I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them—in as much as they are faithful and continue in humility before me.” —Doctrines of the Saints 66:8

The term “endow” or “endowment” can be found a number of times in both the Latter-day Saint and Community of Christ Doctrine and Covenants. These are from revelations given through Joseph Smith Jr., Israel Smith, W. Wallace Smith, and Wallace B. Smith. The term refers to a number of things, all in regards to spiritual power from God to his servants. Like all gifts of the Spirit, they are given line upon line, and taught precept upon precept (Isaiah 28:9-11; 2 Nephi 12:36 RAV, 28:30a OPV, DoS 61:8). But, what does this mean?

Personal Pentecost: Endowment of the Holy Spirit

The first endowment is one of Personal Pentecost. Everyone that is born again is given Gifts of the Spirit. The Seventh Article of Faith calls them “the gift of faith.” These include, but are not limited to:

• discerning of spirits
• tongues
• prophecy
• revelation
• visions
• healing
• interpretation of tongues
• wisdom
• charity
• brotherly/sisterly love
• others
  —Doctrines of the Saints 66:8

This endowment may be given at the moment one is born again, or in stages. As one grows in grace more gifts may be added. While this endowment does not require an ordnance, it is tied to giving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and partaking the Sacrament of Communion (3 Nephi 4:50 9:20b OPV). Receiving this Endowment helps us grow spiritually, and taking Communion allows us to renew our baptismal covenants and grow in Christ’s grace.

Ordination to the Ministry: Endowment of the Priesthood

Another gift of spiritual power is gained by entering the ministry. By becoming a minister, a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we covenant to preform priesthood duties. In return, the Lord endows us with spiritual power (Doctrines of the Saints 2b:18-21). This endowment is given to help us bring others to Christ, and grow closer to Him. As we do this, we cannot help but grow closer to the Savior ourselves. These endowment are types of keys.

Priesthood keys are given to unlock power and blessings. With these keys those endowed are given the authority to preform duties as they are called of God. This is a sacred right that men and women cannot aspire or call themselves to. Like Aaron and Miriam, they are called by God through those in authority.

Endowment of the Priesthood

Once ordained to the ministry, those that identify as male become a member of the Brotherhood of Christ and those that identify as female the Sisterhood of Christ. They then are given their Initiatories also known as the Kirtland Endowment, as these were first performed in the School of the Prophets and in the Kirtland temple. These Initiatories are patterned after similar washings and anointings found in the Bible (Leviticus 8; Mark 6:13; Luke 4:18, 7:38, 44; John 13:1- 16; 1 Timothy 5:10; James 5:14).

This initiation process is not necessary for salvation or for membership into the Fellowship of Christ (Avahr 18:15, 18). They are performed as a Sacrament to the Lord. This is a step one takes on their journey of service in Christ’s kingdom here on the earth. The process includes the washing of the feet with water and oil, anointing, and a blessing. At this time, one will receive their new name, and they will receive the Garments of the Holy Priesthood at the altar. This garment is to be worn when working in service to the Lord, and a new name is presented with the garment as the individual is made a new person in their ministry in the name of Jesus Christ.

Further Endowments

Joseph Smith Jr. stated these would not be the only endowments. However, he stated the Nauvoo temple would need to be completed before we would receive them.

The keys are certain signs and words by which false spirits and personages may be detected from true, which cannot be revealed to the Elders till the Temple is completed.” —Joseph Smith Jr.’s Journal; May 1, 1842

This was stated just a few days before the Nauvoo endowments were given to various Brethren in the Red Brick Storehouse. Later, Joseph’s brother Hyrum echoed Joseph’s statement:

It is important that the Nauvoo House should be finished that we may have a suitable house wherein to entertain the great ones of the earth and teach them the truth. We want the Temple built that we may offer our oblations and where we can ask forgiveness of our sins every week, and forgive one another, and offer up our offering and get our endowment. —Hyrum Smith from Joesph Smith’s Journal; August 19, 1842

We know the apostles that took charge of the temple after Joseph and Hyrum’s deaths never completed the project. They dedicated the unfinished building on April 30, 1846, only to be forced to abandon it in September of that same year. Brigham Young and others had made changes to the portion of the Priesthood Endowments they had been given. These changes were not the revelations the Saints had been waiting for, based on the only revelations we have on the subject:

Have they not taught other abominable doctrines and formed secret combinations whereby many have transgressed the laws of the land and disobeyed my commandments, even those which were given unto my servant Joseph as a law unto my Church?” —Doctrines of the Saints 87:36

And this was echoed in a revelation given from the Lord to the Fellowship:

And this is not all: yea, my servant Brigham brought secret works into my Church; for behold, mine is a gospel of truth, yea even a gospel of light, yea even to stand on a hill to light the whole of the Earth; but behold, my servant Brigham feared men, and for this cause did he hide my truth behind temple walls, and add unto them his own secret doctrines.”
—Doctrines of the Saints 13a:49-51

For this reason, the Fellowship awaits further instructions and further Endowments from the Lord.

Endowments Today

With the restoration of all things that began with Joseph Smith Jr., the Lord made an everlasting covenant with those that would follow and worship Him in these, the last days. About 1,800 years after Christ had ascended to heaven, He returned as the angels had promised to Joseph Smith Jr. (Acts 1, Avahr 5). According to the introduction of the Doctrines of the Saints, found in Section 1, man had strayed from the Lord’s ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant. There was a war, if you will, between Grace and Works. Some said mankind is saved by Grace, other by Works. Both were correct, but only when put together.

Likewise, there is one priesthood, and that is the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. This isn’t anything new, this is how it has always been. Joseph Smith Jr. set up the kingdom today with the Offices of this Priesthood branching into two organizations: The Levitical and the Melchizedek. (Today, the Lord has setup the Magdalene Priesthood for those that identify as female.) Together, these work in unison in the Order of the Ministry within the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship.

The Low and the High

The Brotherhood and Sisiterhood of Christ are divided into the Low or Levitical and the High Priesthoods. The Lower for the works of mankind and the Higher for the works of God. Does this make the Lower or Levitical worthless? No, because in the Lower God grants us authority to do His ritual works. These works represent us, the creation. We are baptized, buried with Christ, coming out of the water resurrected. We partake of the Communion in representation of the flesh andblood of Christ. We lay on hands to ordain our brothers and sisters to the priesthood. The Lower or Levitical priesthood is for preparing the Earth. The High Priesthood does the works of God that bring the Heavens to the Earth (Hebrews 7:11-12, Doctines of the Saints 119:4-10). It is the High Priesthood that organizes the Creation, that which God has made. The High Priesthood blesses and heals, sets apart that which is created to do the works of the Lord, and preforms the miracles. This priesthood represents the Heavens.

Does this mean the Levitical Priesthood cannot heal, cannot perform miracles etc? No. (See appendix 1, Lay Blessings and Priesthood Blessings.) It means that when one holding no priesthood keys or Levitical Priesthood keys preforms a miracle in God’s name, they are using the High Priesthood. They are, after all, one Priesthood, one power of God given unto mankind.

Remember, we are ordained by men and women to use priesthood keys in human organizations. But the True Church of Jesus Christ belongs to no man or woman. God may ordain and give power to anyone as He sees fit (1 Corinthians 12:11, From the Church to the Kingdom, Doug Hatten, Chapter 6).

One Priesthood

In mortality we see things as skewed, our perception is warped by our finite nature. When we read the story of Adam and Eve we read two people: Adam and Eve. In reality it is the story of two beings: ourselves and the Creator. That is to say, we have both male and female in us: the desire to bestow (male) and the will to receive (female). We are Adam and Eve. And, because we are the children of God, the Creator may dwell in us as well. This takes us beyond the children of God, making us the Children of Christ, or Christians.

Likewise, the two priesthood’s are united by the cause and effect, our desire to bless other (love thy neighbors, the desire to bestow) and their desire to accept God’s blessings (love God, the will to receive). One may divide the priesthood into a square in four quadrants: Levitical, High, male, and female. But in truth it’s is one priesthood: low and high, male and female, creating a circle rather than a square. In this regard the two priesthoods are one in purpose though dual in nature. The Low Priesthood isn’t low because it’s lesser but because it’s purpose is to prepare the Earth for the power of Heaven. The High Priesthood isn’t higher as in better, but the power of heaven brought to the earth, uniting the heavens and the earth as one: the sealing power. Once we understand this, we may begin to unite with God in the priesthood, using this power with both authority and grace.

Write love in thy hearts, for reverence of the God of the heavens is in thy heart at all times… from love, understanding was created by the love and reverence; and a thousand generations come after from that love.” —Book of Remembrance 15:35, 42