(Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:5)
What does it mean to be called of God? If I feel a closeness to the Savior does that qualify me? Let me say at the outset that feeling a closeness to the Savior is definitely a good start, but is it sufficient in and of itself to proclaim myself a minister of His word? On this subject Hebrews 5:4 states, “no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” The question then becomes, who was Aaron, and how was he called?
Aaron was Moses’ brother. In Exodus 28:1 it states, “AND take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.”
The Lord spoke directly to Moses and told him to call his brother to the ministry. So it is today; the Lord reveals His will to his chosen leaders, who then “call” worthy and qualified individuals to the ministry. Additionally, the Lord reminds us that He calls us and not the other way around in John 15:16.
Some of the qualifications to be called can be found in Acts 6:3, 2 Corinthians 4:2 and, Alma 13:3.
I am grateful that there are men, called of God, on earth today to lead and guide us.
Last Sunday I had the privilege of ordaining my son Colby to the office of a teacher. The picture below shows his Line of Authority showing how his priesthood goes directly back to the Savior. It is an honor to serve in the priesthood.
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Wow, that's impressive about the lineage.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused about the 1829 Melchizedek (sorry if I spelled it wrong!) Priesthood from Peter, James and John.
It's apparent from the document that these are the very same three that Jesus walked with. I'm a little confused. How is that possible with the gap in years? Did these three appear as angels or as humans?
So that happened here in the United States... Does the Book of Mormon say that? (In another post you said that the Book of Mormon is about what happened at the time of the Old/New Testament. Does the Priesthood blessing occur in the BOM?)
Sorry for all the questions. I want to have a clear understanding.
Thanks much!
:-)
Hi again,
ReplyDeleteWe know from the Bible that Jesus was the first person to be resurrected.
We believe that Peter, James, and John, were resurrected and came and visited Joseph Smith and gave him the priesthood, just like they received it from Jesus Christ.
The Book of Mormon covers the period of about 600 B.C. to about 400 A.D.
The Book of Mormon covers the period of about 600 B.C. to about 400 A.D.
ReplyDelete--------------
Ok I'm still confused. If the BOM covers until 400 AD, does it have information in there about Joseph Smith? After all, JS wasn't in America in 400 AD. How are you able to know about JS meeting Peter, James and John? Is it in another book?
:-)
Helpful and really informative post about priesthood line of authority. People who don't have an idea what it is will definitely have a better idea of what it is. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI hope more and more people will realize the value of getting their priesthood line of authority cards customized. I'm surprised most of the members in our ward are unaware of its existence. Thanks for this well done article.