Many people spend their whole lives
wondering why they are here (on Earth) and where they are going. What a
blessing to have the answer key to that final test tucked away in our files. We
know the who, what, when, where, why and how. So let's review what we know.
Who are we ALL? (Children of our Father in Heaven who loves us and wants us to return to him)
Why are we here? (To gain physical bodies, to become like Christ, to make and keep covenants, and to eventually return to our Father in Heaven)
What are we asked to do? (be baptized, make temple covenants)
How can we ALL do these things? (Make the choices necessary to enter the temple, receive our own endowments then do the work for those who didn't have the opportunity to do it themselves)
When are we to do these things? (Now, as soon as we can)
Where are we to do these things? (In the temple of the Lord)
How many of us have pictures of the temple in our home? Now, how many of the temples adorning our walls are of the very temple we were married in? I would surmise that our tendency is to develop a special attachment to the temple we made our own covenants in. Whether it's where our families were sealed or where we received our endowments (or even where we performed baptisms in our youth), the temples we have personally been in have more meaning to us.
Why is this?
I think we get it. We get that a wedding, a marriage, is more than just an earthly status. We understand not only the importance of temple work, but the importance of OUR OWN covenants. Receiving the knowledge we need and making the covenants necessary for our salvation and for the eternal bond with our families means more to us than anything else. The time and place where we made these covenants and first learned the next steps in returning to our Father in Heaven is extremely significant to us.
If we feel this way about our own experiences and relationship with the Lord, we absolutely are able to understand how others who have yet to receive these blessings must feel. We want, and need, to allow them the same opportunities and experiences as we have. It is our duty and our pleasure to stand in for them and to perform the ordinances they were unable to perform while in this life. By doing so we are giving them the chance to accept the gospel and live with God again.
Returning to the temple often is a service to our ancestors that cannot be fulfilled any other way. They need us to help them along their way. However, we also need them. Imagine if everyone had the opportunity in this life to be baptized, receive their endowments and be sealed to their eternal companion. Imagine if the only temple word to be done was our own. Do you think you could comprehend all that you need to know in one session at the temple? Do you think you'd never want to return for more instruction and to seek the Lord's guidance again? I think not. What a joy and a pleasure to be able to do this work and to be given the opportunity to continue to learn and prepare to meet our Savior.
Temple Ordinances Seal Families Together Forever
Who are we ALL? (Children of our Father in Heaven who loves us and wants us to return to him)
Why are we here? (To gain physical bodies, to become like Christ, to make and keep covenants, and to eventually return to our Father in Heaven)
What are we asked to do? (be baptized, make temple covenants)
How can we ALL do these things? (Make the choices necessary to enter the temple, receive our own endowments then do the work for those who didn't have the opportunity to do it themselves)
When are we to do these things? (Now, as soon as we can)
Where are we to do these things? (In the temple of the Lord)
How many of us have pictures of the temple in our home? Now, how many of the temples adorning our walls are of the very temple we were married in? I would surmise that our tendency is to develop a special attachment to the temple we made our own covenants in. Whether it's where our families were sealed or where we received our endowments (or even where we performed baptisms in our youth), the temples we have personally been in have more meaning to us.
Why is this?
I think we get it. We get that a wedding, a marriage, is more than just an earthly status. We understand not only the importance of temple work, but the importance of OUR OWN covenants. Receiving the knowledge we need and making the covenants necessary for our salvation and for the eternal bond with our families means more to us than anything else. The time and place where we made these covenants and first learned the next steps in returning to our Father in Heaven is extremely significant to us.
If we feel this way about our own experiences and relationship with the Lord, we absolutely are able to understand how others who have yet to receive these blessings must feel. We want, and need, to allow them the same opportunities and experiences as we have. It is our duty and our pleasure to stand in for them and to perform the ordinances they were unable to perform while in this life. By doing so we are giving them the chance to accept the gospel and live with God again.
Returning to the temple often is a service to our ancestors that cannot be fulfilled any other way. They need us to help them along their way. However, we also need them. Imagine if everyone had the opportunity in this life to be baptized, receive their endowments and be sealed to their eternal companion. Imagine if the only temple word to be done was our own. Do you think you could comprehend all that you need to know in one session at the temple? Do you think you'd never want to return for more instruction and to seek the Lord's guidance again? I think not. What a joy and a pleasure to be able to do this work and to be given the opportunity to continue to learn and prepare to meet our Savior.
Temple Ordinances Seal Families Together Forever
What
does it mean to be sealed? Let’s talk about the sealing power.
Matthew 16:19
And I will agive unto thee the bkeys of the ckingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt dbind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 16:19
And I will agive unto thee the bkeys of the ckingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt dbind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
***My experience at a sleepover in
high school with a friend
D&C 128:9
9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a adispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in bauthority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great cJehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?
D&C 128:9
9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a adispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in bauthority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great cJehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?
“…This sealing power, restored in
this dispensation by Elijah the Prophet (D&C 2:1-3; 110:13-16), is the
means whereby ‘All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows,
performances, connections, associations, or expectations’ attain “efficacy,
virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead (D7C 132:7).” (Boyd
K. Packer, The Holy Temple)
The temple is the place for this great work to be accomplished but it would be fruitless if done without the proper authority/keys of the priesthood. When done in the right place AND with the proper authority, this vicarious work allows us to be bound to Heaven. When we say that something/someone is "sealed" we mean that the same covenants/promises made on Earth are, in essence, still in effect when we pass on from this probationary state and into the eternities to live with our Father in Heaven.
The temple is the place for this great work to be accomplished but it would be fruitless if done without the proper authority/keys of the priesthood. When done in the right place AND with the proper authority, this vicarious work allows us to be bound to Heaven. When we say that something/someone is "sealed" we mean that the same covenants/promises made on Earth are, in essence, still in effect when we pass on from this probationary state and into the eternities to live with our Father in Heaven.
“The use of a seal is a visible
means of signifying that the document is authoritative, that it is worthy of
respect and recognition, that its effect is binding. Seal
is the right word, therefore, to be used to represent spiritual authority. In this case it is not represented by an
imprint, by a wax impression, by an embossment, or by a ribbon; nor by an
engravement on a signet, or by a stamp, or by a gold design pressed onto a
document. The seal of official authority
relating to spiritual matters, like other things spiritual, can be identified
by the influence that is felt when the sealing power is exercised.” (Packer,
The Holy Temple page 88)
Has
anyone ever thought of the Holy Ghost’s witness or the influence our covenants
have on our daily lives as the seal?
It is not enough to be baptized. We
also need to enter the temple and receive our endowments. These two things are
preparatory for the later, most significant covenants we make with our spouse
and with the Lord as we are married and SEALED for all eternity. It is this
sealing that is most vital. It not only offers us the opportunity to live with
God in the Celestial Kingdom, it allows our spouse and our children the right
and privilege to do so as well, with us...as long as we keep out covenants and
live worthily to do so.
Once a couple is sealed, all the children they subsequently have are sealed to them. Any adopted children can be sealed to them in the temple as well. Couples that are married civilly can prepare themselves and their children to be worthy to enter the temple and be sealed together.
(What must a couple do to make the sealing power affective in their marriage?)
Our Ancestors need our help
Once a couple is sealed, all the children they subsequently have are sealed to them. Any adopted children can be sealed to them in the temple as well. Couples that are married civilly can prepare themselves and their children to be worthy to enter the temple and be sealed together.
(What must a couple do to make the sealing power affective in their marriage?)
Our Ancestors need our help
Again, these covenants we make; the
blessing of being sealed to our families, are so profound, so life changing,
the Lord wants everyone to have the opportunity to partake in the joy. The
bliss that results from these choices is eternal and is exactly what our Father in Heaven would choose for
us. But there simply is no way to share the gospel with everyone who has ever
walked the Earth, not in this life at least. So what genius plan did God
come up with to solve this problem? He allows his children to be taught in the
spirit world after they leave mortality. He gives them the chance to hear the
gospel and choose whether or not to accept it.
However, those that accept the
gospel in the spirit world still need the sealing ordinance performed on earth
if their covenants are to be bound in Heaven (allowing them to progress and
live eternally with our Father in Heaven}. That is why we need to do temple
work. Imagine how many people have accepted the gospel and are still waiting
for someone to do their work for them! My
brain could hardly fathom the 110,000 people in the Michigan stadium for the
Michigan VS Notre Dame game last night, let alone centuries of the Earth's
population sitting in a chapel in the sky waiting for us to take care of them. There is much work to be done, but we can
do it! We just need to know where to
start.
(How does the Plan of Salvation show God's justice, compassion and mercy?
What experiences have you had doing temple work for your ancestors?)
Where do we begin?
(How does the Plan of Salvation show God's justice, compassion and mercy?
What experiences have you had doing temple work for your ancestors?)
Where do we begin?
So once we get the family history/temple work bug, where should we start?
There are 3 basic steps:
1. Identify our ancestors
2. Find out with ancestors need temple ordinances performed
3. Make certain the ordinances are performed for them
Starting your family history work is often easier if you ask your ward/branch family history consultant or bishop/branch president for direction.
Identify our Ancestors
We need to go through our homes and see what kinds of documents, certificates, family heirlooms, journals etc. we already have that might give us names and other information. We can also talk to relatives, visit a church family history center, or go to familysearch.org
"How much we learn will depend
on what information is available to us. We may have only a little family
information and may be able to do no more than identify our parents and
grandparents. If we already have a large collection of family records, we may
be able to identify ancestors from generations further back in time.
We can keep track of the information
we gather on family group records and pedigree charts." (manual)
Find Out Which Ancestors Need Temple Ordinances
Performed
Temple ordinances have been performed for the dead since
the early days of the Church. Consequently, some ordinances for our ancestors
may have already been done. To find out which ancestors need temple ordinances,
we can look in two places. Our own family records might have information about
what has been done. If not, the Church has a record of all ordinances that have
been performed in the temple. Your ward or branch family history consultant can
help you in this effort. (manual)
Make Certain the Ordinances Are Performed
Many of our ancestors in the spirit world may be anxious
to receive their temple ordinances. As soon as we identify these ancestors, we
should arrange for this work to be done for them.
One of the blessings of family history work comes from
going to the temple and performing ordinances in behalf of our ancestors. We
should prepare ourselves to receive a temple recommend so that, when possible,
we can do this work. If our children are 12 years old or older, they can share
in these blessings by being baptized and confirmed for their ancestors.
(manual)
If it is not possible for us to go
to the temple to participate in the ordinances, the temple will arrange to have
the ordinances performed by other Church members.
How has the Lord helped you or members of your family find
information about your ancestors?
If all of this sounds a bit intimidating
to you too, take president Packer’s advice:
1.
Start with yourself. Over time, fill a box with every
record/document/photo etc. about yourself.
2.
Divide it into 3 parts: child,
youth, adult
3.
Start with the child, work towards
adult, and put everything in chronological order
4.
Take what you’ve created and write a
simple life story
“Once
you begin this project, very interesting and inspiring things will happen.
You cannot do this much without getting something of the spirit of it,
and without talking about it, at least in your family circle. Some very interesting things will start to
happen once you show some interest in your own family history work. It is a firm principle. There are many, many testimonies about
it. It will happen to you” (Packer,
Ensign article)
Family History Basics/Responsibilities
1.
Each of us is to compile his or her
own life history
2.
Each of us is to keep a book of
remembrance
3.
As individuals and families we are
each to see our our kindred dead, beginning first with the four most recent
generations on each line, and the going back as far as we can.
4.
We are each to participate in other
programs such as name extraction when asked to do so.
5.
We are to organize our families and
hold meetings and reunions.
6.
If we have access to a temple, each
of us should go to the temple as often as possible to do ordinance work—first
for ourselves, then for our progenitros, then for al the names that have been
gathered by means other than our own. (Packer, Ensign article)
Additional
Family History Opportunities
What are some simple ways for someone with many other
responsibilities to participate in family history work?
In addition to providing temple
ordinances for the ancestors we know about, we can help those in the spirit
world in many other ways. We should seek the guidance of the Spirit as we
prayerfully consider what we might do. Depending on our circumstances, we can
do the following things:
- Attend the temple as often as possible. After we have gone to the temple for ourselves, we can perform the saving ordinances for others waiting in the spirit world.
- Do research to identify ancestors who are more difficult to find. Family history consultants can guide us to helpful resources.
- Help with the Church’s indexing program. Through this program, members prepare genealogical information for use in the Church’s family history computer programs. These programs make it easier for us to identify our ancestors.
- Contribute family history information to the Church’s current computer programs for family history. These programs contain genealogies contributed by people all over the world. They allow people to share their family information. Family history consultants can provide more information about the Church’s computer programs.
- Participate in family organizations. We can accomplish much more for our ancestors as we work together with other family members.
Think
about what you can do to increase your participation in temple and family
history work.
Additional
Scriptures
1 Peter 4:6 (gospel was preached to the dead)
1 Corinthians 15:29; D&C 128:15–18 (work for the dead)
“You believe in the
Resurrection. You must know that baptism
for someone who is dead is quite as essential as baptism for someone who is
living. There is no difference in the importance
of it. One by one it must happen. They must do it here while living, or it must
be done for them here after they die.
The whole New Testament centers on the Resurrection of the Lord. The message is that ALL are to be
resurrected. Every scripture and every
motivation that apply to missionary work have their application to ordinance
work for the dead.” (President Packer, Ensign article)
“Somewhere I heard of an incident
that happened in WWII. A group of
commandos were sent across the English Channel to accomplish a military
mission. They were sent shore at night
in high seas and had to make their way across a treacherous reef. When the first of them reached the beach, led
by a sergeant, they heard a companion calling for help. He was caught up on the reef and was unable
to free himself. If left to himself he
would be dashed to pieces by the heavy seas against the reef. The sergeant pulled off his gear in
preparation for an attempt to rescue the man.
One of those on the beach said, ‘Don’t go out there—it’s too dangerous
and difficult. If you go out there
you’ll never come back.’ The sergeant
replied, ‘I don’t have to come
back. I just have to go out there.’”
This illustrates something of our
position with regard to our doing the work of the Lord. We are commanded to preach the gospel to all
the living, for example. We see no way
to accomplish this task in our lifetime.
Many refuse to listen, some turn away, others resent and ever persecute
us. Nevertheless we are not released
from the assignment to try. We are to do
the best we can. If we do, the honest in
heart can be found and sifted out of the world.” (President Packer, The Holy Temple, page
234)
If you don’t know where to start,
start with yourself. If you don’t know what records to get, and how to get
them, start with what you have. (President Packer)
I do not
believe in entitlements. The word itself
makes me cringe. However, there are a
few exceptions to my rule. One of the
exceptions, one of the things EVERY person who has ever lived is entitled to is
the Gospel. Every man, woman and child
is entitled to hear the words of the Lord, to hear his gospel plan.
“The Lord
has made it known that his mercy extends to the uttermost bounds and that every
soul is entitled to hear the gospel plan, either in this life or in the spirit
world. All who hear and believe,
repenting and receiving the gospel in it fullness, whether living or dead, are
heirs of salvation in the celestial kingdom of God.”
It is
thus, our duty to see to it that this entitlement is kept. That is one tax, I’m willing to pay.
Monte J. Brough Ensign article 1994
Members Guide To Temple and Family History Work
President Packer Talk
Monte J. Brough Ensign article 1994
Members Guide To Temple and Family History Work
President Packer Talk
