One Shepherd, One Sword, One Savior!” GET TO THE POINT™ Come Follow Me: Alma 17-22

Get a copy of my book: https://www.amazon.com/Consider-Servant-Kendal-Brian-Hunter/dp/1555177522

Opening Hymn: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/music/songs/onward-christian-soldiers-johnson?crumbs=set-apart-beloved-missionary-hymns&lang=eng

I. Intro
i. You're looking good today and it feels good to be with you.
ii. Patter
II. Quote:   “My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day.” “Daily Joy” by Russell M. Nelson
III. News:
i. I saw A Quiet Place 3: Day One. Perfect storytelling, but please advance the franchise.
ii. Chevron ruling overturned, puts power back to elected Congress, not the bureaucrats. Triumph for freedom. Review Pres. Oaks's talk on the constitution (April 2021)
iii. The Biden-Trump debate:
1. Not political cast, but politics touches upon things: article of faith 12, Book of Mormon and this The American continent, US Constitution in D&C
2. Crowd reaction, or "One Scree, Two Movies"
a. you saw what you wanted to see
b. Why do you see things this way? Mental filter do you use--see a miracle, or filter it out
c. "I knew, but I would not know."
IV. Theme: "One Shepherd, One Sword, One Savior!"
V. BOLO: How Nephites did things and how we do things? Why do they differ? Do we need to get back to the BOM pattern? How do we do it? Why would members or a local leader be resting to Christ's pattern?
VI. Colophon:
i. An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.
ii. Ancient evidence. JS never mentioned these, noticed until 1940s, Hugh Nibley
VII. Power Proselytizing:
i. Message
1. Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
2. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.
3. Prayed for a portion of spirit
ii. Elder Legrand Curtis Sr spoke about these verses for 1 hour.
iii. Along with D&C 4, Alma 26:22, these sections would be a missionary guide, Preach My gospel.
1. Some policy things.
2. Temples, Tithing, Word of Wisdom
3. But this is how you do missionary work
VIII. The missionaries
i. Ammon
1. Royal family
2. Spiritual leader
3. Good with sling and sword
4. Personal attributes
5. How did he approach missionary work?
a. Turned down a wife (girls and missions don’t mix)
b. Servant
c. Lamoni astonished, always remembered commands
ii. Aaron
1. First born
2. Rightful heir to crown
3. Subordinated to younger brother
4. Attributes
a. imprisoned
b. humble, loss of status, younger brother
5. Imprisoned in MIddoni
a. Lot
b. EX 14:14
c. Can any missionary baptize? Differnt circumstances
d. JFielding Smith
iii. Muloki
iv. Ammah
IX. Then the Kings
1. King Lamoni
a. Good King, but enmeshed in the Lamnite traditions (Mosiah 10)
b. Was kind to Ammon
c. Listened to Ammon
2. Open minded
3. King Father (Nephi)
a. Gruff
b. Hardened in Lamanite traditions
c. believed his eyes when say love between Ammon and Lamoni
4. Antiomno (Middoni)
a. Jailer
X. The women
i. Queen Mrs. Lamoni
1. Soft and open to things
ii. Queen Mrs. Lamoni's Father
1. Sharp, like her husband
iii. Abish.
1. crypto believer
2. Vision of father
a. Father had a vision
b. She had a vision of her father
3. Name
a. Ab = father
b. Ish = man
c. Abishai
d. "Abisha" is the name of a Bedouin chieftain. Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, 151
XI. Then the people in the area.
i. Lamanites
1. Sons of Ishmael and families
ii. Amalikites
1. ???
2. Amlicites
iii. Amulonites
1. King Noah's priests, rival to Alma the Elder
2. Children defected to Nephites
iv. Order of Nehor
1. Dissenters from Nephites
2. Antinomian doctrine, universal reconciliation, popular, paid clergy
v. Last two Neo-apostates, versus paleo.
XII. The types of questions
i. Teaching by questions (Alma 11; 18; 22)
1. Released twice
2. Questions aren't all to teaching
a. 18:36; 21:9; 22:12
b. Questions are a starting point
i. To get both in right frame of mind
ii. What does the pupil know, and what does he need to know? Frame of reference (Lamanite Culture Mosiah 10)
iii. Misconceptions (Great Spirit; heaven above)
3. Alma 18:22-23, wise, harmless, guile. Will you hearken, believe
ii. Honest
1. Kings ask things
2. Clarifications
iii. snotty, catty
1. Who are you (ad hominem, "people thinking" vs idea thinking)
2. How do you know? Fair questions
3. Aren't we as good?
iv. teaching by questions resume
1. Clarification questions
2. Open up
a. God versus great spirit
3. Issue: how to get people asking you questions?
a. Do you have any questions?
b. Would class go better if you had questions?
c. Not an end unto themselves, the whack-a-mole approach.
XIII. The message taught
i. Creation
ii. Man in God's image
iii. Fall
iv. Hebrew and Lehitie history
v. Plan of Salvation Mission of Christ
vi. Families, camping trips, social activism, humanitarian projects
XIV. The reaction
i. Fainting
ii. TPJS, 149-150:
1. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence.
iii. Blood: RMN Nov 1993. DO not understand biochemistry involved.
XV. Geography
i. Since in BOM, fair game, but an ekphrasis--written decription of an object, so limitaions.
ii. DHO, We are not directed to read the Book of Mormon primarily to learn history or geography or politics or ethics or culture or social or educational policy, though it contains valuable teachings on all of those subjects. President Benson has teachings on many of those subjects, but he has stressed one vital idea above all others: “All truths are not of the same value,” he said. “The saving truths of salvation are of greatest worth” (“Worthy Fathers, Worthy Sons,” Ensign,November 1985, p. 36) https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dallin-h-oaks/another-testament-jesus-christ/
XVI. Christ Quotient
i. BOLO: How Nephites did things and how we do things? Why do they differ? Do we need to get back to the BOM pattern? How do we do it? Why would members or a local leader be resting to Christ's pattern?
1. ETB 10/1985 "Can you imagine what would happen with an increasing number of copies of the Book of Mormon in the hands of an increasing number of missionaries who know how to use it"
2. ETB N/1988" Missionaries need to know how to use the Book of Mormon to arouse mankind’s interest in studying it, and they need to show how it answers the great questions of the soul. Missionaries need to read with those they teach various passages from the Book of Mormon on gospel subjects."
3. ETB ibid "I have a vision of thousands of missionaries going into the mission field with hundreds of passages memorized from the Book of Mormon so that they might feed the needs of a spiritually famished world."
ii. Are we doing missionary work, proclamation the gospel, proselytizing following the Book of Mormon pattern?
1. Is our approach leading people away from Christ?
iii. Are we using the "dialogue of questions" approach in teaching?
1. If not are we leading people away from Christ?
iv. Are students formulating and asking questions
1. How to get students to ask you questions?
2. Not just a series of questions--study how Christ teaches (teach, preach, expound, exhort, warn) D&C 20
v. Letting Holy Ghost convert to Christ and Christ's church
vi. Why do we get off track? Why would a member want is to stay off track?
vii. How do we get on tack, follow Christ--and that's the point
 
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