Alma 1:19–33

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled the youth of the Church. Watch the video “The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship” from time code 0:25 to 2:05, located on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, or read the statement below:

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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

With admiration and encouragement for everyone who will need to remain steadfast in these latter days, I say to all and especially the youth of the Church that if you haven’t already, you will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part.

For example, a sister missionary recently wrote to me: “My companion and I saw a man sitting on a bench in the town square eating his lunch. As we drew near, he looked up and saw our missionary name tags. With a terrible look in his eye, he jumped up and raised his hand to hit me. I ducked just in time, only to have him spit his food all over me and start swearing the most horrible things at us. We walked away saying nothing. I tried to wipe the food off of my face, only to feel a clump of mashed potato hit me in the back of the head. Sometimes it is hard being a missionary because right then I wanted to go back, grab that little man, and say, ‘EXCUSE ME!’ But I didn’t.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 6)

• How might you have responded if you were the missionary in this circumstance?

• Why might it be difficult to respond in a Christlike way?

• When have you been treated poorly or persecuted for your beliefs?

• What could be some situations in the future in which you might be persecuted for your beliefs?

As you study the examples of members of Christ’s Church in the Book of Mormon, look for ways you can remain steadfast and find peace in Jesus Christ during persecution.

Alma had many challenges during his time as chief judge. After Nehor was put to death for murdering Gideon, some of the people continued to believe in Nehor’s teachings. Read Alma 1:19–24, looking for challenges the Nephites faced.

• What similarities do you see between what the Nephites faced and your experiences?

• What actions from members of the Church contributed to these challenges (see verse 22)?

Read Alma 1:25–28, looking for what the righteous members of the Church did. To help you organize what you study, make a list of what the people did. You could do this in your study journal, or you could mark what you find in your scriptures.

• What were some of the different ways Church members responded to persecution?

Complete the following phrase with something you learned from the Nephites’ example.

• … can help us feel the Savior’s continual peace even when we are persecuted for believing in Him.

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1. Answer the following questions:

   • How do you think responding in these ways can help someone feel the Savior’s peace?

   • What from these verses or your list do you most want to remember if you ever face persecution for your beliefs? Why?

   • What experiences in your life make you feel a need for the peace Jesus Christ offers?

In addition to experiencing peace, Heavenly Father blessed the faithful Nephites in other ways. Read Alma 1:29–32, looking for Heavenly Father’s blessings to the Nephites as they remained steadfast during difficult times.