Fourth-Sunday Meetings (October–December 2018)

Personal and Family Scripture Study

On fourth Sundays in 2018, elders quorums and Relief Societies will discuss personal and family scripture study. Leaders or teachers may choose to lead discussions on any of the following principles.

Personal Scripture Study

To help inspire members to study the scriptures regularly, consider inviting each member to select one of the following passages to read: Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 1 Nephi 15:23–25; 2 Nephi 32:3; Doctrine and Covenants 11:22–23; 33:16–18. After they have had time to read and ponder, they could share with someone else in the room what their passage teaches them about scripture study.

You could also invite members to share their testimonies of the blessings they receive as they study the scriptures. Members may also benefit from hearing each other share what they do to make personal scripture study meaningful (see some examples in “Ideas to Improve Your Personal Scripture Study” in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). You could also share with members what Elder Quentin L. Cook taught about “the purposes and blessings associated with [the adjustment in the Sunday schedule] and other recent changes” (see “Deep and Lasting Conversion to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 9). Members could discuss how our efforts to improve our scripture study can help accomplish these purposes. The following videos on LDS.org may also inspire members: “Words with Friends,” “The Blessings of Scripture,” “Daily Bread: Pattern,” and “What Scriptures Mean to Me.”

Consistency in Gospel Study

Elder David A. Bednar compared consistent family scripture study and other righteous habits to small brushstrokes that make up a beautiful painting. To help members understand what Elder Bednar taught, perhaps you could display a painting in which the artist’s brushstrokes are visible. Members could then read Elder Bednar’s analogy, found in “More Diligent and Concerned at Home” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 19–20), and discuss how the brushstrokes in this painting are like scripture study. What has helped us overcome the obstacles to consistent gospel study, whether we are studying as individuals or with our families? What did President Russell M. Nelson promise to those who “diligently work to remodel [their homes] into a center of gospel learning”? (see “Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 113). Provide time for members to ponder and share what they are inspired to do because of what they learned today.

Gospel Discussions at Home and at Church

One way to help members understand the importance of gospel discussions at home and church could be to invite a child and a parent to sing “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” (Hymns, no. 304). What does the interaction between the child and the parent in the lyrics of this song teach us about learning the gospel? Perhaps some members would be willing to share their thoughts on how to make gospel discussions a natural and regular part of family life. The following scriptures may provide insights: Deuteronomy 11:18–20; 1 Peter 3:15; Mosiah 18:9; Moroni 6:4–5, 9; Doctrine and Covenants 88:122. How can our discussions at home and at church bring us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Ideas for Supporting Scripture Study at Home in 2019

During 2019, all ward members will be studying the New Testament—at home and in Sunday School and Primary. In quorum and Relief Society meetings, leaders and teachers should remind members about the scriptures scheduled for the coming week in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families that they can study at home. This simple reminder can be shared in writing, verbally, or both.

Elders quorum and Relief Society leaders and teachers can encourage this scripture study by finding opportunities to bring New Testament insights into elders quorum and Relief Society meetings. For example, elders quorum and Relief Society leaders and teachers might:

Notice how stories or doctrine from their scripture study apply to an elders quorum or Relief Society lesson. Leaders and teachers might share this insight in a Sunday meeting.
Share with members how stories or doctrine from the New Testament apply to their responsibilities in the elders quorum or Relief Society.
Share with members positive experiences they have had with studying the New Testament at home and encourage members to share these experiences as well.