1 Nephi 11-15
“Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God”
Materials: video (link below), scripture color by number , crayons, scriptures
Opening Song: "Search, Ponder, and Pray" (Children's Songbook, 109)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Article of Fatih #8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
Attention Activity:
Play several rounds of telephone with your family.
Lesson:
What did we talk about last week? Last week, we discussed Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. Nephi wanted to see it too. "I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as i sat pondering in mine heart i was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord." (11:1) Nephi was also shown the Tree of Life, but he also saw a lot more in his vision. Nephi saw important events in the history of the earth: the life of Jesus Christ, the ministry and persecution of his apostles, the rise and fall of the Nephite nation, the apostasy and restoration, and the gathering of Israel.
In Nephi's vision, he learned that during the apostasy many precious truths were taken out of the Bible. Read 1 Nephi 13: 28. Certain sects of Christian churches decided to pick and choose which doctrines to teach, leaving many truths and covenants to be forgotten over time. A lot of the truths in the Bible also ended up being lost in translation. This is like when we played telephone at the beginning. We started with one sentence but by the time it got to everyone in the room, it had been changed to be something quite different.
Read 1 Nephi 13: 39-40. Through the Restoration of the gospel, we now have access to the plain and precious truths that were taken from the bible. Under the direction of the Lord, Jospeh Smith made many corrections and clarifications to passages in the Bible that had been misinterrepted through the years. This is known as the "Joseph Smith Translation." Nephi said that he "beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb." What are these other books? The Book of Mormon acts as a second witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel. It testifies of Him as the great Jehovah and Messiah and restores many of the plain and precious truths that were lost during the apostasy.
What are some truths about the gospel that are found in the Book of Mormon and not in the Bible? (clarification on the fall of Adam and Eve, baptismal covenant, unnecessary to baptize children, etc.)
Watch the video "The Book of Mormon--a Book from God" by Tad A. Callister found on churchofjesuschrist.org
Bear your testimony of The Book of Mormon. This year we'll study all of the wonderful doctrines and messages of hope found within this book.
Activity: Scripture color by number
Closing Song: The Eighth Article of Faith (Children's Songbook, 127)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Snickerdoodle bread recipe here
