A few days ago I posted a request for thoughts on the temple. I’ve received a few messages from some readers, but not as many as I would like. We’d really like to hear from more of you. I think this could be a very powerful missionary tool for all of us.
What does the temple mean to you? Why do you go to the temple? Do you have a short experience you’d like to share? Do you have a testimony of the temple you think others could benefit hearing? Does the temple have an important place in your life? What have you learned about the temple that you’d like to teach others about? Is the temple a blessing to you? How has the temple changed your life? What is it that makes the temple different from the rest of ordinary life? Have you been privileged to do temple work for your ancestors? What was it like? Are you grateful for the temple? Why? Has the temple brought you closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ?
Here is an excellent example from a convert who has been a member of the Church for 11 years, and who has a genuinely powerful testimony of the temple. Press the play button below:
Thank you, brother, for sharing with us your witness and testimony of the temple and the Holy Ghost. You’ve blessed my life today.
What could you share with us about the temple?
The method is the same. Just click the “Call Me” button below, enter in your name (or “anonymous”), your phone number, select “keep number private,” and then click “Connect.” You will receive a phone call and be connected straight to the TempleStudy.com voicemail where you can share with us your message (3 minute limit). In a few days I’ll select some to share with everyone.
Feel free to be a missionary today and share what the temple means to you. It’s easy and you could make a positive difference in someone’s life by something you share.
Dear Brother you asked for comments on the temple. We recently took a friend to show him the Perth Temple and he asked many questions. After careful consideration this is the answer to his question.
A Temple is a house of worship – of peaceful and quiet contemplation and prayer with our God. Herein we are taught the lessons of eternity that we need to learn; we receive an Endowment – which is a gift of knowledge – for ourselves; we are joined together as husband and wife, by one holding the correct authority, not just for Time, but for Eternity; our children are sealed to us for Eternity; we make sacred covenants of our own free will and choice and we have the privilege of doing the same for our own dead ancestors – those who would have accepted the Gospel while they lived in mortality had they been given the chance.
We believe Free Agency not only exists here and now, but also in the hereafter, as it did before we came to the earth in mortal form. With this free agency those who have passed on can choose to accept or reject the work done for them as they see fit – just as they could when they lived on the earth.
It is most comforting to us to know that we have been ‘sealed’ to each other forever; that some of our children have been sealed to us also, and thereby many of our grand-children. That death cannot break these bands is our firm conviction.
In the Temple we find so much peace, so much love from others who work therein and a sense that we are serving others by doing what they cannot do for themselves at this time. People shed their outdoor clothes and dress in white, voices are hushed and the atmosphere is one of total reverence. Everything in the Temple is symbolic which is the way the Lord taught while He lived on the earth. It is up to each of us to open our spiritual hearts to the understanding of the lessons. We are all at different stages of progression in our journey ‘Home’ and we learn in accordance with needs at the time – ‘line upon line, precept upon precept’.
When my husband passed away I felt the priesthood in my life was gone. I had lost the pipeline to revelation for our family, for myself, for interpretation of doctrine to my understanding, for insights into life that I had so enjoyed in our marriage. I felt keenly in need of support in a spiritual way that he could no longer give.
My Stake President happened by ( a miracle in itself) my home. Among other things he taught me that our Temple marriage insured me of a continuation of blessings of the priesthood in my life even tho I was alone. One great truth he also taught me was that if I had any problem, or needed any insight, or wanted encouragement, or answers to great questions — that when I had completed an endowment session, if I would sit in the Celestial Room and ponder, meditate and pray, I would have the answers and comfort I needed. My questions would be answered and doctrines understood. He promised me that I would be given the spiritual guidance I wanted there. It is the Holy Ghost’s favorite room, he told me. I have used this advice many many times and found it to be true.
How profound that rites and ordinances that are not only uncomplicated and direct, but unchanging and consistent can be the source of infinite learning. The principals and doctrine of the Lord’s church seem to crystalize and come into even sharper focus with each session I attend and each ceremony in which I participate. Deeply moving lessons, insights, inspirations and epiphanies occur with every visit.
I am humbled by the magnificence of the very environment that the Temple presents. From the immaculate landscape to the glorious Celestial Room, God’s presence is apparent in all aspects and details. There are no loud sounds, no garish colors, no invasive graphics. The atmosphere from the moment one enters the grounds is one of recondite peace and reverence.
But…
The most awe inspiring aspect of the Temple is the concept that the depth and complexity of the teachings contained in the ordinances performed, as well as the peace and tranquility of the surroundings do not even come close to the magnitude of the blessings that Heavenly Father has reserved for all of his children. If He were to bestow all of the divine treasures He has in store for me, my vision would be impaired for the unending tears. For now, the intensity of the blessings of the Temple is as much as my mortal being can bear, but I savor the experience and pray that I may continue to earn enough favor from the Lord to be considered worthy to serve in His Holy Temple.
Beyond the immediate peace and the knowledge to be gained through regular temple attendance, I am still anticipating the blessings of being sealed. As a nonmember young adult I was married and divorced, so I have no sealing to a spouse or my children (nor to my divorced parents). Being in a position where I am unable to change this situation for myself has provided me with compassion for my ancestors who are in a similar situation beyond the veil. For each person I discover and provide ordinances for, male or female, I feel immense joy as I picture them being released from bondage and rejoining their families. And I imagine one day they will welcome me into their fold with great love and thanksgiving for the service I have provided.
The first time I visited the temple was when I was 12 years old. I remember very clearly the feelings that I had as I entered the doors of the temple, there was such a peaceful feeling and also a very familiar feeling almost as if I were returning home to a place I once belonged. I recall asking my adult leader if it always felt this good when you were in the temple. I was so moved by that experience as a young boy, I could feel the gratitude those on the other side where expressing as we performed sacred ordinances for them. Since that time in my life the temple has been a wonderful blessing in my life and has been a place where some of the most meaningful experiences in my life have occurred. It is a place a peace, a place of learning a house of God. Over the past few years I have been trying to attend the temple more frequently, taking the opportunity to attend the temple as often as I can has brought me much happiness and has brought balance to my life. My direction in life more clear, I have more patience for the trials in my life, I have deeper love for my wife and children and family members. My heart has been turned to my ancestors and I feel their loving influence in my life and my appreciation for what they have given me has increased. I feel so blessed to live in an area where so many temples are within my reach, I know that this is one of God’s most choice blessings to His children.