April 7–13: “Lift Up Your Voices … to Declare My Gospel”: Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
“April 7–13: ‘Lift Up Your Voices…to Declare My Gospel’: Doctrine and Covenants 30–36,” Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025 (2025)
“Doctrine and Covenants 30–36,” Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: 2025
Image
early missionaries
April 7–13: “Lift Up Your Voices … to Declare My Gospel”
Parley P. Pratt had been a member of the Church for about a month when he was called “into the wilderness” to preach the gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 32:2). Thomas B. Marsh had been a member for even less time than that when he was told, “The hour of your mission is come” (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3). Orson Pratt, Edward Partridge, and many others had likewise barely been baptized when their mission calls came. Perhaps there’s a lesson in this pattern for us today: if you know enough to accept the restored gospel by baptism, you know enough to share it with others. Of course, we always want to increase our gospel knowledge, but God has never hesitated to call upon the “unlearned” to preach His gospel (Doctrine and Covenants 35:13). In fact, He invites all of us, “Open your mouth to declare my gospel” (Doctrine and Covenants 30:5). And we do that best not through our own wisdom and experience but “by the power of [the] Spirit” (Doctrine and Covenants 35:13).
Whether or not you have a formal calling as a missionary, you can be a witness of Jesus Christ “at all times, and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). As you study Doctrine and Covenants 30–36, record what you learn about your opportunities to share the gospel. You could make a list of things the Lord asks of you and another list of promises the Lord makes as you share the gospel (for example, see Doctrine and Covenants 30:8; 31:3–5; 32:1, 5; 35:13–15, 24). You could also look for principles that can help you share the gospel. What do you find that inspires you to “declare glad tidings of great joy”? (Doctrine and Covenants 31:3).
Elder Gary E. Stevenson taught that proclaiming the gospel “can be accomplished through simple, easily understandable principles taught to each of us from childhood: love, share, and invite” (“Love, Share, Invite,” Liahona, May 2022, 85). Consider studying his message while thinking about your acquaintances, friends, and family. What ideas come to you about how you can share with them “what [you] love about the gospel of Jesus Christ”? In what ways can you invite them to “come and see,” “come and serve,” and “come and belong”? As you sing or listen to “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” (Hymns, no. 270) or a related hymn, you might ask yourself, “What does the Lord want me to say and be in order to share His gospel?”
See also Marcos A. Aidukaitis, “Lift Up Your Heart and Rejoice,” Liahona, May 2022, 40–43; Topics and Questions, “Inviting All to Receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” “Ministering as the Savior Does,” Gospel Library; “Inviting All to Come unto Christ: Sharing the Gospel” (video), Gospel Library.
The Lord can help me with my family relationships.
Families in the 1830s struggled with many of the same issues that families face today. What guidance and promises did the Lord give to Thomas B. Marsh about his family in Doctrine and Covenants 31? (see especially verses 1–2, 5–6, 9, 13). How can His words help you in your family relationships?
For more information about Thomas B. Marsh, see Saints, 1:79–80, 119–20.
Here’s another example: Ezra Thayer wrote that sometime before he was baptized, he had a vision in which “a man came and brought me a roll of paper and presented it to me, and also a trumpet and told me to [play] it. I told him that I never [played] any in my life. He said you can [play] it, try it. … It made the most beautiful sound that I ever heard” (“Revelation, October 1830–B, Revelation Book 1,” historical introduction, josephsmithpapers.org). When Joseph Smith later received a revelation for Ezra Thayer and Northrop Sweet, now recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 33, Ezra interpreted the revelation as the roll of paper in his vision. How was the Lord preparing Ezra for the mission He gave him in Doctrine and Covenants 33:1–13?
What evidence do you see that the Lord’s hand was in the lives of these early Church members? Who has the Lord placed in your life to help you come to Christ? How is He preparing you to bless others through your faithfulness, love, or invitation?
If I build my life on the Savior’s gospel, I will not fall.
Doctrine and Covenants 33 was addressed to Northrop Sweet and Ezra Thayer, two new members of the Church. Northrop left the Church soon after this revelation was given. Ezra served faithfully for some time, but he also eventually fell away. Reading about them in this section might prompt you to consider how firmly you are built “upon [the] rock” (verse 13) of the gospel. What truths in these verses can help you remain faithful to the Savior?
I should focus more on the things of God than the things of the earth.
It may be fun for your children to try to do two tasks at once, such as reciting the words to a favorite song while writing down the names of all their family members. Why is it difficult to do two things at once? You could then read Doctrine and Covenants 30:1–2 together. What are some “things of the earth” that can distract us from remembering Jesus Christ and His gospel? How can we keep our focus on Him?
To help your children understand Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–10, you could invite them to try to say a phrase with their mouths closed while you or your other children guess what they are saying. Read verses 8–10 and ask them to open their mouths each time the phrase “open your mouths” is repeated. Why does Heavenly Father want us to open our mouths and share the gospel with others? What can we tell our family and friends about the Savior or His gospel? You could also sing a song about sharing the gospel, such as “We’ll Bring the World His Truth” (Children’s Songbook, 172–73).
Consider sharing experiences you’ve had related to the principles or promises in Doctrine and Covenants 30–34. What did you learn or feel about your Savior and His work as you served Him?
Testify of promised blessings. When you invite children to live a gospel principle, you can share the promises that God has made to people who live that principle. For example, you can bear testimony of the blessings that He gives to us when we open our mouths and share the gospel.
I can build my life on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You could take your children outside to see the foundation of their home or Church building and ask them to describe it. Why does a building need a strong, solid foundation? Read with them Doctrine and Covenants 33:12–13, and share with each other your feelings about why the Lord wants us to build our lives on His gospel. Why is “rock” a good word to describe the gospel? How can we build our lives on the rock of the gospel? (see also Matthew 7:24–29).
For more ideas, see this month’s issue of the Friend magazine.
