Alma started to teach God’s message to the people. He started in the land of Zarahemla. Then he taught all over the land. These are the words he spoke to the people in the Church that was started in the city of Zarahemla. This is from his own record:
Alma Speaks to the Church
I, Alma, was made a High Priest over the Church of God by my father Alma. He had power and authority from God to do these things. He started a Church in the land near the borders of Nephi. It was in the land called Mormon. He baptized his brothers in the waters of Mormon. They were saved from the hands of the people of King Noah. God showed them mercy and used his power to save them. After that, the Lamanites made them slaves in the wilderness. They were held as prisoners. Again the Lord saved them from slavery by the power of his word. We were brought to this land. Here we started the Church of God throughout this land.
Remember How God Saved Your Fathers
Brothers, you who belong to this Church, do you remember how your fathers were held as prisoners? Do you remember how God was patient and kind to them? Do you remember that he saved their souls from hell? He changed their hearts. He woke them from a deep sleep. They woke up to God. They were in the middle of darkness. But their souls were lit up by the light of the word that lasts forever. They were held by the chains of death and the chains of hell. Complete destruction was waiting for them. I ask you, brothers, were they destroyed? I tell you, no, they were not. I ask again, were the chains of death broken? Were the chains of hell that held them set free? I tell you, yes, they were set free. Their souls grew big. They sang songs about God saving them. I tell you that they are saved. I ask you, how were they saved? Why did they have hope for being saved? What made them free from the chains of death? And from the chains of hell? I can tell you. My father Alma believed the words that Abinadi spoke. Abinadi was a holy prophet. He spoke God’s message. My father Alma believed his words. Because he believed, a big change happened in his heart. I tell you this is all true. He taught God’s message to your fathers. A big change also happened in their hearts. They made themselves humble. They put their trust in the true and living God. They stayed faithful until the end. That is why they were saved.
Questions About Your Hearts
I ask you, brothers of the Church, have you been born of God in your spirit? Do your faces show his image? Have you felt this big change in your hearts? Do you have faith that the one who made you will save you? Do you look forward with faith? Can you see your body coming back to life and never dying again? Can you see yourself standing before God to be judged for what you did in this life?
I ask you, can you imagine hearing the Lord’s voice say to you on that day: “Come to me, blessed ones. Your works have been right on earth”? Or do you think you can lie to the Lord on that day? Do you think you can say: “Lord, our works have been right on earth” and that he will save you?
Or can you imagine standing before God with your soul filled with guilt and regret? You will remember all your guilt. You will remember all your wrong actions. You will remember that you refused to obey God’s commands. I ask you, can you look up to God on that day with a pure heart and clean hands? Can you look up with God’s image marked on your face? I ask you, can you think you will be saved when you have let yourself serve the Devil? I tell you, you will know on that day that you cannot be saved. No person can be saved unless his clothes are washed white. His clothes must be cleaned from every stain. They are cleaned through the blood of the one our fathers said would come to save his people from their sins. I ask you, brothers, how will any of you feel if you stand before God with your clothes stained with blood and all kinds of dirty things? What will these things say about you? Won’t they prove that you are murderers? And that you are guilty of all kinds of wrong actions? Brothers, do you think that such a person can have a place to sit in the Kingdom of God? Can they sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy prophets? Those prophets have clothes that are clean and spotless, pure and white. I tell you, no. Unless you make our creator a liar from the beginning. Or think that he is a liar from the beginning. You cannot think that such a person can have a place in heaven. They will be thrown out. They belong to the Devil’s kingdom.
Are You Ready to Meet God?
Brothers, if you have felt a change in your heart, and if you have wanted to sing songs about God saving you, I ask: Can you feel that way now? Have you lived without doing wrong before God? If you were going to die right now, could you say to yourself that you have been humble enough? That your clothes have been cleaned and made white through the blood of Christ? He will come to save his people from their sins.
Are you free from pride? I tell you, if you are not, you are not ready to meet God. You must get ready quickly. The Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon. Someone who is not ready does not have eternal life. I ask, is there anyone among you who is not free from jealousy? I tell you that such a person is not ready. I want him to get ready quickly. The time is very close. He doesn’t know when it will come. Such a person is guilty.
I ask again, is there anyone among you who makes fun of his brother or treats him badly? This will be very bad for such a person. He is not ready. The time is close when he must turn from his sins. If he doesn’t, he cannot be saved. This will be very bad for all you who do wrong. Turn from your sins. Turn from your sins. The Lord God has said this.
God’s Invitation
He invites all people. His arms of mercy reach out to them. He says: “Turn from your sins, and I will welcome you.” He says: “Come to me and eat the fruit of the tree of life. You can eat and drink the bread and waters of life for free. Come to me and do right things. Then you will not be cut down and thrown into the fire.” The time is close. Anyone who does not do good things or do what is right has a reason to cry and be sad.
The Good Shepherd Calls You
You who do wrong! You who are full of pride about worthless things in the world! You who have said you know the ways of what is right! But you have gone the wrong way, like sheep with no shepherd. A shepherd has called out to you and is still calling you. But you will not listen to his voice. I tell you that the good shepherd calls you. He calls you by his own name, which is the name of Christ. If you will not listen to the voice of the good shepherd, to the name you are called by, then you are not the sheep of the good shepherd. If you are not the sheep of the good shepherd, whose group do you belong to? I tell you, the Devil is your shepherd. You belong to his group. Who can say this is not true? I tell you, anyone who says this is not true is a liar and belongs to the Devil.
I tell you that anything good comes from God. Anything bad comes from the Devil. So if a person does good things, he listens to the voice of the good shepherd. He follows him. But anyone who does bad things becomes a child of the Devil. He listens to the Devil’s voice and follows him. Anyone who does this will get what he earns from him. For his pay, he gets death when it comes to doing right things. He is dead to all good things.
Brothers, I want you to listen to me. I speak with all my heart. I have spoken clearly to you so you won’t make mistakes. I have spoken as God commands. I am called to speak this way, following the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus. I am told to stand and tell this people the things our fathers have spoken about. Things that will happen in the future.
How Alma Knows These Things Are True
That is not all. Do you think I don’t know these things myself? I tell you that I do know that these things I have spoken are true. How do you think I know they are true? I tell you, they are shown to me by the Holy Spirit of God. I went without food and prayed for many days so I could know these things myself. I know for myself that they are true. The Lord God has shown them to me by his Holy Spirit. This is the spirit of truth that is in me. Also, I tell you that these things have been shown to me. The words that our fathers spoke are true. This is true by the spirit of knowing future things, which is in me. This also comes from the Holy Spirit of God. I tell you that I know for myself that what I tell you about the future is true. I know that Jesus Christ will come. He is the Son of the only Son of the Father. He is full of kindness, mercy, and truth. He comes to take away the sins of the world. The sins of every person who truly believes in his name.
Alma’s Call to Preach
This is how I am called. To teach my dear brothers. To teach everyone who lives in the land. To teach everyone, both old and young, both slave and free. The old, the middle aged, and the young. To call out to them that they must turn from their sins and be born again. The Spirit says: “Turn from your sins, all you people of the earth. The Kingdom of Heaven is coming soon. The Son of God is coming in his glory, in his power and greatness.” Brothers I love, I tell you that the Spirit says: “Look at the glory of the King of all the earth. The King of Heaven will soon appear among all people.” The Spirit also says to me with a strong voice: “Go out and say to these people: Turn from your sins. Unless you turn from your sins, you cannot be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.” I tell you again, the Spirit says: “The ax is ready to cut down the tree. Every tree that does not make good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. A fire that cannot be put out. A fire that will not stop burning.” The holy one has said this.
Turn Away from Pride and Selfishness
Dear brothers, I ask you: Can you go against these words? Can you ignore these things and step on the holy one? Can you be full of pride in your hearts? Will you keep wearing fancy clothes? Will you keep caring about worthless things in the world, about your riches? Will you keep thinking you are better than others? Will you keep treating badly your brothers who make themselves humble? These brothers follow the holy order of God. They were brought into this Church and made holy by the Holy Spirit. They do things that show they have turned from their sins. Will you keep turning your backs on the poor and needy? Will you keep your things from them? Finally, all of you who will keep doing wrong: I tell you that you will be cut down and thrown into the fire, unless you quickly turn from your sins.
Come Out from the Wicked
I tell you, all of you who want to follow the voice of the good shepherd: Come away from the wicked. Be separate. Don’t touch their dirty things. Their names will be erased. The names of the wicked will not be counted with the names of those who are right. This is so God’s word will come true. It says: “The names of the wicked will not be mixed with the names of my people.” The names of those who are right will be written in the Book of Life. I will give them a place at my right hand. Brothers, what do you say against this? I tell you, if you speak against it, it doesn’t matter. God’s word must come true.
What shepherd among you who has many sheep doesn’t watch over them? He won’t let wolves get in and eat his sheep. If a wolf gets in his flock, doesn’t he drive it out? At last, if he can, he will kill it. I tell you that the good shepherd calls after you. If you listen to his voice, he will bring you into his group. You will be his sheep. He tells you not to let any dangerous wolf come among you. Then you will not be destroyed. I, Alma, tell you in the words of the one who told me: Do the things I have told you. I give a command to those who belong to the Church. To those who don’t belong to the Church, I give an invitation. Come and be baptized to turn from your sins. Then you can also eat the fruit of the tree of life.