What are Endowments? And Were They Mentioned in Ancient Scripture?

The time has finally come for me to write about endowments; what they are, where they come from, and why we have them. More appropriate now than before, considering I’ve taken mine out. However, considering the sacred nature of temple ordinances, I will focus solely on ancient and modern scripture as I did in my post on The New and Everlasting Covenant – where I mentioned discussing today’s topic.

First off, let us look at temples. It is clear that temples, including tabernacles, were extremely important to the children of God in The Old Testament. Moses was instructed to build the tabernacle according to God’s pattern in Exodus 25:9, the Lord fills His house in 1 Kings 8, and Jonah sets his sights on the temple in Jonah 2:4. We needn’t look further to find the countless references to the constructs set apart for God where His servants served Him in.

Why then does modern Christianity not have a temple?

There are many that believe 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”, instituted a shift from the temple being a building to it being a body; a place where the Spirit dwelled.

This is an interesting debacle, since Christ, himself, and the apostles worshipped, taught and prayed in the temple. Was this yet another transition after Christ’s resurrection? Why then was Paul in the temple? Because we see that Corinthians is the first so-called mention of this transition. What, then, would’ve caused it? Ascension Day, when Christ left the Holy Ghost to be with us? Paul was still in the temple after that. And the Holy Ghost was manifest even in Genesis 1:1. Joseph, Moses, Saul, Azariah, Zechariah, and others from The Old Testament had the Spirit of God come over them. Even John had the Holy Ghost with him from birth (Luke 1:15).

The question then, is, was 1 Corinthians 3:16 a shift, or a statement of what had always been true? In order for the Spirit to have dwelled in all those ancient prophets, in John, and many other witnesses, they needed to have been temples of God. Paul was telling us that we ARE temples and that it is the Spirit that dwells in us, or within and around us. He never said temples were to stop being built. In fact, we can see throughout history that certain followers of Christ continued to build temples in His name. Mainstream Christianity chose not to.

Some, incorrectly, use Mark13:1-2 to validate their point, but Christ actually speaks of when all things shall crumble in the last days. They are still at the temple when discussing this.

Even Revelation speaks of a temple which is to be built in the last days, in which many shall pour in and out of (from all nations, kindred and tongues).

The temple has always been a sacred place for God’s covenant people and always will be. And in it is where we take out sacred covenants, which we call endowments; a gift from God.

D&C 43:16 teaches “And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken.”

I like the cross-reference for ‘taught’; inspired.

Now this is the answer. The endowment is a gift, a gift to tarry and a gift to give. It is no wonder all missionaries are endowed before departing to any mission field.

And in Luke 24:49 we read “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

In verse 53 we read “And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”

Beautiful, isn’t it?

D&C 95:8-9 teaches “Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high; For this is the promise of the Father unto you; therefore I command you to tarry, even as mine apostles at Jerusalem.”

We, therefore, see that temples go hand-in-hand with endowments. We see that the first recorded endowments were given by Christ Himself in the Gospel according to St. Luke. And the endowments are there to permit us to tarry, a promise given of the Father to those whom He has chosen.

The Old Testament isn’t there for nothing. The commandments were not given for us to ignore. We have them to prove our obedience, to assist us in our mortal journey and to bless us as Heavenly Father so desires.

References are rare and that is because the experience itself is a sacred one. I would encourage anyone to seek out the temple and work towards that goal. The temple is the House of the Lord, and it blesses us in our everyday life.

My Ventures in Jo’burg Town

January 2015 has been an interesting year thus far. Immediately after my endowments, I ventured in and out of Jo’burg town more times than I’d have liked and encountered a missionary opportunity while exercising patience with regards to a, now, investigator. The soaring high met a drowning low, but – through it all – my spirits kept strong.

This is how it went.

Once I had finished at the Temple, the missionaries wanted to eat out. We were to rely on the GPS on my phone, which wasn’t working. The highest point in Jo’burg, and my phone couldn’t find signal. So the missionaries led us out to a different location, in hopes of finding signal there. They took the slipway left, towards town, instead of going straight. We drove until Elder Broadhead decided, let us just go home. Needles to say, when the GPS finally loaded, it took us the route through town instead of the same way it took us to get there.

It was hot and my GPS kept recalculating. As the missionaries followed, I ended up taking the wrong off ramp, having to drive through town to get back onto the highway. On the highway, the GPS took me into a dead-end road. Fortunately we got to a place the missionaries recognised, so they took the lead.

We had lunch and they went teaching – they decided not to use my services as a ward missionary.

From there, I returned home to pack my bags and head out to my best friend’s house. Benjamin Bankart. He had just turned 21 – which we celebrated epically in Wilderness the week prior.

  

 

On my way to his house, my GPS (yes, I suck at directions, leave me alone) took me through Jo’burg town (Ben stays in Melville). The GPS lost signal countless times and kept recalculating. It was blistering hot (and no, my car did not have an aircon, just a fan which blew hot air) and anyone who knows Jo’burg knows that you cannot open your window. I was almost mugged three times (fortunately the lights went green just in time). On the bright side, one guy led me over a recently paved road I needed to get over, so I gave him 20 bucks for a drink or whatever. But the nightmare had just started.

My GPS sent me in circles, traffic was backed up, roads were blocked, and metro police pulled me over for a random car search. I finally got to a place I thought I knew, but still looked over to see where my GPS wanted me to turn… It was dead. My heart began to pound. How? It was on 56% I pulled over and plugged it into the car charger. Nothing. It began a cycle of turning on and dying before the main screen loaded. It looped. It was hot. Blistering hot.

I closed my eyes and began to pray.

My phone was dead and I knew there was no way for me to fix it. Not here, at least, and not now. So I began driving, not knowing where I was. I drove down every street corner, hoping to recognise something. I began singing hymns and praises, praying to God for guidance out of this. I couldn’t find my way to Ben’s place, much less return home to Alberton. What was happening? I had just come out from the Temple. Everything was supposed to be going well. I had just done good. I didn’t understand.

I continued to pray and found a man on a pizza delivery bike. “Melville Boulevard” it said. “Thank you, Father,” I uttered. I asked him to direct me to Ben’s house and he did one better; “Follow me,” he said.

The nightmare was over, I thought. We got to Ben’s house and I banged on the gate. I rang the bell and called out his name. Again, and again. The pizza delivery guy, Elvin (I believe), waited with me a couple of minutes before I struck up a conversation. “Do you go to Church?” Eventually I was able to learn of his desire to follow God and invited him to Church, telling him of the restored Gospel. He took down the address and thanked me – no phone.

Fifteen minutes had passed and Ben’s neighbour told me he wasn’t home. What?! How was he not home? He knew I was coming. His car was there. His door was open. I waited just over thirty minutes, praying and singing hymns from my new mini hymn book the Farquharsons had just bought for me.

My phone turned on. Just long enough for me to send Ben a message… and then it died. He came out and let me in.

His girlfriend, Priscilla, came over a few minutes later and we watched anime, searched the internet, chatted and played games. We ate ice cream, ordered Chinese food and watched some more anime. Priscilla went home and we continued before going to sleep at 22:45 that evening (surprisingly early, but then again I woke up at five and drove all over town).

The next day, Ben was kind enough to lend me his spare phone as a GPS before I headed out for Church. Johannesburg Chapel was the place of the weekend and Vincent was the investigator heading over to meet the Ward Mission Leader for the first time. There are no missionaries in Johannesburg (too dangerous). So let me tell you about Vincent before I continue.

I met Vincent at Jo’burg Gen, Wits Dental School, end July 2014. I was there to have my wisdoms removed for my mission papers (trust me, I wouldn’t have done it for any other reason). We were handed out a form to fill in, and I noticed the guy to my left, Vincent, did not have a pen to fill it in; I offered him mine. I then struck up a conversation, gave him a pass along card and an Articles of Faith card. For some reason, I chose the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the topic focus. At first, he kept trying to shrug away and wiggle himself out of the conversation. He couldn’t even bring himself to say Christ’s name. But I persisted, the Spirit prompted strongly and I could not deny it.

Eventually we reached the principle of repentance and I noticed him draw nearer. Our conversation took a complete turnaround. He began confiding in me, bordering on tears. He told me he felt unworthy of even having this conversation with me. Unworthy to even think Christ’s name. He told me he had sown bad seeds and that the scriptures tell us we will reap what we sow. He grew up as a Roman Catholic, but lost touch with God along the way. I then informed him of what the Spirit had just told me, that “Regardless of the crops we reap today, we still have the next season to sow better seeds than before. That is the miracle of repentance. We have the opportunity to turn around and go back to our Father in Heaven.”

It was a powerful spiritual experience, and as we spoke I learnt about his childhood, where he lives, his parents, grandparents, and even the path he had taken. He expressed joy for the message he had heard and said that he now felt worthy enough to repent, that he was grateful the opportunity existed. He then informed me that in our three hour conversation, he didn’t even think of smoking once, when normally he would have gone out at least five. Then, he told me, he was planning on mugging me, to take my phone and all the money I had on me. That he had done it before. He was just waiting for me to walk out of the Hospital, alone.

From this, a friendship enveloped. He stopped stealing and created his own goals to quit smoking and strive towards repentance. We stayed in touch, sent each other verses, called each other brothers. Unfortunately, missionaries had just been taken out of Johannesburg, the area where he stayed, so I couldn’t give him as a referral. I lived in Alberton at the time, so I couldn’t meet him oft.

But this year was the year. I got to Church for the eight o’clock service and waited for him, trying to direct him. I missed sacrament meeting and went into Gospel Principles and assisted in the lesson. I kept going in and out of Church grounds to see where he was, but still no success. The ten o’clock service was about to begin and I needed to go in to partake of the sacrament. The Ward Mission Leader from Johannesburg 2, the one who’d be teaching Vincent said that it’s impossible for someone to take 2 hours to find the Chapel, that he was just pulling my leg. Still, I persisted. Halfway through sacrament meeting, I phoned him back to find out where he was.

He made it! The patience pulled off. I introduced him to the Ward Mission Leader (after pulling him, the Ward Mission Leader, out of High Priest’s class) and we discussed how his teaching process would occur and when he’d be baptised (just prior, the Ward Mission Leader and I discussed an appropriate number of attendances to indicate commitment before baptism would be considered). The Ward Mission Leader then said, with all confidence, you should come to his baptism.

I took Vincent to the last few minutes of Johannesburg 1s sacrament meeting (after being mistaken for the missionary who’d be performing the baptismal interviews for them) and he said that he felt inspired and prompted to find means to make the Saviour a priority in his life, to help others and continue coming to Church. It was a powerful experience.

If all my efforts as a member from 8 December 2013 to now don’t pay off… If all my hard work, dedication and commitment to missionary work results in him being the only person I, personally, bring unto the fold… It’ll all be worth it.

There were trials that weekend, but if efforts in preventing me from going to Jo’burg that weekend are at all an indication, Vincent is going to be a powerful member. This must be Christ’s true Church and I must’ve been doing something right, otherwise the adversary would have no reason to fight so hard. I would do it again. My faith has been strengthened and I know God is in control.

The war that began at the foundation of the world is continuing today. The question we need to ask ourselves is, which side are we on?

I, Finally, Did It: I Went to the Temple

Early 2013, it was an interesting Sunday--a curious one indeed. I had just come to the realisation that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints existed and stumbled upon inklings of the Temple I’d soon come to haunt over… I had just met missionaries (of any sort) for the first time. I emphasise met, because it recently occurred to me that I had, in fact, seen missionaries once before - but that’s another story; one for another time.

Today’s story is more about the Temple, otherwise known as the House of the Lord, and my long waited journey to - finally - enter in. Yes, on the 10th of January 2015, this longwinded, overly analytical, secretly critical (okay, maybe not so much secretly, says my sister’s laughs; “Tell me another one,” she’d banter), research obsessed Latter-day Saint took his first steps into rooms otherwise restricted and felt the touch of the delicate holy garments for the first time. It was a morn to be remembered.

Let’s see, the day started out quite early - well, not really. I woke up at 05:00, jumped into the shower, suited up and waited for the missionaries to arrive at 06:00. I had scheduled for the nine o’clock session and needed to be in the Temple by 07:30 (and the Distribution Centre opened at 07:00). The plan was that I’d drive the three of us to the Temple to save on petrol (or gas, as the Americans call it), but for one reason or another they decided to follow in their car (something about the APs). Oh, and they weren’t allowed to give me a lift. Shrug. So I put the address for the Johannesburg South Africa Temple into the GPS and they (Elders Broadhead and Wegrowski) followed.

It took us down a route neither of us had been before and we arrived twenty three minutes later - as opposed to forty five minutes later, as expected. “Sometimes GPSs do come in handy,” I remarked, not realising the fatality to come (stay tuned).

And we were there. Myself… and the Elders, who were kind enough to escort me through the Temple my first time ‘round. See the minio-- I mean, men on the right.

We made our venture through the Temple grounds - with Elder Wegrowski’s continued comments on how small ‘twas - and took pictures along the way. I decided, since so many pictures of me existed (of which, I had practically none), to have the Elders take a couple of shots using my phone… I still don’t have any photos from that morning. The reason? Spoilers. Suffice to say, the Elders have pictures from that morning and I do not.

We went to the Distribution Centre as it opened and entered into the Temple earlier than arranged. I was greeted by a few Priesthood Holders and the Sister with whom I had made arrangements with. Don’t ask me about names-- that’s foreign territory. I remember their faces and our conversations, but names, now that’s something I’ve never been good at.

I gave Elder Broadhead his Escort tag, which I’m not entirely certain he wanted, but I wanted him there and he didn’t exactly say no; and, from there, we headed into my initiatories (a little early). My mind was blown. I sat there, as I waited, with the image before me of Moses giving blessings at an ancient Temple. Everything made sense.

“The Old Testament means something,” I said.

Elder Broadhead smiled. He and his companion were conversing over Utahan names with another American whose name eludes me now. They were well in their comfort zone, which was good, because my mind was racing. Everything I had read, everything I had studied, came pouring through. I saw, in my mind’s eye, the Tabernacle of Moses construct itself around us with the ancient prophets themselves walking through.

The awkward candid shot.

I think of the specifics, and how detailed they are, as the words echo through my mind once again. I felt the Spirit testify and truth resound. I felt the room fill as I moved along. One after the other, I was blown away.

Isaiah 62:2 was now mine - the meaning was clear and I felt new. As Meghan (a fellow YSA from my home ward) said, “It felt like Eragon. I finally have it.”

We went on to discuss other things which I cannot discuss, but I do remember - as it ended - Elder Broadhead taking the Doctrine & Covenants, showing me his favourite verse therein.

D&C 38:32 “Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high;”

Good verse. I also pointed out, “This isn’t Ohio.” and showed him my favourite.

D&C 95:8 “Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high;”

We moved to the Chapel where we went through hymns from a white hymn book and then read
scriptures as we waited. That was when Brother Farquharson came in. After some time I rose to greet Sister Farquharson. I was filled with glee. The only one missing was Dylan.

And then came the Endowment session. Never have I ever cried for a movie before, but this wasn’t just a movie. I felt touched by every word and questions I’d debated with missionaries, ones from other churches as well, were finally answered. EVERYTHING MADE SENSE. Everything fit in. My mind was whirling and my soul was soaring. I was blessed. I am blessed. I had the Farquharsons on my left and the missionaries on my right.

As I walked into the Celestial Room, I was greeted by Brother Farquharson (Kev) and Sister Farquharson (Shan). My soul was filled with so much joy. My spiritual family was there.

I won’t say much more, because it was a sacred, beautiful experience, but know that it has been on my mind every day (and night) since.

We went out onto Temple Grounds and began taking photos (as is tradition with Kev).

I’d just like to say, the Temple is a blessing. It has opened my eyes to so much more - and I know that there is still so much more to learn. Granted, I now know all the doctrines of the Church and it’s phenomenal. I could never have expected this, through all the Anti-Mormon research, from that heart-wrenching, sickening video of the Temple I saw mere moments after discovering the Church, and in all my scepticism, heard-heartedness, critique and stubbornness.

I’ve come a long way. Brave young men taught me in all my defences, but persisted, as did the Spirit. I can honestly and truly say that the Gospel has changed my life. I’m not the same as I was before, and I won’t be the same today as I am tomorrow, and how beautiful it is that it is so. How beautiful is it that persons can grow and progress.

And, when I think about it, the Temple is one of the main reasons I’ve continued. I could have stopped seeing the missionaries. I could have stopped reading the Book of Mormon. I could’ve stopped asking questions and doing research. Especially since I was convinced that it wasn’t true, or rather, not of God. But I didn’t. I wanted to know more. No, I needed to know more. Because, deep down, I knew the things I read about the Temple weren’t true. I knew that something was inside there and I needed to find it. The missionaries were quiet – they didn’t say a word. The journey was mine. And now I can say, I’ve found it. I know what’s inside the Temple and the answer is truth. The answer is God. The answer is purpose. The answer is meaning.

It is exactly as Sister Shan said, “No other Church answers the questions ‘Where do I come from?’, ‘Why am I here?’, and ‘Where do I go after?’ as well as the restored gospel.” In fact, no other Church comes close.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly is God’s Church once again established on the earth. Joseph Smith did a mighty work in bringing it back as God’s chosen Prophet. God loves us. And He has given us Temples. Let us keep our eyes set on them. For they truly are the House of the Lord.

“How far is Heaven? Not very far. In the House of the Lord, it is right where you are.”

I'm still a new-blood, of a year and roughly a month, so there's still much to learn, much to understand-- questions eating away. I'll be patient, I'll be diligent, but I still need help. I'll be zealous at times and confused at others. I need to be tried, reproofed and corrected. I am a convert-- and mainstream Christianity is not nearly the same as restorative Christianity, much less Mormonism. Even though, my sights are set; the Spirit is my compass and the Temple is my North.

Defending the Faith

There are many things I do not know, and great deal I still need to learn. This weekend I was privileged to be in the presence of faithful men and women, strong in their convictions and true to their mainstream Christian faiths. As ministers and active believers, their love for God was clearly felt. Admirable, I might add.

And as a Mormon (as I’m commonly referred these days), the topic of legitimacy clearly rose. It was then that I realised that I have much to work on – especially in defending my faith while respecting theirs.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

I failed in that regard this past weekend, as my responses left much to be wanted, much to be answered. I resorted to the same old response the missionaries left me with when I asked the same questions and the conversation died before resolution was made. So that is what I’d like to address today.

From their perspective, the gospel was clearly taught to the disciples and recorded in the Bible. From then, it has been the gospel Christians have lived by until the 1800s came. Then, suddenly, Churches sprang out with new doctrine and new teachings that opposed that which was carried on from the days of the apostles.

Galatians 1:8-9 was presented and I was asked how I felt about having “another gospel”.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

From this perspective, yes, I agree that it can be viewed as a perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But this is not how we see it. And foundation of our conclusion resides in the churches that did exist before any such restoration took place. Our understanding of the above verse brings to pass the difference in understanding of the term “gospel”.

Let us go back, back to the days of Joseph Smith, when his journey for truth began.

In his immediate vicinity, the topic of religion was rife and the denominations existing already strong. There were Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians of immediate concern. His family was torn between the splits and his mind was not yet made. These were the days when congregations fought strongly about who was right and who was wrong.

Already, before any “restoration”, there was much confusion regarding the truthfulness of any current denomination. It is not surprising that many began their own search for truth, coming to many of their own conclusions.

In the words of Joseph Smith, “for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.”

The “gospel” had not been preserved. The teachings that now came forth taught that God no longer spoke to man; that dreams and visions were not possible (as opposed to Acts 20:17) and that one should NOT pray (as opposed to 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

This was the reality for Joseph Smith. Clearly, an apostasy had occurred, as these men and women relied on teachings, rather than testimony; teachings that varied greatly, one from another. As we see it, a restoration needed to take place. Man needed God, not the interpretations of man.

So Joseph Smith prayed to God and the first vision came to pass. The Book of Mormon was revealed to reaffirm what the Bible taught. Together, they would stand as scripture to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon was not and is not another gospel, but another testament of Jesus Christ. It is further scripture to teach the same gospel, because the Bible had been through so many hands and preached with so many tongues and interpretations.

So no, I don’t believe Paul was talking about Moroni or Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon in Galatians 1. I don’t believe the Book of Mormon teaches “another gospel”, because it teaches us to come unto Christ, as does the Bible; it teaches us to call on His name so that we can be saved, as does the Bible; it teaches us that He is the focus, He is the centre, and He is the reason for all things, as does the Bible. It teaches us the means by which we can be saved – faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end – and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the same gospel he taught to His disciples and it is the same gospel taught today.

One thing I have noticed, however, is that contemporary Christianity is not the same as Christianity was just prior to the “restoration”. Christianity changed from trusting in reason to trusting in revelation, they went from being Draconian to relying solely on grace, and began developing a relationship with God instead of preaching damnation.

I find this change interesting as the words to Joseph Smith in the First Vision were, “they draw near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

I strongly believe this has changed from then to now. Yes, there are many who fall under this category still, but Christianity today is about the relationship. At least, that is what I’ve noticed.

There are many who seek the Lord and follow Him with all their heart.

Another question was asked, if we believe that a person has to be Mormon in order to get into heaven. And granted, there are many that do believe this. But one thing we do know is that we, LDS, will be surprised at the judgement bar to see those who do, in fact, receive celestial glory (Matthew 5:10).

As important as the three kingdoms are in our faith, I don’t really like discussing them with those who don’t share it; mostly because they don’t exist yet. Rather, I prefer to focus on paradise (Luke 23:43) and prison (1 Peter 3:19), the current heaven and hell. This is where Mormonism and mainstream Christianity works together, for the most part.

There are many things pertaining to the restoration which would require much study, much time, and much discussion. I don’t have the answers to many things, but I know that this is the path God has put me on. For I, myself, had great difficulty in accepting the restored gospel, but when God speaks, you listen. When the Spirit whispers, you pay attention.