Helping Church Members Become Converted to Jesus Christ

Our hearts break for our friends and loved ones who do not yet know the Lord. We try our best to share our witness, but sometimes that only drives people further away. The sons of Mosiah were able to convert thousands of their most ferocious enemies. How did they do it? There are many things we can learn from their experiences to help us bring those we know to the altar of God.

Watch the Video Presentation

Entering Into The Everlasting Covenant

Many members of the church have been members their entire lives without becoming converted to Jesus Christ. You may listen to every talk, attend every lesson, and fulfill every church requirement. But none of those things will guarantee you’ll have a relationship with the Lord. To truly know the Lord, you must enter into the new covenant with Him.

First, you must offer up your broken heart and contrite spirit. Then, He promises to baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 9:20). This is the beginning of the path back to Him.  

The Lord offered this same covenant to the early church. He made an oath to all those willing to follow Him that they could come back into His presence. But the early church hardened their hearts and rejected the covenant. The children of Israel did the same thing under Moses (D&C 84:23-24). 

It was vanity and unbelief that caused the early saints to take the everlasting covenant lightly. That same same vanity and unbelief is still present in the church today. The Lord condemned the church in 1832 because of it. He will remove that condemnation when we repent and remember the new covenant contained in the Book of Mormon (D&C 84:55-57). 

The Book of Mormon contains thousands of powerful examples of people who entered the covenant. This is how they came to know Jesus Christ. When they heard the word of God, they believed it and received it with gladness. This allowed the spirit to confirm the truthfulness of the word. Only by hearkening to that same spirit can anyone come to know the Lord.  

Hearing the Word

There are many stories of people in the Book of Mormon who hear God’s word. Those who believe it, are led by the spirit to enter into the new covenant with Him. Because of “the word” they repent, become converted to Jesus Christ, and turn their lives over to the Lord. Here are three examples:

Believing the Word

When you hear the word of God, you must decide to believe it or cast it out. Those who have a broken heart and contrite spirit will receive the word with gladness. Those who remain hard in their hearts will reject the word according to their own disbelief.

Enos had probably heard the word of God preached to him by his father for the majority of his life. But it wasn’t until that crucial moment, alone in the forest, that he finally let God’s word sink deep into his heart (Enos 1:3).

Alma was the only one of Noah’s priests with an open heart. He recognized the word of God that Abinadi taught. The Lord blessed Alma because of his exceeding faith in the words alone of Abinadi (Mosiah 26:15). The Lord also poured out His great blessings on the people baptized by Alma in the waters of Mormon because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which Alma had taught them (Mosiah 26:16). 

King Lamoni immediately taught his people the words which Ammon taught him after his conversion. Those who believed his words were also converted to Jesus Christ. But there were many who refused to listen to him and went their way (Alma 19:31-32).

Confirming the Word is Truth

Enos, Alma, and king Lamoni heard the word of God and believed it. That allowed the spirit to confirm the truthfulness of the words they heard. How does this work?

God’s word is always truth. Whatever is truth is also light. Whatsoever is light is spirit, which is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is the Spirit that gives light to every man that comes into the world. When you hearken to the voice of the Spirit, then the Spirit can confirm the word of God. The Spirit will give you further light and truth (D&C 84:45-46).

We are all born with enough light to recognize when God’s word is taught. However, that “wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience… and because of the tradition of their fathers” (D&C 93:39). 

We give the adversary power to blind our eyes by giving into his temptations. Once you have yielded yourself to his control, it is extremely difficult to understand the word of God when it is spoken to you. It’s very difficult to recognize truth when you are in this state (Alma 10:25).

The word of God comes by the voice of God, the voice of the Son, the voice of His servants, or through the voice of His Spirit. When you hear the word of God and do not cast it out by unbelief, you give the spirit an opportunity to confirm its truthfulness.

The Mighty Effect of the Word

When God confirmed the truthfulness of His word to Enos, Alma, and king Lamoni, they all had a similar reaction. Enos kneeled down before God and cried unto Him in mighty prayer all day and night for forgiveness (Enos 1:4). Alma also cried out unto the Lord (Mosiah 23:9-10). When King Lamoni heard the word, he immediately began to cry unto the Lord for mercy and then fell to the earth as though he were dead (Alma 18:41-42).

As soon as they were converted to Christ, all three of them sought to help others have the same experience. This is a true fruit of conversion. Enos immediately began to feel a desire for the welfare of both the Nephites and the Lamanites (Enos 1:9). Alma’s desire was to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands to bring as many as he could to a knowledge of the truth (Mosiah 23:10). As soon as the dark veil of unbelief was removed from king Lamoni’s eyes, he arose and began to teach the word to all in his household (Alma 19:31).

But it didn’t stop there. After they professed to the Lord their desires to bring souls to Him, all three remained true to their promise and dedicated their lives to serving the Lord. Enos labored with so much diligence that the Lord promised him that the record would be preserved to help bring his brethren the Lamanites unto salvation at some time in the future (Enos 1:12-13). Alma joined with King Benjamin’s people and helped establish the Church of Christ all throughout the land of Zarahemla (Mosiah 25:19). King Lamoni helped convert many thousands of Lamanites including his father who was king over all of the Lamanites (Alma 23:15).

The Word is The Doctrine of Christ

What exactly were the words that led Enos, Alma, and king Lamoni to repent and become converted to Jesus Christ?

Enos heard the words his father Jacob spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3). The path to receive eternal life is laid out in the Doctrine of Christ. Jacob understood this doctrine well. He had received both his first comforter and second comforter in his youth (2 Nephi 2:3-4). Jacob taught this doctrine to his people all the days of his life.

Alma also heard the Doctrine of Christ as taught by Abinadi:

It is interesting to note that Alma knew of the iniquity that Abinadi had testified against them (Mosiah 17:2). It takes a broken heart and contrite spirit to be able to admit your weakness before God.

King Lamoni heard the words Ammon taught him about the creation, the fall, the suffering of the Nephites, the rebellions of the Lamanites, the plan of redemption, and the coming of Christ (Alma 18:36-39).

My Own Journey

My journey began while reading God’s word in the Book of Mormon. In two different verses, the Lord and Moroni admonished us to study the words of Isaiah. I had ignored that invitation many times before. But this time, I believed what they said long enough for the spirit to confirm the truthfulness of their words. I hearkened to the voice of the spirit and began to study Isaiah. 

As I continued to hearken to the voice of the spirit, eventually it led me to enter into the covenant. I told the Lord that I was willing to do whatever He asked. As I sought for revelation from Him, the spirit began instructing me on how to overcome my idols. The spirit continued to instruct me on how to let go of every wicked tradition and false belief I had. 

As I followed the spirit, I began to grow closer to the Lord. I could tell He was guiding me on the path. He is always so patient and kind. At times the Lord must reprove with sharpness. But He always follows up with an increase in love. I have come to trust His voice. Sometimes he asks us to do very difficult things. But I know His commands are truth. When we obey Him, we are always blessed.

I experienced the fruits of developing a true relationship with the Lord for myself. Immediately, I also had a strong desire to help others come to Him. I started with my wife, my immediate family members, and my closest friends. It’s been about a year and a half. During that time, I’ve learned some very valuable lessons about what works to bring the spirit. In addition, I’ve also learned what drives people away.

My Own Personal Scripture

When I first started seeking personal revelation, I began by asking yes and no questions. Within a week or two, I was receiving multi-word answers. My desire was to figure out what my mission was in this life. One of the first full sentences I received was, “you must do what can’t be done.” I knew immediately what that meant. The very next night I received, “you must help those that can’t be helped.” Basically, the Lord instructed me to not give up on anybody, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem.

Many times I’ve been tempted to drop truth bombs on certain people and then wash my hands of their blood. During those times, I remember the two revelations I received previously. They are personal scripture to me. I can’t give up. I’ve got to do my best to find a way to deliver the message to even the harshest critics. 

Everyone deserves to hear the word. All people can come unto the Lord, repent, and be healed by Him. But some are certainly harder to convince than others.

The “Word” Converts Wild & Ferocious Lamanites

The sons of Mosiah were among the very vilest of sinners. Yet they repented, and the Lord in His infinite mercy saw fit to spare them. Their iniquities brought them down into the depths of anguish. They feared being cast of forever (Mosiah 28:4). But, they softened their hearts and entered into the new covenant and the Lord redeemed them.

Their own sore repentance had caused them to quake and tremble for their brethren the Lamanites. They could not bear that any human soul should perish under the weight of endless torment. Their desire was to declare salvation to every creature (Mosiah 28:3). Thus, they approached their father, King Mosiah, and asked for permission to go into the heart of their enemies in the land of Nephi and preach the word of God.

Nephi’s people had tried before to restore the Lamanites to the true faith in God. But their labors were in vain. The Lamanite’s fixed their hatred against them. Their evil nature had led them to become a wild and ferocious and blood-thirsty people. They were full of idolatry and filthiness and they were continually seeking to destroy the Nephites (Enos 1:20). King Mosiah was rightly concerned for his sons’ lives.

After fourteen years of preaching among the Lamanites, the sons of Mosiah had suffered much hunger, thirst, fatigue, and many other afflictions both in mind and body (Alma 17:5). Nevertheless, they brought many to the knowledge of the truth by the power of their words. Because of that power, thousands of Lamanites came before the altar of God, called on His name, and confessed their sins before Him (Alma 17:4).

The Secret Weapon: Prophecy and Revelation

When the sons of Mosiah taught the word, they did so with the power and authority of God. Which is what made them so effective. But what gave them this power? First of all, they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth and were men of sound understanding. They searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God for themselves. They had also given themselves to much prayer and fasting (Alma 17:2-3).

Study, fasting, and prayer, gave them access to the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation (Alma 17:3). These two spiritual gifts are crucial keys if your desire is to help others pierce the veil of darkness surrounding them and enter into the new covenant with Christ.

The Lord calls us to preach the word of God among all people according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy (Alma 8:24). The spirit of revelation is how the Holy Spirit reveals to us the word of God and confirms it as truth (Alma 5:46). 

The spirit of prophecy is what gives you power to understand the thoughts and intents of other people’s hearts (Alma 12:7). It is the spirit of prophecy that enables you to testify that Christ is coming again (Alma 13:6). It is the spirit of prophecy that enables you to know the exact timing and location of those who you can influence (Alma 16:5). By the spirit of prophecy, you can tell those you love what will happen to them if they don’t repent and return to the Lord (Alma 37:15).

Conclusion

God sends His messengers to deliver His word. It may come through a prophet or the scriptures. It might be something a friend or acquaintance says to us. Or it even might be an angel on the other side of the veil whispering in our ear. 

Regardless of how we hear the word, our job is to not cast it out by our unbelief. The adversary will blind your eyes if you give in to his power. If you are blinded, you will not be able to understand the word when it is spoken in truth (Alma 10:25). Those who choose darkness are angry when they hear the word. But those who take the Holy Spirit as their guide, will receive the word with gladness (2 Nephi 28:28).

When we believe we have heard the word of God, we must do as Alma the younger taught and plant the seed to see what grows. We show our belief by our willingness to plant the seed. Then we watch whether the seed grows which will prove whether it was a true seed or not.  

The only way out of darkness and unbelief is to hear God’s word and hearken to the voice of the spirit. The spirit confirms God’s word as truth. If we continue to hearken to the spirit, it will lead us to enter into the new covenant. We enter into the covenant by offering the Lord our broken heart and contrite spirit. We sacrifice our own will by agreeing to repent of anything that is keeping us from following the Lord’s will. This is how we come to know our Savior.