I was raised in a Christian home. That was very crucial to my being where I am today. I was taught some of the basics of the gospel: how the world was created, the ministry of Jesus Christ, and his atoning sacrifice among many other topics. I was encouraged to read the Bible and to search and understand the truth for myself. I did various mission trips in my youth, spreading the gospel to people in Rhode Island, Panama, and Poland. All the time my understanding of the Bible was growing. I even attended a Christian undergraduate institute, Messiah College, which started to push the limits of my knowledge. I was exposed to so many different denominations and interpretations of the same principles. While it was very enlightening, it was also quite confusing.
For example, I knew that it was important to pray, and I had learned that you could pray in any manner. I just never really understood the purpose of it, and found it quite boring. Another aspect was heaven. I had learned that heaven was this place where you lived forever, and ever, and ever. That thought frightened me. Like how the last verse in "Amazing Grace" goes, "When we've been there, ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We've no less days, to sing God's praise, then when we've first begun." I actually used to get sick to my stomach whenever I thought of that. I was scared of the aspect of something never ending.
All of this changed when I went off to medical school. I changed cities, changed friend groups, and changed churches. I was trying to figure out where I fit in, what exactly I believed. I had watched my life start to change in ways that I didn't like. My standards were being questioned, tweaked, altered, and in some cases, dropped completely. I did not like the way my life was headed. Thankfully, one of my friends decided to invite me to go to his Church, then to answer questions, give me a copy of the Book of Mormon, and always to be there for me. I was learning so much from going to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was incredible! Never before had I come in with so many different questions, had them all answered, and even ones that I had never before considered. I was learning about prayer, how it's part of a two-way communication with our Heavenly Father who really does lead, guide, and direct our lives. I was learning that in heaven, families can be together forever. That marriage is supposed to be eternal, and not just end after death. Those last two items are only feasible with the temple.
As I started meeting with the missionaries, I began to learn some very important eternal truths. I learned that faith is an action word. Alma 32:21, "And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Faith is more than just having a hope in something, but then also doing something about it to get it accomplished.
Faith is one of the first tenets of the gospel. Specifically, having a faith in God and His most perfect Son who was sent to atone for our sins. After this faith and knowledge, this should change the way we act and the things which we do. This leads to repentance.
According to the Bible dictionary: "the Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world." Repentance is more than just feeling bad for the wrong which was done, it's being willing to change the way you were living your life, leave the sins behind, and start following the Savior.
Alma 5:26, "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
The next step is baptism. Baptism needs to happen via immersion and by someone who is holding the priesthood. Only someone with the proper authority can do this. This authority is given by the laying on of hands. And the priesthood holders can trace their line of authority back to Jesus Christ, who first organized the priesthood. Baptism then needs to be sealed by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. There's a good explanation of this in Acts.
Acts 19:1-6, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied."
This is a good example of what I was mentioning earlier. When Paul met up with some followers, he learned that their baptism hadn't been complete because they hadn't received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, they were baptized again, this time in Jesus' name, and then received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. This is why when someone from another church joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they need to be baptized again and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (just like how it was done in biblical times).
The next step is called enduring to the end. Just because someone has gone through all these steps does not mean that their task is done. They need to keep true to the covenants they have made and follow the commandments and words of the prophets. Part of this includes the temple.
On all LDS temples there is written, "Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord." In the temple, worthy church members can receive special revelation and guidance. We are also taught truths in the temple, things that help us return to live with Heavenly Father again. We have to be worthy to enter the temple. Many times in the Scriptures God has said that He cannot live in filthy temples. There are certain standards that we live: obeying the Word of Wisdom, the commandments, the Law of Chastity, the Law of Tithing, being honest with others, and other things like that.
To enter the temple to receive my endowment I did different things. I attended a temple prep class and read an excellent book called, "Your Endowment" by Mark A. Shields. However, I'm not sure if anything could have fully prepared me for this, since it was such an amazing experience. "Endowment-Comes from a Latin word that means the conferral or bestowal of a gift. The "heavenly gift" spoken of in the scriptures may be a reference to this definition (4 Nephi 1:3; Ether 12:8). Our endowment is the gift from God that enables us to return to His presence" (page 19). During the endowment we learn about creation and also how to return to the presence of God. We are clothed in garments, which are clothing we wear closest to our skin to help us remember the sacred covenants that we have made. Just like other religions have different items to signify religious aspects, we do the same. We don't talk about these things, not because we are ashamed, or because they are secret, but because they are sacred. If you want to read a little bit more about the garments, click here.
Throughout the entire ceremony, I learned a lot. I don't remember everything now, nor will I, unless I return frequently and do the saving work for others who have passed on. One thing I do know is that everything that we did in the temple was scripturally based. Nothing was strange. I also know that I really enjoyed feeling the peace that comes along with the Spirit testifying of the truth of the different aspects of the temple. Temples are where heaven and earth meet, and I have a testimony of that.
I would encourage members to do what is needed in your life so that you can enter the temple, and learn from God. For non-members, I would encourage you to go see the outside of a temple nearby. Walk around, and take in the feelings that are associated. Also, go to a temple open-house. These do exist. After a temple is completed, it is open to the public, for free, for about a month. Anybody can go in and look through all the rooms. There is nothing hidden. After that period of time, it becomes dedicated and then only members can enter. There is an open house for the Gilbert, AZ temple from mid-January to mid-February of 2014, and the Philadelphia temple is due to be completed in 2016. To learn more about temples, visit the church's site.
As I started meeting with the missionaries, I began to learn some very important eternal truths. I learned that faith is an action word. Alma 32:21, "And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Faith is more than just having a hope in something, but then also doing something about it to get it accomplished.
Faith is one of the first tenets of the gospel. Specifically, having a faith in God and His most perfect Son who was sent to atone for our sins. After this faith and knowledge, this should change the way we act and the things which we do. This leads to repentance.
According to the Bible dictionary: "the Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world." Repentance is more than just feeling bad for the wrong which was done, it's being willing to change the way you were living your life, leave the sins behind, and start following the Savior.
Alma 5:26, "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
The next step is baptism. Baptism needs to happen via immersion and by someone who is holding the priesthood. Only someone with the proper authority can do this. This authority is given by the laying on of hands. And the priesthood holders can trace their line of authority back to Jesus Christ, who first organized the priesthood. Baptism then needs to be sealed by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. There's a good explanation of this in Acts.
Acts 19:1-6, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied."
This is a good example of what I was mentioning earlier. When Paul met up with some followers, he learned that their baptism hadn't been complete because they hadn't received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, they were baptized again, this time in Jesus' name, and then received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. This is why when someone from another church joins The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they need to be baptized again and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (just like how it was done in biblical times).
The next step is called enduring to the end. Just because someone has gone through all these steps does not mean that their task is done. They need to keep true to the covenants they have made and follow the commandments and words of the prophets. Part of this includes the temple.
On all LDS temples there is written, "Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord." In the temple, worthy church members can receive special revelation and guidance. We are also taught truths in the temple, things that help us return to live with Heavenly Father again. We have to be worthy to enter the temple. Many times in the Scriptures God has said that He cannot live in filthy temples. There are certain standards that we live: obeying the Word of Wisdom, the commandments, the Law of Chastity, the Law of Tithing, being honest with others, and other things like that.
To enter the temple to receive my endowment I did different things. I attended a temple prep class and read an excellent book called, "Your Endowment" by Mark A. Shields. However, I'm not sure if anything could have fully prepared me for this, since it was such an amazing experience. "Endowment-Comes from a Latin word that means the conferral or bestowal of a gift. The "heavenly gift" spoken of in the scriptures may be a reference to this definition (4 Nephi 1:3; Ether 12:8). Our endowment is the gift from God that enables us to return to His presence" (page 19). During the endowment we learn about creation and also how to return to the presence of God. We are clothed in garments, which are clothing we wear closest to our skin to help us remember the sacred covenants that we have made. Just like other religions have different items to signify religious aspects, we do the same. We don't talk about these things, not because we are ashamed, or because they are secret, but because they are sacred. If you want to read a little bit more about the garments, click here.
Throughout the entire ceremony, I learned a lot. I don't remember everything now, nor will I, unless I return frequently and do the saving work for others who have passed on. One thing I do know is that everything that we did in the temple was scripturally based. Nothing was strange. I also know that I really enjoyed feeling the peace that comes along with the Spirit testifying of the truth of the different aspects of the temple. Temples are where heaven and earth meet, and I have a testimony of that.
I would encourage members to do what is needed in your life so that you can enter the temple, and learn from God. For non-members, I would encourage you to go see the outside of a temple nearby. Walk around, and take in the feelings that are associated. Also, go to a temple open-house. These do exist. After a temple is completed, it is open to the public, for free, for about a month. Anybody can go in and look through all the rooms. There is nothing hidden. After that period of time, it becomes dedicated and then only members can enter. There is an open house for the Gilbert, AZ temple from mid-January to mid-February of 2014, and the Philadelphia temple is due to be completed in 2016. To learn more about temples, visit the church's site.
Where I received my endowment: Palmyra NY Temple.
No comments:
Post a Comment