Table of Contents
Alma CHAPTER 5 To gain salvation, men must repent and keep the commandments, be born again, cleanse their garments through the blood of Christ, be humble and strip themselves of pride and envy, and do the works of righteousness—The Good Shepherd calls His people—Those who do evil works are children of the devil—Alma testifies of the truth of his doctrine and commands men to repent—The names of the righteous will be written in the book of life. About 83 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 6 The Church in Zarahemla is cleansed and set in order—Alma goes to Gideon to preach. About 83 B.C.
Alma CHAPTER 7 Christ will be born of Mary—He will loose the bands of death and bear the sins of His people—Those who repent, are baptized, and keep the commandments will have eternal life—Filthiness cannot inherit the kingdom of God—Humility, faith, hope, and charity are required. About 83 B.C.
Alma commands the people in Zarahemla to repent
Alma 5
Song of Redeeming Love
Alma asked them to think of their past spiritual experiences and consider if they could feel the same way now (see Alma 5:26).
To sing the song of redeeming love is to feel the pure love of Christ — “to feel the joy and hope that comes from an expanded soul changed by sincere repentance,” Elder Stanfill
Ensign June 2020 “Family Study Fun”
Read Alma 5:9, 26 together. Talk about what you think it means to sing songs of “redeeming love.”
- If possible, find a picture of Jesus to look at together.
- Ask each family member to pick a favorite verse from a Church hymn or children’s song to sing together.
- After singing, take turns sharing thoughts and feelings about Jesus.
Discussion: What change could each of us make to better follow Jesus this week? How does good music help us draw closer to God?
Prepared to Meet God
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020
Members of your family may know what it feels like to be prepared—or unprepared—for a camping trip, a test at school, or a job interview. What recent experiences could they share to illustrate the importance of being prepared? You could invite family members to review Alma 5:14–33 and find questions Alma asked to prepare his people to meet God. Perhaps each family member could choose a question and share how it can help us prepare to meet God. Your family could also display several of Alma’s questions around your home for family members to ponder.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
Friend June 2020 “My Family Night Fun” Game: Hide and Sheep
Friend June 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities”
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and He wants us to come to Him (see Alma 5:38). Play a game of shepherd tag! The person who is “it” is the shepherd gathering sheep. When the shepherd tags someone, they follow the shepherd. Once everyone is tagged, play again with a new shepherd!
For younger children: Jesus is like a shepherd, and He calls us to come to Him. Have someone hide and call out your little one’s name. Then have your child look to find them.
I can gain my own testimony through the Holy Ghost.
Friend June 2024 “What is a Testimony?”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 5-7”
Display pictures of things that grow gradually and need constant care, like a plant or a baby animal. Ask the children to share how we take care of these things and help them grow. (You could then relate this to taking care of our testimonies. What care do our testimonies need? How can we tell if they are growing?)
Friend January 2019 “Testimony Plants”
- A testimony is what you believe is true, like “God loves me” or “Families are forever.”
- Like plants, everyone’s testimonies grow at different speeds. Heavenly Father is happy when your knowledge grows even a little.
- Plants need water and sunlight to grow. Scriptures, prayer, and church are like water and light for your testimony.
- Roots make plants strong. You can keep your testimony strong by remembering Heavenly Father and Jesus every day!
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 5-7”
- How did Alma gain his strong testimony of Jesus Christ? You could read Alma 5:44–46 with your children to find answers to this question. Perhaps your children could write down a plan to do one thing this week to strengthen their testimony.
Friend June 2024 “Five Ways to Build Your Testimony”
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 5-7”
Use an empty balloon to represent a testimony and blow air into it each time you share something that helps testimonies grow. Tie the balloon and pass it around, asking the children to share one thing they can do to help their testimonies grow. Invite the children to draw themselves doing things that will strengthen their testimonies.
Alma was visited by an angel, but his testimony was “made known unto [him] by the Holy Spirit” (Alma 5:46).
Friend June 2024 “My Testimony”
Alma preaches in Gideon
Alma 7
The Savior took upon Himself my sins, pains, and afflictions.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 5-7”
- How can you help your children understand Alma 7:10–13 so they can know that Jesus Christ cares about them and can help them? Perhaps you could ask them to share an experience when they were sick or in pain or had another problem that made them sad. How did others help them feel better? Bear your testimony that the Savior has suffered those things too, and talk about a time when He comforted and helped you.
- As you and your children read Alma 7:11–13, look for the things Jesus Christ suffered for us. Invite your children to use words and phrases they found to complete this sentence: “Jesus suffered so He can help me.” How does it help us to know that Jesus understands our struggles? How do we receive His help? Share your testimony of Jesus Christ.
Draw a line to the matching part of the scripture.
- According to these verses, why was the Savior willing to suffer all of this? (Explain that “succor” means “to help.”)
Following Jesus Christ keeps me on the straight path back to Heavenly Father.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Alma 5-7”
- Let your children look in a mirror as you read Alma 5:14 (see also this week’s activity page). What does it mean to have the Savior’s image in our countenance?
Pass around a mirror and let children look at their reflections as you read Alma 5:14. What does it mean to have the Savior’s image in our countenance? Share times when someone said or did something that reminded you of the Savior, and ask the children to do the same.
Come Follow Me Kid Christ Mirror Activity – Read/discuss Alma 5:14. Whose heart does ours become more like as it changes? (Christ’s) Give each family member one of the Christ mirror pictures from the primary manual. The instructions in the manual say, “Hold the mirror and look into it. As you do, tell someone some things you can do that will help others think of the Savior when they see you.” I think it would also be great to have Mom/Dad share with each kid specific things that that child does that helps us think of the Savior. You could either write those things around the sides or on the back of the mirror or get some heart stickers and give each child a heart sticker as you tell them each Christlike characteristic you’ve noticed in them and then let them decorate their mirror.
- How can you use Alma’s description of the path back to Heavenly Father to help your children learn to make good choices? You could read Alma 7:19–20 to them and let them act out walking in “crooked paths” and walking in a straight path. Help them think of choices that help us stay on the path and other choices that take us off the path. You could also look at pictures of Jesus together and talk about things He did to show us the path back to Heavenly Father. A song like “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79) could provide some ideas.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 5-7”
- Read Alma 7:19 to the children, and explain that when we make good choices, we are in the path that leads back to Heavenly Father. Give the children a series of choices or actions (such as being unkind to family members or serving them). Ask them to tell you if each choice is good and leads back to God or if it is evil and leads away from Him.
- Read Alma 7:20 and help the children understand the words in these verses that describe the path back to God. Draw on the board a straight path from us to Heavenly Father. Then draw a crooked path that includes dead ends that lead away from God. Invite the children to trace both paths with their fingers. Which path is better? Help them think of good choices that will help them stay on the straight path.
Friend September 2017 “CTR Fun” Fill in the blanks in the poem about choosing the right.
I must be born again and then follow the path that leads back to God.
Alma 5:12–14, 27–28, 57; 7:14–24
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “Alma 5-7”
Show the children a picture of a baby, and invite them to talk about what a baby is like when he or she is first born. Invite a child to read Alma 5:14. To help the children understand what it means to be “spiritually … born of God,” ask them to think about what Alma the Younger was like before he was converted. What was he like afterward? (See Mosiah 27:23–32 and Alma 36:12–24.) Explain that when we have faith in Jesus Christ and live His gospel, it is like we have started a new life, as a baby does.
Prepared to Meet God
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Book of Mormon 2020
Members of your family may know what it feels like to be prepared—or unprepared—for a camping trip, a test at school, or a job interview. What recent experiences could they share to illustrate the importance of being prepared? You could invite family members to review Alma 5:14–33 and find questions Alma asked to prepare his people to meet God. Perhaps each family member could choose a question and share how it can help us prepare to meet God. Your family could also display several of Alma’s questions around your home for family members to ponder.
Read together Alma 7:19, and explain that after we are born again, we must follow “the path which leads to the kingdom of God.” Hide papers around the room with the following scripture references written on them: Alma 5:12–13, 27–28, 57; 7:14–16, 23–24. Invite the children to find the papers, look up the scriptures, and share what each scripture teaches we must do to return to God’s presence.
Who do we know who is a good example of one or more of the qualities listed in this verse? Why is it important to develop these qualities?
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. 24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
Additional Resources
Friend June 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones”
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