This week's FHE lesson topic comes from the Come, Follow Me reading in Matthew 26,Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. Check out this week's Come, Follow Me study ideas on LDS Living for additional resources and suggestions.
Thought
“Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.”
(David A. Bednar, “Converted unto the Lord,” Liahona or Ensign, November 2012)
Scripture
“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).
Lesson
For this activity, you will need a bag and a mystery item to go into the bag (something easily recognized, but not too common).
Before the lesson, place the mystery item in the bag, ensuring no one sees it. Invite someone to come up and feel what is in the bag. Instruct him or her to describe what it feels like—not what it is made of, only how it feels. (Example: It feels rough. It feels hard. It feels cold.) Allow three or four clues before the group tries to guess what it is. Usually, they are unable to guess from just the description.
Next, invite another member from the group to feel the same object. Ask that person if he or she can tell what it is now. The second person should be able to easily identify the object. Emphasize that it is much easier to tell what something is by feeling it yourself than by having it described to you. As you feel the item for yourself you are more confident and certain of this knowledge.
Liken this to a testimony. Someone can describe his or her testimony to you, but to really know what a testimony is, you must feel it yourself. Once you feel it yourself, your doubts and uncertainties are removed. You will become confident in your own personal testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Compare the difference between a testimony and conversion. Read Luke 22:32 and discuss how the Lord said to Peter “When thou art converted” (emphasis added)—implying that Peter, who had walked and talked with Christ, had not yet been fully converted. Discuss the ways in which you and your family can both gain a testimony and be fully converted unto Christ.
(Adapted from Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Object Lessons Made Easy: Memorable Ideas for Gospel Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010])
Lead image from Shutterstock
