Zion

Khinckley1@yahoo.com

Richard E. BennettLDS Historian

By the time [the emigration party] reached the Weber River at the foot of Echo Canyon- despite the comforts of Woodruff’s carriage and all the prayers, blessings, and medicines in camp- Brigham had suffered a serious relapse and appeared worse than before, totally incapable of further travel.

Fearing the worst, all the Apostles in camp, with a few selected others, ascended a nearby high mountain, where in a special circle of faith they prayed to Almighty God for their leader and all the other sick in camp.

Brigham eventually rallied, but not before unwillingly testing the faith and allegiance of a once more tried and humbled band. (“We’ll Find the Place”, p. 213)

Brigham Young

If we are united, we are independent of the powers of hell and of the world… A perfect oneness will save a people, because intelligent beings cannot become perfectly one, only by acting upon principles

that pertain to eternal life

Prophet Joseph Smith

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…

D&C 9715 And inasmuch as my people build a

house unto me in the name of the Lord…16 … my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all

the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.

18 And, now, behold, if Zion do these things she shall 1) prosper, and spread herself and become very glorious...

19 And the nations of the earth 2) shall honor her…20 And he hath sworn by the power of his might 3) to be her

salvation and her high tower.21 Therefore…let 4) Zion rejoice, for this is Zion22 For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the

ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?25 Nevertheless, 5) Zion shall escape if she observe to do all

things whatsoever I have commanded her.

President KimballAs important as it is to have this

vision in mind, defining and describing Zion will

not bring it about. That can only be done through consistent and concerted daily effort by every single member of the Church. No matter what the cost in toil or sacrifice, we must “do it.” That is one of my favorite phrases: “Do It.”

May I suggest three fundamental things we must do if we are to “bring again Zion,” three things for which we who labor for Zion must commit ourselves.

FirstFirst, we must eliminate the individual

tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.

President Marion G. Romney has referred to the tragic cycle of civilization, a cycle propelled by anyone who seeks for power and gain. …

Did not Nephi single this out as the spirit which led his generation to

destruction?

Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions. …

If the Spirit of the Lord is to magnify our labors, then this spirit of oneness and cooperation must be the prevailing spirit in all that we do.

Moreover, when we do so, we are told by the Prophet Joseph Smith that “the greatest temporal and spiritual blessings which always come from faithfulness and concentrated effort, never attended individual exertion or enterprise.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 183.)

The Spirit

Secondly

Each Member

OurCalling

Third

Third, we must sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and in our callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally 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…

My brothers and sisters, if we can do this, then we will find ourselves clothed in the mantle of charity “which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

NOT-ZION

To the School of the Prophets

D&C 97:8Verily I say unto you, all among them

who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me.

Elder Oaks …the Final Judgement is not just an

evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts what we have done.

It is an acknowledgement of the final effect of our acts and thoughts- what we have become.

It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.