God’s work will not fail. But our efforts to help with His work sometimes seem to fail—at least, we may not immediately see the outcomes we hope for. We might feel a little like Alma when he preached the gospel in Ammonihah—rejected, spit on, and cast out. Yet when an angel instructed him to go back and try again, Alma courageously “returned speedily” (Alma 8:18), and God prepared the way before him. Not only did He provide Alma with food to eat and a place to stay, but He also prepared Amulek, who became a fellow laborer, a fierce defender of the gospel, and a faithful friend. When we face setbacks and disappointments as we serve in the Lord’s kingdom, we can remember how God supported and led Alma, and we can trust that God will support and lead us too, even in difficult circumstances.
My efforts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ require patience.
Have you ever tried to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone, but your invitation was rejected? Alma experienced that too. What do you learn from him in Alma 8:13–16 about sharing the gospel despite challenges and opposition? Continue reading in verses 17–32, and look for phrases that inspire you to keep sharing the gospel, even when you don’t seem to be succeeding.
Prophets and apostles are special witnesses of Christ, so they have a lot of inspired counsel to share about testifying of Him. Look at what Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said in “But What If It’s Hard?” (a section in “Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 18) or what Elder Gary E. Stevenson shared in “Love, Share, Invite” (Liahona, May 2022, 84–87). What do you find there that could help someone who’s starting to feel discouraged about sharing the gospel?
How would you summarize everything you’ve studied here into one or two encouraging statements about sharing the gospel? Consider making a poster or meme that can inspire you (and others) to keep trying.
See also “Help Me Teach with Inspiration,” Hymns, no. 281; “Alma Is Commanded by an Angel to Return to Ammonihah” (video), Gospel Library; Gospel Topics, “Missionary Work,” Gospel Library.
When reading about the way the Nephites in Ammonihah treated the Lord’s servants, it is easy to forget that they once lived the gospel and were a “highly favored people of the Lord” (Alma 9:20). As you read about the great blessings God gave the people of Nephi (see especially Alma 9:14–23), ponder the great blessings He has given you. What responsibilities come with these blessings? What are you doing to stay true to these responsibilities?
In Alma 11–12, Alma and Amulek referred to God’s plan as the plan of redemption. As you read these chapters, ponder why the word redemption is used to describe God’s plan. Consider writing a short summary of what Alma and Amulek taught about the following aspects of the plan:
The Fall
The Redeemer
Repentance
Death
Resurrection
Judgment
Notice the effect Amulek’s words had on the people (see Alma 11:46). How does knowing about God’s plan affect you?
See also Dallin H. Oaks, “The Great Plan,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 93–96; “Amulek Testifies of Jesus Christ” (video), Gospel Library.
If I do not harden my heart, I can receive more of the word of God.
Some people may wonder why Heavenly Father doesn’t make everything known to us. In Alma 12:9–14, Alma explained one possible reason. These questions could help you ponder what he taught:
What does it mean to harden your heart? What are the results of having a hard heart? (see also Alma 8:9–11; 9:5, 30–31; and 10:6, 25).
What can you do to ensure that God’s word is “found in [you]”? (Alma 12:13). When you have God’s word in you, what effect does it have on your “words,” “works,” and “thoughts”? (Alma 12:14).
What does Amulek’s experience teach you about the blessings of having a soft heart? (see Alma 10:1–11).
See also “Alma Warns Zeezrom” (video), Gospel Library.
For more ideas, see this month’s issues of the Liahona and For the Strength of Youth magazines.
This week’s activity page could help you summarize the events in Alma 8–10 for your children. You might want to help them find principles that made Alma and Amulek good missionaries. For example, they didn’t give up (see Alma 8:8–13), they testified of Christ (see Alma 9:26–27), and they worked together (see Alma 10:12).
A song about missionary work, such as “I Want to Be a Missionary Now” (Children’s Songbook, 168) could give your children ideas about ways to share the gospel with their friends. Invite them to list ideas they find and people they could share the gospel with. You might even let them role-play what they might say or do.
Encourage participation. As you prepare to teach, rather than planning things to say, ask yourself, “What will the children do to learn?” Children will learn better and remember longer when they actively participate.
Perhaps your children could draw a picture representing principles of the plan of redemption, like the Fall of Adam and Eve, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance, death, resurrection, and judgment. Then you could help them match their pictures to verses in Alma 11–12 that teach about these principles.
You could invite one child to pretend to be Amulek and another to pretend to be Alma as you tell the story in Alma 8:18–22. How was Amulek a good friend to Alma? Then your children could share how someone has been a friend to them and how that experience made them feel.
Maybe you could make a friendship puzzle: find or draw a picture representing friendship and cut it into puzzle pieces. On the back of each piece, write something we can do to be a good friend, including things Alma and Amulek did. Your children could take turns selecting a piece and adding it to the puzzle as you read what is written on the back. Who needs our friendship?
Consider an object lesson like this one to teach about the Resurrection: your hand could represent your spirit, and a glove could represent your body. Take your hand out of the glove to show that our spirits and bodies will be separated at death. Then place your hand back in the glove to show that our spirits and bodies will be joined together again at the Resurrection. Let your children take turns putting the glove on and taking it off as you read Alma 11:43 to them. Display a picture of the resurrected Savior (see Gospel Art Book, no. 59), and testify that Jesus Christ made it possible for everyone to be resurrected.
