“Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material: Participating with Jesus Christ in the Ongoing Restoration,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material (2023)
“Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material
Lesson 22 Class Preparation Material
Participating with Jesus Christ in the Ongoing Restoration
Have you ever considered why Heavenly Father sent you to earth at this time? President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a counselor in the First Presidency, taught that the Restoration continues in our day and that we live in “one of the most remarkable periods of the world’s history!” (“Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 59). The Savior continues to actively lead His Church and to work for the salvation of everyone on earth. As you study this lesson, consider how you can join with Him in His great work.
Section 1
What is my part in the ongoing Restoration?
Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord restored His gospel and reestablished His “true and living church” on the earth (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30). Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. of the Seventy said:
As wonderful as the things are that God revealed through Joseph Smith, the Restoration was not completed in Joseph’s lifetime. Through prophets after him we have received such things as the ongoing development of temple work; additional scriptures; the translation of scripture into many languages; the taking of the gospel throughout the world; [and] the organization of Sunday School, Young Women, Primary, and priesthood quorums. …
“We’re witnesses to a process of restoration,” President Russell M. Nelson has said. “If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come.” (“The Ongoing Restoration,” Ensign, Apr. 2020, 21)
As the Lord continues to unfold His work, it is important for each of us to consider how we can participate. President Uchtdorf asked:
When our time in mortality is complete, what experiences will we be able to share about our own contribution to this significant period of our lives and to the furthering of the Lord’s work? …
There is too much at stake for us as individuals, as families, and as Christ’s Church to give only a halfhearted effort to this sacred work.
Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of once a week or once a day. …
Let us be awake and not be weary of well-doing, for we “are laying the foundation of a great work” [Doctrine and Covenants 64:33], even preparing for the return of the Savior. (“Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 59, 62)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Think of recent teachings from Church leaders, adjustments in Church policy, or general Church announcements that are part of the ongoing Restoration. Consider things taught in general conference, posted on the Church’s website (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), or announced in the Church’s Newsroom (newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What might these teachings or adjustments mean for you?
Section 2
How can I participate in the ongoing Restoration?
President Nelson taught that one way we can participate in the ongoing Restoration is by helping to gather Israel. He declared:
That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. …
… Would you like to be a big part of the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today?
Would you like to help gather Israel during these precious latter days? Would you, who are the elect, be willing to help find the elect who have not heard the message of the restored gospel? (Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], supplement to the New Era and Ensign, 8, ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
The gathering of Israel is of great importance because it makes the covenants and blessings promised to the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob available to all people (see Genesis 26:3–4; 35:11–12; Abraham 2:8–11).
Anciently, the house of Israel, God’s covenant people, broke their covenants and rejected the Lord. They were scattered “among all nations” (1 Nephi 22:3; see also verses 4–5). Nevertheless, prophets foretold that in the last days the Lord would do a “marvelous work” (1 Nephi 22:8) among both Israel and all the kindreds of the earth. He will gather scattered Israel and make His covenants known (see 1 Nephi 15:12–16; 22:8–10).
Study in Preparation for Class
Read 1 Nephi 22:11–12, and look for how the gathering of Israel can bless all people.
President Nelson also said this about the gathering of Israel:
The gathering of Israel is not an ultimate endpoint. It is but the beginning. The end to which we endure includes the endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple. It includes our entrance into a covenant relationship with God either by lineage or adoption and then dwelling with Him and our families forever. That is God’s glory—eternal life for His children. (“The Book of Mormon, the Gathering of Israel, and the Second Coming,” Ensign, July 2014, 31)
As you think about the scope of the gathering of Israel, you may wonder what you can do to participate. President Nelson explained, “Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel” (“Let God Prevail,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 92–93).
President Bonnie H. Cordon of the Young Women General Presidency taught how you can discover your part in the gathering:
Prayerfully ask Heavenly Father what you can do to be part of this gathering, bringing others to Christ. Write down your impressions, and then be brave and act on them! The possibilities are as varied as we are. I am grateful for a prophet who is challenging each of us to rise to a higher level. (Facebook, June 3, 2018, facebook.com/YWPresident)
Record Your Thoughts
Prayerfully consider one or two ways you can assist in the gathering of Israel. Make and record a plan to act on your impressions. You might also watch “Revelation Continues” (0:53).
Revelation Continues
Revelation continues to flow from the Lord during this ongoing process of restoration.
Section 3
Can I really make a difference?
At times you may feel inadequate as you strive to do the Lord’s work. When you feel this way, it is important to remember that you never do His work alone.
In the allegory of the olive trees, the prophet Zenos compared the vineyard to the world. The house of Israel is represented by a tame olive tree, and the Gentiles are represented by wild olive trees. As the story nears the end, the Lord of the vineyard, Jesus Christ, does everything in His power to help all the trees to become fruitful (see Jacob 5:47).
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Jacob 5:70–72 carefully, and look for the relationship between the Lord and His servants as they work in the vineyard.
Think about what it means to you to labor with the Lord. To the Saints in the latter days, the Savior said: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88).
Elder Kim B. Clark, while serving as a member of the Seventy, said of the Savior’s support:
Please remember these words of the Savior: “I am not alone, because the Father is with me” [John 16:32]. So it is with us. We are not alone. The Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father love us, and They are with us. Because Jesus looked to His Father and completed the great atoning sacrifice, we can look to Jesus Christ with assurance that He will help us. (“Look unto Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 56)
Discuss in Preparation for Class
Think of a time you have felt the Lord help you as you were doing His work. Consider also asking a family member or friend to share an example from her or his life. Come to class ready to share.