Building Zion
If everyone listening today would indulge me for a moment, I’d like to ask a question that I hope you will seriously consider. What are the five most important things you would like to accomplish in your life?[1] Some common answers to this question might include retiring and relaxing, or experiencing the culture in far off locales. More spiritual answers might include serving a mission, or raising children prepared to enter the temple. I mention now one thing that should be on each of our lists. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. … The time is soon coming, when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her stakes.[2]
Relatedly, the Lord has given us this counsel and commandment:
Thou art called to labor in my vineyard, and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish.[3]
I am confident that we, as a people, have a great desire to follow the counsel of Joseph Smith, and to be obedient to the Lord’s command. If the building up of Zion is to be our greatest object in this life, what is Zion, and how do we build it up?
While the scriptures use the word Zion to designate several different places or groups of people, the Zion that must be built up is most importantly a condition or state of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members. The Lord defines that state as being “pure in heart”.[4] Even though we are not yet a people pure in heart, Zion is also used as a reference to the church as we do those things we are able to in the building up of a worthy Zion society.
There have been Zion societies that have existed on this earth prior to our day. Three known to us are: the city of Enoch, the people of Melchizedek, and the society of the Nephites and Lamanites after the Lord appeared to them following his resurrection. By considering the state that they were in, we find some common principles and activities that will allow us all to help build up Zion.
Unity
Of the people of the city of Enoch, we have these words:
And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind...[5]
The unity to be built for Zion is of two parts: a unity of heart or desire, and a unity of mind or thought.
Unity of desire can only come by yielding our wills to that of the Lord, as He patterned when he surrendered His will to the Father’s. "I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will."[6] For us to be able to truly say, "Not my will, but thine, be done," [7] our worldly hearts must be broken[8] and replaced with a new heart,[9] even a pure heart patterned after the Lord’s.[10] This is the mighty change of heart, the natural man becoming spiritual[11] after truly receiving the Holy Ghost. This is the change that the people of King Benjamin experienced, saying that they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."[12] There at the temple, they expressed their willingness to enter into a covenant of obedience to God's will.[13] By keeping that covenant of obedience, they and we are qualified to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Thus we see the need for the ordinances and the sanctifying effect of the Holy Spirit if we are to replace our desires with God's.
Unity of mind or thought requires, as with the heart, a total change. In Babylon, or the world as we know it, the law of jungle is followed. Thus, the belief that every man prospers according to his genius, and every man conquers according to his strength.[14] In every facet of life people take advantage of one another; they lie, cheat, steal, and dig a pit for their neighbour.[15] The abhorrent adjunct to this is the belief that there is no harm in such an approach![16] No wonder the Lord has said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways..."[17] It is the Lord's way of thinking that we are to emulate, and so we must watch our thoughts[18] and bridle our passions;[19] we must let virtue garnish our thoughts,[20] and we must let our minds rest upon the solemnities of eternity.[21] We learn a leading lesson from the story of the sons of King Mosiah. Once they had gone about seeking to destroy the church.[22] After their change of heart, though, we learn that they could not bear the thought that any human soul could perish.[23] If we are to build Zion, we too must "[seek] the interest of [our neighbours], and [do] all things with an eye single to the glory of God.”[24] Our thoughts have to transcend the typically myopic inner monologue, and join in the dynamic divine dialogue.
Unity is a requirement to build up Zion. A change in our desires and in our thoughts is required for that unity, but we must also consistently and deliberately work with each other. We see this in the pattern of presidency in the church. A president or a bishop or an apostle is not a king. There is no thought of "my way or the highway". Spencer W. Kimball taught, "…we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions."[25] Thus we hear and see time and time again how our leaders seek and listen to counsel, and seek for a unanimous and unified decision attended by the sanction of the Spirit. When even one council member or counsellor is not comfortable with a decision, the leader remembers that dominion or compulsion is not the way, and instead to use the Lord's approach, even that of patience, long-suffering, gentleness, and meekness.[26] This pattern extends into the home, where the head presides by sitting in council with,[27] rather than standing in dominion over. We remember the words of the Lord, "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”[28] Moroni further highlights the personal blessings that come from unity with the Lord:
Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ… that ye become holy, without spot.[29]
Work
We've already begun to speak about this second principle. Unity for Zion requires work. Working for Zion requires unity. We see the principle of work in the account of the people of Salem, who were ruled over by Melchizedek, the great high priest. It was written of them that they "…wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven…", which heaven was explained as being united with the city of Enoch, which is Zion.[30] Wrought is an old way of saying worked, and so this was a society that worked righteousness, or, in other words, their work and activity was righteous and pleasing to the Lord. This is similar to what we read of the city of Enoch, where the people dwelt in righteousness.[31] This highlights an important point: the Lord has indeed commanded us to cease to be idle,[32] but he also indicates that, " the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish."[33] Indeed, it is clear that the Lord's definition of idleness and the world's definition of idleness are quite different: "Now, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness."[34] Some clarification may be necessary here. It is not wrong to provide for your family. It is not wrong to work and earn beyond the needs of your family. But in working and earning in temporal affairs, we must not forget that the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof;[35] we will be accountable for how we use the Lord's gifts to us.
We have been taught:
The responsibility for each member’s spiritual, social, emotional, physical, or economic well-being rests first upon himself, second, upon his family, and third, upon the Church. Members of the Church are commanded by the Lord to be self-reliant and independent to the extent of their ability. (See D&C 78:13–14.)
No true Latter-day Saint, while physically or emotionally able, will voluntarily shift the burden of his own or his family’s well-being to someone else. So long as he can, under the inspiration of the Lord and with his own labors, he will work to the extent of his ability to supply himself and his family with the spiritual and temporal necessities of life. (See Gen. 3:19; 1 Tim. 5:8; and Philip. 2:12.)
As guided by the spirit of the Lord and through applying these principles, each member of the Church should make his own decisions as to what assistance he accepts, be it from governmental or other sources. In this way, independence, self-respect, dignity, and self-reliance will be fostered, and free agency maintained.[36]
Clearly, a part of building up Zion involves being self-reliant temporally, and self-reliance required work. But money can only buy the things of this world, things that will rust and corrupt and end. Much of our work must be labouring for Zion. We do this by such things as accepting and magnifying callings, by paying our tithes and generous offerings, by serving and strengthening each other such as through home or visiting teaching, and by sharing the gospel with those around us. The world increasingly glorifies material possessions while simultaneously vilifying work. We, though, understand that work is a blessing to us. Bishop Keith B McMullin said, "Work is the source of happiness, self-esteem, and prosperity."[37] Work will build Zion, so long as we remember Paul's words: "For we are labourers together with God…"[38]
With that in mind, we see the beauty beyond the beginning of self-reliance, and understand that we are to work not only for ourselves, but for the blessing of all. King Benjamin taught that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."[39] He spoke further of the ways we can work to build Zion when he said:
And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness. But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.[40]
Clearly, the work that the Lord would have us do is quite different to that of the world. This leads naturally into a third vital principle:
Consecration
The city of Enoch was described as having "no poor among them."[41] The church under Peter had "all things common",[42] as did the Nephites and the Lamanites after the ministry of the resurrected Lord among them. Of their society, we read:
And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.[43]
We often speak of this situation as the living of the Law of Consecration. More fully, we understand consecrate to mean to set apart or dedicate something to the service of the Lord, and the Law of Consecration is "an organized way in which individuals consecrate their time, talents, and possessions to the Church to build the Lord’s kingdom and serve His children."[44] This law is a law of the celestial kingdom, and Zion can only be built up "by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom."[45] Bishop Keith B McMullin has stated, "The covenant of consecration is central to this law. We shall one day apply it in its fulness. This covenant embraces the giving of one’s time, talents, and means to care for those in need—whether spiritually or temporally—and in building the Lord’s kingdom.”[46]
While we do not yet apply the fullness of this law, it remains a requirement to build Zion. The degree to which we personally apply the law of consecration is a sacred matter to be made by seeking to understand the Lord's will for us, as well as by sustaining the inspired requests of our leaders. For those of us who have been to the temple for our endowments, we have covenanted to follow this law. In order to keep that covenant, we need to comprehend what the Lord's will is for us now, and we need to exercise faith in the capacity of our leaders.
Concerning the degree of our willingness to consecrate our time, talents and so forth to the Lord, Brigham Young taught:
If the people neglect their duty, turn away from the holy commandments which God has given us, seek their own individual wealth, and neglect the interests of the kingdom of God, we may expect to be [away from Zion] quite a time—perhaps a period that will be far longer than we anticipate.[47]
He also said that the length of time required “to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion” is strictly up to us and how we live, for creating Zion “commences in the heart of each person.”[48]
Consecration is the true fulfillment of the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Spencer W Kimball said:
…we consecrate our time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit. In the Church, we can give expression to every ability, every righteous desire, every thoughtful impulse. Whether a volunteer, father, home teacher, bishop, or neighbor, whether a visiting teacher, mother, homemaker, or friend—there is ample opportunity to give our all. And as we give, we find that “sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!” (Hymns, no. 147.) And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.[49]
Why build up Zion?
These three principles—unity, work, and consecration—are just part of the building up of Zion. But why should we want to build up Zion? Zion is the city of the living God,[50] and He will dwell there. Listen to the blessings promised for Zion and for those who seek to build it up:
And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb.[51]
And it shall be called … a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God.[52]
Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my gospel; for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in its strength. And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above…[53]
And I will bless her with blessings, and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon her, and upon her generations forever and ever, saith the Lord your God. Amen.[54]
With such wonderful blessings held in store for the righteous in Zion, it is no wonder that we should seek to build it as the greatest object of our lives. We truly sing:
Beautiful Zion, built above;
Beautiful city that I love;
Beautiful city that I love;
Thither I press with eager feet;
There shall my rest be long and sweet.[55]
There shall my rest be long and sweet.[55]
[Testimony]
[1] Lesson 46: “Zion—The Pure in Heart”, Doctrine and Covenents and Church History Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 286.
[2] Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 160–61.
[37] Keith B McMullin, "Come to Zion! Come to Zion!", <http://lds.org/liahona/2002/11/come-to-zion-come-to-zion?lang=eng>
[44] "Lesson 14: The Law of Consecration," Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999)
[46] Keith B McMullin, "Come to Zion! Come to Zion!", <http://lds.org/liahona/2002/11/come-to-zion-come-to-zion?lang=eng>
[49] Spencer W Kimball, "Becoming the Pure in Heart", <http://lds.org/ensign/1985/03/becoming-the-pure-in-heart?lang=eng&query=%22no+sacrifice+at+all%22>
[55] Hymns, Beautiful Zion, Built Above, no. 44
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