Teaching the Youth

Chris and I have a new calling in church, and in order to begin preparing I have taken a little time to read. I found a great article from the Liahona written by Robert D. Hales and titled, “Teaching by Faith.” I found many of the concepts not only vital and important when teaching the youth, but I feel they apply to me now and to many adults who are seeking to learn and grow in the gospel. I will try to compact the best I can and put the most moving concepts to me below. I encourage you to read this article if you are looking for teaching advice.

• When we teach youth by the Spirit, hearts will be touched and lives will be affected.
• You will recall the story related in the book of Mosiah about Abinadi standing bound before the wicked King Noah. Abinadi taught the gospel with the fire of the Spirit. He gave stern and specific warnings as he boldly taught the principle of repentance. Although Abinadi taught by the Spirit, King Noah was not touched. Alma, however, who was in the court and heard the testimony, was converted (see Mosiah 12:9–17:2). We do not always know whom we will reach, but I promise you that as you teach and testify by the Spirit, you will reach those who are ready to be taught.
• As teachers, we must require our young people to think. (They need to think, respond, question, and teach eachother)
• After discussing each story, we were asked questions such as “What does that mean to you?” “How does this scripture [or story or principle] relate to your life?” “How can you apply this teaching in your home?” “How do you feel about it?” We were asked to think. We were not learning only the stories. We were discovering how we could apply them in our lives.
• Teach the importance and power of pondering
• provide time to ponder, to think, and to exchange ideas
• Use practical application: “What does that mean to you?”
• Faith-promoting incidents occur in teaching when students take a role in teaching and testifying to their peers.
• Get to know what is happening in the lives of the youth.
• a true teacher, once he or she has taught the facts and the students gain the knowledge, takes them a step farther to gain the spiritual witness and the understanding in their hearts that bring about the action and the doing.
• “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …
  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
  “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35, 38–39).