“The
priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood,
God created and governs the heavens and the earth. Through this power He
redeems and exalts His children, bringing to pass “the immortality and eternal
life of man” (Moses
1:39).
God
gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act
in His name for the salvation of His children. The keys of the priesthood are
the rights of presidency, or the power given to man by God to govern and direct
the kingdom of God on the earth (see Matthew
16:15–19).
Through these keys, priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel
and administer the ordinances of salvation. All who serve in the Church are
called under the direction of one who holds priesthood keys. Thus, they are
entitled to the power needed to serve and fulfill the responsibilities of their
callings.
Aaronic Priesthood
The Aaronic Priesthood is often called the
preparatory priesthood. The offices of the Aaronic Priesthood are deacon,
teacher, priest, and bishop. In the Church today, worthy male members may
receive the Aaronic Priesthood beginning at age 12.
The
Aaronic Priesthood “holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the
gospel of repentance, and of baptism” (D&C
13:1).
Melchizedek Priesthood
The
Melchizedek Priesthood is the higher, or greater, priesthood and administers in
spiritual things (see D&C
107:8).
This greater priesthood was given to Adam and has been on the earth whenever
the Lord has revealed His gospel.
It was
first called “the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God” (D&C
107:3).
It later became known as the Melchizedek Priesthood, named after a great high
priest who lived during the time of the prophet Abraham.
Within the Melchizedek Priesthood are the
offices of elder, high priest, patriarch, Seventy, and Apostle. The President
of the Melchizedek Priesthood is the President of the Church.
© 2009, 2013 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. English approval: 10/12.
Translation approval: 10/12. Translation of Basic Doctrines. Language. PD00010275 000
Lesson
#1 Priesthood and Priesthood Keys: Priesthood Keys are Necessary for Temple
Work
Preparation
for Parents
Pray:
Prayerfully review lesson material while considering the needs of your
children. Prepare any materials you will need.
Review: Read
the doctrinal Summary of Priesthood and Priesthood Keys provided in the
beginning of this section.
Read or
listen to: Elder Russell M. Nelson, “The Spirit of Elijah” Ensign, Nov. 1994.
Sing an
opening song: When Jesus Christ was Baptized,
Children’s Songbook p. 102.
Pray to invite the Spirit into your
lesson:
Show Artwork: Non-cartoon Illustration of Elijah calling
the fire down from heaven in the contest with the wicked priests and Elijah Restores
the Power to Seal Families for Eternity/Priesthood
and Priesthood Keys.
Read: It was also prophesied that Elijah, an Old Testament
Prophet, would return before the Second coming of the Lord (see Malachi 4:5–6; 3 Nephi 25:5–6; 26:1–2). When the Kirtland Temple was completed
Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 110:13-16). Elijah
the Prophet restored the Keys of the Priesthood that allowed the sealing power
to be given to men on earth again on 3 April 1836 and this
allowed marriages and families to be sealed for all time and eternity. This
restoration of the sealing power was a crowning event of the Restoration. Marriages
and families can last forever if we live the gospel of Jesus Christ and are
true to our covenants. Temple and family history work could now commence. So
many of Heavenly Father’s children lived in a time when there were no temples
or authority to seal a family forever. Without our help they cannot have those
blessings. We prepare names of those who died without the ordinances of the gospel.
Then we go to temples in their place and enter into covenants on their behalf.
In the Spirit world those people who died cannot progress without these
ordinances but they have a chance to accept the work we do. Those who do
experience great peace and happiness and so can you for helping them.
Testify: Share your love of family history and
temple covenants and how you know families and marriages can last forever.
Teaching Hint: This is a great opportunity to share
your own family history with your children and to work on their own photo
albums in telling their own personal history. Devote time on Sunday to spend
researching names and involving your children in what you are doing as much as
possible.
Ask: What does restored mean?
Who
restored the sealing power to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery?
Why
is the sealing power important?
What
can you do to prepare yourself to be sealed to your family?
How
can you share this important message of families being forever with others?
Study Journal: What did you learn about priesthood and priesthood
keys today? Choose now to go to the temple. Set a goal that will help you be
prepared for that time. A goal that will help is learning about the power of
covenants and better keeping the commandments.
Closing Testimony and Invitation for
Children to Bear Testimony: I
know God restored the priesthood in our day and that through that priesthood we
can be sealed together in families forever. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
This
is an appropriate time for children to share their thoughts and feelings about
what they have learned. As you seek the Spirit you can be directed as to the
time when it is appropriate to invite your children to testify. Possible
invitations are as follows:
Will
you share your testimony now or later?
Will
you share your testimony about God restoring the priesthood for our day?
Closing Prayer: Express gratitude that the Spirit of the
Lord has been present, and for what you have learned.
Adaptions for small
children (0-3/non-verbal)
Sing
the opening song: When Jesus Christ was Baptized, Children’s Songbook p. 102.
Say
a simple prayer: Pray to
invite the Spirit to teach you and your children the truths God desires for
you.
Statements
of true doctrinal principals:
In order for God to make it possible for families and marriages to last forever
he needed to restore the sealing power. Elijah was sent to the temple to give
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the sealing power.
Testify: Share how you know that we can be
together forever because God sent Elijah to make that possible.
Teaching
Hint: make a paper chain
and put the names of your family on each line. With glue or tape (seal) them
together and talk about how God wants us to be together always so he gave us
the sealing power.
Ask:
Do you want to be a forever family?
Who brought the sealing power back to
earth? Have the children point to the picture at Elijah. Be very encouraging,
clapping when they get an answer right is a good way to show encouragement.
Study
Journal: Write their
responses to the question or Spirit that you felt as you taught. Set a goal to
show pictures and talk to your children about their ancestors in order to help
them see the importance of family history work.
Closing
Testimony and Invitation for Children to Bear Testimony: I know God priesthood makes it possible
to be married forever. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
This is an appropriate time for children
to share their thoughts and feelings about what they have learned. As you
encourage the sharing of their thoughts and feelings they are being prepared to
share their testimony. Confirm the truthfulness of what they have said and that
learning these things by the power of the Holy Ghost is the beginning of
gaining a testimony.
Closing
Prayer: Express
gratitude that the Spirit of the Lord has been present, and for what you have
learned.
Lesson
#2 Priesthood and Priesthood Keys: The Bishop Hold the Keys of the Aaronic
Priesthood
Preparation
for Parents
Pray:
Prayerfully review lesson material while considering the needs of your
children. Prepare any materials you will need.
Review: Read
the doctrinal Summary of Priesthood and Priesthood Keys provided in the
beginning of this section.
Read or
listen to: President Gordon B. Hinckley, “To the Bishops of the
Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1988.
Sing an
opening song: Our Bishop,
Children’s Songbook p. 135.
Pray to invite the Spirit into your
lesson:
Show Artwork: Photograph or Non-cartoon Illustration
of a Bishop/Priesthood and Priesthood
Keys.
Read: The bishop holds keys of the Aaronic Priesthood when he is
set apart by priesthood holders. As a bishop he is also given a mantel to help
him in his calling. Through the priesthood keys and mantel the bishop has
access the power to inspiration from Heavenly Father concerning members of his
ward’s personal worthiness in preparing for participating in the sacrament, baptism,
patriarchal blessings and obtaining recommends for the temple as well as to
hold callings (see Church Administration True to the Faith p. 32-37). We
need to always be honest with the bishop and he will help us to build our faith
in Christ. The bishop or branch president presides over a ward or branch and
they are the ones with the keys to help those within their boundaries. When we
go to other wards because of personal differences we leave the safety and
protection that those keys provide, because leaders of the congregation in
which we are not in the boundaries, no matter how wise and kind, do not have
the power to assist you in obtaining recommends or other necessary gospel
blessings (see D&C 72:1-26).
Testify: Testify that the bishop has power given
to him from God to help them.
Teaching Hint: We need to help children have respect
for the mantel of the bishop. We can help young children say hello to the
bishop at church. Have their father; brother or uncle role-play with them so
that children understand what an interview is like. If they are not yet eight
you can role play an interview for bapstm. If they are older perhaps you can
help them to prepare to do baptisms for the dead. If they are 12-13 perhaps you
could role-play an interview to prepare for a patriarchal blessing. If you are
not sure your remember your interview or what to say ask your Bishop or other priesthood
leaders for help. You can also play role reversal and have the children say
things that they think a bishop would say. In fact, it is good for children to
have regular worthiness interview with their fathers as part of his
responsibilities as the head of the household and the one who provides
priesthood ordinances and blessings for the family.
Ask: What are the keys of the priesthood that the bishop holds?
What
do those keys help him accomplish?
What
must I do to let the bishop assist me in learning about Christ?
Study Journal: What did you learn about priesthood and priesthood
keys today? Set a goal to be respectful and supportive of the mantel the bishop
holds. Regularly pray for him and his family.
Closing Testimony and Invitation for
Children to Bear Testimony: I
know God gives priesthood keys to men who lead his church. Those keys give them
special abilities to conduct the business and spiritual matters of the Church.
In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
This
is an appropriate time for children to share their thoughts and feelings about
what they have learned. As you seek the Spirit you can be directed as to the
time when it is appropriate to invite your children to testify. Possible
invitations are as follows:
Will
you share your testimony now or later?
Will
you share your testimony about priesthood keys being the authority to lead the
church?
Closing Prayer: Express gratitude that the Spirit of the
Lord has been present, and for what you have learned.
Adaptions for small
children (0-3/non-verbal)
Sing the opening song: Our Bishop,
Children’s Songbook p. 135.
Say
a simple prayer: Pray to
invite the Spirit to teach you and your children the truths God desires for
you.
Statements
of true doctrinal principals:
The bishop is set apart for his calling by those who hold the priesthood and he
is given a gift as bishop called a mantel that helps him with his calling. The
bishop holds the keys of the Aaronic priesthood and has the responsibility to
oversee the ordinances to make sure they are done properly. Bishops conduct
interviews to help you prepare for baptism. He is called the Father of the
ward.
Testify: Testify that the Bishop has power given
to him from God to help them.
Teaching
Hint: Talk about what
Daddy’s do in the family? Help them see that bishops are similar to the Daddy
in how they take care of the ward.
Ask: Do you know who the bishop is? If
children don’t know who he is tell them you will help them find him at Church.
Do you know that the bishop helps us?
Study
Journal: Write their
responses to the question or Spirit that you felt as you taught. Set a goal to
share how you felt the Spirit in a lesson or talk the bishop gave and how you
plan to follow it. Transparency about spiritual goals and positive feeling
towards church leadership invites the Spirit in your home and is a great
teaching technique.
Closing
Testimony and Invitation for Children to Bear Testimony: I know the bishop holds the keys of the
Aaronic Priesthood for his ward and has the reasonability of overseeing the
ordinance of the sacrament. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
This is an appropriate time for children
to share their thoughts and feelings about what they have learned. As you
encourage the sharing of their thoughts and feelings they are being prepared to
share their testimony. Confirm the truthfulness of what they have said and that
learning these things by the power of the Holy Ghost is the beginning of
gaining a testimony.
Closing Prayer: Express gratitude that the Spirit of the
Lord has been present, and for what you have learned.
Lesson
#3 Priesthood and Priesthood Keys: The Aaronic Priesthood
Preparation
for Parents
Pray:
Prayerfully review lesson material while considering the needs of your
children. Prepare any materials you will need.
Review: Read
the doctrinal Summary of Priesthood and Priesthood Keys provided in the
beginning of this section.
Read or
listen to: Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Aaronic Priesthood—A Gift
from God.” Ensign, May 1988.
Sing an
opening song: I hope they call me on a mission,
Children’s Songbook p.169.
Pray to invite the Spirit into your
lesson:
Show Artwork: Non-cartoon Illustration of Moses calls
Aaron to the Ministry/Priesthood and
Priesthood Keys
Read: Moses gave the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood to his
brother Aaron in the wilderness. The Aaronic priesthood was known as the lesser
priesthood and is the power to act in the name of God in the ordinances of
baptism and the sacrament. The bishop presides over the Aaronic Priesthood and
holds the keys of authority for its use. Young men 12-13 years olds are
ordained to the position of Deacons (see D&C 104:111 107:68, D&C 20:57,
59). At 14 and 15 they are ordained to the office of Teacher (see D&C
20:53-55) and have additional assignments. At 16 years of age, they are
ordained to the office of a Priest these young men enter into further
responsibilities in the Aaronic priesthood office (see D&C 20: 46-48). The Priest blesses the sacrament for the
congregation. They can participate in the ordinance baptism for those found
worthy by priesthood leaders. Without the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood one
cannot baptize with authority and God does not recognize the ordinance as valid
(see D&C 107 Aaronic Priesthood- True
to the Faith, 2004, p. 3-4). The ordinances of the Aaronic priesthood
prepare us to receive the blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood when we are
old enough and show that we are spiritually ready. You can do things now to
help you understand the Aaronic priesthood and it blessings so you are ready to
receive all the blessings God has for you. You can work on listening to the
Sacrament prayers when they are being said. You can try to remember Jesus every
day and be nice like he was. Every week you can learn a new commandment from
the 10 commandments and work on living it every day.
Testify: Share that you know the Aaronic
priesthood is God’s power.
Teaching Hint: Have children remember the Sacrament
ordinance and tell you everything that they remember about it. Help them if
this is difficult for them. Help them understand that all of these things are
part of the Aaronic Priesthood.
Ask: Why do we need the Aaronic priesthood?
Have
you ever seen the ordinance of the Sacrament being preformed?
How
do the young men act?
What
do they do?
What
can you do to be reverent during the Sacrament meeting?
Study Journal: What did you learn about priesthood and priesthood
keys today? Set a goal to be reverent in church.
Closing Testimony and Invitation for Children
to Bear Testimony: I
know God gives priesthood in order to provide us with ordinances. We can feel
God love through the priesthood and it’s ordinances. In the name of Jesus
Christ amen.
This
is an appropriate time for children to share their thoughts and feelings about
what they have learned. As you seek the Spirit you can be directed as to the
time when it is appropriate to invite your children to testify. Possible
invitations are as follows:
Will
you share your testimony now or later?
Will
you share your testimony about priesthood ordinances?
Closing Prayer: Express gratitude that the Spirit of the
Lord has been present, and for what you have learned.
Adaptions for small
children (0-3/non-verbal)
Sing
the opening song: I hope they call me on a mission, Children’s Songbook p.169.
Say
a simple prayer: Pray to
invite the Spirit to teach you and your children the truths God desires for
you.
Statements
of true doctrinal principals:
Moses gave the Aaronic Priesthood to his brother Aaron. That priesthood helped
the people in his day to learn to be good and get ready for more blessings. The
Aaronic Priesthood helps us today too in the same way.
Testify: Share that the Aaronic priesthood is
the power of God to prepare us for further blessings and a higher priesthood.
Teaching
Hint: It would be fun to
dress them up like the people in Moses day and help them to have a simplified
tabernacle experience. Have them take off their shows at the door to a room.
Pretend that is the outer court. Then have a place sectioned off with sheets or
other bedding in the room to represent the Holy of Holies. Have them enter that
place and explain that only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies and in it
was the Ark of the Covenant. If you are feeling creative make your own ark of
the covenant to go in the room, or simply place the scriptures there. Explain
that the holy of holies is where they placed the 10 Commandments. Help them understand how special scriptures
are.
Ask: Do you like Heavenly Father’s blessings?
Can you name some of the blessings
Heavenly Father’s has given you? Share some possible answers so that they can
connect the wonderful things in their world that are there because Heavenly
Father loves them. Some possible answers would be, family, friends, church,
house, pets, grass, trees, water, and food.
Study
Journal: Write their
responses to the question or Spirit that you felt as you taught. Think of ways
that your can help your child with their reverence at church. Express your
confidence in them and reinforce their positive steps for reverence.
Closing
Testimony and Invitation for Children to Bear Testimony: I know God gives priesthood in order to
provide us with ordinances. We can feel God love through the priesthood and
it’s ordinances. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.
This is an appropriate time for children
to share their thoughts and feelings about what they have learned. As you
encourage the sharing of their thoughts and feelings they are being prepared to
share their testimony. Confirm the truthfulness of what they have said and that
learning these things by the power of the Holy Ghost is the beginning of
gaining a testimony.
Closing
Prayer: Express
gratitude that the Spirit of the Lord has been present, and for what you have
learned.
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