I am thankful for my membership
in the church of Jesus Christ


 

To prepare ahead of time:

Make four signs to post on the chalkboard that read Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism by Immersion, The gift of the Holy Ghost
 

If I were to say I belong in a club, what does that mean?   What is a club?  A club is a group of people organized for a common purpose, especially a group that meets regularly.  Usually clubs are exclusive, meaning not everyone can be a part of it, or you have to try out to be in one.  There are a lot of different kinds of clubs.  However, Heavenly Father's church is for everyone. 

What do you have to do to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints? 

The Fourth Article of Faith tells us that we believe in certain principles and ordinances. Principles are teachings that come from God. God's principles are true. They show things we must do to live with our Heavenly Father. Ordinances are things we do when we live God's

Principles - - - things we do
Ordinances - - - teachings from God

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - Ask the children, “What would happen if you put on your shoes before you put on your socks?” Discuss the importance of doing things in the right order. Display the letters in FAITH in the wrong order on the chalkboard. Explain that these letters form a word but that the letters are in the wrong order. Ask the children what the first principle of the gospel is. Have them look up the answer in the Articles of Faith [A of F 1] while the pianist plays the first two lines of “The Fourth Article of Faith” (p. 124). Ask the children to sing just that much of the song and put the letters in the correct order to spell FAITH. (POST SIGN #1 - Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ) 

However, as Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “The first principle of the gospel is not ‘faith.’ The first principle of the gospel is ‘Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ’ ” (“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1994, 98). Ask why they think faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel.

Repentance - (POST SIGN #2 - Repentance)  Repentance is turning from doing wrong to doing right. The Savior wants you to turn away from wrong and turn to Him. Read 3 Nephi. 30:1–2 together.  He gave His life to pay for your sins so that if you repent, you can be forgiven and be clean again.  Discuss with the children what the word poison means. Tell them that it is like sin. Just as poison destroys the body, sin destroys the spirit. Explain that if you were to take poison, you might immediately realize what you had done, be sorry, tell someone, and not take any more. But that would not save you from the effects of the poison already in your body. Help the children understand that when you have sinned, or taken spiritual poison, Jesus has commanded you to repent. You must feel sorry for the sin, confess it to Heavenly Father, try to pay for what you have done, and try to not do it again. Jesus Christ suffered and paid for all our sins so that we can repent. This is called the Atonement. Just as taking an antidote (medicine that works against poison) can eliminate the bad effects of poison in our system, repentance and the Atonement together can eliminate sin from our lives.

Baptism - (POST SIGN #3 - Baptism by Immersion)  Baptism is a commandment. (Write the following on the chalkboard...to save time, you could write it on the board before Primary begins). 

When Christ was teaching the Nephites, he told them, “Now this is the
_____________; ______________, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be _______________ in ______________ name.” 

Find 3 Nephi, chapter 27, verse 20 in the Book of Mormon. I'm going to call on different children to help me complete the following sentence (see above). 

Have a child or teacher read over the completed sentence and help explain its meaning.  When we are baptized, we obey Christ’s commandments. But we also promise to live God’s principles. We promise to be good members of the Church of Jesus Christ. We promise to help other people. We promise to show others how a good member of Christ’s church acts. We promise to serve God. And we promise to keep His commandments.  If you have already been baptized, you should keep your promises to Heavenly Father. If you have not been baptized, you should try to keep the promises anyway. Trying to keep promises before you are baptized helps you keep them after you are baptized.

Have the children answer the following TRUE or FALSE questions by standing up if they are true and sitting down if they are false :

1. You make promises when you are baptized.
2. Someone who is eight years old may be baptized.
3. Anyone can perform baptisms.
4. A person who is being baptized does not have to go all the way under the water.
5. Your little brother who is five years old may be baptized.
6. You do not need to repent before you are baptized.

Laying on of hands by the Holy Ghost - (POST SIGN #4 - Gift of the Holy Ghost)  Play the following quiet game with the children to show them that they can be guided by a still, small voice:

Show the children a small item you will hide for this game. Invite one child to leave the group for a moment while you hide the item. Have the child return to the group, and tell him that he must listen to find the way to the hidden item. Use a quiet noise, such as lightly tapping a pencil, gently clapping your hands, or humming a song, to show the child which way to turn to look for the hidden object. Make sure that the noises you make are very soft and reverent. Gently tap when the child looks in the correct direction. Tap more quickly as the child moves closer to the hiding place, until he finds the item.  Emphasize to the children that they can be guided in their lives by listening to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost.  Finish by whisper to the children and say something such as, “If you hear me, put your finger on your cheek. If you hear me, put your finger on your chin.” Then explain to the children that there is someone else who speaks with a still, small voice, and they must listen very carefully to hear what that voice tells them. That voice comes from the Holy Ghost.

We begin our membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints clean and pure. If we show our faith in Jesus Christ by choosing the right and by repenting when we do wrong, the Holy Ghost can continue to guide us. Each week as we take the sacrament, we can renew our baptismal covenants to Heavenly Father to remember the Savior and keep His commandments.

One of the blessings of becoming a member of the church is sharing it with others.  We can be examples and missionaries to those around us.  Elder Ben Banks shares one of his favorite scriptures: "One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 1:16 [Rom. 1:16]: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” This scripture reminds me to not be ashamed of the gospel and to be true to my knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Sometimes I see people, both adults and youth, who seem almost apologetic or embarrassed by their membership in the Church and their belief in Jesus Christ. This should not be! The gospel is a precious treasure, and we are very blessed to have it in our lives. We should be grateful for what we know and believe, live the gospel as fully as we can, and look for opportunities to share it with others. Many people are looking for something to make them happy, and I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring happiness to those who are obedient and faithful." (Taken from the March 2001 Friend Magazine)

Summary - The world changes constantly, but isn't it great that the gospel stays the same?...and that we can be blessed by being a member of Jesus Christ's church?  Share your testimony of the blessings you have received through your membership in the Church of Jesus Christ.