Proper Authority and Ministering to People

                In order for priesthood ordinances to have saving power they must be done in the name of Jesus Christ.  The saints in Corinth learned this when Paul came to visit them.  At the time the saints had not received the Holy Ghost; they didn’t even know what the Holy Ghost was.  Also, they had not been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ into his church.  Upon learning this, Paul taught them that they needed to be baptized in the name of Christ so they could receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Paul then baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ and afterwards laid his hands on their head and bestowed upon them the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

                It is important to understand that these saints in Corinth were people who were living the best they could according to what they had been taught by John the Baptist.  However, they had not yet been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ nor received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and gained membership into Christ’s church.  Many people today face this same problem.  Many are “humble followers of Christ” (See 2^nd Nephi 28: 14) and are living the best they can according to what they know.  However, they have not received ordinances with the right authority.  The Doctrine and Covenants teaches that a man could be baptized a hundred times and that if it is not done with the right authority it availeth him nothing (see D&C 22: 2).  Only being baptized by someone having the correct authority, in the name of Christ, in preparation to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, will be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.

                The need to have an ordinance sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise is one reason why the saints in Corinth needed to be re-baptized.  John had the authority to baptize, but he did not have the authority to confer the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  This is why he said Christ would come and baptize them “with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (see Matthew 3: 11).  Since the saints at Corinth hadn’t even heard of the Holy Ghost they needed the Gift of the Holy Ghost to allow the Holy Spirit of Promise to validate their baptism.

                Along with baptizing and conferring the Gift of the Holy Ghost Paul cast out devils, raised a man from the dead, and administered the sacrament.  An interesting point here is that up until now the Sabbath was on Saturday (the seventh day of the week).  Acts 20: 7 seems to suggest that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday.  This is likely in relation to the savior rising from the tomb on the 3^rd day, which was a Sunday, the first day of the week (see John 20: 1, 19).  The disciples now coming together on the “first day of the week” to “break bread” suggests that they are partaking of the sacrament on Sunday, which would also suggest that the Sabbath occurs now on Sunday rather than Saturday.