Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 31-33

 Read 2 Nephi 32:3-5

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Lesson

What is the difference between tasting a food, eating a food, and feasting on food?

When we taste food, we barely let it touch our tongue and we would never feel full of food from tasting it.

When we casually eat food, we might take a bite here and there. We don’t usually fill up quickly, and we definitely don’t get very full. 

When we feast upon our food, this is usually because we really enjoy this food. Even if our tummies are satisfied, we will still eat more, because it tastes so yummy. When we feast, our bodies are filled with food to full capacity.

What did the scripture above say that we should feast on? What does feasting on the words of Christ look like to you?

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 26-30

 Read or Summarize 2 Nephi 29:7-11

7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

Discuss

Ask your children to imagine that a friend says, “I don’t need to read the Book of Mormon. I’ve already read the Bible.” Using the scripture at the beginning of this lesson, talk about what could we say to our friend? 

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 20-25

 Read 2 Nephi 25:26

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Lesson

Watch Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me by clicking on the blue words of the title. When you have watched it, ask your children how the children and other people that interacted with Jesus in the video felt. How would they feel to see Jesus? 

Listen and Discuss

During the April 1972 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, former Apostle Bruce R. McConkie shared a stirring, personal talk titled “The Testimony of Jesus.” In his address, he revealed his personal witness of Christ and shared a poem he wrote, titled “I Believe in Christ.” Before sharing the poem he stated the following:

“I shall take the liberty, both by way of testimony and to set the tone for what is involved, to read these words of my own composition:"

Listen to or sing the words of I Believe in Christ (hymn 134) Link to Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performing this song

This song was written as a poem declaring the testimony, happiness, and joy that Jesus brought to Elder Bruce R. McConkie.

 Ask each child to finish this line, helping them to understand the beginnings of their own testimony, “I believe in Christ, He __________.”

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 11-19

 Read 2 Nephi 15:20

20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Lesson

Watch the first 90 seconds of the video “You will be Freed.” 

Discuss

Why does the fisherman disguise his hook? Why does Satan disguise sin? How does Jesus Christ help us avoid being deceived by Satan?

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 6-10

 Read or Summarize 2 Nephi 9:6-10; 19-24

When I have huge scripture chunks like this, I like to summarize parts and then read some of the verses word for word. This helps familiarize scriptural language for kids.

6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.

21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.

22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

 24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.

Lesson/Activity

You can use the activity page, at the bottom of this lesson (also found in the Come Follow Me Manual here) If Adam and Eve had stayed in the Garden of Eden,  they would never die, and they would never have children. They would just live in the garden forever as if they were little kids. As soon as they partook of the fruit, they had to leave the garden. They knew right from wrong, and they became mortal, meaning that they could now die. Because they couldn’t be perfect their whole lives, when they died, they would die in their sins. Since we are all born after Adam and Eve, we too would be doomed to die without being perfect and would also be forced to live with Satan for all eternity as spirits, because when we died, our bodies would go into the ground and never be resurrected. We would be much like this man at the bottom of this pit. (Put the man at the bottom of the pit) No matter how hard he tries, there is no way that he can get himself out of there.

Heavenly Father loves His children, and didn’t want them to be doomed forever, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for all sins, pains, and afflictions and be resurrected. When Jesus died and was resurrected, He gave us a free gift. Resurrection. All people, who have ever lived, will be resurrected and live again. (Put the ladder between Jesus and the man at the bottom of the pit). Jesus Christ gave us a way out of the pit.

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live forever with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. (2 Nephi 9:22) The ladder is now this man’s way out of the pit, but he can choose, with something we call agency, to use the ladder or not. We too can use our agency to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 2 Nephi 9:23-24 tells us 4 things that we must do to “climb the ladder” out of the “pit of sin.” We need to (as you read each step, move the man up the ladder, until he reaches Jesus Christ)

1. Repent

2. Be baptized in His name

3. Have perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel

4. Endure to the end

Close

In closing, share your testimonies of Jesus Christ as a family.

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 3-5

 Read or summarize 2 Nephi 5:15-16

15 And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.

16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

Lesson

It is no wonder why when the Nephites began to build their cities, one of the first things they built was a temple. They knew what a Jewish temple looked like and how it was built, but they didn’t have the same materials to build with, but they were able to find other materials to build the temple. They were able to still build a beautiful temple with what they had, and they dedicated it as a building unto the Lord, and the Lord accepted it as such.

Currently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has 335 temples in various phases, which includes 188 dedicated temples (with 183 operating temples and 5 previously dedicated, but closed for renovations), 52 under construction, and 95 that are announced but they haven’t started building yet. Temples are beginning to be found all over the world, and more temples are announced each General Conference. 

Temples are buildings, unlike any other building in the world. They are beautiful on the outside and peaceful and quiet on the inside. They are like a piece of Heaven on earth. When you even walk around the outside of the temple, you can feel the peace, love, and comfort that Heavenly Father gives to you so freely. Inside the temple, we make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father and learn more about His great and Eternal Plan of Happiness. The Nephites remembered how happy King Solomon’s temple made them in Jerusalem, and they wanted to feel that same happiness in the Promised Land. That is why they built a temple.

Discuss

Talk about how the temple makes you feel. Why is the temple important to you?

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 1-2

Activity

Cut 1-2 inch wide strips of paper, cutting the paper from left to right, along the short side. Help your children write different sins on the strips of paper. Glue the strips together to create a chain.

Wrap the chains around one, or all of your children as you Read 2 Nephi 1:13, 15, 23. When you read the word, “Lord,” tell your children to shake off the chains.

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.

Lesson

Sins always come with a consequence. A consequence is something that happens, because of a choice we make. The consequence of sin may come with the price of an addiction, bad habit, or both. Once an addiction or bad habit forms, they begin to run your life and they seem impossible to escape. Oftentimes, our friendships with other people and family members are changed by these addictions. For example, if we develop a habit of lying, then people don’t trust us. On the other hand, when we tell the truth, it strengthens our family bonds. Gratefully, Jesus paid the price for these chains that bind us. When we pray and repent, we can feel the freedom that comes from repentance and following Heavenly Father’s commandments.

Discuss

Talk about some habits and addictions that you’ve had in your life. How did you overcome them?

Watch

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 16-22

 Read 1 Nephi 18:9, 28-29

10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

28 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.

29 And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Lesson

Imagine that you are going to go on a trip to a far away place that you have never visited before. How would you know how to get there?

Some people might use a compass.

Some people might use a paper map.

Some people might use a GPS system.

The Liahona was like these things. It told Lehi how to guide his family through the wilderness. It also had writing on it that would appear and help them understand what Heavenly Father wanted them to know.

Going back to your imaginary trip, what could make the thing or things you are using stop guiding you? Maybe you could tell a story when something that was guiding you stopped working.

In 1 Nephi 18:9-12, 20-22 we learn that the Liahona stopped giving Lehi’s family directions. This was because they were doing things that were not good, and when Nephi told them that they needed to stop and repent, they tied him up. A huge storm came and almost broke the boat that they were traveling on. The Liahona didn’t begin working again until they repented and untied Nephi. Nephi prayed, and the storm stopped.

Discuss

What has God given us to guide us back to him, the way that the Liahona guided Lehi’s family through the wilderness.

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 11-15

 Last week we learned about Lehi’s vision and Nephi’s desire to have the same vision and understand what the symbols in the vision meant. Do you remember what the tree of life represents?

When Nephi prayed, the first thing that he was shown was Mary, Jesus’s mother. The next thing the angel asks him is, “knowest though the condescension of God?”

What does the word “condescension” mean? It is when someone who has a high rank, like a captain or a king, chooses to leave their position to be with people that are below their ranking. When the angel asks Nephi if he knows the condescension of God, he is asking if Nephi truly understands the importance of Jesus leaving His Heavenly throne, as the Son of God and co-creator of this world, to come to earth. The angel then showed Nephi 5 events of the Savior’s life.

Read these verses and show these corresponding pictures from Chapter 11

1. 20-21- And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!

2. 24- And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.

3. 27- And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

4. 
   

5. 31- And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

6. 33- And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

Jesus was born as a baby, performed miracles, taught people about God and how to obtain eternal life, healed people and casted out devils, descended below all things by offering an Atonement for the remission of all of our earthly sins and afflictions, and was resurrected, before being able to take up His throne again next to God. This was the condescension of God and the ultimate display of God’s love for us. As we make Jesus and Heavenly Father the center of our lives, it will be the most joyous to our soul.

Discuss

What did you learn about Jesus Christ from these verses?

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 6-10

 Summarize Lehi’s Dream, found in 1 Nephi 8

Here is our summary

Lehi had a vision of a man, dressed in white, who asked him to follow him. While he was following him, he discovered that he was in a dark place. He wandered around this dark place for many hours, before he prayed that he could be somewhere safe.

Then, he saw a big field and a tree. He knew that the fruit on the tree would make people happy, if they ate it. Lehi went to the tree immediately and ate the fruit. He said it was the best fruit that he had ever tasted. It was more sweet and white than anything he had ever eaten or seen before. After he ate the fruit, he felt so happy and he wanted to share this happiness with his family.

He looked around and saw a river of water by the tree. At the other end of the river he saw his wife, Sariah, and his sons Nephi and Sam. They looked lost and didn’t know where they should go. Lehi called to them, and they came to the tree and partook of the fruit too. 

Lehi looked again for his sons, Lamen and Lemuel, because he wanted them to partake of the fruit also. He found them and called to them, but they wouldn’t come to him.

At the bank of the river, Lehi noticed an iron rod that led to the tree. The iron rod was along a straight and narrow path. At the other end of the river, was a large field.

A lot of people were coming to the straight and narrow path that led to the tree, but a huge, dark cloud also known as a mist of darkness came, and a lot of people wandered off the path and were lost. Other people kept walking towards the tree and found the rod of iron in the darkness and held on really tightly to it. They used the iron rod to help them find the tree where Lehi was, and they were able to partake of the same fruit.

After they partook of the fruit, they looked around and then looked like they were embarrassed that they took it. This caused Lehi to look around, and he saw a great and spacious, in other words, a really big building with people in it that were dressed in fancy clothes. They were pointing at and laughing at those who had partaken of the fruit. This caused those people to leave the tree and wander off and get lost.

Other people felt their way through the mist of darkness, and traveled towards the great and spacious building, some just fell into the river and drowned, and some just wandered away and were lost.

The people who entered the building tried to make fun of those who were happy that they ate the fruit, including Lehi and his family, but they didn’t listen to them.

Lesson

After summarizing Lehi’s vision, explain that when Nephi heard his Father’s vision, he also wanted to see it and understand it. So, Nephi did what we all should do, when we don’t understand something. He prayed. The Lord not only gave Nephi the same vision, but he also sent an angel to explain to him what the different things represented, in 1 Nephi 11.

When Nephi asked what the tree meant, the angel showed him the Baby Jesus, and he told him that this Baby was the Son of God. The angel asked Nephi if he understood, now, what the tree represented. He said, “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.”

The angel also told Nephi the following:

The iron rod represents the Word of God 

The river represents the depths of Hell

The field represents the world

The mists of darkness represents temptation 

The great and spacious building represents the pride of the world.

Discuss

What do we learn from Lehi’s vision?

Watch

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 1-5

 Read 1 Nephi 2:16,19

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

Lesson

Nephi’s father, Lehi, was a prophet in Jerusalem. Heavenly Father showed him many visions that taught him a lot of things. When he shared what he had seen with his family, his oldest sons, Lamen and Lemuel, rejected the visions and said that their father was a “visionary man,” which meant that they thought he was crazy. Nephi did something different.

Discuss

According to the scriptures at the beginning of this lesson, how did Nephi know that what his father taught was true? 

Why is it important to gain our own testimonies of truths that we learn?

Activity

Tell your children that these scriptures teach us how we can gain our own testimonies of what we are taught. 

Get some building blocks, food storage containers, sugar cubes, or anything else you can stack. Use these cubes to demonstrate how to build testimony. As you lay the foundation for your structure, teach them that the foundation of all testimonies is a belief or knowledge that Jesus is the Christ. That because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live again after we die, repent, and live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. Without a testimony of Jesus Christ, a testimony will not be as strong.

You could show your children pictures or objects that represent things they might seek a testimony of, such as a copy of the Book of Mormon or a picture of Jesus Christ, a temple, or the living prophet. Invite them to pick one and share their testimonies of that thing. As they do, add a layer or two of blocks, until you have built a strong, testimony house.

Watch

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Family Home Evening for Book of Mormon Introduction

 Show 

Show your Children the front cover of the Book of Mormon. Help them point to the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Teach them that this means the Book of Mormon teaches us about Jesus Christ.

Read the Introduction Page to the Book of Mormon 

As you read, find the purposes of the Book of Mormon, listed in the title page.

Share 

Share your testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Make a Plan or Goal 

Make a plan or goal of how you will read the Book of Mormon as a family, and think of ways that you can strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ as you do so.

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