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From Come, Follow Me :
Large fires can start from a single spark. Abinadi was only one man testifying against a powerful king and his court. His words were rejected for the most part, and he was sentenced to death. Yet his testimony of Jesus Christ, who is the “light … that can never be darkened” (Mosiah 16:9), sparked something inside the young priest Alma. And that spark of conversion slowly grew as Alma brought many others to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The flames that killed Abinadi eventually died out, but the fire of faith that his words created would have a lasting influence on the Nephites—and on people who read his words today. Most of us will never face quite what Abinadi did because of our testimonies, but we all have moments when following Jesus Christ is a test of our courage and faith. Perhaps studying Abinadi’s testimony will fan the flames of testimony and courage in your heart as well.
I can stand for Jesus Christ, even when I stand alone.
From Come, Follow Me :
What did Abinadi understand that helped him be bold in his testimony?
"'And we write according to our prophecies' [2 Nephi 25:26] suggests the wisdom of making a permanent record of our testimony of Christ. We understand that the testimonies we bear are 'recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over [us]' (D&C 62:3). Our own descendants and others may look upon and rejoice over our witness of Christ written or recorded for their benefit." Todd D. Christofferson Becoming a Witness of Christ
To create an opportunity for those you love to be influenced by your testimony now and in the future, modern technology has provided an incredible opportunity. You can preserve a hand-written document by uploading a photo, and you can record your personal witness of Jesus Christ on FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the Record My Story feature on FamilySearch Discovery. You can also share these items with others in FamilySearch via text, email, etc. by tapping the "Share" symbol. Check out this feature on the MyHeritage app: New: Audio Recordings for Interviewing your Relatives. Also check out Add Audio to Your Family Tree at Ancestry! Recording can be done individually or in a family or other setting. Your testimony may contain the words that will help family members strengthen their own!
Elder Uchtdorf explains how to gain, nourish, and share personal testimony. See Lest Thou Forget.
Sharing will leave no question about what you know and love. What a blessing for generations to come to hear your voice sharing the message you want them to know and remember! Read more here.
(Click to enlarge)
Print copies here.
As a family, you may want to audio or video record members of your own family taking turns reading from The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles. You could also audio record it directly to FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the Record My Story feature on FamilySearch Discovery. You could record excerpts or read it all.
You can also make an appointment to visit a FamilySearch Center if you have one nearby, and use their story room if they have one.
You can also visit the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they have many story rooms in which to record.
In addition to learning from the faith and courage of prophets in the Book of Mormon, what can we learn from our ancestors and others who dared to stand alone in defending and sharing their testimonies of Christ?
You and your family might enjoy creating a booklet or a collection of any testimonies of the Savior that you possess from the records of your ancestors. Consider making a collection of the stories of the first converts in your family lines. See Ten Ways To Discover, Gather, and Share Ancestor Stories.
You could plan a story-telling-athon on a Sunday afternoon or anytime, complete with pillows, blankets, grandparents and yummy goodies! In preparation, you may want to read this Family Locket article: Strengthening Children Through Family History: Bruce Feiler's Tips from RootsTech 2016.
Don't forget that you can include others remotely; see Technology Brings Grandchildren and Grandparents Closer.
Think "story-time" as you make plans for family events, and as you go about your daily life. Use the "add-on" principle to fit in a story here and there, especially at bed-time, meal-time, home church, and while traveling. Share stories on social media.
You could also audio- or video-record your family members as they tell or read stories and also add these to FamilySearch or another site.
God’s commandments should be written in my heart.
From Come, Follow Me :
Ponder Abinadi’s observation that the commandments were “not written in [the] hearts” of the priests (Mosiah 13:11). What might this phrase mean? As you read Mosiah 13:11–26, consider whether these commandments are written in your heart.
Mosiah knew and taught his sons the value of records in both conversion and retention.
Mosiah 1: 3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.
5 I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief, and we should have been like unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions of their fathers, which are not correct.
6 O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.
7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.
When helping family members to have the commandments “written in their hearts,” consider finding and sharing conversion stories and testimonies from the lives of your living relatives and ancestors to strengthen their testimonies. How did searching the scriptures, and following the prophet profit them? How are you strengthened by their words? How can you pass on your testimony to your posterity?
See the activity ideas above, and find more activities centered around traditions, promises, keeping records, and other related topics by searching for them in The Family History Guide.
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