Assess Your Learning 3

Matthew 8–13; Mark 2–5; Luke 7–9; 11; 13

Mendoza, Argentina. A group of young men and young women attend an early morning seminary class.

This lesson is intended to help you evaluate the goals you have set and the learning and personal growth you have experienced from your study of the New Testament so far this year.

Think about your recent growth

One of the purposes of seminary is to help you come unto Jesus Christ and become His disciple. Take a moment to think about your recent spiritual growth. The following questions can guide you. Consider recording your responses to these questions in your study journal.

What is one change you have recently made in your life that has brought you closer to Jesus Christ?
What have you learned about the Savior in your recent studies that has been especially meaningful to you?
In what ways do you feel like you are becoming more like Jesus Christ?

Assess your ability to understand the scriptures

This year in seminary you have been taught a variety of skills to help you understand the scriptures better. Some of these skills, like defining difficult words, might have helped you better understand the language used in the scriptures. Other skills, like the four-step pattern for understanding symbols used with parables, may have helped you better understand the messages in the scriptures.

Using the scale from 0 to 5, how much have the following study skills helped you to better understand the scriptures?

0. I have not used this skill.
1. None
2. A little
3. Somewhat
4. Quite a bit
5. Completely
Identifying principles
Understanding symbols and metaphors (in the Savior’s parables, for example)
Tagging (in Gospel Library), marking, underlining, and so on
Recording thoughts and impressions as you study
Linking (in Gospel Library) or cross-referencing verses
Studying multiple perspectives (for example, studying the same story from different points of view)
Visualizing the scriptures

What other skills would you add to this list that you have tried?
How has implementing scripture-study skills helped you better come to know Jesus Christ and understand His teachings?

Explain the essential role of prophets and apostles in the Savior’s Church

Not long ago, you learned about the Savior calling His Twelve Apostles as part of establishing His Church (see Matthew 10).

Imagine you have a friend who is learning about the Church and wants to know more about the role of prophets and apostles in the Savior’s Church today. Suppose your friend asks you the following questions. Prepare a response for your friend. It may be helpful to include truths from Matthew 10 as part of your response.

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

Assess how you are exercising faith in Jesus Christ to repent of your sins

You may have seen this diagram in a previous lesson. Take a moment to ponder where you might place yourself on this diagram today. Think about how close to the Lord you feel and in which direction you are moving.

Shows two stick figures, one going toward Christ, the other going away from Christ

As you have studied the New Testament, you may have felt inspired to come closer to Jesus Christ by exercising faith in Him and repenting of your sins. While it might sometimes seem that repenting will lead to unpleasant consequences, faith in Jesus Christ and sincere repentance can help us overcome those fears.

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared an experience he had that illustrates the blessings we can receive from the Savior as we repent of our sins. Consider watching the video “Repentance: A Joyful Choice” (4:36), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. As you watch, think about the blessings you have received through repentance.

Repentance: A Joyful Choice
Elder Dale G. Renlund tells a childhood story of lighting a firecracker in the chapel right before church began. He relates his story to the joy of repentance.

If you participated in the lesson on Luke 7:36–50, you may remember that you were asked to make a plan to deepen your love for the Savior by repenting of your sins. In that lesson, you were asked to answer the following questions in your study journal:

What is one thing that you need to stop doing to come closer to the Savior? How will you stop?
What is one thing that you need to start doing to come closer to the Savior? How will you start?

If possible, refer back to this entry in your study journal to review how you responded to these two questions. Think about the progress you have made toward the goals you set. The following questions can guide you.

What obstacles have you faced or what progress have you made while trying to change and come closer to Jesus Christ?
How has the Lord helped you?
Based on your current progress, what do you think your next step should be?