Elder Holland

Elder Holland came to Australia to choose a new stake president for the Deer Park Stake, releasing our friend David Hoare. While there, he spoke publicly to the YSA of 6 stake, the Leadership meeting of conference and two cinference session, then the 6-stake seminary graduation, then all day on Monday to the two combined Melbourne missions. These notes are hastily taken and, it goes without saying, he should not be held accountable for my note taking nor my extrapolations. I will say that it was one of the most spiritual, instructive and inspiring 4 days of my life.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Priesthood Leadership Meeting

Deer Park Stake

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

November 19, 2005

We see, once again, where the spirit touches someone’s life and give them insight and inspiration. Again, revelation comes with an assignment, with something TO DO, not just insight but also work to do to assist in the Kingdom.

Elder Holland starts his remarks noting that Joseph was not only inspired by James 1:5, but went and did something about it.

JS 1:14-16 The word “power” is used here over and over.

However, one thing we learn here is it is not given to Lucifer to take a life – he cannot do it. If there ever was anyone Lucifer would like to have killed, it was Joseph. He would have if he could have.

So instead, Lucifer binds his tongue so he could not speak! There is a great lesson here. All we need to do for this church to fail is to keep our mouths shut! DO NOT LET LUCIFER BIND YOUR TONGUE AND DO NOT DO IT VOLUNTARILY!

After Joseph finds himself delivered from the power of the adversary, he is suffused in a heavenly light whose brightness and glory defy all description. It takes a moment, but he remembers why he came into the grove in the first place. We do not have his exact words, but we know his intent was to find which church he should join. So he asks. His answer comes in JS 1:19.

I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."

Two important points regarding this statement by the Lord to Joseph. The first one is personal. “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

Lips vs. Hearts. This is one of the marks of apostasy and the biblical term for this is Hypocrisy.

“Brethren, we need to put our hearts where our mouths are!”

ily Home Evening -- better than we hold Family Home Evening. This applies to missionary work, temples scripture study and so forth. We talk better than we perform.

Point number two is more institutional in nature. It concerns “having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof.”

The ultimate maek of the true church is having the keys and power of the priesthood. The churches on the four corners of the main street in Palmyra all looked like churches. They had steeples, the Bible, etc. That is, they had the form of the church, but not the power.

"Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power; Therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel. For ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched–out arm." (D&C 103:15-17)

The power spoken of here is clearly the Priesthood. Not just the authority of the priesthood, but the power thereof, ie, the priesthood exercised in righteousness. (see D&C 121:36-38) Moses with his staff defied the most powerful man in the world. His outstretched arm with the staff was the priesthood – the power by which he did all that he did, including the parting of the Red Sea. This staff is the scepter referred to in D&C 121. See also D&C 84:19-22.

What this world needs is the “power of godliness made manifest in the flesh.” (D&C 84:22). We’ve got to get beyond the form of religion and get the power. We spend a lot of time in the forms – it is not enough just to show up at the buildings!

God said to Joseph, You give me your heart and I’ll give you the power and we will change the world! The answer to every problem in this stake lies in the exercise of priesthood power by someone.

There are 3 ways to increase the number of Melchizedek Priesthood holders.

1. Prospective elders and less active elders. Activate them and ordain them.
2. Advance Aaronic Priesthood holders. We lose too many of them.
3. Baptize them. NB: “Missionaries are not going to find adult men – the members have to do this.”