How can I prepare to receive temple ordinances?

Even before we receive temple ordinances, we can prepare ourselves by living worthy to enter the temple, keeping the covenants we have already made, and making the temple a part of our lives. We can also study the scriptures and words of the prophets to learn more about the ordinances of the temple.

Prepare yourself spiritually

If you have received temple ordinances, how did you prepare yourself to do so?

What have you heard or observed from the youth that helps you understand how they feel about the temple? What are they doing to prepare to receive temple ordinances?

Note: Consider suggesting to your bishop that the ward obtain copies of the booklet Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (09339) for the youth to help them prepare to enter the temple.

Prayerfully study these scriptures and resources. What do you feel will help the youth as they look forward to receiving temple ordinance?

Psalms 24:3–4; D&C 97:15–17 (We must be clean in order to enter the Lord’s house)

Quentin L. Cook, “See Yourself in the Temple,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 97–101

Quentin L. Cook, “Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 39–42

Russell M. Nelson, “Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign or Liahona, Oct. 2010, 40–51

Linda K. Burton, “Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 111–14

“Making the Temple a Part of Your Life,” Ensign or Liahona, Oct. 2010, 76–78

“Commonly Asked Questions,” Ensign or Liahona, Oct. 2010, 79–80

“Message to the Youth from the First Presidency,” For the Strength of Youth (2011), ii–iii

Video: “Always in Our Sights”

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Make connections

During the first few minutes of every class, help the youth make connections between things they are learning in various settings (such as personal study, seminary, other Church classes, or experiences with their friends). How can you help them see the relevance of the gospel in daily living? The ideas below might help you:

Invite the youth to share any insights they have gained recently as they have learned about ordinances and covenants in their other classes or in their personal study.
Invite the youth to read the “Message to the Youth from the First Presidency,” in For the Strength of Youth (ii-iii). After they read the message, ask them to share why they believe a picture of the temple was chosen for the cover of the booklet.

Learn together

Each of the activities below will help the youth prepare to participate in the ordinances of the temple. Following the inspiration of the Spirit, select one or more that will work best for your class:

One of the most important ways the youth prepare to enter the temple is by living worthily now. Show the video of the first three minutes of Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk “Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times.” Ask the youth to share how Elder Cook’s comparison relates to being temple worthy. Divide the youth into three groups and invite each group to review one of Elder Cook’s three principles for living worthily. Then ask each group to teach what they learned to the rest of the class. Provide time for the youth to set goals to live the principles that Elder Cook suggests.
Show the video “Always in Our Sights,” and invite each class member to think of a scripture that he or she feels relates to the message of the video (show them how to find scriptures in the Topical Guide or the index to the triple combination). Ask the youth to share their scriptures and explain what the verses teach about preparing to go to the temple. Help the youth think of ways to “see themselves in the temple,” as Elder Quentin L. Cook suggests in his talk “See Yourself in the Temple.” They might make decorative cards with the scriptures they found and place the cards on their mirrors or in a prominent place at home to remind them of their goal to receive temple blessings. What promises and invitations can the youth find in Elder Cook’s talk?

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As a class, read Psalm 24:3–4, and ask the youth what they think it means to have clean hands and a pure heart. Why is spiritual cleanliness a requirement for entering the temple? (see D&C 97:15–17). Invite a member of the bishopric to visit the class to discuss what a person must do to be worthy of a temple recommend. What would he recommend that the youth do to prepare to receive the ordinances of the temple? Encourage the youth to ask questions.
Assign each youth to read a section of President Russell M. Nelson’s article “Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple.” Invite the youth to share what they learn from their sections about preparing to attend the temple. What else impresses them about President Nelson’s message?
Choose questions from the article “Commonly Asked Questions” that you feel are most relevant to the youth in your class, and write these questions on the board. Prepare slips of paper with the answers from the article. Let each youth select a question from the board and find the answer from among the papers you prepared. Invite the youth to share any new insights they found.
In her talk titled “Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known,” Sister Linda K. Burton encourages us to prepare for the temple “drop by drop.” Why is it more effective to prepare for temple ordinances “drop by drop” than all at once? Invite the youth to list some consistent actions that will help them prepare for the temple. For some ideas, they could review Sister Burton’s talk.

Ask the youth to share what they learned today. What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they understand how to prepare for the ordinances of the temple? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this topic?

Gospel study skills

Using the Topical Guide. The first activity in this section encourages the youth to find scriptures using the Topical Guide (see Teaching, No Greater Call, page 57). Help them feel comfortable with the Topical Guide and other study aids so that they can use them often in their personal study of the gospel.

Invite to act

Invite the youth to ponder what they heard and felt today and choose something they will do to prepare to receive the ordinances of the temple.
Share your testimony about the importance of temple ordinances.