To View the Lesson Video on YouTube: Intro to Book of Mormon Video
To Purchase Teaching Materials: Teaching with Power Etsy Shop
INTRO:
Hello fellow teachers and welcome to a new year of Teaching with Power. This is Ben Wilcox and I want to thank you for letting me be a part of your scripture study or your lesson prep this week. The purpose of this channel is to help you study and teach the scriptures with more relevancy and power. And this week is a special week. It’s the week where we begin our study of the Book of Mormon, and oh, I couldn’t be more excited. As much as I love ALL of the standard works, this is the book of scripture that defines us as a church and sets us apart from all other Christian faiths. It’s the book of scripture that ushered in the Restoration of the Gospel. It’s the book of scripture that was written for our day, the book of scripture that restored the plain and precious truths lost during the Great Apostasy, and the book of scripture that has led countless individuals to the restored Church of Jesus Christ through the power of its message.
And before we get going into our scripture study this week, and for those who may be joining us for the first time this year, a brief explanation of what I hope to accomplish with this channel or podcast. And, you know, when I started this channel almost 5 years ago, there weren’t many other Come Follow Me content creators out there. But now, over the years, they’ve kind of proliferated and there are lots of options available to you, and I think that’s wonderful!!! People are talking about the scriptures. In fact, I’ve never seen church members collectively so excited and enthusiastic about scripture study. And I applaud all those out there that are helping to feed that scriptural hunger that our souls truly desire. However, what I’ve seen is that a vast majority of those channels are what I would call “scripture insight” channels. Lots of great information, context, scholarly background, insight, and deeper understanding of the scriptures offered—which is also something that I seek to do. But I don’t see as much out there by way of help with teaching those insights to others. I believe that giving insight and teaching are two very different things. I don’t think it’s wise for us as teachers or parents to just go out and repeat a long recitation of what we’ve heard or read from others, including me. And so, the specific niche that I seek to fill, is to help teachers and parents to create positive, uplifting, inspirational, and faith affirming learning experiences with those they teach. My overall goal and vision is to help, in some small way, to raise the quality of gospel instruction in the Church, in our homes, and in our wards. And I’ll tell you, as a teacher, or a parent, there’s nothing quite like having that kind of experience when it happens. When you can walk away from a lesson knowing that you provided a meaningful session with the scriptures or the gospel. It’s just magical when that happens. You can see it in their eyes, you can feel it in the room when that takes place. It’s what I would call a Doctrine and Covenants 50:22 kind of lesson. That verse says:
22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.
Our task as teachers and parents is to do all that we can to create that kind of understanding, edifying, and rejoicing kind of experience with those that we teach. And I want to help you to be able to do that, to have more of those kind of teaching experiences. Because I know, from my years of teaching, that it’s not easy, especially in our media saturated, screen addicted, cynical and doubt promoting world, and I have a chance to practice gospel teaching almost every day of the week. But it is possible. In fact, I believe that our current generation, young and old, is hungry for these kinds of learning experiences, even when they don’t always seem like it or know it themselves. So, we’ve got to be better than ever. And I feel that, with my experience, I can help.
Now don’t worry if you come here to study personally with me and you’re not a teacher at all. That’s 100% ok. because not only am I helping teachers to teach lessons, but I’m also actually teaching a lesson as a I do it, so I believe you’ll still find great worth in what I have to share.
But teachers, one of the things that I feel will make a huge difference in your teaching is variety. And if you don’t vary your teaching techniques from lesson to lesson and within the lesson itself, you may find engagement and interest in your lessons beginning to wane. So I’m going to give you a few things for each section or principle that will hopefully vary your student’s learning experience and help to maintain their engagement.
The way I’m going to format the videos this year is to divide up the content into two to four different “lesson modules” where I lead you through a lesson from start to finish with ideas, activities, and insights for you to use. And for each lesson module, I’ll try to provide you the following things.
The main TRUTH or principle that I want my students to walk away with from my lesson to help give it purpose and direction.
I always do an ICEBREAKER activity to help engage and prepare my students for the learning experience right from the outset.
Also, I’ve found that students are very visual these days, so I always like to have some kind of physical OBJECT at the front of my room for interest and attention.
This will usually lead to some kind of SEARCH activity that sends your students into the scriptures to look for answers or insight. This can be accomplished with any number of different activities. It might be a marking activity, a handout, a game, or study guide, etc.
I’ll usually give you a suggested VIDEO that you could show
A QUOTE from a living or former prophet or apostle.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS will invite students to discuss and share their thoughts and insights on scripture subjects.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES questions or activities are always focused on bridging the gap between the events and characters of the scriptures to us and our day.
TAKING IT TO HEART activities or questions focus on the sharing of personal experiences with the truths being taught or invite students to ponder things that will help internalize the message of the scriptures.
I WILL GO AND DO slides will offer challenges and invitations for students to apply what’s being taught that day.
And then, I always like to conclude a lesson with a THE TAKEAWAY slide which provides a visual, hopefully memorable reminder of the point of the lesson. It contains designed pictures and text focused on the main message of the truth I want them to remember.
There are other slides and activities that will come up from time to time but those are the major ones you’re going to see most often.
Now something important to keep in mind as I lead you through a lesson is to realize that you don’t have to do it the exact same way that I do. Pick and choose the insights and activities that you feel will work best for you. Take what you like, and forget the rest, or add things that you feel I missed. Please feel free to edit as much as you want. Make the lesson yours by building off the things I provide you with here.
Which leads me to my next big announcement which is to let you know that the subscriptions to the materials I produce each week throughout the year are now available on my Etsy shop. I’ll provide links in the video description below here. There are two options. There’s the handout bundle which will give you access to all the handouts that I make (I typically do at least two) that accompany the weekly lessons as well as the script to the video I make each week that can act as a lesson plan for you. The other option is the Handout AND Slides Bundle. This not only gives you all the handouts and lesson plans, but also the slide presentation that I put together each week that I use to create the videos I produce. Also, the materials for each lesson will always be available to download each week individually at the Teaching with Power Etsy Shop as well. And a reminder that you should always feel free to edit the slide presentations as much as you want. Delete slides, add slides, adjust things to fit your personal teaching style and needs. Change the pictures if you like since I’m limited to only using pictures that are in the public domain and uncopyrighted. Now I do try to make these very affordable to provide you with a lot of value for an entire year of teaching materials that will hopefully reduce your preparation time and increase the effectiveness of your lessons. But remember, the insights and the ideas are always freely given to anyone who might find them helpful.
And remember, if you’ve purchased a Dropbox subscription from me in the past, you’re going to want to make sure that you’ve downloaded all the materials you want to keep by January 1st so that we can make room for the new materials without Dropbox trying to charge you for more space. If you want more information about how to do that, just check out the first 5 minutes of the last two videos I produced. The Christmas video or the Revelation 15-22 video.
And with all of that out of the way, it’s time to finally get into the lessons for today. So if you’re ready, grab your scriptures and your marking pencils, it’s time to dig deep.
LESSON #1: DIGGING DEEP
Our first lesson idea doesn’t necessarily apply just to the Book of Mormon but to all the standard works. At the beginning of a study of any book of scripture, I usually like to do a lesson specifically focused on scripture study—my goal being to motivate and inspire my students to really take the way they interact with the scriptures that year seriously. And sadly, I know there are many out there who find the scriptures boring. And to them I say, “Ah, dagger to my heart. Nothing could be further from the truth. And forgive me for being a little confrontational with that by saying, if you find the scriptures boring, the problem is not the scriptures.” I believe the problem is that many just don’t know HOW to study the scriptures. They need some perspective and some tools to help them benefit fully from the power that the scriptures offer us. So here’s a little lesson module that you may want to use with your classes or families to start out the new year.
OBJECT: The object for this lesson would be a shovel and I would have it sitting at the front of the classroom as my students walk in.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, I like to introduce this lesson with a question and a story. And so I would begin by pointing to my shovel and asking: What are some of the valuable things people can find by digging? And there’s so many. In fact some of the things we consider to be the MOST valuable things on earth must first be unearthed by digging for them. So things like gold, silver, diamonds and other precious metals and gems. Fossils.
Fossil fuels like oil can make you rich if you dig for it. Food can be found by digging: potatoes, onions, peanuts, carrots, and many other edible things must be dug up in order to eat them. And then you’ve got archeological artifacts, and of course buried treasure. Therefore, the point of this is, valuable things can be found as long as you’re willing to dig for them. And I usually like to tell this little personal story in conjunction with this question, which you’re certainly welcome to use, but you as a teacher may have your own example of a time when you found something valuable by digging. When I was a teenager I went to work at a relative’s cattle ranch in Nevada. And between the haying and the horseback riding, sometimes I liked to hike a mile or two down the river to a cave where Shoshone Indians once lived. My dad had worked at this same ranch years before when he was a boy and had gathered an impressive collection of Native American arrowheads from the area. Well, I wanted to have the same experience. So one afternoon when the tractor was being repaired, I hiked down the river, shovel in hand to hunt for arrowheads. When I arrived, I started to dig, and sift the dirt scanning for arrowhead points. And it was hard work, it was dusty, the sun was hot, and every time I filled a sieve with a load of dirt and shook the sand out of it, I was discouraged to only find bits of rock and gravel. And so for a long time, I would dig, and shake, and dig, and shake, and nothing. Eventually I could see that the sun was going down and that I was going to need to leave soon, but still, I hadn’t found anything. I decided I would do a few more shovelfuls of dirt and then leave, more than likely, empty handed. And in one of those last shovelfuls, I remember shaking the sieve, and there in the center, was this beautiful arrowhead. Oh, I was so happy. I hiked back to the ranch that evening with a spring in my step. And even though I didn’t come home with a huge collection like my Dad’s, I had my treasure, and it was worth all the work it took to find it. I keep that arrowhead on a shelf in my office to remind me of this principle. Good things come through effort, OR you’ve got to be willing to dig to find the good stuff.
DISCUSSION QUESTION: How could we apply that truth to scripture study?
Possible answer: The scriptures are the same way. If we want to get to the good stuff, we have to be willing to dig. We’ve got to be willing to expend concentrated effort, and when we do, then and only then, will we uncover the treasures the scriptures have to offer us.
And with that in mind I have a startling request for you. Please, please, please don’t read the Book of Mormon this year. In fact, I think we should all just stop reading the scriptures altogether. And before you get upset, allow me to explain. I can’t think of any place in the scriptures where we are asked to read them. No, the scriptures use much, much better words to describe the way the Lord intends us to interact with them. I’ll give you a few examples. We can STUDY the scriptures, MEDITATE on them, SEARCH them, LAY HOLD UPON them, TREASURE THEM UP (I really like that one in the context of digging for the good stuff), PONDER them, LIKEN them, FEAST on them, but for heaven’s sakes, don’t merely read them. You read a novel, a magazine, a newspaper, or a textbook, but we STUDY the scriptures. We don’t want to get into the habit of just scanning or scratching the surface of each verse in order to just check scripture reading off our spiritual to-do list, or to read our chapter for the day. We need to start digging. Really putting forth some effort to dig deep into the meaning and message of the scriptures. The likelihood of finding arrowheads just sticking out of the top of the soil is very, very slim. But the individuals who are willing to get their hands dirty, put their backs into it, and let some beads of sweat start to form on their brow, these are the people that will begin the find the treasures of truth that our Heavenly Father has placed there for their benefit.
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Why do you think God designed them this way? Why make us work for it? Why are the scriptures sometimes so hard to understand? And to paraphrase Thomas Paine, I would say that Heavenly Father knows how to put the proper price on his goods, and they require work. That which we obtain too easily we esteem too lightly. So he requires some digging. Effort. But just like me and that lone, solitary arrowhead, the treasures that we find will mean that much more to us.
VIDEO: At this point I might show the following video entitled “The Blessings of Scripture” and invite my students to ponder the following question as they watch it: What makes the scriptures so valuable? And then have some of them share. I invite you to watch that video now by clicking on this link above and pondering that question, and then come back and continue with me. And if you did that, you were introduced to an amazing individual by the name of William Tyndale-a man who gave his life in the pursuit of putting the scriptures into the hands of the common person. I pray that we won’t take for granted the gift of such easy access to the scriptures and that we’ll remember that it wasn’t always that way. And I hope you heard all the reasons Elder Cristofferson gave for why we should value the scriptures.
QUOTE: President Nelson made the following promises specifically concerning a study of the Book of Mormon. He said:
“The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.
“My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions —every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day . . .”
President Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” October 2017 general conference.
Did you see all the treasures President Nelson has promised us? Is the effort required to dig into the Book of Mormon worth it? Just look at that list. I’ll let you decide.
TRUTH: When I focus consistent, concentrated effort to study the scriptures, they will yield great treasures to me.
I WILL GO AND DO: And so, I would like to offer you a challenge this year. I invite and challenge you to dig deep into the Book of Mormon. Don’t read it this year—study it. Take out your spiritual shovel each day and thrust it into the fertile soil of the Book of Mormon with all your heart, might, mind, and strength. Mark them, ponder them, really focus on what you’re reading, slow down, ask questions, and seek the spirit to find the answers, use the footnotes, look for patterns, liken the scriptures, write down your thoughts and impressions. And with that, I promise that if you’re willing to put forth that kind of effort, you will begin to unearth the priceless treasures that are buried there. And all the work, will be worth it. And, I promise to help you in that endeavor—you don’t have to do this alone. If you’ll join me each week throughout this year, I promise to help train you in the fine art of scripture digging. And by the end of this year, I can guarantee that you will have a beautiful collection of scripture treasures to cherish and share, some that I’ve helped you to find, and many that you will find all on your own, if you’ll dig.
LESSON #2 KEYSTONES AND COMPASSES (Title Page and Introduction)
ICEBREAKER/OBJECT LESSON
Now. To more specifically focus on the Book of Mormon, I like to do the following icebreaker. I ask: What do each of the following objects all have in common?
A sword, a compass, a feast, a treasure, a keystone, and an iron rod?
And as a teacher, if you can secure these actual objects and display them on a table at the front of your classroom, it can be really powerful. For the feast, I usually just bring in a loaf of bread or some other kind of food and put it on a plate. For the keystone I have a block of wood that is cut out into the shape of a keystone, and for the iron rod, I actually have a large, actual rod of pure iron that was given to me a number of years ago. If you’re interested in doing that kind of thing, I do have links to each of these objects besides the feast in the video description below to where you could purchase these objects as examples, and I tried to find the most inexpensive options that I could.
Iron Rod: https://amzn.to/3RSSsAs
Sword: https://amzn.to/3tjiELb
Compass: https://amzn.to/4757qYd
Treasure Box: https://amzn.to/3NESE3D
Keystone: https://amzn.to/3Rzfpal
But that idea may not be entirely feasible to you, so you could always just show a slide with pictures of these objects, and you’ll have nearly the same effect. And what do they all have in common? Answer: They’re all objects used in the scriptures to symbolize the Book of Mormon. Each one is used as a comparison to God’s words.
HANDOUT
At this point I give them the following handout which invites them to circle a picture of one of the objects and answer the following question: Which is your favorite symbol for the Book of Mormon and how do you feel it is like that object?
I then invite them to share their thoughts with the class or with a partner.
And here are a couple of my ideas on these objects:
It’s a sword, because it cuts through the lies of the world. We can use the Book of Mormon and the scriptures to defend ourselves against temptation. Just like Jesus did, when tempted by Satan, he quoted a scripture every time the adversary came at him. We can also use it for our spiritual self-defense, as well as offense.
It’s a compass because like the Liahona guided Nephi and Lehi and their families to the promised land, so too will the Book of Mormon and the scriptures lead us through the wilderness of life to our promised land, the Celestial Kingdom.
It’s a feast because the Book of Mormon will nourish us, strengthen us, satisfy us, and it’s words can become delicious to us. We don’t approach the Book of Mormon like we’re dieting. We want to approach it like we would Thanksgiving dinner on a Fast Sunday. Feast on it. God wants to feed us this year with his word.
It’s a treasure. The scriptures are valuable. They have plain and precious things to teach us. If studied the right way, they will become priceless to us. I love what Joseph Smith once said, “He who reads [them] oftenest, will like [them] best.”
It’s a keystone. The central supporting block of an archway. The Book of Mormon holds up the gospel structure for us and lends stability and sturdiness to our faith. It is tangible, concrete evidence of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling.
And it’s an iron rod. The Book of Mormon will lead us down the straight and narrow path, safely through the mists of darkness and land us at the tree of God’s eternal love.
The Title Page
So with that as an introduction, let’s dig into this phenomenal book of scripture. And the first thing we’re going to study is the title page.
QUOTE
Where did the title page come from? Is it a modern-day addition? No. Joseph Smith said:
“I wish to mention here that the title page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, which contained the record which has been translated, the language of the whole running the same as all Hebrew writing in general; and that said title page is not by any means a modern composition, either of mine or of any other man who has lived or does live in this generation."
Joseph Smith Jr. (DHC 1:71)
So who wrote it? Moroni did. Apparently it was the last thing written before he buried the plates in the hillside of Cumorah. So what kinds of things do you think we’re going to find on a title page? Probably something about its purpose and audience.
MARKING ACTIVITY
There three things that I would like you to look for on this page. Read it in its entirety and mark the answers to these three questions in three different colors.
Who was it written for?
How was it written?
And Why was it written?
Question #1. Who was it written for? It was written to the Lamanites, which is really interesting that Moroni mentions them first. Think about his experience with the Lamanites. They’ve been his enemy his entire life. He’s spent a lifetime doing battle with them or hiding from them. They killed his Father and all his kindred and people. And yet, he dedicates his life and record to the blessing of his “enemies” posterity. Moroni was not a man filled with hate, even for his enemy. He’s a brilliant example of Jesus’s teaching from the sermon on the mount to love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and do good to them that hate you. But the Lamanites aren’t the only people he’s addressing. Who else does he include? Jew and Gentile. So if you had to summarize that into one word. Who is the Book of Mormon for? Everybody. There’s no one that’s excluded in that list. The Book of Mormon is for everyone. Not just for members of the church, not just for believers in Christ, not just for the righteous but for all people. Hopefully we keep that in mind in our missionary efforts.
Question #2. How was it written? By way of commandment, the spirit of prophecy, revelation, and by the gift and power of God.
In summary, this is not the work of men. It is the work of God through men blessed with his power and gifts. I think we should be careful about how we describe the authorship of the Book of Mormon. I’ve often heard members of the church innocently say that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. But no, he translated the Book of Mormon. But by the same token, I don’t think it was written by Mormon, Alma, Isaiah, or Nephi either. It was written by God, and Christ, through the spirit of prophecy and revelation given to men blessed with his authority and power. I know a lot has been said about the miraculous nature of the translation of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith and I won’t go into great detail on that. There are plenty of other sources for you out there for that. But In terms of how quickly it was produced, its literary and historical intricacies, its spiritual power, its doctrinal soundness. The fact that it was brought forth by a relatively uneducated, young, and inexperienced man from frontier America, stands as a powerful witness to its divinity.
QUOTE:
Like Jeffrey R. Holland said
"For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history—perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died —from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.”10”
Jeffrey R. Holland. (Conference Report, Oct. 2009, “Safety for the Soul”.
And Question #3. And to me, the most important question. Why was it written?
I see four reasons
To show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers.
Now why would God want us to know all the great things that He did for our fathers, ancestors, or progenitors? I think the implication is, that if he would do great things for them, then he will do great things for us as well. If God can inspire and help a Nephi to build a boat, then he will help me to accomplish great things I have no experience with. If he will answer the fervent prayer of an Enos, then he will answer my fervent prayers. If he can forgive a kind of man like Alma the Younger, then I can be forgiven. If he can protect and preserve the stripling warriors from a mighty enemy, then he can protect and preserve me also. And so, as we study the Book of Mormon this year, I invite us to look not only for the great things God did for the people in it, but the great things he does for us as well.
Reason #2, That they may know the covenants of the Lord
You and I know that we have a book of scripture called the Doctrine and Covenants. But let’s not forget that the Book of Mormon is a book of covenants as well. You’ll find many within its pages. Alma will teach us the baptismal covenant. Lehi will teach us the covenant of the promised land. Moroni will make us a promise as we can come to know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ himself will teach us the sacramental covenant. We’ll find priesthood promises, tithing promises, promises of repentance, fasting, and missionary work. The Book of Mormon is filled with two way promises between God and man. I invite us to look for them, and then live them.
Reason #3, To help us to know that we are not cast off forever.
The Book of Mormon is a book of hope. It teaches us that God will not cast people off forever. A wonderful pattern that I see in the Book of Mormon is the pattern of forgiveness. Anybody that sincerely asks for forgiveness and mercy in the Book of Mormon, gets it. He gives it to Enos, King Benjamin’s People, Zeezrom, Alma the Younger, Lamoni, Lamoni’s wife, Lamoni’s Father, the prison guards in the darkness with Nephi and Lehi. Example after example litter the pages of this book. The message is clear. Everybody who asks for mercy in the Book of Mormon receives it. Keep that in mind as you study, especially those of you who are feeling unworthy or estranged from God at this time.
And then Reason #4, to convince Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.
The Book of Mormon, perhaps above all else is another testament of Jesus Christ, like the subtitle says. It was written to testify of God’s Son, our Savior and Redeemer. You’re sure to find Him on every page of this book. Look for Him. Do you remember those Where’s Waldo books? Play that same game in the Book of Mormon, but instead of looking for the bespectacled guy in the red and white hat, look for Christ. You’re sure to find him. Even statistically speaking this is true. Some form of Jesus name is mentioned in the Book of Mormon 3925 times. Which means he is mentioned every 1.7. verses. Truly the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. (Source: Names of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon, Susan Ward Easton, Ensign, July 1978) But don’t forget the last phrase of that sentence. We have a tendency to stop there and a period after that phrase. But it’s a comma. Yes, it convinces that Jesus is the Christ, but he’s a Christ, manifesting himself unto all nations. Jesus is not the Savior of the Old World, but the New World as well. He’s not just the Savior for Jews, but Gentiles as well, he’s not just the Savior for Americans, but South Africans, and Japanese, and Brazilians, and Tongans, and Italians, and Filipinos, and Australians, and Ukrainians, and Congolese, and Mexicans, and Chinese, and every single nation under the sun. This is why we send young men and young women to all nations, all that will allow us, Book of Mormon in hand to testify of Christ. It is a book for all nations testifying of a Savior for all nations.
TRUTH
At this point in the lesson I would highlight the following truth from the title page. The Book of Mormon was written for all, by the power of God, to show us the great things God has done and can do, reveal covenants, proclaim his mercy, and convince all that Jesus is the Christ, manifesting himself to all nations. To me, that’s the great message of the title page. So thank you Moroni, for clarifying the intent of the Book of Mormon, right from the outset.
Introduction to the Book of Mormon
HANDOUT ACTIVITY
Now, as opposed to the Title page, the Introduction to the Book of Mormon IS a modern addition. And I’m not sure who wrote it, but I find it to be a very helpful, well-crafted, and inspiring introduction. Certainly worth taking our time to study. For this, I’m going to give you a handout activity to help lead you through its content. I find this to be a good way to highlight some key principles about the Book of Mormon, especially if you’re teaching your family or youth. It’s a crossword puzzle.
And here are the answers:
Across
1. Those that read, ponder, and ask will gain what of the Book of Mormon? TESTIMONY
4. Mormon was a prophet-___________ who abridged and quoted the words of many ancient prophets. HISTORIAN
5. The Book of Mormon is the ___________ of our religion. KEYSTONE
8. The Book of Mormon is comparable to what? BIBLE
10. Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as this kind of glorified being. RESURRECTED
12. Those that gain a witness of the Book of Mormon will ______ know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World, Joseph Smith is a prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom. ALSO
13. The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is the ______________ of Jesus Christ. MINISTRY
Down
2. If we abide by the precepts of the Book of Mormon it will help us to get _________ to God. NEARER
3. The Book of Mormon is the most _________ book. CORRECT
6. How many witnesses of the Gold Plates are mentioned in the introduction. TWELVE
7. The Book of Mormon will teach us how to gain THIS during life. PEACE
9. The Book of Mormon contains the ____________ of the gospel. FULNESS
11. The Book of Mormon gives an account of how many great civilizations. TWO
After you’ve gone through the answers, I would call on students to share their answer to that last open-ended question. What do you feel is the most important line in the introduction and why?
DISCUSSION
If you’re teaching adults and a crossword puzzle doesn’t seem appropriate for your particular audience, you could initiate a discussion with the following slide. The introduction gives us a number of additional purposes and promises concerning the Book of Mormon. You could ask your classes to share when they have seen the fulfillment of one of these things in their own lives.
When has the Book of Mormon:
Taught you a doctrine of the gospel
Helped to outline some aspect of the Plan of Salvation for you
Brought you peace
Helped you to understand what you need to do to gain eternal salvation
Strengthened your testimony in Jesus Christ
Inspired you to come unto Christ and obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel
Helped you to come or feel nearer to God
Have you gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon by the power of the Holy Ghost by reading it, pondering its message, and asking God if it is true? Please share your experience.
TESTIMONY
As a teacher, I would consider sharing my own witness or answers to one or more of those questions. And personally, I would like to draw attention to that last paragraph explaining the significance of the gaining of a testimony of the Book of Mormon. If you know that the Book of Mormon is true, then you will come to know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, Joseph Smith is a prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Kingdom here on the earth. Perhaps that’s why Joseph said it was the keystone of our religion. You get a testimony of that solid stone, then you can rest the remainder of your faith on it. I’ve found this to be true—that the Book of Mormon helps to bolster and support all areas of conviction. I’m willing to admit that at times in my life that I have faced doubts and challenges to my faith. Sometimes critics will bring up compelling arguments that refute the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. So what helps me in those cases? When somebody brings up something about horses or steel in the Book of Mormon, or theories about its origins, and I find the black hole of doubt starting to swallow up the light of my faith, I’ve found that if I just sit down and read from some of my favorite chapters, an Alma 32, a 2 Nephi 2, a Mosiah 3, or an Ether 12, I find all that light and faith comes flooding back into my heart and mind. I ask myself, “Are these the words of an uneducated farm boy? A charlatan? Somebody who wants to deceive me?” And my conclusion is always, “No, these are God’s words. They have power. They have the ring of truth to them.” I have a Bachelors and a Master’s degree in English literature. I’ve studied, and analyzed, and written about the works and words of a majority of the great authors of mankind from the classics to the contemporary, and a large part of my testimony of the Book of Mormon lies in the literary intricacy and beauty of its writing. It is a great work of literature, filled with symbolism, poetic language, chiasmus, and theological and rhetorical complexity. It truly is a keystone of my faith in Joseph Smith and the Restored Church.
VIDEO
If there was a video I might consider showing at this point, I can’t think of many other more mighty testimonies or witnesses of the Book of Mormon than that of Elder Holland from the October 2009 General Conference. IT IS POWERFUL and could be a very effective way of inviting and inspiring those you teach to make a deep study of the Book of Mormon a priority this year. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-03-0008-testimony-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng)
TRUTH
If I study the Book of Mormon, ponder its message, and ask God if it is true, then I can receive a witness that it is through the power of the Holy Ghost.
I WILL GO AND DO
We are being asked, invited, challenged by our church leaders this year to dig deep into the Book of Mormon this year. To study it daily and make it a focus of our personal, family, and church discussions. To help aid my students in fulfilling that challenge I might walk them through the following steps for creating a study plan for the year. The gospel library app has an excellent tool nowadays for helping members make and track their study goals for the year. Here are the steps you would take to do that. Open up the gospel library app and be sure you are on its home page. Scroll down to the section entitled “Study Plans”. If you don’t see that section on your home page, you’ll need to hit the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, select “Edit Home” and then add the “Study Plans” options to your home screen. Now in the study plans section you I’ll recommend two different options. The first is to select the “Book of Mormon Using Come, Follow Me” option and then hitting the “Start Plan” button. You’ll see that it gives you the “Come Follow Me” schedule mapped out for you for the rest of the year with a place to mark when you’ve read the chapters for that week and the section from the manual. The nice about this is that if you click on the assigned chapter or manual section, it will take you directly to that section or chapter right there. It’s pretty nifty.
The other suggestion would be to go back to the home page and instead select the “Custom Plan” option and hit “Next”. Then select “Scripture”, “Book of Mormon”, and slide over the “Set a Schedule” button. This will allow you to customize a schedule of which days you plan to study each week and then select an end date to your study. The app will then create a customized schedule of which chapters you will need to read each day in order to attain your goal and provide you a place to check off those chapters once you’ve studied them. There is also an option for the app to send you a reminder to study on the days you’ve planned to do so. They’ve thought of everything. So I would consider walking my students through this process and helping them to make a study goal for the year.
If they prefer not to use their phones for this challenge, you could always provide them with a printed reading chart or calendar for creating a goal. A simple google search for Book of Mormon reading chart will provide you with numerous options for this.
CONCLUSION
And with that greater understanding of all the Book of Mormon can do for us, I invite each of you to make a commitment this year to dig deeply into the Book of Mormon. To do more than you ever have in the past to feast upon its words on a consistent basis. To hearken back to all the Book of Mormon symbols we started this lesson out with, please:
Don’t go into the battle of life without your sword, you’ll be defeated.
Don’t try to live your daily life without feasting, you'll starve.
Don’t try to build your testimony arch without your keystone, it will crumble.
Don’t try to navigate the wilderness of this world without your compass, you’ll get lost.
Don’t seek to establish yourself without your treasure, you’ll be destitute.
And don’t try to make your way through the mists of darkness without your iron rod, or you'll be overcome.
I bear witness that the Book of Mormon is true, and that it can and will change your life for the better if you’re just willing to DIG into it.
THE TESTIMONY OF THE THREE/EIGHT WITNESSES
I’m not going to do much with the testimony of the witnesses other than to say that it fulfills Paul’s qualification of “In the mouths of two or three witnesses shall all my word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1). The stories of the witnesses and their commitment to their testimony of the Book of Mormon, even after many of them were excommunicated, is really a fascinating evidence, but we’ll focus more on their story next year when we study the Doctrine and Covenants.
A PERIOD OF PREPARATION
However, I would like to spend some time covering Joseph Smith’s experiences with Moroni and obtaining the gold plates because I feel it has a really profound and applicable message for us, especially for the youth, since Joseph is a teenager when he first sees the gold plates, and I feel that they can really relate to his experience.
OBJECT: Picture of Joseph Smith
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker then, I would put up the following list of individuals and ask them if they know what each of them has in common:
Howard Carter
Johann Winckelmann
Thomas Young
Howard Bingham
An Arab Shepherd Boy
Joseph Smith
The answer is that they all made very significant archeological discoveries. And then you could challenge them to match the individual with their discovery.
Howard Carter-found the tomb of Tutankhamen
Johann Winckelmann-The city of Pompeii
Thomas Young-The Rosetta Stone (that made it possible for archeologists to interpret hieroglyphics)
Howard Bingham-Machu Picchu in Peru
An Arab Shepherd Boy-The Dead Sea Scrolls
Joseph Smith- Well, I would argue that he made the most significant archeological discovery of all time. The Gold plates. Not only for their historical and literary value, but for their spiritual value.
But, does anybody know how old Joseph Smith when he had the First Vision? 14
How old was he when he received the plates for translation? 22
Eight years in between. Why so long? Was God not ready for the Restoration yet?
No, Joseph wasn’t ready. He needed to be prepared first. So God leads him through a time of preparation. Before you ever play a football game, you prepare together as a team for months. Before you play at the recital you prepare and play it over and over again. Before a soldier goes into battle, they go to boot camp. Before a surgeon ever starts operating, he goes to school for years and years. Joseph was about to receive one of the greatest responsibilities of all time—the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. What do you think God would do for Joseph before he ever broke out the Urim and Thummim. Right! Preparation.
So how did that process take place? A great study exercise would be to go through the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and mark everything God does to help Joseph to be prepared for the translation of the plates. And that’s what we’ll do together today.
VIDEO
A possible video idea here if you feel it would be helpful to review the story of how Joseph was told about the gold plates would be to show the following missionary tour through the Smith family cabin where Moroni appeared to Joseph and the place where he was visited near the field he would have been working in the following day. The sister missionaries in the video summarize the story and show you the locations where these events actually took place. And they do a very good job. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2021-07-0060-sacred-grove-historic-site-part-2-the-angel-moroni-and-joseph-smith?lang=eng&alang=eng&collectionId=885c9f79dbab4851ac810ae9dc275287
MARKING ACTIVITY
But I’d like to walk you through the story with our particular question in mind. So grab a uniquely colored marking pencil and we’ll go through and mark those things. And teachers, all I would do is lead my students through this experience while I ask them search questions and invite them to mark their scriptures.
After his experience in the Sacred grove years before, Joseph has confidence that something that helped him once before to gain wisdom will work again. So what does he do In the 2nd paragraph beginning with the words “on the evening” to help him gain the wisdom he needs? He prays. So one thing God gives him is prayer and answers to prayer to help him to be prepared. That’s number 1.
Then, as Joseph prays, God sends him someone to instruct and help him. Moroni. And what was Moroni? What was his calling while he was alive? He was a prophet. So the 2nd thing that Joseph was sent to help him to be prepared was the guidance and instruction of a prophet.
After telling him his name, Moroni says the following in the 6th paragraph beginning with the phrase “He called me by name"? He tells Joseph “that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” The first thing he gives Joseph is a bit of a vision and a foretelling of his what? His future. He tells him about his future. Now that must have been an astonishing prophecy to an obscure (as Joseph says) 17-year-old farm boy that people all over the world would know his name. But why would Moroni tell him that? To inspire him and help him know what to expect.
In the next couple of paragraphs, Moroni tells Joseph about the plates and shows him in vision the Hill Cumorah. And, I’m going to throw this in here, because there is another significant key preparation point that’s not included in this version of the story, but can be found in vs. 36-41 in Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price. In that version, Moroni quotes a number of ancient prophets that prophesied concerning the last days and that Joseph’s divine calling would be a fulfillment of those ancient prophesies.
So not only does he give Joseph a sense of his future, but also a sense of what? The past. That Joseph was part of this great story of God’s work here on the earth.
Next. This is one of the most well-known aspects of the story. Does anyone remember how many separate times Moroni visited Joseph in that first encounter? 4. 3 at night, and once when he’s making his way back home from work in the field. So another thing that helped to prepare Joseph was repeated messages. Once was not enough. It was absolutely vital that Joseph really understood these key instructions. And Joseph is a teenager. I teach teenagers, and I know that when I give instructions, I have to say the same thing at least 4 times before they get it, and even then, some still ask later, so what are we supposed to do?
Another interesting thing. On the second page, 4th paragraph beginning with the words ”By this time", what did Moroni add to his message in that particular visit? A caution, or a warning that Satan would try to tempt him to use the plates for money. Historically speaking, the Smith family had experienced one financial setback after another and they were, at this time, in indigent circumstances. They were poor. And gold plates would be quite the windfall for the family. But Moroni warns him that he must only use the plates for the glory of God and the building up of his kingdom. So another preparation point: specific warnings.
During the visit while Joseph is lying by the fence, 3rd paragraph from the bottom of the second page beginning with the phrase “The first thing I can recollect". What unique instruction does Moroni command Joseph to do this time? To tell his father. Now I ask you, why do you think he would want him to do that? I think because he knew that they would support Joseph, and believe him, and stand by him. The first family of the Church is a shining example of what families should be. They are his biggest support from beginning to end. And to me, that stands as a great testament of the truthfulness of Joseph’s calling. If he was an imposter, a conman as many would have us believe, his own family would have been his first targets. Do you think he would do that? I will never be convinced of that. If everything Joseph said was made up, wouldn’t the troubles and trials his calling would put his family through have stopped the charade eventually? Right up to the death of his beloved brother Hyrum by his side? So another thing God gave Joseph to help prepare him, was a supportive family.
Well, Joseph makes his way to the Hill Cumorah and pries up the stone covering the plates, and oh, just stop for a moment and imagine that. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing ever?! I mean, if I got excited to find my little arrowhead, how would it have been for Joseph, a 17-year-old boy to lift up that rock and see such amazing things laid out before him. The plates, the Liahona, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, and Moroni’s breastplate. It must have been an incredible moment for him.
So Joseph makes an attempt to take out the plates, but it says he is forbidden, which is really quite a bit of an understatement, considering what actually happened, and we’ll come back to that in a minute.
But look for the last thing that Moroni provides for Joseph over the following years in the fourth paragraph down from the top of the 3rd page beginning with the word “Accordingly”. What was it. It says that Joseph met Moroni there once a year to receive instruction and preparation. So, what else did God provide for him? A yearly interview with a priesthood leader.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now here’s the really cool part of approaching the lesson this way, especially if you’re teaching the youth. Have them take a close look at that list of all the things God did to help Joseph be prepared for his great responsibility. You might even look at that and say, Wow! Joseph was really fortunate to have all of that. But of course, He was Joseph Smith, Of course God would do that for him. His calling was so important and significant. But let’s liken the scriptures. Do you have any great responsibilities in your future that you should be preparing for? What would be your gold plates. And this works for adults too, we all have great responsibilities placed on us. Responses that I often get.
Education
Full time missionary work
Marriage
Parenthood
Future church service
The Gathering of Israel
These are great responsibilities and key for the progress of God’s kingdom here on the earth.
And what has God given you to help YOU to be prepared? Look at the list! All the same things!
God cares just as much about your progress and destiny as he did Joseph’s! You too have been given the power of prayer, guidance from prophets, a sense of your future (where can they get that? A personal vision of their own future? Their patriarchal blessing of course, that will reveal the great things God has in store for them, should they remain faithful. He’s given us a sense of the past. How? Scriptures, temple work for our ancestors, family history, and the legacy left by the pioneers and early members of the church and the pioneers of their own families. We are a part of the great story of the building up of God’s kingdom on the earth. We are given repeated messages, every day in scripture study, every week in church, every year in general conference, God wants us to understand his message, so he’s going to send it to us multiple times. He’s given specific warnings of things to be wary of and the temptations we might face. The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is full of them. And I would imagine many of those that you are teaching will have supportive families, but I suppose that may not be the case for all. But all of us have been blessed with a ward family that will support and help them. And yes, they too get a yearly interview with a priesthood leader.
See, your responsibilities in God’s kingdom are vital too! You are the future husbands and wives, and fathers and mothers of the church, the future missionaries, and church leaders, and responsible citizens of your nation. God needs you to step up and fulfill those responsibilities just as much as he needed Joseph to!
But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the words of our living prophet speaking about you!
QUOTE
"Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team —for this final phase. Those noble spirits —those finest players, those heroes —are you!
My beloved younger brothers and sisters, you are among the best the Lord has ever sent to this world. You have the capacity to be smarter and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation!
You are the hope of Israel, “children of the promised day”!”
Russell M. Nelson ("Hope of Israel” President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Wendy W. Nelson
Worldwide Youth Devotional • June 3, 2018, • Conference Center, Salt Lake City, Utah)
TRUTH
Just like Joseph Smith, God has blessed me with many things to help me to be prepared for the vital, sacred responsibilities I’ve been given.
JOURNAL QUESTION
And a possible question to ponder here. I always provide my students with a study journal at the beginning of the year and will often invite them to write down their thoughts and feelings in them. There’s something powerful about writing something down that sinks certain truths deeper into our hearts. So the question here: Which of those helps are you most grateful for and why?
AN ADDITIONAL THOUGHT
Now, before we conclude, one final thought. Maybe we sometimes feel like we don’t measure up, that we’ve made too many mistakes, or that we aren’t capable of fulfilling that destiny. Well, do you know what happened to Joseph that first time he went to see the plates? Oliver Cowdery tells us that while Joseph made his way to the Hill Cumorah, that his mind was in turmoil. What was the question? Should I use the plates to build up God’s kingdom, or use them to help his family in their poor circumstances. And you may be surprised to learn what his conclusion was by the time he got there. It was to use the plates for money. You can see that in this quote here.
"You will have wondered, perhaps, that the mind of our brother should be so occupied with the thoughts of the goods of this world, at the time of arriving at Cumorah, on the morning of the 22nd of September, 1823, after having been wrapt in the visions of heaven, during the night, and also seeing and hearing in open day; but the mind of man is easily turned if it is not held by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and you will remember that I have said that two invisible powers were operating upon his mind during his walk from his residence to Cumorah, and that the one urging the certainty of wealth and ease in this life, had so powerfully wrought upon him that the great object so carefully and impressively named by the angel, had entirely gone from his recollection that only a fixed determination to obtain now urged him forward.”
And so when Joseph goes to pick up the plates, he’s shocked by some unseen power. So he tries to get the plates again, and he’s shocked even harder this time. Now remember he’s a teenager, so he’s going to need more than just one occurrence for the point to get through, so he tries one more time and this time he’s shocked so hard that he’s thrown backwards and loses all his strength. In frustration he shouts out, “Why can I not obtain this book?”
The answer:
"Because you have not kept the commandments of the Lord," answered a voice, within a seeming short distance. He looked, and to his astonishment, there stood the angel who had previously given him the directions concerning this matter. In an instant, all the former instructions, the great intelligence concerning Israel and the last days, were brought to his mind: he thought of the time when his heart was fervently engaged in prayer to the Lord, when his spirit was contrite, and when his holy messenger from the skies unfolded the wonderful things connected with this record. He had come, to be sure, and found the word of the angel fulfilled concerning the reality of the record, but he had failed to remember the great end for which they had been kept, and in consequence could not have power to take them into his possession and bear them away.
So Joseph remembers all that had transpired the night before and is humbled by Moroni. Why do I tell you this? Because look at all that Joseph had going for him and he still made a mistake. He still messed up. But here’s the lesson. God didn’t give up on him. He kept working with him and teaching him and helping him to become the prophet he knew he could be. The same is true of us. We too have a lot going for us. However, we will probably make some mistakes along the way as well. We’ll probably mess up a bit also. But let’s not despair, or give up on ourselves, because God certainly won’t give up on us. Oliver Cowdrey later made this poignant observation.
"In this, which occasioned a failure to obtain, at that time, the record, do not understand me to attach blame to our brother; he was young, and his mind easily turned from correct principles, unless he could be favored with a certain round of experience. And yet, while young, untraditioned and untaught in the systems of the world, he was in a situation to be led into the great work of God, and be qualified to perform it in due time. "
Oliver Cowdery
Messenger and Advocate, vol. 2 (October 1835-September 1836), Vol. 2 October, 1835 No. 13)
We too are probably going to have our minds turned on occasion from correct principles. We're going to err, and display weakness. Even Joseph did, and we too need to be favored with a certain round of experience, so don’t despair.
CONCLUSION
All of us have been sent to this earth at this time for a special purpose. God has prepared all of us to do great things in his kingdom. Joseph’s job was to translate the Gold plates, but our callings, and the people’s lives that we can touch, and the service we can do, and the missionary work we can accomplish, and the families we can lead and bless are our job in God’s kingdom, and nobody can fulfill them but us! And so I encourage all of us to, like Joseph, rise to the occasion and fulfill our destinies in God’s kingdom.
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