Abinadi Failed...
Or did he?
TL;DR
One person makes a difference
Failures are usually not failures
Don’t give up, that’s the only real failure
The Story of Abinadi
An all-time Book of Mormon story is the story of Abinadi. And it’s a very interesting one. Let me tell you the story quickly:
Abinadi goes to a city to tell them about Jesus Christ and their need to put trust in Him.
Abinadi gets kicked out of the city.
Abinadi come back to try to help them again — in a disguise!
Abinadi gets put in jail.
Abinadi is tried before a wicked king.
Abinadi preaches of Christ and that if the people do not repent they will be destroyed because of their wickedness.
Abinadi is sentenced and put to death.
To most, this story can be seen as a failure. Its a sad story and at first glance can be passed over as a disappointment.
We all have failures in our own life. Failures that can be so overwhelming it makes it hard to keep going. Abinadi, to me, is a powerful example of not giving up in the face of failure. Abinadi is kicked out. Abinadi is made fun of. Abinadi is thrown into jail. Abinadi is killed. Through it all he never gives up. When Abinadi is sentenced to death he confidently and heroically states,
I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.
But then, he dies. What was the point of all that? I don’t know all the reasons but I do know one. Its the fact that after Abinadi dies there is a priest who flees from King Noah named Alma. Alma believed Abinadi and decided to turn to Christ. Then guess what happens? Because Alma believes he teaches others, and those people help others, and those people help others, and those people turn into thousands, and then millions (See the list at the bottom of the page).
The Point I Want to Make
The point I’m trying to make here is that failure is not final. That God can take any ‘failures’ you have had in your life and turn them into success. You are more than yourself, and you are more than your experiences. As you live, learn, and fail you need to remember that God is watching over you. Like Abinadi, you can eventually be the reason that millions feel loved, that millions find Christ, that millions come together for good. It starts with you getting up each time you fall and trying again. You never truly fail until you stop trying. You can do this!
What happened because of Abinadi's “Failure”
1. Alma the Elder believes Abinadi (Mosiah 17:2)
2. Alma baptizes 204 people (Mos 18:16)
3. Later, that group grows to 450 (Mos 18:35)
4. The People of Limhi are converted and baptized by Alma (Mos 25:17-18)
5. After Alma the Elder's prayers, an angel is sent to his son and the sons of Mosiah, ultimately leading to their conversion (Mos 27:23-25; 34-35)
6. Alma the Younger baptizes 3,500 (Alma 4:4-5)
7. He preaches and baptizes in Zarahemla (Alma 6:1-2)
8. He preaches and establishes the church in Gideon (Alma 8:1)
9. He preaches and baptizes in Melek (Alma 8:4-5)
10. Alma meets Amulek, who joins the ministry (Alma 8:19-30)
11. Together, they preach in Ammonihah, and many believe and repent (Alma 14:1)
12. They baptize Zeezrom (Alma 15:12)
13. They preach and baptize in Sidom (Alma 15:12-13)
14. Meanwhile, the sons of Mosiah preach to the Lamanites. Initially, few believe them (Alma 21:12)
15. Ammon teaches King Lamoni's household and they are converted (Alma 19:13-16)
16. They testify to the people and many believe and are baptized (Alma 19:34-35)
17. Ammon and Lamoni free Ammon's brothers from prison, and they in turn bring many to the gospel (Alma 21:17)
18. Aaron converts the Lamanite King's household (Alma 22:17-23)
19. The Lamanite King protects the sons of Mosiah, and they convert thousands (Alma 23:4-5)
20. The Lamanite converts (Anti-Nephi-Lehies) refuse to defend themselves from their attackers, more than 1,000 of whom are converted (Alma 24:27)
21. The Lamanites attack the Nephites, and many of them remember the teachings of the sons of Mosiah and are converted and martyred (Alma 25:6)
22. After the fighting ceases, many Lamanites join the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (Alma 25:13-14)
23. Alma the Younger has three sons, Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton, who eventually all become righteous men (Alma 31:7; 43:1)
24. Alma, Amulek, Zeezrom, Shiblon, Corianton, and three of the sons of Mosiah convert many Zoramites (Alma 35:6)
25. The sons of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi converts become the stripling warriors under the command of Helaman (Alma 53:16-19)
26. Helaman has a righteous son, also named Helaman (Alma 63:11)
27. The second Helaman has sons named Nephi and Lehi (Helaman 5:4-5)
28. Nephi and Lehi baptize 8,000 Lamanites (Hel 5:18-19)
29. The brothers are taken prisoner, but after they are miraculously saved, 300 of their captors are converted (Hel 5:49)
30. These converts teach and convert most of the remaining Lamanites (Hel 5:50)
31. Lamanite converts convert many Nephites (Hel 6:4-5)
32. Nephi preaches and prophesies from his tower, and five former skeptics are converted due to his testimony (Hel 9:39)
33. Others believe the words of these five (Hel 9:39)
34. After a war and a famine, the whole face of the land is converted (Hel 11:18)
35. A Lamanite named Samuel begins a mission to the Nephites (Hel 13:2)
36. Many believe Samuel and are baptized by Nephi (Hel 16:1-3)
37. Nephi has two sons named Nephi and Timothy (3 Nephi 1:2; 19:4)
38. After the sign of Christ's birth, Nephi preaches and baptizes many (3 Nep 1:22-23)
39. After Gadianton Robbers attack both the Nephites and Lamanites, some are taken captive and repent (3 Nep 5:4)
40. Many fall away from the church and Nephi converts only a few (3 Nep 7:21)
41. Nephi has sons named Jonas and Nephi (3 Nephi 19.4; 4 Nephi 1:19)
42. After Christ visits the people, he calls Nephi, Timothy, and Jonas as disciples, who form a church and baptize all people upon the face of the land (4 Nep 1:1-2)
43. Nephi has a son named Amos, who cares for the record of his people (4 Nep 1:19)
44. Amos has sons named Amos and Ammaron, each of whom in turn care for the record (4 Nep 1:21, 47)
45. Ammaron delivers the record to Mormon, who abridges it (Mormon 1:2-4)
46. Mormon entrusts it to his son Moroni, who concludes it (Morm 8:1)
47. As an angel, Moroni leads Joseph Smith to the record, who translates and publishes it as the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith-History 1:33-34)
48. Through Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, the Church and all of its members can come unto Christ (Doctrine and Covenants 1:17-30)
List by Riley Lewis