savanna jones

Come Unto Christ

                In Alma 17 Ammon is taken prisoner by the Lamanites and brought before King Lamoni. The King was very pleased with Ammon so instead of killing him, which was the usual thing to do, Ammon became Lamoni’s servant.

                Now I’m sure you all know the next part of the story where Ammon saves the king’s flocks and then cuts off the arms of the enemies at the river Sebus, but it’s what happens after that that is pertinent to my topic today.

                King Lamoni asks his servants to tell him what happened with his flocks and they all praised Ammon saying how awesome and amazing he was. When he had heard his servants’ accounts of the story in which they praised the “faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flock , and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit …?”

                In reply his servants said “We do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain.”

                With their words Lamoni was convinced that Ammon was some Great Spirit which caused him to fear exceedingly for the mistakes he had made in his past.

                When Lamoni next saw Ammon he just sat there obviously quite star struck by Ammon because he did not know what to say.

                Then in Alma 18:16 it says “And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of other, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings.”

                The King proceeded to ask Ammon questions about him and Ammon taught the King of the gospel. The words that he spoke were so powerful and the spirit was so great that Lamoni declares, “I believe all these things which thou hast spoken.”

                After Ammon finished preaching all the things of the gospel to Lamoni “he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.” Which I would say is a pretty understandable reaction because he really had A LOT to take in. Because of the conversion of Lamoni many others were converted to the church including his wife, his servants, and-eventually-the majority of the Lamanite people.

                Chapter 20 starts out with Lamoni asking Ammon to “go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto his father.” This is a big deal because Lamoni’s father is King Lamoni, the king over ALL the land.

                The Lord instructed Ammon and Lamoni to go to Middoni instead and since they had great faith, they followed the instructions of the Lord.  

                While in Middoni they ran into Lamoni’s father who became very angry and demanded that his son kill Ammon and leave the land of Middoni.

                “But Lamoni said unto him: I will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that they are just men and holy prophets of the true God. “

                So, even though Lamoni was probably scared to death to bare his testimony and it was even scarier to bare his testimony in defiance of his father, he did it and he was triumphant because his testimony is what sparked his father’s interest in the gospel, so when Aaron goes to Lamoni’s father to teach him about the gospel, the King and the entire household were converted.

                And because of these conversions eventually the Lamanites became a righteous people and they laid down their weapons and didn’t fight with God or their brethren anymore. Overall, 7 entire kingdoms were converted because of Lamoni’s belief and testimony in the gospel.      

So my message today is this: Come unto Christ because the Lord will be with you in all that you do, come unto Christ because your actions don’t just affect you, and come unto Christ because you never know who can be brought to the truth and to eternal life through your example and your testimony.