Come, Follow Me
How does worthiness affect priesthood power?

How does worthiness affect priesthood power?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

Priesthood authority comes through ordination, but priesthood power requires personal righteousness, faithfulness, obedience, and diligence. Even if we receive priesthood authority by the laying on of hands, we will have no priesthood power if we are disobedient, unworthy, or unwilling to serve.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What is the difference between priesthood authority and priesthood power? Why is worthiness a prerequisite to gaining priesthood power?

How can you help the Aaronic Priesthood holders understand the relationship between worthiness and priesthood power? What are some temptations young men face that might cause them to lose power in the priesthood?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior teaches by word and by example and invites us to follow Him. As you seek to follow the example of Jesus Christ and live worthy of the priesthood you bear, you will be able to teach with power and authority.

Video: “Let Us Teach”

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the quorum; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

  • Invite the young men to describe a rocket launch. What happens if parts of the rocket fail? To help them answer that question, review with them the first six paragraphs of Elder Dale G. Renlund’s message “The Priesthood and the Savior’s Atoning Power.” How is keeping our covenants like keeping a rocket in working order? How does the Savior help us when there are “defects” in our lives? Encourage the young men to read the paragraph in his message that begins with “An Aaronic Priesthood holder covenants,” and ponder how well they are doing at keeping these covenants. How might we support one another in keeping our covenants?

  • To help the young men learn about the price of priesthood power, you might bring in various objects and ask the young men to guess how much each object is worth. Why are some of the objects worth more than others? What things are worth the most in our lives, and what price do we have to “pay” for them? You might then invite the young men to search President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “The Price of Priesthood Power,” looking for the price he said we must pay to exercise the priesthood. What are his fears for priesthood holders? What does he ask if we are willing to do?

  • Invite the young men to read Doctrine and Covenants 38:42; 121:34–46 and answer the following questions: How does sin affect priesthood power? What are the principles that govern the use of the priesthood? Invite the young men to talk about priesthood holders they know who exemplify the principles governing priesthood power. Ask them to turn to the “Act” section of their Duty to God books (page 17, 41, or 65) and make plans to live more worthy of the priesthood by studying and following the standards in For the Strength of Youth.

  • Invite one quorum member to tell the story of Joseph resisting Potiphar’s wife (see Genesis 39; 41) and another to tell the story of David giving in to temptation (see 2 Samuel 11–12). As a quorum, discuss what these stories teach about the connection between priesthood power and personal worthiness. How was Joseph blessed for his faithfulness? What could David have done to avoid his tragedy? (See Duty to God, 64.) Invite the young men to turn to the “Act” section of their Duty to God books (page 17, 41, or 65) and make plans to live more worthy of the priesthood.

  • Write on the board, How does worthiness affect priesthood power? and invite quorum members to share their answers to this question. Invite them to think about this question as they read the seven paragraphs from Elder Neil L. Andersen’s talk “Power in the Priesthood” starting with the phrase “We know that the power of the holy priesthood.” What additional thoughts do the young men have about the effect of personal worthiness on priesthood power? What are some things that can limit our priesthood power? What can we do to gain access to greater priesthood power?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the quorum presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young men apply what they learned in this lesson.