Sun Myung Moon
October 21, 1973
Excerpt
God's Hope for America
Sun Myung Moon, Belvedere, NY 1976
We must examine then, what is the will of God? Why does He give His people such a hard time? Individual salvation is certainly important in the sight of God. God does not neglect that. However, that is not the ultimate purpose of God's work. God's will is the salvation of the world! God needs an individual to be His champion for the ultimate goal of world salvation. God summoned one family to be an instrument for the salvation of the world. God summoned His people to achieve the salvation of the world. God wants to have a nation as His champion, for the ultimate fulfillment of world salvation.
If Christians today think only of their own salvation, their own heaven and their own well-being, then they are not living in accordance with the purpose of God. If we are only concerned with the salvation of our own families, we are not worthy of God's blessing. If people focus on benefiting their own people alone, or their nation alone, then they are absolutely going against the will of God.
God will give you your own salvation. When you become God's champion for world salvation, your own salvation is guaranteed. Now, the Christian population is probably one seventh of the total world population. But among these, very few are devout Christians. And among devout Christians, how many of us really strive for the salvation of mankind? We must all devote ourselves to the salvation of the world!
God cannot be pleased with man if we live in a self-centered way. I met Jesus personally, and I received a revelation through which I learned that God's grief is great. His heart is broken. Today God is working ceaselessly for the ultimate salvation of all mankind. He needs His champion to succeed in this work. The purpose of God's church is to save the entire world. The church is the instrument of God, and it was this very fact that the chosen people of Israel forgot at the time of Jesus.
In the Middle Ages, great corruption appeared in the Church, and Christianity disintegrated in spirit. Medieval church hierarchies were interested in their own power, their own authority, and their own welfare. The Church enjoyed formidable power both politically and economically. The hierarchy preserved this power, abused this power, and forgot about God's purpose. They clung tenaciously to their positions and ruthlessly persecuted any opponent. The Church leaders claimed lineage from Jesus' disciples, yet they could not rise above their own sins. The Christian spirit in these men was absolutely dead.
But God had to continue forward. He is never satisfied with less than a total response. The Church needed reform, so religious revolution came. Martin Luther launched the new Protestant Reformation. And the crackling flames of dissatisfaction quickly swept over all Europe, in a storm of revolt against the power of the Church. These protesters disclaimed the old church of their fathers. Throughout the land, righteous people determined to win liberation from the old doctrines and practices. They wanted to worship God, not the Church. Equality in the sight of God was their claim. Direct communication with God was their desire. They helped God bring the world step by step closer to the ultimate goal.
Later in England, the people again protested against the intolerable corruption of the autocratic Church. There was an outcry for the purification of the Church of England. The Puritan movement began, and it quickly spread even amid great persecution. These new seekers threatened the established Church leaders, who used almost any means to suppress the new movement. Those who truly wanted the freedom of worship soon had either to flee or to be imprisoned. Their spirit was strong, but they had not enough power to resist and yet nowhere to turn. They fled to Holland. And still they longed for some new world, some new heaven and new earth where they could find freedom to worship God.
America must have seemed attractive to those who were dreaming of a new world. Even though America was unknown territory, it promised them the freedom of worship they craved. The Puritans felt a strong desire to create a community of their own. America seemed an ideal place, so they made the courageous decision to venture there. They committed themselves to the treacherous journey across the Atlantic. They risked their very lives, finding strength in their faith, which was stronger than life itself.