How can I invite others to become more like the Savior?
Jesus Christ invited His disciples to follow Him, keep His commandments, and become like Him. As members of the Church, we have the responsibility to follow His example and invite others to learn of Him. We can all improve our ability to invite others to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.
Prepare yourself spiritually
What invitations from others have helped you become more Christlike? How have you invited others to make changes in their lives that will help them become more like the Savior?
What opportunities do the youth have to invite others to make changes in their lives? How can you help them gain the ability to extend invitations to others to become more like Christ?
Prayerfully study these scriptures and resources. What will help the youth understand how to invite others to come unto Christ?
Mark 10:17–22; Luke 10:25–37; (Examples of Jesus inviting others to live gospel principles)
Matthew 11:28–30; Moroni 10:32 (Invitations to come unto Christ)
D. Todd Christofferson, “The Voice of Warning,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 108–11
Bradley D. Foster, “It’s Never Too Early and It’s Never Too Late,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 50–52
Henry B. Eyring, “Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning,“ Ensign, Jan. 2009, 4–9; Liahona, Jan. 2009, 2–7
“How Do I Help People Make and Keep Commitments?” Preach My Gospel (2004), 195–201
Videos: “Inviting All to Come unto Christ: Sharing the Gospel,” “Examples in Ministering,” “United as Members and Missionaries”
Teaching in the Savior’s way
When Jesus Christ appeared to the Nephites, He invited them to come to Him one by one, that they might see, feel, and know Him for themselves (see 3 Nephi 11:13–17). In what ways can you invite the youth to come to know Jesus Christ for themselves?
Make connections
During the first few minutes of every class, help the youth make connections between what they are learning in various settings (such as personal study, seminary, other Church classes, or experiences with their friends). How can you help them see the relevance of the gospel in daily living? The ideas below might help:
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Invite the youth to share a recent experience in which they were invited to live a gospel principle. How did these invitations help them improve their lives and become more like the Savior?
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Invite the youth to read in the scriptures examples of the Savior inviting others to live a gospel principle (for examples, see the scriptures in this outline). What can we learn from the example of the Savior about inviting others to live the gospel?
Learn together
Each of the following activities will help the youth understand how to invite others to come unto Christ and gain confidence doing so. Following the inspiration of the Spirit, select one or more that will work best for your class:
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Invite the youth to share experiences when someone warned them about a dangerous situation. How are these experiences like our responsibilities to warn our neighbors and invite them to follow Jesus Christ? Choose portions of Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk “The Voice of Warning” for the youth to review, looking for counsel he gives about how we should approach the responsibility of warning our neighbors. Consider giving the youth a scenario where they have the opportunity to warn a friend about the consequences of a choice that would violate one of the commandments. Give the youth time to write and share responses that follow Elder Christofferson’s counsel. How would you warn someone who is a Church member differently from someone who is not a member of our faith?
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Invite class members to read the story of Pablo and his dad in Elder Bradley D. Foster’s talk, “It’s Never Too Early and It’s Never Too Late.” How did Pablo’s dad help him become more Christlike? How can the youth apply what they learn from this story as they invite others to become more Christlike? For example, invite the youth to role-play how they could follow the pattern Pablo’s dad used to help a friend or family member live a gospel principle he or she is struggling with.
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As a class, read the section titled “Ask Direct Questions” in Preach My Gospel, page 197. Invite the youth to think of situations in which they could use questions to help a friend or family member make positive changes in his or her life (some examples may include helping a friend overcome a swearing habit or encouraging a family member to attend church). What are some direct questions they can ask in these situations? How can they ask these questions? When can they ask them? Consider discussing other sections of the chapter “How Do I Help People Make and Keep Commitments?” on pages 195–201 of Preach My Gospel.
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Invite the youth to think of someone they would like to invite to live a gospel principle. Ask them to read the section titled “Love Comes First” in President Henry B. Eyring’s article “Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning” or watch the video “Examples in Ministering.” Invite them to write on the board principles they learn that will help them extend an invitation to the person they’re thinking of. How would they extend the invitation? What would they say?
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Invite the youth to read the scriptures in this outline that contain invitations to come unto Christ. What blessings are promised to those who come unto Christ in these scriptures? Show one of the videos suggested in this outline, and invite the youth to share how the people in the video were blessed by the simple invitations of their friends and family members. What simple invitations can the youth make to their friends and family members? How will their friends and family be blessed by accepting the invitations?
Ask the youth to share what they learned today. Do they understand how to invite others to become more like the Savior? What feelings or impressions do they have? Do they have any additional questions? Would it be worthwhile to spend more time on this topic?
Teaching tip
“If we want to influence learners for good, we should not merely love to teach; we should love each person we teach“ (Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 31).
Video: “Watching a Video”
Invite to act
Ask the youth what they feel inspired to do based on what they learned today. Encourage them to act on these feelings. Consider ways you can follow up.