MOSIAH 18: 1-17
Alma preaches in private—He sets forth the covenant of baptism and baptizes at the waters of Mormon—He organizes the Church of Christ and ordains priests—They support themselves and teach the people—Alma and his people flee from King Noah into the wilderness. About 147–145 B.C.
1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—
2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and theredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words.
4 And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.
5 Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.
6 And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.
7 And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of thefirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in thename of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.
12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.
13 And when he had said these words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into acovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from thefoundation of the world.
14 And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit.
15 And again, Alma took another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water.
16 And after this manner he did baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in number about two hundred and four souls; yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God.
17 And they were called the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
THIRD YEAR YOUNG WOMEN COMMENTS
This scripture makes me happy because Alma who had been so wicked was able to repent of his sins. He was able to positively impact others because of this. It is amazing that we have such a loving Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ. They love us so much that it is never too late to turn around. N6
I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, Lately, it has totally struck me how cool that book is. It is not a storybook. The people in it were real people, just like us. They had to fight for what’s right, and had their times of hardship and confusion. The Church and Prophets just like today are in the room. I use to think reading the scriptures was boring and hard. It isn’t though! I feel the spirit when I read. It tells me amazing adventure stories of strong and righteous people just like us. Wouldn’t it be cool to meet those people in the afterlife? G
It amazes me that Alma was able to see that Christ would come and be resurrected even though this was more than a 100 years before it would happen. I am also amazed that he was able to baptize so many people. The people just listened to him and were converted. Alma also baptizes himself which confused me at first but now I understand and really like that too. N4
My thoughts are that sometimes we will need to stand alone because our standards are so much different from the worlds standards. Even if you feel lonely and like you’re the only one it will be worth it in the end. N4
I think it was interesting that they were called the church of Christ even in the time of Alma. P
This scripture talks about comforting others, service, and standing as a witness of God, arising and shining forth. Then it says that if you do this you will be numbered in the first resurrection, which means you will be in the Celestial Kingdom. It’s amazing how missionary work and service are so important that they are mentioned as what you must do to obtain eternal life. N6
I like the scriptures that talk about baptism because I know it is true. Every Sunday when we get the sacrament I think back to my baptism day because we are renewing our covenants and promises that we made to our Heavenly Father. I thin kit's cool how two hundred and four people were baptized by Alma and how they believed.
From these scriptures I learn that once we are baptized we can be closer to God. They were all united and so are we.
When we read the scripture I felt the spirit very strongly. I know that getting baptized is very sacred and special and we all need to do it. So it's our responsibility who are baptized to go out and be missionaries to others who need the gospel. Being baptized is such a wonderful thing I love knowing I will always have the spirit with me. SC
I think its amazing that many people believed in the gospel and wanted to be baptized. I can’t imagine a session for baptism with that many people! Things like that don’t happen today. N6
It’s cool to see how the church was coming into place. That people did anything they could to hear the word of God. Alma baptized all the people that came to see him in secret and everything. This was very spiritual and inspiring. G
I know missionary work is extremely important. That is how our church grows and spreads across the world! I know that it also changes other peoples lives. Having the gospel in our lives changes us forever. SC
Missionary work is very important. In Mosiah 18:1-17, Alma was able to teach the gospel and eventually, baptize hundreds of people. This shows that ONE person being a missionary does make a difference. It is very important to let your light shine and be an example to others. Reach out to those around you, and share what you knew to be true; share the gospel. SC
My thoughts about testimony are that they strengthened you and the people that listen and its very spiritual. W
The scripture strengthened my faith and testimony that the church is true. I felt the spirit. WO
This week in camp I have
grown a really strong testimony. Last night was an amazing experience. It was
the first hike I took in the dark with my second year friends. I had amazing
feelings of the gospel and the spirit. I have now grown closer to the girls at
camp and strengthened my testimony. N1
I'm glad we have it easier than Alma to get baptized. I love the clean font and the spirit. I know that the Holy Ghost is with me always and the He tells me what I need to know.
That scripture made me feel surprised because Alma did everything he could to continue teaching the other people. The King was against him and was always trying to find him to throw him in jail but he hid all day and taught at night. It mad me feel like no matter what happens or what adversity is we always need to do what we can to have the courage to fulfill our measure on earth. W
I can remember when I was baptized I was 11 years old. I think I did that because I was waiting for my dad to come from Mexico. He didn’t come so my grandpa baptized me and now he is gone. My dad is in Mexico and my Grandpa is away working but I am glad I had the chance to be baptized. A