Last time I talked about how Ammon used his communication skills as he initially taught the gospel to King Lamoni. He’s able to position himself so well that King Lamoni is already looking up to him as someone who doesn’t just have the authority but even the most powerful being that he knew all along (the Great Spirit). How did Ammon position himself this way? This is what we’re gonna cover right here today.
In verses 20-25, we read that Ammon arrived at King Lamoni’s Kingdom and offered his service to the king first of all. He provided great value first...Providing value First is very key to opening the hearts of people and building a relationship of trust with them.
Ammon, being himself a son of a king (King Mosiah) decided to go meet the king of the Lamanites, the leader of a group of people whom he decided to preach the gospel to. His father is the leader of his own people, the Nephites so it makes so much sense that Ammon planned to meet the king of the Lamanites and teach him the gospel first of all. If you are a leader yourself, you’re in the position to meet other leaders, have the privilege to build relationships of trust, share your knowledge with them, and stuff. It makes sense. People hang out with the same kind of people. Birds of the same feather flock together. Leaders hang out with leaders. If there's a leader you want to reach out to, you've got to become a leader yourself. The three wise men were among those people who visited the baby Jesus when he was born. We also call them the three kings. They were leaders of their day and would hang out with their own kind. All the different kinds of people were given the privilege to visit the baby Jesus--not just the three wise men but also the shepherds. It's because the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone.
In verses 29-31, Ammon as one of the servants of King Lamoni, saw the bright side of something that happened which made his fellow servants cry. He saw it as a great opportunity. He said in verse 29, “I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.” “His heart was swollen within him with joy” for seeing this great opportunity “when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be his brethren “ (verse 30). And the rest of the verses up to verse 39 tell us that Ammon indeed did “win the hearts of his fellow-servants”. He became their champion. And this did build Ammon’s reputation up so high that he’s regarded by King Lamoni as the Great Spirit.
