3 Nephi 20–22

“I Will Gather My People Together”

Can you think of a time in your life when it was helpful to be with other people? Why do you think the Lord has repeatedly instructed His people to gather physically and spiritually? During the Savior’s ministry among the Nephites, He declared that Heavenly Father would remember His covenant to gather scattered Israel. He revealed signs to help us recognize when the latter-day gathering had begun. This lesson can help you participate in the gathering of Israel.

Helping students feel valued. Look for positive ways to acknowledge students’ contributions. Express gratitude when students engage in the learning process, and help all students feel safe as they share their thoughts and feelings.

Student preparation: Invite students to think during their daily scripture reading of ways the Book of Mormon has helped them come closer to Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

Being gathered

To begin, hold up a single twig, popsicle stick, or toothpick. Instruct students to do the following.

Take a moment to think of situations in which you or those you know felt lonely, unsafe, or like you did not belong.

Add the single twig, popsicle stick, or toothpick to a small group of the same item.

• How might being part of a group help with these concerns?

  Consider demonstrating how a single stick or toothpick can easily be broken, while a group of them is more difficult to break.

  To illustrate the next question, add a thick piece of wood, a large nail, or a block of metal to the group.

• What are the advantages to being in a group with the Lord and those who follow Him?

  Consider displaying the following statements and giving students a few quiet moments to ponder and self-assess.

Ponder the following statements. Rate how well these statements apply to you, using “mostly,” “sometimes,” or “rarely.”

• I feel I have a relationship with the Lord and that He protects, redeems, and loves me.

• I recognize ways the Lord invites me to come to Him and receive these blessings.

• I seek to help others be gathered to the Lord and feel safety and belonging.

As you study this lesson, consider ways the Lord seeks to safely gather you and others to Him and His Church. Ponder how you can help the Lord in His sacred work of gathering.

“I will gather”

On the second day of the Savior’s visit to the Americas, after the Savior prayed for and blessed the people, He miraculously administered the sacrament to them. Then He prophesied about His covenant people in the latter days. To understand His prophecies, it is important to remember the following:

• The Lord previously promised Abraham and his descendants, including Jacob (also named Israel), that they would have access to all the blessings of the gospel and the priesthood (see Abraham 2:6–11).

• Israel’s descendants, including the Nephites, had been scattered throughout the world. The Lord promised to gather them again to receive the blessings of the gospel.

• Any who join the Church who are not literal descendants of Israel are adopted into Israel and can receive all of the same blessings.

Read 3 Nephi 20:11–13, 18, 22, looking for what the Lord promised to do. It may be helpful to know the following:

• Sheaves (3 Nephi 20:18) are bundles of harvested grain.

• In the last days, the Lord in His justice will destroy the wicked who will not repent (see 3 Nephi 20:15–17, 19–20), and Saints will gather to a place called the New Jerusalem in the Americas (see Articles of Faith 1:10).

• What did you discover?

Carefully listen to students. As they share, invite them to point out any phrases or truths that stood out to them.

One truth we can learn from these verses is that God will fulfill His covenant to gather the house of Israel in the last days.

Prayerfully consider how you might help your students recognize the Lord’s efforts to gather them. Consider displaying the image from the beginning of the lesson, and ask questions like the following:

• What are some ways the Lord is bringing us “to the knowledge of the Lord … who hath redeemed [us]”? (3 Nephi 20:13).

• Though the prophecies about the New Jerusalem will be fulfilled in the Millennium, how do those who follow the Savior have “the powers of heaven … in [their] midst” now? (3 Nephi 20:22). In what ways can we have the Lord “in the midst of” us? (3 Nephi 20:22).

• How can these blessings help us in our lives (including when we feel lonely, unsafe, or like we do not belong)?

Signs of the latter-day gathering

The Lord promised signs in our day to indicate that He has begun gathering His people.

Consider displaying or providing students with a copy of the following matching activity. Invite students to work in pairs or small groups to complete it. The answers are 1-c, 2-b, 3-a.

3 Nephi 20:25–27	“A great and a marvelous work,” or the Restoration of Christ’s Church through His servant Joseph Smith, is a sign of the gathering.
3 Nephi 21:1–2, 7	The coming forth of the Book of Mormon, “these things which [the Lord declared],” is a sign that the Lord is gathering the house of Israel.
3 Nephi 21:9–11	Through those who have made covenants with the Lord, “all the kindreds of the earth [will] be blessed.”

• Why do you think the Lord wants us to recognize the signs of His gathering?

How have you been gathered?

• How has one of the following helped you be gathered to the Lord and enjoy the blessings He offers?

  • Members of the Church who keep their covenants

  • The Book of Mormon

  • The Church

Encourage students to share their thoughts and experiences. Consider sharing yours as well.

“All the kindreds of the earth [shall] be blessed”

As covenant members of the Church, it is our responsibility to help “all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” through the gospel of Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 20:27). The following activities can help you ponder how to assist the Lord in His gathering.

1. Read for several minutes in the Book of Mormon, looking for verses or phrases that help you come to the Lord, feel His love, and gain the blessings He offers. Record the references or key phrases in your study journal. Think of ways you might share these verses with others.

2. Prepare what you might say or write to share the Book of Mormon with someone. Include your feelings about the book and how you think it could help them come closer to the Savior.

3. Prepare what you could say to invite someone to attend church or a church activity with you. Include your thoughts on how it could help them, especially how it could help them come closer to the Lord.

As you study this week, prayerfully select one way you can help gather Israel. Other ideas will be presented in future lessons. Seek the Lord’s guidance to know which may be best for you to do.

Commentary and Background Information

How can I assist the Lord in the gathering of Israel?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

Ours is the responsibility to help fulfill the Abrahamic covenant. Ours is the seed foreordained and prepared to bless all people of the world. That is why priesthood duty includes missionary work. After some 4,000 years of anticipation and preparation, this is the appointed day when the gospel is to be taken to the kindreds of the earth. This is the time of the promised gathering of Israel. And we get to participate! Isn’t that exciting? The Lord is counting on us and [those] who worthily serve as missionaries in this great time of the gathering of Israel. (Russell M. Nelson, “Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 88)

For additional insights, consider reading or watching the address “Becoming a Missionary” by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 44–47).

What is the Book of Mormon’s role in the gathering of Israel?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

The Book of Mormon is central to this work. It declares the doctrine of the gathering. It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 80)

Do we need to gather to the same land as part of the gathering? (3 Nephi 20:29–33)

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught:

The gathering of Israel consists of joining the true church and … coming to a knowledge of the true God. … Any person, therefore, who has accepted the restored gospel, and who now seeks to worship the Lord in his own tongue and with the Saints in the nations where he lives, has complied with the law of the gathering of Israel and is heir to all of the blessings promised the Saints in these last days. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 439)

Supplemental Learning Activities

3 Nephi 22:2. Belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

If students could benefit from learning more about how the Savior blesses us through our Church membership, consider drawing a tent on the board and reading 3 Nephi 22:2 with the students. Discuss the benefits of a tent when sleeping in the wilderness, and ask questions like the following:

• How have the Savior and His Church provided you with comfort, safety, and belonging?

• Why does the Lord want the “tent” enlarged and strengthened in the latter days?

• How can we invite others to find shelter in the Savior’s Church?

If available, consider singing “The Church of Jesus Christ” with the students (Children’s Songbook, 77).

3 Nephi 22:7–10. The Lord’s “everlasting kindness”

If it would be useful for students to discuss times when people reject the gospel, ask them to share why people may turn away. Read 3 Nephi 22:7–10, looking for what the Lord promised His people. Consider asking questions like the following:

• What do you learn about the Lord from these verses?

• In what ways have you seen the Lord’s “mercy” and “everlasting kindness”? (3 Nephi 22:8).

• How might these verses motivate you or someone you love to accept or return to the Lord?