Come, Follow Me Daily Study Guide for the week of April 5-11, 2021 covering Doctrine and Covenants 30-36. For personal and/or family study of the scriptures, geared towards families with teenagers.
**This is a suggested outline that coincides with the Come, Follow Me manual. There is not just one right way when it comes to studying the scriptures. Everyone should study in a way that is best for them, but I do hope that you find these outlines helpful.
**SCRIPTURE JOURNALS – I highly suggest getting a scripture journal for each person. Many times my outlines will suggest writing something down in your scripture journal. These are also great for writing down any impressions or “Aha” moments that you might have as you study the scriptures. Composition books found at the Dollar Store work great!
**A free PDF DOWNLOAD of the Study Guide is available at the bottom of this post, making it easy for those who’d like to print out a copy. OR you can add Melanie’s Library to your mobile device home screen by following these instructions, click HERE
**SONGS – For a list of suggested songs for each day of the week, be sure and check out the blog called Music for Latter-day Life by clicking HERE
**OPENING SONG SUGGESTION FOR NON-SINGERS – We are not big singers in our family but I know how powerful music can be when it comes to inviting the Spirit. Instead of singing, we have begun listening to the song suggested on Music for Latter-day Life and as we listen we each write in our scripture journals how we have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives or something we are grateful for. It has been a wonderful way to get everyone in the right mindset and to invite the Spirit for our family scripture study.
FHE DAY
Start the week off right with a Family Home Evening that is focused around the upcoming week’s Come, Follow Me. Sign up for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive an FHE outline delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up at the bottom of this post.
THE LORD BLESSES ME AND MY FAMILY WHEN I SERVE
BACKGROUND
On September 26, 1830, the second conference of the Church was held at the Peter Whitmer home in Fayette, New York. Thirty-five people had joined the Church since the first conference in June, bringing the total Church membership to sixty-two. Among the new converts was Thomas B. Marsh. (Taken from Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)
Have a family member read the following excerpt from “Voices of the Restoration” found in this week’s CFM.
THOMAS B. MARSH:
When Thomas B. Marsh was a young adult, he studied the Bible and joined a Christian church. But he was unsatisfied, finally withdrawing from all churches. “I had a measure of the spirit of prophecy,” he said, “and told [a religious leader] that I expected a new church would arise, which would have the truth in its purity.” Not long after this, Thomas had a spiritual prompting to leave his home in Boston, Massachusetts, and travel west. After spending three months in western New York without finding what he was looking for, he started for home. On the way, a woman asked Thomas if he had heard about “the Golden Book found by a youth named Joseph Smith.” Captivated by this thought, Thomas immediately traveled to Palmyra and met Martin Harris at the printing shop, just as the first 16 pages of the Book of Mormon were coming off the press. Thomas was allowed to take a copy of those 16 pages, and he brought them home to his wife, Elizabeth. “She was well pleased” with the book, he recalled, “believing it to be the work of God.” Thomas and Elizabeth later moved to New York with their children and were baptized.
SCRIPTURE
Thomas B. Marsh was later called to leave his young family for a time to serve a mission. As you read the following verses, look for what guidance and promises the Lord gives to Thomas B. Marsh and his family. (CFM manual)
READ: D&C 31:1-3, 5-6, 9, 12-13
MINI LESSON
Leaving your family and everything behind to serve a mission can be a difficult thing to do. There are many examples of great men and women who have left their families and everything behind to serve the Lord. You probably know a few. Today we are going to hear about two men who not only had families but had been successful in sports with a bright future ahead, yet they still managed to leave it all behind to serve a mission for the Lord. We will also hear of the wonderful blessings they received when they got home.
Watch the following two videos and after each one, go around the room and have each family member tell what stood out to them. Discuss what we can learn from their examples when it comes to sharing the gospel.
VIDEO 1: Your Day for a Mission (3:31), click HERE
VIDEO 2: Jeremy Guthrie (3:37), click HERE (*This is an article by Deseret News about Jeremy Guthrie, a retired professional baseball pitcher who pitched in the World Series. Scroll down and you’ll find a video of him speaking to reporters about the impact his mission had on the rest of his life.)
PONDER & DISCUSS
- What blessings have come to your family because of missionary work?
- Has your family been blessed by sharing the gospel with others?
- If anyone in your family has served a mission (whether as a young missionary or a Senior couple) have them share their feelings about leaving home and serving, but also of the many blessings that have come from it.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALKS: Topic: Missionary Work
VIDEO: Sharing the Gospel (3:49)
ENSIGN ARTICLE: Young Women and the Mission Decision
CHURCH WEBSITE JUST FOR SENIOR MISSIONARIES: Senior Missionary
IF I BUILD MY LIFE ON THE SAVIOR’S GOSPEL, I WILL NOT FALL
BACKGROUND
Have a family member read another conversion story taken from “Voices of the Restoration” found in this week’s CFM. These conversion stories show great faith, the same faith that we need in order to be converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SHARE STORY ABOUT ABIGAIL CALKINS LEONARD:
When Abigail Calkins Leonard was in her mid thirties, she felt desires to be forgiven of her sins. She occasionally read the Bible, and people from Christian churches visited her home, but she was confused about what differentiated one church from another. “One morning,” she said, “I took my Bible and went to the woods, when I fell upon my knees.” She prayed fervently to the Lord. “Immediately a vision passed before my eyes,” she said, “and the different sects passed one after another by me, and a voice called to me, saying: ‘These are built up for gain.’ Then, beyond, I could see a great light, and a voice from above called out: ‘I shall raise up a people, whom I shall delight to own and bless.’” A short while later, Abigail heard about the Book of Mormon. Even though she didn’t yet have a copy, she sought to “know the truth of this book, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost,” and she “immediately felt its presence.” When she finally was able to read the Book of Mormon, she was “ready to receive it.” She and her husband, Lyman, were baptized in 1831.
EXPLAIN: During this same time, there were also two converts to the church by the names of Northrop Sweet and Ezra Thayer. Ezra had been converted as a result of hearing Hyrum Smith bear testimony of the Book of Mormon. In fact, Hyrum allowed Ezra to look through the book. As he did, he reported, “I received a shock with such exquisite joy that no pen can write and no tongue can express….I felt as though I was truly in heaven” (Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith). Parley P. Pratt baptized both of them in October 1830. Shortly after Northrop and Ezra were baptized, the Prophet received instructions from the Lord for them now recorded in D&C 33.
SCRIPTURE
READ: D&C 33:12-16
What counsel does the Lord give Northrop and Ezra in these verses?
Northrop ended up leaving the Church soon after this revelation was given. Ezra served faithfully for some time, but he also eventually fell away. Studying section 33 could be a great opportunity for each of us to ponder and evaluate how firmly we are built “upon [the] rock” (verse 13) of the gospel.
MINI LESSON
(Taken from Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)
In section 33 the Lord not only counsels Northrop and Ezra to build their lives upon the rock of the gospel but, as we’ll learn, he also gives them counsel about preaching the gospel and being prepared for the “coming of the Bridegroom.”
Sometimes when the Lord gives modern revelation, He refers to things He has said elsewhere in scripture. Knowing those other scriptures can help us understand the present one. There are several examples in D&C 33.
*Study one or all three of the examples listed below.
EXAMPLE #1
READ: D&C 33:2-3
If you are using the gospel library click on the word “eleventh” in verse 3 that has the footnote letter c by it. When you do, Matthew 20:1-16 should pop up. If you are using a physical copy of the scriptures, turn to Matthew 20:1-16.
Invite someone to read Matthew 20:1-16 or ask someone to summarize the parable in their own words or have everyone read it silently.
ASK:
- How does this parable help us to understand what the Lord was saying to Northrop and Ezra?
- What is significant about the eleventh hour?
- What happens at the twelfth hour?
- What does this teach us about missionary work and how we should see others who are not yet members of the Church or those who have gone astray and are starting to come back?
EXAMPLE #2
READ: D&C 33:8
If you are using the gospel library click on the word “Nephi” in verse 8 that has the footnote letter b by it. When you do, 2 Nephi 1:27-28 should pop up. If you are using a physical copy of the scriptures, turn to 2 Nephi 1:27-28.
Explain that this is Lehi’s counsel to Laman and Lemuel about their relationship with Nephi. Invite someone to read 2 Nephi 1:27-28 or have everyone read it silently.
ASK:
- In verse 27, why did Nephi open his mouth?
- What does that teach us about what we must do to better fulfill this commandment the Lord gives us to “open your mouths.”
EXAMPLE #3
READ: D&C 33:17-18
If you are using the gospel library click on the word “trimmed” in verse 17 that has the footnote letter b by it. When you do, Matthew 25:1-13 should pop up. If you are using a physical copy of the scriptures, turn to Matthew 25:1-13.
Invite someone to read Matthew 25:1-13 or ask someone to summarize the parable in their own words or have everyone read it silently.
ASK:
- What do you think the Lord is asking us to do in this verse?
- What things can we do to be ready for the Savior’s Second Coming?
PONDER & DISCUSS
A great example of those who have built their lives upon the rock of the gospel and who are continually opening their mouths to spread the gospel are the Apostles of the Church. Listen to their wonderful testimonies in the following short video.
VIDEO: Apostle Testimony Montage (1:57), click HERE
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALK: A Sure Foundation
CONFERENCE TALKS: Topic: Missionary Work
NEW ERA ARTICLE: Built on the Rock
VIDEO: Build on the Rock of Our Redeemer (2:02)
VIDEO: A Secure Anchor (3:36)
SIDNEY RIGDON – YOU KNEW IT NOT
BACKGROUND
SHOW IMAGE OF SIDNEY RIGDON:
Used for educational purposes.
This is Sidney Rigdon. He was born on February 19, 1793, and was about 12 years older than the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sidney Rigdon was described as being about five feet, nine and a half inches tall, and at one time weighed about 215 pounds. (D&C Made Easier, Ridges)
*Have a family member read the following conversion story about Sidney and Phebe Rigdon taken from “Voices of the Restoration” found in this week’s CFM.
SHARE STORY OF SIDNEY AND PHEBE RIGDON:
On his way from New York to a mission in Missouri, Parley Pratt and his fellow laborers stopped in Mentor, Ohio, at the home of Sidney and Phebe Rigdon—old friends Parley knew from his days in Ohio. Sidney was a Christian minister, and Parley was once a member of his congregation and considered him a spiritual mentor. Parley eagerly told his friends about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s gospel. Sidney himself had been searching for a restoration of the true Church that he found described in the New Testament, though he was skeptical about the Book of Mormon at first. “But I will read your book,” he told his friend Parley, “and will endeavor to ascertain, whether it be a revelation from God or not.” After two weeks of study and prayer, both he and Phebe were convinced the book was true. But Sidney also knew that joining the Church would be a major sacrifice for his family. He would obviously lose his job as a minister, along with his social status in the community. As he and Phebe discussed this possibility, Phebe declared, “I have counted the cost, and … it is my desire to do the will of God, come life or come death.”
SCRIPTURE/MINI LESSON
D&C 35 is a revelation given to Sidney Rigdon. It talks about who he had been, which was a successful minister (verse 4). When he joined the Church, many of his congregation joined also. It also talks about what he would become as part of the Lord’s work on the earth. One being a scribe for Joseph Smith (verse 20). Joseph’s other two scribes, Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer, had been called on missions so Sidney was called to fill this vacancy.
(Taken from Come Follow Me Through the Doctrine and Covenants)
READ: D&C 35:3-4
It is obvious the Lord has been involved in Sidney’s preparation far more thoroughly than Sidney has noticed. Reflect back on your life. How has the Lord prepared you for what you’re doing now “but you knew it not.”
If you served a mission or are about to, what experiences have you had in life that helped you or will help you connect with specific people on your mission? For example, a young woman of divorced parents may feel inadequate to teach people on her mission about eternal families. How can her personal experiences actually be exactly what her investigators need to hear?
- Can you think of any trials you are facing right now that may one day be exactly what an investigator needs to hear?
- How could these current struggles be preparing you for future service to others?
- Is there someone important in your life that inspires you because of what they have been through in the past?
- Can you think of an example of how you see things differently now because of past experiences? In what ways has this change in vision enhanced your relationship with God?
TOP THREE CHARACTERISTICS
In your opinion, what are the top 3 characteristics of the best missionaries?
READ: D&C 35:13
What 3 characterizes does the Lord look for in His best missionaries?
- The weak of the world
- The unlearned
- The despised
WOW! Not what you were expecting, was it? The Lord is actively searching for the weak, unlearned, and despised. Why? Why do you think the Lord is looking for these characteristics?
READ: D&C 35:14 to help answer that question. Note: manfully means “boldly; courageously; honorably”
This is one of the reasons the Lord chose Joseph Smith. Read the following verses and you’ll see.
READ: D&C 35:17 and 124:1
Don’t ever feel inadequate when it comes to serving the Lord and spreading the gospel. The Lord can use you and He needs you.
VIDEO: Value of a Full Time Mission (5:22), click HERE
PONDER & DISCUSS
In D&C 32 Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Jr., Parley P. Pratt, and Ziba Peterson were given the call to preach to the American Indians. When they set out to preach to the American Indians west of Missouri, they believed they were fulfilling Book of Mormon prophecies about the Lamanites receiving the gospel in the latter days (see, for example, 1 Nephi 13:34–41; Enos 1:11–18). And yet by the end of their mission, even though they had positive encounters with some groups, they had not baptized a single American Indian. But they had baptized over a hundred people near Kirtland, Ohio, where they had stopped along the way to Missouri. Among those converts were future influential Church leaders, including Sidney Rigdon, and Kirtland later became an important gathering place for the Church. (CFM manual)
What does this experience teach you about how the Lord accomplishes His work?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (optional)
CONFERENCE TALKS: Topic: Missionary Work
GENERAL CONFERENCE DAY
Study a recent General Conference talk. A great way to study a conference talk is to read along and highlight the parts that stand out to you. Then after the talk, review and discuss what you have highlighted.
THIS WEEK’S TALK: By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God By Sharon Eubank
CATCH UP DAYS
Do one of the days that you missed OR any of the additional resources listed.
Yours Truly,
P.S. For more Come, Follow Me resources, check out my post Your Ultimate Guide to Come, Follow Me. It lists over 100 Come, Follow Me resources that are available online starting with the church’s resources at the top. You can find it by clicking HERE.
P.P.S. Sign up here for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive FHE outlines delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning.
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