Rev. J. H. Pak
(This is from a speech given in Chicago on the occasion of the True Family Festival held in March 1997.)
Let us go back 2,000 years to early Christianity. Jesus Christ's public mission on the Earth was just three years. In those three years, he chose 12 disciples, then (it increased to 72, then 120). And of course there were many other followers. But the volunteers who followed Jesus Christ we call "disciples." These disciples received from Jesus their education, their training and so much spiritual learning. Just like children, or students, they followed Jesus. They always beseeched him, "please help 'me.'" Like children. So these were his disciples.
Well, the people rejected Jesus and he died. After he ascended to the spiritual world, and was not walking on the Earth anymore the disciples were like orphans. They lost their parent and their teacher, their guide and protection. So now, what were they to do? How were they to act? Well, now the "Acts of the Apostles" began.
The Holy Spirit came down, that Holy Spirit power came down; they experienced it; they tasted it and the "disciples" suddenly now became "apostles." Now apostleship came into being. From this Pentecost experience Jesus' disciples were no longer like children. They no longer dwelled in the realm of "me"--"help me," "guide me," "care for me." From the event of Pentecost they became apostles; they became second Messiahs, second Christs. From this dramatic changeover they became true leaders! Men of true leadership.
Now these apostles spread out into the world. Paul went to Rome. Saint Mark went to Egypt; Saint Matthew went to Saudi Arabia; Saint Luke went to Greece; They became "owners" and "parents" to 'take over the world.' This is Christian history.
This is the beginning of Spring 1997. 1997 is a most important and historical year. In this year we must move from discipleship into apostleship. In this year, we must make this changeover and become 'owners' of this Movement and 'take over' America and all of North America. We must claim a new victory. God and True Parents are expecting us to change from discipleship to apostleship This is their expectation.
We must seriously come to understand: what is discipleship and what is apostleship? This is very important. We must come to clearly understand the difference between these two. This year, True Father directed all leaders to go to Chungpyung Lake. There we can meet Heung Jin-Nim and Daemonim and Jesus Christ and Mohammed, all together. There, the spiritual world and the physical world become one; our ancestors and all the holy angels work with us. The Holy Spirit is with us there and we become filled with a new power. With God, True Parents and Daemonim with us we become completely new people, with a new power. Then we can change the world! First we go to Chungpyung, then we come back as new people and then we are ready to start. This is apostleship.
2,000 years ago, in the upper room, the disciples received the Holy Spirit Today, we, as Family Federation members go to Chungpyung, move out the evil spirits, and these evil spirits then go to a special place in the spiritual world, a workshop prepared by Heung Jin-Nim. After completing this workshop, these spirits can be blessed in a ceremony by Heung Jim-Nim. How wonderful. This year 1997 is a turning- around time. Daemonim helps everyone in this way to change and become filled with the Holy Spirit. How wonderful that we are liberating our
own ancestors to attend this workshop and then getting blessed.
Now God is expecting that we will go from disciples to apostles, from discipleship to apostleship. Father even gave to us a new title: Tribal Messiah. The Crown of Messiahship, a shining, powerful crown of messiahship. Then last year, 1996, True Parents gave the title "National Messiah." I am the National Messiah of Switzerland. However, we are all messiahs; we are all on the messiah's course. No more now are we babies; no more are we the child. Now we are adults, with fruitful personalities and new spirits of responsibility. No more shall we say "God, help me." If God does not help me, still I will go forward. Now we can say to Parents "please relax, we will take care of everything; we will take charge."
With our old spirit of past years, True Father constantly gave us inspiration, with new possibilities to fulfill, always leading us, pulling us and we would say "yes, Father, we will bring the victory." But we did not always bring the victory. Now, with our new spirit, we will say "okay God, True Parents, now we will meet the challenge." This is our new attitude. This is our apostleship.
If you agree with this, then this sermon is finished. You do not need Rev. Pak's inspiration, advice or education. Set a goal, make a plan, make a time schedule and go ahead! Harvest it! Do it in the name of God and True Parents. This is apostleship. Our movement is no longer a movement of discipleship. Altogether we now become the movement of apostleship.
Recently I journeyed to Egypt with several others to meet with a high- level spiritual leader, Pope Shenouda III who is head of the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, founded on the apostleship of Saint Mark. At this important meeting we discussed True Family Values and the Blessing. It was a most historical meeting, enveloped with great warmth and familyship. Gifts were exchanged and Pope Shenouda sent a most precious and holy painting of Mother Mary and Jesus, hand-painted in gold and other colors, worth thousands of dollars, to be presented to True Parents. When True Father saw the painting he instructed that it be hung in East Garden.
In Chicago I met with Minister Louis Farrakan. He is deeply interested in True Family Values and the Blessing. He really wants to meet True Parents. Did you know that Minister Farrakan is also a concert violinist? Amazing. So many interesting people in leadership are now working with us.
This sermon I am giving you today is so important. Please regard it carefully, copy it in your heart and practice it.
Father has brought honor to America by announcing that the 3.6 Million Couple Blessing on November 29 will be in Washington, DC.
But this is also a big responsibility for America. Since Father has given this goal, we must now make the strategy: How can we accomplish the November 29 victory? I will give you the 5-stage strategy. Very important five stages.
It is the age of computers now. Everybody has a computer. However, we already have a "mind" computer, our brain-computer, so we do not really need any other computer! The brain-computer is faster. At this moment, right now, put this five-stage strategy in your genius computer. Here are the five stages:
From all over North America bring Christian ministers and all religious leaders to True Family Values seminars;
All Brothers and Sisters must become True Family Values lecturers and presenters;
3) All Brothers and Sisters, go into Christian churches, Muslim mosques, Jewish temples, Buddhist temples, Confucius shrines, everywhere, and teach True Family Values;
4) Bring all these people to pre-Blessings, True Family Festivals;
5) Bring all of them to True Parents Blessing on November 29th.
This is our five-stage strategy. Do not forget each of these stages.
True Father asked us to educate 3,600 Christian ministers with True Family Values. But actually we educated 5,000. You may say, "well, what is special about educating 5,000 Christian ministers?" Let me say this. In Korea, there is now a "hurricane" of Blessings occurring. 120,000 couples have been Blessed to this date. True Father's Moon clan and True Mother's Han clan are included in these Blessings. Within these two clans are Christians and Buddhists. It was not an easy thing for the Moon clan and the Han clan to help True Parents.
2,000 years ago, Joseph's family and Zachariah's family did not help Jesus like this. But now times have changed. It's a miracle. I cannot believe it myself. Why suddenly have things changed? Korea is now setting a goal of 120 million couples by November. But in Korea, not one Christian minister has received the Blessing. In America, on the other hand, already 150 Christian ministers have received the pre- Blessing. 150 Christian couples receiving this pre-Blessing is special.
In Western Europe, not one Christian minister has been Blessed. Only in America. America is very special that way. So in the first stage we educated 5,000 ministers. Out of this 5,000, 150 have received the Blessing. When ministers receive the Blessing, then automatically it is expected that their congregations will follow. When the Shepherd leads, the sheep follow (and the lambs). So in November, our Blessing is a guaranteed victory.
In addition to the 5,000, 1,000 community leaders have been educated and 1,000 of our own Family Federation members have been educated so that means 7,000 people in spiritual leadership have received the True Family Values education.
Then we must remember that two years ago, True Parents began the Japanese-American Sisterhood ceremonies to commemorate the 50th anniversary since World War II. So we must also include Women's Federation for World Peace participants, those 10,000 American women leaders who joined in sisterhood with an equal number of women from Japan. So we count these 10,000 plus the 7,000 above as our first stage foundation.
Father spent an enormous amount of money on these projects. Did he spend this in other countries? No, only in North America. We must understand how much True Parents have continued to support North America. Without True Parents' financial and spiritual support of North America we could never have prepared for the education of these people in True Family Values.
And how could we have educated without True Family Values? Father gave us True Family Values. It is a miracle. Ten years ago, Father gave CAUSA and Godism. With that we educated American leadership. Father was able to expose communism this way and bring down communist Russia and end communism on the Planet Earth! All the world welcomes "Family Values" because everywhere in this
world people are struggling. We thought that with the end of communism, world peace would come. But immoral Satan used his evil power to invade the family, break down the family and destroy families. Not even America, China, Russia, Taiwan could escape this.
But in Taiwan 70,000 couples have received the Blessing. Minister Hwang, a cabinet member in the government in Taiwan prepared 100,000 couples and that has now become 170,000 couples.
We must really appreciate True Parents. Just five years, even three years ago, our church in Taiwan was underground. Why now does the government accept True Parents and the Blessing? Why this miracle now? Because in Taiwan the family is in trouble. The U.S. dollar is big in Taiwan. Through the U.S. dollars, satanic, immoral Western culture has invaded Taiwan and destroyed its families. No. 1 is Japan, No. 2 is Germany, No. 3 is Taiwan. Taiwan is the richest. Taiwan has technology, it has money but its families are in big trouble. There is a lot of divorce now.
Even in Egypt we heard while we were there that the divorce rate has doubled. In America 50 percent of couples divorce. When we look at the Christian churches in America we are surprised to find the high number of divorces among Christian families. So many single mothers, and husbands and wives going separate ways in the Christian church. Even among the Christian ministers there is so much divorce. Shocking. Muslim leaders as well.
In some Middle Eastern countries, the government has so much power. If you don't obey the laws, they cut off the hand, or the neck. The Muslims are afraid not to obey the laws. But in America the Muslim population is different, so many of them divorce.
Religious leaders don't know what to do. Sadly, there are no many single-parent children now in America that they have no concept of a "father" so when they are asked to think about God the Father, they cannot relate to that. They have no good image of what a father is.
This is shocking, this is painful. Why has America become like this? Because immoral Satan has destroyed the American family, and he plans to destroy all humankind throughout the world. He wants to destroy the planet Earth as well and make it the Kingdom of Hell. That is his goal.
But True Father has given True Family Values. If we fly the flag of True Family Values everyone can surrender; even Satan will surrender. True Father and True Mother have given us a True Family tradition to follow, a model family. True Parents have sacrificed everything and dedicated themselves to save human life.
So with Stage No. 1, through True Family Values everyone can come-- Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Muslim, atheism, communism--everybody can come. Then they can bring this to their own church, mosque, temple. Then Christians will become strong; Buddhists will become strong, everybody will become strong. Then all families will become true families, healthy families, proud families, God's divine families.
True Family is like magic words! If true families and True Family Values start moving, then everybody will surrender and we can move together as one. All doors will open, everybody will welcome and work together; no enemies, no opposition power.
Stage No. 2-- everyone becomes a teacher of True Family Values. Not just our "senior" teachers and lecturers but even shy people who think they cannot teach can become True Family Values teachers. Everyone.
Now Christian ministers are teaching their congregations. Region by region this is happening. Many are teaching in the Chicago area. In New York, one Muslim leader has the Muslim Family Institute where he teaches Muslim Family Values. But he is so inspired with True Family Values. Why is True Family Values so inspirational? What is the difference between Muslim Family Values and True Family
Values? Inside True Family Values is a principle. Inside there is the root of a true family and why we need a true family, and why the family was created. This basic root of a principle is what we have.
We have branches. Hundreds and thousands of branches, but the root is one! Without the root, it will not work. Root and trunk. They are one. Without them you would not have branches. True Family Values is very simple. Everyone can teach it. But it has a principle. For those who know that principle, you can learn True Family Values within one hour. For others who must yet connect with the root and trunk it may take a month. If it is coming only from the branches, it may be complicated, but if there is understanding of the root and trunk, it is simple.
Christian ministers, Muslim imams and any other leaders may be inspired to teach the True Family Values but if you and I, Brothers and Sisters, do not believe it, then it will not work. The entire Family Federation community in America, first and second generations, must be inspired by True Family Values teachings. Then we can inspire others. No problem. If we are under conviction and teach with conviction, everybody will be follow. No question about it. This is stage 2.
The spiritual world is now working. At the winter workshop at Chungpyung Lake, Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Jesus' twelve disciples, Confucius, Buddha all attended the 40-day workshop. We think that Jesus and his disciples are working in America. Recently, in Denver, during a True Family Festival, one member's spiritual eyes were opened and he saw "a powerful light descending on the hall. A door opened and in walked Jesus and his disciples, all dressed in white robes." It was an amazing experience.
Members are beginning to realize that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are working here in America. This is a Holy Crusade! If we march forward, under the banner of conviction, it is a guaranteed victory.
In Washington, DC one Christian minister who had received the Blessing was driving his car when suddenly he heard a clear voice from Heaven saying, "Bishop White, I am Reverend Moon. Now you belong to me. You will work with me."
One recent Sunday morning at the Boston Family Church, a young man walked in and asked, "Is this the church of Reverend Moon? Almost every night I dream of a Reverend Moon. Who is this person?" Someone answered, "Reverend Moon is the founder of this church." That man is now studying True Family Values and is so inspired.
We have no time to waste. Believe me when I say that. The spiritual world is now directly witnessing and guiding people in the physical world.. The Holy Angels are working with us. So even if you have not yet had the opportunity to go to Chungpyung, then please practice True Love here, and you will start to rid yourselves of evil spirits.
This is stage no. 3 time, where we take the responsibility--we go to churches, go to the temples, we go to the mosques and to the shrines. In stage no. 3, we go from discipleship to apostleship. Who made stage 1 and 2 possible? God and True Parents did. The Chicago
Region sent the greatest number of ministers to the Washington, DC True Family Values seminars, but actually it was not the overall membership in Chicago that did it. Because even in Chicago, not all brothers and sisters are out witnessing. There was an assigned task force of several persons that did the work. This means that God and True Parents did the work actually.
In stage no. 3, we take the responsibility and go out. When you go out and give the True Family Values and the spiritual leaders and others receive the Blessing, then you have gone from discipleship to apostleship. God and True Parents have done 95% by opening doors for us. We have done 5% in stages 1 and 2 but if we will take full responsibility for stage 3, then stages 4 and 5 will happen automatically.
Satan has fear of stage 3. Why? Remember the Home Church Providence? Of course you do. In Korea Home Church was called Tong ?. We did not succeed in Home Church. We were not so welcomed in the doors at that time. People did not want to hear the Divine Principle. Doors were closed on us. At that time, the American community was not so open to us. But now it is different. The atmosphere has changed. Now we are taking people True Family Values and we are more welcomed. In trying to fulfill 160 family Blessing, if you are rejected at two houses, the third house will accept you.
Satan has created such an evil atmosphere that many people are afraid of marriage. But we offer just the opposite of Satan--eternal and true relationships of pure and faithful love. And we can show that we can have successful education for the second generation so that they become good. Now the people say "welcome" to True Family Values.
Now we can happily harvest. We can hold our heads high and sing merrily as we witness. In this stage no. 3 we have two goals: 1) Educate 5,000 Christian ministers. They are waiting for us. In just 9 months, from last year, we educated 5,000 ministers at the seminars; and 2) educate 160 families.
Satan is always whispering defeat into our ears. Now we say "get out." Before the year 2000 we can drastically change the American world. By the power of True Love, by the power of True Family Values we will change Satan's world to God's world.
In RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, only a certain number of couples will be allowed to attend from 185 nations. Wouldn't you like your family there? Can you imagine how you would feel now to know that one of your ancestors was present during Jesus' Sermon on the Mount? Same thing. Even greater.
In stage #1 we got the victory; #2 we got the victory; now #3 stage, we have until the end of May to gain victory. Nine months left now before November 29. The first 3 months of the year was formation; the second three months represents growth; and the third 3 months is perfection. So by the end of May we will finish no. 3 stage.
Springtime is for seed planting, like farmers. Farmers cannot space out. Otherwise, there is no harvest! Now is the time of spring. In these three months we can plant many seeds. Let's work hard before the hot summer comes and people space out! Let's do our planting successfully so that harvest time in stage 4 will be a time of rejoicing.
If one family is too shy, then two families should go together. Go teach together, serve together at a church. The first generation has been educated and can educate others; but we also need the second generation because they have a special spiritual power. Both are needed. Whatever skills we have, we can offer to churches, as volunteers, not expecting pay as others do.
Everyone, please go to Chungpyung Lake. Let Daemonim liberate your ancestors to be restored. Don't miss this opportunity to rejuvenate yourselves, empower yourselves spiritually.
So, Regional Leaders, State Leaders, City Leaders, Business Leaders, Department Leaders, everyone, let's work together and fulfill these 5 stages in this year!
Let's be proud of True Parents and love True Parents and accomplish the 3.6 million couple Blessing. God bless you.