The Power of the Priesthood

"The Power of the Priesthood"

by President Boyd K. Packer

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

"'..We are encamped against the greatest array of sin, vice, and evil ever assembled before our eyes...The battle plan whereby we fight to save the souls of men is not our own...'" --Thomas S. Monson

"'..the whole earth [is] in commotion' (D&C 45: 26, see also 88: 91) and 'Satan is abroad in the land.' (D&C 52: 14) He seeks to destroy all that is good and righteous."

"Through the keys of the priesthood, they had access to all of the powers of heaven. They were commanded to carry the gospel unto all nations." --Doctrine and Covenants 42: 58

"We are to go forth and preach the gospel."

"The Book of Mormon makes it clear that we never will dominate by numbers. But we have the power of the priesthood."

"'...we are but a handful in comparison with...the world, yet we may be compared with the leaven of which the Savior spoke, which will eventually leaven [or lift] the whole world.'" --Joseph Fielding Smith

"We can and in due time certainly will influence all of humanity. It will be known who we are and why we are...we will win the battle against Satan."

"Priesthood is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for Him."

"'It seems clear to me that the Church has no choice--and never has had--but to do more to assist the family in carrying out its divine mission, not only because that is the order of heaven, but also because that is the most practical contribution we can make to our youth--to help improve the quality of life in the Latter-day Saint homes...'" --President Harold B. Lee

"about the priesthood in the home: '...The father is there. It is his right and it is his duty to preside. He should select the one who is to administer the oil, and the one who is to be mouth in prayer, and he should not feel that because there are present presiding authorities in the Church that he is therefore divested of his rights to direct the administration of that blessing of the gospel in his home...'" --President Joseph F. Smith

"'...the saints of the church of the Lamb...were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.'" --1Nephi 14: 14

"We must go forward, confident of the supernal power of the priesthood. It is a source of strength and encouragement to know who we are and what we have and what we must do in the work of the Almighty."

"'I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." --Doctrine and Covenants 82: 10

"..the work of the Lord will prevail..we must marshall all of our efforts and unify ourselves.."

"The authority of the priesthood is with us...it is now our responsibility to activate the power of the priesthood in the Church. Authority in the priesthood comes by way of ordination; power in the priesthood comes through faithful and obedient living in honoring covenants. It is increased by exercising and using the priesthood in righteousness."

"...protect your home. There will be times when all that stands as a shield between your family and the adversary's mischief will be that power. You will receive direction from the Lord by way of the gift of the Holy Ghost."

"'This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'" --Moses 1: 39

"the power of the priesthood given to the Church to protect us and guide us. And because we have that, we have no fear of the future. Fear is the opposite of faith."

"The Lord will watch over us, particularly in the family."

The Holy Temple

This is from the Ensign October 2010 issue

By President Boyd K. Packer

In temples we can participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances

"When you enter any dedicated temple, you are in the house of the Lord...In the temples, members of the Church who make themselves eligible can participate in the most exalted of the redeeming ordinances that have been revealed to mankind...in a sacred ceremony, an individual may be washed and anointed and instructed and endowed and sealed...when we have received these blessings ourselves, we may officiate for those who have died without having had the same opportunity. In the temples sacred ordinances are performed for the living and for the dead alike."

The ordinances and ceremonies of the temple are simple, beautiful, and sacred 

"A careful reading of the scriptures reveals that the Lord did not tell all things to all people. There were some qualifications set that were prerequisite to receiving sacred information. Temple ceremonies fall within this category...Someday every living soul and every soul who has ever lived shall have the opportunity to hear the gospel and to accept or reject what the temple offers. If this opportunity is rejected, the rejection must be on the part of the individual...Preparation for the ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes invited as a guest into the house of the Lord."
Those who are worthy may enter the temple
"All who are worthy and qualify in every way may enter the temple, there to be introduces to the sacred rites and ordinances...If anything is amiss in your life, the bishop will be able to help you resolve it. Through this procedure, you can declare or can be helped to establish your worthiness to enter the temple with the Lord's approval...The bishop is instructed that confidentiality in handling these matters with each interviewee is of the utmost importance."
Teaching in the temple is symbolic
"the teaching in the temples is done in symbolic fashion...The temple is a great school. It is a house of learning. In the temples the atmosphere is maintained so that it is ideal for instruction on matters taht are deeply spiritual...[Elder John A. Widtsoe]...'The temple ordinances encompass the whole plan of salvation, as taught from time to time by the leaders of the Church, and elucidate matters difficult of understanding. There is no warping or twisting in fitting the temple teachings into the great scheme of salvation. The philosophical completeness of the endowment is one of the great arguments for the veracity of the temple ordinances. Moreover, this completeness of survey and expounding of the Gospel plan, makes temple worship one of the most effective methods of refreshing the memory concerning the whole structure of the Gospel'...The teaching plan is superb. It is inspired. The Lord Himself, the Master Teacher, taught His disciples constantly in parables--a verbal way to represent symbolically things that might otherwise be difficult to understand...The house of the Lord, bathed in light, standing out in the darkness, becomes symbolic of the power and the inspiration of the gospel of Jesus Christ standing as a beacon in a world that sinks ever further into spiritual darkness."
Temple marriage is the ultimate ordinance of the temple
(Before the couple comes to the alter[for a temple marriage] for the sealing ordinance, it is the privilege of the officiator to extend, and of the young couple to receive, some counsel. These are among the thoughts that a young couple might hear on this occasion.)
"'Baptism, a sacred ordinance, is symbolic of a cleansing, symbolic of death and resurrection, symbolic of coming forward in a newness of life...The sacrament of the Lord;s Supper is a renewal of the covenant of baptism, and we can, if we live for it, retain a remission of our sins...In that endowment you received an investment of eternal potential...You now become a family, free to act in the creation of life to have the opportunity through devotion and sacrifice to bring children into the world and to raise them and foster them safely through their mortal existence; to see them come one day, as you have come, to participate in these sacred temple ordinances...To accept one another in the marriage covenant is a great responsibility, one that carries with it blessings without measure.'"
The sealing power binds on earth and in heaven
"The Prophet Joseph Smith said he was frequently asked the question ''Can we not be saved without going through with all those ordinances, etc?' I would answer, No, not the fullness of salvation. Jesus said, 'There are many mansions in my Father's house, and I will go and prepare a palce for you.' [John 14:2]"
Temple work is a source of spiritual power
"Temples are the very center of the spiritual strength of the Church. We should expect that the adversary will try to interfere with us as a Church and with us individually as we seek to participate in this sacred and inspired work. Temple work brings so much resistance because it is the source of so much spiritual power to the Latter-day Saints and to the entire Church. [Logan Utah Temple cornerstone, President George Q. Cannon]...'Every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple completed according to the order the Lord has revealed for his holy priesthood, lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the pwoer of God and Godliness, moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence'...It is a good place to take our cares. In the temple we can receive spiritual perspective. There, during the time of the temple service, we are 'out of the world'...At the temple the dust of disctraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can 'see' things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known...The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs.
Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection
"No work is more of a protection to this Church than temple work...No work is more spiritually refining. No work we do gives us more power. No work requires a higher standard of righteousness. Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people. So come to the temple--come and claim your blessings. It is a sacred work."

(LDS.ORG)