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December 26–January 1

We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

As you read and ponder the scripture passages in this outline, record the spiritual impressions you receive. This will invite the Spirit into your preparation. Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and the following ideas can help you inspire the people in your class to study the New Testament this year.

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Invite Sharing

One of your objectives as a teacher is to encourage class members to learn from the scriptures on their own and with their families. Hearing the experiences of others can inspire them to seek their own experiences. So, at the beginning of each class, ask class members to share scriptures from their study that inspired or impressed them.

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Teach the Doctrine

Learning requires acting in faith.

• How can you inspire your class members to take a more active role in their learning, rather than placing sole responsibility on the teacher? Here’s an idea. Toss a soft object to a class member, whom you have previously asked to make no effort to catch it. Use this activity to begin a discussion about the roles of learners and teachers in gospel learning. As learners, how do we “catch” what is taught in our classes? The statements found in “Additional Resources” could help in this discussion.

• All class members have responsibility to invite the Spirit into the class. To help class members understand this, ask them to read Alma 1:26 and Doctrine and Covenants 50:13–22; 88:122–23 and share what teachers and class members can do to invite the Spirit. It might be helpful to write their responses on the board under headings such as these: What the teacher can do and What the learners can do. Class members could create a poster with their responses that could be displayed for the next few weeks.

We need to know the truth for ourselves.

• Many passages in the New Testament teach principles that can guide our search for truth. Examples include Luke 11:9–13; John 5:39; 7:14–17; and 1 Corinthians 2:9–11. You could invite members of your class who read these passages in their personal study to share what they learned. Or you could read these passages as a class and invite class members to share how they gained their testimonies.

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  Seeking learning by faith will help us gain our own testimonies.

• Acts 17:10–12 describes Saints who searched the scriptures and gained their own witness of the truth. To encourage class members to follow their example, read these verses together and invite class members to share scripture passages that have strengthened their testimonies of the gospel.

How can we make our scripture study more meaningful?

• Developing the habit of scripture study may be challenging for class members who feel that they don’t have the necessary time, understanding, or skills. What can you do to help them be successful? To help class members gain the confidence to study the scriptures, you could share information from “Ideas to Improve Your Personal Scripture Study” in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Perhaps you or other class members could share experiences with using some of these ideas or other meaningful experiences studying the scriptures. You could also select a chapter in the New Testament and try studying it as a class using some of these ideas.

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Additional Resources

Claiming spiritual knowledge for ourselves.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart!” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 267).

Elder David A. Bednar explained: “If all you or I know about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is what other people teach or tell us, then the foundation of our testimony of Him and His glorious latter-day work is built upon sand. We cannot rely exclusively upon or borrow gospel light and knowledge from other people—even those whom we love and trust” (“Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 102).

Improving Our Teaching

Stay focused on doctrine. Ensure that class discussions remain grounded in the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets. You can do this by asking questions like these: “What gospel truths do we learn from the comments we have heard?” or “Can someone share a scripture that relates to what we’ve discussed?” (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 20–21.)