“Come, Follow Me” October 28–November 3: “Be Thou an Example of the Believers”

This week’s readings: 1 and 2 Timothy; Titus; Philemon

Don’t forget to record your impressions and read the ideas outlined in the new Come, Follow Me manuals on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

This scriptural insight comes from Verse by Verse: Volume 2 by Andrew C. Skinner and D. Kelly Ogden.

1 Timothy 3:2–7 lists the first-century qualifications for being a bishop. The title “bishop” derives from the Greek episcopos: epi, which means “over” (as in the epicenter of an earthquake, or the spot over which the quake centers), and scopos, meaning “look” or “watch.” Therefore, an episcopos, or bishop, is one who watches over the flock as an overseer or supervisor. (The Episcopalian denomination is so named because of its emphasis on bishops.)

These ideas and topics are compiled from Come, Follow Me and have been adapted for specific situations. Check out the manuals online for more ideas, or come up with your own as you study!

For couples: 

Teenagers and children aren’t the only ones facing the spiritual perils Paul describes in this week’s readings. You might consider studying the list given in2 Timothy chapter threeand identifying any perils that might be creeping into your marriage. Then you could talk about how can you overcome these perils together and prevent them from entering in the first place. If you have children, maybe you can take your discussion a step further and talk about specific ways you can keep your family safe from these perils as well. 

For singles: 

As you learn about being an “example of the believers” in this week’s study, perhaps you can write down the people whom you interact with each day and evaluate how you could be a better example to one or all of these people based on the description in 1 Timothy 4:12. Could you elevate your speech at work? Could you serve your family more? Or simply talk about Church when someone asks how your weekend was? You might also think of someone who you feel is a good example in your life and think about what makes them a good example and what you can learn from them.

For families with young children:

Using scriptures from 1 Timothy and Titus, perhaps you can spend some time learning about the purpose of bishops during your family study this week. You could have your family brainstorm different things that a bishop does, or have them take turns drawing pieces of paper with the bishop’s responsibilities listed on them. You might take some time to talk about how to support a bishop in his responsibilities, and maybe your family could even make a treat or write or draw thank you cards and deliver them to the bishop’s house this week. 

For families with teens: 

There are many spiritual “perils” of the last days listed in this week’s readings. Perhaps your family could go through and make a list of them. You could circle some that your family might be struggling with right now, then come up with a plan together of how you can work on one of them this week. Don’t forget to talk about how it went next week, or you could make a “feedback jar” where family members can anonymously write down times when they were able to apply your family plan or failed to throughout the week. Then you can read and evaluate them together the next week.

Stay in the loop on Come, Follow Me discussions and insights throughout the week by following the Brightly Beams Instagram account, or check out this week's related Come, Follow Me FHE lesson: Soaking Up Scripture Study.

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