Here is the link to my powerpoint.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxTOCv5rwD3SY053Y3NvTkp5Snc
Some great talks/articles about the Priesthood
This whole talk is AMAZING. The very best explanation of women and the priesthood I have EVER heard
-Elder Dallin H. Oaks "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood" Apr 2014
This is another AWESOME talk about women in the Priesthood by Sheri Dew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1XYgXJvdSU
A great talk
-Linda K. Burton (RS General Pres at the time). "Priesthood: “A Sacred Trust to Be Used for the Benefit of Men, Women, and Children”. Given at BYU Women's Conference. May 2013
-Linda K. Burton (RS General Pres at the time). "Priesthood: “A Sacred Trust to Be Used for the Benefit of Men, Women, and Children”. Given at BYU Women's Conference. May 2013
This article is awesome at explaining how the organization of the priesthood works.
-Elder Boyd K. Packer "What every Elder should know-and every sister as well: A primer on principles of Priesthood Government". Ensign Feb 1993
Elder Boyd K Packer "Priesthood Power in the Home" Worldwide Leadership Training Feb 2012
Gospel Principles lesson 13 on the Priesthood is good.
Gospel Principles lesson 14 is also on the priesthood and is also good.
A good talk talking about Men and Women being equal but different.
M. Russell Ballard. "Let us Think Straight" Aug 2012 BYU Education Week
A good talk talking about Men and Women being equal but different.
M. Russell Ballard. "Let us Think Straight" Aug 2012 BYU Education Week
...the Lord magnifies and strengthens the holders of His priesthood to do things they never could have done alone...None of us can do the work of the priesthood, and do it well, relying solely on our own wisdom and talents. That is because this is not our work—it is the Lord’s. So the only way to succeed is to rely on Him...
-Henry B. Eyring "Walk with me" Apr 2017
The people we serve come to know Him (Christ) better because of our service.
-Henry B. Eyring "Walk with me" Apr 2017
As soon as we accept the Lord’s invitation “Walk with me,” the nature of our priesthood service changes. It becomes all at once higher and nobler but also more achievable, because we know that we are not alone.
-Henry B. Eyring "Walk with me" Apr 2017
...the Lord’s work is not just to solve problems; it is to build people. So as you walk with Him in priesthood service, you may find that sometimes what seems like the most efficient solution is not the Lord’s preferred solution because it does not allow people to grow. If you listen, He will teach you His ways. Remember that God’s work and glory is not simply to run an effective organization; it is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). This is, after all, why He gives His priesthood authority to flawed mortals like you and me and invites us to participate in His work. Our progress is His work!
-Henry B. Eyring "Walk with me" Apr 2017
Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness—not experience, expertise, or education—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered. The priesthood always is used to serve, to bless, and to strengthen other people.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
“One breaks the priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments—but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing” (-Spencer W. Kimball. The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96).
Quoted by -David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
...men who bear God’s holy priesthood should be different from other men. Men who hold the priesthood are not inherently better than other men, but they should act differently.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
Receiving the authority of the priesthood by the laying on of hands is an important beginning, but it is not enough. Ordination confers authority, but righteousness is required to act with power as we strive to lift souls, to teach and testify, to bless and counsel, and to advance the work of salvation.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
With your acceptance of the priesthood, you have received the right to speak and to act in the name of God.
That right will become a reality only as you receive inspiration from God. Only then will you be able to speak in His name. And only then can you act in His name. You might have made the mistake of thinking, “Oh, that isn’t so difficult. I could get inspiration if I am ever asked to give a talk or if I ever need to give a priesthood blessing.” Or the young deacon or teacher might take comfort in the thought, “When I am older or when I am called as a missionary, then I will know what God would say and what God would do.”
But think of the day when you must know what God would say and what He would do. It has already come for us all—wherever you are in your calling in the priesthood.
-Henry B Eyring "Priesthood and Personal Prayer" Apr 2015
All of us must speak and act in the name of God in moments when our unaided judgment will not be enough without inspiration. Those moments can come upon us when there is not time to make preparation.
-Henry B Eyring "Priesthood and Personal Prayer" Apr 2015
Because you cannot rise to your priesthood potential without the Spirit going with you, you are a personal target for the enemy of all happiness. If he can tempt you to sin, he can lessen your power to be led by the Spirit and so reduce your power in the priesthood. That is why President Smith said that you should always pray that God will warn and protect you from evil....
..As a priesthood holder, you are to be part of the warning voice of the Lord. But you need to heed the warning yourself. You will not survive spiritually without the protection of the companionship of the Holy Ghost in your daily life.
You must pray for it and work to have it. Only with that guide will you be able to find your way along the strait and narrow path through the mists of evil. The Holy Ghost will be your guide as He reveals truth when you study the words of prophets.
Getting that guidance will take more than casual listening and reading. You will need to pray and work in faith to put the words of truth down into your heart. You must pray that God will bless you with His Spirit, that He will lead you into all truth and show you the right way. That is how He will warn and guide you into the right path in your life and in your priesthood service..
We should be different because we hold the priesthood—not arrogant or prideful or patronizing but humble and teachable and meek. Receiving the priesthood and its various offices should mean something to us. It should not be a perfunctory “rite of passage” that automatically happens at certain ages but a sacred act of covenant thoughtfully made. We should feel so privileged and so grateful that our every action shows it. If we seldom even think about the priesthood, we need to change.
-Donald L. Hallstrom (Presidency of the Seventy) "What Manner of Men?" Apr 2014
The essence of holding the priesthood is to magnify our calling (see D&C 84:33) by serving others. Avoiding our most important duty to serve our wives and children, not accepting or passively fulfilling callings in the Church, or not caring about others unless it is convenient is not who we should be. The Savior declared, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37) and later added, “If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me” (D&C 42:29). Selfishness is the antithesis of priesthood responsibility, and if it is a trait of our character, we need to change.
At this conference we have seen the release of some faithful brothers, and we have sustained the callings of others. In this rotation—so familiar in the Church—we do not “step down” when we are released, and we do not “step up” when we are called. There is no “up or down” in the service of the Lord. There is only “forward or backward,” and that difference depends on how we accept and act upon our releases and our callings.
-Dallin H. Oaks "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood" Apr 2014
While addressing a women’s conference, Relief Society general president Linda K. Burton said, “We hope to instill within each of us a greater desire to better understand the priesthood.” That need applies to all of us, and I will pursue it by speaking of the keys and authority of the priesthood. Since these subjects are of equal concern to men and to women, I am pleased that these proceedings are broadcast and published for all members of the Church. Priesthood power blesses all of us. Priesthood keys direct women as well as men, and priesthood ordinances and priesthood authority pertain to women as well as men.
We need to be constantly reminded of the eternal reasons behind the things we are commanded to do. The basic gospel principles need to be part of our life’s fabric, even if it means learning them over and over again. That doesn’t mean that this process should be rote or boring. Rather, when we teach the foundational principles in our homes or in church, let the flame of enthusiasm for the gospel and the fire of testimony bring light, warmth, and joy to the hearts of those we teach.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
It is in the why of priesthood service that we discover the fire, passion, and power of the priesthood. The what of priesthood service teaches us what to do. The why inspires our souls. The what informs, but the why transforms.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
Understanding the why of the gospel and the why of the priesthood will help us to see the divine purpose of all of this. It will give us motivation and strength to do the right things, even when they are hard.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
Like a fruit tree with an abundance of branches and leaves, our lives need regular pruning to ensure that we use our energy and time to accomplish our real purpose—to “bring forth good fruit”!1
As President Monson has often reminded us, “When we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help.”2
Your Heavenly Father “will go before your face. [He] will be on your right hand and on your left, and [His] Spirit shall be in your hearts, and [His] angels round about you, to bear you up.”
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
My dear brethren, divine blessings for priesthood service are activated by our diligent efforts, our willingness to sacrifice, and our desire to do what is right. Let us be the ones to act and not be acted upon. Preaching is fine, but sermons that do not lead to action are like fires without heat or water that cannot quench thirst.
It is in the application of doctrine that the purifying flame of the gospel grows and the power of the priesthood ignites our souls.
Thomas Edison, the man who bathed the world in glowing electric light, said that “the value of an idea lies in the using of it.”4 In a similar way, gospel doctrine becomes more precious when it is put to use.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "The Why of Priesthood Service" Apr 2012
The priesthood is the authority of God delegated to men on the earth to act in all things for the salvation of mankind (see Spencer W. Kimball, “The Example of Abraham,” Ensign, June 1975, 3). Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness—not experience, expertise, or education—are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
A priesthood holder is expected to exercise this sacred authority in accordance with God’s holy mind, will, and purposes. Nothing about the priesthood is self-centered. The priesthood always is used to serve, to bless, and to strengthen other people.
The higher priesthood is received by a solemn covenant that includes the obligation to act in the authority (see D&C 68:8) and the office (see D&C 107:99) that have been received. As bearers of God’s holy authority, we are agents to act and not objects to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26). The priesthood is inherently active rather than passive.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught:
“It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth, because the Lord says:
“‘… He that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned’ [D&C 58:29]” (So Shall Ye Reap [1960], 21).
President Spencer W. Kimball also pointedly emphasized the active nature of the priesthood: “One breaks the priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments—but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 96).
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
As we do our best to fulfill our priesthood responsibilities, we can be blessed with priesthood power. The power of the priesthood is God’s power operating through men and boys like us and requires personal righteousness, faithfulness, obedience, and diligence. A boy or a man may receive priesthood authority by the laying on of hands but will have no priesthood power if he is disobedient, unworthy, or unwilling to serve.
“The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and … the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
“That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man” (D&C 121:36–37; emphasis added).
Brethren, for a boy or a man to receive priesthood authority but neglect to do what is necessary to qualify for priesthood power is unacceptable to the Lord. Priesthood holders young and old need both authority and power—the necessary permission and the spiritual capacity to represent God in the work of salvation.
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
-David A. Bednar "The Powers of Heaven" Apr 2012
Priesthood is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for Him. (See JST, Gen. 14:28–31.) When we exercise priesthood authority properly, we do what He would do if He were present.
-Elder Boyd K. Packer "What every Elder should know-and every sister as well: A primer on principles of Priesthood Government". Ensign Feb 1993
-Elder Boyd K. Packer "What every Elder should know-and every sister as well: A primer on principles of Priesthood Government". Ensign Feb 1993
There are keys of the priesthood. While the word key has other meanings, like keys of wisdom or keys of knowledge, the keys of the priesthood are the right to preside and direct the affairs of the Church within a jurisdiction. All priesthood keys are within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and no keys exist outside the Church on earth.
-Elder Boyd K. Packer "What every Elder should know-and every sister as well: A primer on principles of Priesthood Government". Ensign Feb 1993
-Elder Boyd K. Packer "What every Elder should know-and every sister as well: A primer on principles of Priesthood Government". Ensign Feb 1993
“The power and authority of the … Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.”10 President Boyd K. Packer has observed: “We have done very well at distributing the authority of the priesthood. We have priesthood authority planted nearly everywhere. … But distributing the authority of the priesthood has raced, I think, ahead of distributing the power of the priesthood.”11 For the everlasting welfare of God’s children, this must be remedied.
Our prophet has told us how this can be done. Quoting George Q. Cannon, President Monson said: “I want to see the power of the Priesthood strengthened. … I want to see this strength and power diffused through the entire body of the Priesthood, reaching from the head down to the least and most humble deacon in the Church. Every man should seek for and enjoy the revelations of God, the light of heaven shining in his soul and giving unto him knowledge concerning his duties, concerning that portion of the work … that devolves upon him in his Priesthood.”
-Keith B McMullin "The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood" Oct 2011
-Keith B McMullin "The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood" Oct 2011
[The oath and covenant] is a covenant we make with God to keep all His commandments and give service as He would give it if He were personally present. Living up to that standard as best we can builds the strength we will need to endure to the end.
Great priesthood trainers have shown me how to build that strength: it is to form a habit of pushing on through the fatigue and fear that might make you think of quitting. The Lord’s great mentors have shown me that spiritual staying power comes from working past the point when others would have taken a rest.
-Henry B. Eyring. "Preparation in the Priesthood: I need your help" Oct 2011
-Henry B. Eyring. "Preparation in the Priesthood: I need your help" Oct 2011
“The great plan of happiness”15 centers on family life. The husband is the head of the home and the wife the heart of the home. And marriage is an equal partnership. A Latter-day Saint man is a responsible family man, faithful in the gospel. He is a caring, devoted husband and father. He reveres womanhood. The wife sustains her husband. Both parents nurture the spiritual growth of their children.
-Boyd K. Packer "Guided by the Holy Spirit" Apr 2011
-Boyd K. Packer "Guided by the Holy Spirit" Apr 2011
We all know that the priesthood is much more than just a name or title. The Prophet Joseph taught that “the Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity … to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years.”1 It holds “even the key of the knowledge of God.”2 In fact, through the priesthood the very “power of godliness is manifest.”3
The blessings of the priesthood transcend our ability to comprehend. Faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders can “become … the elect of God.” 4They are “sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies”5 and can ultimately receive “all that [the] Father hath.”6 This may be hard to comprehend, but it is beautiful, and I testify that it is true.
The fact that our Heavenly Father would entrust this power and responsibility to man is evidence of His great love for us and a foreshadowing of our potential as sons of God in the hereafter.
Nevertheless, too often our actions suggest that we live far beneath this potential. When asked about the priesthood, many of us can recite a correct definition, but in our daily lives, there may be little evidence that our understanding goes beyond the level of a rehearsed script.
Brethren, we are faced with a choice. We can be satisfied with a diminished experience as priesthood bearers and settle for experiences far below our privileges. Or we can partake of an abundant feast of spiritual opportunity and universal priesthood blessings.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "Your potential your privilege" Apr 2011
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "Your potential your privilege" Apr 2011
Too often we fail to experience the bliss that comes from daily, practical priesthood service. At times assignments can feel like burdens. Brethren, let us not pass through life immersed in the three Ws: wearied, worrying, and whining. We live beneath our privileges when we allow worldly anchors to keep us away from the abundant joy that comes from faithful and dedicated priesthood service, especially within the walls of our own homes.
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "Your potential your privilege" Apr 2011
-Deiter F. Uchdorf "Your potential your privilege" Apr 2011
“The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and … the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
I include the sisters because it is crucial for everyone to understand what is expected of the brethren. Unless we enlist the attention of the mothers and daughters and sisters—who have influence on their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers—we cannot progress. The priesthood will lose great power if the sisters are neglected.
-Boyd K Packer "The power of the priesthood" Apr 2010
-Boyd K Packer "The power of the priesthood" Apr 2010
Priesthood is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for Him.23 When priesthood authority is exercised properly, priesthood bearers do what He would do if He were present.
We have done very well at distributing the authority of the priesthood. We have priesthood authority planted nearly everywhere. We have quorums of elders and high priests worldwide. But distributing the authority of the priesthood has raced, I think, ahead of distributing the power of the priesthood. The priesthood does not have the strength that it should have and will not have until the power of the priesthood is firmly fixed in the families as it should be.
President Harold B. Lee stated: “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. As important as our many programs and organizational efforts are, these should not supplant the home; they should support the home.”24
-Boyd K Packer "The power of the priesthood" Apr 2010
The purpose of priesthood authority is to give, to serve, to lift, to inspire—not to exercise unrighteous control or force. In some cultures, tradition places a man in a role to dominate, control, and regulate all family affairs. That is not the way of the Lord. In some places the wife is almost owned by her husband, as if she were another of his personal possessions. That is a cruel, unproductive, mistaken vision of marriage encouraged by Lucifer that every priesthood holder must reject. It is founded on the false premise that a man is somehow superior to a woman. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.
-Richard G. Scott "Honor the Priesthood and use it well" Oct 2008
-Boyd K Packer "The power of the priesthood" Apr 2010
The purpose of priesthood authority is to give, to serve, to lift, to inspire—not to exercise unrighteous control or force. In some cultures, tradition places a man in a role to dominate, control, and regulate all family affairs. That is not the way of the Lord. In some places the wife is almost owned by her husband, as if she were another of his personal possessions. That is a cruel, unproductive, mistaken vision of marriage encouraged by Lucifer that every priesthood holder must reject. It is founded on the false premise that a man is somehow superior to a woman. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.
-Richard G. Scott "Honor the Priesthood and use it well" Oct 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment