For the Strength of Youth ~ 2nd Week of September ~ Monday

Monday Topic: Why Did the Priesthood Need to Be Restored?

💎 Eternal Truth: "Jesus Christ established His Church with priesthood authority. That authority was later lost from the earth and needed to be restored"

When Jesus Christ lived on the earth, He didn't simply teach people His gospel. He also called Apostles and gave them authority to act in His name.

📖 Read: Luke 9:1–2

1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

 

💭 Think About It

• What are two things Jesus gave His Apostles?

📖 Read: John 15:16

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

💭 Think About It

• Who chose the Apostles?

What Happened Next?

After Jesus Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven, His Apostles continued His work, but eventually the Apostles were killed. Without the Apostles and the priesthood keys they held, Christ's complete priesthood authority was no longer present on the earth. This was part of what we call the Great Apostasy.

📖 Read: Amos 8:11–12

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

 

💭 Think About It

The prophet Amos described a coming famine, but it wasn't a famine of food.

• What would people hunger and thirst for?

Imagine that you had:

• the Bible
• people who believed in Jesus
• churches
• sincere prayers
• people trying to follow Christ

…but no one had authority from Jesus Christ to perform His ordinances.

• Could sincerity alone restore that authority? Why or why not?

🧠 Restoration

To restore something means to bring back something that had previously existed. The Restoration wasn't Joseph Smith inventing a new kind of priesthood. Jesus Christ brought His priesthood authority back.

✏️ Today's Question

• Why was a restoration of priesthood authority necessary instead of simply starting another church?