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What Shall We Do Then?

Personal patch notes, John the Baptist’s brutally specific advice, and the day the heavens opened over the Jordan

  • 🔥 Youth 14–16
  • Week 4
  • 📅 Sunday, January 24, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Repentance isn’t a punishment or a one-time reboot; it’s letting Jesus Christ straighten the crooked places in my life, one specific, doable change at a time, just as He showed the way by being baptized.

I can prepare the way of the Lord in my life by making specific changes, keeping my baptismal covenant, and seeking the Holy Ghost.

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)
Know the chapters

John the Baptist was the least polished preacher imaginable: camel’s-hair clothes, a leather belt, locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). Yet all of Jerusalem and Judea went out to hear him. His message was simple: “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (3:2). He described his mission with a picture from Isaiah: valleys filled, mountains brought low, crooked paths made straight, rough roads made smooth (Luke 3:4–5). That’s what the Savior does in a life that makes room for Him. The manual calls repentance a mighty change of mind and heart, and it is a joyful kind of change.

Luke 3:10–14 is gold for teenagers. When the crowds asked, “What shall we do then?” John didn’t hand out vague advice. He gave each group something specific: if you have two coats, share one; tax collectors, stop overcharging; soldiers, don’t bully, don’t lie about people, be content with your pay. He also warned the proud not to lean on their family tree (“We have Abraham to our father,” Luke 3:8), and to bring forth “fruits worthy of repentance.” Repentance shows up in behavior. For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices teaches the same thing in its section “Jesus Christ Will Help You,” and in “We Can Do Better and Be Better” (April 2019), President Russell M. Nelson taught that repentance is a daily process of becoming better, not a one-time event for “big” sins.

Then Jesus came to be baptized. John objected that he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around, but Jesus answered that it was right “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). The Savior, who had no sin, was baptized by immersion by someone holding proper authority, to obey His Father and to show us the way (see 2 Nephi 31:5–9). As He came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended “like a dove,” and the Father’s voice declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16–17). The scene shows the three members of the Godhead as three separate beings. Joseph Smith taught that the dove was a sign; the Holy Ghost was not changed into a dove.

Make the priesthood connection. John held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and on May 15, 1829, he restored that priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Doctrine and Covenants 13). Teachers in your class prepare the sacrament, the ordinance where we renew the covenant we made at baptism, and in a year or two many will be priests who can baptize (Doctrine and Covenants 20:46). John also taught that the Savior would baptize “with the Holy Ghost and with fire” (Matthew 3:11): the gift of the Holy Ghost cleanses, refines and warms us, and it is just as essential as baptism in water.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4–5, 3:10–14 and Matthew 3:13–17. Do Patch Notes out loud (no supplies), let Teach Mode carry the scripture scene, then play What Would John Say? with the whole room. Finish with the Real Talk questions and your testimony that the Savior can straighten any crooked path.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Mark Matthew 3:2, 4, 11, 13–17 and Luke 3:4–5, 8, 10–14, 16 in one set of scriptures (or have readers bookmark them in Gospel Library).
  2. Add your class in the My Class tab so you can hand out parts with one tap. Give John the Baptist to someone who can read with conviction.
  3. Write two or three funny “patch notes” about yourself to model the hook (for example: “Version 42.1: Fixed a bug where I checked email during dinner. Reduced sighing at traffic by 30 percent.”).
  4. Think of a time the Savior helped you change something and it brought you peace. You’ll share it briefly at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Keep repentance hopeful, not shaming. Never ask anyone to share their own sins; the Patch Notes can be silly or private.
  • Teens tend to think repentance is only for big, serious sins. Keep bringing it back to everyday changes: tone, phones, honesty, kindness.
  • What Would John Say? can get hilarious. Let it, then ask for one serious answer before moving on.
  • Hand leadership to the youth who push boundaries: one can be John the Baptist in the scene; another can run the voting in the game.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Patch Notes

3 min

Writing funny “software update” notes about themselves sets up repentance as ongoing, specific improvement instead of a scary one-time event.

  1. SAY“Every app you have gets updates with patch notes: bugs fixed, features added. Here are mine.” Read the two or three you wrote about yourself.
  2. Hand out sticky notes. Everyone writes one patch note for themselves in 60 seconds. It can be silly (“Reduced snack theft from little brother by 15 percent”) or real. Real ones stay private.
  3. Invite a few volunteers to read silly ones out loud.
  4. SAY“Here’s the thing: nobody deletes an app because it needs an update. Updates are how it gets better. John the Baptist had a word for this kind of change, and it’s not as scary as people think.”
🌪️ If nobody wants to share, read another one of yours with full dramatic flair. Somebody will crack.

Class screen: 📲 Patch Notes: what’s in your next update? · Bug fixed: ______ · Feature added: ______ · Silly or real (real stays private)

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Two sticky notes or index cards per person, and a few pens

  1. SAY“Every app you have gets updates with patch notes: bugs fixed, features added. Here are mine.” Read the two or three you wrote about yourself.
  2. Give everyone 30 seconds to think of one patch note for themselves (silly or real). Invite a few volunteers to say silly ones out loud, or type them in their phone’s notes.
  3. SAY“Nobody deletes an app because it needs an update. Updates are how it gets better. John the Baptist had a word for this kind of change, and it’s not as scary as people think.”
2. Story

Scripture Scene: A Voice in the Wilderness

6 min

Youth read John’s message and the Savior’s baptism in the scriptures’ own words and see that repentance is specific and the Savior Himself showed us the way.

  1. Hand out parts (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Readers read their verses from the marked scriptures. Everyone else is the People.
  2. The Narrator reads each scene while the class watches the screen. Pause for each reader and each group action.
  3. After scene 5, ask: “Why do you think John gave such specific answers instead of just saying ‘be good’?”
  4. After scene 7, ask: “Jesus never sinned. Why did He need to be baptized?” (To obey His Father, to fulfill all righteousness and to show us the way.)
  5. Point out that the Narrator reads the words of Jesus and of Heavenly Father; no one plays Them.
🌪️ If the Proud Leaders overdo the strutting, let them. Then have John stare them down in silence for three seconds. It works.

Class screen: 🏜️ A voice in the wilderness: prepare the way, make it straight · Readers: read your verses · Everyone else: the People

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. Hand out parts (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone else is the People.
  2. Hold your own scriptures (or phone). When it’s a character’s turn, read their verse one phrase at a time and they echo it with conviction.
  3. After scene 5, ask: “Why do you think John gave such specific answers instead of just saying ‘be good’?”
  4. After scene 7, ask: “Jesus never sinned. Why did He need to be baptized?”
3. Wiggle break

Straighten the Path

2 min

A silent team challenge acts out Luke 3:5 and gets the whole class moving together.

  1. Everyone stands in a messy, zigzag line across the room.
  2. Call out: “Valley!” (everyone crouches) · “Mountain!” (everyone on tiptoe, arms up) · “Prepare ye the way!” (the whole line has ten seconds to become perfectly straight with no talking).
  3. Mix up the calls faster and faster. Anyone who talks during a straighten sends the line back to zigzag.
  4. SAY“The Savior can straighten out the crooked places in our lives. But notice: the line straightened because everyone moved.”
🌪️ If the room gets rowdy, make the last round silent-only: you just point up, down or straight.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⛰️ Valley! Mountain! Prepare ye the way! (No talking) · Valley: crouch · Mountain: tiptoe · Prepare ye the way: straight line

4. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Make His Paths Straight

4 min

Youth teach the images John used for repentance, which turns abstract doctrine into pictures they can apply this week.

  1. Split into pairs or small groups. Assign each one image: valleys filled and mountains brought low (Luke 3:5) · crooked made straight and rough made smooth (Luke 3:5) · fruits worthy of repentance and the axe at the root (Luke 3:8–9) · wheat and chaff (Luke 3:17) · baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matthew 3:11).
  2. Give them 90 seconds: What does the image mean? What might it look like in a teen’s life? (For example, a mountain brought low could be pride; a valley filled could be discouragement.)
  3. Each group teaches in 30 seconds. Add: fire refines and cleanses. The Holy Ghost doesn’t just comfort us; He changes us.
  4. Say the key verse together with the motions, then once with the screen hidden.

Class screen: 🛤️ Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. · Valleys · Mountains · Crooked paths · Fruit · Wheat and chaff · Fire

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. Split into small groups. Read Luke 3:5 aloud from your scriptures while the key verse stays on the screen, then assign each group one image: a valley filled · a mountain brought low · a crooked path made straight · a rough road made smooth.
  2. Give them 90 seconds: What does the image mean? What might it look like in a teen’s life?
  3. Each group teaches in 30 seconds. Then read Matthew 3:11 and add: fire refines and cleanses. The Holy Ghost doesn’t just comfort us; He changes us.
  4. Say the key verse together with the motions, then once with the screen hidden.
5. Game

What Would John Say?

4 min

Writing John-style specific counsel for modern groups shows that repentance is practical and personal.

  1. SAY“John gave tax collectors and soldiers advice that fit them exactly. Let’s see what he’d tell people today.”
  2. Split into two teams. Call out a modern group. Each team gets 20 seconds to agree on one specific, John-style sentence for them.
  3. Groups: gamers · athletes · group-chat admins · older siblings · students during finals · people with lots of followers · new drivers · teens with part-time jobs.
  4. Both teams share. The class votes with thumbs for the most specific, most John-like answer. Keep score on your fingers. After four or five rounds, ask: “Okay, what would he say to you?”
🌪️ If answers drift into roasting specific people in the room, redirect: “John was blunt, but he never shamed anyone by name.”
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 📣 What would John the Baptist tell gamers, athletes and group-chat admins? · 20 seconds per team · Specific beats vague · Class votes the winner

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Jordan River

4 minBONUS

A fast, competitive review of the people, places and symbols from Matthew 3, Mark 1 and Luke 3.

  1. Split into two teams. Tap Forehead Guess. The guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead facing their team.
  2. Teammates give clues without saying the word. Tilt down for got it, up to pass. Turns are 45 seconds.
  3. Hard mode: clue-givers may only quote or paraphrase a verse.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Jordan River · No saying the word · Hard mode: verse clues only

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. Split into two teams and pick captains. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Teams huddle for ten seconds; only the captain answers.
  3. Steal rule: if a team misses, the other team can steal by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

8. Talk it over

Real Talk

4 min

Honest questions connect repentance, baptism and the Holy Ghost to their real lives.

  1. Sit in a circle or wherever they’re comfortable. One question per screen.
  2. Let silence sit for ten seconds. Share your own answer to at least one.
  3. Nobody shares personal sins. Keep it general, honest and hopeful.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why do you think a lot of people your age see repentance as scary or embarrassing? What would change if they saw it the way John described it?
  • John told the proud not to count on their family tree. What are ways teens can count on the wrong things (a family, a calling, a reputation) instead of actually changing?
  • Compare Jesus’s baptism with yours: who baptized you, by what authority, how, and why? How did Heavenly Father show He was pleased?
  • John said the Savior would baptize “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” What do you think fire has to do with the Holy Ghost? When have you felt Him change you?
  • The sacrament is where we renew our baptismal covenant each week. What would help you make it a real weekly “update” instead of a routine?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk: what does repentance actually look like at 15?

9. Testimony

One Crooked Place

2 min

End quietly with one private, specific change they’ll invite the Savior to help with.

  1. Lower your voice. Share briefly a time the Savior helped you change something and how it felt afterward. Testify that He can straighten any crooked place, and that repentance brings joy, not shame.
  2. Hand out a second sticky note. Invite each person to privately write one specific “crooked place” they want the Savior to help straighten this week, the way John gave each group something specific.
  3. Show the challenge on the screen and invite someone to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🕊️ Let Him straighten one crooked place this week · One specific change · Private · Bring it to the sacrament

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Two sticky notes or index cards per person, and a few pens

  1. Lower your voice. Share briefly a time the Savior helped you change something and how it felt afterward. Testify that He can straighten any crooked place.
  2. Invite each person to decide privately (or type in their phone’s notes) one specific “crooked place” they want the Savior to help straighten this week.
  3. Show the challenge on the screen and invite someone to say the closing prayer.

Story drama

A Voice in the Wilderness

Matthew 3; Mark 1:1–11; Luke 3:2–22 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads each scene and reports what Jesus said and what the voice from heaven declared (no one plays Jesus or Heavenly Father).
  • John the BaptistThe voice crying in the wilderness; reads his lines straight from Luke 3 and Matthew 3.
  • The PeopleEveryone not in another part: the crowds who ask, “What shall we do then?”
  • Tax CollectorA publican who asks John for advice; reads Luke 3:12.
  • SoldierA soldier who asks too; reads the first part of Luke 3:14.
  • Proud LeadersOne or two youth playing Pharisees and Sadducees who think their family tree is enough.

Scenes

  1. 🏜️🦗 The least polished preacher ever draws a crowd

    Out in the wilderness near the Jordan River, a man in camel’s-hair clothes who ate locusts and wild honey started preaching. No stage, no lights, no following. Yet people came from Jerusalem and all of Judea to hear him. His message was simple: repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

    🎬 The People slowly drift toward John from every corner of the room. John reads Matthew 3:2.

  2. ⛰️🛤️ Mountains low, valleys filled, crooked made straight

    John said he was the voice Isaiah had foretold: someone crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Every valley would be filled, every mountain brought low, and every crooked path made straight. That’s what happens in a life that makes room for the Savior.

    🎬 John reads Luke 3:4–5. On “valley,” the People crouch. On “mountain,” they stretch tall. On “made straight,” they stand in a straight line.

  3. 🎩🪓 “We have Abraham to our father”

    Some proud religious leaders came too. John warned them not to lean on their family tree. Being born into the right family wasn’t enough. They needed to show real change in how they lived. He said an axe was already at the root of every tree that didn’t bear good fruit.

    🎬 The Proud Leaders strut in, noses up. John reads Luke 3:8. The Leaders glance at each other, suddenly less sure.

  4. 🧥🍞 “What shall we do then?”

    The crowds asked John what they should actually do. His answer was practical: if you have two coats, give one to someone who has none. If you have food, share it.

    🎬 The People ask together: “What shall we do then?” John reads Luke 3:11. Each person mimes handing a coat to the person next to them.

  5. 💰🛡️ Specific advice for tax collectors and soldiers

    Tax collectors, known for overcharging, asked what they should do. Stop taking more than you’re supposed to, John said. Soldiers asked too. Don’t bully anyone, don’t accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your pay. Every answer fit the person asking.

    🎬 The Tax Collector reads Luke 3:12. John reads verse 13. The Soldier reads the start of Luke 3:14, and John reads the rest. The People nod: “Specific.”

  6. 👟🔥 “One mightier than I cometh”

    People started wondering if John was the Messiah. He shut that down immediately. He baptized with water, he said, but someone far greater was coming. He wasn’t even worthy to untie that person’s sandals. That One would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

    🎬 John reads Luke 3:16 and kneels as if at someone’s feet, then points into the distance.

  7. 🌊🙏 “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”

    Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized. John tried to stop Him: he needed to be baptized by Jesus, not the other way around. Jesus answered that this was the right thing to do, to fulfill all righteousness. So John baptized Him, fully immersed in the water.

    🎬 John steps back in surprise and reads Matthew 3:14. The Narrator reads Matthew 3:15. The People go completely silent.

  8. 🕊️☁️ The heavens opened

    As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on Him. And a voice from heaven said that this was His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, all present, all separate.

    🎬 Everyone looks up. The Narrator reads Matthew 3:16–17 slowly. Hold three seconds of silence.

Key verse

Mark 1:3 ↗
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
In plain words: John was the voice out in the wilderness saying: get ready for the Lord, and clear a straight path for Him, in the world and in your own life.
🙌 “The voice of one crying” (hands cupped around mouth) · “in the wilderness” (sweep an arm across) · “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (both hands pushing a path open) · “make his paths straight” (one hand slicing straight forward). Say it three times, then once with the screen hidden.

More verses

Luke 3:5 ↗
“Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth”
In plain words: The low places will be lifted, the proud places brought down, the twisted parts straightened, and the rough parts smoothed. That’s what the Savior can do in a life.
Luke 3:10–11 ↗
“And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”
In plain words: “So what should we actually do?” John said: if you have two coats, give one away. If you have food, share it.
Matthew 3:15 ↗
“Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”
In plain words: Let it happen. This is the right thing to do; this is how we do everything God asks.
Matthew 3:16–17 ↗
“and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
In plain words: The heavens opened, the Holy Ghost came down like a dove, and Heavenly Father said: This is My Son, whom I love, and I am so pleased with Him.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🗣️ John the Baptist
  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • 🐪 Camel’s Hair
  • 🦗 Locusts
  • 🌊 Jordan River
  • 🔄 Repentance
  • 🧥 Two Coats
  • 💰 Tax Collector
  • 🛡️ Soldier
  • 🪓 Axe
  • 🌾 Wheat and Chaff
  • 🕊️ Dove
  • 💧 Immersion
  • 🔥 Fire
  • ☁️ Godhead
  • 📜 Aaronic Priesthood
  • 🛤️ Straight Path
  • 📲 Patch Notes
Clues for each word
  • John the Baptist: The voice crying in the wilderness
  • Wilderness: Where John preached, far from the city
  • Camel’s Hair: What John’s clothes were made of
  • Locusts: John’s snack, with wild honey
  • Jordan River: Where Jesus was baptized
  • Repentance: A change of mind and heart, John’s main message
  • Two Coats: If you have these, share one
  • Tax Collector: Told to stop taking more than appointed
  • Soldier: Told not to bully or accuse falsely
  • Axe: Laid at the root of trees with no good fruit
  • Wheat and Chaff: One is gathered, one is burned
  • Dove: The sign of the Holy Ghost at Jesus’s baptism
  • Immersion: Going all the way under the water
  • Fire: The Savior baptizes with the Holy Ghost and this
  • Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three separate beings
  • Aaronic Priesthood: John held its keys and restored it in 1829
  • Straight Path: “Make his paths ___”
  • Patch Notes: Today’s way to describe small, ongoing changes
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. What did John the Baptist eat in the wilderness?
    • A. Figs and bread
    • B. Locusts and wild honey
    • C. Fish and barley
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Locusts and wild honey Matthew 3:4. Not a glamorous menu, but people still came.

  2. What was the heart of John’s message in Matthew 3:2?
    • A. “Repent ye”
    • B. “Build a temple”
    • C. “Flee the city”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “Repent ye” “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

  3. In Luke 3:5, what happens to every crooked path?
    • A. It is closed
    • B. It is guarded
    • C. It is made straight
    Show answer

    ✅ C. It is made straight That’s what the Savior can do in a life that makes room for Him.

  4. What did John tell people with two coats to do?
    • A. Sell one
    • B. Give one to someone who has none
    • C. Keep both for winter
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Give one to someone who has none Luke 3:11. Repentance shows up in what we actually do.

  5. What did John tell the tax collectors?
    • A. Don’t take more than you’re supposed to
    • B. Quit your job
    • C. Pay double taxes
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Don’t take more than you’re supposed to Luke 3:13. Specific, practical, doable.

  6. What did John tell the proud leaders not to rely on?
    • A. Their money
    • B. Their armor
    • C. Having Abraham as their father
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Having Abraham as their father Luke 3:8. A good family tree doesn’t replace real change.

  7. Why did Jesus say He needed to be baptized?
    • A. To be forgiven
    • B. To fulfil all righteousness
    • C. To impress the crowd
    Show answer

    ✅ B. To fulfil all righteousness Matthew 3:15. He had no sin; He obeyed His Father and showed us the way.

  8. What descended like a dove when Jesus came up out of the water?
    • A. The Spirit of God
    • B. An angel
    • C. A cloud
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The Spirit of God Matthew 3:16. The dove was a sign of the Holy Ghost.

  9. What did the voice from heaven say at Jesus’s baptism?
    • A. “Follow him”
    • B. “Hear ye him”
    • C. “This is my beloved Son”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “This is my beloved Son” Matthew 3:17. Father, Son and Holy Ghost: three separate beings.

  10. John said the Savior would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with what?
    • A. Water
    • B. Fire
    • C. Oil
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Fire Matthew 3:11. The Holy Ghost cleanses and refines us like fire.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Need Thee Every Hour Hymns, no. 98

    Repentance is daily, not once in a while, and we need the Savior every hour to change. Find it ↗

  • Baptism Children’s Songbook, p. 100

    A simple song about Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan River. The older youth can help teach it to a Primary class sometime. Find it ↗

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    “Fruits worthy of repentance” means choosing the right in specific, everyday ways. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Straight Path Week

Work on your one crooked place every day this week with one specific action, the way John gave each group something specific. Read the “Jesus Christ Will Help You” section in For the Strength of Youth. On Sunday, take the sacrament thinking about your baptismal covenant and the change you’re making.

Text the parents

Today in class we studied John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3). When the crowds asked John “What shall we do then?” (Luke 3:10), he gave each group specific, practical advice, and we talked about repentance as ongoing “patch notes,” not a scary one-time event. Ask your teen: what would John the Baptist tell teenagers today? And how does taking the sacrament connect to baptism?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🌊 Baptism Side by Side · 5 min

  1. Make two columns: “The Savior’s baptism” and “My baptism.”
  2. Compare: who baptized, by what authority, where, how, why, and how Heavenly Father showed He was pleased (Matthew 3:13–17; Mosiah 18:10, 13).
  3. Ask the priests (or future priests): “What do you want to remember when you perform a baptism someday?” Read Doctrine and Covenants 20:73 together for the baptismal prayer.

🤲 If Thou Wilt · 4 min

  1. Read Mark 1:40–42: a leper kneels and tells Jesus, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
  2. Point out what Jesus did first: He was moved with compassion and touched him, someone no one else would touch.
  3. Ask: “How does this story change the way you think about coming to Jesus when you need to repent?”

☁️ Three Separate Beings · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 3:16–17 and list where each member of the Godhead is in the scene.
  2. Cross-check with Acts 7:55–56 and Joseph Smith—History 1:17.
  3. Ask: “Why does it matter that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are separate, real beings who love you?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 14–16 lessons