“Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the
saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).
If you’re like me, the part of that verse that seems to be most repeated and emphasized is the “built
upon the foundation of apostles and prophets” part. In Sunday school, and on my
mission, I have presented these verses as biblical evidence of the foundational
importance of apostles and prophets, and consequently of the Restoration. That
is an important concept, but Paul’s main idea is not just the foundation, but
what is built upon it: a living temple—a community of saints supporting each
other in unity and love.
The
Restoration of the foundation was not an end unto itself, but the means to an end,
which I believe is the creation of that living temple Paul spoke of. Thus, the
Gospel of Jesus of Christ was restored not simply to restitute correct
doctrine, re-establish an ecclesiastical structure, or reinstate the
Priesthood. Nor was it simply intended to provide the means for individual
salvation. Rather, all of these elements converge to allow families, wards,
communities, and ultimately, the whole world, to live in the same kind of
loving unity that God enjoys. In the post-mortal world, this is called the
Celestial Kingdom. When we have that kind of relationship and build that kind of
community here, we call it Zion. This idea gives new meaning to these words
from D&C 130:2: “And that same sociality which exists among us
here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory.” That makes me think that the extent to which I am establishing Zion is the extent to which I am prepared for the Celestial Kingdom.
Our
knowledge of the gospel and the covenants we have made invite us to establish
Zion—and that is a high and holy calling, and one that must be tied to our missionary
efforts. To explain the first connection I see between Zion and missionary
work, I paraphrase a line from the movie Field
of Dreams: “If we build it, they will come.” As we establish Zion, our efforts to share the gospel will come more naturally,
and will be more effective. Clayton Christensen discusses this concept in his
book The Power of Everyday Missionaries.
In his studies of how to effectively share
the gospel, he came to know three particular wards in which twenty to thirty
new converts were routinely baptized each year, even while the work in the surrounding
areas was tepid. He concluded that the only thing that made these three wards
different from the surrounding wards was that God trusted those wards to
welcome and care for newcomers. In an interview, a
missionary at one of these wards said, “I don’t know what it is. But if you can
just get your investigators into the chapel up there, the members just wrap
them into their arms and make them feel so
welcome. It’s funny. Even door-to-door finding works better in that ward
than any other place in the mission” (138). When a ward creates Zion by
welcoming and loving newcomers and investigators, God will guide His children
there.
Another
aspect of Zion that impacts missionary work is the lack of contention. Our bishop recently taught us about this, and encouraged us to be like the people
described in 4 Nephi 1:15-18: “there was no contention…because of the love of
God which did dwell in [their] hearts.” And in a society previously divided and
segregated into Nephites, Lamanites, Zoramites, etc., there were no “-ites”
among them, “but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the
kingdom of God.” If we will heed our Bishop’s counsel, our efforts to share the
gospel will be blessed. This principle is evident throughout the Book of
Mormon. Alma 4:5 tells of a time when 3500 souls joined the Nephite church in
one year. Just a few verses earlier, we learn that there were no contentions in
the land at that time (Alma 4:1). Similarly, in Helaman 3:24, 26, it says that tens
of thousands joined the church. The preceding verse talks about how they had
established “continual peace.” Again and again, I have found that pattern: As the
people of the church establish Zion by eliminating contention and cultivating a
loving, welcoming community, missionary work flourishes at a miraculous rate.
This
is, I think, an intuitive idea. After all, Zion is a shelter, a place of safety
and warmth, and people seek refuge in times of storm. Not always, but often,
this means that they will come, still dampened by the rain of poverty or still
shivering from cold winds of social rejection. We can and must provide the warm
welcome and supportive community these people need. That is certainly what God
would have us do for His children, especially when they are not easy to embrace. But let
us not think ourselves heroic for doing it, because the help does not flow in one
direction from us to them; it is bidirectional. And we need their help. As we
learn from Nephi, all is not well in Zion (2 Nephi 28:24-25).
If
Zion is a living temple, it is still under construction, and even missing
significant elements. This is not always an easy perspective to have because there
are many wonderful things in the Church, and in this ward. As a newcomer
myself, I have been the recipient of warm welcomes and fellowship, so I know
Zion is being built, and I thank you for what you have done for my wife and me.
However, we must be aware that Satan will try to pacify member of the Church, “and
lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion;
yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus [he] cheateth their souls, and
leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Nephi 28: 21). Even as we prosper
and enjoy our community, we must not be complacent. The temple is not yet complete.
As God leads individuals to the Church, through our invitations, or through
other means, they will enrich our wards and stakes with diversity and strength.
A new convert may be like stained glass in the temple, or like a wall beam, adding color or
stability to our community, and bringing us one step closer to to temple God intends us to be.
I
see this idea in the story of the stripling warriors. Alma 53:10 provides some
background to this story: “The people of Ammon…were Lamanites; but…they had
been converted unto the Lord; and they had been brought down into the land of
Zarahemla, and had ever since been protected by the Nephites.” They were
defenseless, and utterly dependent on the Nephites. However, one generation
later, this people was instrumental in defending and saving many Nephite
cities, proving themselves to be even stronger in some ways than veteran
Nephites. During one battle, Helaman recounts, “My little band of two thousand
and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites…and
as the remainder of our army were about to give way…behold, those two thousand
and sixty were firm and undaunted” (Alma 57:19-20). Although the Nephites may
not have known it at first, they needed the people of Ammon, and so it is with
us.
While
it’s true that we should share the gospel because others need it, it’s also
true that we should share the gospel because we need others. As we do our best
to establish Zion, we will need to embrace those that come into the community,
and reach out to those outside. That is how we will “grow unto an holy temple
in the Lord.”
