Book of Mormon 2020 - Alma 5-7

I first wrote about these scriptures in a post in July 2016. This post centred on many of the questions from Alma 5. I asked and answered the questions. Reading my answers now is very familiar. I understand what I wrote then and how similar I feel now. This post can be found at: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2016/07/book-of-mormon-22-have-ye-received-his.html

The scriptures from Alma 5 to Alma 7 contain the preaching of Alma to the people in Zarahemla and Gideon. He confronts the people in Zarahemla and asks them questions. Brother John Bytheway, in his weekly podcast (ourturtlehouse.com), refers to Alma 5 as a “perfect checklist” to measure our personal worthiness. In Alma 5:14 it reads, “I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” He challenged members who had been baptised (an event) if they had, indeed, been ‘born again’ (a process). I understand this in my own life. My mother was the first member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kitwe, Zambia. She was a true pioneer. The earliest meetings held on a Sunday were with my mother and the missionaries. Later, a friend of hers joined as well. By the time I was two years old, there were twenty-to thirty members meeting in an upstairs office in Kitwe. I cannot remember a time, from these earliest memories to now (61 years later), when I have not had my own testimony. I felt the gift of the Spirit when it was given to me following baptism. I have used prayer, fasting, and relied on the Spirit to guide me, throughout my life. I have grown in my testimony but never been without one. I want to get to the point where I have no desire to sin, but I am not there yet. For me, the change of heart is indeed a slow process. But, I know the Lord loves me. I know my prayers are heard and answered. I know I can always rely on the Spirit. I am grateful for the Atonement that gives me hope. I love the quote below from Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I feel that my testimony is my personal miracle. I feel that the love of the Lord is more than I deserve but I accept it with deep gratitude.

In Alma 5: 26 we read, “I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?” Isn’t this a delightful question? I remember my baptism. I remember wanting to burst with excitement and pure happiness. I wanted to tell the world that I had just been baptised. I wanted to “sing the song of redeeming love”. I still feel like that. After I was baptised, I used to love sitting down at the piano and playing hymns. My mother would sing the soprano part of a hymn, I would sing the second soprano, and my sister would sing the alto line. We used to sing ‘The Lord is My Shepherd’ and ‘More Holiness Give Me’. The joy of singing was supreme. When I was at high school, I used to play music to cheer myself up and to lift my spirits. I started collecting some wonderful church music. I now have a large collection of music that always enriches my soul. Who can listen to ‘If You Could Hie to Kolob’ without flying with the angels to great heights? The following simple hymn, sung by adults and children, is another such track, ‘Come, Follow Me’.

I found myself reading Alma 6 with tears in my eyes. In Alma 6:6 we are told, “the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft”. The Covid 19 pandemic has prevented meetings in chapels for a couple of months. In our home we do not have active Priesthood holders. I have also had to be extremely careful as I help my 96-year-old mum who is in a very frail state of health. I am not a very sociable person, so I tend not to go to social events at the chapel, but I have really missed Sunday meetings and partaking of the Sacrament every week. This week we could attend a Sacrament meeting (by invitation) but I am still hesitating because of my mum’s health.

Brother John Bytheway made an interesting statement comparing Alma’s comments to the people in Zarahemla (Alma 5) and the people in Gideon (Alma 7). He pointed out how Alma relied on the Spirit to know how to speak to each group and what had to be said. He stated that when you are guided by the Spirit you prepare yourself to speak but you do not prepare your speech. The two groups were different and needed different approaches and different counsel. The same thing was clear when President Nelson toured NZ, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. I listened to his speeches in the different areas. Each was unique and addressed the issues of the people in each area. Isn’t it wonderful to know that we are listening to the counsel the Lord wants us to hear?

President Nelson & Elder Gong on the Pacific Tour

As I mentioned in my post four years ago, one of the most moving and personally poignant scriptures to me is Alma 7: 11-12. This reads, “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succour his people according to their infirmities.”

Gethsemane

We know that the Atonement allowed our Saviour to suffer our sins and balance the scales of justice so that we could repent. But the Atonement achieved so much more! Bruce Hafen, has written a book called ‘The Broken Heart’, and an article called, ‘The Atonement is not just for sinners’. The quote below says a lot of what is in his book and article. Christ endured the pain of our sins, our afflictions, our temptations, and our infirmities. He understands us perfectly.

In ‘Come Follow Me’ we were encouraged to follow a set of scriptures that showed how Christ suffered and how this enables Him to succour us. This is summarised in the tables below.

There are three quotes from President Dallin H. Oaks that touch my heart. The first mentions that Christ “succours or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities”. I see this daily with my dear, little mum. I see her suffer day after day, but she has such inner strength and such love for the Lord and the gospel.

The next two quotes are short but deeply moving. I know the Lord understands me. He knows my anguish. He knows my heart, my desires, my troubles, and my imperfections. I can turn to Him through all my trials. He can and He will ‘lift me’. I am so grateful for the Atonement. Alma 7 has given me a deep insight into the power of the Atonement and the extent of the Saviour’s love and sacrifice for me.

The realisation of how important I am as a cherished child of my Father in Heaven and how much my elder brother and Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificed for me, has led me to think about the current riots and marches in America and around the globe regarding the murder of George Floyd. This has brought attention to the ‘Black Lives Matter’/’All Lives Matter’ cries being heard in so many countries. Yes, all lives matter. Black lives should not be in danger because of skin colour. Every person is a beloved daughter or son of heavenly parents. Every person has been given the gift of the Atonement. We need love, charity, kindness, and unity, not division, hatred, and cruelty. I found a delightful little church video that moved me deeply. It is called, ‘To Love Them All’ and is narrated by Patrick Kearon (see below).