October 16–22

1 and 2 Thessalonians

“Perfect That Which Is Lacking in Your Faith”

Alma taught, “Trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments” (Mosiah 23:14). What does this scripture suggest about how you should prepare yourself to teach?

Invite Sharing

Give class members a few minutes to quickly look over 1 and 2 Thessalonians and find a verse that impresses them. Invite them to share their verses with someone else in the class, and then ask a few of the pairs to share what they learned from each other.

Teach the Doctrine

1 Thessalonians 1:5–8; 2:1–13

Servants of the Lord should preach with sincerity and love.

• Paul began his Epistle to the Thessalonians by reminding the Saints of the manner in which he and others had shared the gospel with them. This may be a good opportunity for your class members to evaluate how they are doing at teaching and learning from one another. You could invite class members to read 1 Thessalonians 1:5–8; 2:1–13 and identify principles related to sharing the gospel effectively. They could then write questions based on these verses that will help them evaluate their efforts to teach the gospel to others. For instance, one question might be “Am I an example of the things I know?” (see 1 Thessalonians 1:7). How can following the principles in this passage help us better minister to those we teach?

1 Thessalonians 3:9–13; 4:1–12

As we follow Jesus Christ, He can make us holy.

• Paul taught the Thessalonian Saints that “God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). To begin a discussion about holiness, your class or an individual could sing “More Holiness Give Me” (Hymns, no. 131). Ask class members to discuss the characteristics of holiness mentioned in the hymn that stand out to them. Write on the board More holiness give me, more … , and invite class members to look for words or phrases from 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13; 4:1–12 to complete the sentence. How can we develop these characteristics?

• The invitation to be holy might seem daunting. It might help if class members understand that developing holiness is a gradual process that requires us to “increase more and more” over time (1 Thessalonians 4:10). To illustrate this process, you could invite a class member to talk about a talent or accomplishment that took consistent effort over time, such as making a quilt or playing a musical instrument. How is this similar to the process of becoming holy? Invite class members to review 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13; 4:1–12 and share insights about the effort it takes to become holy in the ways Paul describes. What has helped us progress toward holiness?

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12; 2 Thessalonians 3:7–13

We should work to provide for ourselves and those in need.

• Questions like the following could inspire a discussion about Paul’s counsel regarding work: What are the consequences of idleness? What are the blessings of work? What do you think Paul meant by the words “quiet” and “quietness”? (1 Thessalonians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:12). You might want to write questions like these on the board for class members to ponder and discuss as they read 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 and 2 Thessalonians 3:7–13. What other scriptures help us understand the importance of work and the perils of idleness? (see the suggestions in “Additional Resources”).

2 Thessalonians 2

An apostasy was to precede the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

• It might be helpful to discuss some of the metaphors prophets have used to describe the Apostasy, such as a falling away (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3), a famine (see Amos 8:11–12), grievous wolves entering a flock (see Acts 20:28–30), and itching ears (see 2 Timothy 4:3–4). Consider dividing class members into pairs and asking them to read one or more of these scriptures (or others that you choose) and describe what the verses teach about the Great Apostasy. What did prophets teach about the Apostasy and the effect it would have?

• Though the Church won’t experience another “falling away” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) as it did anciently, we can still fall away individually. What does 2 Thessalonians 2 suggest about how this falling away can happen (see verses 9–10) and how we can avoid it? (see verses 15–17).

Additional Resources

Scriptures about work and idleness.

• Genesis 3:19

• Matthew 21:28–32

• Mosiah 2:10–16

• Doctrine and Covenants 42:42; 58:27; 60:13; 75:29

Improving Our Teaching

Use a variety of methods. It can be easy to get comfortable with one particular style of teaching, but different teaching methods reach different class members. Look for ways to vary your teaching approach, such as using videos, artwork, or music or giving class members opportunities to teach (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 22).