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The theme I would like to discuss with you this evening is right at the heart and core of the gospel plan. If I were limited to speaking on one topic for the rest of any life, and had to make a
selection of a given subject, this would be the one that I would choose.
Let me first express the basic idea of this important subject and then develop
various ramifications of it. To begin, we should understand that in its true and perfect
organization, the kingdom of God is a family, now and that the Church is God's instrument
to build up that family order or kingdom. To illustrate the relationship between the Church
and this divine family order, let me turn to the blackboard for a minute and draw a line
down the middle of it, to make the division between these two aspects of the kingdom of
God. On the left side let us put the Church and its program, and on the right side, the
ultimate thing that the Church is concerned with developing, which is the divine and
celestial family of Christ. The Church, as we know, has its various administrative levels -
the General Authority level, Stake level and, down here at the grass-roots, the Ward
program. On each level there are various offices, and councils, quorums and auxiliaries.
On the right side of the blackboard we will put a pyramid representing a family, and let us
designate this as the Divine Patriarchal Order. Again may I say that the relationship
between the Church and the Divine Patriarchal Order is simply this, that it is the mission
of the Church to build up, establish, and perfect that divine family order in preparation for
eternity.