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‘Come, Follow Me’ for Oct. 14-20: What have Church leaders said about 3 Nephi 20-26?

This week’s study guide includes Jesus Christ teaching the words of Isaiah to the Nephites

This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers 3 Nephi 20-26, which includes Jesus Christ teaching the words of Isaiah to the Nephites.

Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters in the Book of Mormon.

3 Nephi 20

“The Savior also taught the people to come unto Him through sacred covenants, and He reminded them that they were ‘the children of the covenant’ (3 Nephi 20:26). … In a similar manner, you and I are admonished to turn toward and learn from Christ and to come unto Him through the covenants and ordinances of His restored gospel. As we do so, we will eventually and ultimately come to know Him ‘in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:68), as did the people in the land of Bountiful.”

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2007 general conference, “Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

“I can find absolutely no scriptural injunction to slouch in Zion. Instead, we are repeatedly told to get on our feet, to ‘arise and stand up’ (3 Nephi 20:2). …

“Sisters, the time has come to unleash the power of righteous happiness that exists among women of God. The time has come for us to be anxiously engaged in the work of saving souls. The time has come for the sisters of Relief Society to stand with and for the prophet in helping build the kingdom. The time has come for us each to stand tall and to stand together.”

— Sister Sheri L. Dew, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 2000 general conference, “Stand Tall and Stand Together

“First, the Holy Ghost remains with us only if we stay clean and free from the love of the things of the world. A choice to be unclean will repel the Holy Ghost. The Spirit only dwells with those who choose the Lord over the world. ‘Be ye clean’ (3 Nephi 20:41) and love God with all your ‘heart, … might, mind, and strength’ (Doctrine and Covenants 59:5) are not suggestions but commandments. And they are necessary to the companionship of the Spirit, without which we cannot be one.”

President Henry B. Eyring, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1998 general conference, “That We May Be One

“Let us qualify ourselves for our Savior’s promise that by partaking of the sacrament we will ‘be filled’ (3 Nephi 20:8), which means that we will be ‘filled with the Spirit’ (3 Nephi 20:9). That Spirit — the Holy Ghost — is our comforter, our direction finder, our communicator, our interpreter, our witness, and our purifier — our infallible guide and sanctifier for our mortal journey toward eternal life.”

President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1996 general conference, “‘Always Have His Spirit’

3 Nephi 21

“We face the challenge of raising families in the world in darkening clouds of wickedness. Some of our members are unsettled, and sometimes they wonder: Is there any place one can go to escape from it all? Is there another town or a state or a country where it is safe, where one can find refuge? The answer generally is no. The defense and the refuge is where our members now live.

“The Book of Mormon prophesies, ‘Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance’ (3 Nephi 21:28).

“Those who come out of the world into the Church, keep the commandments, honor the priesthood and enter into activity have found the refuge.”

— The late President Boyd K. Packer, then acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2006 general conference, “A Defense and a Refuge

3 Nephi 22

Jesus Christ minister to Nephite children in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos.
Jesus Christ ministers to Nephite children in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Another of the things Christ asked these [Nephite] parents to do is found in 3 Nephi 22:13: ‘All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.’

“And so, following their own experiences with the Savior, these Nephite parents taught their children about Him. They taught them to love the Lord. They taught them His gospel. They taught them how to live it. They taught them so well that there was righteousness and peace in the land for 200 years.

“Now, I would ask you to look around you at those you love. This is what matters most — our families. I am sure that more than anything, you want this family to be yours eternally. The account in 3 Nephi can help us bring our children to Him because it gives us a pattern to follow. First, we must love the Lord with all our hearts, and we must love our children. Second, we must become a worthy example to them by continually seeking the Lord and striving to live the gospel. Third, we must teach our children the gospel and how to live its teachings.”

— Sister Cheryl C. Lant, then the recently released Primary general president, April 2010 general conference, “That Our Children Might See the Face of the Savior

“My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God. He has promised: …

“’For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee’ (3 Nephi 22:10). ‘I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer’ (3 Nephi 22:8).

“My dear friends, the Savior heals the broken heart and binds up your wounds. Whatever your challenges may be, wherever you live on this earth, your faithful membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the divine powers of the gospel of Jesus Christ will bless you to endure joyfully to the end.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2007 general conference, “Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?

“While teaching the Nephite people, the Savior affirmed the words of the prophet Isaiah who prophesied of Israel in the latter days: ‘For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. …

“’For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord’ (3 Nephi 22:7, 10).

“The Savior then revealed one of the ways in which His covenant of peace would be preserved for the righteous in the last days: ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children’ (3 Nephi 22:13). …

“As we witness the unfolding events of the last days, we cannot doubt that in this scripture the Lord is speaking directly to us. We are Israel of the latter days. We are they who must teach our children of Him. Peace that endures is not dependent upon outside forces that are beyond our control. …

“The Lord’s words spoken centuries ago are words of hope and assurance that give comfort to righteous parents who teach their children of Him. They speak to us at a time when peace in the hearts of children can seem but an elusive dream. But the Savior has assured us that it can be a reality if we teach our children.”

— Sister Anne G. Wirthlin, then the first counselor in the Primary general presidency, April 1998 general conference, “Teaching Our Children to Love the Scriptures

“’Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires’ (3 Nephi 22:11; see also Isaiah 54:11).

“Such scriptural language rivets my attention. In the midst of a troubling world, the foundations I rely on come by my covenants with the Lord. They are indeed like sapphires and are treasures beyond price. Through them I have an eternal link to my loved ones and to God. They are the restored principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ which are available to righteous women and men alike through the power of the holy priesthood of God. They include baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sacrament and temple covenants. These are the ways given to us and freely chosen by us to vouchsafe our eternal lives.”

— The late Sister Aileen H. Clyde, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, April 1995 general conference, “Covenant of Love

Jesus Christ greets a Nephite child in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos.
Jesus Christ greets a Nephite child in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Our Heavenly Father has promised peace to His children. ‘All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children’ (3 Nephi 22:13). Peace in the Lord can give them freedom from self-doubt, freedom from fear, freedom from the confinement of their environment, freedom from enslaving habits. His peace can free them to unfold from the tender buds they are to the mature and fruitful adults they can be.”

— Sister Michaelene P. Grassli, then the Primary general president, October 1988 general conference, “Children at Peace

“Yes, children are full of divinity. Surely the angels attend them. But the loving care and teachings they need in order to abide on the earth must be given by mothers and fathers and those who influence them. They need to be loved, and they need to be taught. The risen Lord reiterated the counsel of Isaiah when He said, ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children’ (3 Nephi 22:13).”

— The late Sister Joanne B. Doxey, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1987 general conference, “Strengthening the Family

3 Nephi 24

“The sacred significance of the law of tithing was confirmed by the Savior Himself following His Resurrection and during His ministry to the people in what is now known as the Americas.

“The Book of Mormon records that the Savior taught the Nephites from the scriptures they had, but spoke of other scriptures that they did not have, commanding them to write the words which the Father had given to Malachi, including these words:

“’Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. …

“’Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it’ (3 Nephi 24:8, 10). …

“You and I are now among those generations given the privilege to know and to live the law of the tithe. The blessings that flow from obedience to that law are both temporal and spiritual, as many among us can testify.”

— The late Elder Ronald E. Poelman, then a General Authority Seventy, April 1998 general conference, “Tithing: A Privilege

3 Nephi 25

“Centuries ago, the prophet Malachi said that in a coming day, God would send Elijah to ‘turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers’ (Malachi 4:6).

“This prophecy was so important the Savior quoted it when He visited the Americas after His Resurrection (see 3 Nephi 25:5–6). And when the angel Moroni visited the Prophet Joseph Smith, he too quoted the prophecy about Elijah and hearts, fathers and children (see Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39).

“Today is April 1. Two days from now, April 3, [is] the day when Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled. On that day, Elijah did come, and he gave to Joseph Smith the priesthood power to seal families eternally (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16). …

“I bear testimony that Elijah did come. The hearts of the children — of you and me — have turned to our fathers, our ancestors. The affection you feel for your ancestors is part of the fulfillment of that prophecy. It is deeply seated in your sense of who you are.”

President Henry B. Eyring, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2017 general conference, “Gathering the Family of God

“Easter is that sacred season when the heart of each devout Christian turns in humble gratitude to our beloved Savior. It is a season that should bring peace and joy to all who love Him and show it by obeying His commandments. Easter brings thoughts of Jesus, His life, His Atonement, His Resurrection, His love. He has risen from the dead ‘with healing in his wings’ (Malachi 4:2; 3 Nephi 25:2). Oh, how we all need that healing the Redeemer can provide.”

— The late Elder Richard G. Scott, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2010 general conference, “He Lives! All Glory to His Name!

3 Nephi 26

Jesus Christ teaches the Nephites in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos.
Jesus Christ teaches the Nephites in this picture from the Book of Mormon Videos. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Our young members’ fascination and expertise with social media gives them unique opportunities to reach out to interest others in the gospel. Describing the Savior’s appearance to the Nephites, Mormon writes, ‘He did teach and minister unto the children … and he did loose their tongues … that they could utter’ (3 Nephi 26:14). Today I suppose we would say ‘loose their [thumbs] that they could utter.’ Go to it, youth!”

President Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2016 general conference, “Sharing the Restored Gospel

“When the Savior visited the Nephites, He did something extraordinary with the children:

“’And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude … , and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things. …

“’And they both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things’ (3 Nephi 26:14, 16).

“Perhaps more than opening the mouths of babes, the Lord was opening the eyes and ears of their astonished parents. Those parents had been granted the extraordinary gift of a glimpse into eternity and of beholding the true identity and premortal stature of their children. Would that not forever change the way the parents saw and treated their children? … To remember a child’s true identity is a gift of foresight that divinely inspires the vision of a righteous judge.”

Elder Lynn G. Robbins, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2016 general conference, “The Righteous Judge

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