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Alma 18
King is astonished at Ammon's faithfulness and thinks that he is the Great Spirit who will punish him for killing his servants in the past. The king offers Ammon goods, but Ammon just says he wants to teach the King. Ammon teaches the plan of salvation. The king passes out.
Alma 19
Many people fall into a trance and lose consiousness and become converted. The people argue what is going on when they see people passed out on the floor. Someone tries to kill Ammon but Ammon is miraculously saved. Ammon then begins to baptize many people.
APPLICATION
Why did King Lamoni convert?
Ammon is an awesome servant and performed miracles and the king had to start to think twice about Nephites. I may have mentioned in my last review, that the king seems to be very influenced and ready to change because Ammon performed miracles and is an awesome servant. However, I see that another huge motivating factor with the king is that the king feels very guilty for having put his former servants to death for letting the flocks escape. King Lamoni thought that Ammon was the great spirit there to punish him and therefore was very fearful of the future. So, this is important to note because circumstances also helped the King convert - it wasn't just because Ammon was awesome and effective at getting the King to open his heart to different ideas.
Another teaching technique that is important to note is that Alma explains the gospel at the King's level and understanding (Great Spirit = God). I would like to be able to teach the plan of salvation powerfully and I believe this is one important aspect of teaching the gospel.
It seems as though I am noticing a pattern with Alma, Amulek, Ammon - they go straight to the top and convert the leaders, then everyone else follows. That seems to be a very good recipe for success in missionary work. As mentioned in previous chapters of Alma - one unrighteous king can cause much evil among a people - but the inverse is true as well - one righteous leader can also influence many. How were Alma and Amulek and others so effective at getting to the leaders? How were they effective at influencing people in power?
Why were things so dramatic back then? Why were people fainting after hearing the Gospel, and does that happen in our day or why doesn't that happen in our day? What can I learn from this. I'll try and post some answers later.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Revelation for work and temporal concerns - Preparing the minds of people to accept new ideas (Alma 16)
SUMMARY
Lamanites attack Nephites and kill the people of Ammonihah; Zoram, captain of Nephites leads army to save those taken captive by Lamanites; Alma receives revelation to guide army as to how Zoram can save Nephite captives; Alma and Amulek continue preaching to Nephites and more people convert; No inequality among the people and minds of people being prepared for Christ's coming;
APPLICATION
Receiving revelation for temporal concerns
Alma received a revelation for Zoram concerning how to find and save the Nephites that were taken captive by the Lamanites. Revelation can be received for temporal concerns. In Alma 34:24 it also says to cry unto God over the crops of your fields so he can help them grow. It is a good reminder for me to pray for God's help as I face hard situations at work and to expect him to help guide me as to the best solutions possible.
The minds of the people were being prepared for Christ's coming
I see this theme inside and outside the scriptures. Trying to pass legislation that is extreme is much harder unless the minds of people have been prepared to accept it. But, as media and other outlets prepare the minds of people it's amazing how quickly people's minds can be prepared.
Lamanites attack Nephites and kill the people of Ammonihah; Zoram, captain of Nephites leads army to save those taken captive by Lamanites; Alma receives revelation to guide army as to how Zoram can save Nephite captives; Alma and Amulek continue preaching to Nephites and more people convert; No inequality among the people and minds of people being prepared for Christ's coming;
APPLICATION
Receiving revelation for temporal concerns
Alma received a revelation for Zoram concerning how to find and save the Nephites that were taken captive by the Lamanites. Revelation can be received for temporal concerns. In Alma 34:24 it also says to cry unto God over the crops of your fields so he can help them grow. It is a good reminder for me to pray for God's help as I face hard situations at work and to expect him to help guide me as to the best solutions possible.
The minds of the people were being prepared for Christ's coming
I see this theme inside and outside the scriptures. Trying to pass legislation that is extreme is much harder unless the minds of people have been prepared to accept it. But, as media and other outlets prepare the minds of people it's amazing how quickly people's minds can be prepared.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Building community / pride check (Alma 15)
Summary
Alma and amulek leave ammonihah to preach in Sidom, heal Zeezrom, people come to them to be baptized, great check occurs on the pride of the people, Alma strengthens sad Amulek.
Thoughts
1. How did Alma and Amulek get the people to come to them and how were they so effective at building community of saints in Sidom?
I ask this question because ever since my mission I learned that it is so much more effective to get people to come to you instead of the other way around. On my mission in southern France we would often spend many hours each day on the streets trying to convince people to stop and allow us to teach them. I used to practically chase people down trying to get them to stop. But, I learned that this wasn't an effective way of influencing people. If possible, it is more effective to act in a confident way that lead people to come to you. One of the missionaries I worked with a lot was great at doing this and I was amazed to see that people would be walking and automatically start going toward him instead of away from him.
I am still trying to figure out ways to be more like this in my life and so this is a question still under consideration for me. If I was good at it it would help me in my work and in any projects that I want to do.
2. How often do I "check" my personal pride level and how do I monitor it?
Alma noticed that the people were "checked as to the pride of their hearts." I am trying to think of good ways to check and make sure that I am humble. I'll write more when I come up with some good answers and invite anyone else to share their ideas.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Alma and amulek leave ammonihah to preach in Sidom, heal Zeezrom, people come to them to be baptized, great check occurs on the pride of the people, Alma strengthens sad Amulek.
Thoughts
1. How did Alma and Amulek get the people to come to them and how were they so effective at building community of saints in Sidom?
I ask this question because ever since my mission I learned that it is so much more effective to get people to come to you instead of the other way around. On my mission in southern France we would often spend many hours each day on the streets trying to convince people to stop and allow us to teach them. I used to practically chase people down trying to get them to stop. But, I learned that this wasn't an effective way of influencing people. If possible, it is more effective to act in a confident way that lead people to come to you. One of the missionaries I worked with a lot was great at doing this and I was amazed to see that people would be walking and automatically start going toward him instead of away from him.
I am still trying to figure out ways to be more like this in my life and so this is a question still under consideration for me. If I was good at it it would help me in my work and in any projects that I want to do.
2. How often do I "check" my personal pride level and how do I monitor it?
Alma noticed that the people were "checked as to the pride of their hearts." I am trying to think of good ways to check and make sure that I am humble. I'll write more when I come up with some good answers and invite anyone else to share their ideas.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Opposing worldviews clash - Alma & Amulek imprisoned (Alma 14)
SYNOPSIS
After Alma finishes preaching some people decide to repent and others become angry and take him before the chief judge accusing him of reviling the law. The chief judge sacrifices believers in front of Alma and Amulek and God allows them to be sacrificed so the judgements of God can come upon the people of Ammonihah and believers can be received in glory. Alma and Amulek do not answer chief judge when he questions them, and the other lawyers question them as they suffer in horrible questions in prison for several days.
ANALYSIS
The main questions this chapter makes me think of are the following:
1) Why was it so hard for the people to repent?
The people of Ammonihah had a very strong and shared mental map of the world. All human beings see themselves as being good including people that do very bad things. Alma and Amulek (A&A) preached to them and basically cut them to the core of who they were and challenged their whole world view by telling them they were evil. When anyone's core constructs (most fundamental parts of their identity) are challenged those challenged will likely have strong feelings of anger, hatred, fear, defensiveness, against the aggressor etc.
Before A&A came the people were comfortable with the lifestyle they led. After their whole lifestyle is challenged they can no longer be comfortable continuing to live this lifestyle until some resolution is taken. Even though the people said that Alma and Amulek were crazy, in reality, A&A did cut them to the core of their identity which is evidenced by how angry the people became. Only real threats to a person's identity can cause strong anger. They were being attacked by the former chief judge of the land so they were almost forced to see Alma as a threat to their way of life. Either the people had to comply, admit they were wrong, and repent and this could be a resolution to their souls or had to get rid of the opposing forces, which were A&A.
The easiest resolution for the people would be to have A&A take back what they said about the wickedness of the people. So, the people take A&A before the smartest person in the land that is committed to their lifestyle, the chief judge. They hope that the chief judge can convince A&A to take back their words.
So, in order to continue living in good conscious the people must remove the obstacles that are troubling them. It is no surprise that the wicked people begin to sacrifice the believers. There is nothing that would make them feel better to have A&A take back their words, but even these extreme measures do not produce the result they want. Even killing A&A would not be as good as having A&A take back their words of chastisement against the people. But, as A&A will not take back their words it seems that the natural progression of things will be that the people will kill A&A as A&A are an obstacle to the people having peace of mind continuing in their way of life.
2) How could Alma and Amulek continue to be so powerful in their preaching with seemingly the whole world against them?
Alma was the former chief judge of the whole land, he received revelations from angels multiple times, and was so confident that his view of the world was correct that he had no problem suffering for it and facing another worldview by thousands that was the complete opposite of his own. He was only one person, but amazingly, he confidently challenged thousands. Amulek also was a man of importance in the city and received a calling directly from God.
Some people might be afraid that anyone's world view could be so strong that it could lead people to sacrifice their lives for it (people automatically start thinking of Jihadists when they see this level of belief). However, the type of belief and dedication that Alma and Amulek have is centered in love for humanity and respect for life. Killing or forcing one's beliefs on another is completely against the teachings of Jesus Christ.
After Alma finishes preaching some people decide to repent and others become angry and take him before the chief judge accusing him of reviling the law. The chief judge sacrifices believers in front of Alma and Amulek and God allows them to be sacrificed so the judgements of God can come upon the people of Ammonihah and believers can be received in glory. Alma and Amulek do not answer chief judge when he questions them, and the other lawyers question them as they suffer in horrible questions in prison for several days.
ANALYSIS
The main questions this chapter makes me think of are the following:
1) Why was it so hard for the people to repent?
The people of Ammonihah had a very strong and shared mental map of the world. All human beings see themselves as being good including people that do very bad things. Alma and Amulek (A&A) preached to them and basically cut them to the core of who they were and challenged their whole world view by telling them they were evil. When anyone's core constructs (most fundamental parts of their identity) are challenged those challenged will likely have strong feelings of anger, hatred, fear, defensiveness, against the aggressor etc.
Before A&A came the people were comfortable with the lifestyle they led. After their whole lifestyle is challenged they can no longer be comfortable continuing to live this lifestyle until some resolution is taken. Even though the people said that Alma and Amulek were crazy, in reality, A&A did cut them to the core of their identity which is evidenced by how angry the people became. Only real threats to a person's identity can cause strong anger. They were being attacked by the former chief judge of the land so they were almost forced to see Alma as a threat to their way of life. Either the people had to comply, admit they were wrong, and repent and this could be a resolution to their souls or had to get rid of the opposing forces, which were A&A.
The easiest resolution for the people would be to have A&A take back what they said about the wickedness of the people. So, the people take A&A before the smartest person in the land that is committed to their lifestyle, the chief judge. They hope that the chief judge can convince A&A to take back their words.
So, in order to continue living in good conscious the people must remove the obstacles that are troubling them. It is no surprise that the wicked people begin to sacrifice the believers. There is nothing that would make them feel better to have A&A take back their words, but even these extreme measures do not produce the result they want. Even killing A&A would not be as good as having A&A take back their words of chastisement against the people. But, as A&A will not take back their words it seems that the natural progression of things will be that the people will kill A&A as A&A are an obstacle to the people having peace of mind continuing in their way of life.
2) How could Alma and Amulek continue to be so powerful in their preaching with seemingly the whole world against them?
Alma was the former chief judge of the whole land, he received revelations from angels multiple times, and was so confident that his view of the world was correct that he had no problem suffering for it and facing another worldview by thousands that was the complete opposite of his own. He was only one person, but amazingly, he confidently challenged thousands. Amulek also was a man of importance in the city and received a calling directly from God.
Some people might be afraid that anyone's world view could be so strong that it could lead people to sacrifice their lives for it (people automatically start thinking of Jihadists when they see this level of belief). However, the type of belief and dedication that Alma and Amulek have is centered in love for humanity and respect for life. Killing or forcing one's beliefs on another is completely against the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Alma continues teaching people of Ammonihah - Faith of Melchizedek (Alma 13)
Alma is preaching to the people of Ammonihah about people being foreordained to the priesthood because of their righteousness. Salem was a wicked city that became righteous largely through the faith, preaching and priesthood of one man, Melchizedek.
I like the story of Melchizedek because it is a reminder that one person can cause much good and cause a whole people to change and come to God. He accomplished this miracle through preaching with faith and with his authority. I don’t see any reason why a miracle like this should not occur again in our day. The person that could successfully make such a difference has to have a vision strong enough to overcome the common vision and way of thinking that a whole society shares.
Do you think that you could influence a whole society like this if you have faith, priesthood and preach with power?
I like the story of Melchizedek because it is a reminder that one person can cause much good and cause a whole people to change and come to God. He accomplished this miracle through preaching with faith and with his authority. I don’t see any reason why a miracle like this should not occur again in our day. The person that could successfully make such a difference has to have a vision strong enough to overcome the common vision and way of thinking that a whole society shares.
Do you think that you could influence a whole society like this if you have faith, priesthood and preach with power?
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