To stay up to date, make sure to follow @livingonlemonlane on Instagram!
Make sure to tag a friend to help spread the word.
Week 4 COME FOLLOW ME: Doctrine and Covenants – TEACHING IDEAS & RESOURCES | D&C Section 3 – 5
Questions to Ponder:
Each Come Follow Me Lesson asks important and reflective questions. When I first began my individual study… these questions threw me off. Simply because many of these questions required so much depth and individual reflection in order to answer honestly. My first approach to Come Follow Me was to get in, get out, get it done, check it off. These questions simply didn’t allow me to do so. In fact, I felt a little sick when I would read a question like, “How does the spirit speak to you?” and I wouldn’t know the answer right away. After a time, and pondering on that specific question I realized IT’S OKAY. In fact, I think these questions were meant to be set aside, thought about, and pondered. When we try and come up with the quick easy, obvious, answer, we are depriving ourselves of an opportunity to reflect, ponder, pray, and RECEIVE REVELATION. Is this not the whole reason for Come Follow Me? Are we not trying to finetune and recognize how we, and how to receive personal revelation.
Week 4 COME FOLLOW ME: Doctrine and Covenants – TEACHING IDEAS & RESOURCES | D&C Section 3 – 5
So each week I will list out some of the questions issued in Come Follow Me. Maybe you pick to ponder about all of them, maybe you pick just one. Whatever you do, ponder on this for the ENTIRE week. Pray about it, discuss it with loved ones, then at the start of the new week, take the time to write down your impressions or thoughts, share them with your family, testify of powerful insights.
-
- As you read Doctrine and Covenants 3:1–15, ponder how other people’s opinions may be influencing you. You may also note that in addition to rebuking Joseph Smith, the Lord spoke words of mercy.
- What do you learn from the way the Lord both corrected and encouraged Joseph?
- What counsel do you find that can help you when you are tempted to fear other people more than God?
-
Section 4 is often applied to full-time missionaries. However, it’s interesting to note that this revelation was given originally to Joseph Smith Sr., who wasn’t being called on a mission but still had “desires to serve God” (verse 3). One way to read this section is to imagine it as a job description for someone who wants to do the Lord’s work. What are the qualifications?
-
Why are these skills or characteristics necessary? Perhaps you could prayerfully choose one thing you could do to better “qualify [yourself] for the work” (verse 5).
-
- If you were called to testify in court about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, what evidence would you provide?
-
What do you learn from Doctrine and Covenants 5 about the following:
-
How the Lord feels about those who won’t believe in spiritual truths unless they have evidence (see verses 5–8; see also John 20:24–29).
-
The role of witnesses in the work of the Lord (see verses 11–15; see also 2 Corinthians 13:1).
-
How to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon for yourself (see verse 16; see also Moroni 10:3–5).
-
-
What does Doctrine and Covenants 5:1–10 teach you about Joseph Smith’s important role in our dispensation—and in your life? Ponder how you have received the word of God through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Consider recording in a journal or sharing with someone your gratitude for the truths that were restored or clarified through him.
- As you read Doctrine and Covenants 3:1–15, ponder how other people’s opinions may be influencing you. You may also note that in addition to rebuking Joseph Smith, the Lord spoke words of mercy.
Lesson:
If you were called to testify in court about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, what evidence would you provide?
This question from Come Follow Me reminded me of a story by Boyd K.Packer. He tells of his experience after bearing testimony to a professed atheist on a plane ride. His testimony wasn’t enough, instead, the aethist wanted proof. This comes from his address to Mission presidents in 1982, “The Candle of the Lord.”
We do not learn spiritual things in exactly the same way we learn other things that we know, even though such things as reading, listening, and pondering may be used. I have learned that it requires a special attitude both to teach and to learn spiritual things. There are some things you know, or may come to know, that you will find quite difficult to explain to others. I am very certain that it was meant to be that way.
I will tell you of an experience I had before I was a General Authority which affected me profoundly. I sat on a plane next to a professed atheist who pressed his disbelief in God so urgently that I bore my testimony to him. “You are wrong,” I said, “there is a God. I know He lives!”
He protested, “You don’t know. Nobody knows that! You can’t know it!” When I would not yield, the atheist, who was an attorney, asked perhaps the ultimate question on the subject of testimony. “All right,” he said in a sneering, condescending way, “you say you know. Tell me how you know.”
When I attempted to answer, even though I held advanced academic degrees, I was helpless to communicate.
Sometimes in your youth, you young missionaries are embarrassed when the cynic, the skeptic, treat you with contempt because you do not have ready answers for everything. Before such ridicule, some turn away in shame. (Remember the iron rod, the spacious building, and the mocking? See 1 Ne. 8:28.)
When I used the words Spirit and witness, the atheist responded, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The words prayer, discernment, and faith, were equally meaningless to him. “You see,” he said, “you don’t really know. If you did, you would be able to tell me how you know.”
I felt, perhaps, that I had borne my testimony to him unwisely and was at a loss as to what to do. Then came the experience! Something came into my mind. And I mention here a statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith: “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas … and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977, p. 151.)
Such an idea came into my mind and I said to the atheist, “Let me ask if you know what salt tastes like.”
“Of course I do,” was his reply.
“When did you taste salt last?”
“I just had dinner on the plane.”
“You just think you know what salt tastes like,” I said.
He insisted, “I know what salt tastes like as well as I know anything.”
“If I gave you a cup of salt and a cup of sugar and let you taste them both, could you tell the salt from the sugar?”
“Now you are getting juvenile,” was his reply. “Of course I could tell the difference. I know what salt tastes like. It is an everyday experience—I know it as well as I know anything.”
“Then,” I said, “assuming that I have never tasted salt, explain to me just what it tastes like.”
After some thought, he ventured, “Well-I-uh, it is not sweet and it is not sour.”
“You’ve told me what it isn’t, not what it is.”
After several attempts, of course, he could not do it. He could not convey, in words alone, so ordinary an experience as tasting salt. I bore testimony to him once again and said, “I know there is a God. You ridiculed that testimony and said that if I did know, I would be able to tell you exactly how I know. My friend, spiritually speaking, I have tasted salt. I am no more able to convey to you in words how this knowledge has come than you are to tell me what salt tastes like. But I say to you again, there is a God! He does live! And just because you don’t know, don’t try to tell me that I don’t know, for I do!”
As we parted, I heard him mutter, “I don’t need your religion for a crutch! I don’t need it.”
From that experience forward, I have never been embarrassed or ashamed that I could not explain in words alone everything I know spiritually. The Apostle Paul said it this way:
“We speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:13–14.)
Also. I’m so excited to share with you one of my absolute FAVORITE resources on the Prophet Joseph Smith. Did you check out last week’s recommendations???
The Saints Channel, formerly Mormon Channel, put together a program called, “Perspectives.” Essentially it is a collection of episodes featuring different quotes, journal entries, quotes, and experiences related to the prophet Joseph Smith. I hope you take the time to listen to ALL of them WITH your family or your students, I will likely list this one again but… take the time to listen to this 😀
If you do this activity PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take pictures and tag me! Post to the Facebook group, or tag @livingonlemonlane on Instagram! If you appreciate these object lessons or resource ideas, don’t forget to pin these images to your Pinterest. This is a SMALL and SIMPLE way to support the efforts of Living on Lemon Lane and sharing these ideas with your friends and family.
“[Doctrine and Covenants 4] is very short, only seven verses, but it contains sufficient counsel and instruction for a lifetime of study. No one has yet mastered it. {…}Perhaps there is no other revelation in all our scriptures that embodies greater instruction pertaining to the manner of qualification of members of the Church for the service of God, and in such condensed form than this revelation. It is as broad, as high and as deep as eternity.
(Church History and Modern Revelation, – President Joseph F.Smith
To stay up to date, and show your support make sure to follow @livingonlemonlane on Instagram!
Make sure to tag a friend to help spread the word.
Teaching Ideas for Toddlers & Young Children
Watch or Listen To:
With young children, I understand the STRUGGLE and the attention span you are dealing with. Below are some of my favorite videos or audio recordings|podcasts you can listen to and watch with your children. Many of these are PERFECT for when everyone is strapped in the car seat. My 5-year-old now requests many of these over the radio. This allows us to listen, review and discuss together, and listen again throughout the week. Many of the videos I share can be found on the Saint’s Radio Channel App. (Formerly Mormon Channel App, If you don’t already have this, DOWNLOAD NOW.)
I am absolutely LOVING the YouTube Channel, Latter Day Kids. Each week they put out a beautifully illustrated video meant for young children to be used in conjunction with the Come Follow Me Lessons. This week’s video is all about All Things Denoting there is a God! You can even head to their website to download discussion questions to go along with the video and a fun coloring page.
Drawn In: Free Sample of Subscription Videos
The ONLY Paid Subscription I use for Come Follow Me
I’ve recently teamed up with David Bowman artist, author and creator of the Drawn-In Video Subscription to bring a discount to all Living on Lemon Lane readers. This is the ONLY Paid Come Follow Me product that I have a subscription to, and it is worth every cent. Each week you get TWO engaging and fun videos (around 20 minutes long each!) as well as exclusive content and printables! Like his books, instead of just introducing the scripture story he explains a principle, then takes it a step further by exploring APPLICATION. Click here to watch his Free Videos, If you’re interested make sure to use the promo code LEMONLANE10 at checkout to receive 10% off of the yearly membership!
- Click Here to Learn More, Use Code LEMONLANE10 for an exclusive discount off the yearly membership!Head to davidbowmanart.com to watch more FREE episodes and learn more about subscribing ($4.95 per month – gets you 2 episodes PER WEEK that go directly with Come Follow Me as well as supplemental PDF print outs)
Read:
Activity Suggestions:
Activity Suggestions From Come Follow Me:
-
Possible Activities
- Ask a family member to walk in a “crooked” line and then in a “straight” line. What does it mean to our family to know that “[God’s] paths are straight”?
- When someone is pressuring us to disobey God, what truths in these verses can help us remain faithful? Perhaps family members could role-play a situation in which someone remains faithful despite pressure to disobey God.
- As your family discusses what it means to work in God’s field, they could do some work in a garden (or pretend to). What tools are needed for gardening work? What does God describe in section 4 that could be considered tools needed to do His work? Your family could discuss why each tool is important in doing God’s work.
- What are some examples of truths we believe in but can’t see? How could we respond to a friend who wants evidence that the Book of Mormon is true?
Teaching Ideas for Families
Watch or Listen To:
The church recently released, “Saints,” A New Narrative approach to church history. It. Is. WONDERFUL. This gives such depth and understanding to the early saints. Historians did a remarkable job marrying facts, conversations, and primary sources with the art of storytelling. Every conversation read, or detail noted, comes from a primary account. Saints is also intended to be read and comprehended at an 8th-grade reading level making it accessible to nearly every Latter-Day Saint. Please add this to your study this year!
Read:
- I LOVE using the Institute and Seminary Manuals to aid my study! They answer questions, provide insight and background coupled with beautiful quotes from Prophets and Apostles.
- You HAVE to start reading or listening to SAINTS: (“Saints” was recently released by the church it is a narrative approach, (all primary-sourced insights) to Church History) It is intentionally written in a way the entire family can enjoy and benefit from!
- Another GREAT Resource is Revelations in Context: This is another book released by the church, its purpose is to give you the behind the scene details to the Section of the revelation given. What prompted the question, what was going on…etc.
- “The Doctrine and Covenants is a book of answers to prayers: many of the sacred revelations in this book came in response to questions. So it’s appropriate to begin studying the Doctrine and Covenants by considering the question that began the latter-day outpouring of revelation.” This book will help provide that background…
Activity Suggestions:
I’m SO EXCITED to share these new, FREE coloring pages by the talented Hadley Mae @Colorwinkstudio Each week she shares a new coloring page related to the Come Follow Me lesson!
Click Here for this week’s Coloring Page by Color Wink Studio
My other favorite find comes from the efforts of Tiffany over at Saving Talents. She puts together DAILY, FREE Devotionals for Come Follow Me. One of my favorite resources she creates are these Scripture of the Week Handwriting Practice Verses. This makes my teacher heart swell! To download these, head to her site, click on the image then use the shortcuts like {control P} or right click on the image to print!
Click Here to visit this week’s Saving Talents Post for Come Follow Me
Individual Study & Extension
Watch or Listen To:
Read:
- Read about Lucy Harris being one of the first supporters of publishing the Book of Mormon, and a witness to the Plates…. This was one of my favorite presentations at the Fair Mormon Conference in 2019
- The Scriptures and the Restoration- L Tom Perry BYU Conference Address
:MOST IMPORTANT PART:
Comment below and share YOUR favorite resources for This week of Come Follow Me in the Doctrine and Covenants. Join the conversation on @livingonlemonlane on Instagram and stay updated on new blog posts! If you enjoyed this PLEASE SHARE! Another great way to share or support the efforts of Living on Lemon Lane is to simply pin your favorite images to Pinterest! Till next week.
Aimee says
Thank you so much for all your work and love of the gospel! These are such wonderful resources for me and my family!
On Lemon Lane says
Aimee! Thank you for taking the time to comment, I can’t tell you how happy it made me to read it 😀