While a desire to build good relationships with students is appropriate, the desire to be praised, if unrecognized or unchecked, may cause teachers to care more about what the students think of them than they do about helping the students learn and progress. This often leads teachers to substitute methods that are intended to enhance their image in the eyes of the students for methods designed to invite the Holy Ghost. Teachers who fall into this trap are guilty of priestcraft because they “set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world” (2 Nephi 26:29). Teachers should be careful that their use of humor, personal stories, or any other teaching methods are not done with the intent of entertaining, impressing, or winning the praise of students. Rather, the focus of all religious educators should be to glorify Heavenly Father and to lead their students to Jesus Christ.
I purposely fill my weekly lesson helps with lots of ideas, I do not intend on you using all of them. Use your inspiration to know what is most meaningful to your students. Most of all, it is important to love you class, and teach as the Savior would.
Teach the Doctrine
We become “new” as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
You may want to help your class members visualize what it means to “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” through Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:9–10). To do this, you might display before and after pictures of something old that has been transformed into something new (such as a piece of furniture, a home, or a bike). Class members could discuss how we become “new” through our faith in Jesus Christ and our willingness to live His gospel. As part of this discussion, you could ask half of the class to study Philippians 2:1–5, 14–18; 4:1–9 and the other half to study Colossians 3:1–17, identifying characteristics of the “old man” and the “new man.” You could also invite a few class members to share how having faith in Jesus Christ and living His gospel have helped them become new people.
Love it! My son's love to watch the transformation of bikes and cars on youtube, but I think something every teenager likes is old 90's shoes. So this is what I am running with...no pun intended(:
Your board could look similar to this:
We can find joy in Christ, regardless of our circumstances.
It would be good to point out that Paul wrote some of the happiest verses when he was in Prison. If I was teaching this, our neighborhood is going through some crazy construction, and sometimes it feels like a prison sentence(: Your students might not relate to that, but every teenager can relate to Covid 19. How was that like a prison sentence? There are many things that they are/or have faced that can feel like a prison. How can Christ strengthen them in any situation?
Even though our circumstances are different from Paul’s, we can all learn from his willingness to be content and to rejoice in all the circumstances of his life. To begin a discussion on this topic, you could review some of the trials Paul experienced (see, for example, 2 Corinthians 11:23–28). You could then ask class members to review Philippians 4:1–13 to find counsel Paul gave that can help us rejoice, even in times of trial.
Click on the image to be taken to Etsy.
Perhaps class members could share experiences when they felt “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) or when they felt strengthened “through Christ” (verse 13) to accomplish something they could not have done otherwise.
If you would like to explore this topic further, you might ask a class member to share some inspiring accounts or statements from President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “Joy and Spiritual Survival” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 81–84).
There is so much good in this talk. You can go through and pick your favorite quotes to have the students read...you don't need to pick them all. You are inspired to know what your students need to hear.
Or the class could watch the video “Trial of Adversity” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How did the people in President Nelson’s talk or the woman in the video find joy, despite their difficult circumstances?
Because evil is increasing in today’s world, your class members will benefit from Paul’s counsel to “think on” things that are pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Perhaps you could assign each class member (or small groups of class members) one of the qualities listed in Philippians 4:8 or Articles of Faith 1:13. They could each use the Topical Guide to find scriptures about their assigned quality and share with the class what they find. They could also share examples of that quality in people’s lives. How do we “seek after these things”?
I have a friend that is an amazing gospel guru, she will read something and pick one word that she will look up and study more, read the conference talks that apply to that word, search the scriptures in the dictionary that apply to that word. After studying the scriptures in this lesson, you can pass out these bookmarks and have them pick one word that they could "think on" have them write it on the bookmark and encourage them to study it.
When we are “rooted” in Jesus Christ, we are strengthened against worldly influences.
Paul’s testimony of the Savior found in Colossians 1:12–23; 2:2–8 provides a good opportunity for class members to ponder and strengthen their own faith. Class members could search these verses to find things that strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be “rooted and built up in [Jesus Christ]”? (Colossians 2:7). The picture of a tree in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families and the video “Spiritual Whirlwinds”
(ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help class members discuss this verse. What can strengthen or weaken the roots of a tree? How does being “rooted and built up in [Jesus Christ]” strengthen us against worldly influences? (see Colossians 2:7–8; see also Helaman 5:12; Ether 12:4).
You have to break the soul! Because you are a fun teacher(:
Here is a quote you can tape on the board after this object lesson, have a student read it, while everyone follows along.....that is applying two types of learning! Which means they will more likely remember it. I'm such a teaching nerd(:
You might invite class members to list things that Colossians 1:12–23; 2:2–8 teaches we can do to avoid the “vain deceit” that can “spoil” our faith in Christ (Colossians 2:8). How can we support each other in our efforts to follow the Savior and avoid Satan’s deceptions?
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