RS Lesson 18 July 2010

I was still gone out of town for this lesson, so everything here comes directly from the manual.

The lesson this week is from Ch. 14 of the Gospel Principles Manual, entitled "Priesthood Organization."

There are two divisions of the priesthood, the Aaronic and the Melchizedek. How did they get their names?
"The first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood...because Melchizedek was such a great high priest. Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of His name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood." (D&C 107: 2-4)
The lesser priesthood is called the Aaronic Priesthood because it was conferred on Aaron and his sons throughout all their generations. Those who hold the AAronic priesthood have authority to administer the outward ordinances of the sacrament and baptism. Those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood have the power and authority to lead the Church and direct the preaching of the gospel in all parts of the world. They administer all the spiritual work of the church. They direct the work done in the temples; they preside over wards , branches, stakes, and missions. The Lord's chosen prophet, the President of the Church, is the presiding high priest over the Melchizedek Priesthood.


What are the offices and duties of the Aaronic Priesthood? When the Aaronic Priesthood is conferred upon a man or boy, he is ordained to an office in that priesthood. The offices in the Aaronic Priesthood are deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. Each offices carries duties and responsibilities.
Deacon- a young man who has been baptized and confirmed a member of the Church and is worthy may be ordained to the office of deacon when he is 12 years old. The deacons are usually assigned to pass the sacrament, keep Church buildings and grounds in good order, act as messengers for priesthood leaders, and fulfill special assignments such as collecting fast offerings.
Teacher- A worthy young man may be ordained a teacher when he is 14 years old or older. Teaches have all the duties, rights, and powers of the office of deacon plus additional ones. Teachers are to help Church members live the commandments. To help fulfill this responsibility, they are usually assigned to serve as home teachers. Teachers also prepared the bread and water for the sacrament service.
Priest- a worthy young man may be ordained a priest when he is 16 years or older. Priests have all the duties, rights, and powers of the offices of deacon and teacher plus some additional ones. A priest may baptize. He may also administer the sacrament. He may ordain other priests, teachers, and deacons. A priest may take charge of meetings when there is no Melchizedek Priesthood holder present.
Bishop- a bishop is ordained and set apart to preside over the Aaronic Priesthood in a ward. He is the president of the Priests quorum. When he is acting in this office, a bishop deals primarily with temporal matters, such as finances, records, and directing care for the poor and needy. A bishop is also ordained a high priest so he can preside over all the members in the ward.

What are the duties and offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood?
The offices of the Melchizedek Priesthood are elder, high priest, patriarch, Seventy, and Apostle. Those ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood retain all the duties, rights, and powers of the Aaronic Priesthood as well.
Elders- Elders are called to teach, expound, exhort, baptize, and watch over the Church. All Melchizedek Priesthood holders are elders. They have the authority to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Elders should conduct meetings of the Church as they are led by the Holy Ghost. Elders may administer to the sick and bless little children. Elders may preside over Church meetings when there are no High Priests present.
High Priest- A High Priest is given the authority to officiate in the Church and aminister spiritual things. Stake presidnets, mission presidents, high councilors, bishops, and other leaders of the Church are ordained high priests.
Patriarch- Patriarchs are ordained by General Authorities, or by stake presidents when they are authorized by the Council of the Twelve., to give patriarchal blessings to members of the Church. These blessings give us some understanding of our callings on earth. They are the word of the Lord personally to us. Patriarchs are also ordained High Priests.
Seventy- Seventies are special witnesses of Jesus Christ to the world and assist in building up and regulated the Church under the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Apostle- An Apostle is a special witness of the name of Jesus Christ in all the world. The Apostles administer the affairs of the Church. Those who are ordained to the office of Apostle are usually set apart as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Each one is given all the keys of the kingdom of God on earth, but only the senior Apostle who is the President of the Church, actively exercises all of the keys. They others act under his discretion

The Lord has instructed that the holders of the priesthood be organized into quorums. A quorum is a body of brethren holding the same priesthood office.
There are three quorums of the Aaronic Priesthood;
The Deacons quorum, which consists of up to12 deacons. (If there are more than 12 deacons in a ward, they can be divided into 2 or more quorums.)
The Teachers quorum, which consists of up to 24 teachers.
The Priests quorum, which consists of up to 48 priests.

At the general Church level, the members of the First Presidency form a quorum, as do the Twelve Apostles. The Seventies are also organized into quorums.
At the local Church level, Melchizedek Priesthood bearers are organized into the following quorums:
The Elders quorum consists of up to 96 elders.
The High Priest quorum includes all high priests residing within the boundaries of a stake. The high priests in each ward are organized into a group with a group leader.

If a priesthood quorum functions properly, the members of the quorum are encouraged, blessed, fellowshipped, and taught the gospel by their leaders. Even thoguh a man may be released from Church callings, such as teacher, quorum president, etc his membership in his quorum does not change. Membership in a quorum of the priesthood should be regarded as a sacred privilege.

All organizations in the Church work under the direction of priesthood leaders and help them carry out the work of the Lord. For examples, the presidencies in a ward's Relief Society, Young Women, Young Men, Primary, and Sunday School organizations serve under the direction of the bishopric. These organizations are called auxiliaries to the priesthood.

What role can we as women have as individuals in helping the priesthood's leadership be successful? Dede B.