Posted on 03/17/2010 2:50:32 PM PDT by reaganaut
I write today for my son and other young men about what an extraordinary privilege it is to be an Aaronic Priesthood holder. You have been ordained and given POWER, by someone with authority from God, to act in God’s name on the earth today.
You know all about superheroes. It’s fun to watch movies and see the powers superheroes like Spiderman, Batman and Superman have. But that’s just the movies and not real.
However, from the moment you are ordained a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood, you are given more power than all the superheroes in the world combined -- and it is REAL power. It’s a special power, of course, and it can only be used if you are living the commandments.
It’s also a power that lets you help others, but you can’t use it for selfish reasons: to get things or do things that Heavenly Father doesn’t want done. However, when you use your priesthood power righteously, wonderful things will happen and you will see miracles, from simple to awe-inspiring, in your life.
What does it mean to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood? First, it means God has enormous confidence in you. Imagine a powerful king who rules over millions of people telling you he trusts you so much that he is going to give you his signet ring.
When you have his ring you have the authority and power to do things in the king’s name. That king would have to love you very much and he would have to have enormous faith that you will make good decisions and do what is right.
But this is not a make believe situation; it’s real. Priesthood is the greatest power in the universe and our Heavenly king, God, will trust you with his power throughout your life as long as you remain worthy. He expects you to be sober, to keep the commandments, share the gospel and use priesthood power to help and serve others.
Second, more than the fact that you have power, being an Aaronic Priesthood holder means that you have duties and responsibilities given you. God requires you to do certain things and you will answer to him somedayabout how well you did what he asked you to do.
You can still have fun and enjoy life, but he wants you to be serious in representing him, honoring the priesthood and setting a righteous example for others.
A good way to understand what it means when you are ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood is to consider some of the responsibilities and blessings that come to you as a deacon, a teacher and a priest. All young men ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood hold the keys of the ministering of angels.
This is a literal promise and at times angels with attend and watch over you although you will not necessarily see them.
As a deacon you are to pass the sacrament, watch over the church, bear testimony of Christ, warn, expound, exhort and invite all members to come unto Christ. To do this you will need to keep the commandments, and carefully study the scriptures and the teachings of today’s prophets and apostles.
You are charged with helping the bishop by gathering fast offerings, caring for those in need, fellowshipping quorum brethren, and strengthening and uplifting the members.
When you become a teacher, under the direction of your priesthood leaders, you are to prepare the sacrament and are charged with speaking well of others and strengthening members by encouraging them to live the commandments.
You too warn, expound, exhort, teach and invite all to come unto Christ by home teaching, speaking in church, being an example of righteousness and integrity, and speaking kindly about others.
A priest adds to these duties baptizing and administering the sacrament. He is commissioned to visit members in their homes and to urge them to pray and attend to their family duties.
Isn’t it amazing how much the Lord trusts the young men in the church and how much he depends on them?
When Wilford Woodruff went on his first mission, he "went out as a priest, and my companion as an elder, and we traveled thousands of miles, and had many things manifested to us.
"I desire to impress upon you the fact that it does not make any difference whether a man is a priest or an apostle, if he magnifies his calling. A priest holds the key of the ministering of angels. Never in my life, as an apostle, as a seventy, or as an elder, have I ever had more of the protection of the Lord than while holding the office as a priest.
"The Lord revealed to me by visions, by revelations, and by the Holy Spirit, many things that lay before me.”
What a wonderful honor it is to hold the Aaronic Priesthood and how important it is to do everything in your power to always be worthy of this great privilege given you by God.
Sweetie, every single Christian has the authority to act in God’s name.
And the phrase “original apostles” is redundant.
Really, how have you been? Missed you.
:-( I'm sorry! Didn't know you were moving - that's always so hard.
Summer cold? Are you in the Southern Hemispere?
‘Zilla, you stop that! It’s just somehow wrong and it makes me laugh which makes me feel guilty.
Gotta go Resty, talk to you soon. Get some rest, k?
Sweetie, every single Christian has the authority to act in God’s name.
And the phrase “original apostles” is redundant.
Really, how have you been? Missed you.
***
as I search the Holy Scriptures look what I found....
Hebrew 5
4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
“Truth Was Restored through Joseph Smith- video”
That mormon meme presumes the Gospel of Christ was lost.
It wasn’t ever. It is right in the Bible, where it always
was.
The Bible also warns against any other Gospel too - like the mormon one...
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”
Galatians 1:8
Notice that Paul says “even if we” meaning that the original Gospel is UNCHANGEABLE!
In other words, no joseph smith needed. Nor his false gospel delivered by an “angel”.
OK, I retract my earlier statement. WHAT!!??!!??
- - - - - - - -
LOL. Sorry.
Here is the source:
Orson Pratt also said vegetables have spirits, are the offspring of male and female vegetable spirits, and are capable of being happy. (from Vol. 16, pp. 333-334. The Seer, Orson Pratt, pp. 33-34, 37-38)
Elsewhere he said that they were food for celestial animals.
Orson Pratt was off his rocker, but he is a FUN read.
Weird is an understatement.
Well you do not have the original manuscripts only copies 2 or 3 times removed.
The Lord complaint to Paul in Gal 1 about his doctrine being changed and now you want to contradict the Lord it beens almost 2 thousand years and a lot has taken place and all the more reason for a restoration of the Lord’s True Church.
Today there are over 30k plus various versions of Churches claiming to be of God!
It takes the Holy Spirit to discern what is of the word of the Lord in the Bible there are many passages are not open ended, left to man to wonder and to cause a stumbling stone.
Heavenly Father does not work that way!
Slick is right! Prophet? Not so much.
resty,
We better take this line by line girl...
“Well you do not have the original manuscripts only copies 2 or 3 times removed.”
You simply do not know what textual criticism is and how we have our modern Bible.
“The Lord complaint to Paul in Gal 1 about his doctrine being changed”
Would you please quote with reference cited where the Lord complained?
“Today there are over 30k plus various versions of Churches claiming to be of God!”
THAT means nothing. There’s over 150 mormon versions all claiming to be true. So? Most Christian denominations believe the same thing.
“It takes the Holy Spirit to discern what is of the word of the Lord in the Bible there are many passages are not open ended, left to man to wonder and to cause a stumbling stone.”
Yes, but only Christians have the indwelling Holy Spirit, not mormons.
Awaiting the citations to support your claims...
AMPU
Resty, this thread is about the mormon priesthood...
To teach the mormon doctrine etc
thats just for men...mormon women arent allowed to have the mormon priesthood...
Mpormon women arent allowed to teach...
Whatever mormon women say is not mormon scripture ...
nor backed up by the mormon priesthood...
Mormon women are not allowed to teach women unless they have a “calling” from the mormon god...
No one here called you Resty...
according to the mormon doctrines you are in error...
are you an apostate ???
Because you are disobeying your mormon god...
So therefore since you want us to adhere to the mormon doctrines...
and you say non-mormons are not to be listened to...
or those acting like non-mormons...
we better not listen to you, a mormon woman...
otherwise we too will be apostates...
Your words that are not under the priesthood might lead us astray...
Now its OK for me and the other Flying Inman women to teach in these threads...
Because we are not mormon women ...
We’re Gentile women...
Even better...we’re Christian women ..
and therefore not under that mormon doctrine of exclusion...
But for you to attempt to teach ANYONE...
is a sin for you....
according to mormon doctrine...
so from now on I personally will make sure I ignore your blantant error and sin...
and I will pray for you that you see the light...
Which one ??? Which light ???
Does it matter...
You are persona non grata...
a mormon apostate..
Orson Pratt also said vegetables have spirits,
______________________________________________
Joey Smith said animals have spirits and can be saved...
Notice that Paul says “even if we” meaning that the original Gospel is UNCHANGEABLE!
In other words, no joseph smith needed. Nor his false gospel delivered by an “angel”.
_____________________________________________
Good point
We better take this line by line girl...
Please do not talk down to me buster!
Heavenly Father does not work that way!
_____________________________________________
How would yopu know how God chooses to work ???
You a lowly mormon woman, dont have the mormon priesthood...
But I, OTOH...
“We better take this line by line girl...
“Please do not talk down to me buster!
Oops! fundamental error...
We better take this line by line sir!
“The Holy Ghost seems like he’s just a tool to keep people in line.
______________________________________
The Tazer god ???
The cattle prod god ???
The whip-N-chair god ???
Please do not talk down to me buster!
_______________________________________
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I wanna be there when you say that to your mormon bishop...
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