Teaching Lessons from Alma

Today, I was reading in Alma 33 and 34. In particular, I was looking at 33:2-14. I wrote down the following thoughts about how to teach well in my scripture journal and for some reason felt like I should share them on this blog. Hopefully they will be helpful to someone:

The way that Alma uses the words of Zenos is a great example of how revelation works as we teach. He starts out with the intention of answering these people's question about where they should worship. He does so using the scriptures (it is such a good thing to answer questions with the scriptures). He picks a set of verses that describe someone praying in a variety of places and praying for relief from an earthly enemy. That is perfect for his audience! These people are humbled because their enemies are keeping them from worshipping in the "proper place". They want an answer as to what to do about it! These verses would seem to say that they don't need to worship in that place and that they can pray for relief from the wealthy proud folk who persecute them.

But then that is not the point that Alma ends up making from these verses. Perhaps it was the point he intended to make when he started sharing them but instead he ends up making the point that we need Jesus Christ to be saved and he goes off on that trail instead (which is the weightier thing).

One way to think of this is that it doesn't matter what building they worship in as long as they worship in the name of Jesus Christ (which their society wasn't doing).

I can glean the following teaching principles from this:

• It is good to share the scriptures when teaching.
• Let God guide teaching. Who knows where God will take it.
• Be aware of the audience's needs and teach to them while being aware that the Spirit might make apparent an even more important need.
• Use what the audience is concerned with to get their interest (motivation and investment) but also be willing to use that investment to help them learn about something they need to know even more than the thing they want to know.
• Tie all teaching back to Jesus Christ and how He is the Source of redemption.