“Doctrinal Mastery: Mosiah 2:17—‘In the Service of Your God,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)
“Doctrinal Mastery: Mosiah 2:17,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual
Doctrinal Mastery: Mosiah 2:17
“In the Service of Your God”
In the lesson “Mosiah 2:1–18,” you learned that “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). This lesson can help you memorize the doctrinal mastery passage and key scripture phrase for Mosiah 2:17, explain the doctrine, and practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to realistic scenarios.
Using scenarios. Discussing real-life situations or scenarios can help students better understand how gospel truths apply to everyday life. Encourage students to think of situations from their own lives, and then invite them to apply the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to discover possible resolutions to their questions.
Student preparation: Invite students to come to class having thought of a time when they had a challenging service experience or an opportunity to serve but didn’t want to.
Possible Learning Activity
This doctrinal mastery passage lesson is designed to be taught after the lesson “Mosiah 2:1–18,” which is the contextual lesson for the doctrinal mastery passage Mosiah 2:17. If this doctrinal mastery passage lesson needs to be moved to a different week, be sure to teach the corresponding contextual lesson during that week as well.
Explain and memorize
Read Mosiah 2:17 and the New Testament doctrinal mastery passage Matthew 22:36–39, looking for similarities.
For variety, consider dividing students into pairs and having each read one of the scripture passages. Then invite them to discuss the following questions.
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What similarities do you see between Matthew 22:36–39 and Mosiah 2:17?
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How would you explain the doctrine of service using these passages?
To help students memorize this key scripture phrase, you could split the class into two halves. Assign half the class the first part of the phrase: “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings.” Assign the rest of the class the second part of the phrase: “Ye are only in the service of your God.” Point to the first group and ask them to repeat their assigned phrase. Repeat with the second group. After both phrases are repeated, say “Mosiah 2:17” together as a class. You could repeat the activity but have the two halves of the class switch the phrases they repeat. Remind students to be reverent when speaking about God.
Practice application
Remember that the purpose of reviewing the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge is to help students know them well enough to use them naturally in their lives when they confront spiritual questions. Use these review exercises to assess students’ knowledge of the principles. Adapt or repeat them as needed.
Divide students into groups of three and assign each student one of the following principles from the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023): act in faith, examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective, and seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources. Invite each student to identify two sentences from their assigned portion that they think are important to understand. Ask them to share these sentences with their group and to include why they chose them.
The following activity could be done individually, in pairs, or in small groups. If students choose to write a scenario, the scenario should include a challenge or conflict that could be viewed through the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. Have students exchange their scenarios with each other. Then invite them to work through the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to respond to the scenario they received. If needed, give students the questions listed in each section.
Service is generally a positive experience for those who participate and those who are served. However, there are also challenges that can be a part of serving. Reflect on recent service opportunities you have had. What were some of the challenges that came along with the service? What are some reasons people choose not to serve?
Write your own scenario describing a challenge with service. Here is an example: Sophia was asked by her Church leaders to take a birthday treat to a less active girl in her Young Women class. When the girl came to the door, she was not very friendly to Sophia. Feeling hurt, Sophia walked away regretting that she had done the service.
Act in faith
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How is it an act of faith to serve despite challenges?
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How could the doctrine taught in Mosiah 2:17 help the person in this situation act in faith?
Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective
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What changes when you see the scenario with an eternal perspective?
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How can the doctrine taught in Mosiah 2:17 help this person see things from an eternal perspective?
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How do you think the Savior would act in this situation?
Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources
To help students find a statement, you could display quotes from the “Commentary and Background Information” section of the lesson “Mosiah 2:1–18.”
Find an additional scripture or a statement from general conference that you could share to help a person serve with a willing attitude. To do this, try searching for “service” in the Gospel Library app, and then look at the scriptures or conference talks that come up. You could also look up “Service” in the Topical Guide or Guide to the Scriptures.
Invite students to share what they found. You may conclude by encouraging students to strive to overcome obstacles that keep them from serving. Remind them of the service plan they made while studying Mosiah 2:1–18 and the opportunities that are around them each day to serve others.
Doctrinal mastery review
Write the scripture reference and key scripture phrase on the board, and invite students to repeat them aloud as a class. Erase a few words and invite students to repeat the full reference and phrase again. Repeat this process until everything is erased and students can repeat the entire reference and phrase from memory.