Post # 220 Come, Follow Me -- Week # 22 -- June 1–7 -- Alma 5–7 -- “Have Ye Experienced This Mighty Change in Your Hearts?”

Dear Family and Friends

I wanted to say that I am sorry for not getting the last few lessons

out early enough for you all to have them in time to study up for the

coming week. Hopefully I can get today’s pot out on time so you have

more time to study for your lesson on Sunday with your families, 

family members and your friends.

We have had a few rain storms come through here and a bit of a

cold wave. We even had a tornado sighting in our little town! I hope

that your weather has been good wherever you are in the world. I

am so grateful for the rain and eleven the cooler temperatures. I

don't want it getting too hot too soon.

I am one who can handle the cold easier than I can handle the heat.

When it's cold you add layers, which you can take off as it warms up,

but when it gets too hot, you can't just take your clothes off in

public. Oh, but I am really rambling aren't i? What say we get on to

our lesson for this next week?

This week we are studying chapters 5-7 in the book of Alma. Are

there any of your family members and/or friends who are a good

example of the teachings in these chapters? If not maybe you

could find ways to help them to live the teachings you are learning

about during the upcoming week. 

After you and your family members and friends have read these

chapters in the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon you might

consider having your family members and friends find a truth that

has special meaning to them and share it with the rest of your

family study group. 

This first section of our lesson comes to you directly from the Come,

Follow Me for Individuals and Families manual: 

Alma 5–7 can help you reflect on your ongoing conversion to Jesus Christ. As

you read, record what the Spirit teaches you.

Alma did not know about today’s lifesaving heart transplant surgeries,

which replace a damaged or diseased heart with a healthy one. But he knew

about a more miraculous “change of heart” (Alma 5:26)—one whereby the

Savior gives us a newness of spiritual life, like being “born again”

(see Alma 5:14, 49). 

Alma 5:26 Book of Mormon

26 And now behold, 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?

Alma 5:14, 49 Book of Mormon

14 And now behold, 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?

49 And now I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to

preach unto my beloved brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land;

yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto

you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry

unto them that they must repent and be born again.

Alma could see that this change of heart was exactly what many of the

Nephites needed. Some were rich and others poor, some prideful and

others humble, some persecutors and others afflicted by persecution

(see Alma 4:6–15). 

Alma 4:6–15 Book of Mormon

6 And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the

people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many

flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious

things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were

they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly

apparel.

7 Now this was the cause of much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the

people whom Alma had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders

over the church; yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the wickedness

which they saw had begun to be among their people.

8 For they saw and beheld with great sorrow that the people of the church

began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon

riches and upon the vain things of the world, that they began to be scornful,

one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not believe

according to their own will and pleasure.

9 And thus, in this eighth year of the reign of the judges, there began to be

great contentions among the people of the church; yea, there were envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed the pride

of those who did not belong to the church of God.

10 And thus ended the eighth year of the reign of the judges; and the

wickedness of the church was a great stumbling-block to those who did not

belong to the church; and thus the church began to fail in its progress.

11 And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the

wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church

began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to

another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people.

12 Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up

with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the

naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who

were sick and afflicted.

13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while

others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their

succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding

the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who

should come according to the spirit of prophecy;\

14 Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being

filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the

will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.

15 And now it came to pass that Alma, having seen the afflictions of the

humble followers of God, and the persecutions which were heaped upon them

by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, began to be

very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.

But all of them needed to come unto Jesus Christ to be healed—just as

we all do. Whether we are seeking to overcome pride or to endure

afflictions, Alma’s message is the same: “Come and fear not”

(Alma 7:15). Let the Savior change a hardened, sinful, or wounded

heart into one that is humble, pure, and new.

Alma 7:15 Book of Mormon

15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which

easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come

and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your

sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and

witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

Alma 5:14–33

We must experience—and continue to feel—a mighty

change of heart.

You probably noticed during your study that these chapters

provide questions for each of us to stop and take a look at

ourselves to see how we are doing with our ongoing conversion

to Christ.

Having said that, you and your family members and friends might

want to consider using the questions from the following passages

in Alma 5:14–33 for your ‘self-reflection,’ if you will. 

After reading through these passages of scripture i moved the

questions around a bit and added three extra ones for members

of the Church of Jesus Christ to add to the rest. Hoping that

this would be helpful for the members, I made the following list

of questions for you as taken from Alma Chapter 5.

QUESTIONS FOR LIFE -- taken from Alma Chapter 5

1.  Have  you spiritually been born of God? 

2. Have you received his image in your countenances? 

3. Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

4. Do you exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?

5. Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal

body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption,

to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have

been done in the mortal body?\

6.Can you imagine to yourselves that you hear the voice of the Lord,

saying unto you, on that day: Come unto me you blessed, for behold,

your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of

the earth?

7 .Can you look up to God on that day with a pure heart and clean

hands? 

8. Can  you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your

countenances?

9.  Have you walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? 

10. Could you say, if ye were called to die at this time, within

yourselves, that you have been sufficiently humble? 

11, Can you say that your garments have been cleansed and made

white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his

people from their sins?

12. Are you stripped of pride? I say unto you, if you are not you

are not prepared to meet God. Behold you must prepare quickly;

for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath

not eternal life.

For those of you  that belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints add the following questions to your list  of

questions to answer: 

1. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?
2. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?  
3. Have you sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?
4. Do you remember under what conditions they  are saved? 
5. Do you remember on what grounds they had to hope for salvation? 
6. Do you remember what is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?

OR

1. Do you imagine to yourselves that you can lie unto the Lord on

that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon

the face of the earth—and that he will save you?

2. Can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God

with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance

of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness,

yea, a remembrance that you have set at defiance the

commandments of God?

3. Can  you think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves

to become subjects to the devil?

4. Do you  know on that day that you cannot be saved; for there

can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea,

his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all

stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by

our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.

5. How  will any of you feel, if you shall stand before the bar of

God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of

filthiness? 

6.   What will these things testify against you?

7.  Will  they not testify that you are murderers, yea, and also

that you are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

8. Do you suppose that such a person can have a place to sit down

in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob,

and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and

are spotless, pure and white? I say unto you, No!! Not unless you

make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is

a liar from the beginning, you cannot suppose that such can have

place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for

they are the children of the kingdom of the devil.

9. If you have experienced a change of heart, and if you have

felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can you

feel so now?

10. Is there any among you who is not stripped of envy? I say

unto you that such a person is not prepared; and I would that

he/she should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand,

and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such a

person is not found guiltless.

11. Is there any among you that does make a mock of his

brother, or that heaped upon him persecutions?  Wo unto such

a person, for he/she is not prepared, and the time is at hand

that he/she must repent or he/she cannot be saved!

12 are you workers of iniquity? even wo unto all ye workers of

iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!

13 will you accept an invitation unto all men, for the arms of

mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and

I will receive 

It could be helpful at this point for you to read these passages

or verses to your family and friends. After which you may want

to begin a discussion. You can discuss each question individually

or you might want to open the discussion.

You can do this  by asking your family members and friends to

share with your family study group those questions that were

meaningful to them. If you have small children you may want to

explain each question as you go so they will understand the

questions. 

If you have enough in your family study group you could divide

them into groups to figure out what it means for someone to

experience a mighty change of heart through the Savior Jesus

Christ and His Atonement. You might ask them if they have ever

experienced this mighty change of heart and how did they

recognize this change.

Another thing that you may want to consider having your family

and friends do is to search these verses for the blessings a

person receives when they have a changed heart. Together with

your family study group you could look for some other

metaphors that have been used in the scriptures to describe

this change that Alma describes here in these verses.

You may want to search through the following references:

John 3:1–7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the

Heart’s Mighty Change,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 97–99.)

when you are done ask them the following question: How do we

maintain a change of heart throughout our lives? (see Alma 5:26).

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Alma 5:14–33

I must experience—and continue to feel—a mighty change of heart.

The introspective questions that Alma asked the people of Zarahemla,

found in Alma 5:14–33, can help you search your own soul and understand

what it means to experience a “mighty change of heart” throughout your

life. President M. Russell Ballard explained the value of these questions:

“I need to regularly take time to ask myself, ‘How am I doing?’ It’s kind of

like having a personal, private interview with yourself. … As a guide for

me during this private, personal review, I like to read and ponder the

introspective words found in the fifth chapter of Alma”

(“Return and Receive,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 64).

Consider reading Alma’s questions as if you were interviewing yourself

and examining your heart. You may want to record your responses to

the questions. What do you feel inspired to do as a result of your interview?

See also Dale G. Renlund, “Preserving the Heart’s Mighty Change,”

Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 97–99.

Alma 5:44–51

We can gain our own witness of the Savior and His

gospel through the Holy Ghost.

You and your family members and friends could be like Alma

having already gained your/their testimonies of the Savior

Jesus Christ and of His gospel as Alma did. Even though you

may all have your own testimonies it is still good to review what

Alma did to receive his witness through the Holy Ghost or the

Spirit of God. 

 If you are working all together you may want to get out your

poster board. The passages you will be searching are the

following: Alma 5:44–51. I know that I always sat to use a poster

board, but you can use whatever you have in your home that works

for you. I used a binder with copy paper in it and sometimes

construction paper.

 I would write down what I wanted to share with my children  --

like key points; scriptures to look up; or verses written out for

them to read; verses to memorize. I would prop it up for them to

see as I read it to them or for them to read aloud for reading

practice or for discussion or memorization. 

After they got older they each had their own paper to write or

draw on. Now i have a medium sized easel with a chalkboard on

one side and a white board on the other side that i can use with

my grandchildren. Oh my, I am reminiscing too much aren't I?

I guess we should get on back to our lesson:)

You could talk with your family members and friends about how you make a cake and what ingredients you need to put into the

cake to make it taste the very best! You could liken this to the

teachings that Alma shares with the people on how they can gain their own testimony. Do this  by listing the ingredients and

instructions to gain a testimony.'

For this you could even use recipe cards if you like:) Search

through Alma 5:44–51 with your family members and friends

looking for the ingredients and the instructions to use for a

recipe for a testimony. The ingredients could be the truths

that make up our testimony and the instructions would be

things we need to do to gain a testimony. For more ideas you

may want to check out this message  from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:  

Gaining our own testimonies.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave the following scriptural pattern for

“receiving a personal testimony rooted in the witness of the Holy Ghost”:

“First: Desire to believe. The Book of Mormon encourages us: ‘If

[you] will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment

upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, … even if [you] can no

more than desire to believe’ (Alma 32:27). … God promises us divine

help even if we have only a desire to believe, but it has to be a true and

not a pretended desire.

“Second: Search the scriptures. Have questions; study them out;

search in the scriptures for answers. Again, the Book of Mormon has

good advice for us: ‘If [you] give place, that a seed may be planted in

your heart’ through diligent study of the word of God, the good seed

‘will begin to swell within your breasts’ if you will not resist with

unbelief. This good seed will ‘enlarge [your] soul’ and ‘enlighten [your] understanding’ (Alma 32:28).

“Third: Do the will of God; keep the commandments. … We need

to come to Christ and follow His teachings. The Savior taught: ‘My

doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will,

he shall know of the doctrine’ [John 7:16–17; italics added]. …

“Fourth: Ponder, fast, and pray. To receive knowledge from the

Holy Ghost, we must ask Heavenly Father for it [see Alma 5:45–46;

Moroni 10:3–4]” (“The Power of a Personal Testimony,” Ensign or

Liahona, Nov. 2006, 38–39).

You and your family members and friends can add to your recipe

things from your/their own experiences after you ask them the

following question: What “ingredients” and “instructions” could

you each  add to your recipe from your own experiences or other

experiences in the scriptures?

 Then you could ask them to share what they learned and what

they are doing to invite the Holy Ghost to testify of truth to

them. If they have not had these experiences to answer these

questions, you might want to guide them with this question:

What will you do to help gain a testimony of your Savior

Jesus Christ?

You might also ask them what could they put on their recipe

card for their ‘instructions” on how to gain this testimony? 

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Alma 5:33–62

I can gain my own witness of the Savior and His gospel

through the Holy Ghost.

Alma bore powerful testimony of the Savior and His gospel, and he also

explained how he gained that testimony. As he testified, he did not mention

his experience with seeing and hearing an angel (see Mosiah 27:10–17) but

rather described the price he paid to know the truth for himself. What do

you learn from Alma 5:44–51 about how Alma came to know the truth?

How can you follow his example in your efforts to gain or strengthen your

testimony? What do you learn about the Savior from Alma’s teachings in

Alma 5:33–35, 48–50, and 57–60?

Alma 6

We gather as Saints to hear God’s word and do His

work.

As you have most likely heard someone say that they did not feel

that it was necessary to go to church, so they don't need to join

one. Your family members and  friends may have heard this as well

so you may want to remind each of them how important it is for us

to gather together as a body of saints or believers. 

You may want to have  them role play someone who doesn't think

they need to belong to a church. Then have someone else pretend

to be a church member and using what you find in Alma 6 , what

could they share to teach this person who doesn't see the need in

belonging to a church? What about some of the blessings of

belonging to a church? How can we better accomplish the purposes

of gathering that Alma described?

Alma 7:7–16

The Savior took upon Himself our sins, pains, and

afflictions.

I know and you probably know as well that there are many

people out there who desperately need to know the

teachings in Alma 7:7–16. Alma teaches is in this passage

that the Savior took upon Himself not just our sins but

also our pains, afflictions, sicknesses, and infirmities of

each one of us individually and collectively.

How will you

help them discover this? You might consider making a

chart on your poster board with two columns. The first

column heading: What the Savior suffered.The second

column heading:Why He suffered.

To complete your chart with your family members and

friends you should read through together these verses in

Alma 7:7–16. Another thing that would be very helpful for you and your family members and friends would be to think about

and talk about other things the Savior suffered during

His life. You will find some examples in the following: 

What did Jesus Christ suffer?

• Temptation (see Matthew 4:1–10)
• Hunger and thirst (see Matthew 4:2; John 19:28)
• Death of a loved one (see Matthew 14:10–13)
• Abandonment (see Matthew 26:55–56)
• Mocking (see Matthew 27:29–31, 39–44)
• Poverty (see Luke 9:58)
• Betrayal (see Mark 14:43–46)
• Pain greater than anyone can suffer (see Luke 22:39–44;

 Mosiah 3:7; Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19)

What other afflictions did the Savior experience?

You may want to have a discussion about these passages when you

have finished reading them all with your family members and

friends. When you are finished with discussion it will be time for

the next one:)

You may want to quickly review what Alma taught in

Alma 7:7–16. You might want to consider sharing or having your

family members and friends share some experiences when the

Savior Jesus Christ succored  you/them.

You may need to remind them or teach them that to succored 

means that He helped them. You may find it very beneficial to

find examples of succoring from the scriptures in the

following passages: 

How does Jesus Christ succor us?

• Forgives our sins and removes guilt (see Enos 1:5–6)
• Softens others’ hearts (see Mosiah 21:15)
• Strengthens us to bear our burdens (see Mosiah 24:14–15)
• Heals us of our infirmities (see 3 Nephi 17:6–7)
• Makes weak things become strong and comforts us
• (see Ether 12:27–29)
• Helps us to see afflictions in perspective (see Doctrine and
• Covenants 121:7–10)

In what other ways has Jesus succored us?

What you could do next is to share the following quotation from

President Dallin H. Oaks: “Our Savior has revealed that He

‘descended below all things’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6). … We

might even say that having descended beneath it all, He is

perfectly positioned to lift us and give us the strength we need to endure our afflictions. We have only to ask” (“Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 64).

Now we know that Alma declared that the coming of the Redeemer

“is of more importance than” anything else.What if you were to

imagine that you were in a history class and you are talking about

the most important events in history.  What verses from Alma 7

would they share to support Alma’s claim in verse 7? What counsel

did Alma give his people that can help us prepare for the

Savior’s coming?

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Alma 7

Diligent obedience will help me stay on the “path which

leads to the kingdom of God.”

The people of Gideon were not struggling with the same dilemmas as the people

in Zarahemla, so the Spirit helped Alma perceive their needs and teach them

differently (see Alma 7:17, 26). You might notice some differences between

Alma’s messages in Zarahemla (see Alma 5) and in Gideon (see Alma 7). For

example, Alma perceived that the people of Gideon were “in the path which

leads to the kingdom of God” (Alma 7:19). Throughout his sermon to them,

Alma taught them many things about how to stay on that path (see Alma 7).

What counsel did he give them? What can you apply to your life now?

Ideas for Personal Scripture Study

Alma 7:7–16

The Savior took upon Himself my sins, pains, and

afflictions.

Have you ever felt that no one understands your struggles or challenges? If so, the

truths taught in Alma 7:7–16 can help. Elder David A. Bednar testified: “The Son

of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual

burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has

perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy” (“Bear Up Their Burdens

with Ease,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 90).

As you read Alma 7:7–16, reflect on what these verses help us understand about the

purposes of the Savior’s sacrifice. How do we access His power in our lives?

Consider recording your thoughts.

See also Isaiah 53:3–5.

Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening

As you read the scriptures with your family, the Spirit can help you know what

principles to emphasize and discuss in order to meet the needs of your family. Here

are some ideas.

Alma 5:6–13

Why did Alma want his people to remember the Lord’s mercy toward their ancestors?

What stories from your family history teach you about His mercy? Maybe you could

visit familysearch.org/myfamily to record these stories.

Alma 5:14–33

Members of your family may know what it feels like to be prepared—or unprepared—

for a camping trip, a test at school, or a job interview.

What recent experiences could

they share to illustrate the importance of being prepared? You could invite family

members to review Alma 5:14–33 and find questions Alma asked to prepare his

people to meet God. Perhaps each family member could choose a question and share

how it can help us prepare to meet God. Your family could also display several of

Alma’s questions around your home for family members to ponder.

Alma 6:4–6

What are some of the reasons we gather as Saints? How can we make our time at

church more helpful to ourselves and others?

Alma 7:9–16

What do we learn in these verses that helps us “fear not” (Alma 7:15) when we need to repent and change? What do these verses teach us about turning to the Savior

when we need help? What other things have we done to receive His help? How has

He succored us?

Alma 7:23

Who do we know who is a good example of one or more of the qualities listed in

this verse? Why is it important to develop these qualities?

For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—

For Primary.

Suggested song: “Come, Follow Me,” Hymns, no. 116.

The chapters for this upcoming week tell the story of

two men. One was apathetic towards the Church and the other was a zealous persecutor, but both became

courageous defenders of faith.

You will find their

stories within the pages of the book of Alma chapters

8-12/ happy reading:)

I hope that you have enjoyed our lesson for this week.

There was quite a bot to cover. I am sure that you can

review parts of it in your family home evenings. Please

stay safe, healthy and well. Make sure you are doing all

I can to keep others safe,  healthy and well also. It only

takes a few minutes, you know.

Please do remember who you are!!! Remember to continue

with your prayers every day at least morning and night.

Please do continue to study the Book of Mormon with me

and all of our cyber study buddies out there in

cyberspace:) until my next post, enjoy your day, take a

deep breath and make it a great week!!!!