#23 More than One Witness

#23 “More than one witness”
Alma 8-12

Ask individuals the following:
Would you say the color of your tie is blue?
What color do you say your tie is? Turquoise
*I thought you just said your tie was blue which is it? Are you lying now or then? You are confusing me!!

Do you get your doctrine for your church out of the scriptures? Yes
I was told that your church has continuing revelation, so which is it?

I will give you $50 if you can tell me that your brown shoes are black! Well?

This is how Satan works and we will see this in our lesson, but more importantly what we will see is how the Lord can take 1 individual’s life and turn it into a great force for good and as that one individual continues to follow and do as he is asked he will receive more blessings-more spiritual moments-More about the “mysteries” of God.

Let’s start however with Alma he is still out teaching in chapter 8; he went to Melek and had great success. Then he goes to Ammonihah- he is met with disdain and is banished (8:13) As he was leaving (8:14) an angel comes to him and tells him (8:15-16) and he went back speedily!(8:18) Alma at this point had been fasting and comes into the city and finds a man and asks him for food. This mans name is Amulek (8:20) An Angel told me you were coming and I was supposed to feed you. Amulek shares his experience with us, so before we continue lets learn more about Amulek and get more details about his experience, after all he is just like we are.

Alma 10:2-12
V2 He tells us he is the son of someone who has had spiritual experiences that are on the record books (Dan. 5:16)
V3 Gives his lineage to tell people his descendents are great
V4 Says he has a reputation of being a hard worker and is wealthy because of such.
V5 says he has been an inactive member of Gods Church but knows now that he is mistaken.
V6 tells them he had a hard heart just like them.
V7 Then tells them of his visitation by an angel to feed Alma (a prophet of God)
**Picture if you can the power and feelings he puts forth to them.
V8-12 This simple man who was once inactive started off his conversion process just by being obedient to the angel and fed Alma-Now he is testifying of his experience.
V12 I like this verse for 2 reasons 1-it states his simple testimony-it is wasn’t grand, he didn’t use big words and fancy speaking-he just testifies of what he experienced. And because of the simpleness of it the people were astonished and felt the “spirit of prophecy, which was in them” His simple words were the words that touched their hearts. 2-I like this secondly because of the phrase “they saw there was more than one witness” (I’ll come back to this expaination in a minute)

Let’s go back in the story now that we know about Amulek-He fed Alma and He had him stay with them. (8:27) probably having Alma teach him and his family. The Lord says (8:29) Go preach- Amulek could’ve given excuses but he sees-I’ve seen and angel, his words came true, Alma blessed my home, I’ve felt the spirit, it’s the least I can do it to go with Alma
*Amulek is rewarded after he goes with him even more 8:30 filled w/ holy ghost
8:31 here we read not all his time was pleasant-they obviously were threatened with prison and death. They still stayed faithful- I don’t know how much Amulek taught versus Alma, but it mush not have been much at this point because they say 9:2 Who are thou? One man? They had been taught that prophets come in 2 witnesses and they use it against Alma, perhaps this comment got to Amulek and while Alma was talking the spirit started working on Amulek. All the while Alma is trying to teach and even comes to threaten them with the Lords admonition, Nothing gets through to these people. UNTIL Amulek stands to teach.
Just like v12 says, finally they were touched. Sometimes what is needed is that 2nd witness. Do we wonder shy visiting/home teachers, missionaries etc. come in pairs? This is why-one might touch where the other can’t.

With this experience we watch how Amuleks testimony grows fast- in a big way as he testifies A Lesson to all of us, when we testify and open our mouths about things we “know” we get more knowledge and mysteries unfolded-sometimes we wonder at how do I know this stuff?

**I testify that has happened to me numerous times in this class-stuff flies out and I wonder how did I know that, or where did that come from- always though I know where it comes from and I am grateful for it. Without it I couldn’t be an effective teacher.

Now let’s see some the things he experiences as he goes.
Just as he starts to touch hearts satan says, “oh no, none of that” and his servants come forward 10:13&16) w/ cunning devices they try to trip them up. Just like I illustrated at the beginning.
10:17 As illustrated God helped Amulek to KNOW Their designs. Amulek says “I know what you are trying to do and it won’t work, the Lord is on my side and he’s much quicker than satan!”

10:19 He (Lord) brings to Amulek’s mind words of God from previous prophets to testify against satan and his followers.
10:24 People were angry again saying he was speaking against their law.
10:25 Amulek cried mightier
10:26 tells them I don’t go against your law but the lawyers who profess your law and twist it up for their money making purposes.
10:31&11:21 comes the best lawyer in town to try to do damage. He asks Amulek if he can ask him questions.
11:22 Amulek has had enough experiences now with the spirit that he says, ‘I’ll answer your questions, but only by the spirit of the Lord. Zeezrom 1st tries to bribe him with money.
11:23 Amule responds “Righteous don’t yield to temptation” He doesn’t even give the money any thought at all therefore he gets another enlightening.
11:24 Amulek is given knowledge of Zeezroms heart-He says “you know there is a God, but you love money more than him”
11:25 and not only do you know there is a God but you’ve lied to Him- you weren’t going to give me that money, you just wanted to use it to destroy me! God continues to enlighten him with their evil plans and thoughts.

*Zeezrom tries a different way
11:26(Z)Asks Is there a god?
11:27(A) Yea
11:28 (Z) Is there more that one?
11:29 (A) No
11:32 (Z)Asks about son of God
11:35 Says you say one God but now you say there is the son of God
11:39 Amulek sticks with doctrine explaining Christ is the eternal Father, then continues to bare testimony of Jesus’ role and Redeemer(11:41), the judgment(11:44), Resurrection(11:45).
11:46 Zeezrom began to tremble- He started to see the light. Alma, in chapter 11 comes in now for the kill, points out things about zeezroms life that only the Lord would know and then, with the crowd silenced for a minutes starts to open up the scriptures and wonders of God to them.
The Lord always wins, the scriptures testify to that over and over, and when we are on His side we win too. We win because he can take our simple selves and accomplish great and wonderful things. The Lord is mindful of us as individuals, He wants to b less us with all these same wonderful gifts (12:9), gifts that he blessed Amulek with and it all starts with being obedient and testifying of what we know. I bare testimony that these principles are true, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.