One of the ways that a loving Heavenly Father reveals himself to us, is through witnesses. In all dispensations, individuals from all walks of life have been called to bear witness of God’s marvelous works, and of the Lord Jesus Christ. After the shepherds personally witnessed the newborn Christ, they “made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.” The earth, and all things on the face of it “do witness that there is a supreme creator.” And, Jesus Christ Himself declared: “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me…” This lesson bundle will lay the foundation for a conversation with your children about discovering truth through witnesses, and our opportunity to bear witness of the truths we receive.
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➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "Did Jesus Really Live Again?"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
You will need a five dollar bill and paper bag. Any amount of money will work that would be exciting to a child. You can also use a treat or something else that would be of interest to a child.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Hide the five dollar bill inside the paper bag. Hold the bag up in front of everyone and announce that there is a five dollar bill inside. Ask them to raise their hands if they believe you.
Ask for a volunteer to be a “witness” and allow them to peek inside the bag. Ask the witness to tell the others what they saw in the bag. Now, ask everyone to raise their hands if they believe you even more.
Next, ask another volunteer to be a second witness. Repeat this sequence (adding more and more witnesses) until everyone has been invited to look inside the bag.
After completing the activity, discuss the following questions:
1) If there were no witnesses, would you know what was in the bag? (No.)
2) Do you think it’s better to have only one witness, or lots of witnesses? (Lots of witnesses.)
3) Why do you think it’s better to have lots of witnesses? (Discuss.)
Explain: Today we are going to learn about witnesses. Heavenly Father has sent witnesses to bear testimony of Him and his work. And each of us can be a witness too when we know something is true.
🎥 V I D E O : "Stand as a Witness | Animated Scripture Lesson for Kids"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about some missing cookies. See if you can tell who took the cookies by listening to the witnesses!”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Who do you think took the cookies? (It was the puppy!)
2) Did the judge see anyone take the cookies? (No.)
3) How did the judge know who took the cookies? (She knew because of the testimony of the three witnesses.)
4) How did the witnesses describe the puppy? (He had a black nose, white hair, pointy ears, and a long tail.)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the following scriptures and discuss the questions that follow. Invite the children to listen to what the witnesses are telling them!
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also...
1) Who is the witness in this verse? (Lehi.)
2) How did Lehi describe the fruit of the tree of life? (He said it sweeter than anything he ever tasted, more white than anything he had ever seen, and when he ate it, it filled his soul with exceedingly great joy!”)
3) What does the tree of life represent? (The love of God.)
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship.
1) Who are the witnesses? (This is the testimony of the eight witnesses from the introduction to the Book of Mormon.)
2) How did they describe the golden plates? (They had the appearance of gold, they handled the “leaves” with their hands, and there were engravings on them.)
8 And it shall come to pass, that if you shall ask the Father in my name, in faith believing, you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see…
1) In this verse, Heavenly Father is speaking to someone and asking them to “stand as a witness.” Do you know who this person is? (David Whitmer.)
2) Do you know what he got to see later? (He later became one of the three witnesses of the Golden Plates in the introduction to the Book of Mormon.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Invite the children to color the scene from the video. Use this time to talk about witnesses that Heavenly Father has given us, and how we can stand as a witness of the things that we know too!
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
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'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
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