Introductory Materials

Introductory Materials:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026?lang=eng

Conversion is My Goal

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026/001-conversion?lang=eng

1.       How will I seek to deepen my conversion as I study the Old Testament this year?

2.       What will I do to become more like Jesus Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

3.       What changes will I make? Will I be willing to follow the promptings of the Spirit in my conduct and in ministering?

4.       Am I willing to rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to help me change my heart, my views, my actions, and my nature.

5.       What will my consistent daily efforts to live and understand the gospel look like?

6.       How will I invite the Holy Ghost into my life more fully each day?

John 16:13 Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.

7.       Will I allow the Holy Ghost to teach me, lead me, and help to purify my heart?

8.       Will I commit to following what is true as taught by the Holy Ghost?

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

9.       Will I seek the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and will I follow those promptings?

10.  How will I seek His promptings and guidance?

11.  Will I be more earnest in prayer?

12.  Will I put Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus first in my life?

13.  Will I prefer the knowledge that comes from God over the sophistry of the world and the evil of our day?

14.  Will I seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost first and foremost?

15.  Will I read my patriarchal blessing more?

16.  Will I seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost to help me make good decisions?

17.  Will I seek the Spirit’s influence to help guide my thoughts and actions?

18.  Will I seek those things that invite the presence and influence of the Holy Ghost into my life?

19.  Will I reject those things that drive His influence away?

“If [I am} worthy of the presence of the Holy Ghost, [I will} also be worthy to live in the presence of Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.”

20.  How will I make ministering and temple worship an integral part of my conversion process?

Using Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026/002-using?lang=eng

1.       How will I encourage couple and family gospel study in our home?

2.       How will I encourage this with children and grandchildren?

3.       Will we all seek to have daily nourishment from the Good Word of God?

Moroni 6:4 And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.

Opening Remarks

4.       How can I support family members, friends, and those to whom I minister to also receive nourishment through God’s words?

5.       How will I use the teachings found in Come Follow Me to aid me in my study and teaching of the scriptures?

6.       How will follow the Spirit’s guidance, in my study, to find eternal truths that are meaningful to me.

7.       How will I recognize God’s messages for me, and choose to follow the promptings I receive.

8.       Will I begin by having my own experiences in the scriptures, before I seek to teach others?

9.       Will I allow others to share their experiences so that all may be edified?

10.  Will I make my own scripture study my most important preparation to be guided by the Spirit in my teaching and service throughout the week?  

11.  Will I note the eternal truths I find in my study and through the power of the Holy Ghost that will help me become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus, and that will give me more purpose and power in inviting others to Come unto Jesus Christ?

12.  How will I make my home a house of learning?

13.  Will I give my family and my class members opportunities to share their thoughts, learning experiences, and questions? Will I help to validate their perspectives and testify to truth?

14.  Will I invite others to share the truths they have found and their personal testimonies?

15.  Will I remember that class involvement and the sharing of testimonies it is what invites the Spirit and brings edification?

16.  Will I seek to support true sharing fellowship in classes, so that all can feel supported and encouraged in their quest to follow Jesus Christ?

17.  This is a good class opening invitation: “What has the Holy Ghost taught you this week as you studied the scriptures?”

18.  How can my personal study help prepare me to able to counsel with others about accomplishing the work of salvation and exaltation?

19.  How can my own effort to live the gospel, to minister to others, to participate in temple ordinances and do work for my ancestors, and to testify of Christ, help me in serving together with others?

20.  Will I be open to the inspiration and promptings of the Holy Ghost as I teach and minister to others? Will I seek to recognize their needs and desires?

21.  Will I be prayerful and receptive to the Spirit so that you can be inspired with ideas to help others learn the gospel and develop faith in Jesus Christ?

22.  How will I get to know the members of my Temple Prep class so that we can interact well together in the class and gain understanding, desire, and worthiness to enter the temple?

23.  Remember to use repetition and review as the class members are learning about the plan of salvation and the requirements for temple attendance.

Ideas to Improve Learning at Home and at Church

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026/003-improve-learning?lang=eng

• How can I invite the Spirit into my study?
• How can I focus on the Savior in my study?
• How can I take advantage of everyday learning moments?
• How can I encourage family and class members to study the scriptures on their own and share what they are learning?

1.       I can pray for inspiration.

2.       I can ask myself, “What eternal truths are taught in these verses? What do these truths teach me about the Savior?”

2 Nephi 11:4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.

Moses 6:63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

3.       I can listen to the Spirit and receive the messages that my Father has for me.

4.       I can keep a journal of the insights, feelings, and impressions that I receive.

5.       I can share what I’m learning with family members and friends.

6.       I can look for similarities in what I am reading to what is happening in my life and in the world around me.

7.       I can ponder the questions that come to my mind and then look for answer through additional study and prayer.

8.       I can use scripture helps.

9.       I can study the words of Latter-day prophets and apostles, especially through conferences and the Liahona.

10.  I can follow the Spirit and apply the teaching I am learning into my life through service, ministering, and committing myself more fully to following the Lord.

11.  I can use sacred music to invite the Spirit and to deepen my faith and testimony of gospel truths.

12.  I can memorize important scriptures.

13.  I can express my testimony through art.

14.  I can share eternal truth or a meaningful scriptures in a way that isn’t preachy or overbearing?

Teacher council meetings for parents. If you would like additional help in your efforts to teach your children, find out if your ward is holding teacher council meetings for parents (see General Handbook, 17.5). These meetings are an opportunity for parents to counsel and learn together about how to improve their teaching. They can discuss the principles in Teaching in the Savior’s Way, the ideas on these pages for improving family scripture study, and the learning and teaching suggestions found throughout Come, Follow Me.

Thoughts to Keep in Mind: Reading the Old Testament

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-old-testament-2026/01-thoughts?lang=eng

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Religious leaders have always pointed people to search the scriptures and to learn of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is an important book of scripture. The truths found therein are also helpful for our day.

Jesus Christ is the answer to whatever problems we are facing. We can take our concerns to our Heavenly Father, in Jesus’s name, and we will be led and directed by His Spirit in the paths of truth.

Look for Him throughout the Old Testament. He is central to all true scripture.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

How will I seek for greater faith in the Savior as I study the Old Testament?

I can pray that the Spirit will guide me to recognize the truths taught about Him.

The main purpose that the authors of the Old Testament had in mind was to teach about Heavenly Father’s plan of Salvation, about His Son being the Savior of the world, and about the covenant relationship that we can have with Him.

The prophets, poets, and historians, and compilers of the Old Testament were inspired to write records that would be important to many generations all over the world. So many truths have been miraculously preserved for us in this day. God preserved these ancient writings to bless us, because he knows us and what we are going through. You can find spiritual messages meant for you as you pray, read, study, ponder, and apply. Seek this year to strengthen your testimony of Heavenly Father’s Plan for you and of Jesus Christ as you Savior and Mediator with the Father. Become closer to them by learning to seek and follow the Spirit more purposefully. As you learn beautiful lessons of truth, be willing to share them and to become more like your Teacher.

2 Nephi 4:15 And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

Make sure you keep a journal as well. Also, share with your children some of your insights.

Books in the Old Testament

In most Christian versions of the Old Testament, the books are organized differently from how they were arranged when they were first compiled into one collection. So while the Hebrew Bible groups the books into three categories—the law, prophets, and writings—most Christian Bibles arrange the books into four categories: law (Genesis–Deuteronomy), history (Joshua–Esther), poetic books (Job–Song of Solomon), and prophets (Isaiah–Malachi).

Why are these categories important? Because knowing what kind of book you are studying can help you understand how to study it.

Here’s something to keep in mind as you begin reading “the law,” or the first five books of the Old Testament. These books, which are traditionally attributed to Moses, probably passed through the hands of numerous scribes and compilers over time. And we know that, over the centuries, “many parts which are plain and most precious” were taken away from the Bible (see 1 Nephi 13:23–26). Still, the books of Moses are the inspired word of God, even though they are—like any work of God transmitted through mortals—subject to human imperfections (see Moses 1:41; Articles of Faith 1:8). The words of Moroni, referring to the sacred Book of Mormon record that he helped compile, are helpful here: “If there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God” (title page of the Book of Mormon). In other words, a book of scripture doesn’t need to be free from human error to be the word of God.