Doctrine & Covenants 19 Teaching Activities

Watch the Insight Video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/UrFQI4c9nQg

Watch the Teaching Activities Video on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/JicUj3xGpEU

To purchase slides or handouts, go to: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower

LESSON #1 THE BITTER CUP (Doctrine and Covenants 19)

TRUTH:  

Christ suffered so that we can repent. If we repent, we will not suffer as He did, but receive divine mercy.

FIRE IN THE BONES:

This is a lesson that I feel it’s very easy to get the fire in the bones for. The truth for it being one of the most important and personally significant truths we can teach. Our goal is for students to leave understanding that repentance is a gift, not a burden—a path to joy, made possible by their personal Savior, Jesus Christ.

Seek to teach this with conviction and love.  

OBJECT:

The object for this lesson would be to bring in a cup and a bottle of vinegar. This will help them to visualize the great symbol that Jesus Christ used to convey and represent the sufferings of his Atonement. The bitter cup.

ICEBREAKER:

The icebreaker for this lesson is rather straightforward but effective. You begin by referring to some of the different object lessons and stories you may have heard teachers and speakers use in the past to help us understand the Savior’s Atonement. Some of the ones that I refer to are the parable of the bicycle, the poem “Footprints in the Sand”, the push-ups and donuts story, and the dream of the filing cabinets. Perhaps there are some others that you are familiar with. But then you tell them that perhaps the greatest object lesson you’ve ever heard of for understanding the doctrine of the atonement is the one that Jesus himself came up with. And you challenge them to see if they can find it in Doctrine and Covenants 19:18.  And it’s the bitter cup. Suffering his atonement was like drinking a cup full of something bitter. And at that point you can pull out your cup and the bottle of vinegar and pour some of it into the cup. Invite them to imagine what they think it would be like to drink a large cup of vinegar. You may consider asking a student to just taste a small drop of it on their tongue. Not a gulp, but a small drop to get their reaction. Be sure to have a small treat for them afterwards to get the taste out of their mouth. But that may be a good way to help them understand the Savior’s object lesson.

SEARCH ACTIVITY:

To continue, you can show them that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus also referred to the bitter cup as he prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” The answer to that prayer apparently being, “No, you must drink that cup. The salvation of all of my other children depends on you drinking that cup.”

Then, you can ask a series of additional simple search questions and cross references to further deepen their understanding of the bitter cup.

So you ask: What words and phrases does Jesus use to describe his suffering in verses 15 and 18?

What additional name does he give that cup in 2 Nephi 8:22? The cup of trembling.

What 8 words describe what Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane? from Alma 7:11-13

A discussion question to consider asking here: What does the word “nevertheless” in verse 19 teach you about the Savior and his Atonement?

Then you can ask if they remember what Jesus asked for as he hung on the cross? The only request that he made for himself.  It’s found in John 19:28-30. He asked for a drink. And they gave him vinegar.

Now you take them back to Doctrine and Covenants 19 and ask them that if life is a test, as they say, what kind of a test is it? The answer being, it’s a multiple-choice test, but there is only one question on it, and only two possible answers to choose from. What are those two options according to verse 4. Repent or suffer.

And what is the correct answer apparently? And you could show them all the multiple places in this section and in the previous section, section 18, where he urges us to “Pick A”. Choose repentance, choose repentance so that you don’t have to suffer like I did. He says “I chose B, so that you could choose A. So choose it!”

You could then summarize the meaning of verses 5-12 where in the insight video I discussed what those verses teach us about Eternal and Endless punishment.

Then invite a student to read verses 13-17 where Christ urges us to choose repentance so that we don’t have to suffer even as he did. You may want to explain that the road to Telestial glory is a road that passes through Spirit Prison, and that Spirit Prison is a place of suffering. And the quality of that suffering? It’s not never-ending suffering, but it sore, exquisite, and hard to bear.

To round out that scripture study, you may want to take them to verse 39 where he reminds us that this message is a message of gladness and rejoicing. The fact that we CAN repent, that we can avoid suffering should cause us to celebrate.

HANDOUT:

If you wished to incorporate a handout into this study of Christ’s bitter cup, you could give your students the following. It features all of the cross references that we just discussed above. You could either use it just so that your students can more easily follow along, or you could turn it into a study activity by asking your students to read through the verses looking for how they add to their understanding of the image of the bitter cup. Or, you could number your students off from 1-4 and invite them to read just their assigned scripture reference and to be prepared to share what it taught them.

VIDEO:

A video that I suggest you could show here is entitled “Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ”.  It features the teachings and testimonies of some of the brethren, past and present, on the subject of the atonement of Christ. Encourage your students to take note of the promises the apostles make to those who seek to connect with the power of the Atonement in their lives.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2009-10-0038-lifting-burdens?lang=eng

QUOTE:

A quote to consider sharing. President Russell M. Nelson:

“Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you today is that because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world.

Because the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, redeemed each of us from weakness, mistakes, and sin, and because He experienced every pain, worry, and burden you have ever had, then as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world.”

(Conference Report, October 2022 “Overcome the World and Find Rest”)

TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:

Does understanding Christ’s suffering change the way you feel about His invitation to repent? If so, how?

I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:

What is something you can do this week to show your appreciation for Christ’s willingness to drink the bitter cup for you?

Suggestions:

Take time to reflect on your life and identify something you need to change.

Pray for forgiveness and make a sincere effort to improve.

Offer a heartfelt prayer specifically thanking the Savior for His sacrifice and the gift of repentance.

As you take the sacrament, consciously reflect on the Savior’s suffering and what it means for you personally.

Take an opportunity to share your testimony of the Savior in a conversation, testimony meeting, or journal entry.

TAKEAWAY:

Our takeaway slide depicts the Savior praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and reminds us that Jesus drank our bitter cup so that we could sip the sweetness of repentance. Repentance is a doctrine of sweetness and joy. Hopefully section 19 has helped us to gain a deeper appreciation and love for the sacrifice of our Savior.

LESSON #2 BIG SHOES TO FILL (Doctrine and Covenants 19)

TRUTH:

Becoming a true disciple of Christ is a lifelong process that requires us to look to Him, learn from His teachings, listen to His words, and walk in His ways through our daily actions.

FIRE IN THE BONES:

The fire in the bones can burn in our opportunity to inspire our students to want to be more like Christ. In the same way that we may be inspired by watching somebody that is really good at what they do, be it in athletics, art, speaking, or any skill or hobby we find interest in, we can look to Christ to be inspired to BE a certain kind of person. We want to kindle that fire in our students as we encourage them to look to Christ and walk in his footsteps.

OBJECT:

A large pair of shoes. As large as you can find. Perhaps you could go to a second-hand store to find something like that. Or, I will provide you with a link to a pair of fairly inexpensive moccasins you could order from Amazon at a size 15. Which is pretty big. But if you can find something even bigger, even better.

ICEBREAKER:

Then for an icebreaker. Invite someone with smaller feet to come up and try the shoes on. You could ask them to do their best to walk around in them for a while and ask them what their experience is like. And of course they’re going to struggle. You could ask the class if they’re familiar with the common phrase, “You’ve got big shoes to fill.” What do we mean by that? And we mean that sometimes we are asked to follow the example fulfill the responsibilities of someone else that came before us that we find it difficult to live up to. It implies that living up to the expectations set by the predecessor will be challenging.  Well, there is somebody with really big shoes that we are asked to follow. Large footsteps that we are meant to walk in. Those shoes belong to Jesus. And he says, “Come, follow me.”  Don’t believe me? 3 Nephi 27:27, near the end of that verse, “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”  I want you to be like me.  And we look at those shoes compared to OUR abilities, and our actions, and thoughts, and deeds and we say, “Woah! There’s no way I can fill those shoes.” But Jesus beckons and says “Try”.  And we walk. And we probably stumble a bit, and it’s hard. But eventually, spiritually, we start to grow into those shoes as strive to walk in them. And I might ask my volunteer to imagine what they would do if they had to walk over sharp rocks, or glass, or a floor covered in Legos. Would it be better to wear those shoes or no shoes at all? You’d wear the shoes! Right? Even if they didn’t really fit. Even shoes that don’t fit are going to protect you better than no shoes and at all. And I think that’s what it’s like to try and emulate Jesus. We can’t really do it perfectly, but it’s far better than not trying at all. There is protection and progress made in seeking to walk in his footsteps, as clumsily as we may do it. And Doctrine and Covenants 19 has some really wonderful advice on how to better fill Jesus’s shoes. Or in other words, how to better imitate Christ.

SEARCH ACTIVITY:

Here in this section, Christ is going to give us a formula to follow that I have personally found very helpful in striving to become more like Christ. That formula is found in Doctrine and Covenants 19:23 and consists of three verb phrases. What are they?

LEARN of me, LISTEN to my words, WALK in the meekness of my Spirit. Then, there’s one more verb that I like to add to the beginning of that pattern that comes from an earlier section that we’ve already studied. What could we add from Doctrine and Covenants 6:36. Starts with an L. And that word is LOOK. Look unto me in every thought. So our pattern for becoming more like Christ? Look, Learn, Listen, Walk. THAT is the key to filling Christ’s shoes.

I then like to give my students some examples of that process at work, and I gave you a few in the insight video. For example. Say there is somebody that has betrayed or hurt you in some way, and you feel angry and you’re about to do something to get them back, to get revenge. But you remember the formula. You decide to look to Christ in that thought, and you hear him whisper, learn of me, listen to my words, and I hear him say: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" and "love your enemies, do good to them that hate you”. And I take a deep breath, and I WALK in the meekness of his Spirit, and I forgive them and forget my revenge. And in that way, I become more like Christ.

HANDOUT:

However, if you’d like to do an activity that can help deepen your students’ understanding of this formula at work, you could give them the following handout which features a number of different statements or teachings of the Savior. You, as the teacher, will then read out a number of different scenarios or case studies to them. They will then be asked to select which teaching of the Savior best applies to that particular situation.

I’ll walk you through those scenarios now.

1.     There is a certain commandment that you are really struggling to follow. You’re thinking that perhaps it’s not really that big of a deal.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

2.     Your Elders Quorum or Relief Society President sends out a message inviting you to come and help a family that is moving out of their apartment on a Saturday morning, but you don’t really feel like going.

"Which of these was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves?, Go and do thou likewise."

3.     You notice a classmate struggling with bad habits, and others are gossiping about them. You feel tempted to join in.

“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. . . . Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

4.     You are worried about accepting a calling because you are afraid that you won’t be able to do it well.

“Be not afraid, only believe.”

5.     You feel pressure to have the latest fashion, tech, or car to impress others.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth … But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”

6.     Someone mocks you for your beliefs or values, and you feel embarrassed or defensive.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you … for my sake.”

7.     You are thinking of not paying your tithing this month because there are some big purchases you want to make.

“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

8.     Your friends want you to do something you know isn’t right, and you feel pressured to fit in.

“No man can serve two masters.”

9.     There’s a person in your life who frustrates you, and you’re tempted to avoid them.

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

10.  At work, your coworkers are making fun of religious beliefs, and you’re thinking of just remaining silent.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Anyway, I believe that that activity could really help your class to see that formula at work in real situations that they might face in their daily lives.

VIDEO:

A video you might show is this performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir of the primary song “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus”. As your students watch, encourage them to ponder ways in which they may better emulate the Savior.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2014-05-0010-im-trying-to-be-like-jesus?lang=eng

QUOTE:

I really like the quote I shared from American Poet Maya Angelou about what it means to be a Christian. Somebody who is like Christ. Which, to her, was something that took a lifetime to realize. She said:

“Many things continue to amaze me, even well into my seventh decade. I’m startled or at least taken aback when people walk up to me and without being questioned inform me that they are Christians. My first response is the question ‘Already?’  It seems to me that becoming a Christian is a lifelong endeavor.  – Maya Angelou, from “Keep the Faith,” in Letter to My Daughter

Another great quote that coincides with this lesson? The following from Bruce R. McConkie:

"The essence of true worship is emulation, the imitation of the works and labors of Christ.”

Bruce R. McConkie

 (The Promised Messiah 568-69).

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

After you’ve helped your students to understand how this formula can be applied, you are going to want to be sure to highlight the promise the Lord makes to those who seek to apply it. What does the Lord promise he will give to those who seek to walk in his footsteps? Back to 19:23.  Peace. “You shall have peace in me”.

TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:

Which leads us to our “Take it to heart” question.  Can you think of a time when you chose to follow Christ’s example, and as a result, you felt peace? What happened?

I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:

What is one area in your life where you feel you could use this formula to more closely follow the example of Jesus Christ?

TAKEAWAY:

Our takeaway slide reminds us of this heavenly formula for walking in Christ’s shoes. I’m confident that if we follow this formula, one day, probably not in this life, but at some future time, we will find that our feet fit!

LESSON #3 SECTION 19 RELAY RACE

For the final lesson suggestion this week, I’m not going to approach it in the traditional way that I typically do. with all the different facets of a standard lesson.  This final idea is going to be more of an activity-based lesson or game that covers multiple truths found throughout section 19.

For a search activity/game/handout, you could have your students do a relay race. This is a very dynamic activity and can help your students study and understand the section better as a whole. And this would be an activity particularly effective with youth. Now I wouldn’t do this lesson at the expense of the other two I’ve already suggested. This activity naturally doesn’t lend itself to a great deal of depth, but does act as a good introduction to or review of some of the principles found in section 19. This activity also allows you to cover a lot of principles in a shorter amount of time. So you divide your class up into teams of four or so and tape as many copies of the following sheet up at the front of the room for the number of teams you have. And you’ll cut the sheet at the dotted lines so that students can tear off each strip from left to right as they go through the race. Each strip has a question on it. When you say go, a member of each team will run up to their paper and tear off the first strip (because it’s only attached by that small line at the top) and bring it back to their group. Their job is to write an answer to that question on the strip, using the scriptures, and then bring it to you as the teacher. You’ll check their answer to assure that it’s correct. If it’s not, you send them back to their team to try again. If their answer is correct, then that team can move on to the next strip, and so on until they have completed each one. The team that accomplishes that first, wins. Now it’s likely that there may be more than one team that needs an answer corrected at the same time. So what you have them do is form a line in the order of when they got to you and wait their turn for their strip to be corrected. It’s kind of a fun way to review and understand a section of scripture better.

So here are the questions from the handout and I’ll tell you the answers as we go through each one. All of the answers can be found in Doctrine and Covenants 19.

Question #1: In verses 1-4, we hear Jesus introducing himself. Write down at least three things that he wants us to know about Him based on those verses.  Also, choose one of those things on your list and give a short explanation for why you think it’s important.

Answer #1: He’s the Alpha and Omega, or the beginning and the end. He’s the Redeemer of the world; He finished the will of the Father. Retains all power. He will destroy Satan and his works at the end of the world. He will judge all people.

Question #2: Read verses 4, and 13-17.  In these verses, Jesus presents us with two possible things we can choose between. What are they? AND which of the two does Jesus WANT us to choose?

Answer #2: We can choose to repent, or we can choose to suffer. And Jesus would rather we repent than suffer.

Question #3: In verses 6-12, Jesus tells us that ENDLESS torment, and ETERNAL damnation do not mean that those things last forever. What does endless and eternal mean in this context?

Answer #3: And we discussed this earlier. Endless and Eternal are also titles of God. So Endless and Eternal in this context means God’s punishment, or torment, or damnation. It’s not a description of the quantity of the punishment, but the quality of it. Nobody will be subjected to God’s punishment for eternity. Although it sounds like an oxymoron, Endless and Eternal do not mean forever in this context.

Question #4: Find at least three words or phrases that Jesus uses to describe the suffering he felt during the atonement in verses 15-18.

Answer #4 Sore, exquisite, hard to bear, caused him to tremble because of pain, bleed at every pore, and then you could include the word bitter here to describe his pain.

Question #5: What object does Jesus compare his atonement to in verse 18? AND, why do you think he chose that?

Answer #5: We discussed this already as well. A bitter cup. Why? Because it demonstrates how difficult it must have been for him to experience it.

Question #6: Verse 22 and 31 gives us some very wise missionary advice.  What do you think it means to give the people we teach the “milk” of the gospel before the “meat” or to not talk of “tenets”?

Answer #6: It means that we should keep it to the basics when we introduce someone to the gospel. You wouldn’t feed a baby a steak, and you don't introduce the restored gospel to somebody by talking about deep doctrine or obscure questions about church history. And a tenet is defined as "a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof". That’s some wise counsel. Keep it simple at first, then as time passes, more meaty doctrines may be in order.

Question #7: Section 19 was directed to Martin Harris who had concerns about selling a portion of his farm for the printing of the Book of Mormon. Verse 26 contains an interesting command from the Lord to Martin. He says, “Thou shalt not covet thine own property.” Usually we would associate the sin of “coveting” with things that other people have, not our own property.  What do you feel that suggests about the things we own?

Answer #7: Now the answer to that question could vary. As a teacher, I would probably accept whatever answer my students gave. But to me, I think that suggests a very important truth about the things that we call “ours”.  And that is, that nothing truly is ours. All things belong to God, besides our will. And if he calls upon us to sacrifice that which actually belongs to Him and we refuse, then we are coveting it. Everything we have has been given to us and we are mere stewards of them, even our own bodies. So can we covet our own property? Yes. When we set our hearts upon it at the expense of seeking God’s kingdom first.

Question #8: Verse 35 contains some interesting financial advice concerning debt. What is a synonym for debt according to this verse. DEBT = ____________?

Answer #8: DEBT = BONDAGE. It’s a form of slavery, I suppose. When we get ourselves into debt, we give somebody else a measure of power over us. Now I know that there are appropriate and practical reasons for going into debt, but this suggests we should do all we can in our power to release ourselves from that restraint. Seek to get yourself out of debt by all means possible.

Question #9: What are two attitudes we should have as we teach the gospel, according to verses 30 and 37?

Answer #9: With humility and with rejoicing. I need humility to recognize that the power of the convincing of men comes from God, not myself. To have the humility to trust in Him and the Spirit and to understand that we can't do it on our own. We also teach with gladness. Not with a grave, solemn face, but with joy and excitement. We want to make sure that others sense that from us. That not only do we live it, but that we love it, and that it brings us joy.

Question #10: Write down 2 things a person could do to apply any of the truths you learned about here in Section 19.

Question #10: And, of course, that question could have many different answers. The purpose of it is to get your students thinking about ways they can “go and do” and act upon the things they’ve learned throughout the activity.

And that should do it for that activity. Again, probably not the only lesson that I would teach in a week, but a fun activity to review or introduce some of the main ideas found in section 19