Come Follow Me Alma 8-12: Insights By Gogo Goff

I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come Follow Me Alma 8-12 (If you missed last week’s insights for Come Follow Me Alma 5-7 click here). Save this pin to read later.

Videos, articles, and insights for this weeks study of Come Follow Me Alma 8-12: by Jeremy Goff, aka Gogo Goff

Ministering Angels.

“And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him…”
Alam 8:14

When we read verses like this we expect God to always use heavenly messengers. But often we are the angels that God uses. I’ve seen it time and time again, following the promptings of the Spirit only to find out that by following the Spirit you’ve answered someone’s prayers. To them, you become an “angel”.

Don’t delay, if you’ve felt a prompting. Who knows but your actions will answer a prayer, and perhaps help save a soul. When you help bring others to Christ, or back to Christ, you become an angel in their eyes.

"The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting and act upon it, and later find out that it was the fulfillment of someone’s prayer or someone’s need. And I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for Him." ~Thomas S. Monson. — “The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting and act upon it, and later find out that it was the fulfillment of someone’s prayer or someone’s need. And I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for Him.”
~Thomas S. Monson.

Feeding The Hungry.

“And as he entered the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat?
And the man said unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.”
Alma 8:19-20

Alma used a common practice in the scriptures to see if someone is righteous, from the widow of Zarephath, to Rachel, to the woman at the well. It is a common test to see if someone is willing to feed the hungry.

We also have this test, do we feed the hungry? (Beggar, poor in our ward, college students, missionaries etc)

Ask yourself, when was the last time I feed the LDS Missionaries, the beggar, or just “the hungry”? One week ago? Two weeks ago? 1 month, 4 months ago?

Would you feel comfortable telling Jesus Christ that answer? Could you honestly say “I’ve fed the hungry.”
If not what are you going to do to fix it?

"We retain a remission of sins when we give spiritual and temporal relief to the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the sick." Carol F. McConkie — “We retain a remission of sins when we give spiritual and temporal relief to the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the sick.”
Carol F. McConkie

A plea to come home.

“And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance…”
Alma 9:30

When someone wrongs us often we feel the natural man get angry. Yet Alma teaches us that with God it is different. He does not get angry at us for choosing the wrong, He does not demand we leave Him alone, He will not hold grudges. In fact, He reaches out in love to us with the invite to come home, to choose Him as our God by our actions.

So, no matter what has happened, let me echo the plea of God and the Prophets. Come home, don’t let something keep you away from your family. We do love you.

"My beloved brethren and sisters who may also have drifted, the Church needs you, and you need the Church. You will find many ears that will listen with understanding. There will be many hands to help you find your way back. There will be hearts to warm your own. There will be tears, not of bitterness but of rejoicing." Gordon B. Hinckley — “My beloved brethren and sisters who may also have drifted, the Church needs you, and you need the Church. You will find many ears that will listen with understanding. There will be many hands to help you find your way back. There will be hearts to warm your own. There will be tears, not of bitterness but of rejoicing.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

Repentant Missionaries.

“Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.”
Alma 10:6

Amulek was as he put it “rebelling against God”. Yet he had a change of heart and he ended up becoming Almas companion, years later he was one of the few who Alma took with him to teach the Zoramites.

I find it interesting that Zeezrom also comes with them on that mission, he also had a mighty change of heart. It shows a pattern, when someone truly comes unto Christ they never come alone.

"Men captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. To paraphrase President Harold B. Lee, they set fire in others because they are on fire." Ezra Taft Benson — “Men captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. To paraphrase President Harold B. Lee, they set fire in others because they are on fire.”
Ezra Taft Benson

Seeking Not A Sign

“Now Amulek said: O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?”
Alma 11:23

I love Zeezrom! He was a labeled a “Child of Hell” He was evil and was trying to trick and kill the Prophet! So why do I love him? Because he repented and became a disciple of Christ. He shows that the atonement is real. That repentance is real, and Zeezrom is the embodiment of that.

He was a lawyer and was called a “Child of Hell” by Amulek. But because of the testimonies of Alma and Amulek, he felt something… He repented and changed his ways, and when Alma organized a mission to reclaim the Lamanites, Zeezrom was one of the few who was chosen to help.

Unlike Alma and the sons of Mosiah, or Saul, Zeezrom did not have an angel appear to him. His mighty change of heart happened when he heard “the word” and repented. And for that reason I love Zeezrom, as I can relate to him, I’ve never seen an angel, yet the Lord has reached out to me through His servants and their words.

"Yes, it is the Lord, but he always uses men. If you pray for a revelation from the Lord, he will probably send you your bishop with the answer. You really don’t need a visit from an angel so long as you have a bishop." Elder Hartman Rector, Jr.

The Endowment.

“Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.” Alma 12:29

If you have been endowed you will notice starting in verse 21 and going through the end of chapter 12, that the people are asking questions of Alma and Amulek about topics we learn about in the Endowment. Many parts are actually direct quotes from the endowment film.

As a former temple worker. I had the unique job of seeing this verse fulfilled every week. As those acting as Angels lead people from the endowment room into the Celestial room.
(The Celestial room is symbolic of Heaven and His Glory)

So If you have been endowed, I urge you to read Alma 12 and think of the Endowment.

And if you have not been Endowed, I urge you to read Alma 12 and ponder upon the teachings within it as preparation for receiving your Endowment. For truly within the temples, angels minister unto men!

“I testify that angels are still sent to help us.” Jeffrey R. Holland

For more on the temple, see this video collection on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/watch/MyLifeByGogoGoff/1363240850508211/

And also these other articles about the temple:

4 things I wish I was told about the Temple before I was Endowed!

I preface this article with this. I love the temple, I have been a temple worker, in the past 3 years since returning from my mission I have visited 65 different Temples and gone over 200 times, what I am saying is 100% ok to talk about outside of the temple. Here are 4 things I wish I was told about the Temple before I was Endowed!

Stop treating the temple secretly and calling it sacred.

As temple worker, who has attended the temple over 200 times in the last three years, and has visited almost 70 temples in North America let me say...

10 Beautiful questions on the temple from President Russell M. Nelson.