LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
JANUARY 27, 2022
To the Saints of the Most High God, Greetings,
To our knowledge, there has only been one example of where the people were living with God and were later translated. That, of course, was Zion, Enoch's City, for which we eagerly await its return to earth. Other groups had a similar experience for a while, but could not sustain it. We know that Zion is described in Genesis 7:23 as being a people that were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there were no poor among them. I have a church brother who has Genesis 7:23 as his email address. That is pretty cool!
So, what advantage did Enoch have that we don't have? They walked with God and He dwelt in the midst of Zion. That is a very big advantage! As we consider the idea that we are "living in the Kingdom of God" are we of one heart and one mind, are there no poor among us and is God dwelling in our midst? Most Saints would be very quick to say, "No way!" We could spend lots of time trying to determine exactly what it means to "Live in unity" and/or "Dwelt in the midst of Zion."
Perhaps for us, today, in our present condition, regarding the Church and in the world, it might mean complying with the Sacrament prayer on the bread. DC 17:22d O God, the eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son and witness unto thee, O God, the eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
Dwelling in the midst does not necessarily mean that God was right there all the time, but that is possible when people are of one heart and one mind. If we comply with the last part of the prayer above, we will have His Spirit to be with us, always. When there is disunity, His Spirit is not there. So if we say we are living in the Kingdom of God, we must be in obedience to His commandments.
With that in mind, I want to make a reference to my letter from last week, January 20, 2022.This was the second paragraph: A priesthood member at Waldo Avenue RB preached last Sunday about sin. Was that SIN? Yes! He confessed some of his own sins, which we are told to do. After few things, he could have been talking about me or maybe you. He did not confess anything great dramatic things, but those little things that we all let keep us just a little off track. Things like not enough time and devotion to fasting, praying, studying, etc. You know, those kingdom building characteristics that help us maintain a kingdom quality life.
The meaning was not clear to some. The statement, "Was that SIN? Yes!" The intention was to say, "You mean someone actually preached about sin?" The fact that he preached about sin, of course was not a sin, as we are told to preach nothing but repentance. We know God does not tolerate sin to the least degree, but often in our humanness, we categorize things and so may not feel as bad about a "little thing" such as not fasting regularly compared to something we think is a "greater thing."
Most likely, the process of Zion was something the people had to learn. With God in their midst, as He also tells us in DC 38:2b; 50:f,g; 83:17, they were able to achieve Zion in less than a year and lived in Zion for 365 years. Our challenge is to live such a life now so as to be ready to meet Zion when it returns.
God bless you in your efforts,
Paul Gage
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