Doctrine and Covenants 109:2–3

President Brigham Young:

“Without revelation, Joseph could not know what was wanted, any more than any other man, and, without commandment, the Church were too few in number, too weak in faith, and too poor in purse, to attempt such a mighty enterprise” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 415).

Doctrine and Covenants 109:5

President Thomas S. Monson:

“Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found in the temples of God.

“Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple? Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort” (“The Holy Temple—a Beacon to the World,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 92).

John Tanner Story:

In the early 1830s, John Tanner was a wealthy man. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had a large family, and they lived in the eastern United States. One day two Latter-day Saint missionaries visited to their home. One of them, Elder Jared Carter, administered a priesthood blessing to John, and John’s leg, which had been afflicted with open sores, was immediately healed. John never used crutches again.

John and Elizabeth Tanner were baptized on September 17, 1832. In December 1834, Brother Tanner had an impression that he and his family should move to Kirtland. When they arrived, he found that the mortgage on the temple site was falling due and that the impoverished Church leaders had been praying for a way to pay the debt. He immediately provided the money. He continued to contribute large sums of money to the building of the temple and assist in the work until his accounts were bare. When he moved with his family to Missouri to help build up Zion, he had a “borrowed team and one old broken down stage horse, and an old turn pike cart, a cag [keg] of powder, and $7.50 in cash,” according to his son, Nathan. (See George S. Tanner, John Tanner and His Family [1974], 74–77.)

Brother Tanner was called to serve a mission in 1844. Before he left to serve, he met Joseph Smith on the road in Nauvoo and handed him the note from the loan he had given to Church leaders for the mortgage of the temple site. John told Joseph there was no obligation to pay him back. In response, Joseph said, “God bless you, Father Tanner, your children shall never beg bread” (in John Tanner and His Family, 103). This prophecy has been a blessing to the Tanner family ever since. (See Leonard J. Arrington, “The John Tanner Family,” Ensign, Mar. 1979, 48.)

Doctrine and Covenants 109:14–23

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin:

“In the house of the Lord, faithful Church members can be endowed ‘with power from on high’ [D&C 95:8], power that will enable us to resist temptation, honor covenants, obey the Lord’s commandments, and bear fervent, fearless testimony of the gospel to family, friends, and neighbors” (“Cultivating Divine Attributes,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 27).

President Howard W. Hunter:

“Truly, the Lord desires that His people be a temple-motivated people. It would be the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church be temple worthy. … Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow” (“The Great Symbol of Our Membership,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 5).

Doctrine and Covenants 109:22–23

President Howard W. Hunter:

“Let us prepare every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving the mission call” (“Follow the Son of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 88).

Doctrine and Covenants 109:54–58

Elder David A. Bednar:

“We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work!

“If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith—if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express—then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way. Such a prayer of faith might include some of the following elements:

“• Thanking Heavenly Father for the doctrines and ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, which bring hope and happiness into our lives.

“• Asking for courage and boldness to open our mouths and share the gospel with our family and friends.

“• Entreating Heavenly Father to help us identify individuals and families who will be receptive to our invitation to be taught by the missionaries in our homes.

“• Pledging to do our part this day and this week and petitioning for help to overcome anxiety, fear, and hesitation.

“• Seeking for the gift of discernment—for eyes to see and ears to hear missionary opportunities as they occur.

“• Praying fervently for the strength to act as we know we should” (“Ask in Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 95–96).

Doctrine and Covenants 109:68–80

That evening, priesthood quorums met in the temple. Joseph Smith said that he “gave them instructions in relation to the spirit of prophecy, and called upon the congregation to speak. … George A. Smith arose and began to prophesy, when a noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the Temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy; others saw glorious visions; and I beheld the Temple was filled with angels, which fact I declared to the congregation. The people of the neighborhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple), and were astonished at what was taking place” (in History of the Church, 2:428). Some people saw angels above the temple and heard singing (see Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 167).