Seminary
Acts 16–21

Acts 16–21

Overview

In Acts 16–21, we read about the Apostle Paul’s second and third missionary journeys. Paul and his companions experienced incredible miracles and helped many people come unto Christ, receive the ordinance of baptism, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Paul and his companions also experienced heartache, persecution, and rejection.

Prepare to Teach

The following information provides teachers with ideas of what may need to be prepared in advance for each lesson:

Acts 16

Lesson purpose: This lesson will help students recognize the help that the Savior desires to give them as they strive to share His gospel with others.

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: After acquiring appropriate approvals, invite a guest speaker to teach during the second half of class about how Church members can do missionary work. Consider asking this guest to talk about the principles of missionary work exemplified by Paul and his companions in Acts 16. The guest speaker may be a mission leader, a recently returned missionary, or a currently serving missionary companionship. Give time at the end of class for students to ask questions. Speak with the local S&I coordinator, whose approval would be needed for this guest speaker.

Acts 17:1–14

Lesson purpose: This lesson can help students feel a greater desire to experience the blessings of daily scripture study.

Acts 17:16–34

Lesson purpose: This lesson will help students feel the importance of their identity as a child of God.

  • Student preparation: Invite the students to make a list of words or phrases that best describe them and to reflect on which words or phrases are most important to them.

  • Videos: “We Are the Offspring of God” (4:26; watch from time code 0:00 to 1:54); “Am I a Child of God?” (10:24; watch from time code 3:24 to 5:23)

Acts 19:1–7

Lesson purpose: This lesson will help students receive the blessings that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ desire to give them through the gift of the Holy Ghost.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to think about behaviors that invite the companionship of the Holy Ghost and to strive to do those things more often in their lives.

  • Image to display: An image of Joseph Smith appearing to Brigham Young

  • Map: “The Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Paul”

  • Object lesson: Three cups, a container for overflowing water (such as a tray), a piece of paper or a lid, and a hard object that takes up most of the space inside one of the cups (such as a rock)

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: Consider showing the video “Enemy Territory” (3:38), located at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, to show students an example of how the Holy Ghost was a blessing to President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as he served in World War II.

Doctrinal Mastery Review 15

Lesson purpose: This lesson will give students opportunities to practice applying some of the doctrinal mastery passages to a variety of teaching situations.

Note: A doctrinal mastery passage lesson may need to be taught in place of this review lesson. Refer to the pacing schedule provided by the area or region director or coordinator to ensure that each doctrinal mastery passage lesson will be taught while seminary is in session.

  • Student preparation: Invite students to think of experiences they have had using scriptures to answer questions or teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to others.

  • Chart: A chart of the doctrinal mastery passages and their key scripture phrases

  • Group activity: Create labels for the four situations in the group activity. Prepare a way to display the instructions and the questions students will be discussing in the group activity.

  • Videoconference teaching suggestion: To provide opportunities for more students to share their thoughts, consider dividing students into four breakout rooms and assigning each group one of the scenarios from the group activity.