Zionists

The old saying “hindsight is 20/20” becomes particularly poignant when it comes to the early saints, and the Lord’s request given to them concerning their job in the establishment of the city of Zion. In July 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith and several other elders of the church had traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, with the purpose in mind of learning the Lords will concerning the location He had chosen to establish His city. In Section 57 of the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord reveals just exactly where the city of Zion was to be.

Doctrine and Covenants 57:1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.

2 Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.

3 And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.

This group of Zionists must have been so excited to finally learn where the Lord had chosen to establish His city. They had prayed for this moment fervently and it had finally arrived. The understanding that they had of the Lord’s return, and the part that the building up of Zion played in that, made them yearn for a speedy establishment of the city itself. I believe they thought that His second coming would happen just as soon as they did, but in their zeal they might not have remembered that all things are given in the Lord’s time.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:1 Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give ear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you, and also concerning this land unto which I have sent you.

2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

The hour for them was truly “not yet”. The saints of that time period never did see the blessing of Zion being established in Jackson County, Missouri. They did however see tribulations galore. Although they did not see the fruit of their labors at the time, they did have a particular part to play in the establishment of Zion so that they could be crowned with the glory associated with that job.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:6 Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come;

7 And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand;

These wonderful Saints truly did bear testimony of Zion and knew the blessings associated with it. As true Zionists, they did their job of laying the foundation thereof as well. They were certainly doers of the word, anxiously engaged in a good cause and their reward is sure.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

Today the foundation for Zion that was laid by them is being built upon by us. We have become the builders of the Kingdom, furthering the work that was started. All of the prophets of old, as well as these founding Saints, look to us in anticipation of the great task we have been given, to build up Zion and make ready the return of the Lord. It is with their continued support and help we will be able to complete the job assignment given.

Joseph Smith explained:

The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, "the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God will gather together all things that are in heaven, and all things that are upon the earth," "even in one," when the Saints of God will be gathered in one from every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue, when the Jews will be gathered together into one, the wicked will also be gathered together to be destroyed, as spoken of by the prophets; the Spirit of God will also dwell with His people, and be withdrawn from the rest of the nations, and all things whether in heaven or on earth will be in one, even in Christ. The heavenly Priesthood will unite with the earthly, to bring about those great purposes; and whilst we are thus united in one common cause, to roll forth the kingdom of God, the heavenly Priesthood are not idle spectators, the Spirit of God will be showered down from above, and it will dwell in our midst. The blessings of the Most High will rest upon our tabernacles, and our name will be handed down to future ages; our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with peculiar delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize; a work that God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family. (May 2, 1842.)

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.231)

We now fondly look back to those who have laid this foundations and call them blessed, for today we do truly realize the blessings of the work they so triumphantly undertook to accomplish. Temples are found throughout the earth, with many more soon to be dedicated and built. The “feast of fat things” is now being eaten by the members of the Church, who have become rich, wise and noble in spiritual things, and is available to be taken to the rest of the world who are poor, lame, blind and deaf, who are in need of the blessings to make them whole.

Do you think we fully realize the job that we have been given? Do we understand we are the ones who were chosen to build upon that foundation that our pioneer ancestors so faithfully sacrificed to build? In what ways do you think we are building upon the work of those who have come before us? What can I do individually to participate in this great work? I ponder questions like these all the time, diligently striving to do my part. Have you considered your job in this vein lately? If not, take some time out to think about it... and strive to make Zion a bigger part of your mind set.

I believe we are truly Zionists. What do you think?

Unkind Feelings Resolved

In the midst of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in the form of the Lord’s Prayer. One line in that prayer deals specifically with relationships that we are to foster with our fellow brothers and sisters in the gospel.

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

In modern vernacular that verse may be stated simply, forgive us in the same manner we forgive others. This is the spring board for the discussion that ensued in my Institute class regarding the counsel given in Section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

Historically speaking the early saints were curious about who should be allowed to attend their sacred services of Sacrament meetings and Confirmation meetings. On a side note, Confirmation meetings were gatherings when those who had recently been baptized received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or were confirmed members of the Church. At that time people were baptized and then allowed a “proving” time to see if they could live up to the covenants they had just made before they actually received the gift of the Holy Ghost. In any event these two types of meetings were considered sacred enough for Joseph to inquire of the Lord who should be allowed to attend. The Lord’s response is contained in the first seven verses of Section 46.

1 Hearken, O ye people of my church; for verily I say unto you that these things were spoken unto you for your profit and learning.

2 But notwithstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the elders of my church from the beginning, and ever shall be, to conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit.

3 Nevertheless ye are commanded never to cast any one out from your public meetings, which are held before the world.

4 Ye are also commanded not to cast any one who belongeth to the church out of your sacrament meetings; nevertheless, if any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation.

5 And again I say unto you, ye shall not cast any out of your sacrament meetings who are earnestly seeking the kingdom—I speak this concerning those who are not of the church.

6 And again I say unto you, concerning your confirmation meetings, that if there be any that are not of the church, that are earnestly seeking after the kingdom, ye shall not cast them out.

7 But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving, that ye may not be seduced by evil spirits, or doctrines of devils, or the commandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.

This instruction for Church attendance, placed in the very first part of the Section that is known for the beautiful instruction about the consecration of our Spiritual Gifts, might at first seem out of place. The beauty of this placement is seen as one comes to understand that the Lord chooses his teaching methods perfectly, to instruct us more fully in all aspects of His gospel.

Even though the Lord makes it very clear that the meetings of the Church are open for any who desires to attend, He also is very specific about who should be allowed to partake of the ordinance of the Sacrament itself, which is administered during the meetings. In verse four He states, “if any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation”

The footnote reference in Section 46, for verse four, adds some clarity about what is meant by the words “trespass” and “reconciliation”.

3 Nephi 12: 23 Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee—

24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.

Is the Lord actually instructing us that if we have any unkind feelings towards those in our congregation we truly cannot partake of the Sacrament worthily?

For me, this question was a very big eye opener when pondering how important the ordinance of the Sacrament really is. The Sacrament is the ordinance that we participate in which allows Jesus Christ to grant us the gift of His Spirit. It is a foreshadow of another event where we are gathered together as one, in fellowship with other Saints requiring this purity of feelings towards one another, where we are participating in an ordinance in which we desire to gain something from Jesus Christ as well. Both of these situations are of great importance to our individual growth and to the blessings of Zion as a whole.

But in reality, what does this have to do with our Spiritual Gifts?

The Lord, before teaching us the potential we have of becoming a Zion society by consecrating our Spiritual Gifts for the good of the Church, wants us to understand the importance of unity in our relationships. He wants us to understand that before those Spiritual Gifts He has given us can benefit the “whole”, the “whole” must be in harmony one with another. There can be no feelings of malice, or hatred, or simply unkind feelings, if the Spirit is to be “unrestrained” and the Gifts facilitated through it are to work in unison benefiting all who would partake.

This clarity of teaching was something I did not consider fully enough before. I am grateful for the Gift of the Spirit of learning; for there is so much more I need to know before I really understand!

Our challenge for today is to repair damaged relationships and allow the Spirit to work miracles in our lives.

Spiritual Consecration

As we have been discovering in class, by studying the early history of the LDS Church with regard to the revelations received by the prophet Joseph Smith through the valuable resource we now know as the Doctrine and Covenants, it is plainly manifest that the saints of that time had a realistic goal in mind. The goal that they so desperately wanted to achieve, enough to “pray for it continually”, was that of a Zionist Society, one in which they could share the sociality of the Savior continually in their midst. They understood the reality of this goal because of the restored doctrine taught to them through the revelations contained in the Pearl of Great Price, more specifically in the book of Moses as Joseph Smith, through the blessing of continued revelation, added back those “plain and precious truths” that were inadvertently removed from the records of the Old Testament. The goal of Zion was taught more fully through the example of the great prophet Enoch and the progress he made with his city.

With Zion in their hearts they prayed to know what they could do to gain the same blessings as these earlier saints and obtain rest from this world. In answer to their prayers and desires for that blessing the Lord, in His Eternal wisdom, gave unto them the law that would correspond with their desired blessing. The law that was given was the Law of Consecration. This Celestial Law of Consecration was designed to help them live with “one heart and one mind” making sure there was no poor among them. First the Lord gave to them the temporal or worldly aspect of the law. This required that they learn to sacrifice what they perceived to be their individual earthly possessions for the building up of the kingdom, for the greater good of the whole. They were then taught so beautifully the principle of “stewardship” versus ownership, acknowledging the true owner of all is the Lord Himself.

In Section 46, the saints then learned about the Spiritual side of the Law of Consecration by learning about the Gifts of the Spirit. In verse 10 the Lord is very specific about who those gifts are given to:

10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your minds what those gifts are, that are given unto the church.

Just like He is the owner of all that the Earth has to offer and we are simply his stewards that are given the responsibility of taking care of His creations, He is also the giver of gifts and He gives them to His Church, through the medium of the Holy Ghost. Each of us individually are given gifts that can be used by all, for the building up of His kingdom here on the earth.

9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a sign that they may consume it upon their lusts.

11 For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

As we each become consecrated individuals we become something much bigger than just “us”. Working together with our “one heart and one mind” we become like a fine tuned machine or instrument, all using our gifts for the benefit of one desired goal, ZION. This the apostle Paul described so beautifully to the people of Corinth with the analogy of the body.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one abody, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the ahead to the feet, I have no need of you.

22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be amore feeble, are necessary:

23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The prophet Moroni also knew how important it was that we, as His Church, understand this great principle of Spiritual Consecration, for his final words before burying up the record is in regard to this very principle.

Moroni 10:17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

18 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.

19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

We have been told three different places in our scriptures almost the exact same thing in regard to these Spiritual Gifts, the Doctrine and Covenants, The Book of Mormon, and The New Testament. Three times we have been instructed. This is important stuff to know, but more importantly to share!

But this is not all the cool stuff in Section 46...more insights tomorrow.

An Offering in Righteousness LDS Temple Worship

Today Zion is on my mind.

Perhaps it is because my adventure to the San Diego Temple last night is fresh on my mind.

I had the opportunity to go with a group of Young Adults and do a special “after hours” session of baptisms for the dead as we contributed our portion to our Stake’s “offering in righteousness”. I knew it would be a perfect time to take some family names to have work done for them in the Temple, so I decided to do some research for a friend of mine who gives many hours of service to the Young Adult Branch where I also am privileged to serve. As I entered the names of her family into the New Family Search Program I marveled once again at how fast and easy it is now to contribute and clear names for ordinance work to be done.

My research on her family line led me to a group of collateral relatives that needed their work done. The interesting thing about these people is that they were all from Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. Their time on this earth is precisely the time that the Saints would have felt persecution from those of the area. I felt a feeling of peace and healing as I researched this family line and contributed them to the Temple so that they could have their ordinance work done. It was a beautiful “come to Zion” moment for me.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell who creatively taught, some “people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon” also stated, “Since there are no instant Christians, to withhold what we can do to accelerate the process of the perfection of Zion until Zion is nearly perfected is to misconstrue mortality. To withhold all (or even much) of our fellowship, our talents, or our tithing until the Church and its people meet our “high” standard is like trying to book passage on Noah’s ark without driving a nail in a plank. We simply walk on board and ask to be shown to our stateroom and inquire as we enter the stateroom about what time dinner is served at the Captain’s table! We must sign on for the voyage with all our imperfections, and commit to help each other.”

I am grateful for the blessings of the Temple and the healing power it brings into our lives by application of the covenants we make there. It is a beautiful “ritualistic, ceremonial, memorial” that we are allowed to participate in to remind us that the power to save is only by the “strong hand of God.” It is an illustration of what it takes to live a consecrated life. It is a visual teaching of the process we need to follow to learn to “walk with God” as our Father Abraham did. But, last night, for me, it was also a moment to reflect on how we need to help each other, imperfections and all.

Our Body Is Made Up Of Unredeemed Earth

When my son was preparing his lesson for Priesthood last week he came across this talk that is completely awesome. It was originally given by Melvin J. Ballard in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on May 5, 1928, but has since been republished as a Classic Discourse in the New Era. It is titled, Struggle For The Soul.

I have always felt that the struggle we have is that of being a divided man. Our spirit, which is perfect by lineage, is in constant conflict with our body, which is of the earth or natural. Becoming a Zion people, that of one heart and one mind, takes on a deeper meaning to me as it is applied to this thought. The one heart and one mind we must accomplish is the reconciliation of our body and our spirit, to the mind and will of our Father.

Elder Ballard addresses this concept beautifully as he makes a reference to our bodies as “unredeemed earth”.

He explains, “All the assaults that the enemy of our souls will make to capture us will be through the flesh, because it is made up of the unredeemed earth, and he has power over the elements of the earth. The approach he makes to us will be through the lusts, the appetites, the ambitions of the flesh. All the help that comes to us from the Lord to aid us in this struggle will come to us through the spirit that dwells within this mortal body. So these two mighty forces are operating upon us through these two channels.”

Elder Ballard then suggested that we think “of spirit and body as ‘me’ and ‘it.’ ‘Me’ is the individual who dwells in this body, who lived before I had such a body, and who will live when I step out of the body. ‘It’ is the house I live in, the tabernacle of flesh and the great conflict is between ‘me’ and ‘it’. …

“Our weak [point] is in the flesh … and when [the devil] undertakes to capture a soul he will strike at the weak point. …

“It is not bodies, it is immortal spirits that the devil wants. And he tries to capture them through the body, for the body can enslave the spirit, but the spirit can keep the body a servant and be its master.”

Another point to ponder upon this same subject might be that perhaps the “unredeemed earth” that made up the bodies of Adam and Eve are the exact thing that gave Satan the ability to be in the Garden in the first place.

Anybody have any thoughts on this possibility?