I am grateful to know about the priesthood, through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just think, there are people walking around this world who don’t know that the sun, which gives light, is called after the Son, who is light. There are people, specifically women, who don’t realize that their faith in Jesus Christ is power, real power to perform mighty works in the name of their Lord.

What if we were to experience what George Bailey did in It’s a Wonderful Life, and live life without the priesthood in our lives? Sometimes that’s the only way people learn, to recognize what they’ve lost.

During the Priesthood session of the April 1982 conference, Elder Bruce R. McConkie spoke on The Doctrine of the Priesthood, and Marion G. Romney spoke on Priesthood. Both talks testified of real power that emanates from faithful living of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Members of the church, today, are stumbling because President Nelson is changing how we do things at church. But what do church schedules have to do with our doctrine? In fact, what does that clarify to us about our doctrine?

The doctrine of the priesthood is the doctrine, or gospel, of Jesus Christ, because He is the priesthood and the gospel. All light, knowledge, and power come through Him. He has offered us a small portion of His priesthood to live on this planet if we recognize Him and ask for His power to be upon us. As Elder McConkie puts it, “The doctrine of the priesthood is known only by personal revelation … Priesthood is power like none other on earth or in heaven. It is the very power of God himself … It is the power of faith.”

Church programs, traditions and procedures can change all they want, and they will, but the doctrine of Jesus Christ’s gospel never changes. The gospel offers us the ability to spiritually connect with our Savior, learn and obey His will, and return to stay in our Heavenly Father’s presence.  

Remember the city of Enoch? How much change did that city have to go through to be translated? Elder McConkie says, “they were translated because they had faith and exercised the power of the priesthood.” Today, Pres. Nelson is asking us to exercise our faith and power to gather the House of Israel.

Something we all can do is magnify our callings, according to both McConkie and Romney. We automatically think of our church callings, but there are other more important callings. Think of our callings as spouses, parents, individuals, and as missionaries. These callings are often neglected.

We never have to fear about any changes because it isn’t the doctrine that is changing. Here is Elder McConkie’s final testimony of what our doctrine is that we can always rely on while we undergo changes in preparation for the Lord’s coming:

“This doctrine is that God our Father is a glorified, a perfected, and an exalted being who has all might, all power, and all dominion, who knows all things and is infinite in all his attributes, and who lives in the family unit.”

This is what we get to receive for ourselves if we hold onto the power of faith which we all have received at our baptism, our moment of commitment to the Lord’s gospel.