“Mosiah 28: Personal Conversion and Sharing the Gospel,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“Mosiah 28,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

Mosiah 28

Personal Conversion and Sharing the Gospel

a youth talking about the gospel with others

What experiences have you had sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ? After their conversion, the sons of Mosiah approached the king for permission to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. King Mosiah first asked the Lord, then allowed his sons to go so they could bring the word of God to the Lamanites (see Mosiah 28:1). This lesson is intended to help you increase your desire to share the gospel.

Help learners find relevance in gospel truths. Some students may struggle to see how the gospel relates to their everyday lives. Prayerfully seek ways to help them feel that what they are learning is meaningful and useful to their personal circumstances, questions, and needs.

Student preparation: Consider inviting students to talk to an individual who they believe is deeply converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. What helped that individual on his or her path of conversion? You may also consider inviting the students to evaluate their desire to share the gospel.

Possible Learning Activities

Sharing and conversion

Consider bringing in or showing a picture of something you love so much that you enjoy sharing it with others. Share this item with students before asking the next question.

What are some things that you love so much that you want to share them with others?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that it is not unusual for us to share things that are meaningful to us. Watch the video “Good Things to Share” (2:21), available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, or read the statement below.

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Elder David A. Bednar

Sharing with other people things that are most meaningful to us or have helped us is not unusual at all.

This same pattern is especially evident in matters of great spiritual importance and consequence. …

The invitations we extend to you to learn about and test our message grow out of the positive effects the gospel of Jesus Christ has had in our lives. Sometimes we may be awkward or abrupt or even relentless in our attempts. Our simple desire is to share with you the truths that are of greatest worth to us. (David A. Bednar, “Come and See,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 109, 110)

Rate how true the following statements are for you on a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 is not true for you and 5 is very true for you):

Consider displaying the following statements for students as they ponder and reflect on their lives.

Truths about the Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel are of great worth to me.
I have a desire to share His gospel with others.

As you study the lives and examples of the sons of Mosiah, ponder your desire to share the Savior’s gospel. Seek revelation to know what next steps the Lord may want you to take so the gospel becomes even more meaningful to you and your desire to share the gospel increases.

The sons of Mosiah

Recall that after their conversion, the sons of King Mosiah preached the gospel in their own land, seeking to repair their wrongs (see Mosiah 27:32–37).

Read Mosiah 28:1–5, looking for what the sons of Mosiah desired and why. (You may want to mark what you find in your scriptures.)

Which words or phrases in these verses stand out to you? What reasons did the sons of Mosiah have for sharing the gospel with the Lamanites?

Consider inviting several students to share what they found.
Why might these be motivating reasons to share the gospel?
What truths did you learn from these verses?

Students may share a variety of true principles. If students do not mention the bolded principle below, consider asking the following questions: How might our desire to share the gospel be related to our personal conversion? Why?

One truth we learn from these verses is that as our conversion to the Lord deepens, our desire to share the gospel increases.

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency confirmed this truth when he taught the following:

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President Dallin H. Oaks

The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion (Dallin H. Oaks, “Sharing the Gospel,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 7).

What experiences did the sons of Mosiah have that helped them become converted to Jesus Christ and His gospel? (See Mosiah 27:34–36; 28:4).

Consider displaying the following questions for students to ponder or answer in their study journals before responding.
What experiences have helped you or those you know become more converted to Jesus Christ and His gospel?
What do you love about Jesus Christ and His gospel that you want to share with others? (For example, you may have had meaningful experiences with the Savior’s forgiveness, God’s love, prayer, etc.)

Even when we are converted to the Lord, there may be reasons why sharing the gospel is still difficult.

If you were one of the sons of Mosiah, what concerns might you have about preaching the gospel to the Lamanites?

As their father and as the king, Mosiah had many reasons for worrying about sending his sons to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. King Mosiah feared not only for his sons’ safety but also that if his sons left, he would not have an heir to crown as the next king of the Nephites.

Read Mosiah 28:6–8, looking for why Mosiah let his sons go on such a dangerous mission.

What blessings did the Lord promise Mosiah?

Your next steps

Take a moment to list concerns you or others may have about sharing the gospel.

List students’ responses on the board. Decide whether it would be best to select one concern for the entire class to focus on together or to have students work individually or in small groups.

Select one of these concerns and pray for guidance as you search the scriptures and ponder how to overcome this concern. For example, if you had one of the following concerns, you might ponder the questions and study the scriptures listed after the statements.

Consider displaying the following statements or writing them on the board.

I am not sure I am converted enough to share the gospel. How might the examples of the sons of Mosiah help you? (See Mosiah 28:1–5.) As you read some of the following verses, look for ways you can become more converted: Acts 3:19; James 5:20; Enos 1:2–5; Mosiah 3:19; 5:2; 27:25; Alma 5:12–14; 22:15–18; 53:10; Helaman 15:7; 3 Nephi 9:20.

I am afraid of being rejected. Review in Mosiah 28:2–4 the reasons the sons of Mosiah wanted to share the gospel even though many thought the Lamanites were not likely to accept it. How might these reasons help you? How might thinking about what the Savior has done for you (and can do for others) help you overcome your fear?

I haven’t been the best example of living the gospel. Before their conversion, the sons of Mosiah preached against the gospel (see Mosiah 27:8–10), but after they repented, they became some of the most successful missionaries in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 17:4). What does their example inspire you to do? What other examples in the scriptures can you think of that may help?

Invite several students to share what they found and how it may help with the concern.

Consider displaying the following sentences for students as they ponder and respond in their study journals.

“One of the most important things I learned from the sons of Mosiah is …”
“One thing I feel the Lord would have me do to follow the example of the sons of Mosiah is …”
“To take effective action on this, I can …”

Invite students to share. It may be helpful to conclude by sharing your testimony, feelings, and impressions or by inviting one or two students to do so.

Commentary and Background Information

How can I better share the gospel with others?

President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, suggested one effective way Church members can share the gospel:

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President M. Russell Ballard

The key to successful member missionary work is the exercise of faith. One way to show your faith in the Lord and His promises is to prayerfully set a date to have someone prepared to meet with the missionaries. I have received hundreds of letters from members who have exercised their faith in this simple way. Even though families had no one in mind with whom they could share the gospel, they set a date, prayed, and then talked to many more people. The Lord is the Good Shepherd, and He knows His sheep who have been prepared to hear His voice. He will guide us as we seek His divine help in sharing His gospel. (M. Russell Ballard, “Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2006, 86)

How can I deepen my conversion?

Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela of the Seventy reiterated President Nelson’s teachings about effort and conversion in the following statement:

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Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela

President Russell M. Nelson has taught us recently: “To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort.” Among the recommendations that he gave us to increase our faith in Jesus Christ is that we become engaged learners, that we immerse ourselves in the scriptures to understand better Christ’s mission and ministry. (See “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 103.) (Arnulfo Valenzuela, “Deepening Our Conversion to Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 59)

Supplemental Learning Activities

An additional concern

If useful, you could also include the following concern in the activity under the heading “Your next steps” above:

I don’t feel like I will say the right thing. Consider reading about Enoch (see Moses 6:27, 31–34) and Moses (see Exodus 4:10–12). What did the Lord teach them? How might their example help you?

The power and importance of keeping records

The remainder of Mosiah 28 concludes by explaining that Mosiah, in his capacity as a seer, translated the record of the Jaredites—the plates that had been found by the group that King Limhi had sent to find the land of Zarahemla (see Mosiah 8:7–9). Consider inviting students to read Mosiah 28:11–19, looking for phrases that show the people’s feelings toward these records. What do you think they learned from these people? How does this relate to you and your feelings toward the scriptures?

Translating records

Mosiah 28:13–16 gives some insight into how and why Mosiah was able to translate records. If students have questions about this process, consider inviting them to study Mosiah 8:13–18 and “Book of Mormon Translation” in the Gospel Topics Essays, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Encourage students to share what they learned.

Learning from other youth about deepening conversion and sharing the gospel

The video “Youth Share Their Experiences” (7:59), available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, provides powerful examples from youth that students could apply to their efforts to deepen their conversion and share the gospel. Students could watch this video and list the ways to share the gospel that the youth mention.