5 TEACHING IDEAS FOR COME FOLLOW ME LESSONS
See the complete list of CFM Lessons
Mormon 7 – 9
This week’s lesson is full of meaningful discussion and focuses on Jesus Christ, peace, doubts, growth and the Godhead.
Lesson Notes
You can find the full Come, Follow Me lesson here. Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2 questions per quote. Choose the questions that resonate the most with you and make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities.
All blue quotes from the Book of Mormon (unless otherwise noted).
Lesson Prep
- If you want the discussion to be more meaningful, hand out reading assignments ahead of time and ask the reader to answer one question about them (pick one of the questions below and give it to them, along with the assigned quote). The sooner you do this, the better, but if possible, at least show it to them before the Sacrament meeting. You can also text or email it.
- Ask various people to read and participate – especially those who aren’t asked as much.
Lesson Delivery
You can arrange the quotes in any order that makes sense to you. I suggest starting with the most important ones and working your way down. Don’t worry about covering all the quotes.
- Make sure you assign others to read the quotes. You’re talking enough already. Letting others read allows more people to participate.
- Encourage discussion by accepting all reasonable answers. Validate people for participating and be thankful they spoke up. Engage with the answer in a conversational way whenever it feels natural. Never say, “That’s not the right answer,” or “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.”
- Remember, spiritual discussion is golden. We want people to talk about the gospel together.
- If a lesson takes a different turn than you planned, roll with it. The Spirit intends for you to be successful.
- If the discussion gets too non-spiritual, pull it back by going to the following quote or question.
- Avoid videos – they shut down discussion. Save them for personal study.
Quote #1 (jesus)
Mormon leaves an essential message to the Latter-day House of Israel.
5 Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6 And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat.
7 And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end. (Mormon 7:5-7)
Whenever someone tells me we worship a different Jesus Christ than the one in the Bible, I share these verses from the Book of Mormon and ask them, “What is different?” (They usually cannot answer that question with anything significant.) I’ve changed a few people’s perspectives of us with these verses.
Possible discussion questions: How important is Christ to the Book of Mormon? (Accept all reasonable answers – it’s the sole purpose of the Book of Mormon…to bring us to Christ.) What are some of the things Mormon tells us we need to do?
Possible activity: Write a to-do list from Mormon on the board or pull it out verbally – it does not have to be worded the same or have as many items.
- Come to a knowledge of your fathers (know where the House of Israel comes from)
- Repent of your sins and iniquities
- Believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God
- He was slain and resurrected by the power of the Father
- He made redemption possible
- He made it possible for all of us to be resurrected
- We will stand before the Judgment Seat
- We can become guiltless because of His redemption
- We can live with God
- We can have happiness forever
Possible discussion questions: Is there anything from this list that stands out for you today? What are your thoughts?
Deepen the Understanding
What does “one God” from verse 7 mean? A. It symbolizes the unity between the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. To clarify the meaning, you can replace “One God” with “One Godhead” whenever it appears in scripture. Try it with the end of Mormon 7:7
…to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one Godhead, in a state of happiness which hath no end.
Jesus explains the concept of ‘one’ meaning ‘unity’ with unmistakable detail in John 17:
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: (John 17:20-22)
Possible discussion question: How would you explain our “One God” belief to a friend? What would you say?
Quote #2 (peace)
Possible intro: Moroni keeps the records under tragic and extreme circumstances.
Note: Can be divided between two or more readers.
5 Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
6 Behold, four hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.
7 And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.
8 And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. And behold also, the Lamanites are at war one with another; and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war. (Mormon 8:5-8)

Possible discussion questions: Have you ever been in a life as difficult as Moroni? (Accept all reasonable answers – some people have had harrowing experiences because of war and other tragic episodes.) What does it say about him – that he remained so faithful after losing everybody and being hunted down as he speaks? Are our present circumstances a gift – that we don’t live in war-torn lands and are not hunted down by extreme enemies? Can that change? (Accept all reasonable answers – in an instance that can change.)
Deepen the Understanding
Possible important question: Who gifts this land with a reasonably peaceful existence? Can it come to an end?
35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.
36 And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world. (Doctrine and Covenants 1:35-36)
Important Takeaway: Peace is a gift from Heaven, and when Heaven is rejected and withdraws itself, so does the peace. Moroni lived during such a time yet remained faithful.
Possible Question/Discussion: Why did Moroni remain faithful and true amid horrific circumstances? Does being in horrific circumstances mean you are not blessed or deeply loved by God?
Quote #3 (doubts)
Possible intro: Write “Doubt your doubts” on the board or post a word strip. Have the class think about the following question, “Do you give your doubts as much scrutiny as you give your faith?”
26 And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.
27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
When Moroni invites us to ask the Father in Jesus’ name, “for what things soever ye shall stand in need,” he is also talking about answers to whatever questions. Pray about your questions, and have faith they will get answered in some fashion. The answers will come whether it’s an ah-hah moment in the scriptures, a General Conference talk, a passing comment by a friend, a Sunday lesson, or a conversation with a stranger.
Possible discussion questions: How would you sum up Moroni’s message to us in your own words – how would you explain it to a friend?
Optional 2nd Quote
Elder Uchtdorf does a beautiful job addressing doubts we might have.
Some might ask, “But what about my doubts?”
It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Elder Uchtdorf, Come Join With Us – Oct 2013)
Possible discussion question: What doubt have you worked through, and how did you work through it? What would you recommend to a friend who was having doubts or problems with their faith?
Deepen the Understanding
One secret to a strong testimony is to acquire the habit of making doubts second-class citizens instead of a priority. Don’t embrace them just because someone says it and you don’t have immediate proof they’re wrong. Don’t fall for the Burden of Proof Fallacy. That’s when someone asserts a challenging claim to you without providing quality, traceable evidence and then expects you to disprove it with hard, high-quality proof, unlike what they’ve provided.
When others come at you with condemning information but have no actual historical documents or manuscripts or verifiable/credible data or facts to back it up but challenge you to prove you’re right – call them on their fallacy. Ask for tangible proof of what they say, not just hearsay or second-hand information from an author. People make lots of money selling lousy information.
Let me give you an example of an exchange I had yesterday.

(Verse John 10:30 says: “I and my Father are one.”)
You can’t see the whole conversation, but it began with his strong accusation that we were “going to hell” (his words) for not believing the Trinity 3-in1 God doctrine. (I took the opportunity to teach and added John 17:20-22 from Quote #1 further down.)
The point is that as soon as the burden of proof was put back on his shoulders for his aggressive, condemning statements, he had nothing to back it up. You’ll find that happens often, or they come back with weak, unverified, questionable sources. Don’t be afraid of other people’s doubts. So often, people latch onto doubts without investigating or thinking about them twice. Do the opposite. You’ve worked hard and been through a lot for your faith – and it is worth preserving.
Quote #4 (mistakes)
Possible intro: Leaders make mistakes because they are mortal men and women who have learning curves. The gospel doesn’t stop being true because of mortal imperfections. The Lord didn’t promise a perfect experience at Church; He promised that all the essential knowledge, experiences, and ordinances needed to perfect YOU will be available in His Church.
The Book of Mormon was written for our day. As we read, ask yourself, “Why do you think Moroni included this message about condemning prophets for their mistakes?”
31 Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. (Mormon 9:31)
Possible discussion questions: Does the Book of Mormon stop being the true word of God if Moroni or others are flawed and stumble and have made mistakes? Does the Church stop being true because leaders are flawed, make bad calls, and make mistakes? What is Moroni’s last piece of advice? (Accept all reasonable answers – please learn from our mistakes rather than dwell on them.)
Deepen the Understanding
Likewise, in the very first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord guarantees that His servants, the top six Elders of the Church, will make mistakes and be chastised and corrected from time to time.
24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.
25 And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known;
26 And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed;
27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent;
28 And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time.
Line upon line, leaders progress just like each of us. As Moroni counsels, we learn from their mistakes rather than focus on them. Despite our mortality, the Lord’s scriptures are true, and the Church is empowered to move us closer to Christ through covenants and ordinances.
Possible discussion question: What can we do when we’re disappointed in something a leader says or does? Do we benefit from dwelling on it? How can we help ourselves move past it?
Summary
Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about the lesson. Thank your class for their excellent contributions and insights.
Final Comment
As you study and teach, you can help others find more truths in the scriptures. Thank you for bringing powerful Book of Mormon teachings into other people’s lives.
If you would like some tips on how to feel more confident while teaching, try “9 Tips for More Class Participation.” Please arrange the quotes in any order that makes sense to you.
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