What covenants did I make at baptism?
Prepare Yourself Spiritually
When we were baptized, we entered into a covenant with God. We promised to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end. Heavenly Father promised us a remission of sins and, through the ordinance of confirmation, the gift of the Holy Ghost. We renew this covenant each time we partake of the sacrament.
Resources to Help You Prepare
These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.
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John 3:5; 2 Nephi 31:4–13, 17 (Baptism is necessary for eternal salvation)
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Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 (The commitments we make when we are baptized)
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Hugo Montoya, “Tested and Tempted—but Helped,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 53–55
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Robert D. Hales, “The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 6–9
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Carole M. Stephens, “We Have Great Reason to Rejoice,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 115–17
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“Your Baptismal Covenant,” “Promised Blessings of Baptism,” True to the Faith (2004), 23–26
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“Same Jersey” (video)
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Questions to Ponder before You Teach
What do you remember about your baptism? How have your baptismal covenants influenced your life?
How might you help the young men better understand their baptismal covenants? How can you help them strengthen their commitment to keep these covenants?
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.
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:
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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?
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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?
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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.
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Invite the young men to read Mosiah 18:8–10. What do they learn about the way we promise to treat others when we are baptized? To help the young men learn about how we lift one another’s burdens, divide them into groups and assign each group to study a section of Elder Hugo Montoya’s talk “Tested and Tempted—but Helped.” Invite each group to share what they learn with the class. Each group might make a poster of what they learn, share personal experiences as appropriate, or relate scripture stories that help teach the same principle.
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Invite the young men to search the scriptures suggested in this outline. Ask them to mark promises we make at baptism and write what they find on the board. How do we keep these promises? Ask the young men to share examples of people who exemplify the promises written on the board (including people in the scriptures). How has keeping these promises blessed the young men?
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Invite the young men to read “Your Baptismal Covenant” in True to the Faith and identify promises we made when we were baptized. Invite the young men to watch the video “Same Jersey” or to read the story at the beginning of Carole M. Stephens’s talk “We Have Great Reason to Rejoice.” Ask them to look for examples of people honoring their baptismal covenants. Give the quorum members time to share what they learn. Invite the quorum president to lead a discussion on how they can more fully keep their baptismal covenants at all times and in all places.
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Show a picture of the Savior’s baptism (see Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 35), and ask a quorum member to read 2 Nephi 31:4–10. Invite the young men to share examples in the scriptures that show how Jesus Christ kept His covenant with the Father (they could look at pictures in the Gospel Art Book, nos. 36–48, for ideas). Ask them to share experiences in which they tried to follow the Savior’s example.
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Invite the young men to read three paragraphs of Elder Robert D. Hales’s talk “The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom,” beginning with “At baptism we make a covenant with our Heavenly Father.” Ask them to look for covenants we make when we are baptized, and invite them to write what they find on the board. In what ways should being baptized change our lives? How has it changed the lives of the young men?
3. Plan to Act
Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes
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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?
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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.
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Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.