Brothers and Sisters, I hope you have had a good week this past week and that you and your family are continuing to do well at this trying time for our country and the world. The Come Follow Me Lesson for this Sunday is Mosiah 29-Alma 4. A couple weeks ago I was feeling down and prayed for ideas for ways I could better serve others through Christlike service at this time. I invite you all to pray and think of ways and opportunities that you can serve both loved ones and those you may not know who may be in need during the coming week.

The story of Captain Gideon, who led a rebellion to liberate his people against wicked King Noah, served as righteous King Limhi’s Chief Captain and then subsequently used the word of God to refute the teachings of an anti-Christ whose name was Nehor in Alma 1:2-9 has always been inspiring to me. Nehor sought to destroy the Church teaching that men and women had no need to repent of their sins but that they would all be saved and have eternal life much as other churches that our founded on worldly teachings and values rather than on the plain and precious truths of the Gospel as taught in the Holy Scriptures, teach today. Nehor’s motivation was the glory of men whereas Gideon’s motivation was the glory of God. Gideon subsequently gave his life in defense of the Gospel, being slain by Nehor. Similarly, as members of the Lord’s Restored Church on Earth we should be willing to consecrate our lives in defense of the Lord’s Church and to do everything we can to establish His Kingdom here on Earth.

In our day, as in times of old, there are many voices inspired by the Adversary, counseling us that the Church, its leaders and its teachings are somehow ‘outdated’ and ‘outmoded’ and must be changed and modified to account for the ever-changing ‘values’ of the world. They teach that we must not merely accept, but praise and take pride in the sins of others and that we must never judge or be critical of those who engage in immoral lifestyle choices no matter how much they are in opposition to Church teachings and no matter how much they set at naught the commandments of the Lord. Others teach that criminal acts of violence and mayhem are justified in furtherance of so-called ‘social justice’ and that the killing of tens of millions of innocent babies in our own country is to be celebrated as an expression of ‘the right to choose.’ Many churches teach that as long as we are ‘born again’ we will automatically be forgiven of all of our sins, no matter how great, that we may commit after we accept Jesus as our personal Savior and that we are saved by grace, not by works. Others teach that there is no Hell and no Devil. This is one of the main tactics the Adversary uses to deceive men and women into committing sin that he doesn’t exist and thus we can all sin with impunity as no one will ever be punished for their crimes against the laws of God, denying the necessity of the Atonement of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ in the process.

What happens when the people choose wickedness? In Mosiah 29:27, it warns “And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.” Can anyone of us say that the majority of our people and the people of the world have not chosen wickedness? Church leaders have taught that the righteous judgments of a just God will be poured out upon our nation if our citizens do not repent. The best protection we have as individuals and families against the coming travails prophesied by both ancient and modern-day Prophets is to more strictly abide by the commandments of the Lord and seek to more diligently do His will every day of our lives. We can also find great protection, both spiritual and physical, in keeping the sacred covenants we made with Heavenly Father both when we were baptized, which we renew when we partake of the Sacrament, and in the Holy Temple.

In Alma 2:1-7, it talks about a wicked man named Amlici who led a rebellion against the Nephite government, which was led by righteous leaders committed to the cause of freedom, in an attempt to replace their republican form of government with a monarchy led by him. The scriptures say that Amlici sought to be King to accomplish the desires of Satan to deprive the people of their rights of worship and destroy the Church of God which had been established by Alma the Elder. Thankfully, the majority of the Nephite people voted to preserve their free republic which was then led by the President of the Church, Alma the Younger, support righteous laws and oppose Amlici’s bid to overturn their free system of government.

In Alma 2, we read about how after Amlici was rejected by the people, he was appointed king by his wicked followers and conspired with the Lamanites to join with their armies in an attempt to overthrow the freedom of the land. In Alma 3, it says the Amlicites marked their foreheads with a red mark to distinguish themselves from the righteous Nephites. Here we learn that every person is responsible for his or her individual sins and brings upon them their own punishment if they do not repent and avail themselves of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that everyone is judged based upon their individual life choices be they good or evil, rather than being held responsible for the sins and transgressors of their ancestors. As the leader of both the Church and government, Alma the Younger led the Nephites in battle and the Lord strengthened the Nephites in answer to their prayers to defeat the much numerically superior combined Lamanite-Amlicite armies. Similarly, even when our life struggles, trials and tribulations seem unsurmountable, if we exercise our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in humble prayer, the Lord will bless us to overcome our trials and tribulations and ease or remove our suffering.

While we do not currently enjoy the blessing of living in a country led by our beloved Prophet today as the Nephites did at that time, we have been instructed by the Lord and modern-day Prophets in D&C 98:10 that we should seek to elect leaders who are “honest, honorable and wise” just as the Nephites did in their time. It reads, “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.” In a time of such great wickedness in our own land and the world, the importance of us doing so cannot be overstated. For those of you who might be interested in reading more about the Church’s teachings in this matter, I have attached a copy of a recent talk (included in an email to you) I was asked by the Bishop to give on “Patriotism and the Constitution” last summer.

In Alma 1:19-30 and 4:6-15 we learn that the sin of pride can cause us to fail in our spiritual progress. These scriptures teach us that all men and women are alike and equal before God and that none of us are better than others in His eyes no matter what race, creed or religion and no matter how lowly or impoverished they may be. This is a sacred truth that I believe that it is very important for each and every one of us to understand to see every other person on Earth as a son and daughter of God with equal claim to his tender mercies if they but keep His commandments. No matter how far others may have fallen from keeping God’s laws, they can repent in this life and be cleansed of all sin through the miraculous and incomprehensible power of the Savior’s Atonement. We have also been taught by President Oaks that “some repentance is possible in the Spirit World” enabling those in Spirit Prison to be taught and accept the Gospel and be liberated to go to Paradise and live alongside those who lived righteously here on Earth. As we think of family members who rejected the Gospel in this life and died in their sins, we may exercise hope and faith in Christ that they will repent and accept the Gospel in the Eternal World, perhaps being taught the Gospel by righteous family members. This is further evidence of the boundless and endless mercies of God towards his spirit children in this life and the next.

It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to study the Scriptures and the words of Church leaders so that we might be blessed with the power to discern false teachings and defend the Lord’s Church and His anointed leaders against them just as Captain Gideon did in his time. By so doing, we can strengthen ourselves and our family members against the ever-present threat of personal apostasy which often begins when we are critical of Church leaders or when we choose which of their inspired counsel to accept and reject, pridefully believing that we know better than they do and that we know more than God does and that they are leading us astray on one or more issues or points of doctrine.

We have been repeatedly promised by modern-day Prophets that God will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray and thus to the extent that we disagree with his counsel we may have a perfect knowledge that it is we who are mistaken and not the Prophet of the Lord. We have been taught by President Ezra Taft Benson and other modern day Prophets that we must become humble and meek before the Lord and abandon all pride so that we may not be deceived. Elder Uchtdorf likened pride to a switch which turns off our spiritual and Priesthood power and our ability to have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us. Without the Holy Spirit, it can be difficult for us to ascertain false doctrine and we can be left more susceptible to being deceived by the Devil into committing sin.

One way that the Adversary tries to lead us astray is by causing us to be offended out of his Church often to pride because of some imagined slight against us by local Church leaders or ward members. If we are not prideful, then we will not be offended by the words or actions of others. We should remember that the organization of the Church is perfect but Church leaders and members are not and that individuals in the Church sometimes make mistakes. The Lord restored His Church to the Earth so that we can perfect ourselves over the course of our lives, one commandment at a time.

As we strive to apply the teachings of this important Book of Mormon lesson into our lives, let us think of ways that we may become more humble, more meek, more Christlike and less prideful in our lives so that we can avoid taking offense and avoid contention and promote peace in our own lives. During the coming week, as we think prayerfully of loved ones, friends and acquaintances to share the Gospel with, let us think of ways we can share our testimonies of the Gospel without appearing judgmental. We can do so by showing our love and compassion for those we share the Gospel with to help ensure they are not offended. I pray that we might do so humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Brother Pyne