First Speaker
A young man who is receiving the Melchizedek priesthood spoke of how the Aaronic Priesthood prepared him for the Melchizedek priesthood.
Next Speaker
A member of the stake presidency spoke.
He referenced Elder Richard G Scott’s talk from the Worldwide Leadership Meeting.
“There are five Church auxiliary organizations: Young Men, Sunday School, Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary. This message is directed to you of the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary.
“What is the role of an auxiliary organization? In answering that question, it is essential to remember that “the family is ordained of God” and is ‘central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.’
“The fundamental role and purpose of the auxiliary organizations of the Church is to help ‘plant and make grow … a testimony of [Jesus] Christ and of the Gospel.’ Auxiliaries can also teach of the divine mission of Joseph Smith and of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. This effort will aid families and individuals “to order their lives in accordance with the laws and principles of the restored Gospel” under the direction of the holy priesthood.
“The family and the home are the foundation of the righteous life.”
“The mission of the Church to its members is to make available the principles, programs, and priesthood by which they can prepare themselves for exaltation. Our success, individually and as a Church, will largely be determined by how faithfully we focus on living the gospel in the home. Only as we see clearly the responsibilities of each individual and the role of families and homes can we properly understand that priesthood quorums and auxiliary organizations, even wards and stakes, exist primarily to help members live the gospel in the home. Then we can understand that people are more important than programs, and that Church programs should always support and never detract from gospel-centered family activities. …
“Our commitment to home-centered gospel living should become the clear message of every priesthood and auxiliary program, reducing, where necessary, some of the optional activities that may detract from proper focus on the family and the home.” (President Spencer W Kimball, “Living the Gospel in the Home,” Ensign, May 1978, 101.)
We are in the people business in the Church.
Matthew 7:7
7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
If you do the seeking for the things of the Lord, you will find what you seek.
Don't go into the dense dark forest without your flashlight. The Holy Ghost is our flashlight.
Next Speaker
The other member of the stake presidency spoke.
DnC 138
57 I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead.
Traditions can get in the way of the doctrine of Christ.
“Brethren are ordained high priests when they are called to a stake presidency, high council, or bishopric or when otherwise determined by the stake president.”(Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 2: Priesthood and Auxiliary Leaders (1998), 162.)
Dnc 107:4-8,18-19
4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.
5 All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood.
6 But there are two divisions or grand heads—one is the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the other is the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood.
7 The office of an elder comes under the priesthood of Melchizedek.
8 The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things.
18 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—
19 To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
Dnc 84
33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
Exhalation is the ultimate renewal of our bodies.
132:19-20
19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
“Every elder in the Church holds as much priesthood as the President of the Church. No Apostle can or will rise higher in eternity than the faithful elder who lives the fullness of the gospel law.” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “Only an Elder”, Jan 2003 New Era)
“There is no office growing out of this Priesthood that is or can be greater than the Priesthood itself. It is from the Priesthood that the office derives its authority and power. No office gives authority to the Priesthood. No office adds to the power of the Priesthood. But all offices in the Church derive their power, their virtue, their authority, from the Priesthood. If our brethren would get this principle thoroughly established in their minds, there would be less misunderstanding in relation to the functions of government in the Church than there is. Today the question is, which is the greater -- the high priest or the seventy -- the seventy or the high priest? I tell you that neither of them is the greater, and neither of them is the lesser. Their callings lie in different directions, but they are from the same Priesthood.” (Joseph F Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.148)
“The priesthood is greater than any of its offices. When someone first receives the Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood, it is conferred upon them by the laying on of hands. After the priesthood has been conferred upon him, he is ordained to an office in the priesthood. All offices derive their authority from the priesthood.” (Boyd K Packer, "What Every Elder Should Know--and Every Sister as Well: A Primer on Principles of Priesthood Government," Ensign, Feb. 1993, p. 8)
“Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lift Where You Stand”, October 2008 General Conference)
Next Speaker
The stake president spoke to us.
The process of building faith.
“Every Latter-day Saint has the responsibility to know for himself or herself with a certainty beyond doubt that Jesus is the resurrected, living Son of the living God” (President Gordon B Hinckly, “'Fear Not to Do Good,'” Ensign, May 1983, 80).
“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not something ethereal, floating loosely in the air. Faith does not fall upon us by chance or stay with us by birthright. It is, as the scriptures say, ‘substance … , the evidence of things not seen.’ Faith emits a spiritual light, and that light is discernible. Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift from heaven that comes as we choose to believe and as we seek it and hold on to it. Your faith is either growing stronger or becoming weaker. Faith is a principle of power, important not only in this life but also in our progression beyond the veil. By the grace of Christ, we will one day be saved through faith on His name. The future of your faith is not by chance, but by choice.” (Elder Neil L. Andersen, “Faith Is Not by Chance, but by Choice”, October 2015 General Conference)
Your faith is either growing and becoming stronger or becoming weaker.
We hear truth and receive knowledge. We then have a hope that it is true. That hope causes us to act. If we act, the Holy Ghost witnesses to us. We then find more truth and receive more knowledge.
Eventually our hope turns to certainty.
If you see a man on top of a mountain, you know he did not fall there.
Alma 32:42
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
Bulletin
“Loving service and devotion to the needs of others was perhaps the chief characteristic of the Savior’s mortal life. It will always be a mark of the Master's disciples.” - Jeffery R Holland
Sacrament Service
First Speaker
A missionary that recently returned from a mission to Brazil spoke.
The central feature of pride is enmity.
We are prideful when we contend with others.
Mosiah 3
19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
“We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are.” (President Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride”, April 1989 General Conference)
Next Speaker
Moses 1
7 And now, behold, this one thing I show unto thee, Moses, my son, for thou art in the world, and now I show it unto thee.
How do we live up to our divine potential?
“Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most”, October 2010 General Conference)
“It is hard to know with certainty whether truth is really less important than it has been in the past. But it is clear that because we live in a digital age, in which there is so much information and there are so many different contending views of what is accurate, some people find that new information confounds and confuses rather than clarifies and enlightens. Modernizing the plight of the thirsty Ancient Mariner, who proclaimed, ‘Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink,’ many today lament, ‘Data, data, everywhere, and not a thought to think.’” (KEVIN J WORTHEN, “The Pursuit of All Truth”, 10 Jan 2017 BYU Speech)
“Some things are simply true. The arbiter of truth is God—not your favorite social media news feed, not Google, and certainly not those who are disaffected from the Church.” (RUSSELL M. NELSON, “The Love and Laws of God”, 17 Sep 2019 BYU Speech)
Cling to the iron rod, not casually hold”
Sunday School
The teacher asked a former stake president, who is a sealer in the Bountiful temple, to talk to us a little about the temple. The teacher then proceeded with the lesson.
Sealers can't take any notes into the sealing room.
“In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family matter.“ (Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Salvation and Exaltation”, April 2008 General Conference)
The altar is sacred.
Dnc 132
“There is nothing that has come or will come into your family as important as the sealing blessings.” (President Henry B. Eyring, “Families under Covenant”, April 2012 General Conference)
“We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision.” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives”, April 2017 General Conference)
Damnation is the opposite of salvation.
One of the tasks of the holy ghost is to seal things.
“Effective family leadership, brethren, requires both quantity and quality time. The teaching and governance of the family must not be left to your wife alone, to society, to school, or even the Church.” (President Howard W Hunter, “Being a Righteous Husband and Father”, October 1994 General Conference)
“The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan.”
“The ultimate purpose of all we teach is to unite parents and children in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, linked to their generations, and assured of exaltation in the presence of our Heavenly Father.” (President Boyd K. Packer, “‘The Shield of Faith’”, April 1995 General Conference)
When we are first sealed we do not grasp it all. We need to return to the temple again and again to understand the sealing ordinance.
Elders Quorum
My Lesson
Gordon B Hinckley Chapter 16 - The Power of the Book of Mormon
Section 1 in the manual states:
“Hand in hand with the Bible, the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ.”
That is, arguably, the most important point of the Book of Mormon is that it testifies of Christ. That it reinforces the testimony of the Bible and gives clarity to things in the Bible that, by necessity, were obfuscated to prevent sacred things from being trampled.
Obfuscate - To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
The most sacred things of the Bible are revealed by the spirit through study and prayer, or by prophets, or by the teachings of the Book of Mormon.
Comments, testimonies, and disagreements about this?
Let’s go around and read section 3
“A testimony of the Book of Mormon leads to a conviction of other truths.
“Each time we encourage others to read the Book of Mormon, we do them a favor. If they read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, they will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the book is true.
“From that knowledge there will flow a conviction of the truth of many other things. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives. Testimony upon testimony runs through its pages of the solemn fact that our Father is real, that he is personal, that he loves his children and seeks their happiness.
“If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh, born of Mary, “a virgin, most beautiful … above all other virgins” (see 1 Ne. 11:13–21), for the book so testifies in a description unexcelled in all literature.
“If the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world. …
“If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, for he was the instrument in the hands of God in bringing to light this testimony of the divinity of our Lord.
“If this book is true, [the President of the Church] is a prophet, for he holds all of the keys, gifts, powers, and authority held by the Prophet Joseph, who brought forth this latter-day work.
“If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true, for the same authority under which this sacred record came to light is present and manifest among us today. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior in Palestine. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior when he visited [the American] continent as set forth in this sacred record.
“If the Book of Mormon is true, the Bible is true. The Bible is the Testament of the Old World; the Book of Mormon is the Testament of the New. One is the record of Judah; the other is the record of Joseph, and they have come together in the hand of the Lord in fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel. (See Ezek. 37:19.) Together they declare the Kingship of the Redeemer of the world and the reality of his kingdom.”
Does the Book of Mormon really solidify these other things?
The heading to section 4 states:
“The Book of Mormon offers teachings that can help us find solutions to the problems of today’s society.”
Many of the things that our society struggles are detailed in the Book of Mormon, either in prophecies of our day or the actions of their society that are similar to our own.
What are some problems of today that we see played out or prophesied about in the Book of Mormon?
Page 229, Last paragraph before Section 5
“No other written testament so clearly illustrates the fact that when men and nations walk in the fear of God and in obedience to his commandments, they prosper and grow, but when they disregard
him and his word, there comes a decay which, unless arrested by righteousness, leads to impotence and death. The Book of Mormon is an affirmation of the Old Testament proverb, ‘Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.’ (Prov. 14:34.)”
Page 233, Last Paragraph Before “Suggestions for Study and Teaching”
“Brothers and sisters, without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
Does anyone have any experiences with this promise?
While I was preparing this lesson I was prompted to write down my testimony or some things. I’ll read you what I wrote, so I make sure I get it all.
My Testimony
{
I don’t know if the sources that talk of Joseph Smith’s weaknesses are accurate or not. I also do not know the details of life 200 years ago. What I do know are the things that I have witnessed in my life that confirm the truthfulness of this work and of the Book of Mormon. What I do know is the fruits of the things that happened 200 years ago as I see them in the Church today and in my life.
Just like a detailed science experiment to solve a complex problem, I have gathered data for a long time that cannot be communicated in a sentence or a paragraph. Nor would many understand it unless they have observed it using the same techniques I have.
I have come far enough. I have seen enough. I have heard enough. I have felt enough and I have witnessed enough to know that It is true. Many things over the years that I did not understand in the Church, over time become clear. Thus, I have enough experience to say, that the things I do not understand are issues with me. Not with the Church. Not with the Book of Mormon. Not with Joseph Smith. Those remaining things that I do not understand, over time, will become clear too, when the Lord sees that I am ready.
Generally we do not learn multiplication without an understanding of addition. We do not learn algebra without an understanding of addition and multiplication. Why would we expect it to be any different with understanding life and God?
He teaches us some and lets us work with that for a time. If we study and work, he eventually gives us more and allows us to work with that for a time.
}
