Lesson 48: Doctrine and Covenants 30–36

Doctrine and Covenants 30–36, Part 2

“Open Your Mouths and They Shall Be Filled”

When the Lord called missionaries to preach His gospel shortly after the organization of His Church, He provided counsel to strengthen and guide them in their missionary labors. This lesson can help students in their efforts to share the gospel.

Possible Learning Activities

Concerns with sharing the gospel

Consider beginning the lesson by sharing the following scenario and questions.

As a speaker in sacrament meeting was sharing about the importance of missionary work, Conor could feel himself resisting the idea of talking to other people about the gospel. Conor is pretty quiet by nature. Additionally, he has never really had a gospel conversation with someone who was not a member of the Church. He worries about how a conversation like that would go. His quiet nature and lack of experience left him uncomfortable with the idea of initiating a gospel conversation with someone else.

• What do you think would be helpful for Conor to understand about missionary work?

• What other concerns do people often have about sharing the Savior’s gospel?

Remind students that in the previous lesson, they learned about many individuals who were called to missionary service shortly after the Church was organized. Some of these men had known about the restored gospel for only a short period of time before they were called on missions.

Invite the students to share some of the concerns these newly called missionaries may have had. You could also ask the students to think about their own concerns about sharing the gospel with others. Then share the following to help prepare students to study.

Today you will study teachings from the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 that can help you recognize His eagerness to help you share His gospel. As you study, look for teachings that can help increase your willingness and ability to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Lord provides helpful counsel to His missionaries

Give students time to study the Lord’s counsel in the following verses. One way to do this is to divide the class into five groups. Give each group a blank piece of paper, and invite them to design a page with a title such as “Helpful missionary counsel from the Lord.”

Assign one set of verses to each group. Students could then add to their pages at least three points of counsel they find in their verses. They could add illustrations to their pages if desired. You could then invite students to share their completed pages with the class.

Read the following verses, looking for counsel the Lord gave that could help you become more willing and able to share the gospel.

• Doctrine and Covenants 30:5, 8–11 (It may be helpful to know that Peter Whitmer’s “brother” referred to in verse 5 was Oliver Cowdery, who had been called to preach in an earlier revelation [see Doctrine and Covenants 28:14–16].)

• Doctrine and Covenants 31:4–9, 11–13

• Doctrine and Covenants 32:1–5

• Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–12, 16–17

• Doctrine and Covenants 35:13–15, 24

When students have finished studying, give them an opportunity to share what they learned. One way to do this could be to invite various students to share the counsel they found from their verses that was the most meaningful to them and to share a truth we can learn from this counsel. You could write these truths on the board or invite students to write them.

Examples of truths students might mention include the following: rather than fearing others, we can rely on the Lord for help sharing His gospel (see Doctrine and Covenants 30:11); the Lord will open the hearts of people we teach (see Doctrine and Covenants 31:7); the Lord will be with us as we seek to share His gospel (see Doctrine and Covenants 32:3); as we open our mouths to share the gospel, the Lord will help us know what to say (see Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–10); the Lord gives the power of His Spirit to the weak who serve Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 35:13–14).

• Why do you think the Lord is so eager to help us share the gospel?

• How could these truths about the Lord help us in our efforts to preach the gospel?

Ideas for opening your mouth to share the gospel

Take some time to help students learn about and discuss specific ways they can fulfill the Lord’s command to “open [their] mouths” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–10; see also 30:5,11) and share the gospel. Helping students see specific and achievable ways to do this can build their confidence to share the gospel.

One way to do this could be to show one or more of the following videos. Invite the students to look for different ways people opened their mouths and invited the Lord’s blessings. You could also share other resources from the pages “Sharing the Gospel” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

The following videos share ideas about how you can “open your mouth” (Doctrine and Covenants 30:5) and invite others naturally and meaningfully to experience the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Inviting Others to "Come and See"

People like being included. They just need to be invited. This video shows how invitations to "come and see" can be just a normal and natural part of everyday life for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Inviting Others to "Come and Help"

People want to help; often all they need is an invitation. This video depicts the ease of inviting people to lend a helping hand in church-related service opportunities for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sharing the Gospel

What we call “member missionary work” is not a program but an attitude of love and outreach to help those around us.

• What experiences have you had sharing the gospel? What did you find was the most helpful preparation for those experiences?

Make a plan

Give students time to write a simple plan about what they will do to share the gospel with others. The following questions could give them ideas of what to write.

• Who is someone you feel you could share the gospel with?

• From what you learned today, what are natural and meaningful ways you could help this person come closer to Jesus Christ?

• What obstacles do you think could prevent you from acting on your plan?

• What truths about the Savior have you learned from Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 that can help you overcome these obstacles?

Consider how you can encourage students to act in faith on what they felt today. You might invite them to consider setting a time frame to do what they wrote. Share your confidence in the Savior’s ability to touch others’ hearts through them.

Invite students to live what they learn: For training on how to follow up with students on their plans to live what they are learning, see the training titled, “Invite learners to live what they are learning,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Invite Diligent Learning.

Additional Resources

What if people don’t accept what I share with them?

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart

Elder Uchtdorf gives five suggestions for how to participate in missionary work.

Understand that it’s not your job to convert people. That is the role of the Holy Ghost. Your role is to share what is in your heart and live consistent with your beliefs.

So, don’t be discouraged if someone does not accept the gospel message immediately. It is not a personal failure.

That is between the individual and Heavenly Father.

Yours is to love God and love your neighbors, His children.

Believe, love, do.

Follow this path, and God will work miracles through you to bless His precious children. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 17)

Doctrine and Covenants 33:9. What does it mean to be “laden with sheaves upon your back”?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered the following insight to this analogy:

Honorably Hold a Name and Standing

The fire of the covenant will burn in the heart of every faithful member of this Church who shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in the Lord’s holy house.

The sheaves [grain] in this analogy represent newly baptized members of the Church. The garners [places where grain is stored] are the holy temples. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should be gathered is the holy temple” (in John L. Hart, “Make Calling Focus of Your Mission,” Church News, Sept. 17, 1994, 4). This instruction clarifies and emphasizes the importance of sacred temple ordinances and covenants—that the sheaves may not be wasted. (David A. Bednar, “Honorably Hold a Name and Standing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 97)

See Alma 26:5 for another example of how this symbol is used in the scriptures.

How can I naturally share the gospel with others?

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony

Elder Stevenson teaches about what a testimony is and the importance of keeping your testimony strong and bearing it in word and deed.

You bear your testimony when you share spiritual feelings with others. As a member of the Church, you have opportunities to bear your spoken testimony in formal Church meetings or in less formal, one-on-one conversations with family, friends, and others.

Another way you share your testimony is through righteous behavior. Your testimony in Jesus Christ isn’t just what you say—it’s who you are.

Each time you bear vocal witness or demonstrate through your actions your commitment to follow Jesus Christ, you invite others to “come unto Christ” [Moroni 10:32].

Members of the Church stand as witnesses of God at all times, in all things, and in all places. Opportunities to do this in the digital universe using inspiring content of our own or sharing uplifting content prepared by others are endless. We testify when we love, share, and invite, even online. Your tweets, direct messages, and posts will take on a higher, holier purpose when you also use social media to show how the gospel of Jesus Christ shapes your life. (Gary E. Stevenson, “Nourishing and Bearing Your Testimony,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 112)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Learn about Phebe and Sidney Rigdon’s conversion

The students might enjoy learning about some of the successes experienced by a few of the missionaries who were called to preach the gospel in the revelations recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 30–36.

Explain that during the time Parley Pratt and his companions were fulfilling their assignment to preach the gospel “into the wilderness among the Lamanites” (Doctrine and Covenants 32:2), they visited Mentor, Ohio. It was there that Parley taught his friend Sidney Rigdon, who was a religious minister.

Students could read a short account of the events leading to the conversion of Sidney and Phebe Rigdon in “Voices of the Restoration: Early Converts” (see also Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025; Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Vol. 1 , The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 [2018], 100–101).

After reading this account, you could invite students to discuss what stood out to them. Consider also mentioning that in addition to Sidney’s conversion, more than 100 others in the region also converted and became a great blessing to the young Church.

Sweep the earth as with a flood

To help students know how they might use social media to share the gospel, consider sharing the video “Sweep the Earth as with a Flood—Highlight” (2:56). You could invite students to take out their devices and share a gospel-centered message they feel impressed to share before leaving class, or they could share something when they get home.

Sweep the Earth as with a Flood – Highlight

Highlights from Elder David A. Bednar's address at the BYU Education Week Devotional 2014.

Recently returned missionaries

Consider inviting one or more recently returned missionaries from your area to come to class and share about their own experiences teaching the gospel to others. They might also share how they saw members share the gospel with friends and family. Make sure to consult with your seminary and institute leaders to get approval for such an activity.