From: Zionworkz
ZIONWORKS NEWS APRIL 12, 2023
ZION IN 2023? THE ALTERNATIVE TO BABYLON
To all God calls “His people”.
Dear Saints,
Here are some quotes about Zion from those presently giving themselves wholly to its reality:
“For all who simply want Zion to happen and will give their heart and soul to be directed by Jesus, he will guide your efforts and put them where they will do the most good.”
“I feel nearly powerless as an individual until we get together and make things happen.”
“We have to make the choice to make this (Zion) the priority. We have to be willing to sacrifice everything to put ourselves into the trust of God to fulfill his purpose. If we put anything else first, then it’s not going to happen.”
“If we don’t build Zion now, God will find someone else to do it.”
“You don’t have to question and dissect what God has given you, personally, to do.”
“He (God) will give you what you need to do what he desires of you. It’s OK to accept His gifts and not feel guilty or unworthy.”
And one more from an unidentified source: “The world thinks something is impossible until some idiot tries it.”
God instructed in 1829, more than a year before the Restored Church was officially established, to “seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion.” Zion, God’s kingdom on the earth, has been the God-given goal of the restoration from its beginning. The assignment to establish Zion in practical, operational reality was understood by the saints from the earliest days of the restoration. Early restoration history bears that out clearly. We understand that there were “envyings and strife” and other attitudes and prejudices that disqualified a large portion from establishing Zion and enjoying God’s pure will on earth as it is in Heaven. Never-the-less, the early saints understood, envisioned and strived toward living together in a community of righteousness.
Somehow in our more recent years, the practical establishment of Zion has become more of a misty dream than a present urgency. Presently there are factions of “the church”, many claiming to be the only organization in existence with the authority to proclaim when Zion will start and presuming that God will speak and direct only through them. There are problems with that, obviously. Which one of them has a monopoly on “the pure in heart”, or “no rich and poor among them”? Tough questions. Which one of them has prime authority to tell YOU when it’s time, or give you permission, to do what the scriptures have already told us to do for the last 194 years? Who will we answer to? Who will we obey? We can be sure that at the end of our lives, it will be bitter to acknowledge that we didn’t do with our lives what God gave us the responsibility to do. Will claiming that we were waiting for someone’s permission to live out our duties and opportunities, our dream of Zion, be an acceptable excuse for God? Or for any of us?
This is very, very tough. We know the gospel to be perfect. We know that the church is called to represent the pure gospel and act by the love of Christ, but the church as we know it is injured, and even characterized, by inner struggles for power and prestige to the point that we just accept those struggles and self-importance in its ranks as part of the sanctified experience. God never intended this to be. This is a difficult cross to bear. Wherever you are, bear up in love and go to the Source for guidance and inspiration.
There IS at least one gathering of gospel-believing saints from various branches and denominations who know that it is vital to answer the call to establish Zion: to BE pure in heart; to have no rich and no poor among us; to live cooperatively in love. It doesn’t come easily, but it is the desire of our hearts. It may get more difficult as we work harder at it; but we have committed. Some may complain and drop out; we will love them and move on. This is no pie in the sky. There is hard work to do to make this an actual inhabited community with sources of water, homes, careers, food, heat, sanitation, communication, power, roads and streets, medicine, ministry, infrastructure and all necessities for a thriving community/city, and beyond. So, yes, this obviously must be entirely God’s enterprise or it can never happen on his scale or his spiritual level.
Of all the work, the most difficult may well be the changing of our hearts and habits; but we have committed to stick with it and help and support each other. We will honor, uphold and maintain each family’s and each person’s God-given autonomy and expression. Each person will be cherished and nourished, and that is a condition that exists, even now. But none of us are, or claim to be, perfected. There is a lot to learn and get done. There are committees and helps to teach and learn from each other. A couple of unexpected blessings we seem to continually experience are the presence and blessings of the Spirit and the fun we have working together. We’ve made a good start and some progress. Investigate us. Visit us.
EVENTS AND CALENDAR
Our last meeting which was on April 2nd, was extremely interesting, the main event being a fabulous gardening presentation by Dave and Julie Atkins from Lees Summit. Not only did they bring samples, but gave a very informative and illustrated talk and demonstration. The meeting started at 2:00 and after the presentation, Q&A and conversation lasted until almost 5:30! Their website is milkweedfarms.com and its blog site, The Well-Lived Home. We have invited them back for later in the season.
This coming Saturday, April 15th. HERB CLASS at Oak Grove Restoration Branch, 8:30 AM to Noon. Mid- morning snack to be provided. This will be presented by the very qualified and experienced Paula Churchill, MH, RN-PCCN. This will be fun and very informative. No registration required. The Oak Grove Restoration Branch is about one mile north of the I-70 exit for Oak Grove on Broadway St./Hwy. H.
VERY INFORMATIVE. This coming Sunday, April 16th at 2:00 PM. Presentation on present Zionic enterprises and efforts, by Edward Glaser. This presentation will deal with reasons Zionic efforts can get bogged down and how Christ intends for us to interact with each other for maximum results. Edward has given his life to actual hands-on Zionic land use, industry and site development and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. There will be Q&A and conversation afterwards. That will be at Cenrtal Branch, 919 S. Delaware, Independence , 2:00 PM in the basement fellowship hall. (This coming Sunday, April 16)
NEEDED:
Your scenic pictures for the website
Articles for the website. Three weeks ago, each committee agreed to submit an article or more in these specific areas: Gardening, Alternative Energy, Water, Shelter, Bartering, Skills and Trades, Medical, Sanitation, Transportation, and Communication. We are nearing the deadline. Let’s get these in early, if possible.
Enthusiastic, dedicated-to-The Kingdom people
Curious people
CONTACT:
zionworkz@protonmail.com
yyeoman@protonmail.com
816-690-8464 or 816-694-2284
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