Articles of Faith FHE Lesson

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Holy Ghost. This is the fifth in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith. This also concludes the study of the first Article of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site , Blindfold for the activity.

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about the Holy Ghost.

SONG: The Still Small Voice, Children’s Songbook, page 106

SCRIPTURE: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the 3rd member of the Godhead, The Holy Ghost and how he helps us in our lives.

LESSON:

The past few weeks we have been learning about the Godhead, and each member in it. We have learned about God, the Father, who is our Heavenly Father and how He loves each of us. We also learned about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and about his life here on earth. This week, we will learn about the third and final member of the Godhead, The Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is a spirit, without a body of flesh and bones.

In the scriptures we learn why the Holy Ghost does not have a body. Listen carefully as I read Doctrine and Covenants 130:22.

Why doesn’t the Holy Ghost have a body of flesh and bones?

(The Holy Ghost could not dwell in us if he had a body of flesh and bones.)

We are going to look up some scriptures as a family and learn how the Holy Ghost can help us.

John 14:26   (comforts and teaches)
2 Nephi 32:5   (tells us what we should do)
Mosiah 5:2   (changes our hearts)
Moroni 8:26   (fills us with hope and love)
Doctrine & Covenants 20:27   (testifies of Christ)

Now that we know how the Holy Ghost can help us, lets learn how we can feel the Holy Ghost.

Doctrine and Covenants 8:2   (mind and heart)
Galatians 5:22-23   (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance–any good feeling)

President Boyd K. Packer, one of the Twelve Apostles, has said this about the Holy Ghost:

“The voice of the spirit is described in the scriptures as being neither loud nor harsh, not a voice of thunder, neither a voice of great tumultuous noise, but rather as still and small, of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it can pierce even the very sould and cause the heart to burn.

The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting. It never shakes us with a heavy hand. The Spirit whispers. It caresses so gently, indeed, that if we are preoccupied, we can’t feel it at all.

Occasionally, the Spirit will press just firmly enough or often enough for us to pay attention; but from my experience, most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, if we do not listen with those feelings, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening, in our manner and our expression.” (New Era, February 2010, p. 3)

What are some times that you have felt the Holy Ghost?

Allow family members to share experiences.

Bear testimony that the Holy Ghost will help us in our lives if we will listen carefully for the still, small voice.

ACTIVITY:

Take turns blindfolding each member of the family until everyone has had the chance to have a turn in the game.

After you have blindfolded a member of the family, in a soft voice, guide them the other side of the room. Create obstacles for them to pass by with your spoken guidance. Other family members should create a small amount of noise, and distraction so that the blindfolded family member will need to work in order to listen carefully to your voice.

After each family member has successfully completed the course, explain that this is how it is when we are trying to listen to the still, small voice of the Spirit. There are often many distractions and other voices calling to us, but if we will listen carefully with out minds and our hearts, that the Holy Ghost can guide us safely through our lives.

CONCLUSION: We believe in the Holy Ghost. He will help us to do what is right if we will listen carefully with our minds and hearts.

Save

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Son of God,Jesus Christ. This is the fourth in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site, Gospel Art Picture Kit or Selected Pictures from Church Website.

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about Jesus Christ. Gather pictures from Gospel Art Kit or Church Website and write the scripture references on slips of paper for the activity. If there is more than one scripture reference for a picture, then group them together on a single strip of paper.

SONG: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus, Children’s Songbook, page 57

SCRIPTURE:“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about Jesus Christ and His life through the scriptures.

NOTE: The purpose of this lesson is to cover the life stories of the Savior. This lesson will not cover the death and the atonement of Christ. This subject will be covered in depth in a future lesson.

LESSON:

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is our Savior and our Redeemer. Jesus came to earth and is our perfect example. We can learn about Him and how to follow Him in the scriptures.

What are some of your favorite stories in the scriptures about Jesus?

Allow family members to respond.

Bear testimony that we can learn all about the Savior and how to be like Him through the scriptures.

ACTIVITY:

For this activity, you and your family will be matching pictures from the life of Jesus that are included in the Gospel Art Kit, with the scriptures that tell that story from Christ’s life. This is a great way to practice finding scriptures and bringing them to life through the pictures from the Gospel Art Kit that represent these scripture stories.

If you have very young children, you can modify this activity by just showing the pictures and seeing how many of the stories they know. Briefly tell each scripture story or have a family member tell it to the best of their ability.

Here are the pictures and scripture references that you will need for this activity:

1. #201 The Nativity   Luke 2:1-16

2. #205 Boy Jesus in the Temple   Luke 2:41-52

3. #206 Childhood of Jesus Christ   Matthew 13:55-56, Matthew 3:24-25, Luke 2:40

4. #208 John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus   Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-23, Matthew 3:44-46

5. #209 Calling of the Fisherman   Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11

6. #211 Christ Ordaining the Apostles   Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16, John 15:16

7. #212 Sermon on the Mount   Matthew 5-7

8. #213 Christ Healing a Blind Man   John 9:1-17, 35-38

9. #214 Stilling the Storm   Matthew 8:23-27,   Mark 4:36-41, Luke 8:22-25

10. #215 Jesus Blessing Jairus’s Daughter  Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25, Mark 5:22-24, 35-43, Luke 8:41-42, 49-56

11. #217 Christ and the Samaritan Woman   John 4:3-30, 39-42

12. #219 Mary and Martha   Luke 10:38-42

13. #221 The Ten Lepers   Luke 17:11-19

14. #222 Jesus Raising Lazarus from the Dead   John 11:1-45

15. #226 Jesus Washing the Apostles Feet   John 13:4-15

16. #243 Christ Walking on the Water   Matthew 14:13-33, Mark 6:45-51

CONCLUSION: We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We can learn about Him and His life in the scriptures.

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in God, the Eternal Father. This is the third in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site.

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about God, The Eternal Father.

SONG: My Heavenly Father Loves Me, Children’s Songbook, page 228-229

SCRIPTURE:“We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about God, the Eternal Father and how He loves us.

LESSON:

God the Eternal Father is the father of everyone. He is kind, and he loves you and all his children.

In our last lesson, we learned that President Gordon B. Hinckley said:”I believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all of us. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the creation of this earth on which we live. In his image man was created. The Eternal Father is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible [touchable] as man. (D&C 130:22).

I worship him. I look to him as my strength. I pray to him for wisdom beyond my own. I seek to love him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of all men. His power is greater than the power of nature. His love is greater than the love of any other, and it is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all of us. (See Moses 1:39.)”

Ask family members: How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Write down all of the ways that the family can come up with on a white board, chalkboard or piece of paper that everyone can see.

After you have listed as many ways as you can think of, try to find more by singing the following two songs as a family.

Sing: I am a Child of God, Children’s Songbook, page 2-3

After each you have sung the song, ask the following question:

How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Add any new answers to the list you have already started.

Sing: Thanks to Our Father, Children’s Songbook, page 20

After each you have sung the song, ask the following question:

How do we know that Heavenly Father loves us?

Add any new answers to the list you have already started.

Bear testimony that you know that Heavenly Father lives, is real and loves you and each of His children.

ACTIVITY:
Using a white board, chalkboard or just a plain piece of paper, take turns as a family and draw a picture of how you know that Heavenly Father loves you. The rest of the family will try to guess what the family member is drawing. You may continue the game as long as you wish, but make sure that everyone in the family has had at least one turn each.

CONCLUSION: We believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is real. He lives. He loves each of His children and wants us to be happy.

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Godhead and that each member of the Godhead are separate, distinct beings with divine roles. This is the second in a series of Family Home Evening Lessons on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Set of Scriptures for each family member, Children’s Songbook or Selected Music from Church Music Site (There is a link included at the end of this lesson.)

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about the First Article of Faith.

SONG: The First Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook, page 122

SCRIPTURE: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” (A of F 1:1)

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the first Article of Faith and that we believe in the Godhead.

LESSON:

It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God (History of the Church 6:305).

When writing down our most important beliefs, the Prophet Joseph put this as number one: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (A of F 1:1).

When the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote the Articles of Faith, he knew that it was important for us to know about the Godhead and to understand how the members are alike and how they are different. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones … ; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost … is a personage of Spirit (D&C 130:22).
God the Eternal Father is the father of everyone. He is kind, and he loves you and all his children.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I believe in God, the Eternal Father. He is my Father, the Father of my spirit, and the Father of the spirits of all of us. He is the great Creator, the Ruler of the Universe. He directed the creation of this earth on which we live. In his image man was created. The Eternal Father is personal. He is real. He is individual. He has a ‘body of flesh and bones as tangible [touchable] as man’s’ (D&C 130:22).

I worship him. I look to him as my strength. I pray to him for wisdom beyond my own. I seek to love him with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. His wisdom is greater than the wisdom of all men. His power is greater than the power of nature. His love is greater than the love of any other, and it is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all of us. (See Moses 1:39.)”

Because God loves you, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to be your Savior and to be an example for you to follow.

President Hinckley said the following words about Jesus Christ: “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the eternal, living God. I believe in him as the Firstborn of the Father and as the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. I believe in him as an individual, separate and distinct from his Father.
I believe that he was born of Mary and that Heavenly Father was his father. I believe that in his mortal life he was the one perfect man to walk the earth. I believe that through his atoning sacrifice, the offering of his life on Calvary’s Hill, he paid for our sins if we will forsake evil and follow him. I believe that through his atonement, without any price on our part, each of us is offered the gift of resurrection from the dead. None so great has ever walked the earth.

He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in him. I love him. I worship him as I worship his Father. I thank him and kneel before his wounded feet and hands and side, amazed at the love he offers me.”

Heavenly Father also wanted someone to always be near you to help you and to teach you, so he sent the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost helps you make right choices.

President Hinckley had this to say about the Holy Ghost: “I believe in the Holy Ghost as a personage of spirit who occupies a place with the Father and the Son. He stands as the third member of the Godhead, the Comforter promised by the Savior, and the one who would teach the Savior’s followers all things and bring all things to their remembrance. The Holy Ghost is the Testifier of Truth. He can teach men things they cannot teach one another.”

Bear testimony of the importance of the Godhead in your life. Testify of their individuality and divine roles.

ACTIVITY:

For this activity, you will be singing three different songs from the Children’s Songbook together as a family. After each song is sung, discuss the characteristics that you discovered in the song about the member of the Godhead you were singing about.

1) “I Know My Father Lives” Children’s Songbook, page 5
2) “He Sent His Son” Children’s Songbook, page 34
3) “The Holy Ghost” Children’s Songbook, page 105

For an additional activity, you could have your family each color the following printable.  Just click on the picture below to be taken to where you can download it for free.

CONCLUSION:

The first Article of Faith teaches us that we believe in the Godhead and that each member of the Godhead are separate, distinct beings with divine roles.

Have you ever wondered what you would say if someone asked you what you believed as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? What would you say? Here is a FHE lesson to help your family learn how to answer this question. This is is first in a series of lessons I will make available on the Articles of Faith.

SUPPLIES: Paper, Pencil, Crayons, Set of Scriptures for each family member

PREPARATION: Prayerfully study the lesson in order to prepare yourself to teach your family about the Articles of Faith.

SONG: Faith, Children’s Songbook, page 96

SCRIPTURE: “All things are possible to him that believeth.”  Mark 9:23

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the origin and history of the Articles of Faith

LESSON:

Have you ever wondered what you would say if someone asked you what you believed as a member of the Church? What would you say?

Allow family members to respond.

One of the tools that our Heavenly Father has given us is the scriptures. In the scriptures, we learn all about the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One important part of the scriptures are what we call the Articles of Faith. Do you know where they are found?

Allow family members to respond.

The Articles of Faith are found in the Pearl of Great Price. Our prophets have told us many times that it is very important that we not only read the scriptures, but that we understand what they say. How can we understand what the scriptures say?

Allow family members to respond.

Our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, once told a story about a man from the east who was traveling to San Francisco by bus. When the bus was in Salt Lake City, a young Primary girl got onto the bus and sat next to the man. They began talking with each other and the man asked her if she was a Mormon. The young girl answered that yes, she was a Mormon. The man then asked her what Mormons believe. It was a big question for such a young girl. What would you have said?

Allow family members to respond.

The young girl recited and explained the Articles of Faith. Imagine the look on his face as she did that! He couldn’t believe it! After she got off of the bus, the man thought about her knowledge and her courage. When he arrived in San Francisco, he looked in the phone book for the phone number of the Church. Then he called the local mission president and began to ask questions about the church. The mission president sent some missionaries to teach him. Later, the man and his entire family were baptized members of the Church, all because a young girl in Primary knew and understood the Articles of Faith. And the young girl was courageous enough to share those beliefs with the man. (See Ensign, April 1994, pages 67-68)

Where did the Articles of Faith come from?

Allow family members to respond.

In March 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a letter from a Mr. Wentworth. Mr. Wentworth was a newspaper publisher in Chicago, Illinois. In his letter, he asked the Prophet many questions about the church. As Joseph answered the letter, he was inspired to write thirteen statements that contain many of the beliefs of the Church. These thirteen statements became our Articles of Faith. Later, in 1880, the members of the church voted to accept the Articles of Faith as scripture during the October general conference of the church.

Bear testimony of the importance of the Articles of Faith in your life.

ACTIVITY:

Write and illustrate a column in Mr. Wentworth’s newspaper. Answer each of the following questions in your story:

What are the Articles of Faith?
Thirteen statements of LDS beliefs

Who Wrote the Articles of Faith?
Joseph Smith

Why were the Articles of Faith Written?
To answer questions about LDS beliefs.

Where do we find the Articles of Faith?
In the Pearl of Great Price

When did the Articles of Faith become scripture?
At general conference, October 1880.

How did the Articles of Faith become scripture?
Church members voted for them.

CONCLUSION:

The Articles of Faith are a wonderful scripture source to help us to learn and teach others about the beliefs of our Church.