What is Zion?

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

• Mosiah 18:21; Doctrine and Covenants 38:27 (We should seek unity)

• 1 Nephi 13:37; Doctrine and Covenants 6:6; 11:6; 12:6; 14:6 (Seek to establish the cause of Zion)

• 4 Nephi 1:1–18 (The Nephites and Lamanites live together in a Zion-like state)

• Doctrine and Covenants 97:21; Moses 7:18–19 (What is Zion?)

• Reyna I. Aburto, “With One Accord,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 78–80

• Joni L. Koch, “Apart, but Still One,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 110–11

• Jeffrey R. Holland, “Songs Sung and Unsung,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 49–51

• “Zion,” True to the Faith (2004), 189–90

• “Dayton’s Legs” (video)

  

• “Sharing the Light of Christ” (video)

  

How do you strive to live the principles of Zion in your life and family? When have you felt a spirit of unity in a ward or in your family?

Are the young men in your quorum united? What can they do to establish Zion? What obstacles might they face?

What can the young men do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

• Our quorum: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

• Our duties: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

• Our lives: Remind the quorum of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a quorum presidency meeting.

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help quorum members understand the doctrine.

• Display pictures of monarch butterflies, the Savior’s visit to the Nephites (see Gospel Art Book [2009], nos. 82, 83, 84), and the Church’s humanitarian work (see ChurchofJesusChrist.org ). Encourage the young men to search Sister Reyna I. Aburto’s message “With One Accord” and discover how she used these examples to teach about the purposes and blessings of working in unity. What can we do to work “with one accord” to build Zion?

• Is there a brief game or team-building activity you could play with the young men to demonstrate the need for unity? For example, you could play “human knot” by having the young men stand in a close circle and connect left hands with one person across from them and right hands with a different person. Invite them to work together to “untangle” themselves without letting go of each other. How was unity necessary to complete this activity? Invite the young men to pick one of the stories or examples about unity in Elder Joni L. Koch’s talk “Apart, but Still One,” review it, and share what they learned with the class. What experiences can they share when they were able to accomplish something good by being unified with others? What can we do to build unity in our homes and our quorum?

• What did Elder Jeffrey R. Holland teach in his talk “Songs Sung and Unsung” about how the Church is like a choir? To help the young men understand Elder Holland’s metaphor, invite one or more people who have sung in a choir to share their thoughts about how singing in a choir helps them understand the need for diversity in God’s kingdom. How can we build Zion by making “room” in our quorum, in our Young Men group, or in the ward for people who may not feel like they fit in with us? What counsel did Elder Holland give that could help us do this?

• Read together Moses 7:18–19, looking for another name for Zion. Invite the young men to imagine what a “City of Holiness” would be like. How would it be different from the world we live in now? Invite them to list on the board things that would not exist in a City of Holiness and things that would exist in a City of Holiness. Encourage them to read 4 Nephi 1:1–18 to find things they can add to their lists. What would have to change about us as individuals in order to build Zion? What can the young men do to build Zion in their families? in their quorum?

• Ask the young men to read Doctrine and Covenants 6:6; 11:6; 12:6; and 14:6 and find a phrase that is common in each. What do the young men think it means to establish the cause of Zion? Show one of the videos suggested in this outline, and ask the quorum members to look for ways the young men in the videos are seeking to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. What impresses them about these young men’s attitudes and desires? How can they follow the young men’s examples to help establish Zion?

• Ask the young men to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a quorum to apply what they have learned?

• Give the young men a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

• Remind the young men that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.