how hard it was for him to move, but at least he got to bring his things with him. He then wanted to give them his favorite toys to help them be happier.
Friend December 2019
Friend December 2019
Invite the children to think of something they could share to help someone feel happy.
Cut out the arrow, and attach it to the center of the circle. Spin the arrow, and tell about how you can share what the arrow points to. CFM for Primary: BofM
Friend March 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” Play a sharing game. Give each person a toy and set a timer. When it dings, everyone should run to someone else and say, “God is happy when I share!” and trade toys.
Jacob’s faith in Christ was so strong it could not be shaken. To teach your children how to build faith like this, you could ask them about things we do to make our bodies stronger. What can we do to make our faith in Jesus Christ stronger? Read Jacob 4:6 together to help the children discover what Jacob and his people did to make their faith “unshaken.”
Another way to help your children understand what it means to be “unshaken” in their faith would be to find a large tree and ask them to shake individual branches. Then let them try to shake the trunk. Why is it harder to shake the trunk? What phrases in Jacob 4:6, 10–11 describe what we can do to make our faith in Jesus Christ unshaken?
For other comparisons to teach your children about unshakable faith in Jesus Christ, see Neil L. Andersen, “Spiritual Whirlwinds” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 18–21; and the video “Spiritual Whirlwinds“) or “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281; see also Matthew 7:24–27).
How did Jacob and others develop faith in Christ that is “unshaken” ?
6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can ccommand in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
Jacob studied the words of the prophets, and he received revelations from the Spirit. How can we follow his example and develop unshaken faith?
All the Prophets Taught of Christ Jacob 4:4For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.
Jacob taught this about the Jews: “Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall.”
The Jews misunderstood the law of Moses and its intent to lead them to the Savior. They were looking for a different kind of deliverance than the kind Jesus, the Messiah, offered them—they were looking for deliverance from foreign rule and oppression.
If we fail to keep focused on our Savior Jesus Christ, what could happen?
The prophet Jacob taught that the spiritual blindness of the Jews caused them to look “beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14), which resulted in their stumbling spiritually and missing many gospel truths.
Place a bucket or sturdy bowl in the backyard.
Take turns tossing a ball into the bucket, standing a short distance away.
Now try tossing the ball into the bucket without looking at the bucket.
Discussion: Why was it harder to hit the target when we’re not looking at it? How did the Jews look “beyond the mark”? (Jacob 4:14). Read “Looking beyond the Mark” by Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Ensign, Mar. 2003, 40–44). Discuss how we might find ourselves looking beyond the mark today.
Come Follow Me Kid Blank Arrows (I Can Be Reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ) The manual asks, “What has God provided to point you to Christ? How are you using these things to draw closer to God?” Write/draw answers on blank arrows (below) and place around the bucket pointing to it.
Book of Mormon Study Guide “for Home-Study Seminary Students” Lift your pen or pencil at least two feet or one meter above this target, and try to drop it so that it hits the center of the target—“the mark.” You may want to try this several times. Think about how less effective your efforts would be if you were looking somewhere other than the target. How well do you think people would do in archery if they never looked at the target, or mark, while they were shooting or if they looked at what was beyond the mark? Read Jacob 4:14, and identify characteristics of the people Jacob prophesied would look “beyond the mark.”
Song: Wise Man and the Foolish Man
Jacob teaches that the Jews rejected the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation. (Jacob 4:15-17)
Sing “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” See herefor teaching ideas, sing-along videos, and visual aid ideas.
2 Nephi CHAPTER 31 Nephi tells why Christ was baptized—Men must follow Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be saved—Repentance and baptism are the gate to the strait and narrow path—Eternal life comes to those who keep the commandments after baptism. About 559–545 B.C.
2 Nephi CHAPTER 32 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost—Men must pray and gain knowledge for themselves from the Holy Ghost. About 559–545 B.C.
2 Nephi CHAPTER 33 Nephi’s words are true—They testify of Christ—Those who believe in Christ will believe Nephi’s words, which will stand as a witness before the judgment bar. About 559–545 B.C.
Before Nephi died, and before he passed his responsibilities on to Jacob, he wrote some final words, and they are about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.
Nephi taught that following the Savior’s example and teachings are the only way to “be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:21).
Jesus Christ taught me how to return to Heavenly Father.
We can return to God after this life by following the doctrine Jesus Christ taught: faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 31-33” To help your children visualize the teachings in 2 Nephi 31, they could draw a path with a picture of Christ at the end. You could help them find or draw pictures that represent steps on that path, such as faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. [Could also help them place some pictures along the path.] They could point to the pictures as you read 2 Nephi 31:17–20 together.
Idea for Reading and Listening to the Scriptures: Explain that the doctrine of Christ includes the things Jesus Christ taught that we need to do to return to Heavenly Father. Write on different sheets of paper faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, (or use the pictures below if you have little children, making one copy per child) and scatter them around the room. Read to the children 2 Nephi 31:11–19, and invite the children to take turns jumping from paper to paper as they hear these principles mentioned. Help them think of an experience they have had with each principle. (Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 31-33: This is the Way”)
Or make these finger puppets for each child and have them put up the correct puppet as it is mentioned in the scriptures.
Friend April 2011 “Article of Faith 4” Draw a line from the principle or ordinance to the correct picture.
Friend July 2003 Fourth Article of Faith Picture Scramble. Cut out the pictures and glue them in place in the right order.
Ensign March 2020 “Family Study Fun: Spiritual Stepping Stones” Christ said, “Follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do” (2 Nephi 31:12). Place a picture of Christ on the opposite side of the room. Write on narrow pieces of paper or cards the “stepping stones” to Christ: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, The gift of the Holy Ghost, Enduring to the end. Have someone put the steps in order. Place the steps on the floor in a “strait and narrow path” (2 Nephi 31:18) to Christ.
Discussion: Which stepping stone is next for each of you? How can we honor the steps we have taken? What can we do to strengthen our resolve to stay on the path?
Friend March 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities” Nephi taught that we follow Jesus Christ when we have faith in Him, repent, are baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end (see 2 Nephi 31). Write each step on a different piece of paper, then spread them on the floor. One person closes their eyes and counts to 10 while everyone else stands on a paper. The person who counted then says one of the steps to follow Jesus. The person on that paper counts next.
For younger children: When we have faith in Jesus Christ, we follow what He says. Form a line and walk around. The person in front is the leader. Each person copies how the leader walks. Take turns being the leader!
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 31-33” Explain that the doctrine of Christ includes the things Jesus Christ taught that we need to do to return to Heavenly Father. Write on different sheets of paper faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, and scatter them around the room. Read to the children 2 Nephi 31:11–19, and invite the children to take turns jumping from paper to paper as they hear these principles mentioned. Help them think of an experience they have had with each principle.
Help the children learn the fourth article of faith. Sing together a song about one of the first principles of the gospel, such as “Faith,” “When I Am Baptized,” or “Choose the Right Way” (Children’s Songbook, 96–97, 103, 160–61).
Friend January 2009 “Becoming Like Jesus Christ” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf explains that faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. When we have faith in Christ, we trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments—even when we do not completely understand the reasons for them. We need to rely, through the path of true repentance, upon the merits of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement.
Repentance
11) And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
Ensign January 2018 “Repentance is a Gift” Match each picture with a different step of repentance.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 31-33” There’s a picture of Jesus being baptized at the end of this outline. Maybe your children could use it to tell you what they know about this event (see also Matthew 3:13–17). Why does Jesus want us to be baptized like He was? Your children could listen for reasons as you read together portions of 2 Nephi 31:4–13. It might be helpful if someone who was recently baptized could share their experience.
To Be Obedient to the Father & To be an Example for Us
7) But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.
To Show us that We Need to Enter the Gate (Baptism) that Leads to the Path Towards Eternal Life
9) And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
Friend August 2019 “Coloring Page: A New Path” When I am baptized, I choose to walk a new path with Jesus. (See Romans 6:4.)
We Need to Follow His Example and be Baptized
5) And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
10) And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 31-33” Display the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, and ask the children to share what they know about Jesus’s baptism (see Matthew 3:13–17). Put the following words in random order on the board: Jesus witnessed unto the Father that He would be obedient unto Him. Invite the children to read 2 Nephi 31:7 as a class and put the words into the correct order.
Ask the children what they would say to someone preparing to be baptized, and help them compile their advice onto simple cards they could give to someone. How can we continue to follow the example of Jesus after we are baptized?
Gift of the Holy Ghost
When we repent and choose to be baptized, like Jesus, then we can be confirmed and have the gift of the Holy Ghost too.
12) And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.
Friend June 2019 “The Holy Ghost is…” The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, a gift that comes with baptism, and a promise from Heavenly Father. He is a comforter, warning, teacher, messenger, friend.
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Friend March 2020 “How Does Heavenly Father Speak to Us?” A feeling that Jesus loves us and that the gospel is true, A comforting feeling when we are sad or lonely, A happy feeling after we have repented, A good feeling when we hear beautiful music or see inspiring art, A peaceful feeling that something is a good choice, A warning feeling that something is wrong
Endure to the End
They [must] then endure to the end, or, in other words, they continue throughout their lives in exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, and renewing the covenants they have made. These are not just steps that they experience once in their lives; rather, when repeated throughout life these principles become an increasingly rewarding pattern of living. In fact, it is the only way of living that will bring peace of conscience and enable Heavenly Father’s children to return to live in His presence. (Preach My Gospel pg. 6)
Friend March 2020 “Come, Follow Me for Little Ones” What blessing can we receive if we endure to the end? (See 2 Nephi 31:20.)
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 31-33” To teach about “feasting” on the words of Christ, you could ask your children to act out how they would feast on their favorite food. In 2 Nephi 32:3, what did Nephi say we should feast on? How is feasting on God’s word different from just reading it? Maybe your children could act out the differences. Share with them the blessings you’ve received as you’ve feasted on the scriptures.
“Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 31-33” Ask the children to name some of their favorite foods, and invite them to act out how they would feast on them. (To feast upon something is to enjoy it or to consume a great deal of it because it brings joy. )Read 2 Nephi 32:3, and ask the children to listen for what Nephi says we should feast on. What does it mean to feast on the scriptures? Explain that the scriptures are one place where we can find the words of Christ.
Ask the children to imagine a feast. What food would they want there? What would they eat first? Then invite them to imagine what feasting on the scriptures might mean as you read 2 Nephi 32:3. Why did Nephi use the word feast to teach us how we should study God’s word? Why didn’t he just say read? What does it mean to feast on the scriptures? Share with the children the blessings you’ve received as you’ve feasted on the scriptures
Write the following words on separate pieces of paper: sample, gorge, taste, nibble, snack, and feast. Hand the papers out to six students, without letting the other students see what is written. Have the six students come to the front of the class. Give them dishes and tell them to imagine there is food in them. Invite the six students to describe or demonstrate the word on their paper, and have the class try to guess the word. Reveal the six words. (Book of Mormon Teacher Resource Manual)
Write the words God and Lord on the board. Invite the children to open to a page of scripture and look for these words. Give them help if needed. Testify that as we read the scriptures, we can learn about God.
Complete the activity page with the children, and invite them to make a goal to do at least one thing to feast on the scriptures this week.
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man Explain that “the wise man built his house upon the rock” means that wise man built his life upon the teachings of Jesus. The foolish man didn’t and his house (life) fell apart in the storms of life. Discussion Ideas: What things in our life are like the rain and wind? How does following Jesus’s teachings protect us and make our faith strong as a house built on a rock? Song: “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” (Children’s Songbook, 281) Scripture: Matthew 7:24–29 Sing-along video
Rock Art: Choose a smooth rock. With a marker or paint, write “Jesus Christ” on it. Talk about why it’s so important to build our lives on His teachings. Keep the rock in a place where you can see it often.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 31-33” After reading 2 Nephi 32:8–9, talk with your children about why Satan doesn’t want us to pray. Why does God want us to “pray always”? Your children could make a list or draw pictures of situations in which they could pray. Then you could sing a song that teaches about prayer, such as “Did You Think to Pray?” (Hymns, no. 140). You could replace some of the words in the song with the words from their lists. How does God bless us when we pray always?
Talk with the children about times when they can pray, such as when they are scared, when they make mistakes, or when they need help in school. Why is it good to pray in these situations? Teach the children that no matter where they are, they can always pray in their hearts.
Read to the children the Lord’s counsel to be “faithful … in prayer always, vocally and in thy heart, in public and in private” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:3). Explain what it means to pray in our hearts, and share a personal example. Help the children think of times when they can pray “in public and in private.”
Invite someone to read Doctrine and Covenants 81:3, and ask the children what it means to pray “in [your] heart.” Share an experience when you prayed aloud or in your heart and the Lord helped you. Also ask the children to share their own experiences. How can prayer bring us closer to Heavenly Father?
Ask the children when they pray. Do they pray in the morning? at night? before meals? Help the children think of actions to show when we can pray, such as when we wake up, go to bed, and eat—or any other time. Read to them the first line or two from 2 Nephi 32:9, and emphasize the phrase “pray always.”
Ask the children how they pray. What do they do with their head, hands, and so on? What sorts of things do they say? Ask them to imagine that you don’t know how to pray, and let them teach you. Why does Heavenly Father want us to pray?
The adversary tempts us not to pray. Consider how you can help the children resist this temptation and “pray always” (2 Nephi 32:9).
Choose a phrase about prayer from 2 Nephi 32:8–9, write it on the board, and cover each word with a piece of paper. Invite the children to take turns removing one paper at a time until they can guess what the phrase is.
Read 2 Nephi 32:8–9 together, and ask the children to share what they learn about prayer from these verses. What does it mean to “pray always”? (verse 9). How can we do this?
What might make someone not want to pray? Share an experience when you prayed even though you didn’t feel like it. How did you feel afterward? Invite a child to read the second half of 2 Nephi 32:8, and give the children time to ponder it. Why doesn’t Satan want us to pray? How can we remind ourselves to pray even when we don’t feel like it?
Friend March 2018 “Food and Fun: Wisdom Rocks” Put a wise thought or scripture on a rock to inspire you.
Sermon on the Mount
Matthew CHAPTER 5 Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount—Its teachings replace and transcend some aspects of the law of Moses—All are commanded to be perfect like their Father in Heaven.
Luke CHAPTER 6 Jesus heals on the Sabbath—He chooses the Twelve Apostles—He pronounces blessings upon the obedient and woes upon the wicked. Sermon on the Mount
Explain that the beginning of Jesus’s sermon includes what is known as the “Beatitudes.” Beatitude means to be blessed or happy. In these verses, Jesus identified attributes that He and His Father possess that lead to true happiness in this life and in the life to come. Developing these attributes will help you become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Create a chart on the board with two columns labeled Blessed are … and Blessing. Invite the children to search Matthew 5:3–12 looking for the qualities of those Jesus said would be blessed and the blessings He promised them. Then fill in the chart with what they find. Discuss with the children what each quality and corresponding blessing mean.
Write each quality from these verses on a card and its corresponding blessing on a card. For example, one card would say “meek,” and another would say “inherit the earth” (verse 5). Let the children match the qualities and the blessings. Ask the children to pick one of the qualities in these verses that they want to develop.
Friend March 2019 “Sermon on the Mount” The scriptures teach us about a special talk (or “sermon”) that Jesus gave called the Sermon on the Mount. Look up the scriptures below and match them with what Jesus taught.
Friend April 2004 “If I Choose to Obey, I’ll Be Happy All Day!” In the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5; 3 Ne. 12) Jesus taught us how to live so we can be happy. Some of these teachings are known as the Beatitudes. Beatitude means “happiness” or “blessing.” To make a Beatitude Book, glue page 29 onto a sheet of paper. Cut on the solid lines. Glue the second strip to the tab on the first strip. Fold back and forth on the dotted lines.
Friend February 2023 “Scripture Toss” Put this page on the ground. Take turns tossing a beanbag onto the paper. When the beanbag lands on a square, read that scripture verse. If someone has already read that verse, tell what it means to you. Or you can tell how you can do what it teaches.
Friend February 2023 “Come, Follow Me Activities for Little Ones”Tell your little ones that we are happy when we choose the right like Jesus did. Hang up a paper with a smiley face drawn on it. Add a smiley face each time your little ones make a “happy” choice.
In Matthew 5, the Savior teaches His disciples a higher law to live by so they can become like Him.
Read the beatitudes in Matthew 5:1–12. Talk about each characteristic and the promise that goes with it.
Write each person’s name on a separate sheet of paper.
Give each person a paper, making sure they don’t get one with their own name written on it.
Have everyone draw a picture of a time when the person on their paper exemplified one of the beatitudes. Write a sentence about it. For example, “Hannah is a peacemaker because she shared with her sister.”
Look up the blessing associated with that beatitude and write it at the bottom of the page.
Take turns sharing what was written.
Light to the World
Friend March 2018 “Funstuff” Read the scriptures and have the children use the tangram pieces to make the item that isn’t hid under a bushel.
During His Sermon on the Mount, the Savior taught, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). But how is this possible?
Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, Moro. 10:32.
Continue in patience until ye are perfected, D&C 67:13.
These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus, D&C 76:69.
As a family, create a simple puzzle by cutting a sheet of paper into several puzzle pieces. Before assembling the puzzle, remove one piece so that the puzzle will be incomplete upon assembly. Give each family member the remaining puzzle pieces and have them label the pieces with things they can do to work toward perfection.
When the pieces are labeled, assemble the puzzle without the piece you removed at the beginning. Once the puzzle is assembled, reveal the final piece. Before placing it, discuss ways that the members of the Godhead help us improve and write some of these down on the final piece.
Through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we can become perfect eventually.3
How can you help class members see that the Savior’s command to be “perfect” (Matthew 5:48) means, as President Russell M. Nelson explained, to be “complete” or “finished”? (“Perfection Pending,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 86–88). You could cut a picture of Jesus into a puzzle, and invite class members to write on the back of each piece a teaching from Matthew 5 that they feel inspired to apply to their life. Let them work together to complete the puzzle. How does Jesus Christ’s Atonement help us become “complete” or “finished”? (see Bible Dictionary, “Grace”).
Discuss this statement from Elder Joseph Fielding Smith about perfection: “[Perfection] will not come all at once, but line upon line, precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life. … But here we lay the foundation … to prepare us for that perfection. It is our duty to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:18).
Salt of the Earth
How can our knowledge of gospel truths help “preserve” the lives of others? We preserve their spiritual lives so they do not suffer from spiritual death. What are some ways we can offer “healing” to nonmembers? In what ways is the gospel an “essential nutrient” in our lives? If we are to be like the savior we need to be the salt of the earth. that it preserves food, that it can be used as a medicine, and that it is an essential nutrient.)
Eat together some food seasoned with salt and the same food without salt. What difference do we notice? What does it mean to be “the salt of the earth”? How can we do this?
“Lesson 10: The Sermon on the Mount,” Primary 7: New Testament Unless this lesson is on fast Sunday, prepare a food that usually is prepared with salt, such as popcorn, rice, pasta, and so on. Leave the salt out and ask each child to taste the food. (Check with parents for allergies.) Add a small amount of salt and let the children taste the food again. Point out that a very small amount of salt can make a big difference. A small number of righteous people can also make a big difference. Have the children discuss how they can make a difference by living righteously.
Salt of the Earth (3 Nephi 12:13) What does salt do? It enhances flavor. (Optional: Show an example of this with some cooked pasta.)
Someone who influences and enhances people’s lives for good. Just as salt enhances food and makes it taste better, we should influence people for good. Why wouldn’t you want to use the contaminated salt? (The dirt would give the food a bad flavor, and it could be unsafe to ingest.) Explain that through contamination, salt loses its desirable taste and flavor. If we contaminate our lives with the dirt and evil of the world, then we could become a negative influence on others, and we could cause great spiritual harm.
How can we be a good influence and example to others?
Friend June 2023 “Salt Painting” Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Salt is something ordinary that can be used for lots of amazing things. Make this painting and think of some of the amazing things you can do with God’s help!
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “Matthew 5; Luke 6”Take a moment to ponder in your heart how you, as the salt of the earth, help bring out the best in those around you. Also consider what temptations you face and how you can keep yourself pure. If you have allowed any impurities into your life, they can be removed through the gift of repentance available through Jesus Christ.
How can following Jesus Christ be hard to hide, like a city on a hill?
Anciently, cities were built on hilltops to provide protection from potential attacks. How can living the gospel boldly provide protection from bad influences?
What does this metaphor teach you about how the Savior expects you, as His disciples, to live?
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2023 “Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3” The Pharisees were members of a Jewish religious party who prided themselves on strict observance of the law of Moses and its rituals. The Sadducees were a wealthy Jewish class with great religious and political influence; they did not believe in the doctrine of resurrection. Both groups had strayed from the original intent of God’s laws.
Still, Small Voice Obstacle Course: Scatter pillows, couch cushions, and other soft objects throughout the room. Assign someone in the family to be the “person in need” at the end of the obstacle course.Place a blindfold on a member of the family and assign someone else to whisper directions into the person’s ear to guide them safely through the course to the person in need.
Apostle Social Media Scroll: On your smartphone or computer, go to the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the current Apostles and General Auxiliary leaders.Scroll through their posts and read about some of their recent experiences visiting members of the Church throughout the world. Discussion: What Christlike attributes do you see in the individual Apostles and other Church leaders? Why would the Lord value these attributes in choosing His servants? Which of these attributes would you like to develop?
Mighty Mini Movie Party: After a vision and a series of other events, Peter came to realize that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34), meaning God doesn’t prohibit anyone from participating in His gospel. Now, sit back, pop some popcorn, and see how this is happening throughout the world today. With the family, go online to the “Pioneers in Every Land” section of history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Explore the site and watch some of the many video shorts featuring Church members in Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, Holland, and elsewhere.
Acts 17:16-34
Decoding Your Divine DNA: In Athens, Paul taught people who believed that gods were powers or forces, not living, personable beings. Help your family recognize that we are literally the “offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). Pass out paper to each family member and instruct them to list on the paper the traits they’ve inherited from their parents, such as physical traits or personality traits. Discuss how these traits help you and your family members know who their parents are. Next, have each family member list traits they inherited from Heavenly Father. Refer to patriarchal blessings if appropriate. Discuss how knowing that we have inherited these traits can strengthen our testimony that we are children of God.
Ensign August 2019 “Family Study Fun” (The green pictured items) Activities and discussion ideas for each week of August’s Come Follow Me. (See link for more discussion information)
Masterpiece Testimony Theater Paul bore bold testimony, even in the face of danger. Create an everyday scenario for each family member to role-play bearing testimony. Emphasize that testimonies in conversation need not end in “amen” or include every element of a typical testimony. (Example: A coworker asks why we don’t drink alcohol.) Act out each scenario, being as sincere and authentic as possible.Discussion: What was easy and difficult about the role-play? What motivated Paul to bear such powerful testimony? How can we build our courage to testify?
Friend August 2019 “Family Night Fun” Make a path with string. Put things along the path that help show or grow faith. Ask how each object helps grow or show faith in Jesus Christ as the family walks the path. Also can do the coloring page “A New Path.“
Grace Carry All of us fall “short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But with Jesus Christ we can be saved. Designate the sofa as “the celestial kingdom.”Have everyone stand, face the sofa, a take three giant steps backward. Have them take one small step toward the sofa (their efforts), with the sofa still out of reach. Have the strongest person (acting as the Savior would) carry each person to the sofa.
Pillar Tower of Doom Life’s obstacles can fill us with hopelessness and impede us from feeling God’s love. Christ can help. Create a tall tower of pillows and sofa cushions (life’s challenges). Sit someone behind the tower and turn off the lights. Shine a flashlight beam (God’s love) at the person behind the tower, with the pillows blocking the light. Invite someone (acting as Christ would) to knock down the pillows to let God’s love shine through. Discussion: Share a time when life was hard, you felt discouraged, and then God’s love reached you when you turned to Him in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
Friend September 2019 “Paul’s Letters” The Apostle Paul helped lead the Church after Jesus returned to heaven. Back then, there were no telephones or internet. So Paul wrote letters to members of the Church.
Human Knot (best with four-plus people) Paul tells the Saints that there should be “no divisions among” them and that they should be “perfectly joined together” in mind and judgment (1 Corinthians 1:10). Stand everyone in a circle. Have everyone reach out their right hand and take someone else’s (not next to them). Do the same with the left hand, taking a different person’s hand. Work together to untangle the knot without letting go of any hands. End up in a circle again. Discussion: What can we do as a family to be more “joined together”? How can we work together to remove divisions?
Sacrament Hymn Sing-Along Paul taught how Christ introduced the sacrament to His Apostles and instructed them, “This do in remembrance of me.” Ask each family member to identify a favorite sacrament hymn and explain why it’s a favorite. Sing one or more of the hymns chosen. Watch the “The Last Supper” from the Bible videos series or “The Sacrament” from the children’s Bible videos series (both at ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Discussion: How do the sacrament hymns prepare us to partake of the bread and water? What can we do during the sacrament to help each other focus on the Savior?
Ensign September 2019 “Family Study Fun” Activities and discussion ideas for each week of September’s Come Follow Me. (See link for more discussion information)
Post-Resurrection Family Reunion: Paul corrected some of the Corinthians who believed that there would be “no resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:12) by teaching them that “in Christ shall all be made alive” (verse 22). Show pictures of your family’s ancestors. Explain what you know of their lives, accomplishments, and personalities. If possible, show other pictures or art from the time period to illustrate daily life. Imagine meeting your ancestors as resurrected beings. What questions would you ask? What stories would you want them to tell?
Nature Charades: Paul taught the Corinthians that through the Savior’s Atonement, we can each become a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). On strips of paper, write examples of things in nature that go through a transformation (caterpillar to butterfly, egg to bird, seed to flower, tadpole to frog, and so on). Fold each paper and place it in a container. Take turns pulling out a strip of paper and silently acting out the example while everyone else guesses what the transformation is.What must we do to become new creatures in Christ?
Ensign September 2019 “Becoming a New Creature in Christ” Story about a rancher who saved a young, scruffy horse from the slaughterhouse and gave it to his daughter, who was not impressed. With love and good food, the horse regained its health and ended up winning a race at the fair against thoroughbreds.
Muscleman Challenge: Challenges and personal weaknesses can weigh us down. With the Savior’s grace, however, we can find strength. Gather some heavy objects (personal challenges). Give each family member one or more heavy objects to carry. Make these “challenges” even more challenging by completing tasks while holding them (for example, making a sandwich, folding clothes, dancing). Try the same activity again, but this time ask someone to help you with the heavy objects. Discussion: What was difficult about carrying the objects alone? How does Christ lighten our burden?
Nations Blessing Bonanza: Paul taught that all those who have come unto Christ through the gospel covenant become “the children of Abraham” and that “in [Abraham] shall all nations be blessed” (Galatians 3:7–8). Flip back to the Cape Verde article at the beginning of this issue to see an example of how one nation of the earth is being blessed. Review the various statistics about Church growth. Discussion: What blessings have come to the people of Cape Verde? What blessings have come to our family as “the children of Abraham”? What must we do to receive all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant?
Ensign September 2019 You might introduce Galatians 4 by discussing the differences between a king’s servants and his children. What opportunities or potential does a king’s child have that a servant does not? Think about this as you read together verses 1–7. What do these verses teach about our relationship with Heavenly Father?
Ensign September 2019 add some fun to your discussion of Galatians 5:22–23, your family could label different fruits with words Paul used to describe the “fruit of the Spirit.” Then each family member could select one, define it, and talk about someone who exemplifies that fruit. This could lead to a discussion about ways your family could invite the Spirit into your home and cultivate this fruit. After the discussion, you could enjoy a fruit salad together.
Friend September 2019 “Family Night Fun” Activity: How many different kinds of fruit can your family name? The Apostle Paul taught the people of Galatia was about the “fruit of the Spirit.”
Ensign October 2019 “Family Study Fun” (See the link for additional discussion ideas for each week.)
United We Stand Pair up two people of relatively equal size. Have them sit on the floor back to back, arms linked. Have them stand up by pushing off each other. Repeat, but this time have only one person push.
Discussion: Why is having two people work together easier? Read “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (see Ensign,May 2017, 145). What roles do fathers and mothers have? How do they work together?
Ensign October 2019 “The Armor of God” Paul’s military metaphor helps us see how to protect ourselves spiritually.
Ensign October 2019 “Safe from Satan’s Sting” Obedience to commandments forges a protective breastplate of righteousness. (Great lesson for a family home evening)
Frowny Face Challenge Have someone put on a frowny face. Have each family member try, without touching the person, to turn that frown into a smile. (Extra points for getting a laugh.) Everybody has bad days, but when we follow Paul’s counsel and “rejoice in the Lord alway[s]” (Philippians 4:4), we think of Christ and allow His grace to keep us as happy, optimistic, and positive as possible.
Second Coming Surprise Jesus Christ will come again “as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), meaning unexpectedly and at an unknown time. Are we preparing each day for that event? On small, individual slips of paper, have family members write down what they did yesterday (soccer practice, school, and so on). Put the slips into a hat (or bag). Parents secretly add another slip that reads: “Second Coming.”Take turns drawing an activity from the hat and reading it aloud. When someone draws “Second Coming,” the game’s over. Discussion: Which of the activities drawn from the hat helped prepare our family for Christ’s return? What should we add to our daily routines to prepare us more?
Scripture Treasure Hunt Paul taught that scriptures bless us with wisdom, doctrine, correction, instruction, and faith. On separate pieces of paper, write “wisdom (Acts 18:28)”; “doctrine (Titus 1:9)”; “correction (Matthew 4:3–10)”; “instruction (Acts 17:2–3)”; and “faith (Romans 10:17).” Send everyone out of the room. Hide the five papers in the following locations: table, window, door, pillow, book. Invite everyone back. Have them read these scriptures to identify the keyword clue to find each hidden paper. (John 18:16=door; Mark 4:38=pillow; Revelation 22:7=book; Acts 20:9=window; Luke 22:21=table.) Read aloud the scripture on each found paper and discuss how it’s an example of that blessing. Discussion: What can we do to improve our personal and family scripture study? (See links for scriptures at October 2019 Ensign “Family Study Fun“)
1 Timothy
1 Timothy 2:9–10
Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families While aspects of Paul’s counsel for women to dress modestly do not apply to our time, we can all learn from his counsel to “adorn [ourselves] … with good works.” Your family might enjoy putting together a fashion show, with family members dressing up in clothing or jewelry labeled with different kinds of good works. What are some good works your family could do this week?
Hebrews
Hebrews 1-6
Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families Can you think of an object lesson to help your family understand what it means to keep a firm hold on the gospel truths “which we have heard”? You might illustrate this with an object that is hard to hold onto. How are our efforts to maintain our testimony like catching and holding this object? How can we make sure “the things which we have heard” do not “slip” away from us? (Hebrews 2 verse 1).
December 2–8 (1 John 4:7) Pass-Along Love Cards The Apostle John says, “Let us love one another: for love is of God” (1 John 4:7).Have the family sit in a circle. Give everyone an index card with their name at the top. Have everyone pass their card to the left. Instruct family members to silently read the name and write on the card how that person shows love in the family. Keep passing the cards to the left until everyone has written on each card. Read the cards aloud. Discussion: How do you feel inside when you show love to others? How do acts of love strengthen our family?
December 9–15 (Revelation 1–22) Symbol Sketch-and-Guess To better understand the book of Revelation, we must first understand the symbols. Write one word per slip of paper: Lamb, candlestick, stars, dragon, bride, sword. Pass out the papers and take turns drawing the object while the family guesses what it is. When the family guesses correctly, read aloud the scriptures to learn the symbol’s meaning. Lamb = Christ (Revelation 5:6; 7:13–14)
Candlestick = branch of Christ’s Church (Revelation 1:12, 20)
Story: The Lord asked Moses and his people to build a tabernacle. A tabernacle is like a temple. The Lord told them to build it like a tent so they could take it with them as they traveled to the promised land. You can read about it in Exodus 39:33–43.
Song: “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95)
Activity: Build a tent like the tabernacle. You can use blankets, towels, chairs, and anything else in your home. Then sit in your tent and talk about why temples are important. Or you could make a small tabernacle with blocks or other items.
The tabernacle not only allowed the children of Israel to have the presence of God with them, but it also taught them things they could do to become more like God.
Younger Children: Display a picture of the ancient tabernacle (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Ask the children to find different parts of the tabernacle in the picture, such as the candlestick or the altars, and explain that these things were meant to help the Israelites think about the Lord (for more information about the tabernacle, see Exodus 40:17–34). What holy places do we have today that help us think about the Lord?
Older Children: Invite the children to use Exodus 40:17–33 to identify things that were part of the tabernacle and find some of them in a picture of the ancient tabernacle (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Invite the children to draw their own pictures of the tabernacle. Talk about how each part of the tabernacle could teach about the Savior or Heavenly Father. For example, the ark of testimony could remind us of God’s commandments, the altar could remind us of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, the candlestick could remind us that the Savior is the Light of the World, and so on.
Complete the activity page with the children. As you do, sing a song with them about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95).
The ark, containing the two tablets of stone, is placed in the holy of holies—The glory of the Lord fills the temple—Solomon offers the dedicatory prayer—He asks for temporal and spiritual blessings upon repentant and prayerful Israel—The people sacrifice and worship for fourteen days.
Explain to the children that David, Solomon’s father, had wanted to build a temple but was denied the privilege. The Lord instead chose Solomon to direct the seven years of construction. When the elaborate temple (much of it was overlaid with gold) was finished, the priests carried the ark of the covenant, which contained the two tablets of stone the Lord gave Moses, “to the most holy place” of the building (1 Kings 8:6). Then the glory of the Lord filled the temple (see 1 Kings 8:10–11), and Solomon offered the dedicatory prayer (see 1 Kings 8:22–53.)
For the Israelites, building and dedicating the temple was an opportunity to turn their hearts to the Lord and recommit to “walk in all his ways” (1 Kings 8:58). How can you help the children you teach “walk in all his ways”?
Show the children a picture of a modern temple and the temple that Solomon built (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Explain that when Solomon built a temple for the Israelites, he encouraged them to “walk in all [the Lord’s] ways” (1 Kings 8:58). Tell the children how the temple helps you walk in the Lord’s ways. Invite the children to share how they feel about the temple. Sing with the children a song about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95).
Give some of the children paper hearts and other children paper footprints. Read 1 Kings 8:58, and ask the children to hold up the hearts when you say the word “hearts” and the footprints when you say the phrase “walk in all his ways.” Help the children understand that we walk in the Lord’s ways when we follow Jesus and try to become like Him. Ask the children what they do to walk in the Savior’s ways. You could sing a song about following Jesus, such as “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79).
As you read 2 Nephi 5:15–16 to your children, they could pretend they are helping Nephi build a temple. You could also show them pictures of different buildings, including a temple. How are temples different from other buildings? Share with each other why the temple is important to you (see also “I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, 95).
Here are some of the key blessings associated with LDS temples:
Participation in Ordinances: Temples are the only places where certain sacred ordinances — such as the Endowment, sealing of couples in marriage for eternity, and baptism for the dead — can be performed. These ordinances are considered essential for individual progression and salvation.
Eternal Families: The temple is where families can be sealed together, meaning they can be together forever, not just “until death do us part.” This sealing extends to children as well, who are considered to be sealed to their parents for eternity.
Learning and Instruction: In the temple, individuals receive instruction and make covenants related to the Plan of Salvation and their relationship with God. These teachings provide guidance for personal development and spiritual growth.
Personal Revelation: Many members of the LDS Church report that the peaceful, sacred atmosphere of the temple is conducive to receiving personal revelation and divine guidance.
Service to Others: In the temple, members perform vicarious ordinances on behalf of those who have died, providing them with the opportunity to accept these ordinances in the afterlife. This service to others is considered a significant blessing and a manifestation of love and selflessness.
Peace and Comfort: Many Latter-day Saints find that attending the temple provides a sense of peace and comfort, offering a spiritual refuge from the world. It can be a place to seek comfort, find answers to prayers, and feel closer to God.
Communion with the Divine: Temples are considered “Houses of the Lord,” and as such, are places where individuals can feel a special closeness to God and Jesus Christ.
Protection and Power: The covenants and ordinances performed in the temple are believed to provide spiritual protection and power from God, including the power to resist temptation and overcome worldly challenges.
Friend July 1988 Nephi helps his people build buildings, a temple, and swords to defend themselves.
Kirtland Temple
The Lord Instructed His Servants on How To Build Temples
Consider how you will help the children feel love for the temple and a desire to worship the Lord there when they are ready.
Show the children how to make a temple “spire” by raising their arms and touching their fingertips together. Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:119, and ask them to make a spire every time you say the word “house.” Explain that Heavenly Father wanted Joseph Smith and the Saints to build a temple, or a “house of God.” Display a picture of a nearby temple as you talk about the differences between a temple and a Church meetinghouse.
Share your testimony of the temple, and sing together a song about the temple, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95). Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves going to the temple.
Give each child a piece of paper and a crayon or pencil. Ask the children to each draw a picture of a temple, and give them a few minutes to do so. Let each child display his or her picture to the rest of the class.
Explain that it probably was not too hard for the children to draw a temple because they know what temples look like. They have seen temples or pictures of temples. However, when Joseph Smith was commanded to build a temple, he had never seen a temple or even a picture of one. The Lord revealed the plans for the Kirtland Temple to the Prophet Joseph in a vision.
Today there are more than a hundred temples all over the world. But when Joseph Smith was commanded to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio, he had never even seen one! The Kirtland Temple was the first temple built in the latter days.
Since Joseph Smith did not yet know what a temple ought to look like or exactly how it was to be used, Heavenly Father revealed to him a plan for the temple. He and his counselors saw a vision of the completed building. In the vision, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams saw the pattern of the temple both inside and out.
When an architect suggested that the seats in the building be rearranged, the Prophet Joseph would not allow it. He had seen them in the vision. According to his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, when the Saints wanted the temple to be built as a frame or log house, he said, “‘Shall we, brethren, build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself.’”* The temple walls, two feet thick and over sixty feet tall, were to be built of stone.
Bring two identical sets of blocks (or paper cut in block shapes) that could be used to create a small building. Divide the children into two groups, and have them sit so the members of each group cannot see what the other group is doing. Have one group “build” a temple with their blocks, and then have them give directions to the second group on how to build an identical temple. Have the second group try to build an identical temple by listening to the directions, without looking at the first group’s temple. (You may need to set a time limit for this activity.)When the second group is done building, have them look at the first group’s temple and make any corrections needed to make theirs identical. Remind the children that Joseph Smith not only received verbal directions on how to build the Kirtland Temple, but he also saw the temple in a vision, so he knew exactly how it should be built.
In December 1832 the Lord commanded the members of the Church to build a temple in Kirtland, Ohio. They were to “establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (D&C 88:119).
The Saints were very poor and they knew the temple would cost a lot of money, so they did not start building it right away. Six months later they still had not started building the temple. In June 1833 the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that he was displeased with the Saints for not starting to build his house. The Lord said the Saints had committed “a very grievous sin” by not obeying this commandment (D&C 95:3). The Church members repented of their delay, and four days later men began hauling stone and digging trenches in preparation for building the temple.
Joseph Smith asked some of the other Church leaders how they thought the temple should be built. Some said it should be made of logs, while others said it should be of wooden boards. Joseph said, “Shall we, brethren, build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this, the difference between our calculations and his idea of things” (quoted in Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p. 230). The plans for the Kirtland Temple were shown to the First Presidency of the Church—Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams—in a vision. Frederick G. Williams reported that the Lord told Joseph to gather with his counselors, and the Lord would show them how to build the temple (see D&C 95:14).
The three men knelt to pray, and they saw a vision of the temple. First they saw the outside, and then the building seemed to pass over them and they saw the inside. Frederick G. Williams said that when the Kirtland Temple was completed it looked exactly as it had in the vision. During the building of the temple someone tried to get Joseph Smith to change some of the design, but Joseph insisted that the temple be built just as it appeared in the vision.
The Kirtland Temple was not exactly like today’s temples, where families are sealed for time and all eternity and work is performed for the dead. It was more like a special meetinghouse where the Saints held their Church meetings. The Lord told the Saints exactly how big to build the temple (D&C 95:15). It was 110 feet from the ground to the dome. The temple was built of stone, and the outside walls were covered with plaster. Inside, the main floor had three ascending rows of three pulpits each at both the east and west sides. The rows at one end of the floor were the Melchizedek Priesthood pulpits, and the rows at the other end were the Aaronic Priesthood pulpits. The seats in the room were reversible so that the audience could face either direction.
After being chastised for not building a house of the Lord in Kirtland, Church leaders chose a site in a wheat field where they would build. Hyrum Smith, the Prophet’s brother, immediately ran to get a scythe and begin clearing the field. “We are preparing to build a house for the Lord,” he said, “and I am determined to be the first at the work” (in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 271, 273).
What do we learn about chastening from Doctrine and Covenants 95: 1-2? What do we learn about the Lord? How do these insights affect the way we receive chastening or chasten others?
The Lord’s People Contributed to the Building of Temples
Even the children in Kirtland helped, in small but meaningful ways, to build the Kirtland Temple. Help the children you teach strengthen their love for the Lord’s holy house.
Show a picture of the Kirtland Temple (see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Use phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 95:8 to teach the children about the Lord’s commandment to build this temple. Let the children take turns holding the picture and saying “The temple is the house of the Lord.”
Tell the children that on every temple is written “Holiness to the Lord. The House of the Lord.” If possible, show them a picture of these words on a temple. Why is the temple a special place? Read phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–16 that teach about the temple being the Lord’s house, and share your feelings about the temple.
Invite the children to pretend they are helping to build a temple (cutting wood, hammering nails, painting walls, and so on). Explain how important the temple is to the Lord, how hard the Saints worked to build the Kirtland Temple, and how much they sacrificed for it (see Saints,1:210).
Ask the children to talk about times when they were supposed to do something but didn’t do it immediately. Help a child read Doctrine and Covenants 95:3, 8, and ask the children what commandment the Lord said the Saints hadn’t obeyed. Read together verse 11. What did the Saints need to do so they could build the temple? What can we learn from the Lord’s promise to them?
On cards, write principles about the temple found in Doctrine and Covenants 95 and 97, along with the corresponding scripture references, and place the cards in a bag. For example: Building temples requires sacrifice (Doctrine and Covenants 97:11–12) and We must be worthy to enter the temple (Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–17). Divide the children into pairs. Let each pair draw a card from the bag and then work together to read the scripture on the card and talk about what the principle means to them. Help the children understand what they are reading as needed.
How have making and keeping temple covenants brought “power from on high” into our lives? Perhaps family members could share how they feel about the temple or share experiences when they have felt blessed with “power from on high” through worship in the temple.
Jesus told the Saints to build a temple (see Doctrine and Covenants 95:8). Temples are important places where we can make covenants (promises) with Heavenly Father and be sealed to our families.
Ponder how you will help the children feel reverence for the Lord’s house and look forward to the day when they can enter the “place of [His] holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13).
Ask the children to tell you something they love about their homes. Show the children a picture of the Kirtland Temple, and use Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13; 110:1–7 to tell them about the day the temple was dedicated and became the Lord’s house . To show that the temple is the Lord’s house, read the following from the dedicatory prayer that Joseph Smith gave: “It is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13). Ask the children to share something they love about the temple.
Read through a few of the accounts from the “Voices of the Restoration” section at the end of the September 27–October 3 lesson in the Come, Follow Me manual.
Discussion: Why are temples important to you? Share spiritual experiences you have had because of temples.
How will you share with the children your love for the Lord’s house? Consider how you will inspire them to accept Elder Quentin L. Cook’s challenge “for each of us, wherever we live, to see ourselves in the temple” (“See Yourself in the Temple,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 98).
In some ways, the Kirtland Temple was different from temples we know today. There were no altars and no baptismal font, and ordinances like baptism for the dead and sealing had not yet been restored. But the blessings described in section 109, the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, are the blessings we receive in the Lord’s house today.
Choose verses from section 109 or 110 that you feel highlight the blessings of the temple (such as the ones listed below from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). List these blessings on the board, and invite the children to search the verses you chose to find those blessings. How might we explain to someone why the temple is important to us?
Ask the children to silently read Doctrine and Covenants 110:1–10, and invite them to share something they learn about Jesus Christ or the temple from these verses. Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves and the Savior in the temple.
Ask the children to imagine that a friend is trying to find their house. How can we help our friend know which house is ours? How do we know that the temple is the Lord’s house? Read Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13 with the children, and tell them how you know that the temple is the house of the Lord. Show pictures of temples, and let the children share their feelings about the Lord’s house.
Salt Lake Temple
Isaiah’s Prophecy about Latter Day Temples
Another fulfillment of this prophecy has to do with the Lord’s house being established in the “top of the mountains” (Isaiah 2:2). Not only does the prophecy have symbolic reference to putting the temple in the highest place in our lives, but it also has a literal fulfillment in the location of the Church headquarters in the latter days. Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide “Isaiah 2”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 11-25” Read 2 Nephi 12:3, and explain that in this verse a prophet named Isaiah prophesied that there would be temples in the last days. Read the verse again, and and invite the other children to listen for reasons why Isaiah said we need temples. Emphasize that when we go to the temple, the Lord “will teach us of his ways” and help us “walk in his paths.”
2 And itshall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
To illustrate the phrase “we will walk in his paths” from 2 Nephi 12:3, you could make a path on the floor, leading to a picture of a temple. As your children walk on the path, they could name things they can do to walk in the Lord’s paths.
Friend July 2019 “Elder Andersen Visits Ivory Coast” Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, traveled to Ivory Coast for the groundbreaking of a new temple. (Activity: Children sing the words “I love to see the temple” in many different languages. Follow the line from each of these sentences to the correct language.)
Temple Construction
Friend March 2019 “Watching the Rome Temple Grow” Gioele and Michele were excited to have a temple being built closer to their home. From time to time, they would go and see the progress of the construction, Their father, who worked on the temple, even invited them to see the angel Moroni being placed.
Temple Open Houses & Dedications
Friend December 2017 “The House of the Lord” Idea: Place each item on a folder layout or board as you discuss temple open houses and dedications.
Friend September 2020 “Isaac and the Temple” Isaac was excited to go to the temple open house. He saw lots of paintings on the walls, but his favorite was a painting of Jesus holding out his arms. His dad told him that Jesus always has His arms open for him because he loves each of us. He imagined walking next to Jesus in the temple. He imagined Jesus giving him a hug.
Inviting Others
Friend July 2022 “The Sweetest Goal” David can’t wait to go to the Dubai Temple when it is built. He was preparing by praying, reading the scriptures, and trying to follow Jesus. He tells his Aunt Ana about the temple and wants to invite her and his friends to come see it when it’s done.
Dedications
Friend October 2017 “The Temple Dedication” At his first temple dedication, CJ’s heart was filled with peace and the Spirit, and he knew that what the Apostles were saying was true.
Friend September 2019 “Elder Stephenson Visits Chile” Elder Stephenson visits Chile for a temple dedication, the second temple in Chile.
Friend February 2020 ” Come Follow Me For Little Ones” Read 2 Nephi 12:2 and help your little ones say, “The temple is the house of the Lord.” Then use items around your house to build a model temple. You could look at pictures of different temples in the photo gallery at temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Friend September 2020 “For Older Kids” The celestial room is peaceful and beautiful. It represents what heaven is like. In this room, people think, pray, and feel the Spirit. Crack the code to find out which temple this is.
Friend July 2020 “For Older Kids” In the temple, a man and a woman can be married and sealed together forever. This room in the temple is where the bride gets ready. Unscramble the letters to find out which country this temple is in.
Friend February 2020 “For Older Kids” Some temples have paintings on the walls to remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s beautiful creations. The temple in this photo took 40 years to build and is now closed for renovation. Can you guess which temple it is?
Temple Grounds
Friend June 2023 “Friends by Mail”Pepijn B., age 5, visited the Hague Netherlands Temple. He noticed many circles around the temple. A circle symbolizes eternity! (See image at link.)
Friend October 2021 “Dear Friends” “I cut out the picture of the Barranquilla Colombia Temple and drew my family inside (Dec. 2019). I want my family to be together forever!” Lane S., age 10, Iowa, USA (See image at linkP)
Friend July 2019 “Elder Andersen Visits Ivory Coast” Elder Neil L. Andersen and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, traveled to Ivory Coast for the groundbreaking of a new temple. (Activity: Children sing the words “I love to see the temple” in many different languages. Follow the line from each of these sentences to the correct language.)
Friend March 2019 “Watching the Rome Temple Grow” Gioele and Michele were excited to have a temple being built closer to their home. From time to time, they would go and see the progress of the construction, Their father, who worked on the temple, even invited them to see the angel Moroni being placed.
Friend October 2017 “From Paris to Sapporo” Two children tell of their excitement to get a temple near them.
Friend May 2018 “Show and Tell” Three children tell of their excitement to have a temple built in their country—India.
Friend September 2019 “Elder Stephenson Visits Chile” Elder Stephenson visits Chile for a temple dedication, the second temple in Chile.
Friend November 2020 “Food and Fun” The Aboriginal people in Australia use dot painting to tell stories and create beautiful artwork. Here’s a craft for you to make your own!
Friend November 2020 “Food and Fun” Damper is a traditional Australian bread. Travelers would sometimes make this bread outside over a campfire with hot coals. Here’s a version you can try!
Friend July 2018 “Matt and Mandy” Matt gets an email from his cousin in Australia. He doesn’t know what a lot of the things are that his cousin talks about in the email, but they do have one thing in common: the gospel. Matt’s cousin tells about his baptism and his family getting sealed in the temple.
Friend October 2018 “Matt and Mandy” Matt sends an email to his cousin in Australia telling about himself. Then he goes and watches conference, which is something his cousin would be doing too.
Friend January 2020 “Matt and Mandy” As they walk in the snow, Matt tells his friend that in Australia it’s summer and that his cousin is probably at the beach. Also, he tells him that his cousin has never felt snow or played in it.
Friend October 2021 “Margaret Cummings” Margaret’s family experienced difficulties getting to the temple to be sealed together, but their prayers were answered and they were blessed.
Friend May 2022 “The Footy Decision” Sam loved playing footy and when he found out the games were on Sunday he was sad. He prayed about what to do. He knew it was important to make Sunday special so he decided to go to practices on Thursdays but go to church on Sundays.
Friend July 2021 “Meet Eta from American Samoa” Eta’s mom owns a dessert bakery. Eta and her older sister, Talai, love to share the desserts with their teachers and leaders and with people who might be having a hard time. (includes photo)
Eta followed Jesus by sharing food with others.
Challenge: Look for a chance to share what you have with your friends and family, even if it seems small.
Tahiti
Friend February 2021 “Adventures in Tahiti with Margo and Paolo”
Friend February 2021 “Meet Raiarii from Tahiti” Story of Raiarii sharing the gospel by explaining scriptures and praying with two of his grandmother’s friends. (See story and photos at link.)
Friend November 2023 “Coconuts and Tithing” During the summer Avehei and her brother work in the coconut groves. She always pays my tithing with the money she receives because she knows she and her family are blessed when she obeys.
Friend March 2020 “Food and Fun” Make Samoan coconut rolls and a pretend Samoan Siapo cloth.
Friend May 2022 “Tom and the Terrible Flu” Tom helped take are of his dad and other villagers when the Spanish Flu hit. He gave them coconut milk, made chicken soup for them, and got them water.
Friend December 2023 “Following Jesus in New Zealand” Tarnae is preparing to go to the temple to do baptisms. His nan (grandma) found information about some ancestors so he could be baptized for them. “I am really excited to enter the temple,” says Tarnae. “I feel honored to help do the work for my ancestors.”
When their cousin got baptized, Nephi shared his testimony. Nephi told those at the baptism about Jesus Christ. “I know it is important to share my testimony to strengthen others,” Nephi says.
Friend November 2019 “Fun and Food” A popular flavor of ice cream in New Zealand is hokey-pokey, or honeycomb toffee. Here’s how to make a version at home.
Friend November 2019 “Food and Fun” Here are some fun words from New Zealand. Now find them in the word search!
Friend November 2019 “Jesus is Real” (story about New Zealand kids at school) Everyone at Ismay’s table at school were excitedly talking about Christmas and their favorite traditions such as going to a church service. Suddenly Charlotte spoke up and said, “Jesus isn’t even real.” Ismay was sad to hear this and she quietly bore her testimony to Charlotte that Jesus was real, and that she felt it in her heart. She was glad she had spoken up and planted a seed about Jesus.
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Friend May 2021 “Pioneers in Every Land: Sam Beazley”Sam was called to serve as a Labour Missionary building a church school for teenagers. His labor also helped build the Hamilton New Zealand Temple which he later was called to serve in.
Friend July 2022 “Rākau Sticks” The Māori people of New Zealand play a game by tapping, throwing, and catching sticks to a rhythm. Find four sticks or paper rolls to play your own version of this game!
Tonga
Friend July 2021 “Vaha’i Tonga”Vahai’ was determined to remain faithful, so he said his prayers every night at boarding school. At first the other kids made fun of him, then they started to join him. He invited them to a district conference and 77 of them came. Seven of them wanted to be baptized after the conference.
Friend March 2023 “Following Jesus in Kiribati” Scott is such a good friend to his cousin that he always calls him his younger brother. Scott prays every night and every morning. He always wants to go to Church activities, and he loves home evening. He likes to help others too. “Helping other people makes me happy,” he says. (See more images at link.)
Activities that Fulfill the Purposes of the Sabbath
Preparation
Items needed: tape, four different pages of stickers, thin binder, page protectors.
Use this Microsoft Word activity in the lesson, or print and cut out the Calendar Activity Items. Tape the two pieces of the calendar together. Tape the calendar onto the back of a cookie sheet or on a display board. Tape the small pictures around the calendar.
Print the Things to Do on Sunday Activity. Put the pages in page protectors. Put the pages in the binder. Put a different sticker on each page. Put the sticker pages with the chart.
Note: Images on the Spencer W. Kimball quote are from the LDS Media Library-Children’s Primary Songbook
Presentation
Spencer W. Kimball said that the Sabbath “is not a day of recreation and amusements.” He also said that abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts.
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Activity
Have the family members take turns choosing a picture and placing it on the calendar. Ask them to put the things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath on the Sunday squares and put the other things on one of the weekday squares. Before posting a picture tell them to ask themselves the question, “Does it bring me closer to Heavenly Father, increase my spiritual strength, or rest my body?”
Point out all the days on the calendar that the family has for themselves to do their work, sports, and recreation. Point out the one day of the week that is the Lord’s.
Show to the family the four pages of “Things to Do on Sunday.” Explain that there are many wonderful things we can do on the Sabbath that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath.
Point out that each page has a sticker on it. Write the family members names on the chart. Explain that family members get to put a matching sticker on their Sunday square each time they do something from that page. They must do one item from each page before they can begin again. (Make more copies of the chart when needed)
Put the binder in a “Sunday Box.” Fill the box with things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath and keep it holy such as gospel and scriptural videos, puzzles, games, books to read, coloring books, etc. (You may want to make it a box of things they only get to use on Sunday.)
Items needed: two large, clear plastic cups, string, a dowel rod or ruler, a clear glass of water, food coloring, a large clear glass bowl, pencils, a small scoop of dirt in a baggie, tape, tacky wax, chalk and eraser, one sheet of colored card stock, a black marker, and small bag of butter mints.
Measuring scale assembly instructions: Punch two holes beneath the top edge of each plastic cup (the holes should be evenly spaced and on opposites sides of the cup). Cut two 24 inch pieces of string. Stick one end of one of the strings through a hole on one of the cups, then stick the other end through the other hole. Tie the ends into knots. Do the same with the other cup and string. Cut another piece of string 40 inches long and tie the ends together so it forms a loop. Hang it around the center of the dowel rod and tape down the string on the dowel. Hang the top of the string loop on a door handle and make sure the dowel rod sits evenly. Make adjustments if needed. Loop each cup’s string over an end of the dowel rod and tape down the string on the dowel. The scale should sit evenly. Once again make adjustments if needed.
Print and cutout all the signs. Tape the end of the arrow to the center of the dowel rod so the arrow points up. Using tacky wax, attach all the small words to the cardstock in random order.
Before class starts, hang the scale on a clip or tack at the top of the board. Attach the sign “Health” in-between the cups on the scale. Attach the smiley face to the left of the scale and the sad face to the right. Put the cup of water and the food colorings in the clear glass bowl to help protect against spillage.
Attention Activity
Show the children the scale. Explain that our physical bodies need the nutrients that are found in healthy food choices in order to sustain good health. Add pictures of healthy foods to the left cup, and the scale arrow will point to the smiley face which represents good health.
What happens if we decrease the amount of healthy foods we eat (take off the healthy foods) and increase our consumption of junk food like candy bars, chips, soda, (put these items in the right scale cup)? (Good health could decrease.)
Explain that just as our bodies need proper nourishment to be healthy and strong, our spirits also need proper nourishment to be healthy and strong. (Put the sign “Spiritual” above the health sign, and take off the junk food items from the scale.)
What does our spirit need in order to be healthy and strong? (Spiritual food such as scripture study, prayer, church attendance, etc.)
Scripture Story
(Show the children the story pictures as you tell the story.
Explain that after Jesus departed from the Nephites, the disciples continued to teach the people, and within a few years all the people in the land were converted to the Lord.
The people listened to the disciple’s teachings. They repented and were baptized, and they received the Holy Ghost. Their spirits were nourished. (Write the things they did to nourish their spirits on the healthy food pictures. Tape them on the left scale cup as you mention each item.)
Have the children look up 4 Nephi 1:12 to find out what other ways the people nourished their spirits. (Have the children write the items they find on the healthy food pictures and put them in the left cup.) (They kept the commandments, fasted, prayed, and they attended church to hear the word of God.)
Explain that when our spirits are strong and nourished we tend to make righteous choices, and making good choices helps our happiness levels increase. Explain that because the Nephites nourished their spirits and were committed to following Jesus’s teachings, their happiness level increased. According to 4 Nephi 1:16 there never was a happier people.
Activity
Show the children the cardstock with the words on it. Have them take off the words they associate with happiness and put them under the smiley face. Then hand out a crossword puzzle and a pencil to each child. Have the children take turns reading the clues and finding the word on the board that matches the clue. Put a check mark next to the word if it is the correct word. Have the children write the answer in the correct spot on their crossword puzzle. Explain that the clues and words tell us what the Nephites experienced as a result of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
(See the following answers for discussion ideas on some of the words.)
Activity Answers
Fairness/Every man did deal justly one with another.
Sharing/They had all things common among them. (There were no poor.)
What does it mean that the people had “all things common among them”? Each person gave the extra he produced (crops, flocks, etc), and this extra was used for those who were in need of help.
Healing/All manner of miracles did they work. (Read 4 Nephi 1:5) The miracles included healing the lame, the blind, the deaf, and raising the dead.)
Peace/There were no contentions, strifes, or tumults in the land. (Meaning there was no fighting, arguing, riots, or war.)
Charity/The love of God … did dwell in the hearts of the people.
Goodwill/There were no envyings. (There was no jealousy. There was only gladness that others were blessed.)
Honesty/There were no … lyings.
Safety/There were no robbers or murderers.
Virtue/There were no whoredoms nor any manner of lasciviousness (crude behavior). (The people were chaste and clean.)
Unity/ There were no divisions of race or class. (There was no manner of “ites.” The people were no longer divided into Nephites and Lamanites but were united.)
Help the children understand that each one of the clues in the crossword puzzle relates to how we treat people. Help them see that the most important key to happiness is how we treat others. When we live the gospel, we treat each other with love and kindness, and as a result we enjoy greater peace and happiness in our lives.
Scripture Story Continued
3) The people were blessed in all their doings because of their righteousness. They prospered and built cities. They were strong and multiplied. The people lived in peace for many years.After nearly 200 years, two generations had passed on, and the people had multiplied and had spread out over all the land.
4) Then sin slowly started creeping into the land again.
Object Lesson
Show the children the glass of water, and put one drop of blue food coloring into the water. Have the children watch it spread throughout the glass and observe how quickly one little drop spreads. Explain that if people allow themselves to be exposed to a little sin, it can quickly grow and spread if left unchecked. We need to be careful about what we allow into our thoughts and lives.
4) The people had become very rich because of their prosperity in Christ, and they began allowing pride to take a hold in their lives. (4 Nephi 1:23-24) The people began to wear expensive clothing, jewelry, and other fine things of the world. From that time forth the people did not have their goods and their substance common among them. (4 Nephi 1:25)
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said this about pride: “At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with ‘Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,’ it always seems to end with ‘Therefore, I am better than you.’
The people began to focus on themselves instead of helping others. (Put the words “selfishness” and “poverty” on the right side of the board. Do the same for the italicized words as they are mentioned below.)
Have the children read 4 Nephi 1:26-27 & 29 to find the ways pride and sin began to spread. Put a different colored drop of food coloring in the water for every item mentioned. (The water should turn brown.)
They once again began to be divided into social classes. (Inequality)
They built many different churches to themselves (not to God). The churches were built up to help people get gain (Greed). They denied the true church of Christ.
These churches professed to know Christ but denied most parts of his gospel. (These people were no longer nourishing their spirits with the teachings of Christ and they were becoming spiritually weaker and weaker.) (Take out the items from the left side cup on the scale.)
The churches became open to all manner of wickedness. They allowed the wicked to participate in sacred ordinances.
One of the churches denied Christ and persecuted the members of the true church of Christ because of the members’ humility and belief in Christ. (Persecution) They despised them because of the many miracles which were wrought among them. (Hate) (Jealousy)
Point out that as the people let wickedness into their lives, it spread. Have the children observe the color of the water, and explain that instead of nourishing their spirits, they filled their lives with worthless, self-indulgent thoughts, and their choice became increasingly wicked. They were filling their lives with darkness and dirt. (Put the dirt in the cup on the right side of the scale.) The choices they made resulted in misery and unhappiness for many people.
5) Among the true church of Christ were three disciples that Jesus had given power to remain on the earth until his second coming. Before Jesus Christ departed, he had asked each of his twelve Nephite disciples what they desired of him. Nine requested to speedily return to him when their ministry on the earth was complete.
6) Three of the disciples asked to remain on the earth to bring souls unto Christ. Those three became translated beings who would not taste death.
7) Those who denied Christ began to try and exercise power and authority over the three disciples. They cast them into prison; but by the power of God which was in them, the prisons were broken and they came out. They also cast the disciples into fiery furnaces and into dens of wild beasts, and from each place they came out unharmed. (4 Nephi 1:30, 33)
Why didn’t the people repent, realize their mistake, and change their ways after seeing these mighty miracles of God? (Their hearts were set upon wickedness. They wanted to do all manner of iniquity.) (4 Nephi 1:34)
The people dwindled more and more in unbelief and wickedness from year to year. Point out that the people had been given the wonderful blessing of the gospel. Show the children the butter mints and explain that they represent gospel blessings. Give each child a couple of mints to eat. Point out how sweet and wonderful they are. Put two mints in the water near the side of the glass so they are visible to the class. Ask the children to watch what happens to them in the dirty water. (They will dwindle away and disappear.) Explain that the Nephite’s faith and blessings dwindled and wasted away as the people increased in wickedness.
8) Once again the people began to divide into different groups of “ites.” Those who did rebel against God were called Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmealites. They did teach their children that they should not believe. The children were taught to hate the children of God, just as the Lamanites had taught their children to hate the Nephites. The wicked grew in numbers and became more numerous than the people of God. The more wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton. The robbers of Gadianton spread over all the land. (4 Nephi 1:34-39) (Add “Theft” and “Murder” to the right side of the board.)
9) Eventually, even those who were called the people of Nephi began to be proud in their hearts because of their exceeding riches, and they become vain like unto their brethren the Lamanites. (4 Nephi 1:43) After three hundred years had passed from the time of Christ, both the Nephites and the Lamanites had become exceedingly wicked.
Conclusion
Explain that just as our bodies feel miserable and sick when we are unwell, we can experience misery and unhappiness in our lives when our spirits are not strong and healthy because we tend to make choices that lead to unhappiness. In the next lesson we will learn about the increasingly terrible and sorrowful things that occurred among the Nephites because of the poor choices they made as a result of allowing wickedness into their lives. (Put the words “War” and “Destruction” on the right side of the board.)
Point out the lists under happiness and unhappiness and ask the children which they would prefer. Remind the children that if they desire to live lives filled with the blessings of happiness and peace, they must strive to follow the Savior and his teachings. Remind the children that the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us how to make good choices that lead to happiness.
Weekly Reading Assignment
Remind the children to do their scripture reading assignment for this week: 3 Nephi 28:1-9 & 4 Nephi 1:1-18, 23–46
