The Rising Generation Alma and the Sons of Mosiah

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The Rising Generation Alma and the
Sons of Mosiah
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President Heber J. Grant

• It is stated that men do not amount to much after
  they pass fifty, and that when they are sixty you
  ought to get some kind of drug and put them to
  sleep, and that when they are seventy they are
  simply useless.
• But Lorenzo Snow came to the Presidency of the
  Church when he was eighty-five years of age, and
  what he accomplished during the next three years
  of his life is simply marvelous to contemplate.

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Any societys greatest challenge

• Transferring values and believes to the next
  generation

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The Zarahemla Stake Conference

• King Mosiah calls Great Conference
• Nephites
• Descendants of Zarahemla (Mulekites)
• People of Limhi
• People of Alma
• Organized into 7 wards (churches) with Alma as
  Prophet

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King Mosiahs Rising Generation

• Mosiah 261,2
• Now it came to pass that there were many of the
  rising generation that could not understand the
  words of king Benjamin, being little children at
  the time he spake unto his people and they did
  not believe the tradition of their fathers.
• They did not believe what had been said
  concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither
  did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.

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Why?

• Why didnt they believe?
• They could be taught his words, but they didnt
  feel his words

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The Rising Generation (Mosiah 262,3)
They did not believe the resurrection of the
dead, neither the coming of Christ.
because of their unbelief, they could not
understand the word of God
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Belief vs Understanding

• Do we sometimes try to force understanding or
  knowledge of the Gospel on those who do not yet
  believe in (or feel of) Christ?

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The Rising Generation (Mosiah 262-5)
They did not believe the resurrection of the
dead, neither coming of Christ.
because of their unbelief they could not
understand the word of God
and their hearts were hardened. And they would
not be baptized
Dissentions among the brethren
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Alma and Mosiahs Heartache

• Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the
  unbelievers and also one of the sons of Alma was
  numbered among them, he being called Alma, after
  his father (Mosiah 278)
• (Lords guidelines) Now I say unto you, Go and
  whosoever will not repent of his sins the same
  shall not be numbered among my people (Mosiah
  2632)

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Alma/Sons of Mosiahs Sins?

• (Alma) was
• a very wicked and an idolatrous man. (vilest of
  sinners)
• man of many words, and did speak much flattery
• he led manypeople to do afterhis iniquities.
• stealing away the hearts of the people
• causing much dissension among the people
• going about to destroy the church of God,
  (Mosiah 26)

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Elder Bruce Hafen

• I once had a sad and tender conversation with a
  stake president whose entire life represented a
  pattern of stalwart obedience. But he and his
  equally stalwart wife were carrying the burden of
  feeling total responsibility for the rebellion of
  their wayward son. He told me about their boy's
  very serious mischief and their inability to
  contain him, despite continual and fervent
  effort.
• Then he said, "You know, we always tell our
  members that no other success can compensate for
  failure in the home. And the scriptures say that
  if a man doesn't know how to manage his own
  house, how shall he take care of the Church?"
• Because of what he saw as his failure in the
  home, this man asked if he should request a
  release from his Church position.

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Why?

• The Lord sent an angel to Alma and the sons of
  Mosiah- and it worked-
• Why doesnt He send an angel to visit my
• son/daughter/sister/brother/friend/parents?
• Is it my faith?
• Or are they too far gone?

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Bruce R. McConkie

• A person may get converted in a moment,
  miraculously . . . But that is not the way it
  happens to most people. With most people,
  conversion and the accompanying remission of
  sins is a process and it goes step by step,
  degree by degree, level by level, from a lower
  state to a higher, from grace to grace, until the
  time that the individual is wholly turned to the
  cause of righteousness.

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Conversion

• How do we help others believe?

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Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone

• A young man was converted to the Church. His
  father died when this young man was but a boy.
  Before he died, the father gave his only
  possession of any value to his wife to give to
  his son when he grew upa ring with a beautiful
  stone in it.
• The mother kept the ring until the boy was in
  high school then she gave it to him. When he
  graduated from high school, his mother bought him
  a fine watch. It was all this woman could afford.

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• When her son joined the Church, she was offended
  and became critical. Their relationship became
  greatly strained. The young man's bishop
  interviewed him, and shortly thereafter he was
  called on a mission. When he told his mother, she
  was irate. She said she would not give him one
  penny of support.
• When he left home to travel to Manila to the
  Missionary Training Center, he had no money. He
  took a taxi from the airport to the MTC. He had
  no money to pay. He offered his watch as payment,
  and the driver gladly took it. Because he knew he
  had no money to cover costs at the MTC, he went
  to a pawnshop, pawned his ring, and then reported
  at the MTC.

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• At a zone conference some months later, this
  wonderful young elder recounted how he had
  financed his way to the MTC. Then he said with
  great emotion, "I don't have my graduation watch
  my mother gave me, and I sold the ring my dad
  gave me, but I am serving my Savior on a mission,
  and it is worth it."

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Our Challenge

• Are the people we are teaching-
• -family/friends/class/quorum-
• being taught?
• or being converted by the spirit??