“Lesson 3: The Role of the Learner,” Old Testament Seminary Student Material (2018)
“Lesson 3: The Role of the Learner”
Lesson 3
The Role of the Learner
Prepare to Learn
Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that studying the gospel prayerfully with a desire to learn will help you to be taught and edified by the Holy Ghost.
Take time to pray as you begin your study.
Today you will learn more about your role in seminary. President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) urged all youth to participate in seminary when possible. What does he say will help you have the best possible seminary experience?
Think of an activity that requires each participant to fulfill a role and that requires everyone to work together in order for the group to be successful. This might include a team sport, a band performance, or a theatrical production.
How would it affect the group’s potential for success if:
A participant’s role were removed from the activity?
A participant did not understand his or her role?
A participant did not give his or her best effort?
In many sports and other group activities, each participant must understand and fulfill his or her role in order for the group to be successful. Being in a seminary class is similar to being part of one of these groups.
The purpose of seminary is “to help youth … understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven” (Gospel Teaching and Learning: A Handbook for Teachers and Leaders in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion [2012], x).
Accomplishing this objective requires the efforts of three individuals. Each has a unique position or role to fulfill in the process. These individuals are the Holy Ghost, the teacher, and you as the learner.
From 2 Nephi 33:1 we can learn that the Holy Ghost carries the truth to our hearts. This is why beginning your seminary study each day with prayer is so important. As you pray you can ask for the Holy Ghost to help carry the message of the scriptures you are studying to your heart.
How can your behavior and personal worthiness also influence your ability to be taught by the Holy Ghost?
An example found in the Old Testament can help illustrate the role of the Holy Ghost. A prophet named Elijah was discouraged because of the wickedness of the people. The Lord communicated with him through the Holy Ghost as Elijah stood on top of a mountain.
Read 1 Kings 19:11–13, looking for how the Lord communicated with Elijah.
Quiz 1
How was the voice of the Lord described in these verses?
As an earthquake
As a fire
As a still, small voice
A Still, Small Voice
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught how we can recognize the Lord’s voice:
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“Please know that your Father in Heaven loves you and so does His Only Begotten Son. When They speak to you—and They will—it will not be in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but it will be with a voice still and small, a voice tender and kind” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Tongue of Angels,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 18).
1. Please answer one of these questions:
Why is it important to know how the Holy Ghost communicates?
Based on what you have learned, why is the Holy Ghost necessary in a seminary class?
After the Lord spoke from Mount Sinai to the ancient Israelites, He gave some specific instructions to those who would teach His word. Read Deuteronomy 6:4–7, looking for what the Lord commanded the Israelites to do.
Quiz 2
According to verse 7, how did the Lord want those who taught His word to teach?
Diligently
Thoughtfully
Forcefully
What did the Lord expect those who taught God’s word to their children to do?
Study His word day and night
Talk about His words at all times and in all places
Be perfect
The Learner’s Role
Imagine that you asked a friend to lift weights for you so that you could become stronger. Is there any way to transfer your friend’s increasing strength to yourself?
Similarly, it is impossible to transfer gospel knowledge and testimony to someone else. If you want to grow stronger spiritually, you must put forth the required effort.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained an important truth about the student’s role:
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David A. Bednar
“A learner exercising agency by acting in accordance with correct principles opens his or her heart to the Holy Ghost and invites His teaching, testifying power, and confirming witness. Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception. …
“… A student must exercise faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself” (David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 64).
What does this statement teach about your role in obtaining spiritual knowledge?
Another important truth we can learn from Elder Bednar is that when we make an effort to fulfill our role as learners, we open our hearts to the Holy Ghost’s teaching power.
2. Please do one of the following:
Write about what you think must happen in order for an individual to feel the Spirit in seminary or in other gospel settings.
Consider when you have felt the Spirit in seminary or in other gospel settings. Write about why you think you were able to feel the Spirit. Can you identify how the Holy Ghost, the teacher, and the learner each fulfilled his or her role in those situations?
3. Write down at least two things you can do to fulfill your role in seminary this year. Please include a detailed plan. If you need help, here are a few ideas:
“Develop a habit of daily scripture study. …
“Discover and express doctrines and principles that are relevant to [your] personal [life]. …
“Ask questions and seek for answers that help [you] better understand the gospel and how it applies to [your life].
“Share insights, experiences, and feelings.
“Explain gospel doctrines and principles to others and testify of their truthfulness.
“Develop scripture study skills, such as marking, cross-referencing, and using the scripture study aids” (Gospel Teaching and Learning, 7).
You may want to record your response in your Notes on LDS.org or in your scripture study journal so you can refer to it later.
The following truths were identified in this lesson:
The Holy Ghost carries the truth to our hearts.
The Lord commands teachers to teach the gospel by the Spirit.
Obtaining spiritual knowledge requires effort on our part.
When we make an effort to fulfill our role as learners, we open our hearts to the Holy Ghost’s teaching power.
Remember that the Holy Ghost, the teacher, and the learner must each fulfill his or her role in order for students to have the best possible seminary experience. Your efforts to fulfill your role as the learner will not only help you but also will encourage other members of your class to do their part as well.
