Come Follow Me - Alma 8-12 (part 3): "A Time to Prepare" 

Thank you for your kind words, Val. The fact that you had the courage, faith, and spiritual sensitivity to find and accept the restored gospel as a young adult tells me a lot about you. That's the age group I spend my days with, and I love imagining them 50 years from now, still feasting on the words of Christ. Thanks for being an inspiration!

Thank you for your kind words. Alma and Amulek were such incredible teachers--and left us with so much amazing food for thought. Thanks for letting me join you for your scripture study!

Thank you for your kind words! I'm grateful you've found these lessons to be a blessing to you. I'm honored to be a part of your scripture study! The Book of Mormon is worth our best efforts to understand!

Thank you for your kind words. Eager students always make it worth it for a teacher!

I'm so grateful they're helping to fortify your faith. Bless you for your desire to deepen it!

Thank you so much for your kind words, April, and for sharing the sweet experience you and your son had in Church. Like Jesus said, those who really have eyes to see, will see! Thanks for letting me be a part of your scripture study!

Such a beautiful comment. Thank you for sharing those powerful verses. I'm grateful you were open to the Book of Mormon's power as a YSA, and grateful you've stayed open to it. You're right--that IS the purpose of our existence! I hope we're living up to it! Thanks again!

You probably dont give a shit but if you guys are bored like me atm you can stream pretty much all of the new movies and series on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my girlfriend for the last few months :)

@Emmanuel Kamden yup, I've been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)

@Emmanuel Kamden Yup, I have been using instaflixxer for since november myself :)

We all need that eraser! I'm grateful the Lord has provided it for all of us.

Thank you so much. I just hope to invite the real Spirit to teach us all as we study. Thank you for wanting to learn--which is a powerful invitation that God usually rewards!

I'm glad they're helping! The scriptures are a bottomless reservoir!

Gracias por tu deseo de sentir ese Espiritu. El Senor quiere darnos esta bendicion!

I'm grateful for your support and encouragement! Thank you for watching!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm grateful to be able to join you for your scripture study!

Haha! "Opposition is the evidence that the truth is at work." Thanks for wanting the "greater portion" yourself!

Thanks, Nathan! You were awesome then and continue to be awesome today! Those were golden years back in seminary. Thanks for letting me be a part of your scripture study again!

Thank you. I'm grateful you enjoyed it. It's a privilege to be a part of your scripture study!

What a beautiful cross-reference! I love how various prophets echo one another and add additional testimony and insight. Such power in these truths! Thanks for sharing!

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me be a part of your scripture study!

Thank you for your kind words. I'm grateful for the chance to learn together!

You're welcome! Thank you for coming hungry to learn!

That's awesome! As one with no artistic ability myself, I'm grateful the Lord made up for my lack of ability with an abundance of artistic appreciation! I love the gentleness of these cherubim as opposed to the way this scene is usually depicted. Definitely more "preparatory" than "probationary"!

The Lord works in mysterious ways :) Glad you enjoyed it--and no offense to any musicians out there! Thanks for watching!

I'm so grateful you enjoyed it. The scriptures and the Spirit are the ultimate teachers!

Thank you! I'm glad you've found these lessons to be helpful. Thanks for letting me be a part of your scripture study!

Thank you for your kind words. I'm grateful the lesson was a blessing to you. The Book of Mormon is a treasure trove!

Thank you for your kind words. I'm grateful you're enjoying these lessons. I keep telling myself to speed up and shorten the videos, but I have a hard time leaving stones unturned when there seems to be such beautiful truth under every one!

@@Unshaken Absolutely! Please keep up what you are doing! Some mornings I'm able to finish a whole video, some I will pause and come back to later when the demands of being a wife and mother aren't tugging at my shirt tail. :) I am actually doing a lot of my own investigating and looking forward to receiving all of the lessons from the missionaries so that I can be baptized when the church opens back up completely and my family can be there. I look forward to sharing much of what I have learned from you with fellow members and nonmembers. Thank you again. God bless!

@@cassiecarpenter9763 With 5 kids of my own, I know what you mean about tugs on the shirt tail! But that's the realest and best work of life. Hopefully these lessons just help you in those all-important efforts. I'm excited to hear that you're looking forward to meeting with the missionaries! You have a beautiful road ahead--with plenty of potholes of course, but also with breathtaking views and plenty of wonderful people eager to join you in the journey. I'm grateful to be one of them!

You rock! "Fleshy tables" are definitely easier to work with than "hard hearts"!

Thank you. The scriptures are such powerful sources of the understand and strength we need.

Definitely speaking for myself with that one!

Great points, Adam! I agree that Moses 5 is the best place to see the explanation of the Plan from the very beginning, and you're right that the OT doesn't give us as clear a picture. Then again, there are so many "types and shadows" that it seems that truth was there, even if veiled in symbolism. I remember a conversation I had with one of my BYU religion professors when I was a student that went in a similar direction. What we ended up concluding is that in the OT, we see a lot of what they did, but not a lot of what they knew, while in the Book of Mormon, we see a lot of what they knew, but not a lot of what they did. That is, the OT shows them performing all the sacrifices that were meant to point them to Christ, but we're left wondering how much they understood, whereas in the BoM, we see how clearly they understood those rituals and sacrifices, but it doesn't say much about how involved they were in those things (we just assume that they were). As for your thought on God calling on men "in the name of his Son," that's an awesome realization--the difference between the way we usually use it and the way that God seems to be using it there. From what I understand, ever since the Fall, we have been cut off from God and Christ is our intermediary. So when we pray "in the name of the Son," it's not just what we hope Christ would say; it's also what we really want to say to our Father, but Christ serves as the go-between. God would work in a similar way, reaching us through His Son. So yes, I would say that it means that "God revealed his will through Christ." That fits well with the first few verses of the Book of Hebrews, I think. I think it was Joseph Fielding Smith who said that whenever "God" is mentioned in the OT, post-Fall at least, it's referring to Jesus Christ. The Father did those things through the Son. I hope that makes a little sense!

Great questions. Part of it is recognizing that the Lord is speaking to an entire spectrum of listeners--some of whom are best reached by "tough love" and others who need a gentle invitation. He tries them all (see D&C 43:24-25). Listen to whichever side of Him helps you feel the desire to change and come unto Him. As for learning how to repent, I would highly recommend Elder Neil L. Andersen's new book, "The Divine Gift of Forgiveness." You may also want to watch the video I did of King Benjamin's address (Mosiah 1-6), especially the one titled "The Goodness of God." I think it'll speak your language.

Great point. It's a difficult issue, and I usually take an hour or two to discuss it when I do it at Institute. Maybe one of these days I'll have time to do a video just on that subject. It would be worth it--especially in the difficult times we are currently in. Thanks for wanting to help others understand truth!

@@Unshaken I would love to have you explain it too. I keep trying to understand it and know we are all alike to our Heavenly Father but struggle with the way the Book of Mormon speaks of the curse and being marked.

I thought your video on that issue had a good explanation.

Haha! Way to circumvent the Alma 12:9 temptation! :) It's a great question, but you're right--we don't need all the details since it's already explained in Alma 11:25 that they were of "great worth." In studying for the lesson I ran across this article that shed a little more light on the subject: latterdaysaintmag.com/senums-senines-and-barley-why-alma-11/ I'm sure there's a lot more out there where that came from!

Brother Fred: That comment about Alma 12:9 is very funny!

@@Unshaken Thanks, I guess that puzzle will have to wait.

@@fredeisele1895 Haha! It'll be there for you when you're done :)