Assess Your Learning 12
This lesson is intended to help you evaluate the goals you have set and the growth you have experienced during your study of the New Testament.
Helping students assess their learning. Give students opportunities to assess their learning. One way is to invite them to share how they have grown or developed as a result of their studies and faith.
Student preparation: As students complete their study of the New Testament, invite them to create a list of the three to five most impactful scripture passages they have studied this year.
Possible Learning Activities
This lesson is intended to help students assess their ability to explain teachings in the New Testament, goals they have set, or how their attitudes, desires, and ability to live the gospel are changing. If different truths were emphasized in class, the following activities could be adapted to include those teachings.
Consider beginning class with a personal testimony of the growth and joy experienced through studying and teaching the New Testament.
Your personal progress
In this lesson you will have the opportunity to assess your learning and how you have applied the principles taught in Revelation 1–22. You will also review and assess your growth over the past few months as you studied Acts–Revelation. The following learning activities can help you see how your love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ has increased and how you have become more like Them.
The book of Revelation
Students could review by sharing with a partner or writing on the board a truth they found meaningful. Students could also rotate around the room to share with various classmates.
Take a few minutes to review any scriptures you may have marked, notes in your scriptures, or journal entries you made as part of your study of the book of Revelation.
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What are some things you recall learning or feeling as you studied the book of Revelation?
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What did you learn about your Savior Jesus Christ from the book of Revelation?
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What are some of the truths you felt inspired to act on as part of your studies?
Consider printing or displaying the following activities and allowing students to choose which one they would prefer to work on individually or with a partner.
Some students may have a difficult time assessing or sharing personal feelings about worship and testimony. Give students opportunities to willingly share, but be sure to honor their agency.
When students finish, invite volunteers to share some of the thoughts and feelings they had as they answered the questions. Be sure to encourage students to continue working on the depth of their personal worship and the strength of their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Consider bearing personal witness of why individual worship and testimony is important in our spiritual development.
Activity A: Worship and follow God in sincerity
In Revelation 4–5, you may have studied part of John’s vision in which he saw the throne of God with various beings and figurative beasts worshipping Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. You may have been invited to ponder how you give praise to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and to consider ways you could improve your personal worship.
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What have you recently learned or felt about Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ that has motivated you to want to worship Them?
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What efforts have you made to improve your worship? For example, you may have sought to deepen your worship through prayer, scripture study, partaking of the sacrament, honoring the Sabbath day, fasting, attending the temple, or some other way.
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How have these efforts affected your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Activity B: Resist and overcome evil with faith in Christ
The following activity could be modified to assess progress in overcoming the world, which was taught in the lesson “Revelation 2–3, Part 2.”
In Revelation 12–13, you may have learned that in the premortal life we all exercised our faith in Jesus Christ to overcome Satan. You may have been invited to ponder your belief in these teachings and think of what you could do to continue placing your trust in Jesus Christ as we battle the adversary here in mortality.
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What actions did you feel you should take after your study?
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What barriers or challenges did you encounter in taking those actions? What successes did you have?
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How did taking these steps help you come closer to Jesus Christ or receive strength from Him to overcome Satan?
The New Testament: Acts–Revelation
If the student preparation was used, consider inviting a few students to share the scripture passages they chose and to explain why they chose them. Write on the board the scripture references they share so others can use them in the following activity.
The following image and paragraphs may help introduce the epistle writing activity.
You may remember that after hearing Paul’s testimony of Jesus Christ, King Agrippa said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Paul boldly replied, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether [a Christian] such as I am” (Acts 26:28–29).
Paul and the rest of the Apostles had the deep desire to bring others to Christ through their teachings and testimonies. Many of them gave their lives and died as martyrs for the cause of Christ, leaving their teachings behind in the book of Acts and the Epistles. Hopefully you have invited those testimonies into your heart and applied their teachings in your own life. Now it is your turn to teach and testify.
Write an epistle of your own addressed to anyone you choose. For example, you could address it to yourself a year ago before studying the New Testament, to a friend who does not understand why you attend seminary, or to a family member who could benefit from your testimony of the Savior.
Regardless of who you choose to address your epistle to, include one or more verses from Acts–Revelation, along with how the truths from these verses have blessed your life. The following questions may help guide you, but you can choose for yourself what to write about.
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How has what you studied helped you come unto Christ and find peace in Him?
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How has what you studied helped you resist or overcome evil with faith in Jesus Christ?
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How has what you studied helped you answer a question or resolve a concern or problem?
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What else would you want someone to know to encourage them to study the New Testament and come unto Christ?
When students finish writing, invite volunteers to read their epistle to the class. Pay attention to how they express their gratitude and testimony in their epistles. Thank students for what they wrote and shared. Invite them to consider sharing their epistle with someone outside of class and to continue studying the words of the prophets throughout their lives.
Bear testimony of the Savior, His word in the scriptures, and His work through His chosen servants.