Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Hugh Nibley: “After holding the highest and most influential positions in the land, which enabled him to bring pressure to bear on decisive issues commander of the armies, chief judge, head of the church he laid aside all his high offices and did ‘go forth among his people,…that he might preach the word of God unto them … ‘seeing no way,’ after all his experience ‘that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony’ (Alma 4:19). With all his vast experience, Alma was convinced that he could do more good and actually have more influence as a simple missionary than as head of the state, head of the army, of head of the church! And so he takes his leave, disappearing all alone over the horizon into the midst of hostile and unbelieving people” (The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p. 466).
Different Places, Approaches and Results
Joseph Smith: “Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the spirit of prophecy and revelation” (History of the Church, 3:379; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on June 27, 1839, in Commerce, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Remembering and counting our many blessings can humble us by reminding us of all the reasons we have to be thankful to God not just today’s reasons, but those relating to all our yesterdays…If we fail to stir remembrance of blessings received, the human tendency is to say, in effect, whether to one’s God or to one’s fellows, “What have you done for me lately?’ Indeed, prophets of the Lord have asked directly whether their people had “sufficiently retained in remembrance’ His deliverances and blessings (Alma 5:6 7). It is best to cultivate our “remembering’ capacity now and to be guided accordingly, since at judgment day we will have “perfect remembrance’ (Alma 5:18) … Wherever the gospel is, there too is the call to remembrance” (A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 51)
President Spencer W. Kimball: “When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be ‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we] ‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (Circles of Exaltation [address to religious educators, Brigham Young University, 28 June 1968]).
Mighty Change of the Heart
President Harold B. Lee: Quoted Mosiah 5:7 and then added: “There’s another explanation: when our hearts are changed through faith on his name, we are born again” (Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.55).
Todd Christofferson: “You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? … For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again … is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality” (“Born Again,” Ensign, May 2008, 78).
“Can you Imagine” Seminary Video: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2010-06-04-can-you-imagine?lang=eng
President Henry B. Eyring: “Now, with that clear, one of the passages in Isaiah which you may sometimes pass by too quickly because you think you won’t understand it, makes perfect sense. It reads, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17). But you might well say, “But do I have to wait until I am perfect and the people around me are perfect before I can live in peace?” I suppose the answer is yes if you mean to live in perfect peace. But there is a much happier answer, and a true one we are promised peace in this life before we are perfect” (“Blessed are the Peacemakers,” CES Fireside, 6 February 1994).
President Marion G. Romney: “The fulness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, . . the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one’s calling and election sure is attainable in this life” (CR, Oct 1965, p.20).
President Spencer W. Kimball: When someone once asked him, “What do you do if you find yourself caught in a boring sacrament meeting?” President Kimball thought a moment, then replied, “I don’t know; I’ve never been in one” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/01/to-be-edified-and-rejoice-together?lang=eng)
President Henry B. Eyring: “The Lord offers us a guide in this quest for eternal life in the sacramental prayers that help me and can help you….In the sacramental prayers, God promises to send the Holy Ghost to be with us (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79). I have found in that moment that God can give me what feels like a personal interview. He brings to my attention what I have done that pleases Him, my need for repentance and forgiveness, and the names and faces of people He would have me serve for Him.
“Over the years, that repeated experience has turned hope into feelings of charity and brought an assurance that mercy was unlocked for me by the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection” (He is Risen, Ensign, April 2013).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins. Whatever our sufferings, we can safely cast our ‘care upon him; for he careth for [us]’ (1 Peter 5:7)” (“Not My Will, But Thine” [1988], 51).
Elder Bruce R. Hafen: “Some Church members feel weighed down with discouragement about the circumstances of their personal lives, even when they are making sustained and admirable efforts. Frequently, these feelings of self disappointment come not from wrongdoing, but from stresses and troubles for which we may not be fully to blame.
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to these experiences because it applies to all of life. The Savior can wipe away all of our tears, after all we can do. . . .
“The Savior’s atonement is . . . the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just for sinners” (“Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Apr. 1990, 7).
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “To succor means to “run to.” I testify that in my fears and in my infirmities the Savior has surely run to me. I will never be able to thank Him enough for such personal kindness and such loving care” (“He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things,” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 64).
Ideas for teaching:
Different Places, Approaches and Results
- Zarahemla (Alma 5-6)
- Gideon (Alma 6:7-8)
- Melek (Alma 8:3-6)
- Ammonihah (Alma 8:7-14; 16:1-2, 9-11)
Joseph Smith: “Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the spirit of prophecy and revelation” (History of the Church, 3:379; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on June 27, 1839, in Commerce, Illinois; reported by Willard Richards).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Remembering and counting our many blessings can humble us by reminding us of all the reasons we have to be thankful to God not just today’s reasons, but those relating to all our yesterdays…If we fail to stir remembrance of blessings received, the human tendency is to say, in effect, whether to one’s God or to one’s fellows, “What have you done for me lately?’ Indeed, prophets of the Lord have asked directly whether their people had “sufficiently retained in remembrance’ His deliverances and blessings (Alma 5:6 7). It is best to cultivate our “remembering’ capacity now and to be guided accordingly, since at judgment day we will have “perfect remembrance’ (Alma 5:18) … Wherever the gospel is, there too is the call to remembrance” (A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 51)
President Spencer W. Kimball: “When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be ‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we] ‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (Circles of Exaltation [address to religious educators, Brigham Young University, 28 June 1968]).
Mighty Change of the Heart
- Remembering invites a mighty change of the heart.
- Faith brings a mighty change to the heart (Alma 5:12).
- The word of God brings a mighty change to the heart (Alma 5:13).
- When we believe in the word of God and exercise faith in Jesus Christ, we can experience a mighty change of heart.
President Harold B. Lee: Quoted Mosiah 5:7 and then added: “There’s another explanation: when our hearts are changed through faith on his name, we are born again” (Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.55).
Todd Christofferson: “You may ask, Why doesn’t this mighty change happen more quickly with me? … For most of us, the changes are more gradual and occur over time. Being born again … is more a process than an event. And engaging in that process is the central purpose of mortality” (“Born Again,” Ensign, May 2008, 78).
“Can you Imagine” Seminary Video: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2010-06-04-can-you-imagine?lang=eng
President Henry B. Eyring: “Now, with that clear, one of the passages in Isaiah which you may sometimes pass by too quickly because you think you won’t understand it, makes perfect sense. It reads, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17). But you might well say, “But do I have to wait until I am perfect and the people around me are perfect before I can live in peace?” I suppose the answer is yes if you mean to live in perfect peace. But there is a much happier answer, and a true one we are promised peace in this life before we are perfect” (“Blessed are the Peacemakers,” CES Fireside, 6 February 1994).
President Marion G. Romney: “The fulness of eternal life is not attainable in mortality, . . the peace which is its harbinger and which comes as a result of making one’s calling and election sure is attainable in this life” (CR, Oct 1965, p.20).
President Spencer W. Kimball: When someone once asked him, “What do you do if you find yourself caught in a boring sacrament meeting?” President Kimball thought a moment, then replied, “I don’t know; I’ve never been in one” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2007/01/to-be-edified-and-rejoice-together?lang=eng)
President Henry B. Eyring: “The Lord offers us a guide in this quest for eternal life in the sacramental prayers that help me and can help you….In the sacramental prayers, God promises to send the Holy Ghost to be with us (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79). I have found in that moment that God can give me what feels like a personal interview. He brings to my attention what I have done that pleases Him, my need for repentance and forgiveness, and the names and faces of people He would have me serve for Him.
“Over the years, that repeated experience has turned hope into feelings of charity and brought an assurance that mercy was unlocked for me by the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection” (He is Risen, Ensign, April 2013).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Since not all human sorrow and pain is connected to sin, the full intensiveness of the Atonement involved bearing our pains, infirmities, and sicknesses, as well as our sins. Whatever our sufferings, we can safely cast our ‘care upon him; for he careth for [us]’ (1 Peter 5:7)” (“Not My Will, But Thine” [1988], 51).
Elder Bruce R. Hafen: “Some Church members feel weighed down with discouragement about the circumstances of their personal lives, even when they are making sustained and admirable efforts. Frequently, these feelings of self disappointment come not from wrongdoing, but from stresses and troubles for which we may not be fully to blame.
“The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to these experiences because it applies to all of life. The Savior can wipe away all of our tears, after all we can do. . . .
“The Savior’s atonement is . . . the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just for sinners” (“Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Apr. 1990, 7).
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: “To succor means to “run to.” I testify that in my fears and in my infirmities the Savior has surely run to me. I will never be able to thank Him enough for such personal kindness and such loving care” (“He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things,” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 64).
Ideas for teaching:
- Study the different approaches and results in Alma 5-8.
- Answer Alma’s questions in chapter 5 (your midterm exam).
- Share experiences with our “mighty change of heart.”
- How do you know when you have received Christ’s image in your countenance?
- Share what you do to make church the best 2 hours of your week.
- Don’t be afraid to define words.
- Christ knows when and how to ‘succor’ you.