When Jesus Christ answered Joseph Smith's inquiry about the church he should join, He stated that Joseph should "join none of them, for they were all wrong," and as the Savior expounded on how these churches were "wrong" he explained that they had "a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof" (JSH 1:19). They were missing something; they were a shadow of what Christ's Church had been, and they either lacked his authority or denied that anyone could have it.
Joseph was later taught, through revelation, that "in the ordinances [of the Kingdom of God], the power of godliness is manifest," a direct response to what was lacking in the other churches of the time and of our time (D&C 84:20). When we use the priesthood to baptize, give the gift of the Holy Ghost, confer the Priesthood upon another, give blessings, administer the sacrament, and perform temple ordinances, we testify on behalf of God that His power is present in the Church. The missionaries are specifically counseled to invite investigators to baptisms because that ordinance invites such a Spirit that it can chance hearts quicker than almost any other experience. The righteous use of the Priesthood in these settings calls down the Spirit to seal the ordinance and covenants, and that same Spirit will testify to each who witnesses the ordinance that the power of God is in that room. If we keep ourselves worthy, invite non-members and less-actives to prepare for the ordinances of the Gospel, and center our lives on the ordinances and covenants that have been restored through the Priesthood's existence, then will Christ testify to others that this Church has more than a "form of godliness"; it has His power.
