General Priesthood Meeting

13 Aug 2006

"The Mission of the Aaronic Priesthood"

Bishop Paul D. Laws

All Young Men of the Aaronic Priesthood please stand.

 

Let me get a look at the Priesthood leaders of tomorrow!

 

I suppose the rest of you are Melchizedek Priesthood holders or prospective Elders.

 

You are an interesting looking group; not necessarily for how you look (which is open to debate) but more importantly for who you are and even more important than that WHOSE you are…

 

History of the Beret:

 

The first use of the modern beret in the U.S. military was in 1943, when a battalion of the 509th Parachute Infantry was given maroon berets by their British counterparts for their service in the war…

 

The first widespread use of the headgear by U.S. forces came… when a new Army organization that was specially trained for insurgency and counterguerrilla warfare began wearing a green variety in 1953. It took another eight years for the Army's Special Forces — the "Green Berets" — to win presidential approval from John F. Kennedy to make their headgear official.

(Source: http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/berethistory.htm)

 

SERE Beret:

    Distinguishes wearer as part of a select or specific group (SERE career Field)

    Indicates Qualification within that group

    Worn as a matter of privilege to those who earn the right to wear it

    Has a distinctive "flash" w/ the inscription "USAF SERE: Return With Honor"

 

That inscription seems especially appropriate given the context of our meeting tonight and the topic I have been assigned.

 

 

The Apostle Peter, then president of the Church, counseled the Saints in 1 Peter 2:9:

 

But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

 

Have you ever wondered what makes us you a royal priesthood holder or a peculiar person?

 

Elder Bruce R. McConkie commented that…

 

…The priesthood which makes a man a king and a priest is thus a royal priesthood." (McConkie, DNTC, 3:294.)

 

Concerning the word Peculiar…

 

… as used in the King James Version (it) comes from the Latin peculium, meaning "private property." Though today it has come to mean "strange or unusual," it really carries the same idea—a characteristic or quality belonging to something. The marginal reading is "purchased" and means that the saints are God's own, private people, a people for God's own possession.

(The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles COURSE MANUAL (Religion 211–212))

 

 

Allow me to insert the actual meaning into this verse…

 

But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a PRIVATE PROPERTY people…

 

Or…

 

But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a PURCHASED people…

 

 

UPON you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. (D&C 13)

 

So said John the Baptist, he who had the privilege of baptizing the Son of God and he, who under the direction of Peter, James and John, returned to earth as a glorified, resurrected being to begin the "restoration of all things" (D&C 27:6)

 

President Hinckley has said concerning this passage:

 

Even though he came as a servant of God and acted under the direction of Peter, James, and John, he did not place himself above Joseph and Oliver. He put them on his same level when he addressed them as "my fellow servants."

 

What does that make you young men, and indeed all of us who are members of this ROYAL PRIESTHOOD? (fellow servants of Him who has purchased us and whose private property we are!)

 

President Hinckley goes on to say:

 

I want to emphasize, boys, that the holding of the Aaronic Priesthood, and the exercise of its power, is not a small or unimportant thing. The bestowal of these keys in this dispensation was one of the greatest and most significant things incident to the entire Restoration. It was the first bestowal of divine authority in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times. It is the priesthood of God, with authority to act in the name of the Savior of mankind.

 

It is the authority under which the emblems of the Lord's Supper are administered to the membership of the Church. That great and important sacrament was instituted by the Savior himself shortly before His crucifixion. It was He who first gave to those He loved the emblems of His flesh and blood and commanded that all should partake of them in remembrance of Him and as a token of a covenant between God and man.

 

When you priests of the Aaronic Priesthood administer the sacrament, you are doing what Jesus did while He was yet in the flesh, and which He also did when He ministered among the Nephites following His resurrection.

 

When you, as a priest, kneel at the sacrament table and offer up the prayer, which came by revelation, you place the entire congregation under covenant with the Lord. Is this a small thing? It is a most important and remarkable thing.

 

Now, my dear young brethren, if we are to enjoy the ministering of angels, if we are to teach the gospel of repentance, if we are to baptize by immersion for the remission of sins, if we are to administer to the membership of the Church the emblems of the sacrifice of our Lord, then we must be worthy to do so.

 

 

So what then is our duty, our responsibility as holders of the Aaronic Priesthood?

 

Every time the Young Men of the Perdido Ward meet together they recite the following:

 

I am a son of my Heavenly Father and I represent Him through the power of the Aaronic Priesthood which He has entrusted to me. Worthily using this gift will help me and others to - "COME UNTO CHRIST"

 

My mission is to:

 

• Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live its teachings.
  
• Serve faithfully in priesthood callings, and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.
  
• Give meaningful service.
  
• Prepare and live worthy to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.
  
• Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission.
  
• Obtain as much education as possible.
  
• Prepare to become a worthy husband and father.
  
• Give proper respect to women, girls, and children.
  

 

 

 

How does our Heavenly Father intend to ensure our success in this endeavor?

 

Is God speaking to His ROYAL PRIESTHOOD members today?

 

If He were speaking to HIS ROYAL PRIESTHOOD how would He do it?

 

THROUGH HIS MOUTHPIECE THE PROPHET!!

 

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. (D&C 1:38)

 

Let me proffer just one recent example of how our Father in Heaven is speaking to His ROYAL PRIESTHOOD through His personal mouthpiece President Gordon B. Hinclkley. Did you realize that President Hinckley has been the concluding speaker in every single Priesthood session of Conference since he was made the Lord's primary mouthpiece in April of 1995? That's 23 General Conferences in a row for those who may be counting… Starting with April of 1995 and going to April of 2006:

 

1. This Work Is Concerned with People (Apr 95)
   

 

1. Of Missions, Temples, and Stewardship (Oct 95)
   

 

1. "Be Ye Clean" (Apr 96)
   
   
2. "This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner" (Oct 96)
   

 

1. Converts and Young Men (Apr 97)
   

 

1. Some Thoughts on Temples, Retention of Converts, and Missionary Service (Oct 97)
   

 

1. Living Worthy of the Girl You Will Someday Marry (Apr 98)
   

 

1. To the Boys and to the Men (Oct 98)
   

 

1. The Shepherds of the Flock (Apr 99)
   

 

1. Why We Do Some of the Things We Do (Oct 99)
   

 

1. The Stake President (Apr 00)
   

 

1. "Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children" (Oct 00)    
   

 

1. The Perpetual Education Fund (Apr 01)
   

 

1. Reaching Down to Lift Another (Oct 01)
   

 

1. Personal Worthiness to Exercise the Priesthood (Apr 02)
   

 

1. To Men of the Priesthood (Oct 02)
   

 

1. Loyalty (Apr 03)
   

 

1. The Shepherds of Israel (Oct 03)
   

 

1. "I Was an Hungred, and Ye Gave Me Meat" (Apr 04)
   

 

1. A Tragic Evil among Us (Oct 04)
   

 

1. Gambling (Apr 05)
   

 

1. If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear (Oct 05)
   

 

1. The Need for Greater Kindness (Apr 06)
   

 

 

All of these talks are worthy of a diligent review but I would draw your attention, to the following in particular, with a small sound bite from each:

 

"Be Ye Clean" (Apr 96)

I speak particularly to the boys, but I hope the men will also listen and hear. We all constantly need reminding. Our bodies are sacred. They were created in the image of God. They are marvelous, the crowning creation of Deity. No camera has ever matched the wonder of the human eye. No pump was ever built that could run so long and carry such heavy duty as the human heart. The ear and the brain constitute a miracle. The capacity to pick up sound waves and convert them into language is almost beyond imagination. Look at your finger and contemplate the wonder of it. Clever men have tried to match it, but have never fully succeeded. These, with others of our parts and organs, represent the divine, omnipotent genius of God, who is our Eternal Father.

 

To the Boys and to the Men (Oct 98)

I recently received a proclamation from a group of LDS young men from the northern area of California. They are from 19 stakes, and as they gathered in the mountains, they visited the scene of a pioneer tragedy. As the boys pondered the things they saw and the reminders of their inheritance, they were invited to sign a Mormon Trail Scout Encampment Proclamation. I should like to read this pledge to you:

"Be it known to all that we are Boy Scouts . . . and bearers of the Aaronic Priesthood of God. We pledge our allegiance to the values and principles that guided the men of the Mormon Battalion and the Latter-day Saint Pioneer men and women who helped establish this state of California. As their grateful sons, we rejoice in our heritage of service.

"On this 18th day of July 1998 we pledge to become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will study the scriptures. We will pray for strength to obey. We will work. We will strive with all our hearts to follow the example of Jesus.

"We will magnify the priesthood we have been given by serving other people. We will keep ourselves worthy to administer the sacrament of the Lord's supper. Wherever there is a need for help, like our forefathers, we will step forward.

"We will prove ourselves worthy of the greater, Melchizedek Priesthood. We commit ourselves to the Lord's army and will go forth as full-time missionaries to invite all to come unto Christ.

"We are young men of the covenant. We will prepare ourselves to receive the covenant of eternal marriage. We pray for righteous wives and children whom we will honor and protect with our own lives.

"Be it known that whatever the risks, whatever the temptations, whatever the state of the world around us, as our forefathers were faithful, so we will be. Like those who have gone before, we will turn away from self-aggrandizement and set aside personal gain in order to build a peaceful society, governed by God.

"At all times and in all places, we will be true to our pledge."

 

Personal Worthiness to Exercise the Priesthood (Apr 02)

Our behavior in public must be above reproach. Our behavior in private is even more important. It must clear the standard set by the Lord... Personal worthiness becomes the standard of eligibility to receive and exercise this sacred power…
The manner of our living, the words we speak, and our everyday behavior have a bearing upon our effectiveness as men and boys holding the priesthood.

 

A Tragic Evil among Us (Oct 04)

" [Pornography] is like a raging storm, destroying individuals and families, utterly ruining what was once wholesome and beautiful."… I recently read that pornography has become a $57 billion industry worldwide. Twelve billion of this is derived in the United States by evil and "conspiring men" (see D&C 89:4) who seek riches at the expense of the gullible. It is reported that it produces more revenue in the United States than the "combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises or the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC" …
The excuse is given that it is hard to avoid, that it is right at our fingertips and there is no escape.

Suppose a storm is raging and the winds howl and the snow swirls about you. You find yourself unable to stop it. But you can dress properly and seek shelter, and the storm will have no effect upon you… Brethren, we can do better than this. When the Savior taught the multitude, He said, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Could anyone wish for a greater blessing than this? The high road of decency, of self-discipline, of wholesome living is the road for men, both young and old, who hold the priesthood of God… Now brethren, the time has come for any one of us who is so involved to pull himself out of the mire, to stand above this evil thing, to "look to God and live" (Alma 37:47).

 

 

Bonus: Elder Dallin H. Oaks "Pornography" April 2005 GC

 

 

To become all that we are destined to be (A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD) we need to know, understand, and live the requirements of the mission of the Aaronic Priesthood whether we are 12, 20, 40, 60 or beyond. We are all a part of the same elite cadre of Priesthood holders!!

 

So what is your beret ROYAL
PRIESTHOOD holders of the Pensacola Florida Stake?

 

What distinguishes you from among all men? What makes you distinctive?

 

A groomed appearance, a clean white shirt, a tie, clean hands and a pure heart endowed with Priesthood power emanating from the throne of deity. All of these things "qualify you for the work" (D&C 4)

 

And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life.

 

For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.

(D&C 84: 43-44)

 

That we may do so as the ROYAL PRIESTHOOD that we are is my humble prayer.