From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Benin City Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, took place yesterday in Benin, the Edo State capital.
Speaking at the event, Elder Adeyinka Ojediran, General Authority Seventy, First Counselor, Africa West Area of the Church, described it as “an inspiring and sacred event for us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ who would have the honour to make covenants with God in the temple that will be built here.
“The temple is different from our regular meeting houses. We worship the Lord every week in our meeting houses to honour the Sabbath and partake of the sacrament as emblems of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The temple is literally the house of the Lord. In the temple, worthy Church members participate in sacred ordinances and make covenants with the Lord. Temples of the Lord are the holiest, most sacred structures in the kingdom of God”.
He explained that “the importance of the temple was established in the old biblical times and later restored in these latter days. In the Bible, temples hold significant importance as places of worship and divine presence”.
Elder Ojediran made biblical references tabernacles temples that existed at different times and said: “All these temples symbolized the dwelling place of God among His people and served as centres of worship and spiritual connection.
“We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that part of the restoration of the gospel are temples and ordinances of the gospel, administered in the House of the Lord”.
He disclosed that the “The Church has built numerous temples worldwide since its early days. We currently have 382 temples worldwide, in operation, under construction and announced. The keys of this dispensation committed to the prophet Joseph Smith by Moses, Elias and Elijah were given to save us and our ancestors and prepare us for the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
“Temples are sacred places where we make sacred covenants with God and receive blessings for ourselves and our families, living and dead. They are houses of the Lord, places of peace and learning, where we can seek spiritual guidance for crucial decisions and concerns, and where we can receive revelations and draw closer to God.
“Their principal purpose is to provide ordinances and covenants necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to dwell with Him. Temple ordinances and covenants lead to the greatest blessings available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
“Our dear prophet President Russell M. Nelson has promised that time in the temple can change our lives. He said The temple is a place of peace and power, and spending time there will literally change a person’s life.”
He added that “my dear brothers and sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely will. In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more time in the temple.
“May we, therefore, rededicate our lives to God as we prepare to worship in the house of the Lord that are currently in operation and when this construction is completed and the temple is dedicated
Later in interview with journalists, Elder Ojediran who described the groundbreaking as “an epoch, important and joyous moment”, said it is the second temple to built in Nigeria after the first built in Aba, Abia State.
He said when completed, the temple would be opened to the public and closed for one week for cleansing to enable members of the Church to commence worship in it.