3 Nephi 19

“They Were Filled with the Holy Ghost”

There was nothing the twelve Nephite disciples desired more than to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. This was the subject of their prayers to Heavenly Father after the Savior concluded the first day of His ministry among them. What do we need to do to have the Holy Ghost to be with us? How can we enjoy His companionship in our lives? The purpose of this lesson is to help you better understand how to receive the blessings of the Holy Ghost.

Righteous teenage desires

• If you were to survey 100 teenagers from your area, what do you think would be among their most common righteous desires?

Ponder which of these desires you can relate to. As you study 3 Nephi 19, look for truths that can help you achieve your righteous desires.

After the Savior ministered to, taught, healed, and blessed the people, He “departed from them, and ascended into heaven” (3 Nephi 18:39) with the promise that He would return the following day. The people returned home, and “all the night it was noised abroad concerning Jesus,” and “an exceedingly great number … did labor exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude” (3 Nephi 19:3). The next day, the twelve disciples whom Jesus had chosen gathered the people and taught them the “words which Jesus had spoken.” The disciples then knelt and “prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus” (3 Nephi 19:8).

Read 3 Nephi 19:9 to see what they most desired as they prayed.

1. Answer the following questions:

   • Why do you think they desired the Holy Ghost so much?

   • What are some circumstances you may face in the future in which you would want to recognize and understand the promptings of the Holy Ghost?

Ponder if you truly desire the Holy Ghost in your life and how your life might be different if you desired His influence more regularly.

Seeking the Holy Ghost

Read 3 Nephi 19:10–23, and look for ways you could complete the following statement:

• We can be filled with the Holy Ghost as we …

Some possible ways to complete this statement are:

• … sincerely desire and pray for His companionship.

• … participate in the ordinances of the gospel.

Prayerfully think of someone you know who you feel could benefit from better understanding how to receive the guidance and comfort of the Holy Ghost more often. Complete activities A and B and think about how you could help this person.

Activity A: We can be filled with the Holy Ghost as we sincerely desire and pray for His companionship.

• How can our desires and prayers help us be filled with the Holy Ghost?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how desire and prayer can help us have the Spirit with us.

Do we … remember to pray earnestly and consistently for that which we should most desire, even the Holy Ghost? Or do we become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and take for granted or even neglect this most valuable of all gifts? Receiving the Holy Ghost starts with our sincere and constant desire for His companionship in our lives. (David A. Bednar, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 96)

You may want to watch “Having the Holy Ghost” (2:56), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

• When have your righteous desires and prayers helped you feel the influence of the Spirit?

Activity B: We can be filled with the Holy Ghost as we participate in the ordinances of the gospel.

Read 3 Nephi 18:7, 11; 27:20, looking for how ordinances can help us be filled with the Holy Ghost.

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:

Baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered. The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 95–96.)

• What did you learn about the role of ordinances (such as baptism and the sacrament) in helping us be filled with the Holy Ghost?

• When have you been filled with the Holy Ghost as you have participated in the ordinances of the gospel?

2. Recall the person you thought of who could benefit from better understanding how to receive the Holy Ghost. Prepare a message you could share with him or her. Share any experiences in which desire and prayer or participation in ordinances helped you or others receive the Holy Ghost.

Personal application

Think about your own need for the Holy Ghost and why you desire His influence in your life. Identify something you feel inspired to do to keep the Holy Ghost with you. Strive to follow through on that impression.

Optional: Want to Learn More?

How can the Holy Ghost be our constant companion?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

If we are striving to be and become good—not perfect right now, but gradually getting better—if we are honoring our covenants, seeking for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, worthily partaking of the sacrament and retaining a remission of our sins, and pressing forward, then indeed we can have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. We are not “preparing to receive revelation”; we are “living in revelation.” (David A. Bednar, The Spirit of Revelation [2021], 7)

Doctrine and Covenants 121:45–46 also teaches how we can have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.

3 Nephi 19:23. How can the Holy Ghost help us become one with the Father and the Son?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Surely we will not be one with God and Christ until we make Their will and interest our greatest desire. Such submissiveness is not reached in a day, but through the Holy Spirit, the Lord will tutor us if we are willing until, in process of time, it may accurately be said that He is in us as the Father is in Him. At times I tremble to consider what may be required, but I know that it is only in this perfect union that a fulness of joy can be found. (D. Todd Christofferson, “That They May Be One in Us,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 73)