The Gift of the

Holy Ghost
Chapter 21

The Holy Ghost

In chapter 7 we learned that the Holy Ghost is a member of the
Godhead. He is “a personage of Spirit” (D&C 130:22). He does not
have a body of flesh and bones. His influence can be everywhere at
once. His mission is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and
of all truth. Furthermore, the Holy Ghost purifies, or sanctifies, us to
prepare us to dwell in the presence of God. The Holy Ghost puri-
fies our hearts so we no longer have the desire to do evil.
There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the
Holy Ghost. In this chapter we will learn what the gift of the Holy
Ghost is and how we can receive this great gift from God.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

• What is the difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the
Holy Ghost?
The gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege—given to people who
have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized, and been
confirmed as members of the Church—to receive continual guid-
ance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
Joseph Smith said we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost being
enjoyed now as much as it was enjoyed in the days of the first

For teachers: You may want to invite class members or family members to participate
in one or more of the following activities: (1) Read the additional scriptures listed at the
end of the chapter, and discuss how the Holy Ghost helps us through our mortal journey.
(2) Tell about some of the blessings that have come into their lives because they have the
gift of the Holy Ghost. (3) Discuss what parents can do to help their children understand
the gift of the Holy Ghost and how the Holy Ghost communicates with us.

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 The Gifts of the Spirit
Chapter 22

The Gifts of the Spirit

• What spiritual gifts does the Lord give us?
Following baptism, each of us had hands laid on our heads to
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. If we are faithful, we can have
His influence continually with us. Through Him, each of us can be
blessed with certain spiritual powers called gifts of the Spirit. These
gifts are given to those who are faithful to Christ. “All these gifts
come from God, for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26).
They help us know and teach the truths of the gospel. They will
help us bless others. They will guide us back to our Heavenly Father.
To use our gifts wisely, we need to know what they are, how we can
develop them, and how to recognize Satan’s imitations of them.
The scriptures mention many gifts of the Spirit. These gifts have
been given to members of the true Church whenever it has been
on the earth (see Mark 16:16–18). The gifts of the Spirit include the
following:
The Gift of Tongues (D&C 46:24)
Sometimes it is necessary to communicate the gospel in a language
that is unfamiliar to us. When this happens, the Lord can bless us
with the ability to speak that language. Many missionaries have
received the gift of tongues (see the picture in this chapter). For
example, Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley was a missionary in Holland who
understood and spoke very little Dutch even though he had prayed
and studied hard. When he returned to a home he had visited before,

For teachers: Consider asking each class member or family member to review the list of
spiritual gifts in this chapter and choose two that they would like to learn more about.
As part of the lesson, give them time on their own to study the paragraphs and scripture
passages about the gifts they have chosen. When they have had time to study, ask them to
share what they have learned.

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 The Sacrament
Chapter 23

Christ Introduced the Sacrament

• What do the emblems of the sacrament teach about the Atone-
ment of Jesus Christ?
Our Savior wants us to remember His great atoning sacrifice and
keep His commandments. To help us do this, He has commanded
us to meet often and partake of the sacrament.
The sacrament is a holy priesthood ordinance that helps remind
us of the Savior’s Atonement. During the sacrament, we partake of
bread and water. We do this in remembrance of His flesh and His
blood, which He gave as a sacrifice for us. As we partake of the sac-
rament, we renew sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father.
Shortly before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ gathered His Apostles
around Him in an upstairs room. He knew He would soon die on
the cross. This was the last time He would meet with these beloved
men before His death. He wanted them to always remember Him
so they could be strong and faithful.
To help them remember, He introduced the sacrament. He broke
bread into pieces and blessed it. Then He said, “Take, eat; this
is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you”
( Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:22). Next He took a cup of
wine, blessed it, gave it to His Apostles to drink, and said, “This is
in remembrance of my blood . . . , which is shed for as many as
shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins” ( Joseph
Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24; see also Matthew 26:26–28; Mark
14:22–24; Luke 22:15–20).
After His Resurrection, the Savior came to the Americas and taught
the Nephites the same ordinance (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11; 20:1–9).
After the Church was restored in the latter days, Jesus once again

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 The Sabbath Day
Chapter 24

The Meaning of the Sabbath Day

• What is the Sabbath day?
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8; see also
D&C 68:29).
The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning rest.
Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Sabbath day commemo-
rated God’s day of rest after He finished the Creation. It was a sign
of the covenant between God and His people. We read in the book
of Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth in six peri-
ods of time, which He called days: “And on the seventh day God
ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh
day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the
seventh day, and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:2–3). Now the Sabbath
also commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath day is every seventh day. It is a holy day ordained by
God for us to rest from our daily labors and worship Him.

The Purpose of the Sabbath Day

• How would you explain the purpose of the Sabbath day to some-
one who does not know about the Sabbath?
Jesus taught that the Sabbath day was made for our benefit (see
Mark 2:27). The purpose of the Sabbath is to give us a certain day
of the week on which to direct our thoughts and actions toward
God. It is not a day merely to rest from work. It is a sacred day to
be spent in worship and reverence. As we rest from our usual daily
activities, our minds are freed to ponder spiritual matters. On this
day we should renew our covenants with the Lord and feed our
souls on the things of the Spirit.

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 Fasting
Chapter 25

How to Fast Properly

• What can we do to make fasting a joyful experience?
Since the time of Adam, God’s people have fasted to help them
draw near to Him and to worship Him. Jesus showed the impor-
tance of fasting by His own example (see Luke 4:1–4). Through
latter-day revelation we learn that the Lord still expects His people
to fast and pray often (see D&C 88:76).
Fasting means to go without food and drink. Occasional fasting is
good for our bodies and helps our minds become more active.
The Savior taught us that purposeful fasting is more than just going
without food and drink. We must also concentrate on spiritual
matters.
We Should Pray When We Fast
Prayer is a necessary part of fasting. Throughout the scriptures,
prayer and fasting are mentioned together. Our fasting should be
accompanied by sincere prayer, and we should begin and end our
fasting with prayer.
We Should Fast with a Purpose
Fasting can have many purposes. We can overcome weaknesses or
problems by fasting and praying. Sometimes we may wish to fast
and pray for help or guidance for others, such as a family member
who is ill and needs a blessing (see Mosiah 27:22–23). Through fast-
ing we can come to know the truth of things just as did the prophet
Alma in the Book of Mormon. He said: “I have fasted and prayed
For teachers: You may want to divide class members or family members into groups of
two to four people and give each group an opportunity to discuss ways to make fasting a
joyful experience. Then work together to make a list of everyone’s ideas—perhaps on the
board or on a large piece of paper.

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 Sacrifice
Chapter 26

The Meaning of Sacrifice

Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our
time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work.
The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Our willingness to sacrifice is an
indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried
and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.
• Why is it important to sacrifice as the Lord asks without expecting
anything in return?

The Law of Sacrifice Was Practiced Anciently

• What was the significance of the sacrifices performed by the
Lord’s covenant people anciently?
From the time of Adam and Eve to the time of Jesus Christ, the
Lord’s people practiced the law of sacrifice. They were commanded
to offer as sacrifices the firstlings of their flocks. These animals had
to be perfect, without blemish. The ordinance was given to remind
the people that Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of the Father, would
come into the world. He would be perfect in every way, and He
would offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. (See Moses 5:5–8.)
Jesus did come and offer Himself as a sacrifice, just as the people
had been taught He would. Because of His sacrifice, everyone will
be saved from physical death by the Resurrection and all can be
saved from their sins through faith in Jesus Christ (see chapter 12 in
this book).

For teachers: You do not need to teach everything in each chapter. As you prayerfully pre-
pare to teach, seek the Spirit’s guidance to know which portions of the chapter you should
cover and which questions you should ask.

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 Work and
Personal Responsibility
Chapter 27

Work Is an Eternal Principle

• What experiences have you had that have shown you the impor-
tance of work?
Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have shown us by Their exam-
ples and teachings that work is important in heaven and on earth.
God worked to create the heavens and the earth. He caused the seas
to gather in one place and the dry land to appear. He caused grass,
herbs, and trees to grow on the land. He created the sun, the moon,
and the stars. He created every living thing in the sea or on the land.
Then He placed Adam and Eve on the earth to take care of it and to
have dominion over all living things. (See Genesis 1:1–28.)
Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” ( John 5:17). He
also said, “I must work the works of him that sent me” ( John 9:4).

We Are Commanded to Work

Work has been the way of life on earth since Adam and Eve left the
Garden of Eden. The Lord said to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). Adam and Eve worked in the
fields so they could provide for their own needs and the needs of
their children (see Moses 5:1).
The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Six days shalt thou labour”
(Exodus 20:9).

For teachers: Try to help each class member or family member participate during the
lesson. Individuals may help by setting up chairs, offering the opening or closing prayer,
writing on the board, reading scriptures aloud, answering questions, sharing testimony, or
summarizing the lesson.

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 Service
Chapter 28

How We Can Serve

• Think about ways people have served you and your family
members.
Jesus said, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). As true
followers of Jesus, we also must serve others.
Service is helping others who need assistance. Christlike service
grows out of genuine love for the Savior and of love and concern for
those whom He gives us opportunities and direction to help. Love is
more than a feeling; when we love others, we want to help them.
All of us must be willing to serve, no matter what our income, age,
or social position. Some people believe that only the poor and
lowly should serve. Other people think service should be given
only by the rich. But Jesus taught otherwise. When the mother of
two of His disciples asked Him to honor her sons in His kingdom,
Jesus replied, “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your
minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your
servant” (Matthew 20:26–27).
There are many ways to serve. We can help others economically,
socially, physically, and spiritually. For example, we can share food
or other articles with those who need them. We can help those in
need by giving a generous fast offering. We can be a friend to a
newcomer. We can plant a garden for an elderly person or care for
someone who is sick. We can teach the gospel to someone who
needs the truth or comfort someone who grieves.
We can do small and large acts of service. We should never fail to
help someone because we are unable to do great things. A widow
told of two children who came to her door shortly after she had
moved to a new town. The children brought her a lunch basket and

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 The Lord’s
Law of Health
Chapter 29

Our Bodies Are Temples of God

One of the great blessings we received when we came to earth
was a physical body. We need a physical body to become like our
Heavenly Father. Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls
them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our
bodies are holy.
Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us
to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better
people if we are healthy. The Holy Ghost can be with us if our bod-
ies and minds are clean. Our Father knows that we face temptations
to treat our bodies unwisely or to take harmful things into them.
For this reason He has told us which things are good for our health
and which things are bad. Much of the information God has given
us concerning good health is found in Doctrine and Covenants 89.
This revelation is called the Word of Wisdom.
We must obey the Word of Wisdom to be worthy to enter the
temple. If we do not obey the Word of Wisdom, the Lord’s Spirit
withdraws from us. If we defile the “temple of God,” which is our
body, we hurt ourselves physically and spiritually.

We Are Commanded Not to Take Certain Things into Our

Bodies
• What has the Lord commanded us not to take into our bodies?
The Lord commands us not to use wine and strong drinks, mean-
ing drinks containing alcohol. The First Presidency has taught that
strong drink often brings cruelty, poverty, disease, and plague into

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 Charity
Chapter 30

What Is Charity?
• How would you define charity?
The life of the Savior reflects His pure love for all people. He even
gave His life for us. Charity is that pure love which our Savior Jesus
Christ has. He has commanded us to love one another as He loves
us. The scriptures tell us that charity comes from a pure heart (see
1 Timothy 1:5). We have pure love when, from the heart, we show
genuine concern and compassion for all our brothers and sisters.

Charity Is the Greatest of All Virtues

The prophet Mormon tells us, “Wherefore, cleave unto charity,
which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—but charity is the
pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46–47; see
also 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Nephi 26:30; Moroni 7:44–45, 48).
The Savior gave us the example of His life to follow. He was the
Son of God. He had perfect love, and He showed us how to love.
By His example, He showed us that the spiritual and physical needs
of our fellowmen are as important as our own. Before He gave His
life for us, He said:
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have
loved you.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends” ( John 15:12–13).
Speaking to the Lord, Moroni said:
“I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world,
even unto the laying down of thy life for the world. . . .

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