Family Home Evening for Mormon 1-6

 Discuss

Today, we are going to learn more about the Book of Mormon prophet, named Mormon. He has his own book in the Book of Mormon that he wrote, and he helped Heavenly Father and Jesus by taking all of the words that the other Book of Mormon prophets wrote, finding the important information, and putting it together into the Book that we read, known as the Book of Mormon. Because Mormon followed Jesus Christ, he was given opportunities to serve and bless others, and his obedience continues to serve and bless others, every time someone reads the Book of Mormon.

By the time he was only about 10 years old, Mormon was remarkably different from the people around him. As you read the following verses, look for ways that Mormon’s faith in Jesus Christ made him unique and gave him opportunities to serve and bless others.

Read

Mormon 1:1-3

1 And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon.

2 And about the time that Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober child, and art quick to observe;

3 Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people.

He continued to be different as he grew up in the wicked, Nephite nation. Most of the people were so wicked, that they didn’t turn to God for help anymore, but not Mormon.

Mormon 1:15-16

15-years-old

15 And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.

By the time Mormon was 16-years-old, the Lamanites began to try to completely destroy the Nephites. Though he was young, he had a huge responsibility.

16-years-old

Mormon 2:2

2 Therefore it came to pass that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six years had passed away.

By his late twenties to early thirties, Mormon and his son, Moroni, were the last of the Nephites to believe in God and follow His commandments. Though they refused to listen, Mormon loved the people so much, he refused to give up on them.

Late Twenties-Early Thirties 

Mormon 3:2-3, 12

2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared.

3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.

12 Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts.

Discuss

You live in a world much like Mormon did. What can you do to serve others and show them the same love of God that Mormon showed his people?

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Family Home Evening for 3 Nephi 27-4

 What question did Jesus’s Disciples have?

Read or summarize 3 Nephi 27:3

3 And they said unto him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.

Discuss

Why are our names important?

Talk about your children’s names and why they were chosen.

Read or Summarize Jesus’s Response 

4 And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

5 Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

6 And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

7 Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

Discuss

Just as Jesus Christ asked His disciples in the Book of Mormon to call His church after His name, He asked the prophet, Joseph Smith, to do the same in the Latter-days. Many people refer to members of  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Mormons, because we are the only church to study scriptures from the Book of Mormon. Although Mormon was a great prophet of old, we do not worship him. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and He is the Son of God. This is His church, and it is important that people understand this. Our Latter-day prophet, President Nelson has said, 

“Thus, the name of the Church is not negotiable. When the Savior clearly states what the name of His Church should be, and even precedes His declaration with, 'Thus shall my church be called,’ He is serious. And if we allow nicknames to be used and adopt or even sponsor those nicknames ourselves, He is offended.”

“"If someone should ask, 'Are you a Mormon?' you could reply, 'If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!'

"If someone asks, 'Are you a Latter-day Saint?' you might respond, 'Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church.'”

If Jesus sees it important to tell His prophet to tell the members of His restored church to call the church by His name, then He sees it as important, and we should too. 

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Family Home Evening for 3 Nephi 20-26

 Read or Summarize 3 Nephi 25:5-6

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Discuss

Who is Elijah and what power does he have?

In his day, Elijah ministered in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He had great faith in the Lord and is noted for many miracles. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Elijah held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and was the last prophet to do so before the time of Jesus Christ. He appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and conferred the keys of the priesthood on Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:3). He appeared again, with Moses and others, on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Ohio Temple and conferred the same keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 110:13–16). All of this was in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord, as spoken of in Malachi 4:5–6.

The power of Elijah is the sealing power of the priesthood by which things that are bound or loosed on earth are bound or loosed in heaven. Chosen servants of the Lord on earth today have this sealing power and perform the saving ordinances of the gospel for the living and the dead (D&C 128:8).

Why is the sealing power important?

To make valid in heaven the ordinances performed by priesthood authority on earth. Ordinances are sealed when they receive the approval of the Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the Holy Ghost. This means that as we gather our ancestors and those we loved on earth, we bind them to us. Think of this bond as the links in a chain. Each family member you find and seal to you, gets added to the chain. Only this chain is not a chain that gets broken when we die. The Holy Ghost seals those bonds beyond death, so that we will never be separated again. Families are meant to be eternal. We are meant to be together forever.

What do we have to do to be sealed to our ancestors?

1. Visit familysearch.org. This is a free website that anyone can enjoy. Type in the name of at least one of your known ancestors who have passed away. One cool note is that if people have discovered this ancestor before you, they may have added pictures and stories about them. If you have pictures and stories, you can add these treasures for other people to find. For a guide on how to build your tree, go here. 

2. Continue searching and working backwards to expand your family tree and to discover ancestors who do not have their temple work done for them.

3. Print their ordinance card.

4. Give this card to a person who holds a temple recommend, or if you do, take this card with you to the temple.

5. In the temple, you can perform the ordinances of baptism, confirmation, initiatories, endowments, and sealings on behalf of your relatives.

6. Your relatives will have the opportunity to decide if they want to accept or reject the ordinances that you performed (Agency is eternal!).

7. Your eternal family just got bigger!

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Family Home Evening for 3 Nephi 17-19

 Read 3 Nephi 18:18-21

18 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

19 Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;

20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

21 Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

Discuss

When Jesus visited the Nephites, after His resurrection, He administered the Sacrament and taught them the importance of prayer. Read the scriptures above and discuss the reasons why we should pray, according to what Jesus taught. Discuss how we should act during prayer and bare testimony of how prayer has blessed your lives.

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 29-Alma 4

 Read Alma 1:2

2 And it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgment-seat, there was a man brought before him to be judged, a man who was large, and was noted for his much strength.

Tell your children that this man’s name is Nehor. As you read these next verses (Alma 1:3-4), have your children find the false teachings of Nehor. Help them to understand the real truth to these teachings.

3 And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.

4 And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

Example

1. Every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.

1. Disciples of Heavenly Father and Jesus are humble and serve others. We shouldn’t expect people to pay us for service. We also should never think that we are better than anyone else because of how much money we have or what position we hold in the church.

2. All mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble.

1. Only those who have faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, repent, take upon them the name of Jesus Christ (through baptism), receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end will be saved at the last day.

3. The Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

1. As we have learned in previous lessons, all people will be resurrected and never die, but eternal happiness is for those who make sacred covenants with Heavenly Father, accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ, repent, and follow His teachings.

Closing

Warn your children that often others will mix scriptures with things that are not true. They will use this to try and make you feel like the truths you know are not real, and that you have been misguided by the scriptures, by what you have learned at church, and the things that the Holy Ghost has confirmed to you are true. If ever you are not sure if something is true or not, pray and Heavenly Father will tell you what is true by the Power of the Holy Ghost.

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 25-28

 Read or Summarize Mosiah 27:8-24 (Great Summary of this set of scriptures is found here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/book-of-mormon-stories/chapter-18-alma-the-younger-repents?lang=eng)

8 Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.

9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.

10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—

11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;

12 And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.

13 Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.

14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.

15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God.

16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.

17 And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.

18 And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.

19 And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father.

20 And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God.

21 And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him.

22 And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.

23 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:

24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.

Discussion

Ask your family what Alma and his people did to help Alma the Younger. 

What is fasting? 

Fasting is a commandment from the Lord where we humble ourselves before Him by voluntarily refraining from eating and drinking, usually 2 meals in a 24 hour period. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: “Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry. If we want our fasting to be more than just going without eating, we must lift our hearts, our minds, and our voices in communion with our Heavenly Father. Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. (“The Law of the Fast,” Apr. 2001 general conference).

Have you ever fasted and prayed for someone? Share your experience with your children, and let them share theirs

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 18-24

 Lesson

Last week, we learned about Abinadi. He was burned up by the wicked, King Noah. One of King Noah’s priests, Alma, heard Abinadi’s words and believed all of them. This made King Noah mad, and he tried to kill Alma, but he escaped into the woods and wrote the words of Abinadi. He helped establish the Church of Jesus Christ and many people were converted and baptized. The people of the Church of Jesus Christ were saved from Noah, but many of the Nephites stayed wicked. Heavenly Father humbled them by allowing the Lamanites to take them captive. When the Lamanites ruled over them, one of King Noah’s former priests, named Amulon, became a ruler over Alma and all who followed him. Amulon was a mean man and treated them terribly. He told them that if any of them were caught praying, they would be put to death. Alma’s people stopped praying aloud, but they continued to pray in their hearts. They begged Heavenly Father to save them. Heavenly Father heard their prayers!

Read or Summarize Alma 24:13-15

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

Activity

You will need a backpack of rocks, hand weights or something heavy. 

Ask your family members what trials or burdens they have that seem impossible to bear?

As they name the burdens they have, add the weights to the bag. When they feel like they can’t bear it, re-read the scripture. Ask them to remove an item from the bag every time they hear about something God does to help with their burdens. You could then talk with them about how Heavenly Father can make our burdens lighter when we seek His help. Explain that though trials and hard things aren’t always just taken away when we pray, Heavenly Father can help give us strength to endure the trials that we have to go through. Just like the people of Alma, seek the Lord when you are having a rough time, because He is anxiously waiting for you to pray for help!

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 11-17

 Read Mosiah 15:10-11

10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?

11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.

Lesson

Abinadi was a prophet that preached to a very wicked group of Nephites. King Noah was their ruler, and he taught the people that it was not important to listen to Heavenly Father, and they followed King Noah. Abinadi tried to tell the people to repent, and so King Noah caught him and put him in jail. While he was chained up, King Noah held a council, a kind of meeting, to decide what would happen to him. Abinadi stood in the council and taught the people about repentance and Jesus Christ. King Noah didn’t want the people to rebel against him and begin to follow Heavenly Father, and so he told his guards to kill Abinadi, but when they tried Abinadi began to glow and nobody touched him. He reminded everyone about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. As he bore testimony of Jesus Christ, he taught the powerful lesson that was written in the scripture above.

These two scriptures teach us that as Jesus Christ suffered the pains of His Atonement for us, He saw our faces. He knew who we are, and He suffered for each of us individually. Abinadi emphasized that the Atonement of Jesus Christ wasn’t just a “blanket” redemption where He just suffered one thing and it covered everyone. His Atonement covered each person, individually. As he endured your pains, sufferings, and paid the the price for your sins, He saw your face, and endured it for you. This perfect, Eternal Being suffered for you. If you were the only person in the world, He would have descended below all for only you. Why? Because He loves you!

Discuss

How does knowing that Jesus Christ saw your face, as He atoned for you, give you strength?

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 7-10

 Read Mosiah 8:17

17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

Object Lesson

Go on a treasure hunt around your house and look for things that help you to see things clearly. Some ideas might be glasses, binoculars, magnifying glasses, flashlights, telescopes, microscopes, etc. Just like these things help us to see things that are hidden, a seer is a person authorized of God to see with spiritual eyes things that God has hidden from the world. He is a revelator and a prophet. 

Lesson

In 2022, we studied the great prophets, seers, and revelators in the Old Testament, such as Adam, Noah, Moses, Israel, Daniel, David, Joseph, all the way to Malachi.

In 2023, we studied the teachings of Jesus Christ, Himself. We studied His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection. After His ascension into Heaven, Jesus left the keys of the Priesthood with His apostles. We studied some of their words, and the words of newly called apostles, like Saul who became Paul. We ended the year on the revelations given to Jesus’s apostle, named John.

Many people believe that after all of Jesus’s apostles died or went into hiding, that revelation ended, and God and Jesus Christ, no longer speak to us today. 

In the Spring of 1820, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. Over the course of his lifetime, the Priesthood keys were restored. These very keys were the very authority by which Jesus Christ performed miracles, sealed things in Heaven and on Earth, performed miracles, and gave us sacred ordinances. The Heavens opened and new revelations began to pour from Heaven. Today, we can pray and receive personal revelations. 

Joseph Smith was the first prophet and seer called in the Latter Days. The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve are sustained as prophets, seers, and revelators. President Russell M. Nelson holds all Priesthood Keys and is the prophet and seer that guides The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the world. Let’s look at some of the things that President Russell M. Nelson has taught in the past few years:

• Rejoice in the Gifts of Priesthood Keys (April 2024)

• Think Celestial! (October 2023)

• Peacemakers Needed (April 2023)

• The Answer is Always Jesus Christ (April 2023)

• Focus on the Temple (October 2022)

• What is True? (October 2022)

• The Power of Spiritual Momentum (April 2022)

• The Correct Name of the Church (October 2018)

The Come Follow Me Program was introduced in June 2018, and the church meetings were changed from being 3 hours every Sunday, to being 2 hours every Sunday, so that more time could be spent making our home a place for gospel learning and worship. 

We have been the recipients of so many amazing revelations and the outpouring of Heaven, because we have a prophet and seer that knows the past and future, is bringing hidden things to light, and is helping us to know things, which otherwise could not be known. 

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Family Home Evening for Mosiah 4-6

 Read Mosiah 4:11-12, 26

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

13 And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.

Discuss

Discuss ways that you and your children feel the love of God in your lives.

Teach

Teach your children that when they feel the love of God in their lives, then they will feel more like helping and serving others. Talk about ways that you can help others feel the love of God in their own lives.

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