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| As if it had been the face of an angel (Acts 6: 15) |
After the Apostle Luke completed his gospel, he wrote the one book of the New Testament considered to be an history of the Acts of the Apostles. One of my favorite stories in the Book of Acts is the story of Stephen, a young man who was one of seven chosen and ordained to assist the Apostles. Luke tells us that Stephen was full of faith and the Holy Ghost. When he bore testimony of Jesus Christ, it was with great power. (see Acts 6) He also performed great wonders and miracles. This, of course, got a lot of people's attention. As they had with Christ before him, Stephen was perceived as such a strong witness of Jesus, that certain of the synagogue brought false witnesses who testified that they had heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. These men stirred up the people, and the elders and the scribes, and . . . brought him to the council. All the while they were testifying against him, Stephen was so filled with the Spirit that his face glowed.
When he was allowed to speak, he bore such a testimony that it was as if the council was on trial, not him. He began by reminding them of their heritage, going all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He told them about Joseph and years of slavery to the Egyptians, ending with a powerful testimony about Moses and the deliverance of the Children of Israel out of bondage. He taught Israel's history in the promised land and of the days of David and Solomon. He spoke of the great prophets of ancient Israel and of how the people had persecuted them, some of them unto death. He looked his accusers in the eye and said Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you. (See Acts 7). He ended with his testimony of Jesus, the Messiah, and of how these stiffnecked people had even killed Him. They were guilty of every accusation and, like the guilty, did not want to listen to any more, to the point that they literally put their fingers in their ears. They drove him out of the city and stoned him to death. Like his Master before him, his final words were that God might not lay this sin to their charge.
~ ~ ~
A little more than 100 years earlier, on the other side of the world, another righteous man bore pure testimony of Jesus Christ. His name was Alma, known as the Younger to distinguish him from his father. He wasn't on trial and he wasn't speaking to his enemies. His audience was made up of people who had once accepted Jesus as Christ, but had grown lax in their observance of His commandments. Even though there were differences, like Stephen, Alma began his testimony by reminding the people of their own history.
Moving forward in our quest for God, it is important that we first remember who we are and where we came from. Alma's people had forgotten who they were and whose they were as they drifted away from God in the floods of turmoil in which they lived. If we don't remember out roots, we can never grow and produce righteous fruits.
When I am feeling that I can't go one step further, I remember my pioneer ancestors and the price they paid for the value of their convictions. As Rees R. Llewelyn put one foot in front of the other, pulling his handcart, he remembered that he had been called out of the world to help build Zion. When his wife, Anne, felt that she could not go one step further, he placed her in the handcart an walked on. He brought himself and his family safely across the plains and helped build Zion by serving as the station master at the pony express station in central Utah for 18 months and, later, as postmaster for San Pete County for more than 18 years. He returned to his native Wales on a mission, like Alma, to bring the truths of the Gospel to people who did not know who they were and whose they were. On days when I feel that I can't go another step, I remember Rees Llewellyn, gird up my loins, and walk on.
We live in a time of great turmoil. It seems as if anarchy is pounding at our doors. We cannot give up on ourselves or our God. We must put one foot in front of the other with faith in every footstep that our only sure refuge is our Savior. Stephen bore testimony to the wicked of how far from the path they had strayed and reminded them who they were and whose they were. Alma reminded his people that they, too, were of the House of Israel. They needed to keep in memory the promises made to their fathers.
We all need to remember who we are and whose we are. We all need to recommit to the Covenants we made with our God. Read Alma's fifty question. Examine our own souls. We are in a world of hurt. Pray, pray, pray.
© Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson May 2020
The first part of Alma's sermon to the people in Zarahemla dealt with remembrance (Alma 5: 6-13) Do you:
Remember the captivity of your fathers?
Remember god's mercy and long-suffering toward them?
Remember that God delivered them from the bands of death?
Remember that God delivered them from the chains of hell?
Remember the conditions of their salvation?
Remember that Alma believed Abinadi?
Remember that Abinadi was a prophet?
Remember that Alma experienced a mighty change of heart?
Remember that he preached to the people and that they had a change in heart?
Remember how your fathers were humbled, put their trust in God, and were faithful to the end?
Remember that, as a result, they were saved.
Alma the Younger testified to them that all that he said was true. Tomorrow we see how Alma built upon these memories.
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