Missionaries and fathers, and all who serve others want to help those they love gain a lasting testimony that the keys of the priesthood are held by the Lord's servants in His Church, said Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve in his conference address Saturday afternoon.
Encouraging "all who labor to instill and strengthen that testimony," Elder Eyring said: "It will help to recognize some things. First, God is persistent and generous in offering the blessings of priesthood power to His children. Second, His children must choose for themselves to qualify for and receive those blessings. And third, Satan, the enemy of righteousness, has from the beginning tried to undermine the faith necessary to receive the blessings made possible by priesthood power."
Some 25 years ago, Elder Eyring related, he learned those realities from a wise teacher. He had addressed a gathering at the ancient theatre in Ephesus after carefully preparing and studying Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. Later, then-Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve, who was present, took him aside and, with a smile and with softness in his voice, told him he "could have told the people that if the Saints who heard Paul had possessed a testimony of the value and the power of the keys he held, perhaps the apostles would not have had to be taken from the earth."
"That sent me back to Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I could see that Paul wanted the people to feel the value of the chain of priesthood keys reaching from the Lord through His apostles to them, the members of the Lord's Church. Paul was trying to build a testimony of those keys."
Paul, Elder Eyring continued, looked forward to the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith. "Ancient apostles and prophets returned and conferred upon Joseph the keys they held in mortality. Mortal men were ordained to the holy apostleship in February of 1835. Priesthood keys were given to the Twelve in the winter of 1844. . . . Every prophet that followed Joseph, from Brigham Young to President (Gordon B.) Hinckley, has held and exercised those keys and has held the sacred apostleship.
"But just as in the time of Paul, the power of those priesthood keys for us requires our faith. We have to know by inspiration that the priesthood keys are held by those who lead and serve us. That requires the witness of the Spirit. And that depends upon our testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives and leads His Church. We must also know for ourselves that the Lord restored His Church and the priesthood keys through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And we must have an assurance through the Holy Ghost, refreshed often, that those keys have been passed without interruption to the living prophet and that the Lord blesses and directs His people through the line of priesthood keys which reaches down through presidents of stakes and of districts and through bishops and branch presidents to us, wherever we are and no matter how far from the prophet and apostles."
Warning listeners to beware of Satan's desire to undermine testimony by pointing out human frailties, Elder Eyring counseled: "To keep ourselves grounded in the Lord's Church, we can and must train our eyes to recognize the power of the Lord in the service of those He has called. We must be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. And we need to pray for the Holy Ghost to help us know that men who lead us hold this power. For me, such prayers are often answered when I am fully engaged in the Lord's service myself."
Continuing, the apostle spoke of the constant renewal of faith. "The bishop we love will be released as will the stake president. The apostles we followed in faith will be taken home to the God who called them. With those continual changes come a great opportunity. We can act to qualify for the revelation that allows us to know that the keys are being passed by God from one person to another. We can seek to have that experience again and again."
