Seminary: 105 Moroni 1-6

Background: Prior to depositing the plates Moroni felt the need to jot some final thought that he considered important for us to know.


Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

“Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf packs were fearless. They were not intimidated by people or by any of the weapons available at that time. The only thing that seemed to frighten them was fire. Consequently, travelers who found themselves away from cities developed the common practice of building a large bonfire and keeping it burning through the night. As long as the fire burned brightly, the wolves stayed away. But if it were allowed to burn out and die, the wolves would move in for an attack. Travelers understood that building and maintaining a roaring bonfire was not just a matter of convenience or comfort; it was a matter of survival. (See Mary Pratt Parrish, ‘Guardians of the Covenant,’ Ensign, May 1972, p. 25.)

“We do not have to protect ourselves from wolf packs as we travel the road of life today, but, in a spiritual sense, we do face the devious wolves of Satan in the forms of temptation, evil and sin. We live in dangerous times when these ravenous wolves roam the spiritual countryside in search of those who may be weak in faith or feeble in their conviction. [See 1 Peter 5:8; D&C 122:6.] We are all vulnerable to attack. However, we can fortify ourselves with the protection provided by a burning testimony that, like a bonfire, has been built adequately and maintained carefully.

“Unfortunately, some in the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when it really is little more than the faint flickering of a candle. Their faithfulness has more to do with habit than holiness, and their pursuit of personal interests and pleasure. With such a feeble light of testimony for protection, these travelers on life’s highways are easy prey for the wolves of the adversary” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 34).

What affect did the wolves have on the travelers of the Ukraine?

How did the travelers ward off the wolves?

What would happen if their fire died?

How did Elder Wirthlin relate this to our spirituality?

Moroni 1:1-3

What enemies did Moroni face?

How did Moroni’s testimony protect him?

What sacrifices did he have to make to remain faithful to his testimony?

President Heber C. Kimball:

“Let me say to you, that many of you will see the time when you will have all the trouble, trial and persecution that you can stand, and plenty of opportunities to show that you are true to God and his work. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory….

“…The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?” (in Orsen F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [1945], 449-50).

What do you think that President Kimball meant by “The Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with victory…”?

What does he mean by “borrowed light”?

Why can’t we stand on borrowed light?

How can we be guided by the light within ourselves?

Elder Wirthlin continued:

“I offer three suggestions that will fan the flames of personal testimony as a protection against the wolves of evil that are prowling all around us to threaten our spiritual security.

“First, make sure your testimony is build upon a solid foundation of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ….

“Anchored with that faith, we are ready for my second suggestion-another layer of kindling on the bonfire of testimony. It is humble, sincere repentance. Few things extinguish the fervor of the Holy Spirit in the heart of any individual more quickly than does sin….

“My third suggestion is that we follow the example of the savior. He is the pattern.

“In any pursuit and under any condition, we can ask ourselves what Jesus would do and then determine our own course accordingly” (Ensign, Nov. 1992, 35-36)

If we work to build our testimony bonfire big then we will be able to withstand Satan’s ravening wolves.

What is the Priesthood?


What are the two main divisions of the Priesthood?


What are some of the offices in the priesthood?

Ask someone how they felt when they received the Priesthood

What priesthood office do you currently hold?

Who ordained you to that office?

What duties or responsibilities do you have in the priesthood?

What does magnify mean?

What does it mean to magnify your priesthood?

Why do you think it is important to magnify your priesthood?

How important is the priesthood in your life? Why?

In what ways do your women receive the promised blessings of the priesthood?

Moroni 2-3

Much of this was included in the book of 3 Nephi. Why do you think Moroni felt that he needed to reiterate it?

How do these verses describe the method of the conferring of the priesthood?

What responsibilities were the priesthood holders in these chapters given?

How do they compare with the responsibilities that you have today?

Imagine that you are in sacrament meeting and you are about to kneel and say the sacrament prayer and you realize that the card is missing.

What do you do?

How can your scriptures help?

Where in the scriptures can you find the sacramental prayers? (Moroni 4-5, D&C 20:77, 79.)

What word do you need to change from the scriptural version and what is used today?

What benefit would it be to have these prayers memorized?

As a member of the congregation, what do you think about prior to blessing of the sacrament?

What distractions do you try to avoid?

What do you do to help you focus on the Savior?

What promises do we make when we partake of the sacrament?

What blessings does he promise in return?

Why is this ordinance important to you?

What can you do to improve your experience of partaking the sacrament?

In what ways can partaking of the sacrament strengthen our covenant relationship with the Savior?

How can improving your understanding of the sacrament strengthen your bond with Jesus Christ?

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: ’After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sel. Joseph Fielding smith [1976], 113)….

“Every one of the Presidents of the Church following Joseph Smith has spoken on this important matter.

“Great is our work, tremendous is our responsibility in helping to find those to teach. The Lord has laid upon us a mandate to teach the gospel to every creature….

“Having found and baptized a new covert, we have the challenge of fellowshipping him and strengthening his testimony of the truth of this work. We cannot have him walking in the front door and out the back. Joining the Church is a very serious thing. Each convert takes upon himself or herself the name of Christ with an implied promise to keep His commandments. But coming into the Church can be a perilous experience. Unless there are warm and strong hands to greet the convert, unless there is an outreach of love and concern, he will begin to wonder about the step he has taken. Unless there are friendly hands and welcome hearts to greet him and lead him along the way, he may drop by the side.

“There is absolutely no point in doing missionary work unless we hold on to the fruits of that effort. The two must be inseparable. These converts are precious. Every convert is a great and serious responsibility. It is an absolute imperative that we look after those who have become a part of us” (Ensign, May 1999, 107-8)