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Come, Follow Me is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
The Lord asks for “a pure offering.”
From Come, Follow Me:
The Lord’s words in Malachi 1 indicate that the Israelite priests were offering blemished and sickly animals as sacrifices in the temple, which the Lord had forbidden (see Leviticus 22:17–25). What do these sacrifices suggest about the priests’ feelings toward the Lord? (see Malachi 1:13). Why does the Lord ask us to give Him our best offerings? Think about the sacrifices the Lord has asked you to make. What can you do to give Him “a pure offering”? (Malachi 1:11; see also 3:3). See also Moroni 7:5–14.
“President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of the importance of having and maintaining a pure heart. Living a pure life, he said, is a critical way to prepare for worship in a temple.
“‘Brothers and sisters, we need to become and then remain pure in heart,’ President Ballard said. ‘I invite you to prepare for and receive a temple recommend. And then be sure that your temple recommends are renewed regularly. Temple recommend interviews with God’s servants help keep our attention focused on our Savior Jesus Christ and allow for course corrections if necessary.’
“A temple recommend permits Latter-day Saints to enter one of the faith’s houses of the Lord.” (The Prophet Teaches the ABCs of Preparing for Worship in a House of the Lord)
In his closing remarks of October 2019 General Conference, President Russel M. Nelson said, “blessings of the temple are available to any and all people who will prepare themselves. But before they can enter a dedicated temple, they need to qualify. The Lord wants all His children to partake of the eternal blessings available in His temple. He has directed what each person must do to qualify to enter His holy house. (Closing Remarks)
Review, explain, and discuss the temple recommend questions as a family. Also, review Temple Preparation from week 17 earlier this year and read Making Your Temple Experience More Sacred. What are President Nelson’s ABCs of personal preparation for worship in the temple? Read The Prophet Teaches the ABCs of Preparing for Worship in a House of the Lord.
What preparations might you make individually and as a family to be better prepared to attend the temple? Commit to some goals of your choosing.
Malachi’s prophecies are being fulfilled in the latter days.
From Come, Follow Me:
When the Savior visited the Americas, he quoted Malachi 3–4 to the Nephites (see 3 Nephi 24–25). In 1823, the angel Moroni shared portions of these same chapters with Joseph Smith….
When Moroni quoted Malachi 4:5–6 to Joseph Smith, he did so “with a little variation from the way it reads” in the Bible (Joseph Smith—History 1:36).
“Preparations to strengthen family ties came in 1823, when the angel Moroni first appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Moroni announced the coming of Elijah, who would cause the hearts of children to be turned to their fathers….
“This restoration was accompanied by what is sometimes called the Spirit of Elijah—a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family. Hence, people throughout the world, regardless of religious affiliation, are gathering records of deceased relatives at an ever-increasing rate.
“Elijah came not only to stimulate research for ancestors. He also enabled families to be eternally linked beyond the bounds of mortality. Indeed, the opportunity for families to be sealed forever is the real reason for our research.” (A New Harvest Time)
There are many ways to participate in family history and temple work. Family history experiences are most successful when you personalize the time to what interests you or your family. To identify where you should start, decide what you want to accomplish or where you want to begin. If you are uncertain, here are a few suggestions:
Do you have ancestors who were married but were not sealed? Does your fan chart show any ancestors missing a spouse? Pick one and search for the missing spouse so your ancestor can be sealed. One way to document a marriage is through marriage records. More information on marriage records can be found here in The Family History Guide. Be the one to utilize the sealing to power make your family an eternal one.
From Come, Follow Me:
After reading these verses, your family could identify the answers to the following questions about Malachi’s prophecy: Who? What? When? Where? Why? (see also Doctrine and Covenants 2).
How do we turn our hearts to our fathers? How are we blessed when we do? You might ponder these questions while watching the video “The Promised Blessings of Family History” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). What will we do as a family to receive these blessings?
What answers did your family come up with for who, what, when, where, and why in the above section? What does “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers” mean to you and your family?
“When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple.” (Generations Linked in Love)
“Do you know your story? ... Can you think of a special, sweet memory with a grandparent or other family member?..When asked where meaning comes in life, most people rank family first. This includes family living and gone before. Of course, when we die, we don’t cease to exist. We continue to live on the other side of the veil.
“Still very much alive, our ancestors deserve to be remembered. We remember our heritage through oral histories, clan records and family stories, memorials or places of remembrance, and celebrations with photos, foods, or items which remind us of loved ones.” (Elder Gerrit W. Gong, We Each Have a Story)
Read your ancestors' stories on FamilySearch (find them in Memories, or on your fan chart). Or, check out the All The Stories site to see a searchable list of all the stories anyone has placed on your part of the FamilySearch family tree. See Ten Ways To Discover, Gather, and Share Ancestor Stories. As you gather more stories, you may want to record these in an individual journal, a family journal, or an audio recording.
What experiences and blessings have you had as you have participated in temple and family history work this year? Have those blessings increased in your life throughout the year?
You may want to record these in an individual journal, a family journal, or an audio recording. A list of some of these blessings can be found in Elder Dale G. Renlund's talk, Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing, if you need help getting started.
It’s on the Map
Historical maps can show you where your ancestors lived, even if county and town boundaries have changed over the years. Find out more about the importance of maps and locations in Goal A2 of the United States page, or the corresponding Goal in the country page you’re using.