Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Nine
The Temple Prepares and Strengthens Missionaries
Many of the rising generation regularly worship at the temple – The baptistry at temples are busy, and some temples are being built with two baptismal fonts. Temple worship is especially important as a young person prepares for a mission. The words describing athletic performance applies to preparing our youth for their missions. Their preparation must be “faster, further, higher, and stronger.” We soon will have four missionary grandchildren. An important reason we are confident that most of our grandchildren will serve missions is because they are preparing themselves during their teenage years by regularly attending the temple. If there is availability young people who have received their missionary call are invited to serve as ordinance workers until they enter the Missionary Training Center. Recently, our granddaughter, Camilla Lunt, was greatly blessed by serving in the Jordan River Temple.
Latter day prophets teach that the temple has an important role in preparing missionaries – In a letter sent to all members of the Church on October 8, 2012, the date when the ages for missionary service was lowered to 18 for young men and 19 for young women, stated in part: “We especially encourage youth and young single adults to use for temple work their own family names or the names of ancestors of their ward and stake members. Priesthood leaders should assure that young people and their families learn the doctrine of turning their hearts to their fathers and the blessings of temple attendance” (emphasis added).
“The doctrine of turning their hearts to their fathers and the blessings of temple attendance” – This is the doctrine of enabling the dead so they can be redeemed. The use of the phrase “enabling the dead” teaches that people in the spirit world will have the opportunity to accept the temple ordinances performed on their behalf. Important truths have been revealed in our day about this doctrine:
Missionary work is going on in the spirit world – “I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only begotten son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead” (D&C 138:57).
Most people in the spirit world will accept the gospel – There are at least three reasons why the success of the Lord’s work in the spirit world among the righteous dead is far greater than it is here: First, because as President Snow said, “The circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable.” ”Second, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints “has a more perfect and effective organization among the righteous dead” than it does on this side of the veil. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign, Dec 1971) Third, our ancestors are of the house of Israel and therefore they are the elect who will receive the gospel when they hear it.
We know more about enabling the dead than at any other time. (D&C 124:41; 128:18)
Enabling the dead is the work of our dispensation – We were prepared in the premortal existence to do family history and temple work in this dispensation: "Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free" (D&C 128:22).
Testimony – The doctrine of temple service and family history is important for missionaries as it has “a more powerful effect upon the minds of the people…than anything else” (Alma 31:5).
A good definition of the word “power” is knowledge made useful and active. The Lord said, “in the ordinances [of the temple] the power of godliness is manifest” (D&C 84:20). Worthy young men and young women have increased opportunities to serve in the temple. The knowledge of the purpose of temples and of family history combined with serving in the temple brings the power of God to the lives of our youth, and is wonderful missionary preparation.