183rd Annual General Conference -- Priesthood Session

President Dieter F Uchtdorf conducted

A priesthood choir made up of YSA from the Salt Lake City area sang Arise, O God, and Shine

Elder Ronald A Rasband offered the invocation

The choir sang Nearer, My God, to Thee

Elder Robert D Hales

• His father taught him about wearing the armor of God.
• If we are faithful in the priesthood, this armor will be given to us as a gift from God. We need this armor! (Ephesians 6:13-17)
• In past ages, when someone wanted trouble he generally had to go searching for it. Today temptation finds you!
• The gap between the world and the Church is getting wide
• Satan desires to have you, and sin lieth at the door. How will you resist his aggressive tactics? Put on the whole armor of God.

Elder Tad R Callister

• Shared an experience from the life of his great-grandfather, George F. Richards, who found out that the priesthood of a boy is just as powerful as the priesthood of the man when exercised righteously.
• As a mission president, he observed a dramatic increase in the spirituality and leadership skills of young men during their missions as a result of three factors: [1]  these young men are trusted as never before, [2] there are high but loving expectations of them and [3] they are trained and re-trained so they can fulfill those expectations with excellence.
•  These same factors could be employed with deacons quorum presidents (and other church leaders) and thereby accelerate their spiritual and leadership growth.

Brother David L Beck

• Told of a young woman, Chy, who, when she started high school last year, was victimized by bullying.  Chy was ministered to by members of the school's football team led by Carson Jones, an Aaronic Priesthood holder who was the starting quarterback of the team.
• What does it mean to minister?
• Brother Beck reminded us that we received the power, authority and sacred duty to minister the moment we were ordained to the priesthood.
• In your own home is where you can do your most important ministering.
• We are always priesthood men — we have a duty to minister wherever we stand. Ministering is not just something we do — it defines who we are.

The choir and congregation sang Hope of Israel

President Dieter F Uchtdorf

• We identify ourselves by titles four titles that apply to all priesthood holders
  1. Son of Heavenly Father
     • No matter what we do, we are God’s literal spirit children
  2. Disciple of Christ
     
     • We are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God's commandments, but we are diverse in our cultural, social and political preferences.
  3. Healer of Souls
     • We are to practice the Healer’s art
     • We need to build up, repair, uplift
     • We should reach out to those in need
  4. Heirs to all that He has
     • We are joint-heirs with Christ
     • Does it make sense that so many of us spend time on wealth, prestige, or what is cool?

President Henry B Eyring

• Example 1: a faithful 16-year-old priest in the Aaronic Priesthood who lives in a country where missionaries arrived just a year ago.
• Example 2: being an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1955 and his bishop gave him a blessing just before he left for Albuquerque, N.M. He was blessed that his time in the Air Force would be missionary service. Two years later, church membership had grown so much that the first stake was organized there, and today there is now a temple.
• Example 3:  a deacon  in a strong ward that emphasizes missionary work through the efforts of the ward council and the ward mission leader.
• The commonality: we are one in our charge in the priesthood. We sanctify ourselves and fulfill our individual duties to take the gospel to all of our Heavenly Father's children.

President Thomas S Monson

• Missionary work is an identifying feature of the Church
• Within two years, all currently serving missionaries will have returned home, and their replacements will be found in the ranks of the Aaronic Priesthood of the Church. "Young men, are you ready to respond? Are you willing to work? Are you prepared to serve?" he asked.
• Suggested a formula that will ensure success in missionary work:

1. Search the scriptures with diligence
2. Plan your life with purpose
3. Teach the truth with testimony
4. Serve the Lord with love

The choir sang Ye Elders of Israel

Brother Larry M Gibson offered the benediction