YOUTH CAN TEACH “Is the Gospel Written in My Heart?” Jeremiah; Lamentations

Is the Gospel Written in My Heart?
(Lesson-match Interactive Activities)

YOUTH CLASSES

 

October 9, 2022
TOPIC #1
Isaiah 58-66

WHY SHOULD JESUS CHRIST BE CENTRAL IN MY LIFE?

(GO HERE)

 

October 23, 2022
TOPIC #2
Jeremiah 30-33; 36; Lamentations 1; 3

IS THE GOSPEL WRITTEN IN MY HEART?

(see below)

PART 1
Is the Gospel Written in My Heart?

LESSON-MATCH ACTIVITIES

Teach the Doctrine

Led by an adult leader or youth; 25–35 minutes

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The Lord told the prophet Jeremiah that in the days to come, He would gather Israel and make a “new covenant” with His people. He declared, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (see Jeremiah 31:31–34). Those days are today, and we are God’s people. These teachings might prompt you—and those you teach—to ask, What does it mean for the gospel to be written in my heart? Is the gospel written in my heart? If it isn’t, what can I do about it?

Consider how you will help members of your class or quorum ponder these questions for themselves. To prepare to teach, you could find messages to share from Jeremiah 30–33; 36; from President Russell M. Nelson’s message “Let God Prevail” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 92–95); and from Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s message “When Thou Art Converted” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11–13).

• In his message “When Thou Art Converted,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson described what we can do to have the gospel written in our hearts. What do we learn from the first four paragraphs about what it means to have the gospel written in our hearts? (see activity below “LOVE TO DO HIS WILL”) You could invite each youth to read one or more of the remaining paragraphs and look for what we need to do for this to happen. What role does the Savior play? What role do we play? Encourage the youth to share their answers, along with other insights they found. What experiences have helped us to have the gospel written in our hearts? What role does keeping our covenants play in this process?

• President Russell M. Nelson explained that the term Israel “refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life” (“Let God Prevail,” 92). You could invite youth to search the first six paragraphs of President Nelson’s message and the last part of the message beginning with “The question for each of us.” Ask them to find something that helps them understand what it means to “let God prevail” in their lives. How do we feel and act when God prevails in our lives? What did President Nelson teach about how having the gospel written in our hearts affects our efforts to gather Israel? (see activity below “WILLING”)

“LOVE TO DO HIS WILL”
“Plead with God in the name of Christ to write the gospel in your mind that you may have understanding and in your heart that you may love to do His will.” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Presidency of the Seventy (talk above) “When Thou Art Converted”

“WILLING”
“The word willing is crucial … We can choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our lives, or not.” – Russell M. Nielsen (talk above) “Let God Prevail”

PART 2
Is the Gospel Written in My Heart?

LESSON-MATCH ACTIVITIES

Learn Together

Encourage the youth to discuss Jeremiah 31:31–34. (see JEREMIAH activity below) To do this, you could give them paper hearts with several questions written on them about what it means to have the gospel in our hearts, such as those found under “Prepare Yourself Spiritually.” Working individually, in pairs, or in small groups, the youth could read these verses from Jeremiah and ponder how they would answer the questions. Let them share their questions and the answers they thought of. Below are more ideas that can help you teach the youth about how the gospel can be written in their hearts.

• When Moses gave some of his final teachings to the Israelites, he urged them to receive God’s words in their hearts. He also taught them some of the ways they could do this, as found in Deuteronomy 6:3–9. (see DEUTERONOMY activity below) As a class or quorum, read these verses together and discuss ways we can do what Moses counseled. For some ideas, your class or quorum could watch the video “Come, Follow Me: These Words” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). They could also study Alma 5:14, 26–35 to find what Alma taught about how we can keep the gospel written in our hearts.