“April 19–25. Doctrine and Covenants 41–44: ‘My Law to Govern My Church,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 (2020)
“April 19–25. Doctrine and Covenants 41–44,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary
April 19–25
Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
“My Law to Govern My Church”
During your preparation this week, pay attention to the impressions you receive from the Spirit. What do you feel the children need to learn from Doctrine and Covenants 41–44?
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Toss a ball to a child, and ask the child to share one commandment that he or she knows about. Keep passing the ball until everyone has had a chance to share something.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can obey God’s laws.
As the Church grew and members gathered in Kirtland, Ohio, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith what He called His “law” and commanded the Saints to “hearken and hear and obey” it. How can you help the children understand that we are blessed when we are obedient?
Possible Activities
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Read Doctrine and Covenants 42:2, emphasizing the word “obey.” Give the children a few simple scenarios in which a child chooses to obey or disobey a law or rule. Ask the children to listen carefully and smile if the person in the story obeys and frown if the person disobeys. Share blessings you have received when you have obeyed God’s laws.
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Play a game by giving the children a rule to follow. For instance, you could tell them that they must raise their hands and be called on to answer questions. Then let them practice obeying by asking them questions and calling on those who raise their hands. What laws has God given us?
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Complete the activity page with the children, or sing a song about obeying God’s laws, such as “I Want to Live the Gospel” (Children’s Songbook, 148). Tell the children how obeying God’s laws has brought you happiness.
We learn God’s commandments in Primary.
I am serving Jesus Christ when I serve others.
The Lord wants His Saints to care for the poor and needy. Help the children understand that when they are serving people in need, they are also serving the Savior.
Possible Activities
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If Jesus Christ were in our class today, what would we say to Him? How would we treat Him? Show a picture of the Savior, and explain Jesus’s teaching that when we show love to others, we are also showing love to Him. Help the children repeat verse 38 with you, a few words at a time.
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Help the children think of ways they can serve Jesus by serving others. They can find some ideas from the video “Pass It On” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) or from pictures of the Savior helping others, such as pictures of Him healing the sick or being kind to children (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 42, 47). Testify that when they serve others, they are also serving Jesus.
2:3
The Lord leads His Church through His prophet.
You can help the children avoid being deceived throughout their lives by teaching them, while they are young, the Lord’s pattern for leading His Church through the living prophet.
Possible Activities
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Show pictures of different people, including a picture of the current prophet. Place the pictures face down, and let the children turn over the pictures one by one until they find the prophet. Explain the Lord’s teaching that only the prophet is “appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from [the Lord]” to lead the Church (Doctrine and Covenants 43:2).
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Sing together a song about prophets, such as the last verse of “Follow the Prophet” (Children’s Songbook, 110–11). Share your testimony that the prophet leads the Church.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
A disciple is someone who receives God’s law and obeys it.
Do the children you teach know what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 can help them understand how to be better disciples.
Possible Activities
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Write Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 on a piece of paper, leaving blanks where the word “disciple” should be. Ask the children to fill in the blanks, looking in Doctrine and Covenants 41:5 if they need help. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Share how you are striving to be a better disciple of Christ.
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After discussing Doctrine and Covenants 41:5, ask the children to think of laws we have received from the Lord. Invite them to take turns acting out obeying one of those laws while the rest of the class tries to guess what it is.
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Give each class member a strip of paper, and ask them to write on it one way they can be a better disciple. Invite each child to share what they wrote, and then tape the strips together to create a paper chain.
Doctrine and Covenants 42:61, 68
God reveals wisdom to those who ask.
Children ask lots of questions as they grow in their knowledge of the world and the gospel. How can you use Doctrine and Covenants 42:61, 68 to help them know how to gain wisdom from the Lord?
Possible Activities
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Ask the children to share with you something that helps them feel peaceful and something that helps them feel joyful. Invite them to read Doctrine and Covenants 42:61 looking for the words “peaceable” and “joy.” Help the children think of truths God has revealed that bring them peace and joy.
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Read Doctrine and Covenants 42:61, 68 with the children, emphasizing the phrase “revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge.” Explain that God does not reveal everything at once; instead, He gives us a little bit at a time. Show how a puzzle is built little by little, or use something similar to help the children understand this principle. Share an experience when you received revelation that blessed you.
Only the prophet can receive revelation for the whole Church.
As the children grow, they will likely meet people who want to lead them astray. How can you help the children trust God’s pattern of leading His children through His chosen prophet?
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to imagine that someone stands up in testimony meeting and tells the ward that he has received a revelation for the Church (for example, that we should no longer drink milk or that we should start holding sacrament meetings on Tuesdays instead of Sundays). He says that we should listen to what he says instead of the prophet. What would be wrong with that? Help the children search Doctrine and Covenants 43:1–7 to find out how the Lord gives commandments to His Church.
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Show a picture of the living prophet, and invite the children to share something he taught recently. If they need help, show a video clip or read a passage from a recent general conference message. Why is it a blessing to have a living prophet today?
Encourage Learning at Home
Invite the children to choose a law or commandment they feel they should focus on obeying this week. Encourage them to share their goal with their families.
Improving Our Teaching
Teach children to record impressions. Even children can learn the habit of recording spiritual impressions. They can record impressions by marking scriptures, drawing pictures, or making simple journal entries.