early Church missionaries

April 5–11

Doctrine and Covenants 30–36

“You Are Called to Preach My Gospel”

As you read Doctrine and Covenants 30–36, what messages feel relevant to those you teach? What will help inspire them to share the gospel with others?

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

Perhaps class members could share something they read in Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 that inspires them to share the gospel.

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Teach the Doctrine

Doctrine and Covenants 30–36

We are called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• This week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families suggests searching Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 for what the Lord asks of His missionaries and what He promises them. Class members could share what they found. (See, for example, Doctrine and Covenants 30:8; 31:3–5; 32:1, 5; 35:24.) Perhaps you could invite them to write a letter to someone currently serving or preparing to serve a mission and include some of the Lord’s instructions and promises.

• Do you teach youth who are preparing to serve as missionaries? If so, you could invite each class member to search one section from Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 and find something that inspires them to serve. You could point out that the missionaries mentioned in these sections were new and inexperienced in the Church. What qualified them to share the gospel? You might also want to show one of the videos listed in “Additional Resources.” What do these videos suggest about why we should serve as missionaries and how we can prepare?

• Not everyone has the opportunity to serve a full-time mission, but we can all invite others to come unto Christ and listen to the message of the Restoration. Class members could make a list of different ways they can “open [their] mouths” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–10). What are some natural opportunities we have to share our beliefs with others? What counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 30–36 applies to sharing the gospel in these ways? Consider asking a few class members who have had positive experiences sharing the gospel to share their ideas and answer questions the class may have.

• The Lord promised Ezra Thayer and Northrop Sweet that if they opened their mouths to share the gospel, they would “become even as Nephi of old” (Doctrine and Covenants 33:8). What characteristics did Nephi have that can relate to sharing the gospel? (see, for example, 1 Nephi 3:7; 4:6; 10:17; 17:15; 2 Nephi 1:27–28). How can these characteristics help us in our efforts to share the gospel?

  missionaries teaching

  The Lord asks us to preach the gospel in our day as in the early Church.

Doctrine and Covenants 32–33; 35

The Lord prepares us for the work He wants us to do.

• How has the Lord helped us do His work? A discussion about the lives of the people described in Doctrine and Covenants 32–33, 35 may be a good starting place for pondering these experiences. For instance, you could share with the class Ezra Thayer’s account of his vision in “Additional Resources” and then invite class members to read Doctrine and Covenants 33:1–13, which is part of a revelation to Ezra Thayer. How was the Lord preparing Ezra for the work the Lord wanted him to do? (see Doctrine and Covenants 33:2). You could also ask a class member to share some background information about the relationship between Parley P. Pratt and Sidney Rigdon (see “Voices of the Restoration: Early Converts” in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). How did this relationship bless the Church? What evidence do we see that the Lord’s hand was in the lives of these men? Perhaps class members could share experiences that helped them see that the Lord was aware of them in a similar way.

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Additional Resources

Videos about missionary work (on ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

“Value of a Full-Time Mission”

“Sharing the Gospel”

“Your Day for a Mission”

“Elder and Sister Bednar—Missionary Working Life”

“A Priesthood Duty”

Ezra Thayer’s vision.

Ezra Thayer wrote that sometime before he was baptized, he had a vision in which “a man came and brought me a roll of paper and presented it to me, and also a trumpet and told me to [play] it. I told him that I never [played] any in my life. He said you can [play] it, try it. … It made the most beautiful sound that I ever heard” (“Revelation, October 1830–B, Revelation Book 1,” historical introduction, josephsmithpapers.org). When Joseph Smith later received a revelation for Ezra Thayer and Northrop Sweet, now recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 33, Ezra interpreted the revelation as the roll of paper in his vision.

Improving Our Teaching

Encourage a respectful environment. “Help your class members understand that each of them affects the spirit of the class. Encourage them to help you establish an open, loving, and respectful environment so that everyone feels safe sharing their experiences, questions, and testimonies” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 15).