Assess Your Learning 7

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young women smiling

This lesson is intended to help you evaluate the goals you have set and the learning and growth you have experienced while studying the New Testament.

Student preparation: Invite students to come prepared to share examples from Acts of people who became converted to Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

This lesson is intended to help students assess goals they have set, their ability to explain teachings in the New Testament, or how their attitudes, desires, and ability to live the gospel are changing. The class’s study of Acts 1–28 may have emphasized truths other than those in the following activities. If so, the activities could be adapted to include those truths.

Additional assessment topics are located in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section.

Can people change?

Imagine that your friend tells you that there are things he wants to change about himself, but he doesn’t think he can make those changes.

How would you respond?
How does it affect your life to know that you can change through the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Remind students of their preparation for class.

Reflect on stories from the book of Acts that illustrate how people can change for the better as they come unto Christ and become His disciples.

If needed, consider reviewing one or more of the following examples.

People who joined the Church: Acts 2:14, 36–47
The Ethiopian eunuch: Acts 8:26–40
Saul (who became Paul): Acts 9:1–22
Cornelius: Acts 10:1–8, 24–25, 44–48
The jailor guarding Paul and Silas: Acts 16:25–36

Using one of these examples or another from the book of Acts, prepare a response to your friend who doesn’t believe that he can change. Include the following:

Evidence of a person or people changing with the Savior’s help.
How the Savior and the servants He sent helped in the conversion.
What the person or people did to trust the Lord and His servants.

Listen as students share their responses in pairs or small groups. If they need additional instruction about conversion to Jesus Christ, consider reading together portions of Acts 9:3–20 and inviting students to find details that help them understand how people can change with the Savior’s help.

Ponder your own conversion to Jesus Christ. Think about invitations to change or improve that you have felt from the Lord as you have studied the book of Acts. Answer the following questions in your study journal.

Display the following questions for students to see as they write in their journals.

What do you know about Jesus Christ that motivates you to love and follow Him more completely?
Over the last month or so, what changes have you felt impressed by the Holy Ghost to make? How did you respond?
How has Heavenly Father blessed you for your efforts? What did you do that made the biggest difference?
What, if anything, has made it hard to accept invitations to change and improve? How could you seek additional help from Heavenly Father?

Continue to seek inspiration from Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost as you study this lesson. Try to identify what He wants you to do to change and become more converted to Jesus Christ. Choose one of the following activities to complete as you reflect on how to draw closer to Christ.

Activity A: The first principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ

In Acts, many people received heavenly help to change and become more converted to Jesus Christ through receiving the first principles and ordinances of the gospel.

The Guide to the Scriptures explains how these principles and ordinances help us become converted to Jesus Christ.

Repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ make conversion complete. A natural man will be changed into a new person who is sanctified and pure, born again in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17; Mosiah 3:19).

(Guide to the Scriptures, “Conversion, Convert,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Reflect on the account you chose that illustrated someone changing with the Lord’s help.

What role did the first principles and ordinances of the gospel play in their conversion?
How have the first principles and ordinances of the gospel helped you or others become more converted to the Savior?

Imagine that the local missionaries ask for your help with someone they are teaching. They want you to share how the first principles and ordinances of the gospel can help strengthen conversion to Jesus Christ and invite His help to make needed changes in our lives. Write an explanation for this person as if you were speaking directly with them. Use at least one example from Acts and any personal experiences you feel would be beneficial.

Give students time to write down their thoughts. Then invite them to give their explanations to a partner. Walk around and listen to their explanations. If students need further teaching on the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, consider using these passages: Acts 19:1–7; 2 Nephi 31:13–21; 3 Nephi 27:13–22.

Activity B: Scripture study and conversion

One important action we can take to strengthen our conversion to Jesus Christ is to consistently study the scriptures. Think about how the following accounts from the book of Acts show the importance of scripture study in conversion.

Philip and the Ethiopian man: Acts 8:26–40
Paul and the Saints in Thessalonica and Berea: Acts 17:1–14

Ponder on how scripture study has helped in your conversion to the Savior.

Imagine that your Young Men or Young Women leader asked you to help the youth in your ward or branch to study the scriptures and strengthen their conversion to Jesus Christ. What resource could you create to motivate them? Take a few minutes to outline your resource in your study journal. It could be a video, an article, a talk, a website, or another resource.

Your resource could include any of the following:

An example from Acts or another book of scripture that shows the importance of scripture study.
An example or model of a scripture skill you use that helps you, or a description of how you study.
A description of an experience where scripture study helped you or someone you know become more converted to the Savior.
Your personal testimony of the power of scripture study.

Invite students to do the following in their study journals.

Seek Heavenly Father’s help through the Holy Ghost as you write down any actions you feel you need to take to become more converted to Jesus Christ. The Savior will help you as you strive to follow these impressions. Consider sharing your impressions with a parent or a trusted Church leader. Ask them to help you follow through on these impressions.

Encourage students to act on impressions they received from Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. Testify that God will help them as they seek to follow those impressions.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Acts 10–11; Acts 15; Acts 27. Revelation

Consider assessing what students know about how revelation comes to Church leaders. Invite them to review notes they took from the lessons covering Acts 10; 11; 15; and 27. Give students an opportunity to organize and present their thoughts. One way might be to have students write a brief article for the For the Strength of Youth magazine that explains ways that revelation for the whole Church is received and why these truths are important to understand.

Finding peace in Christ through tribulation

Invite students to recall individuals from Acts who were able to find peace in Christ despite tribulation, such as Peter and John in Acts 5:40–42, Stephen in Acts 6–7, Peter and other Church members in Acts 12:1–19, or Paul in Acts 22–28. Invite students to share experiences of how they have found peace in Christ in times of tribulation. They could identify actions from accounts in Acts and personal experiences that could help them face future trials. Invite them to seek inspiration from Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost and to make a plan for what they will do in these future trials to find peace in Christ.