Alma 29: 1-17

 

How do you feel when you are able to share the gospel more effectively?

"1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.

11 Yea, and I also remember the captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of bondage.

12 Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage.

13 Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full.

14 But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.

15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!

16 Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.

17 And now may God grant unto these, my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also all those who are the fruit of their labors that they may go no more out, but that they may praise him forever. And may God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken. Amen." (Alma 29: 1-17)

And here are the first and the last parts of the commentary entitled: "Sharing the gospel brings me joy." :

"The word joy appears 24 times in Alma 23–29, making these chapters a good place to learn how to receive joy in living—and sharing—the Savior’s gospel. Consider studying Alma 26:12–22, 35–37; and 29:1–17, looking for reasons why Ammon, the sons of Mosiah, and Alma rejoiced. What do you learn from these passages that can lead to more joy in your life?

For prophetic instruction on how to share the gospel—and find joy in doing it—consider studying President Dallin H. Oak’s message “Sharing the Restored Gospel,” ( Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 57–60). What suggestions do you find in his message?

See also “The Bush Family Story,” “Sharing Your Beliefs,” “Sharing the Gospel” (videos), Gospel Library.

Consider making a list of things you would share with a friend about the Book of Mormon. Try sharing the Book of Mormon using the Book of Mormon app."

The number 1 suggestion President Dallin H. Oak gave in his message "Sharing the Restored Gospel" stood out to me: "We need to remember “that people learn when they’re ready to learn, not when we’re ready to teach them.”⁵ What we are interested in, like the important additional doctrinal teachings in the restored Church, usually isn’t what others are interested in. Others typically want the results of the doctrine, not the doctrine."

This reminds me of what I learned from the intensive training I went through 6 years ago: "Treat people the way THEY want to be treated, rather than the way WE want to be treated." So, remembering that "people learn when THEY'RE ready to learn, not when WE'RE ready to teach them" makes sense. People are not interested in the same things all the time. I learned that people are motivated by different things depending on their type of personalities. The ones who are motivated by "results" have a certain type of personality. Getting to know people's types of personalities would help to share the gospel more effectively. 

It would also help to not generalize people by making assumptions. For example, a person may originally from a certain region which is known for having a certain dialect being spoken by people who are from such a particular area. Are we certain that this person speaks the native dialect of such region he/she grew up in? No. It's the same with people who've been living for quite a long time in a country with a certain language. I've been here in Thailand for already 18 years. Do I speak Thai language fluently already? No. So, it's better to ask first or even do some research on social media platforms before we assume that people speak a certain language based on the place where they are from or where they live. This is also another way of connecting and sharing the gospel with people more effectively. 

It's truly a joy to share the gospel especially if we are more effective in doing so. When we are able to connect better by communicating better, people feel the spirit more and they will tend to open their hearts more to our message. Our missionary efforts will then be more successful.