Why was a Restoration necessary?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ established His Church with priesthood authority. It was led by prophets and apostles who taught true doctrine and received revelation that was recorded as scripture. With the death of the apostles, priesthood authority was taken from the earth, revelation ceased, and essential doctrines were lost or corrupted. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Church that Jesus Christ established was restored.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Ephesians 4:11–14; Articles of Faith 1:6 (The Church today has the same organization as the Church in the Savior’s day)

• Amos 8:11–12; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3; 1 Nephi 13:24–29; Joseph Smith—History 1:5–6 (The Church was lost through apostasy)

• Isaiah 29:13–14; Acts 3:20–21 (The Apostasy and Restoration were foretold anciently)

• Doctrine and Covenants 1:17–23, 30 (Jesus Christ restored His Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith)

• Joseph Smith—History 1:6–20 (Joseph Smith’s First Vision)

• D. Todd Christofferson, “Why the Church,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 108–11

• Robert D. Hales, “Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee,’” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 88–92

• “Apostasy” and “Restoration of the Gospel,” True to the Faith (2004), 13–14, 135–39

• Preach My Gospel (2004), 35–38, 45

• “A Search for Truth” (video)

• “The Message of the Restoration” (video)

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What effects of the Apostasy have you seen in the world? How has the Restoration of the gospel blessed you?

What do the young men need to know about the Apostasy and the Restoration? How can an understanding of the Apostasy and the Restoration help them?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior used the scriptures to teach and testify about His mission. He taught people to think about the scriptures for themselves and use them to find answers to their own questions. How can you help the young men use the scriptures to answer their questions?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

• Invite the young men to search Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk “Why the Church,” looking for insights about the Restoration and the role of the Church in the latter days. You might also invite ahead of time several young men to come prepared to share why they are grateful for the restored Church. With permission from the bishop, you could also invite a recently baptized member into your class to share his or her testimony of the Church and the restored gospel.

• Show the video “A Search for Truth,” and have the young men identify what Wilford Woodruff was looking for in the true Church. Why is it important to have these things? How has the Restoration of these things blessed the young men? Invite them to share other things that impress them about Wilford Woodruff’s search for truth.

• Divide the quorum in half, and ask one group to teach the quorum about how Jesus Christ established His Church and how it was lost through the Apostasy. Ask the other group to teach about the Restoration. Give them time to prepare using Preach My Gospel (pages 35–38 and 45), True to the Faith (pages 13–14 and 135–39), and the scriptures suggested in this outline. You may want to make these assignments a few days before quorum meeting.

• Assign each of the young men a scripture about the Apostasy or the Restoration (such as those suggested in this outline). Ask the young men to draw a picture that represents what they learn from their scripture, and have them share it with the quorum. Discuss as a quorum the blessings we have received because the gospel was restored.

• Give each young man the name of a person mentioned in Elder Robert D. Hales’s talk “Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee’” (such as William Tyndale, Johannes Gutenberg, or Martin Luther). Ask the young men to read or watch the talk and find out what that person did to prepare the world for the Restoration. Invite them to share what they find. How have the sacrifices these people made affected the lives of the young men today?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

• Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young men apply what they learned in this lesson.