Jacob said that he had been called and ordained according to God's holy order. The earliest meaning of "order" is "a body of persons living under a religious discipline." God's church provides a community and activities which help us draw closer to Him.
The Order of Melchizedek
Melchizedek was a priest "after the order of the Son of God." All those who receive priesthood power and authority "are made like unto the Son of God." Priesthood service refines us and helps us become more like Jesus Christ.
Blessings
The angel who appeared to Amulek commanded him to return home. He told Amulek that he would meet a prophet of God along the way, whom he should invite into his home. The angel promised that this prophet "shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and... Continue Reading →
A Priest Forever
Speaking of the Savior, King David said: The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.Psalm 110:4 Commenting on this passage, the apostle Paul wrote the following cryptic description of Melchizedek: Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.Hebrews... Continue Reading →
“Put on Thy Strength”
In the middle of a passage about the gathering of Israel, Isaiah pleads with the Lord to rescue His captive people: Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days....Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths... Continue Reading →
The Stem, the Rod, and the Root
After prophesying that Israel would be conquered, using a metaphor of a tree being chopped down or burned, Isaiah presents an image of rebirth: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. Isaiah 11:1, 2 Nephi 21:1 As he does frequently, Isaiah gives us two parallel phrases... Continue Reading →
“After the Order of His Son”
Alma taught that God ordains priests to operate "after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption" (Alma 13:1-2, 7). In other words, when we exercise the authority of the priesthood, we turn people toward the Savior. The... Continue Reading →
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
In a revelation about priesthood which Joseph Smith received in 1832, there is a passage that is commonly known as the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Here is the first part of that passage: Whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.They... Continue Reading →
Gifts and Callings – Moroni 3:4
Near the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni describes how priesthood authority was given. After explaining the process, he adds two significant points: It was done "according to the gifts and callings of God unto men."It was done "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 3:4). When Joseph Smith was instructed to establish... Continue Reading →
“With Power and with Great Authority” – 3 Nephi 7:17
Thirty-one years after the birth of the Savior, while Jesus was ministering to the people in the land of Israel, a prophet named Nephi was preaching the gospel on the American continent. He "began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ" (3 Nephi 7:16). Mormon tells us... Continue Reading →