Jacob and Enos, by Scott Snow

March 23–29

Enos–Words of Mormon

He Works in Me to Do His Will

Prepare to teach by reading Enos–Words of Mormon and creating a teaching plan (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 19). The suggestions and doctrines in this outline can also help give you ideas.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

To give class members opportunities to share what they are learning at home, you could divide them into groups and assign each group to read one of the chapters from Enos–Words of Mormon. Ask them to suggest verses from that chapter that they feel the class should discuss. List these verses on the board, and choose a few to discuss.

Teach the Doctrine

Enos 1:1–17

We can receive forgiveness of our sins as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

• Here are some questions you could invite class members to ponder and discuss as you study Enos 1:1–17: What do we learn from Enos’s experiences about receiving a remission of our sins? How did Enos demonstrate his faith in Jesus Christ? How did this experience affect Enos and how he viewed himself and others?

Enos 1:4–17

Our heartfelt prayers will be answered.

• To help class members deepen their understanding of prayer, you could divide them into small groups and invite each group to study one of the following passages from Enos 1: verses 2–8, 9–11, or 12–17. Then ask each group to teach the rest of the class something they learned about prayer from their assigned verses. For example, you might invite them to share words and phrases that describe how Enos prayed.

• In addition to learning about how Enos prayed, we can also learn much from what Enos prayed about. Perhaps class members could identify who or what Enos prayed for in Enos 1:4–17. According to these verses, why did Enos desire to pray for others? What other truths about prayer do we learn from Enos?

Jarom–Omni

If we keep the commandments, we will prosper.

• Jarom and the writers of Omni wrote about the Nephite nation, but their messages apply also to individuals. What do we learn from the books of Jarom and Omni about how righteousness leads to prosperity? (for example, see Jarom 1:7–12 and Omni 1:5–7, 12–18). It might help for class members to define prosperity using a dictionary and the scriptures (for example, see Alma 37:13; 48:15). How does the world’s definition compare to the Lord’s definition? How does the Lord help His people prosper?

• Just as the Nephite prophets labored diligently to teach the commandments to the people, our latter-day prophets also teach us about the commandments. After reading Jarom 1:9–12, class members could discuss recent teachings of Church leaders that inspire them to keep the commandments. It may be helpful for class members to review recent conference messages in Church magazines or on the Gospel Library app. Or they could review the standards discussed in For the Strength of Youth. If needed, you can refer to the list of messages in “Additional Resources.” How does obedience to the commandments help us “prosper” in our lives?

Omni

The Lord brought many people to the promised land.

• The Book of Mormon contains a complex history, and keeping track of the different groups of people it describes can be difficult. One way to learn about each of the peoples in the Book of Mormon could be to create a chart on the board and invite the class to fill it in with information about each group of people (such as Nephites, Lamanites, and the people of Zarahemla). For example, the chart could have the following headings: Group name, When and how they arrived, and What happened to them. Discuss together why it is helpful to understand the things you learned about each group. These entries in Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help: “Coriantumr,” “Jaredites,” “Lamanites,” “Mulek,” “Nephites,” and “Zarahemla.”

  

  Mormon Compiling the Plates, by Jorge Cocco

Words of Mormon 1:1–8

God will work through us if we follow His guidance.

• As part of a discussion of Words of Mormon, you could invite a class member to come prepared to share why Mormon was inspired to include the small plates (1 Nephi–Omni) in the Book of Mormon. This class member could prepare by reading Words of Mormon and other resources, such as Doctrine and Covenants 10:8–19, 39–45; this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families; and chapter 5 of Saints, volume 1. Encourage the class member to include relevant details about the loss of the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript and why the small plates were needed to replace the lost pages. What truths do class members learn from this about how the Lord works through man? What do class members find in Words of Mormon 1:1–8 that inspires them to follow direction from God even when they do not have a full understanding of the reasons?

• Mormon blessed millions of lives because he followed the Spirit’s promptings about the small plates (see Words of Mormon 1:7). Think of ways you can help your class members understand that they can also bless others as they seek to be instruments in God’s hands and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. How did God work through Mormon? What have class members seen the Lord do through them or others as they have heeded the Spirit and sought to do God’s will? The story about President Thomas S. Monson in “Additional Resources” provides an example that might help class members think of examples from their own lives.

Encourage Learning at Home

Because both general conference and Easter are coming up in the next few weeks, encourage class members to listen for messages in which members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles share their special witness of Jesus Christ.

Additional Resources

Book of Mormon videos about Enos.

Find videos that depict accounts from the book of Enos in the Book of Mormon Videos collection on ChurchofJesusChrist.org or the Gospel Library app.

General conference messages about keeping the commandments.

• Thomas S. Monson, “Keep the Commandments,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 83–85

• Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Living the Gospel Joyful,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 120–23

• Dallin H. Oaks, “No Other Gods,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 72–75

“Shake the hand of every child.”

While President Thomas S. Monson was serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he spoke to a gathering of Primary children in a Samoan village. Afterward, he was prompted to personally greet each of the 247 children who attended. However, he realized he would not have time; he tried to put the thought of greeting the children out of his mind but could not.

He finally turned to the children’s teacher and said, “I would so much like to shake the hand of each boy and each girl. Would this be possible?”

The teacher smiled and spoke to the children in Samoan. They nodded their heads eagerly in response. The teacher then told Elder Monson that when he had learned that one of the Twelve Apostles was to visit Samoa, he had promised the children that if they would pray sincerely and have faith, Elder Monson would visit their village and would be prompted by the Holy Ghost to shake the hand of every child (see Thomas S. Monson, “Friend to Friend: Talofa Lava,” Friend, May 1972, 12–13).