Section 1. Minister And Prayer (Part 1)
1. The Prayer
1) Reasons for Prayer
If man did not fall then the savior is not needed, and religion and prayer are also not needed. We must understand that the need for savior, religion and prayer are the unfortunate gift of the fall. (1974.3.9)
Why do we have to pray? We must stand in the position that is horizontally 90 degrees in relation to the vertical realm of the heart. We cannot make a mistake. We must stand horizontally at 90 degrees and by receiving vertical stimulation, depending on the magnitude of that stimulation, based on that standard, my sphere will expand. If that happens then this kind of sphere is formed. It results in a perfect circle (or the original image) in which one hundred percent give and take can occur.
Therefore, we can not afford to not devote ourselves sincerely. You cannot waver. You must pray in that situation. "How have I attended you Heavenly Father?" In attending parents, am I a representative of family, society, tribe, people, or nation? This can be known at once, where my tears have been shed and flowed. This is the formula. Fallen man cannot attend the Heavenly Parents without tears, without repentance, without cleansing the recreation of that environment is not possible. Do you understand?
When thinking about the nation, do your tears fall? When thinking about the world, does wailing occur? There is the problem. When Heavenly Father is doing that, the subject is doing that, the horizontal standard must stand in the same realm and in the participatory realm. It is not possible without being one. (171-19)
One does not become a central figure with confidence. Do you understand? One does not have confidence. Even I have never thought myself as feeling confident. Because I realized before myself must come what God likes, and I realized I must like that person whom God goes after. When I look at a given situation, what matters is how can I start off by having such a heart. If I can be connected to that heart, there is nothing which cannot be accomplished. There is nothing that cannot be accomplished. We must have a mind which can make other people joyful, and console the sorrowful person.
Have you loved God as much as the food when you are severely starving? We must love that much. Even when we are so famished, we must be able to search for God holding the food, and when we starve and hold rice in our hands, we must search for and care for the loving family (church) members. We must do so. If you are such a person and if you starve and fast, then that village will fall into ruin. It will be overcome.
For that reason, where ever a person is, whom God loves, he never starves. Do you understand? Father has never thought about food until now. Father has never thought "I must make money to survive." Would father starve because he doesn't think that way? Where ever father goes, food is waiting for me. Isn't that right?
As such a responsible leader, you must know how to follow this essential principle track (orbit). Therefore you must pray. Pray deeply about the relationship between God and myself, how much does God love me? Also, you must pray and invest for members. How much relationship have I made with members? Until the relationship becomes round . . . For that you must pray. You must pray.
How many hours do you spend on eating meals in one day? Is it over one hour and half? At least it requires about one hour and half, doesn't it? [Yes] You spend on average one and half hour for eating meals. For spiritual work, you must invest more than the amount of time you spend on eating. You must invest much more. Father has understood this fact through numerous years of own life of faith. (70-171)
As we realize more and more, that the path we must walk today, is a path which we must break through anyway, we feel that we cannot not do this with our own energy alone. Therefore, we must understand that a person of faith must pray. (1975.5.5)
What is the most important and necessary thing in your daily life? It is prayer life. Through prayer we understand the enemy that is not visible and also discern the visible enemy. (19-146)
Prayer is also needed for the perfection of purpose. (9-197)
2) The Content and Order of Prayer
When praying, first pray for this nation and this people, then pray for the Unification Church, and then pray for the descendants who will succeed the proceeding generation. (1968.11.4)
When you pray, you should pray first for your nation. And then pray for the world, then pray for the liberation of God. Do you think God is in a comfortable situation? Without knowing what one must do, without knowing how the fortune of this world is changing, he or she is saying "Oh lord, please send me to the Heaven." (14-65)
Today you must pray for the ancestors who have toiled until this time and are now in the spiritual world before praying for your own son and daughter. You must be in such a frame of mind that you long for all of humanity to live well before expecting yourself to live well. Before dancing, you must seriously worry about the humankind which is still in the realm of lamentation. Also, you must have the mind-set which can represent the situation of Jesus who could not show a happy expression even when he was happy, and could not express joy even when he was joyful. (4-125)
Those who have faith in religion for one's own benefit will abandon God when he or she receives the blessing. It is because receiving the blessing is the goal. After living for a while they will fall apart. You must pray from the viewpoint which seeks to find what God desires. Then we must pray God to bestow blessing upon the world. (1983.5.1)
A person of faith must pray a public prayer for something greater. (28-271)
The one who sheds tears for the miserable nation shall received a national blessing, and the one who cries for the miserable church shall receive a church-level blessing, and the one who shed tears for the world shall receive a world-wide blessing. (1958.4.6)
If one has a spiritual experience, then that person will pray for himself or herself at the very last. If you can enter into the realm of the sanctified spiritual world, you will come to pray for God first. Don't you think it should be so? At the moment when you meet your owner, you must invoke blessings upon him. Then afterwards you must also pray for Jesus; only after that you will understand the historical heart. And then you must pray in place of and representing the multitude of people who have fought for the great dispensational will of Christendom. Following the footsteps of all those innumerable prophets ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, you must pray, "Please allow me to become an offering that can resolve (cleanse) all their sorrows." After that is all fulfilled, you can pray for your loving children, and then pray for yourself. That is the way heavenly law is.
Today if I claim to walk the correct path of faith, then I must shed tears holding onto this world, must cry tearfully holding heaven and earth. I must cry holding my nation, holding my church, holding myself, and at the last, pray requesting that the responsibility be given to me. (1959.10.18)
3) Answer to the Prayer
Prayer always is fulfilled. Through prayer we receive energy and we are taught about the future prospect of how this problem will unfold. You will be taught "In this kind of situation do like this, and in that kind of work, do like that." By knowing this you can accomplish a great things. Only through prayer, you can pioneer that kind of path. Do you understand? [Yes] You must know prayer is more essential than eating your meals.
That is why Father likes nature and has a hobby of treasuring the time of solitude. Father likes a tranquil night. Even if father does not talk about these things, would father not have them? They are not apparent because father does not show. You must know that establishing such background foundation of richness of life is not possible without the way of prayer.
You can feel love in that world, in that position, but in an ordinary position it is difficult. Upon such foundation, only if you can stand in the position to reinforce (reinvigorate) energy by yourself, you can walk the life of faith by yourself. If you can go forward only when father is pulling you then what would you do if father is no longer here with you? To acquire that hidden aspect of life, you must know that prayer is necessary.
Therefore, whether or not somebody watches I must do my work by myself. We must be able to keep well the promises that we make with God. In night and day, praying for the sake of whole, that becomes the living prayer. Then, every several years, the prayer that I want changes, the title changes and develops. Therefore, you must know what significant time is the present time. You must understand that you have to possess that kind of hidden aspect in life through the prayer life. Do you understand? [Yes]
Among you, please raise your hand if you pray. If so, how did you pray? You must pray for that nation and that righteousness. (104-111)
When I pray in a situation in which you pledge in front of God that I shall advance one victorious foundation at the cost of sacrificing my body, God will take responsibility and fulfill it. To fulfill the content of my prayer, God does not walk the idle path. In order for God to arrive at the place where you are praying, he must go through many stages. When you stand in the most miserable situation like God is, then God can directly take action; however, otherwise God cannot take direct action. In other words, even if I am at a sacrificial and sorrowful situation, if my true mind can stand in a position where God wants me to be, then God will come to recognize and sympathize me. We must know that God is a being of such heart. (18-269)
4) The Standard of Father's Prayer
Before his sermon, Father spends more time praying for the member than praying for the sermon itself. Father prays with sincere investment: "Heavenly Father! What must I do to raise these people? Is it this or is it that?" and after that he gives sermon as his mind directs. (9-81)
Father never wants to loose to anyone in devotion (Jeung Seong). Also regarding heartistic aspect, I never want to be indebted but to give to others. From now on, a person in a responsible position must at least establish heartistic condition concerning one's own responsibility. If not, then the Unification Church cannot develop. (16-309)
When father is in deep prayer, all members of the Unification Church falls in love with him with the result that even on their way to the grocery store they come and visit. That is the way it is. They tell others that they are going to the market place and they end up in the church. It doesn't matter man or woman, all are enchanted. Those things are not caused by me. Love made it so, love. When they see me, they feel joyful without knowing why. When ever they can, they want to sell anything they have and bring something to me. They want to give, give and give again. What can cause such phenomenon? It is true love. Give, give and give again, then you come to possess new thing to give 'continually. Do you understand? After giving in all directions, a place for me to sit down emerges. A high place emerges. (121-231)
How many members with longing, yearning heart have you met? Father has met numerous such people. They visit from the end of the world to bow to father! Why is that? Because father already threw the line of heartistic love to the end of world, and because he has already sent electricity through, that they understand the direction. What small men you were? You came expecting to hear praises from father, didn't you? Have you come to hear praise or rebuke? You came to hear real explanation.
In order to pave this way, father sat down and prayed until his cotton pants become so soaked that water is dripping. Father shed his tears. Father prayed for seventeen hours, twenty hours a day. Father lived such a life. Through such effort he found this way. Can you inherit this easily? The realm of harmonious heart has to be connected to one standard. Does heaven and earth play in different beat?
Therefore, you have lived without understanding the (true) tradition of Unification Church. You have lived without knowing (true) Unification Church. You have lived without understanding father. Such value-less beings. . .
I am not a worthless person. I am a being who will only exist once in history. Can you meet me again? Do you think you can ever meet me at another time? Can you meet me again? [No, we cannot] The fact that you have met me at this period is a most precious thing which cannot be traded even with the cosmos. However, haven't you treated this precious reality so rashly? What is he proposing (advocating) and what is the way he is walking? You should feel something about your given environment and the world, and also feet that even a flying bird signifies something for you. Your realm of heart should be such. Give the recognition of participatory value to everyone and be able to respond to each other as you and 1. By you having the content of harmonious (assimilative?) value, Heaven should be able to approve (recognize) you. Without going through "inyun" (fateful relationship, connection) that content cannot be approved (recognized). (171-32)
When you pray you must shed tears. When father first began this path, in 1944, 1945, father guided members at the Sangdo Dong church. At that time, the wooden floor of the prayer place in the church center never became dry. Do you understand what father is saying? The wooden floor. You must shed tears. In such situation, God is with that church night and day.
As you march on for the sake of God's Will, you should become immersed in lonely sadness several times a day without even you yourself realizing it, and you should be always connected to and reflect the heart of God. I came until this day with those things in mind. I do not know about you.
You can know at once whether or not God is with you if you think. There is such a thing. When someone talks to you, some meaningful words are spoken, then your mind is naturally pulled. It is natural that you know these things.
Father does not know how many times he prayed until his cotton pants became all wet-how many times he pledged in his mind, going over the valley of death. (19-19)
Are you the owners of the Kingdom of Heaven? You should really wake up and pray. For three years the wooden floor never became dry, and until now father has the callus from praying. God moves only from the highest and most position, not from the place of secular games. (1974.2.9)
In 1957, for the first time we selected 120 locations and went out witnessing. Until that time, father never slept in the prayer room, even at night time. People at that time would know. I usually did not sleep until 2 a.m. and often until 4 a.m. In average I slept only two hours. Always I sincerely prayed and invested. Without doing that I could not lay the foundation. In order to lay the worldwide foundation and to place a cornerstone of the nation, I must be able to pray and invest so that many people will become my hands and feet. (56-50)
5) Minister's Prayer for the Members
A Minister must pray for the members at least once in three days. Even when father spent almost three years in Hungnam prison, in the midst of such hardships, father has never forgotten his prayer for those several members from the meal time until the resting time. Father continuously prayed even for those who fell away. Then that person appeared spiritually in front of father and mournfully reported with tears. He reported miserably that due to the weakness of flesh he has to leave father and said his farewell.
At such a miserable scene, father couldn't help but to feel pity for him. Even though that person left in such a way, father must continuously pray for that person. Why? Because that person could not fulfill the responsibility, until his successor appears I must pray for that person. As long as such foundation of "jeungsung" (sincere prayer and investment, true heart, earnest, devotion) exists even if that member falls away, God will surely send a righteous person.
Therefore, never be discouraged if a member falls away. A very interesting phenomenon is that if a member falls away, then a similar person who resembles that person's character and even the way he walks joins the church. From every angle, the new person who joins resembles amazingly the person who fell away, and yet he is much better. When we see such phenomenon, we can understand that sincere investment and prayer is never lost. This is an absolute fact.
Whenever we meet anyone, we must not end with the meeting itself. Especially if we meet someone centering on God, we must never forget that relationship. Even if that person stopped coming to the church, you shouldn't cut him off or despise him. Even if that person falls away, you must never abandon the relationship that you have made with him.
When you sincerely pray, it is better to do so for one person than for many persons. There is a big difference between praying for one person and for many people. All four different directions become different. Therefore, when there is a subject, it should decide on one object. Then, centering on that object a line should be drawn. Only then the four directions can be drawn. Until that four directions are clearly drawn, the subject must have absolute relationship with its object. Only if that is achieve, then a round circle can be drawn.
Then among the members, is there such a person? This is the problem. You must think according to the Principle. Therefore, before attempting to witness to many, think to witness from one person. Only when you have number one object, you can have the number two object. (42-165)
The basic organizational structure for the prayer group should be four wives make one team, and twelve people from three teams make one group. Men should organize themselves in the same number in conjunction with the women and if those 24 people pray hard, then a great result will come. (1970.4.23)
Pray tearfully for that one life with the heart of a parent. Then surely that person will join. In so doing if you witness one person per month, then if our number is then thousand now, then how many hundred thousand would we be? We will become 100 thousand. In two years, we will become 1.2 million, and in three years, we will become 12 million. If so then every year the number of our members will increase ten fold every year. If we achieve this, then the restoration of Korea is no problem. When we think about this, we must fully march toward the goal of one person per month. (22-342)
If you pray earnestly for three people, then at least one person will join. Now is such time. Therefore, please you make plan for the whole year, twelve months. Organize that at this month, this is number one candidate, this is number two candidate, and this is the number three candidate. Mother, father, older sister, and younger brother would be included in that plan. If it is your younger brother, then you can say, "Hey, younger brother, let's go." What do you have to be concerned about? If he does not listen with persuasion, then you can even forcefully bring him here. (22-345)
The important thing is to pray. Please pray. You should think, "Because I am trying to liberate God and humanity, they should ask favors to me." You need to think that way. Do you understand? [Yes] So, we should clean up all the habits that we picked up until now. (128-174)
6) Prayer Directed toward Center
The regional leaders should renew their sincere prayers for the Headquarters. Don't you think the 70's should be better than 60's? It should be better. (29-78)
0 <(
You should pray for Father's future plans. (1974. 2. 9)
0 <<
How much have you prayed for and how much have you longed for Father? If you really sincerely desired to see me and prayed for me, then just seeing my physical presence is no longer the issue. (23-52)
-
Section 1. Minster And Prayer (Part 2)
2. Prayer In The Unification Church
1) Pray in the Name of True Parents
The Unification Church does not pray in the name of Jesus. The person who recently joined would think, "What are True Parents? Why pray in the name of True Parents?" Do you know the meaning of True Parents? True Parents are our ancestors who did not fall in the Garden of Eden and whom we can be proud for eternity in the midst of God's glory. However, because the first ancestor of humanity fell, there had to be a new ancestor, and because God also works his providence centering on the new ancestor, we pray in the name of this new ancestor. It is very logical. In other words, since Jesus is the God of Father and the Holy Spirit is the God of Mother, fallen humankind cannot go to the Kingdom of Heaven without going through a relationship with such parents. (20-269)
What was the greatest desire of Jesus? What should he have before having a nation? What should he have before having a child? He had to welcome his wife first. However, because Jesus was not able to do so, he could not witness. He could not make people his own sons and daughters. If he came with the qualification of parents, then he should have become father and mother. Therefore, in the Unification Church, when we pray we say, "We pray in the name of True Parents." We are different from the mainline churches. We do not like to pray in the name of single Jesus without a bride.
Therefore, don't you think that we have wonderful prayer in the Unification Church? We pray in the name of True Parents. That means we are praying in the name of True Emperor and Empress. When you say teacher, do you like the teacher as a couple or as a single person? What do you like? [We like the couple] Therefore, if there is a man then there should be a woman, and if there is a woman then there should be a man. Was man born worrying about whether there would be a woman or not? Think about it. When he was born, was he greatly concerned? No. It was already so. You haven't even dreamt abut these things and came to know these things. I have solved that. It is an amazing thing. You should know this. (41-230)
When you pray, you pray in the name of True Parents. What is True Love or True Parents? Do not think of that word just with Father and Mother? Think about the standard of True Parents from the standpoint of father and mother who can love all humanity and embrace the world transcending the national feelings from an even higher level. Therefore, even Father prays in the name of True Parents. (33-143)
Wouldn't you like it if you could go to heaven as you wish? Wouldn't you like to come and go freely? Why do you pray? When you pray, why do you pray in the name of True Parents? You do not have the right to pray! However, you pray in such a manner, don't you? That is because a victory was won. From the world of all evil, from the satanic world. (150-54)
In the Unification Church we do not pray in the name of Jesus. We do not pray in such a manner. We go in search of parents. Therefore we say parents are True Parents. We have to fix up everything. Even though all has to be fixed, because everyone does not know, you should put straight the cornerstone. If the hurricane blows from this direction you may survive, but if it blows from that direction then everything will be destroyed. Do you understand? Those who believe in Jesus -- you, old man with white hair, do you understand? You should understand. (48-228)
The time now is not the time for "I pray in the name of Jesus." That time has passed. Now is not the era of name salvation. It is the era of substantial salvation. Now the Christians pray in the name of Jesus. However, Father does not pray in that way. We need Jesus not his name. There are thousand, ten thousand words called father. However, the substantial body is only one. Isn't it so? Therefore, should we go to the heavenly land riding on the substantial body of Jesus or riding on the name only? (13-63)
2) Prayer that Goes One Step Ahead
What does the Unification Church teach? It teaches the duty of parents. It is fundamentally different from the teachings of Christianity. Christianity teaches the duty of a son, but what does the Unification Church teach? [The duty of parents] That is the difference. Who is higher between a son and the parents? The parents are higher. Therefore, in the Unification Church we do not pray in the name of Jesus but pray in the name of True Parents. We are going one step ahead.
If the Trinity exists as the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, then you should pray in the name of the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, why do you pray in the name of Jesus? Why do you pray in the name of one person only? If you say "parents," then all will be included.
Then why do you not pray in the name of parents? It is disappointing to pray in the name of one person only. If you give a rice cake to men only because you like men over women, then would women feel good? You say the Holy Spirit is one person of the Trinity, then why do you always exclude the Holy Spirit and say "I pray in the name of Jesus?"
In your home, do you like father while mother as an insignificant person? Why do you celebrate father's birthday magnificently yet do not even remember the birthday of mother? Such things can be known by even those who do not believe that the relationship between the parents are the works of heaven and earth.
Everything is reciprocal. Everything forms harmony when it comes together. Eyes, nose, ears, and lips, all form harmony by coming together. Likewise, only when father and mother come together can they embrace everything in the world. Alone cannot do it.
You cannot survive if you only inhale. Of course inhaling is necessary but exhaling is just as important. Do you think that we survive only by the intake of oxygen? Do you think only inhaling is necessary? Please try only inhaling for three times. Then you would need exhale more than inhale. Only by sending the carbon dioxide out through exhaling, can oxygen can come in. You cannot only have man. These days, the world puts man first. Therefore, we must do the fundamental woman's liberation movement. From the Principle perspective, man should obey woman for three years. Therefore, when a person is restored, he must go the proper way. Since Adam and Eve fell together, they must climb up together. Climbing up is like the re-creation. When God created, He created Adam first and then created Eve. Therefore, in re-creation, God creates Adam first and then makes Eve.
Ultimately, it was the history of re-creation until now. In saving fallen human beings, two cannot be saved at once. It has to first go through the process of re-making, the process of re-creation. Then who is the coming Savior? He is the one who comes to this earth as a man who perfected the purpose of creation in order to reclaim the right of cosmic inheritance. It is simple. The savior is the one who comes as a person of character representing the position of unmarried Adam in the Garden of Eden. However, the Savior who comes in place of unmarried Adam in the Garden of Eden has to get married. Therefore, the first thing he should do after coming is find a woman, mother. (21-194)
3) Pray Putting God First
Question from Dr. Sontag: I would like to know about the prayer life of Rev. Moon. I think the prayer life of the Unification Church is unique and many believers say that their method of prayer comes only from the church.
I believe prayer is the most powerful thing. It makes possible what seems impossible. In the Unification Church we emphasize prayer; however we do not pray with any special method. Only the content is different. My teaching is 'Do not pray for yourself." I teach people to pray for the fulfillment of the mission, for others, and to offer their prayer as the words of comfort to God. (91-117)
Even in the moment when Father was beaten and fell down gushing the blood in prison, Father did not pray for himself in front of God. Father determined to himself saying "Father, I am different from the previous prophets and Jesus." and he endured such hardships. Father does not pray worthless, unmanly, and weak prayers of "Oh, Heavenly Father, please save me." Father only offers prayer for God and does not pray for others.
When God entrusts expectation and hope to you, just because you are imprisoned, how can you pray to be saved with a crying face? That is not the way a real man should live. (16-243)
3. Early Morning Prayer
Even in prison, father could not sit comfortably with his legs stretched out. Also father has not revealed his skin to the fallen world. Even in prison father hid a wash cloth and before early morning prayer father cleansed his body. (21-72)
God tells me again to wake up in the early morning and offer an early morning prayer. Waking up in the midst of sleep and praying is frankly difficult even for Father. [Laughter] It is not easy to consistently wake up and pray at 4 a.m. However, I have to keep my dignity in front of the spiritual world, I have to pray. Even with sleepy eyes . . . It is that difficult. To pray at night time when everyone else is sleeping is very difficult. However, there is no other way. Even if it is difficult, I would feel comfort in it. If I don't pray, then it would be very awkward for me to speak these things in front of you. (31-254)
If anyone does early morning prayer for three years for his responsible region, then that area will surely revive great blessings. (23-250)
Wake up in the early morning, post a person's name, and pray holding on to his name. You should be able to do so. Pray continually that "This person is really needed for your Will." We can engage in the dual strategy for the spiritual battle and the substantial battle. Secular people cannot engage in the spiritual fight. And they do not do well in the substantial fight either. Do you understand? If they are indebted to us, then they would retreat and we can not retreat. We have to engage in the dual strategy. Think like this. Do you understand? From now on . . . O.K.? [Yes]
You must shed tears. You must shed the heartistic tears. What would God feel when he looks down at your position? You must pray, "Although this city is the city which you can love, unfortunately Satan is dominating this city right now. Oh! God, please give me strength for I have the responsibility to make this city your pride. Please let the water of life come forth like a flood if I open my mouth, and let it blow like a wind when I move. Please give me the teachings by which I can shed tears when I meet people. Please give grace like a marching hurricane when I move." (97-137)
When each of us wake up in the early morning, realizing that I represent the whole of humanity, I should pray that my life today can become an embodiment of gratitude in front of Heavenly Father, and determine that I shall become a fruit of hope in a flower-filled spring garden which Heavenly Father can raise up and utilize. When it becomes afternoon I should determine in the workplace to become a valuable person whom God can dwell in, by developing myself one more step like the summer season when the fruit of hope grows. When it becomes the evening, because it is a time very much like the fall season when I can culminate everything and offer my determination in front of Father, I should pray that I will stand in the position of offering.
When it becomes the night which is comparable to the winter season, I should pray that by possessing the energy of life I will establish the intrinsic father-son relationship with God and thus become a person who can receive all value. If there is a person who makes 365 days of one year into victorious days and live a grateful life, that person can feel that a life with a relationship to God is a truly worthy life. A person living such a life will experience such things, and therefore surely he will live his whole life in gratitude. Even when the person is in the situation of death, his grateful heart toward God will remain.
We should live each day like this, one year like this, and our whole life like this. In our life there are periods of youth, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. It is like morning, daytime, evening, and night in a day, and spring, summer, fall, and winter in a year. Therefore, a person who lived such a life becomes a victorious substantial being who fulfilled the purpose of creation which God created man for. (29-340)
4. Prayer Vigil
1) Night Has Strong Mysterious Quality
Night, the deep night, has strong mysterious quality. Therefore, when you hold a revival, you feel more grace in a night revival than a day revival. The reason is that in the daytime, all our senses are dispersed. In other words, sight, hearing and all other senses through which we can perceive, are easily dispersed. However, at nighttime, they are not like that and on the contrary they become focused. At night time, all things make me more sensitive by surrounding me in a realm where I can stand naturally. For that reason, at nighttime, it is easier to evoke the work of grace together with God. God can work more easily. Therefore, if you talk with the members in the field at night, then that talk comes to hold certain mysterious character. Also, as you travel from one village to another, if you talk while escorting members to their homes, then those members can never forget that experience throughout their lives. When a person lives a life experiencing such value, then there is progress.
You too try to convey God's word from midnight until you hear the first crow. How mysterious it is! In a quiet and tranquil night, convey God's words hearing the barking of neighbor's dog at a distance. You will feel as if you have just entered into a new life after finding glowing sun light, and as if you are a captain who is navigating with a fresh feeling after discovering a light from a distant beacon. You will feel your courageous, bold, and solemn self going alone in the world filled with mysteries. If you want to hold such heartistic relationships, then guide them centering on the night time. Therefore there is a need to work and be active at night and in early morning.
However, if the people are married women then there will always be problems. Therefore, you have to make them understand the significance well and enable them to break out of their environment even at night. It is necessary to possess such heartistic generating power. Therefore, you should make them follow as you instruct them in any environment. If you make your members like this, first through the word, then through your action, and finally through your heart, then they will never fall away. Then let your members do witnessing. You have to educate and raise them until they can witness other people. If this is accomplished, then you will not even loose one person out of all those you have witnessed to. (29-196)
2) The Meaning of the Prayer Vigil
Do you do prayer vigils? Sending up your spirit to the heaven, forgetting all about the secular matters. . . That state means reaching the state of sleep. Let's go beyond such a state. Just as when all this physical remnants sink down, only the pure water rises. Sleep means raising our spirit and precipitate all evil consciousness by training our mind. When you go into the state of sleep, when you are about to fall asleep, you hear everything and see everything. You hear everything but haven't heard it exactly, and you saw everything but haven't seen it exactly. Then what happens? A dream like phenomena unfolds. At that time, the spiritual world teaches you something. Do you understand? It all has to fit logically. Do you understand? [Yes]
And by doing a prayer vigil, cutting off all that is physical, totally focusing on the spirit and continuously sending it upward, you will begin to see your future path. When that becomes habitual, then you enter into a position where you can control everything. If you enter into that state then you can see and hear all. You are looking at and hearing two things once. Until you reach such a position, it requires significant self-training and disciplinary development. (91-275)
We inherited the satanic blood lineage through the fall. You have inherited satanic blood lineage. Therefore, when you move, this blood, the evil blood is moving. Do you understand this? If you put it in a glass container, then it is like murky water. It is like the dirty, washed-up water. If you sleep, however, things come down since this whole body is resting. It is like heavy things sink down and the clean water rises. Because the original pure mind can make a relationship with God, God teaches in dreams, the way to go symbolically or visibly. (91-273)
You must directly experience the life in which you yourself stimulate new things centering on God. If you do activity experiencing such heart, then there always occurs multiplication. Then, you develop. The new bud emerges out of the living tree. Yesterday and today is different. There, the force of life is always active. In contrast, a tree without its root is a dead tree. Yesterday and today change.
When you loose such feeling, please pray putting your life on the line. Even if you have to do many prayer vigils, you must accumulate sincere effort. If you try to live such a life, then God may even try to take such times away from you on purpose. If so, then no matter how much you try, you may not find hope. In such a situation, you must be able to fight even more strongly with the mind that I will serve God even subjugating Satan. (30-133)
3) Every Church Should Hold Prayer Vigils
Although you should work during the day time, religious work should be done at night as well. What I am saying is that teaching at night is effective. So you should make a guest who visited the church once, feel like coming back even if he or she may have to escape from home. For this to be done, you should first become such a (zealous) person. Without cause, can there be result? Ladies and gentlemen, if you have not been able to do it, from now on, you should work harder to make it possible, by coming up with something creative. (97-196)
In the future, people will come to have more spiritual power, and their spirit will become clearer. There should not be any defect. You should not live away from the public position. In order to safeguard the church, Blessed members should form a trinity and should not sleep. In order to have dominion over night time -- currently governed by Satan -- we should stay awake at night and protect the church. The church should not remain vacant. That is the way we should protect the church until we feel safe from all four directions. At the place with many members, there should not be nights without members doing a prayer vigil. They should not doze.
In the future, many meetings will be held at night time. It is because we should break darkness. In order to do it, you should have a serious and sincere heart. How precious it is to take responsibility for a public mission! (110-247, 11/1/61)
Can you work in place of God? You should have the concept that you are responsible for the entire world. If there is a problem with the whole, you should take it as your own, and even if you have to stay up all night, you should do your best with all of your heart and mind. God will cooperate with such a person since he or she is doing His work on behalf of God although he or she is living on earth.
Therefore, he or she cannot help but to make a progress. In there, joy, glory, and hope will dwell, along with strong energy, and God will be present. Because God is there, life will also be there. Further, loving heart with be residing continuously.
What is the first condition to become such a person? He or she should think: "I exist for (the people of) the world. Therefore, regardless of day and night, for 24 hours a day, I am there for them." Such a person will never be destroyed nor defeated by Satan. (44-13)
People who do not miss God everyday cannot attend God. This you must understand. Whoever it may be, you should be always pierced with a yearning heart. Nevertheless, if you think: "It is now midnight, and it is time to go to sleep." you will end up worrying God. There is no distinction of day and night in the Kingdom of Heaven. If you are connected in heart, it does not matter whether it is day or night. (17-293)
Now, two thirds of the year are gone. That means that we have only one third left. Then, what is there to worry about? Such a thing is nothing to be worried about. I do not pray because of that. I will never pray due to economic problems. How can I pray for money to God? I just cannot offer such a prayer. Prayers should be principled. If you pray for anything, you will have to pay indemnity for doing it, and you will be in trouble. I never pray with a greedy heart.
With this in mind, when you have no money or material things, I suggest you to do a prayer vigil. Yet during the prayer, you should not lament over your own situations. You should pray for people in North Korea centered on the Republic of Korea, for laborers groaning in the communist countries, centered on Russia, and for pitiful people suffering and dying in the wilderness of Siberia. When you should pray to God to open a way for you to go to North Korea for the liberation of its people, God will listen to your prayer. (166-191)
On Saturday night, you should pray at the church. (17-347)
Ladies and gentlemen, do you do prayer vigils? You must. Lecturers must fast a meal. They should make a special condition. Otherwise, everything will be fly away. You should appeal to God with all of your heart and mind -- more than parents do to their own children; more than teachers do to their students; more than a spouse does to his or her spouse. Otherwise, God will not be with you. (166-181)
4) Father's Life of Prayer
I think that church leaders should sleep outside for 10 nights out of a month of 30 days, without returning home. They should spend all night with members, sharing stories together. If I ask you to do it, all of you would run away. What do you think? Would you not? [No.]
That is what I did. In 1957, when I was witnessing to members, I did not sleep at night. The best way of bringing results is a one on one. When I was giving a lecture to one person, I thought that I was giving it to an audience of a thousand people. I thought that that particular person could determine the lives of several thousands or even several tens of thousands. In order for you to make that person follow you, in whatever direction, there is all the more reason why you must make special conditions for that person, even more to motivate him or her.
Well, if each one of you can become such an individual through me, and Americans can become such people through you, this America will revive. Then a three-stage relationship will be formed. You will be united with me, and local members will be united with you. This is what should be done. You should become one with local members. Why should it be in three stages? Because it is as though God and Adam were to unite as one, and Adam and his son were to be also united as one. That is a principle. Unless the three stages are established, the four position foundation can't be established. Do you understand what I mean? That is why you should be able to make others like you on the personal level. . . That is the question. (96-285)
While walking this path, I feel being led by an irresistible force beyond my control. Since joining the church, you too must be feeling that you are being pushed by an invisible, but great force. On the contrary, you, however, get more energy when sworn at by others or experiencing hardships. Even myself, when my legs are too swollen to walk, I would push them, saying: "You, legs, you must keep on walking for God." That is why I used to stay up all night, listening or talking to members. (97-209)
For this reason, you must make special effort. When doing it, you should do it for a clear reason, purpose, or goal, keeping a certain person in mind. When I did it for a person in particular, if I thought that he or she might be hungry or half-clothed, I prayed for that person, fasting and without being dressed warmly, even in cold weather. Due to such a standard, I could come to lay the foundation that I have today.
I shed many tears without letting others know. When I saw pitiful people, to help them, I felt like bringing them everything in the world. Even if I did it, would you call it a sin? If you are greedy with a desire to give or help others, even God will praise you. It is so because your motivation is not to enjoy your own personal life but to benefit others. Although you suffer now, if you are greedy to benefit others in the future, it is good.
When a doctor holds a scalpel, can he be dozing because it is midnight? Likewise, those who are responsible for others' lives, should be as serious as that surgeon. When seeing you from this view, all of you seem to be people who will drift away. (42-168)
5) Jesus and His Prayer Vigil
Jesus had many prayer vigils, and the people who worked for heaven in the past also prayed hard in order to fulfill their great missions. Without a life of prayer, they could not have reached their levels. You may not know when your prayers for God's Will will be realized. Neither do you know whether or not your prayers will be answered. Still, you should have patience to wait. (104-111)
Even Jesus did many prayer vigils. He also did many fasting prayers alone in the lonely place. . . I am still leading such a life of prayer although I am living with Mother. Otherwise, I always feel like being crushed. (94-157)
After becoming a standard-bearer, if you shout out with all of your energy, the time when we are living is that your shouting will be heard not only on earth but also in heaven. In this sense, certainly, our time is better than that of Jesus. Jesus prayed all night at the Garden of Gethsemane, but no answer was given to his three prayers. There was no response to not only from his people but also from Judaism. However, our time is now different. We are living in the age in which responses can be given not only in the nation but also in the world, only if we pray desperately at the risk of our life. We are living in such a time.
Therefore, if we stay up all night and pray, we should do it for our church members. If you do it for yourself, you will become like Peter. Did Jesus not have prayer vigil for the sake of the nation and the world? Even at the time when he was destined to face a death, he did not worry about his own life but for his disciples and the people of Israel. That is why God could have compassion on him, and he could be resurrected from death. This you must understand. Now is such time.
Now is the time when we, the Unification Church members, should do a prayer vigil as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, but it should not be done for ourselves, but for our people and all humankind. The group of people who shed tears and do a prayer vigil for this will not perish. The person who is determined to go a path of death together will not perish. That turning point will be the final judgment that promises a resurrection. It will not perish. Although it may appear to perish, it will appear to be a chance to stimulate resurrection, that can endow a life motive. (60-30)
-
Section 2. Sanctifying The Holy Ground
1. Reason For The Sanctification Of The Holy Ground
1) Reason for the Sanctification of the Holy Ground
In the Unification Church, as many blessings have been conducted, Holy Grounds were made as places to pray. During the difficult time when we had no place to pray, while being pushed and persecuted, the fact that the Holy Grounds where we could express our heart to God, were selected, and decided is truly historical, an event that planted worldwide victory. This we must understand.
In order to expand this standard, last year, Father traveled throughout the world and selected the 120 Holy Grounds in the 40 nations. Although it cost a lot of money to fulfill this task, the reason Father had to do it was due to the unavoidable dispensation of God. Such things never existed in human history.
Then, why did it have to be done? It was to be tuned to the program of God's providence, according to heavenly fortune. The 120 Holy Grounds of 40 nations are the places that can protect the right of God's chosen nation. If those places cannot be protected by earthly people, the spirits in the spirit world will protect them. Planting the seed is to erect a starting point that can lead the battle for the restoration of the people. Now, we are entering an age in which the final destiny of heaven and earth should be determined. We clearly see this happening. (16-262)
2) The Process of Sanctifying the Holy Ground
The church members should gather with their trinity as often as possible. Their meeting place should be sanctified with Holy Salt to erect a standard to restore all things. They should visit the members who live nearby and pray for them. Through the gathering, their interest in the Holy Ground should be stimulated.
Let us cultivate our habit of visiting Holy Grounds. Through the stimulation given by all things, we should feel the value of ourselves. The reason why the Israelites perished was due to the loss of their love for the blessed land. Therefore, even the place where no members are living should be sanctified, and witnessing should be done to protect it. The area should be more than 8 chuck in four directions. Before September 10, by the lunar calendar, your local Holy Ground should be selected and sanctified. As Abraham desired his corpse to be buried in the land sanctified . . . In the past, Holy Salt could not be used in the outside land. (9/10/62, from the memo of the president Hyo Won Eu)
2. Sanctifying The Holy Grounds
1) An Example of Sanctifying the Holy Ground
After people are restored, the land should be restored. Since the standard of Korea was elevated to the level prior to the fall, now, the Holy Grounds can be established. Therefore, the 120 Holy Grounds were selected and established in 40 nations worldwide.
Since the 120 families symbolize 120 nations, along with the 120 blessed families, the 120 Holy Grounds had to be selected and established.
The fact that the Holy Grounds are selected and established means that the dispensation is in the same position as when creating the earth, prior to the creation of humans. Through the establishment of the Unification Church saints, because the land and humans can be considered to be restored to the same position prior to the fall, the angelic world and the spirit world cannot help but to cooperate with you.
Therefore, having the 120 Holy Grounds is equal to have 120 territories. If the Holy Grounds are established in America, American ancestors are to support God's providence. Starting from December 31, 1964 and January l, 1965, the Holy Grounds should be established during three calendar years until December, 31 1965.
Since the number six is a number that was invaded by Satan, it should be restored through indemnity. The reason why the problems of Korea could be resolved is because of this principle. For instance, the Eul Sa Protection Treaty was dissolved 60 years after its creation. (12/22/65, from a memo by the late president Hyo Won Eu)
3. Selection Of Holy Grounds
1) Selecting a Holy Ground
After getting up at 4:30 a.m. and doing three bows in a holy robe, at 5:30 a.m. as yesterday, by driving two cars, we gathered together around Father who sat on a rock, and prayed and sang. At 7:10, we selected a Holy Ground. Many family members gathered together. Some workshop participants were allowed to come to this occasion. (1/1/66)
At 11:00 a.m., Father announced the headquarters to be the central Holy Ground. At the headquarters, in front of workshop participants and family members, who were sitting around, Father again made a diagram. (This was kept by Hyo Won Eu.). Father called Sung Jin Nim and went outside the church with him, carrying dirt and Holy Salt, and after sanctifying them, he returned.
Prior to the ceremony and after the ceremony, Father prayed. The content of prayer consisted of his gratitude for allowing him to establish the Holy Grounds and his request to God to answer the prayers of family members who will pray in the future at the Holy Grounds.
Further, he prayed that God would connect this Holy Ground to all other Holy Grounds throughout the world. The dirt sprinkled and the stones that were planted in the Holy Grounds were brought by him, in person, from the selected 40 nations and were mixed together. (1/2/66)
4. Selection Of Holy Grounds
1) The Meaning of the Holy Grounds
Today, what is the Unification Church trying to do? It is trying to fulfill what Jesus desired to fulfill on earth in his lifetime. Then, what is it that Jesus wanted to do on earth? Centered on Israel, Jesus desired to restore the Israelites in the position of Cain with Judaism in the position of Abel. Today, the Unification Church is in the position of Judaism, and the Korean people are in the position of the Israelites.
What Jesus attempted to do was bringing to completion and perfection an individual, a family, a tribe, and a people, that is, the standard of an individual, a family, a tribe, and a people that God sought for.
That is the reason why Father gave one of the 120 Holy Grounds to each of 124 blessed couples, who were sent to various places. He asked them to fulfill their mission, by cultivating their relationship to their designated Holy Ground.
Then, as the standard of fulfilling their individual mission, centered on the entire mission on the worldwide level, the age of victory that can connect the world will come forth. That is the reason why Father selected the seven Holy Grounds, including the four Holy Grounds in the directions of north, south, east and west, the central Holy Ground, and headquarters Holy Ground, etc.
As such an age of victory that can be connected to the world arrived, Father brought some dirt and stones from the seven Holy Grounds on December 31, 1964 and January 1, 1965 and made preparations to leave for foreign countries with them.
What are the dirt and stones? Due to the fall of Adam, God lost both Adam and the entire world to Satan. However, since God can now visit us through that foundation of victory, we entered an era in which we can restore the land. Therefore, the dirt and stones in the Holy Grounds become the foundation that God can dwell in. That is the reason why Holy Grounds could be claimed. This you must understand.
Then, what happens when God, humans, and the Holy Grounds are united as one? The standard that Adam and Eve were to restore prior to the fall will be established. Selecting Holy Grounds is to restore humans, land, and all things that were lost in the Garden of Eden and by finding a person to determine a focal point, a central figure, who can relate to God. (16-74)
2) The Holy Grounds Mobilize the Spirit World
Also, if the Holy Grounds are established, what else can happen? Prior to the fall of Adam and Eve, was there a spirit world or not? Spirit world, then, was an angelic world.
The angelic world has been anxiously waiting to enter a sphere of life, receiving God's love through Adam and Eve's prompt perfection. Through cooperating with Adam and Eve and helping them, the true children of God, and establishing a God centered family, the angelic world hoped that they could (also) build a foundation of peace from which they could receive God's love.
Since the Holy Grounds are the sanctified places, like the families blessed by God, the spirit world can work with them. (16-75)
On the foundation of selecting the Holy Grounds, when God sends His beloved sons and daughters, the foundation for them to attend God can be built. Then, the spirit world cannot help but to cooperate with them.
As I was traveling throughout the world, after establishing the Holy Grounds, I thought of dispatching the Unification Church members to those nations with the Holy Grounds as soon as possible. By erecting those designated members to be in the standard of Adam and Eve prior to the fall, I will indemnify the standard that the spirit world could not reach so far. Then, horizontal battles can take place on earth.
Since the Archangel is the one who was involved with the fall, angels should chase Satan out of the earth. This is a principle for the restoration through indemnity. Therefore, we should expel Satan, by mobilizing the spirit world. (16-76)
3) The Process of Selecting Holy Grounds
The gate to the Kingdom of Heaven is open so that everyone, whether good or sinful, can go to the Kingdom of Heaven. Nationwide, we should proclaim this and ask people to join the Unification Church. We should spread this message to all people. In order to connect this to the world, Father restored people in 1965, and centered on Korea, Father now has to connect this foundation to the world so that the land of Canaan should be restored and connected to the world. Do you understand? That is the reason why the 120 Holy Grounds -- 3 times 40 nations were established.
What do we do at the Holy Grounds? We should connect Korea to the land of the 40 countries. Do you understand what I mean? That is why dirt and stones here were transplanted to them. They symbolize human body and mind. Dirt symbolizes flesh, and the stones symbolize bones.
It is as if Jesus symbolizes bones and we, humans, flesh. It also symbolizes heaven and earth respectively. Do you understand? Next, it brings people together and connects them to each other. Do you understand what I mean? Then, four people go together. By establishing the four position foundation, you go over all of this. That is why in the 120 Holy Grounds, the objects that represent the land of Korea, the rock of Korea, and Korean people, are planted and connected. This is the future land of Canaan. The future land of Canaan. Such a spiritual standard is being established.
So if the Unification Church members pray at the Holy Ground, spirit world and the people of that land will all cooperate with them through their returning resurrection (on the earth). It will be expanded and connected to all four directions. Do you understand?
Afterwards, I blessed the 43 couples, who represent the world, among the members from the three nations of Japan, America, and Europe, as objects to the 430 blessed couples in Korea and connected them to each other. All of this was done based on the foundation of establishing the 120 Holy Grounds. Do you understand what I mean? (96-189)
During 1965 I established the 120 national and worldwide Holy Grounds in 40 nations. It was possible because Korea could stand in the will of God as a footstep, the land was engrafted. That is why the 120 Holy Grounds were selected in 40 nations. Do you understand? The nation with the most Holy Grounds is America. It is so because the final end will happen centered on America. Do you understand? It is so because the land of America is a place where Abels are gathered together. America is a nation established by the Protestants, in the position of Abel, the younger brother, gathered together, after being persecuted by Catholics in the position of Cain, the elder brother. (99-178)
For this reason, I traveled the entire United States of America for 40 days. What did I do during that time? I selected the Holy Grounds. What is the Holy Ground? It is a place where I made a special condition to possess God's love. The reason why I made the most Holy Grounds in America is to make a preliminary announcement that the final settlement will be brought in this nation. For each state, I placed more weight than a nation. In other words, I regarded this nation of America to be the center of the world and the universe. (124-28)
Father traveled throughout 40 nations and selected the 120 Holy Grounds. I did not make a leisurely trip. I should connect Korea to the world centered on the Holy Grounds in the eight provinces of Korea. Only when each of the Holy Grounds throughout the world becomes a starting point of one core blessing, with the dirt and stones from Korea, can the entire world turn around. Based on this foundation, I could proclaim God's Day on January first, 1968. Do you understand? God's Day was established based on the foundation of the worldwide, historical victory, and we can praise God for this. (26-316)
During Jesus' lifetime, there was no Holy Ground. However, in the Unification Church, we have God's Day, Parents' Day, Children's Day, and Day of All Things. Further, we also have Holy Grounds where we can pray. When considering all of this, we should realize that we are far more blessed than Jesus. Have you ever thought of this? Jesus desperately prayed to God three times all night in the Garden of Gethsemane, holding unto grasses and the branches of trees: "Heavenly Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me. . ." Yet who understood his desperate heart that he had to pray three times, shedding tears? No one did. (17-143)
4) The Result of Selecting the Holy Grounds
The time when the people's fortune will keep the same pace as worldwide fortune has arrived. That is why Father is engrafting the Holy Ground in Seoul, the capital city of Korea, not only to other Holy Grounds in Korea but also in the world. What is it for? It is to make the entire world the land of Korea. According to the principles of restoration through indemnity, the Holy Grounds made in the satanic world will become the land of Korea. Why? From the heavenly perspective, once the Holy Grounds are established, that territory is to become the land of Korea. (16-76)
Until the present time, Holy Grounds were selected in the 40 nations. Through this, the territory of Korea was already expanded (to those nations). Viewed from this, Korea is rich, right? Korea became the first nation in the world. Which country in the world has its own territory in 40 nations? The manager of that territory is Rev. Moon of the Unification Church. This is not a joke. By blessing the Holy Grounds, those nations' sovereignty is transferred to the side of heaven. (16-77)
Father selected the 120 Holy Grounds in the 40 nations. Now, what he needs to do is to select missionaries who can represent the 40 nations where the Holy Grounds were established, but the question is who they will be.
Those who volunteer for this mission, please raise your hand. You should be prepared to receive that mission. When you go to the nations, I am not asking you to be good at witnessing. Even if you are in the situation of a beggar, you should remain there, leaving the evidence that you shed tears, blood and sweat, for the people of your missionary country. If you cannot speak their language, you remain dumb. What good is it to speak the language of that nation if you do not have love for the people of that nation? Would you not be able to witness to people due to your language barrier? (17-67)
If you see the Holy Grounds as the center, the land where you are standing represents the 120 Holy Grounds in the 40 nations, and since the alter where you are standing represents the entire world, you are considered to be standing as a representative for the world. Further, when you pray, bowing down, you come to pray as a chief priest in the position of an offering object, asking for the forgiveness of the sins of all mankind.
5) Anecdotes of Selecting the Holy Grounds
It took more than 7 hours for Father to select the Holy Ground in Syria. For this reason, Syria is the most memorable place out of all of the Holy Grounds worldwide. When Father visited that country, there was a worldwide exposition being held, centered on Eastern Europe. In addition, Russia's satellite countries were exhibiting all of their special products. Out of them, I visited the exhibit room of Russia. I still cannot forget the impression that I received from that experience.
In the Arab nations, since I could not select the Holy Grounds during the day time but only at night, much time was consumed. If they saw Christians who were praying during the day time, they attempted to stone them to death. That memory is so vivid that I feel like such an event took place only yesterday. Yet I did it in such a way since I was interested in the spiritual level of Muslim culture. (18-232)
During the first seven-year course, I had to select the 120 Holy Grounds in the 40 nation throughout the world, with dirt and stones brought from Korea. Therefore, even during the sleeping time, I placed them underneath my head, using it as my pillow. I did so because had I lost them, the providence would have been prolonged to the three stages. Whenever I visited each land for the establishment of the Holy Ground, I had to love its people more than the people of Korea. The more Korea is humble, the more it will be recognized.
When I returned from the world tour (for the establishment of the Holy Grounds), I was grateful for the safe journey back. However, the family members who were supposed to see me at the airport did not show up. No one would fathom the feeling that I experienced at that time, (21-286)
5. Holy Ground Prayer
1) Pray at the Holy Ground
All of the Unification Church members should pray at the Holy Ground. (32-153)
From now on, you must pray for unification. Do you understand? [Yes.] Until the return of Father, whenever you have time, regardless of gender, you must pray at the Holy Ground. If you cannot do it early in the morning, you should even in the evening.
You must think of the time when Father prayed in tears at this Holy Ground in the beginning of the church. Please think of how difficult it has been for Father to come this far, selecting the Holy Grounds and the major church holidays such as Parents' Day, Children's Day, and All Things' Day. Please think how hard Father's course has been until he established God's Day on January first, 1968, based on that foundation. Truly, God was pitiful, and so was Father and the Unification Church members.
Now, as you are responsible to spread the goal of the unification throughout the world, although you are now praying, sitting on a hard rock, you should offer a prayer with which the mountains and streams will be tearful, bowing down their heads before you.
While I was in the middle of the world tour for the Holy Grounds, I should have asked you to fast a meal for lunch, but I really did not desire to do so. Instead, I am now asking you to pray hard at the Holy Ground. Do you understand? [Yes.] You should sing wholeheartedly the Song of Unity so that your heart can stimulate that of this people for the unification of North Korea and South Korea, or God's providence of restoration for all humanity. By so doing, you should be a good example to all humankind, and for this, you should pray hard at the Holy Ground. (22-158)
Through the prayer at the Holy Ground, you should ask for cooperation from your ancestors. (13-161)
As far as a pilgrimage to the Holy Ground is concerned, praying at the Holy Ground itself is not important, but the entire time to travel back and forth is also a precious part of the whole process to make a special condition. (18-187)
Well, our church members now are praying ardently in tears at the Holy Grounds. Right? Those who did not yet shed tears at the Holy Grounds are not church members. You must visit the Holy Grounds and pray with all of your hearts and minds. Israelites who lost the temple of Jerusalem failed to become the temple of Jerusalem, but the entire planet of this earth should become the temple. If this earth does not become the temple, you should shed tears, holding unto this earth. Only when you build a relationship in which you can shed tears towards the Holy Ground in the place of the substantial foundation of the temple, you can finally become the master of this earth.
Because that is the way it was made, a dedication ceremony can be finally held. A dedication ceremony. Although this is only a small area, it is obtained through tearful battles. Therefore, unless the entire value of the sanctified area is remembered by God more highly than any of satanic world, the dedication ceremony on the level of a people and the world cannot be held. This you must understand. When you shed tears, sweat and blood, petitioning your grief, and by so doing, when God remembers the standard of your petition for the victorious day of Heaven against the enemy, Satan, that land can be finally lifted high in satanic world. That is the way it is when seen from the spirit world.
For this reason, people who are communicating with all sorts of spirits pray at our church Holy Grounds. Have you heard about the rumor that spiritual people are coming to pray at our Holy Grounds?
-
Section 3. Giving Sermons
There has never been a time when I have prepared for a sermon. When speaking from life experiences, it is impossible for it not to be emotional.
When you wonder why you suffered for God's will in the past, it is because you have lost your subjective character. If you suffered for people, as long as those people remain, your standard lives on.
Before I give a sermon, I spend more time praying for the members than I do praying for the sermon. After you have gathered your heart and prayed, "Father, I have to bring these people up but how do I do it? Is it this way or that way?" You preach according to your heart's commands.
Apart from the heart there is no life. The path of the valley of life is difficult and grim. If you must request a teacher, request the teacher of the heart, not the teacher of knowledge. If you dig into the valley of the heart, the more you dig, the more tears you shed and the more your "self" disappears.
When I stand at the podium, I say a special prayer. Sometimes I do not even have a sermon topic until I am standing at the podium. There are many times when I haven't prepared that I pray after reading the Bible and the topic comes to me. After seeing what? After seeing people. As soon as you see a person, you say "Ah, that one is this type" and you compare that person to yourself. "Oh, when I was like that, I was in such and such a circumstance," and my heart was like such and such. . .
It is like giving a sermon to yourself. Through your course, centering on heaven's grace. . . If that person is being moved and inspired, the audience will return. Therefore, the audience and I, the members and I, are one. That is why members are necessary.
And it doesn't matter what type of ill-bred person speaks, there is always something to be learned. Each person has truth with their own unique characteristics. So, if you don't let it flow by listening in earnest, there is a wealth of material you can gather for your sermon. That is why you must pray. When I give sermon's in Korea, my back is completely covered with sweat. My undershirt and white shirt is soaked and sweat drips from my forehead. I'm like this now because I use a translator. It's because I use a translator. It's not like this in Korea. Do you understand? [Yes] That is why I say, speak with all your dedication and listen with all your dedication. Do you all do that? Listen to one grandmother's speaking for 12 to 20 hours. Listen while staying up the night. After having heard it all, it is then your chance to speak.
From long ago I would give sermons even in my sleep. I would talk while sleeping. Even when I went to Sunday school, I was preaching while sleeping. In a loud voice. . . So I would wake up because of the sound of my own sermon. even then, I already knew that many people would represent heaven and lead. Whenever I passed a church, even if I was eating lunch, I would just want to go in and eat. I wanted to go in and eat at the head of the altar. That was how it was. I already know how to place a ladder and use it. Your heart already knows.
You must restore everything. You must start with a laborer. You must restore starting as a laborer and go up. If you lose that, from the highest position of glory, there is no magic formula back. You must go to the lowest position and pull yourself up. When you wear clothes you cannot wear a suit. Does a laborer wear a suit? I started wearing a suit to do sermons after 1970. And it wasn't even a real suit. I wore a laborers uniform. You American members may be hearing this for the first time. I did not start eating at a dining table. Starting with mere rice balls. . . It is restoration. Restoration through indemnity. I had no need for any spoon or fork. You must indemnify and restore all of those things.
Dr. Sontag's question: "You are receiving criticism because it is said that what you say in sermons to the public and what you say to your followers is different. Many people are supposing that the lessons you teach to your followers in unofficial settings are different and stronger. Where do these comments have their basis?"
I do not fear speaking to the public. There is no compromise in God's words. Throughout history all prophets revealed the content of their prophecies boldly, and I do the same. Whether it be at the Yankee stadium rally or the Washington monument rally or at a general sermon for my believers, anyone such as yourself may come. I often speak candidly. Sometimes I give sermons with strong language. That is because I want that sermon to remain in one's memory.
I do not speak smoothly like a diplomat. Also I do not seek to buy the good graces of the people like politicians. What is most important to me is how history is going to speak of me.
I do not chase the popularity of the present. It is not important whether or not I am popular with the American people today. I only speak the way God instructs me to. But sometimes, in order to match what people need, I will speak to match the level of the listener. There is no secret there.
Jesus said, "I still have a lot to tell you but as of now you will not be able to understand." There are times when I cannot tell things to my members or even my leaders. That is not because they are secrets, but because they will not understand. For each person there is a different level of understanding the Unification Principle. Even Saint Paul said that for religious followers, "You should eat milk rather than hard foods, because they were not prepared spiritually." Every one must speak at the level of their listeners so they can understand.
There is no reason for any Unification Church activities to be done in secret. The record of the past proves this point very well. What have I done in the past few years and what has the Unification Church done in Korea, the United States and Japan? That is the proof. The things that we have done have been acts of sacrificing ourselves for the nation, the people. In short, others. Our first mission is to spread the truth and restore man's heart for God. Have you ever heard that we were going to rob any bank or take over any government?
1. Sermon Preparation And Spirit
1) Sermon Preparation is not Accomplished with Books
People who work for the sake of God are truly pitiable. They are lonely people. If you consult with people and read books to receive the gospel of life, it can serve as a reference. You can make an artificial leaf, but you cannot make a real leaf. If you look at a book, you must consider that person's thought perception and it does not help at all to center on a different thought perception and have responsive feelings. It often serves as an obstacle or detraction. That is why spiritual leaders are lonely people. You all don't know that, correct? You must. You must. Because I do it by myself as well.
When I am here, I feel that Chung Pyung is not far and go there everyday. When it is cold, when the sun is blazing, when the wind is blowing -- all the time. It is because I need the taste of something new, the atmosphere of grace which you feel at the center of your heart. I need the new feeling that comes from God. When I don't eat food, it doesn't matter if you have that. You need that sort of thing. You must overcome the feelings you get from dealing with people. When dealing with people, you mustn't do it unsatisfactorily. In a course that is mandatory, the phenomenon of revival does not occur. It has to be exciting. You must stay up nights without even realizing it is night. You only discover the value of heaven when you get to the point that you can say, "Heaven is the only place to be." Isn't that right? Even with trees, they either completely adhere or they don't graft. Right?
Without any direct experiences, a spiritual leader can do no work. Doing sermons based on books, heaven is such and such from a book. . . Is God in the middle of this book? He is not. You must all know that God exists in the soul and it doesn't work if God doesn't go through the soul.
The most valuable thing is a direct experience-based faith. That is why if you are Unification Church members, you have direct experiences. You absolutely get to experience first hand. What kinds of things arise? Everything possible within the realm of your realistic life. Truly, if you give all the dedication you have for the providence, heaven will go with you.
If you all have an intimate relationship with God, don't worry that you didn't prepare for your sermon. You need that kind of training as well. When I meet a famous person there are times when I can speak up to ten times a day. Then I must talk about different things at each different location. But do I prepare for each and every one? My heart at those times is to completely have the consciousness of an offering. The consciousness of an offering. There is no "I," there is no concept of your existence. There is no sense of having possessions. It is a position of absolute dedication.
If you say "Sermons are only for Sundays," when it becomes Sunday you say "Where in the Bible shall we read? Come out you holy song, come out." [Laughter] This is not what you should do. Do not do this. Center on your knowledge of people, center on the live resources, extract relevant miracles from the Bible, and give a fun sermon comparing that person's experiences with the content of the Bible. Then the listener will be completely blown away. When he hears his own experiences he will like it. You must go do it like this. Do you understand? Do not attempt to do it by looking at books. Books come from people as well. You must know that people themselves are the origin of books. Do you understand? [Yes]
2) You must have Spiritual Abilities
You are the same. I do the most difficult thing in the church. Always have a plan and do not look around and do not get sidetracked. If you can become that kind of people, you will develop. Do you understand? [Yes]
The most difficult position is that of a spiritual leader. You must pray and consult with members all night. It is development when you continuously stay up nights debating the truth. Do you understand? [Yes] Even if you receive opposition from the neighborhood. . .
Even now, wherever I go, if I think back to the 1960s, I get the feeling of that time again. If I go there and just do it, that environment will completely change in an instant. There is that "something." You too must pray in order to get that felling. You must do a lot of those prayers. Do you understand? [Yes] If you don't spend a lot of time praying your heart's antenna will always be immersed in that place. If you always aim for that, 24 hours a day, and if you always live by that standard all the time, no matter what you're doing, you don't have to have a lot of praying time.
You can center on the things you see, and center on the things that you feel and center on the things you say. Then even if you don't prepare for sermons, you will always have a sermon topic and things to fill the sermon. You aren't like that, right? If you stop suddenly and completely, you will always be looking for the end of the sentence, saying, "where did the end go?" Where has it gone. . . .
It is the same of an electric line. You lose the end and all of a sudden you are saying "Whoa, where did God go?" If you decide to find out, you cannot just say "For goodness sake God!" You cannot do that. I must always have the end of the line. If you connect them, then, "ZZZTT!" If you connect the plus and the minus there will be a big spark.
If I go into a home, I can tell in an instant if this is a home of dedication or if it is not. Even if no one says anything, I already know. If you remain still, the cells know that the electricity is flowing. Do you understand? If I just go in, I can tell right away whether or not the household has given much dedication. If I go to a church, I know. There is something that makes God's will or something special follow in the church and keep it from dying and failing. Without this, do you think it would last? If it is anything like you, it would have failed a long time ago. I don't tell you. I don't even tell my mother what it is. Sometimes by mistake I might say, "Something is going to happen today," and then people would say, "How do you know?" or "Well, let's wait and see," and it becomes exposed. I don't speak of it easily. If, when I say these things, the words do not match the explanation, I cannot be a public figure. Do you understand?
Would it be all right if rumors spread that I am a sorcerer? Is it acceptable for Reverend Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church to do such a thing? No, it is not possible. Rather, it is better to act as if I do not know of such things . . . You do not know what kind of people they are. They may say things, but you will not know why they say those things. But I know. I know why it is. That is why I have been taught.
That is why you must pray for these kinds of situations. These things must follow father. I listen to words that others received very well. I act as if I know nothing and say "Is that so?" Therefore, I know, as a teacher who can listen well to what you have to say . . . You must do that in this manner. It is a very difficult thing for God to create this kind of phenomenon in order to develop one such person. Think about how tremendously difficult it must have been in order to lay a bridge from the spirit world to this one individual. How much suffering and toil must there have been in order to lay that bridge over many historic generations, after being broken over and over? Because I know this, because I am a specialist in this area, because I know God has a will for this person, I listen while staying up the whole night. Isn't that what must be done? You have to understand each other. Isn't that right?
You all must have that something. And in order to get that, you must pray. Do you understand? [Yes] When you go out for witnessing and come back when dusk is setting in, you must have instances when you return lost in endless tears. I was so unworthy today. . . When my foot, steps, which set out to find sons and daughters of God, return in persecution, I must feel that my dedication was not sufficient. How shameful is it that God could not find any of his sons and daughters, when he appointed me to the task? You must know how to stand in a rice paddy and wail out loud. You must know how to grab onto trees and whip back and forth, and pray with no regard for yourself. You must have a lot of this kind of time. If you are a leader, shouldn't you have this kind of experience at least once every four days? Do you understand?
When I go to sleep, I pray for guidance about where I will go the next day. "Father! I will leave my direction for tomorrow in your hands, so please let me know my direction as soon as I wake up tomorrow." And as soon as I wake up in the morning, I would have a feeling of where I would have to go. If you go somewhere on what seems like a whim, you will find someone waiting there. Do you understand? By doing this, you can develop your spiritual heart.
If that happens, your thoughts will always be right. You will always have thoughts like "Today, such and such a situation will occur." When you don't even think about it, when the motivation of the thoughts are not yourself, you must wait and see if thoughts appear. If you wait and see you will know if they were revelations. This is how it works. I hope that you can develop this aspect and go forth.
3) A Spiritual Life is Necessary
The good feeling that you had when you first joined, the heart of determination that you had when you first joined . . . these feelings must become stronger and brighter. Now, if you have this speech, I want you to have the confidence that "I will without a doubt make this world one!" That kind of heart. A person who goes thinking that anything can be overcome and that kind of atmosphere can be had. Now, if that environment existed, there is not one of you here that could lift your heads. Even if an arrogant person came here, there would be some sort of spiritual energy pushing down on him. If someone came with a pompous heart saying "What is there in this church?," he will strangely be unable to move, and if there is any humility, we will be able to feel it like our own flesh.
For this to happen you must pray. You need a prayer life and spiritual life where you can go by yourself to a quiet place and look at the moon and interact with all of nature. I am like this as well. Me. The reason I go out to the sea, the reason I go out to Barrytown is to be able to physically feel this heart. That is more important that even eating food.
There are instances when I am sleeping alone and I sit up and stay up all night . . .
So, the heart of being able to wail while thinking of heaven and the providence, the heart of longing for a precious lover, and the heartbreak of an eternal separation with your precious lover, must always be within you. Because you feel these things, you are able to leave all the people you love in the world and go forth. When you listen to my speech, you just hear the words, but they do not reverberate in your heart.
Why? Why is that so? Because you have no direct experience. When a divine minister goes and gives a sermon from the podium, I know in an instant if those are words from heaven. Don't you know?
I myself must bore through to the very bottom and observe all the things in reality. Standing from that position I must bring out something new. Have you ever even once had this heart? We must think about how much, in our 24 hour lives we have realistically done for the providence, and how much, in the face of the providence, I have felt value and went forward. How many hours do you think you spent doing this? The time must come when we are able to do this.
You must also have time to experience through your own direct senses, and believe after finding out for yourself. The amount of time you have doing this is important. Although someone leading an individual life may not be able to feel this, a person leading a life filled with grace, will not be able to see creation in the same way. It is always seemingly new. It seems new when seen in the morning, and new when seen in the evening. When God's grace slowly rolls in like waves, you can feel fascination and mystery in three dimensions. If there is someone who can perceive this, that person is a happy person. This person is the one who Buddha proclaimed as being the one who is unique in all of heaven and earth. This person will feel the endless value and stand in the position of being able to celebrate his importance.
4) There are Historic Stories
I too have things that have left an impression. I remember vividly when I was being transported to Hungnam prison, sharing iron shackles with a criminal, going through a mountain valley and following a path along a stream. Truly it was a new feeling. The time when we trod through the mountain valley trail will not be forgotten. It leaves a deep impression. That walk was the walk of departing for a new world.
Where is the road that I must take everyday from now on? What must I do when I am finished with my sentence? I was very curious. It is very curious. How will I endure prison life? Even though it is hard, I choose to take the path. This is a good opportunity to realize a new self. The only thing that I have left are these kinds of things.
One time I had to dig a tunnel at Hamheung. We were so hungry while we were working, I couldn't lift the tool that my hand was grasping and we were on the verge of collapse. When we heard the cry, "It's lunch time!" you cannot imagine how wonderful that sounded to our ears. Oh that rice! The feeling of that moment of coming to eat after sticking that pick in the ground. . . I have had countless experiences of these and other materials of living history. There is no suffering that can compare to that.
These miserable situations do not destroy me, but enable history's path to be enlightened. So I must go on until the day comes when God can gather together his treasure. If these facts of suffering where revealed to the people of the world, rather than speaking for one hour on a different subject, if you speak only 10 minutes on this topic, everyone will break out in tears. Where is there any sermon topic that is as good as this?
That is why I tell you all not to worry and suffer until you are 30 years old. Even Jesus lived till 33 years old, and then he went on the path of death. The Unification Church Blessing that I speak about is a blessing that you all have borrowed. You must know that intelligently. If you're wondering what the conclusion of all these contents is, it is to be able to realize something new. This new day can only succeed if new things are realized. If nothing new comes out, then progress cannot happen. Mother is sitting here listening to the sermon, and although it seems as though I am speaking of many different topics, mother is the best at listening and eventually she knows what the topic is. The conclusion is made by speaking about oneself. Therefore, it is important to receive a lot of education. You have to educate yourself.
2. Sermons
1) Choosing a Title
A sermon for a gathering is not something that you make up as you go along, but something I receive the meaning for and do under the permission from heaven. That is a sermon. That condition of the heart . . . Do you understand? Therefore, everyone who goes up to the sermon podium with a proud posture is not necessarily God's leader. You must go with the attitude of an offering as if you were going to the place of execution. When a judge in a court lays down a sentence of execution, it is a moment of extreme tension, correct? People who have not experienced this do not know. Standing at the podium is a more tense situation. It is a scary thing. Wasn't it scary in front the ten commandments a long time ago? That is the kind of position it is.
For people who have not had that kind of experience but just go home to live and eat, it doesn't matter whether they are asleep or awake. Therefore, a minister has to deal with the problem of how to adjust to that life and environment.
When you give a sermon, you shouldn't go deciding on an absolute topic. Originally, you should pray and receive the topic during prayer. With a prepared topic, there is no way you can move the people. If you always prepare . . . If you want to make others cry, you must first shed tears during your sermon preparation and prayer. While thinking about all sorts of different people, begin thinking of Korea's current situation and think about the kind of person who will come to hear you. You shed tears about this and go to the podium in order to give the audience the grace of crying. Even with letters, it must be a letter that you wrote with tears in order to have your recipient shed tears. In the same way, you must become the motive . . . Without this, it is a lie if you say that the recipient cries. Isn't that right?
Therefore, when you stand before the podium, you must know that the podium is a judge. Although you are expected to do better than last time, when you don't do better you must repent. If you gave a sermon for one hour without giving any grace, you have to repent for three hours. If you give a bad presentation and you don't give them any grace, you have to apologize in excess of three times. For one life, you must give the water of life and take care of it. But if you didn't give it water, and take away water instead and ruin the soil, you must be responsible for that. Even after the audience has left, you must spread grace, centering on today's speech.
2) The Right Head
When you give sermons on Sunday, you must be serious. If I was like you, then I wouldn't be able to get any sleep. How could one sleep? It is like giving an injection in order to save other's lives. It is the same as giving a rejuvenation shot. We need to give members one week's worth of medication and then give them a rejuvenation shot. You must lead from the serious position of a doctor who gives a shot to a patient who is on the brink. That is why when you go before the podium, it is like going to the place of execution.
I am like that as well. I have led a lot of people, and there are rumors about me within the public. It is the same for people that I do not know as well. The first time you depart and the last time you return is the same. The more you do . . . It is more difficult. The more you lecture, the more words flow out of your mouth and the more automatic it becomes. This is no good. The more you do it, the harder it is. It is more difficult. That is why the audience is moved. Because it is new.
So when you eat morning rice, you eat new rice, right? Is it new rice or old rice? [New rice.] It seems like new rice, right? [Yes] There must be a new flavor. In the same way, you must give new things. So, when you give principle lectures, you must also give new things.
From the spiritual aspect, we should supply a new something, like a health medicine, and add to it. If we don't, there will be a sour taste, a salty taste, or a bitter taste.
When you give a sermon on Sunday, you must speak from the position of feeling the pain a woman feels when giving birth to a child. You must apply all of your concentration there. When you stand before the podium, you must have the feeling of a pregnant woman going to the birthing room. Because I've had this experience, I've tried to enter that level. If you enter that level, you need no preparation. The content of your sermon is not a problem and speaking is not a problem. The problem is whether your heart is ready or not.
You have all seen those Russian tight-rope walkers before, right? It must be that kind of feeling. The feeling that a tight-rope lady feels. When standing at the podium, it is that kind of feeling. Do you understand?
Even I feel the same way. You think giving sermons is easy, right? If you shed tears while preparing, your audience will also cry. That is why when you offer a prayer at the podium, you get all choked up. You must stand at the podium with that kind of heart. If you cannot control it while you speak, you will end up wailing. Regardless of whether or not you'll lose face, the heart of crying out will come to a boil. If you want to feed people hot gruel, you must pour and give out hot gruel. It is the same thing. Whether you are preparing for a sermon, or pouring gruel, if you make a mistake, it will seem like it is dark. Do you understand? In order to prepare for a sermon, you must use discretion in what you eat and use discretion in having relations with your spouse. You have to know that there are those kinds of situations.
The time that you give a sermon has to become the line between going to heaven and hell for someone. If someone says, "I have always wondered about the Unification Church, I think I'll go and see," and goes to the Washington church, if that person leaves saying, "What was that all about?," then it is the same as if you cut off their head. The position that is more serious than when a judge gives a sentence in the courtroom is the position of giving a sermon. You must know that tens and hundreds of people stand in that position.
Moreover, if you are responsible for one person in the church and that person falls away, you have failed the one person you were responsible for. Have you thought of that?
A leader mustn't take his responsibility lightly and make his followers come to dislike him. We must try to make sure that no one is like that. It is difficult to be a leader. You must know that being in the position of revealing your original self is an extremely scary and fearful position.
You must feel this through giving sermons. If you give an ill-prepared sermon and no one receives any grace from it, if you give all your strength and there still is no result, you must come back and spend some time wailing regretfully. It is a shameful thing. You must know your own shame. That is how you develop.
3) Things to Look Out For when Giving a Sermon
Dedication is not something you give all at once. When you give a sermon, do not think that you are giving a sermon in front of many people, but think that you are giving a sermon to just one person. If one person is inspired and sheds tears, that will spread throughout the audience. Up until now, the reason that district and regional leaders have not been able to make progress with their churches is that they have given sermons which were not rooted and seemed to just float around in the air. If there is no foundation for it to be absorbed, who can witness successfully? The district leader himself must clean his own foot stool. If I give some direction, the district leader must risk his life to accomplish it in order to set a good standard for regular members.
You must always be wary of what direction I am taking. If you fall into step with me, it will be the most effective thing for your sermons. It becomes a motive for you to give inspiration. The problem is trying to find out what I am doing a certain thing for. In order to meet my the heartistic level, you must bring up your heart and think about how you will go in my place and represent me. If all of you in this nation moved in unison as an object to me, then heavenly luck will come to us.
4) Preacher Should Give New Inspiration Every Time
It's same for general pastors. If they lecture in their own district, people say, "Oh, the district leader is giving the principle lecture. He will say that after this." and they know it all. So you can't give the same lecture from three years ago.
You lectured this way in past, but you should be able to add branches of new explanation and contents to it now. In contents, you should give necessary testimonies for spiritual growth. You need to give lectures appropriate to the particular atmosphere. If you've been a preacher for three years, you got to give testimonies which will give inspirations to listeners. If a member doesn't get that kind of inspiration, he or she doesn't attend the weekly service well. In this aspect, you know that you've been negligent in giving lectures till now. Therefore, from now on, you need to give something new. You got to inspire them somehow. Supplement with praying if necessary. If you still can't do it, you should risk your life and make a difference.
Even when you are walking on a road, you should go trying to find something new. Also, when you go to church, don't go just like that. Only if you go thinking that you will be in a new position and go into new environment, something new will be there for you. In going to church, don't always go in a straight path, but sometimes go around. You are supposed to go south but try north. It is to find a new path.
Again, if you can't feel that way, try rearranging all your house furniture. Don't let them sit there for several months. Change them completely. Then your thoughts change. This is absolutely needed.
When you give a sermon, if the members know that you gave a sermon with that title, they don't like it. When lecturing on principle, people don't like when it is done in the old way. This is like people having different moods in different seasons. People are not always happy because it's morning. There are days of depression even though there are not many worries. Even though it's such a fine and exhilarating day, you can get very melancholy. Then what do you do? If there isn't any stimulus to change this suddenly, you go and find a more melancholy place.
Likewise, give an opposite new stimulus or find a new direct stimulus to overcome that feeling. If you can't find a solution and manage your everyday life, you won't be able to guide many human spirits. Preachers always replenish their sermon, and supply whatever members need.
5) Sermon Should be Inspired
Your lectures don't have composure because you lecture with the book. In order to have composure, you should go on whenever your mouth is open. To influence and inspire, you should have drive in your own inspiration. Push it hard. Sometimes lecture in a cold room and sweat . . . That's what we need. Drum on a desk at times, the whole . . . When you get an inspiration and are about to shed tears, jab your eyes and let tears out.
If the preacher shows tears, then everyone soon shed tears. If the preacher shed tears with a few other people and preaches, the whole place changes. It becomes an ocean of tears. Then you should feel "How much suffering and pain they went through in order to cry at my lecture." towards those people. If you look at that, you feel pity for them. With that, now you have the same heart and feel joys of a soul resurrecting, you cry first, then . . . That's what we need. Once you cry like that, even a murderer can't oppose you. That's what we need.
If there is a heater, it's got to be hot to warm up there. And in summer, there can be cool if there is cool. Ultimately, the problem is the person in charge. The leader should report "Father, I'm going to lecture now" every time he goes to preach. This needs to be a habit. You should wish that today, no one gets hurt or digresses because of what you say. And if the lecture went well, be grateful and report them all. Also when you give lectures, even if you know it all, be sure to read page by page with a praying heart clinging to the Divine Principle book.
Giving a sermon or standing in front of masses is serious matter. If you read the book, God gives an inspiring phrase; you've got to have something like that. You need to be trained like that. Also, if you have something unpleasant in your mind, you need to forget about it for that moment, completely. Even if my wife is sick or said this and that, some unpleasant letter came, you have got to wash those thoughts off when you are on the platform.
When giving a sermon, you have to be inspired first. Your prayer should inspire yourself. A sermon should be done in a position to be pitied. Stand in a position where you beg God to pity those poor people who will be connected to Him though you.
That is a solemn position. It's the heavenly law that offers a bow in front of offerings. Okay? [Yes] That offering is taken by God. Only when you offer all your passion and might and effort, and when you open your mouth with your best sincerity, God would help. Understand? Offering is presented very seriously.
Therefore, if you always have a heart saying "I am an offering to God, use me as you please," God will always be with you. Then, due to making an appropriate offering, you can say appropriate words to be redeemed and inspired. Do you know what I mean? You will already know. You will know when you open your mouth.
If I live that kind of life, my relationship with God is self-explanatory. After that, the places you go can improve. Do you understand? [Yes] The number of people who were inspired by your sincere sermon is an important matter. There must be some. It would be good to have three at least, you think, but it will be ten times, several hundred times more with God. It multiplies like that. This is scientific phenomenon. Data is recorded and God works on His providence in specific proportion. Do you understand? [Yes] That's why we make heartistic efforts. In delivering God's words to someone, it's crucial how much God aids and supports. If you deliver His words seriously, those words become a representation of God himself. Understand? [Yes]
If you receive grace, you should praise and show gratitude towards heaven when you return. This should be a habit. At first do it like this, then when you have time to make titles, do. While talking, everything you do should become a sermon. If I had a hard time, preach that I did this that time. Therefore preachers should undergo many hardships. They should go through a lot of life training. They need to experience the lives of a poor laborer and a beggar, or a someone on the high executive staff to the top authority. Then, with all those experiences, you can share and give testimonies of sad times in public standpoint.
The audience gets influenced only when the truth is told. What you heard from someone else can't touch their hearts. You should tell the true facts. Usually when you give Divine Principle lectures, you speak other's words. Principle is this and that, it's all other's words. But Principle should be my Principle. Then when you lecture about restoration, and talk about Adam's family, you be Adam and have heart of Eve when you lecture. From Noah to Abraham, Isaac, etc., you should be in their shoes and shed tears. Think about how much I have suffered to find this course of restoration. You can't hold your tears back. Without tears, souls are never driven.
Tears and sweat can't be absent. This is an absolute rule. You should be sweating when you preach. Sweat should be rolling down your spine. Even if you had put in all your sincere heart, try harder in preaching from now on. Until now, district leaders were bums and didn't preach. If there are any like that from now on, I'll replace them all. Okay? [Yes]
6) Preaching Time
The problem is that when a crowd of people comes, who is going to handle them. I will be the cook. Now, do you write it out and talk for fifteen minutes or talk without writing? If you try without script, you can do well. But if you do with script, it becomes problematic. After it's all cooked, if you are to make flavored rice, you can add honey and sugar, but to do something like that, you need to delay time saying, "Good, good, it tastes good."
After doing it for a scheduled time, fire flamed up at a comer, you can't stop there. You have got to pour gasoline and light a fire and have a breeze to go with it, and then you can stop . . . To do that, it takes one hour, two hours, or even ten hours . . . If you have ability to lecture for ten hours and still keep them there, do that. If you can do it, you will dissolve Reverend Moon's fifty-year-old "Han."
If you can dissolve ten times of what you can dissolve for an hour, would you want one or ten times? [Ten times] Everyone would want that.
7) Difficulties of Preaching
The most difficult thing for a human to do is to speak in front of this many people. About three hundred people have gathered here, and all of them pay attention when I speak in front. Individuals A, B, and C, they all listen and criticize or judge on their own. So it is very difficult for the speaker to speak in front of many people.
Again, if his speech focuses on young people, it's impolite to older people. For young people want exciting and explosive acts, you should talk about exciting things, and older people want quiet stories, you need subdued contents. So it's hard to deal with them together.
Even when you are singing, songs that older people like, songs younger people like, and songs more educated people like, songs uneducated people like, they are all different.
Again, when you are speaking to wives, it becomes problematic to decide which group to focus on. When speaking to younger group, you can't always be, "really, yes, that is correct," and sometimes need to be "yeah, right on sister!" But then, it is impolite for the entire audience. You can't ask the older people to excuse your language because you were talking to the younger people.
Just like a train runs and ignores trivial objects lying in front of it, when you speak up here, you go to say it if it is an important issue to deal with. Nothing will be achieved if you consider every little detail. You need to know that. Also, wives shouldn't doze off when I talk about men.
When giving a sermon, there are people who receive revelation and people who don't, the problem is how to decrease the gap. In order to do that, use the ones with revelations to build foundations for the others. In other words, those who received revelations should put their hearts out for the ones who didn't.
3. Preach Focusing on Father's Words
For you people, even though you can't be the shining morning sun itself, you have radiated that shining light, so you should have independent authority to set the direction and then work in your day. How would I know if it's day or night? It gets tired at daytime.
That's why we need to know the past. We need to know the history of Unification Church. In order to know the past, read my speech books.
Night or day, if you were falling asleep from fatigue when I was working, you must read those books more than you play and then shed tears. Do you people preach with your mouth? What do you have to give in a sermon? What is there to listen to? This is what I think. What is it that you are talking about? Who will want to hear a speech about your emotions and feelings in the past? I don't like that. It should be done through the principle. More than 200 of my sermon books have titles. You should be at the point where you have digested those titles with tears, and you have become one with the contents. You should wish that "Centered on Cain and Abel's standard, here I came as a teacher and a parent to lead this meeting." Where is the center of the speech? You are the center of speech.
Centered on words that were passed down through history, centered on established words, you become the counter-party and become one in mind and body. And when my philosophy and your minds become one, and Cain and Abel unite, the parents of heaven come and the spiritual world becomes directly connected to build an independent foundation. This is the formula of the principle. Do you understand? [Yes]
Study the Divine Principle. Read all of my speech books. Speak with my speech books. You shouldn't speak of yourself. Without knowing that, you don't know the course of restoration. The providence was centered on Jesus until 1960.
For those of us who are striving for the united world, we should complete reading Father's speech books in the united language. Where is Father's speech book? This is one of them, and this is number 74. There are 74 of them so far. There are more coming. What if you don't read this in the original language? Use the original language, it's not English or German.
Thus, now you don't need to worry about your speeches any more. This is what I spoke about in my early life. When you do an interview in spiritual world, would you say "I never saw them or read them?" I won't even translate them into English. It would be good to put some Chinese characters in them. It's a serious matter if you go to spiritual world without reading these. It's a serious problem if leaders don't read these.
In future generations, would I be in their homes or would the speech books be in their homes? Think about it. Which one? Father's books will be there.
Now we need to systematize Godism and the Headwing thought. In college campuses and in intellectual society, they say Godism or Headwing instead of Rev. Moon's philosophy. We need to make changes quickly. CARP exclaims Godism and Headwing everyday. If professors don't know that, they will lose respects. Students ask questions at once. You can't be careless about knowing that. Understand?
-
Section 4. Life Of Tithing (Part 1)
1. Father's Views Of Material
1) Father's View on Material
As Unification Church members, what you should understand is that the things that you have owned so far, or your material possessions, are not really your own, but you are temporarily in the process of managing them. That is, you are a manager of them. The things that you should manage well, should be offered to God through True Parents. In other words, unless they go through the process of becoming belongings of True Parents and God, they cannot be yours. This you must clearly understand. (23-334)
Today, since fallen people are on a transitional point going into such a world, the issue of "ownership" is a serious matter. From the viewpoint of God, you must understand that national ownership is closer to the will of God than private ownership. The evil Satan knew this in advance and created Communism, adopting this concept, but excluding God from national ownership and from private ownership. Therefore we should understand that mind, body, and material belong to the public, but not without a purpose. The purpose is to bring a total oneness between a subject and an object centered on God in order to have right ownership. Then, we eventually come to own God ourselves. If we own God instead of material, not only shall we come to own everything, not to mention material, but also shall we become a perfect subject towards the material. (1/6/75)
In order for humans to fulfill their portion of responsibility with the cooperation of God, according to the principles of re-creation, they should be better than angels. Further, we should understand that the master who has dominion over all things is Adam, and the master who should control his body is mind. In order for you to have dominion over all things, you should have dominion over your body. Do you understand? If you stand in the position of controlling your body, all things will follow you. Why? According to the principle, all things are supposed to be under the dominion of perfect Adam. Due to the fall of Adam (and Eve), separations took place between their mind and body, and humans separated from each other. Further, all things deviated. Therefore, once Adam becomes perfect, money and material will be automatically follow. (2/22/76)
What are we going to do by restoring material? It is to re-create Adam and Eve. The (re)creation of Adam means to invest everything for the Lord of the Second Advent. Therefore, unless you use your material that you made with blood, sweat, (and tears) for that creation, you are committing a sin. That is a principle. (2/1/76)
You could not know how many contributions all things made until now for the restoration of humans. If humans do not become one with all things, they cannot return to God. (23-326)
Centered on religions, what is the Will that God desires to achieve and the world that He desires to build? The more you think about it, the more you will realize that the world is not meant to serve material. Why? It is so because the material world started from God. God, the Creator, does not need the material world on earth. God already owns the vast material world of the universe.
Therefore, treasures, precious stones such as gold, silver, etc. that humans consider precious mean nothing to God. To him, all material things on earth mean nothing to Him. (28-184)
2) The Hope of Money
Well, from the spiritual viewpoint, all moneys are complaining. They would say: "I do not want to belong to such and such person but to the U.S.A." They will be asked: "What are you going to do by becoming the U-S-A money?" They would reply: "I want to become money that belongs to the world." Well, they do not want to belong to an individual such as Mr. Smith, Mr. so and so. So I would ask again: "What are you going to do once you become the world money?" "I want to be God's money." Then, Rev. Moon would again ask: "What about becoming a bridge, starting from your home to America, the world, and God?" Then, the money would respond: "Ha, ha, ha, I welcome it."
I would say to the money: "If your master or owner offers a tithe with joy, all of you can go beyond the level of a family, you will be connected to a nation and thus become a bridge in the world." Everyone should make an offering with money. Then, the money will be liberated. Money complains: "No one has made an offering with money so far, connecting it to God." Rev. Moon would say: "Then, our fundraising members will go to make such an offering thorough their fundraising activities. Just wait for them." Then, they would reply: "Yes, yes, we will."
Well, when you fundraise, even if someone swears at you, you should never avoid him or her. Nor should you complain about it. That is an attitude of a person who prepares an offering. By so doing, everyone should shed blood. Money sheds blood too. Who makes that happen? It is you, or rather all of us.
Then the question is where can we collect money? It can be from beggars, the president or the First Lady, criminals, successful people, janitors, thieves, etc.
By so doing, we resurrect the moneys to be good from evil ones. Then, we can no longer make it our own. Once an offering is made, it belongs to the chief priest who conducted the offering. The person who made an offering should not touch even one penny out of it. The ownership is determined after the offering is made. Money, what is it? It is supposed to be an offering that should be used for the world and God.
Well, since money represents all things, only when we have such heart, can a way for all things to go to the Kingdom of Heaven be finally open, without lamentations. If you fail to do this, what happens? The family that does not use money properly will perish. The same goes with a nation. If you misuse money, all kinds of things will happen in your life. Therefore, you should not fight because of money. Even if I (Rev. Moon) do not help you, you should not think: "Uh, why isn't Father helping me, using all money that I made from fundraising?" Just do not ask for money back after making an offering. It is not proper. If the money is used for a higher purpose, that is all that matters. It will not be used for a low purpose. I mean that I do not need to use it for you. (125-188)
3) Ownership
One of the main teachings of the Unification Thought is: Mine is yours, and yours is a nation's, and a nation's is the world's, and the world's is God's, and God's is mine. (6/4/72)
Due to the fall, Satan invaded to the bottom of God's throne, and due to the fall, the blood lineage of humans was invaded, and due to the fall, all things fell under the dominion of Satan. As a result, all things created by God ended up to the enemy, Satan, not God. What could be more sorrowful than this? (14-270)
Today, all things in the creation are dominated by the children of Satan in Satan's domain, and they belong to Satan. This you must understand. Therefore, all of this must be restored to God. From the perspective of the Principle of Restoration, all things should have first belonged to the original human ancestors. It is so because God blessed humans with all things, although all things (ultimately) belong to God. That is, they should have been the (true) parents of goodness. (23-332)
The Fall started from the desire to make things his or her own or possess them as his or her own. Even when God and the Messiah come, if you do it again, surely he or she will end up being on the side of Satan and will inherit his blood lineage. That is why without obedience, one cannot be restored. In the fallen world, such chronic problems will be often repeated. What would you do if asked to use your possessions for God's sake? Even in dreams, I have never said that all the things that I established so far belong to me. (30-10)
We should belong to God, not to Satan. Then, ladies and gentlemen, whose is the Unification Church? Is this mine (Rev. Moon's)? No, it is not, but it is God's. Therefore, if anyone claims this is his or hers, they shall be a thief. Since according to the Principle of Restoration, things should belong to God first and next to Adam. Such a process should take place. In the Bible, when Jesus was questioned by Pharisees who brought a donation: "To whom does this donation belong?" Jesus answered: "What belongs to Caesar as taxes should be returned to him, and what belongs to God should be returned to God."
Well, to whom do your possessions belong? Because they belong to Satan, in order for them to belong to God, they should be united with humans and be loved by them, only then can God have dominion over them. Do you understand what I mean? In the original world without the fall, perfected Adam should have loved all things as their master on God's behalf.
What you should understand is that you must make indemnity conditions for the offering objects that God can love. Therefore, in order to make the offering objects to be God's, you must love them with all of your sincerity. When seen from this perspective, Israelites were made as the worldwide representatives of Satan. As there is a "chosen people," there should also be "chosen things." You must hear this for the first time. Right? Those chosen things are to represent all things as offering objects to God.
If you have a family, you should think that all of your things in your family belong to God, as the representatives of all things. If you truly love them as Adam before the fall should have loved, then, they would be totally one with you in heart and would like to die with you if you have to. Only when that happens, it belongs to God. Nevertheless, if an animal that is to be offered to God struggles to survive, it cannot be acceptable to God as a sacrificial offering. (1/l/75)
Your body, your mind, your heart, none of these started from you. When you look at yourself, you realize that you are connected to your ancestors. You are also the fruit of all of your ancestors. Therefore, you should never take yourself lightly. You are not really yours even if you appear to be yours. Before this people, you are a present sent to this people, and before your family, you are a present sent to your family. By the same token, before your spouse, you are a present for each other, and before heaven and earth, and the world, you are a present sent for them. This you must understand. (8-12)
Things that belong to the church are more important than your personal possessions, and things that belong to a nation are more important than church possessions, and the things that belong to the world are more important than a nation's possessions. In the future, all things should belong to the world. At the same time, they should belong to the worldwide God, the worldwide True Parents, and the worldwide true children. We are responsible to restore all things to such a position. This is what you should realize whenever you receive a Day of All Things. (123-336)
Do you know how rich the Unification Church will be? According to the formula that was discussed earlier, all things that belong to us should be offered first to God. In order to do this, we should not do it alone, but should start from the position of servant of servants to a servant to an adopted son to a step son to a true son to true parents and finally to God. Since Adam and Eve lost the parents' things, they should restore them.
Therefore, such a formula will remain a truth, a principle, and on the day when it is applied in a daily life after having been proved as a historical fact, all things will return to God through True Parents. Because Adam and Eve lost the parents' things, the fact that they restore them to the original position according to the principle of restoration is only natural. Therefore, if True Parents appear on earth, they should be able to bring unity to all. (1/1/75)
2. Offering Objects And Holy Objects
1) Sacrificial Offerings
Since offering objects were created earlier than humans, they are in the position of Cain, and humans are in the position of Abel. From this view, centered on the principle of Cain and Abel, offering objects and humans should be united. Otherwise, God cannot accept the offerings. Then, in order for the offering objects to be one with humans, what should humans do? They should give something more than what can be given in Satan's world, and that is true love.
Because you cannot make an offering to God with less love than that of Satan, you must love it with all of your heart and mind more than anything else that you own. This you must remember. Your children, spouse, parents, etc. all belong to Satan's world, and your offering should go beyond all of them. Otherwise, there is no meaning to your offering objects
Fall refers to Adam and Eve falling into the dominion of love of Satan who is in the opposite side of God. Therefore, in order to go before God, you must seek a way to be united with Him, by loving things that belong to Satan more than he does. (1/1/75)
Even when you make an offering, you must think the following: Instead of offering a sheep with an earnest heart, I will absolutely obey you. Instead of offering a cow, with an earnest heart, I will totally sacrifice myself before you. And instead of offering a dove, with an earnest heart, I will love you absolutely. You must have such a commitment. By so doing, through action, you must demonstrate your commitment to God more than your promise to Him.
Since all humanity should be able to go to God, by making an offering on your behalf through the ceremony, you can do so. Although animals were used as conditional offering objects, some people use precious stones such as gold, silver, diamond, etc. instead because they symbolize something unchanging as we are searching for an unchanging world of heart. However, people did not know the meaning of it so clearly.
Also, if an offering is made in accordance with God's will, it belongs to God, but if not, it belongs to Satan. Therefore, one can say that offerings determine the ownership either to God or Satan. If we leave things in Satan's world alone, they will continue to belong to Satan. For this reason, the way God can claim His total ownership for things is through conditions that can separate Satan.
That is, through the offerings made by humans, God saves both humans and the creation, by separating what belongs to Heaven from what belongs to Satan. This corresponds to the fact that God seeks for the restoration of humans and their hearts through the creation.
2) Offering Objects
The providence of salvation is the providence of restoration, and the providence of restoration is the providence of re-creation. Therefore, if looking at the course of restoration in the Old Testament Age, we find it the age of making an offering through the creation. This you must understand. Again, in the Old Testament Age, the creation became sacrificial offering objects. In order to find a way for children to be saved, the creation was sacrificed. People in this world do not know this, do they? In order to save people, the creation should be sacrificed. Why? When humans were created, their creation was done through the sacrificial investment of all things. Therefore, even when they should be re-created, they should be again sacrificed for humans.
For this reason, until now, all of the things that were used as offering objects were the creation that were considered to be precious to humans, such as cows, lambs, sheep and doves, as living things, and precious stones as minerals, etc. Further, animals and plants were sacrificed to open a way for human salvation.
Therefore, centering on the offering objects, what happened? The body was taken by Satan, and the mind was taken by God. And in order for humans to be emancipated, since an offering object was sacrificed on behalf of humans, humans should keep a grateful heart to them, and with a heart that loves God more than the love existing in Satan's world, you should relate to the offering objects.
The offering objects should be pure. The ones with a mating experience cannot be used as an offering object. Why? Prior to the fall, since Adam and Eve were still virgin, any offering objects must be also pure. Further, they should be the best quality one among their species.
For this reason, humans should invest all of their hearts and minds for the offering objects, not only as an individual but also as a family and a clan. In order for a family to be blessed, the entire family including babies must make a special condition with love for the offering objects.
The offering objects are the conditional offering objects that determine ownership. The principle of the Unification Church is indeed great. Since Father knows it, he came up with such a definition. Conditional offering objects to determine ownership. What can decide whether or not they will belong to good or evil? No one knew that both God and Satan relate to all things with love. Therefore, before we develop the way of love, pioneer the way of love, look for people of love, and set a higher standard of love before God than that of Satan's love, things in Satan's world cannot be restored to God. Unless they are restored to a position of unity through love, God, along with humans, cannot own things. That is why offering objects were sacrificed (and were offered to Satan), and God, instead came to claim His ownership of humans (who made the offering in an acceptable manner). (166)
3) Things and the Restoration of Humankind
Lately, I heard a rumor that in the Christian churches, the people who make a large amount of donation are chosen to be elders, but that should not be the case in the Unification Church. Someday, I would like to visit the churches to see who are chosen to be elders. How can the elders be chosen depending upon the amount of donation? Donations should be made in the position of giving your own life for the sake of a nation or the world. That is a higher position than the chief priest of God.
That is why centered on the heart of love, as we offered all things and our beloved things, we should be willing to offer even what our own beloved sons and daughters love, which is an offering object on a higher level. Then, not only you but also your own children will be eventually liberated from the bondage of Satan.
So if God decides to accept that offering, you can be elevated to a higher level towards God. Such a providence has been led in the Old Testament Age. In the Old Testament Age, there were various kinds of ceremonies through which different levels of offering objects were offered: individual offering objects, environmental offering objects, offering objects on the level of a people, and offering objects on the national level. The religion that followed such protocols centered on God, was Judaism.
Then, what is the purpose of offering objects? It is to open a way for people to go through all things that are sacrificed in order to become true people. From this perspective, today when we received a Day of All Things, you must understand how much contribution all things made for the restoration of humankind. When the time is ripe, on behalf of God, you should have a loving heart to cry for them with love, embracing them, and saying, "Thank you so much for your sacrifices for us."
Even a piece of paper is part of our ancestors' offering objects that were prepared by their sweat and blood. Therefore, knowing this, you should embrace it with loving heart. When you treat the creation with heart, you do not indifferently pass by even a piece of paper discarded on the street, you can become their true master. They will be grateful to you for becoming a bridge to God's love, and will say that they are finally relieved from the pain and bitter grief that was caused by being sacrificed throughout history. You should become the kind of people who can live with such realm of the creation as your surrounding environment. Then you can finally become descendants with qualifications to inherit the fruits of your ancestors who sacrificed the creation and the fruits of countless religious people who were sacrificed themselves. This you must clearly understand. (166-71)
4) The Importance of Holy Objects
In the future, what should we do? What is offered to (Heavenly) Father are holy objects. That is what you should be prepared for. You should personally attend Him. We are now in the age in which we should do it ourselves.
Let us say that there is a person, called "A" who prepared a special offering in springtime. For example, if that offering was worth 3,000 won, he or she should not offer it alone.
Why so? Who has been fighting centered on offering objects? It is Cain and Abel and God and Satan. Then, what is God's lamentation? Before the offering objects, there should not be struggles. If it is brothers who are making the offering, they should be united. Is it not right? Nevertheless, whenever an offering was made, there have been struggles between Cain and Abel in the position of Satan and God.
That became a condition that grieved God's heart, and today, when we make an offering before God, we -- all humanity -- should be united in heart. If we cannot do it as a whole, we should make a condition in which at least Cain and Abel are united. Don't you agree?
For this reason, when you make an offering that is worth 3,000 won, for instance, you should not do it alone. You must find a companion either Cain or Abel, depending on what position you may be in, and in the cooperation with that companion, you must make that offering together.
Therefore, in Korea, when offering something to an elder, we always do it with two hands, which is perfectly in accordance with the principles of heaven and earth. That is a heavenly protocol that is derived from natural conscience as a beautiful custom and tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. (150-302)
When you make a special offering to God for a new season of the year, you should take a bath and pray, "Father, I offer you this instead of my own life. Although it is something small, it is a holy object that was made with all of my heart and mind for you. . ." In order for you to go over all of historical conditions in which holy objects were invaded, you, as an individual, must make a condition that can indemnify it.
By so doing, you must succeed in making a condition that can transcend the struggles between Cain and Abel. By becoming one with each other, your offering can become a holy one that can be liberated from Satan's attachment to it. Nevertheless, if it is done alone, Satan will be still attached to it.
Then, what should be done in the future? Let us say that a person "A" is sending some money to a person, "B" living in America. As "A" chose "B" as his or her companion, he or she should send that money directly or send him or her all of the detailed written information. By so doing, if "A" stands in the position of "B" thorough his or her cooperation in heart, body, and actions, then, it will become an infinite honor and glory to "A."
In the future, in order to make an offering, if Heaven calls you as someone in the position of Abel or Cain and another person as your partner, it is a great honor. That means that Heaven recognizes you. In the future, the fact that you are invited to attend such a special occasion itself will be a great honor. Therefore, you are not supposed to come and attend such a place by your own will. (150-306)
3. Tithing
1) The Original Standard of Tithing
At the time of the creation, all things belonged to Adam. However, after the fall, Adam lost his ownership. . . What is fortunate is that there is a way of indemnity (to restore that ownership). However, for indemnification, Adam needs to make indemnity conditions. That is why in the Unification Church, we are doing everything possible.
Even if you are persecuted, sworn at, beaten, nose-bled, have broken bones, or even if killed, you should still offer all of your hearts and minds to make indemnity conditions, shedding bloody tears.
Tithing? What is it? You should offer 100% plus the price for your blood. You should invest all of the essence of your love from your heart and body. By so doing, you should inherit ownership, only then can you return to a higher place where (Adam and Eve) were loved prior to the fall, before they belonged to Satan. If heart and mind are not invested, God and angels cannot cooperate with you. Thus they cannot lay a foundation for the recreation of humans after the fall. That is why the Unification Church members are asked to clean all of it. (13-40)
Then, how did we resolve our financial difficulties? It was by the support of the church members, who offered part of their own living expenses.
Offering a certain portion of your own income for the maintenance of the church sounds extremely good, but I think that it is extremely bad. Making an offering to God should the first priority in life, before thinking of your own life, and that offering should be 100%, not only a small portion of your income. Nevertheless, if your life becomes the first priority, and God comes next, it is easy to get into a mannerism. If God is placed in the second priority, later, He will end up being in last place. Do you understand? Don't you agree? [Yes, it seems likely to be so.]
God is the Creator of the universe as the omnipotent and omniscient Being. As such a Being, being pleased with some money offered by some church members as though some money is given to beggars, do you think that God would say: "Ah, blessed are those who made a donation to me. You are such a beloved religious group of people?" How can He save His face before Satan? No way. If a donation basket is being circulated in the church, that is an act of a beggar with a sign of the church. Certainly, God would not be happy with it. (96-101)
2) The Significance of Tithing
If True Father is attended below the standard of church members, you should be truly ashamed of yourself. Do you understand? In the position of a church member who should keep the same heart for the unification of the north and the south and accompany Heaven for the fulfillment of His Will, if your monthly living standard is higher than that of average church members, you should lower your living standard. Those who are living better than others should come down, and those whose living standard is lower than the average of other members, should overcome their financial difficulties, by making extra efforts. By so doing, all of you should gradually raise your living standard until when you can defeat the people of the nation with the highest living standard. Till then, we should be all united.
From now on, if you have a family, you should have a room for True Parents, and if you have farming land, you should keep a piece of land for them. By so doing, whenever you farm, you should use seeds that are harvested from the Father's land.
Among the Israelites, a tribe called Levi lived from tithes collected from people. Likewise, you should do the same. As the Unification Church members, in leading a life of attendance for God and True Parents, tithing is absolutely essential. If you consider all money as your own, Satan will invade. The reason is that the number nine (3 x 3) has been governed by Satan so far. On the earth where Satan is the master under his dominion, if the number nine is returned and connected to God, He can restore the number 10, through which God can claim His dominion over everything including the number nine from the realm of Satan. That is why the terms, tithe came into being. Do you think that it came randomly for no reason? (150-299)
When looking into tithing in Christianity, we come to realize something fearful in tithing. Some Biblical verses support the idea of tithing, teaching people to offer one out of ten to God. Some people might ask: "Is God visible? What is a tithe for?" But it means that we can go as far as ten by paying one. For example, suppose that you killed cows, pigs, and prepared all kinds of things to celebrate your parents' birthday or the special 60th birthday, or even the King's birthday. Do you eat all of the food yourself? No. Your parents or king would accept the offering, but what they actually eat only a small portion of it. Still, a condition that they ate all of it is made through the offering.
Likewise, by offering a tithe from your material possessions, you can make a condition that you offered that you have. Although you do not offer the whole, offering a portion with all of your heart and mind is valuable in that sense. By offering one, the rest of nine can be also considered to be holy. The person who tithes will never perish. As days go by, his storage room will be filled with more material possessions and blessings. (31-239)
3) Tithing is an Indemnity Condition for Restoration
Until now, although God desired to re-create humans, because no conditions were made by them through which He could claim His ownership over material, He just could not do it. What is the material condition through which God can claim His ownership? At the time of creating Adam and Eve, God extracted all of the essence from all things both in heaven and on earth. Then, they belonged to God. However, due to the Fall, all of them became Satan's. Then, how can they be restored as God's? It can be done through indemnity conditions. By making indemnity conditions for re-creation, by investing all of your hearts and minds, you should take them back from Satan's realm.
For this to be done, throughout history, a condition of tithing has been required. Based on that foundation, you should pay the price for your own blood. Jesus did it, along with making indemnity conditions. Unless you can make a condition that can bring unity with God's heart, by offering blood, sweat and tears, you cannot do it.
What is Satan? First, Satan thinks of himself. He is self-centered. Second, he has a concept of his own ownership. Third, he is self-centered on love. These are the three elements that Satan has.
For indemnity conditions, things are required. The reason we are supposed to tithe lies here. The number nine is a number of the fallen world, and the number 10 is a number to liberate it from Satan, as God's number.
The seeds of all things were picked by humans before the time was ripe. Even during the course of entering the land of Canaan, there was a separation time period of good from evil for three years. (10-217)
Ladies and gentlemen, do you like tests? [No.] Still, you need them, right? [Yes.] What if you do not have them? Those who did not pass the tests are useless. They are just useless. The more you pass difficult tests, the better person you shall become. Now, I am almost done with today's sermon. Further, you also want me to finish soon, right? Well, we need persecution. In the fallen world, without persecution, you cannot return (to God). Do you understand?
Tithing is a way to restore the persecution from material. If you do not tithe, the number nine will accuse you. The persecution of material. . . Do you understand what I am trying to say? One tenth of material is an offering object. Offering object. It become the most precious offering object. Do you understand?
All of the offering objects should be pure, without experiencing first love yet. In the olden days, a virgin female was sacrificed as an offering object, right? The first love. You should offer the first love to God. You should be connected to God through the first love. Next, centered on material offering objects, we should surrender here, following the protocols of Cain and Abel.
The era of material offerings was the Old Testament Age. Then, what comes next? The New Testament Age was an era in which people were sacrificed as offerings. In the Old Testament Age, blood was shed, and also in the New Testament Age. The difference is that the former was that of animals, and the latter, that of people. Now is a time to shed blood of heart. Blood of heart. Blood of heart. Isn't it strange? We are in such an era. Right? That is why the Unification Church members suffer in their hearts. Although we did not do anything wrong, why? (107-292)
4) Tithing Should be with Deepest Heart
When you make an offering, do you offer the first one or a leftover? [The first one.] Why so? In Korea, when a sacrificial offering is made at a shaman temple, do they kill a female cow or a male one? None of you do know about it. When you look back at the history of Greece or Rome, they initially sacrificed animals as offering objects, but later, they also used humans for offerings. You know the story of Shim Chung. At the time of making an offering, was the offering object a female or a male? [A female.] Why? When thinking of this, it coincides with the fall taught in the Principle. Why should it be pure? It is so because we must bring a pure one from Satan's world. Who took the first one from the Heaven's world? Was it Satan? Right? [Yes.] When you make a special offering to God, the offering object should be pure. That is how you can build a relationship with God. You should not use leftovers for that purpose.
For this reason, when you tithe, it should be the purest one with your sincere heart and mind invested in it. That is what the offering object is supposed to be. If we talk about this, it will be endless. Anyhow, you must understand that an offering object should be pure. Suppose that you are going to offer a son as an offering object. Would offer a son whom you dislike or who is hopeless? Such a son is not qualified to be an offering object. But he should be the best son whom you love the most. Why? Because an offering object is instead of yourself. (48-85)
That is the habit that you should build in your daily life. The first and the purest one that you obtain should be offered to God. If not, God will not be present. At the place where no fresh, new one is present, neither can God be present.
That is what you must understand. You should not use leftovers for an offering. That is defiled. Nevertheless, if you do, those whose eyes are spiritually open by the grace of God would recognize it immediately. That is why you are asked not to go such a defiled place.
When you make a donation on Sunday at the church, if children say: "Mommy, daddy, money for donation, please," would you say, handing a bill: "Here it is for your Sunday school."? Is God a beggar? Is He? Is the church minister a beggar too? The church and a minister should not be treated that way. In the last days, everyone has to offer his or her material that have been kept deep in the safe. If you want to offer money, you should prepare a safe from now on. As the harvested grains are stored into the barn in fall, you should save donation money, tithes, separately in the safe. And one year later, for some reason, if you cannot offer it to God, your children and relatives should collect money together, and with sincerity and love, they should make that offering to God. (166-71)
When you make a donation, you should not use leftover money after purchasing something to eat. That money is defiled. Further, God would not be present with the donation that is made out of change after you purchased things at the market. (48-86)
5) Life of Tithing
From now on, you need to tithe not only your material but also your time. It is no longer only the material like in the past. If you have ten family members, one family member should be offered on behalf of your entire family. You should keep such a standard. In the future, the Unification Church members must not skip tithing. Those who do not tithe cannot be considered to be church members. Tithing is a duty, a heavenly duty. If you deviate from such a realm of life, it is not right.
Today, we are walking the course of restoration in the position of being related to two nations: Satan's nation -- where we are living -- and the nation to come. During the process of being freed from the satanic world, since we are in the position of being related to two worlds, we need to pay taxes to a country where we were physically born, for example, Korea. Right? We also tithe to the heavenly kingdom. As the number that represents Heaven, tithes are not offered for our physical nation, but are offered for the chief priest of the tribe, and for the people who are serving the role of the chief priest.
Today, we who are in the position of going over the providence of restoration should be determined not only to fulfill the condition of donating one-tenth of our income but up to three-tenths of our income. One-third should be offered to your nation, the second third, to the people of the world, and the last third to the heavenly kingdom. People who are responsible for the establishment of the heavenly kingdom should never violate the condition of tithing. You should be committed to this. At the same time, you should meet all the duties of filial piety.
Even when you eat a bowl of noodles, you should not eat alone. As a person who attends Heavenly Father, if you do not feel comfortable to eat alone, but suffer from your financial difficulties, you should say: "I am sorry to eat alone in front of you who are now with me," and offer even a penny as a condition that you are first serving God who is with you. That is the kind of life-style that you should lead. Even when you buy clothes, the same is applied.
In terms of the life of tithing in the church, ten families in the church should support a church leader. Otherwise, you cannot have a right to become a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Ten people should support one heavenly person. Tithing applies in every aspect of life. Even in school, one of ten classrooms should be used for less fortunate children to give them classes free of charge.
Since Sunday is a tithing day, it is not our personal day. It is a day when we need to obey, according to the will of God. It is a sin to use what belongs to God as is pleased. One of your children should be offered to God. If not, you should educate someone else's child as if he or she is your own, and offer that child to God.
6) The Way of Receiving Donations
Today, what would you call the way of collecting donations in the Christian churches? They circulate bags for the donation. Are they beggars? In the Unification Church, do you receive donations in that fashion? Do you also circulate a bag with a rod like a cooking net? (Laughter) [We do.] You are supposed to make donation in the donation box placed at the entrance door as an expression of your gratitude for having received grace from God. That is the way it should be done. Do you understand?
Those who do not want to do it may not do it. Heaven does not want to receive money with no heart in it. The donation that you should offer should be prepared in advance. You are not supposed to take any money out of your pocket in the church. In order to offer a donation, you should carry that money with you at least for three days to sanctify it through the separation of good and evil. How can you make a donation that is worth less than lunch money? (166-319)
-
Section 4. Life Of Tithing (Part 2)
4. Holy Salt And The Life Of Separation
1) Holy Salt Is Like a Yeast
When you purchase things, you should sanctify them with holy salt, and when you come home from outside, you should also holy salt yourself at the fence or the gate. (9-78)
What is holy-salted should not given back to the world of Satan. Nevertheless, if it is inevitable, you should give it with your left hand. (9-78)
When you use holy salt, you pray in the names of Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, True Parents, and myself. Then, you sprinkle holy salt in the order of the directions of north, south, east and west. (9-78)
2) Holy Salting the Land
400 years after the time of Noah, Abraham offered three sacrificial objects to God, when although he successfully split a cow and a sheep into two pieces, he failed to do so with a dove. The act of cutting them in half is to separate good from evil. Although the dove was also to be separated from good and evil, due to Abraham's failure, his entire offering ended up as a failure. As a result, you should remember that the term, "impurity" is following you. (98-320)
Originally, sacrifices are to be first divided into two on the alter and then offered. An alter signifies a sanctified area, whereas the object placed on it symbolizes a sanctified object.
Bleeding through the cutting signifies making an indemnity condition for restoration, that is, sanctifying or removing Satan's blood, or totally eradicating the conditions that Satan can have dominion over.
From this perspective, in the Old Testament Age, an offering was made through sanctified objects or material. Therefore, animals and other objects should be sanctified both internally in heart and externally before being offered to God.
When you visit some place, do you sit after holy salting? What do you do? You should make a condition of sanctifying that place, by blowing three times, "hoo, hoo, hoo." When you see a handsome man in Satan's world, rather than thinking: "I would like to live with this man," or even if he holds your hand, you should be able to blow him away. That is, you should holy salt him or inwardly blow him away with "hoo, hoo, hoo." You holy salt him three times. (Laughter) (170-283)
In the future, our church members should sanctify all of their possessions with holy salt. Under the circumstances where we can do it, it is no problem, but what shall we do when eating rice, noodles, or drinking water, etc? What we should do is what Jesus, after his resurrection, asked his disciples to do: by blowing, they could receive the holy spirit. It is the same as what God did to blow life into the nostrils of Adam (and create a new substantial life). You should do the same if you have children who can take the place of substantial lives. In the future, when eating or drinking, you should first blow.
Korean customs are amazing. When they drink water, they first blow it. And before they sit, they first blow the spot too. In general, that is what they do, right? God must have moved the conscience of this people so that could be one of their customs. However, that did not take place by coincidence. That is why we should always sanctify our life even in our hearts.
In order to sanctify a long history of 6,000 years that has been defiled, as it underwent three stages of restoration, formation, growth, and completion, you should blow three times and eat. Further, wherever you go, even when you go to bathroom, you should do the same.
In the future, the house that is sanctified with holy salt should be marked. The land that is sanctified with holy salt should be also marked. By doing so, all the lands of the earth where we are living and walking on should be eventually all sanctified. We should live in such a place. We should make our environment in that way. As a matter of fact, we should burn everything including the land. That is a principle. That is the meaning of the Bible verse that the judgment is done by fire.
Israelites used to let the defiled objects pass through fire before making an offering. The Old Testament talks about this. Isn't it right? However, since we cannot do it with holy salt, we should make a condition of separating good and evil and lead a dispensation with this heavenly condition. Are you doing it? [Yes.]
Whatever you do, regardless of the season, or whenever you are making an offering to God or True Parents, whether standing in the position of Abel or Cain, you should always have a companion of faith. The reason is because you want to make that offering to the worldwide Parents. For this, you should find such a companion even if you should search throughout the entire heaven and earth. (150-303)
At what position can you save a people? Will it be at the high position of authority? Since death took place at the place of the fall, you cannot save someone at the place where you are falling down yourself. The Unification Church is leading a movement of "going down." What it should be is: "Let us go down. Let us avoid a place or position where we eat well. Let us avoid a place or position where we are clothed (well). The place that I like is not the place that Satan would like. Let us go to a distant place where I would not be trapped by him."
Ladies and gentlemen, we sanctify things that we use in daily life whether they are to eat or wear. In our country, where are the children who do not need to sanctify their food harvested from this land? Where is the realm free from Satan's dominion? Where is the land where they can live without needing to sanctify it first? Whenever you use holy salt, you should grind your teeth against Satan.
When the Korean peninsula can be embraced in the bosom of God, when on behalf of the Lord of the Second Advent, this population of 30 million becomes a people who can represent all nations of the world and be offered to God altogether, the land of this people will become the fatherland of the world. (48-253)
5. Public Life
1) Public Life of a Minister
When I speak to you, I might look good, but for this, I live a life of confinement for several weeks, or sometimes, even for several months. Is this a private life or a public life? It is a public life. How wonderful it would be if you could live freely? If I could, my life would be better than yours. Whatever I do, I would not be defeated by anyone. I am a capable man.
You do not understand how hard it is for me to live a life of a religious leader. I should study the pleasure of neighbors and even of a criminal. Of course, I should do the same with others. So one could say that I am living in the melting pot of pleasure for all kinds of people. And my life is truly difficult day and night. Would God not watch me during the nighttime? He would, day and night. Thus, my life is truly unbearable. However, if I endure it, I somehow find ways to cope with it.
Suppose that you are living such a life as well. Then through whom would God work? He would like to work through a person like me. God will travel back and forth through a people who are living a public life for the world. What does that mean? God would pack his bags and come and live with a people who are more public-minded. And if He finds a people even more public-minded, He will go to visit that people and stay with them. He would move around as such. (31-254)
When you look at the world, the person who is in a public position is pitiful. Even if he does his best, due to his mistake before the Will, what if 1,000 years of merit is taken back? Such is the feeling of a debtor who does not have money to pay back to a creditor although his due date is approaching. I have been living such a life so far. (46-55)
During my life-time, my history is not written yet. However, once I die, it will be. Then, what if it is found that I did things inappropriate from the principle view? I shall be in trouble. The question is whether or not I could be supported by the Principle as to why I led such a life. If something is wrong with it, I will come to lose everything that was accomplished so far. That is why the position of a leader is difficult.
A leader should not lie down first no matter how tired he or she may be. Such is the position of a responsibility-taker. A leader lives with the heart of a sinner, who is not called yet. If he is full with food, he should repent. If he slept to his heart's content, he should repent as well as soon as he got up from bed. (62-133)
Even when you eat, you should always think whether this eating is for a public purpose or a personal purpose. He should eat for the sake of the 30 million people of Korea and the people of the world. If Korea wants to make the world serve its own country, Korea will perish. The same applies to America. Only when America wants to become a nation to serve the world, will America prosper. At the time of President Nixon, if America became a nation for Asia, it had hope for the future; but if it retreated from Asia, the nation will eventually decline.
Let us wait and see how far it can go. Whatever it does, it will be defeated and will eventually perish. I have been talking about this for a long time. From the time when America reduces the size of its appropriations for foreign aid, it will start to decline. President Kennedy is a good example. From that point on, a history of tragedy started, and (personally), he could not enjoy his full life-span and died at an early age.
Then, who would not perish even after his or her death? Who can make contributions for the sake of the world even after his or her death? They are public-minded people, leading a public life. Right? For what did Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus live? You must understand that they were not nationalistic. They lived and died for the world. In order to build an ideal world, even at the risk of their own life, they aggressively faced all kinds of problems and in reality and did their best to resolve them, trying to build a better world. That is why they could join the group of people who can be called saints. (36-74)
Even when you take the first step in the morning, you should think whether it is for the public purpose or not. And when you go to bed after finishing your daily work, you should reflect whether or not it was public-centered or personal-centered. Further, looking back on your yearly life, or your entire life, you should reflect whether or not you led a public life or a personal one.
After working hard for others for the public purpose, I would fall asleep without realizing how tired I was, and in the morning, I wake up totally refreshed. From such an experience, I realize: "Ah, this is a life of living the Principle." Yet, if I think: "Well, I slept only three and a half hours last night. Therefore, I should sleep at least 6 hours," my entire body feels like a thousand or ten thousand pounds, feeling pain all over the body.
I am saying that you should not calculate your sleeping time, and think: "Since I did not sleep enough yesterday, I'd better make it up today." Yet that is what you do, right? It is like a case in which you think: "Since I am fasting on Sunday morning, I'd better eat more on Saturday evening." (Laughter)
If you do such fasting, it does not mean anything. On the contrary, it is better for you not to fast. Because for a fast, if you eat more for dinner the night before, you will get more hungry. Go ahead and try it. After having your stomach stretched from a full dinner, if you keep it empty next morning, you will feet more hungry. Isn't it true? (Laughter) (44-161)
2) Public Management of All Things
You must understand that all things of the created world do not belong to an individual. When you own a good piece of land, if you brag about it, you will perish because it belongs to the public. You are just a manager of that land. Therefore, according to the management laws, if you manage it properly in a public manner, you can rule it for eternity, but if not, you will perish. However, the problem is that no one on earth understands the right public management laws towards all things. (31-247)
You should become a person who can manage all things publicly. When you eat, what if all foods are on strike against you, protesting your eating them without thanking them? What if all of them are on strike together, refusing to go inside of people's mouths? Have you ever thought of it? It is fortunate that they cannot do it as plants, yet what are you going to do if they could? If humans are under such circumstances, would they do it or not? All things feel the same.
Therefore, when you eat, you should understand the value of the foods that you are eating and should ask them: "By whom do you want to be eaten? For whom do you want to provide energy as part of his bone or flesh? What would you like to leave behind for the world of goodness?" Do you believe that foods would like to go inside the mouth of a thief?
For example, cooked rice will be eaten by anyone, but if possible, even one grain of them would like to be eaten by a good person who is public-minded.
The same goes with the air. Suppose that all the air on the earth gathers together and decides to be on a worldwide strike against humans for 5 minutes. Then all humanity will surrender to the air. If God wants to subjugate humans by force, He could use the air against them. If He takes the air away from the earth even for a few minutes, they will say: "We unconditionally surrender." Truly, the air can be a fearsome weapon to God and to you; it is something to be fearful of. What is public is fearful. What is public can kill an individual. These days, there are campaigns that oppose air pollution, which is a good thing to do. Otherwise, humans will be invaded by the air. The same is applied with the water. Thus, all things are public.
The sun is the source of life and has an infinite value. We are receiving such sunlight free of charge. Have you ever seen a person who is carrying money to buy sunlight? Have you ever seen a person who paid even one penny because he or she received sunlight? If the sunlight is for sale, would you buy it or not? People would buy it even if they sell their own body. All of the elements from nature such as water, air, sunlight, etc. do not belong to an individual. If someone thinks that way, he or she is a thief. (31-248)
Then as a religious person, how would you treat all things? You should treat them with a public mind. Suppose that an object has a value of ten. Then, you should not look at it with a value of ten only, but instead, with a value of a thousand, thinking that God is in it. If God dwells in the object that you cherish, the value of that object will be endless.
If you treat that object with such a heart, no matter how insignificant it may be, it will be happy with you and appreciate you.
In your life, you would feel such a sensation in the world of mind. If you work with such a heart, the result will be that you will feel a multi-dimensional value greater than looking at it alone. (40-382)
You should respect public management. If you are dealing with objects, you should respect them. When I used a notebook in my childhood, I did not start writing from the first line of it, but from the very top of each page. Sometimes, I used each page even twice by writing twice. Then, it was like using two notebooks instead of one. We should save natural resources.
I am very stingy and tight towards myself. I have never voluntarily purchased a custom-made suit for myself. Because people around me pushed me to do it, I did. If I did it on my own, it would not be so precious. But if I involuntarily do it at the request of others, people with me would appreciate my appearance, making comments. If you purchase it on your own and ask people as to how you look in the new suit, it is like complimenting yourself before them. I do not do such a trivial thing. That is just not the way I am.
What kind of person would God like? He likes a person whose philosophy is to lead a public life, always taking a public position. The same goes with all things. They like such a person. Such is a principle, and a heavenly law.
In the secular world, some people who went to a major university tend to brag about it and judge or criticize others arrogantly. But no matter what, I feet awkward doing such a thing and cannot do it. Sometimes, such people visit me, but if I see them, I feel like running away from them. Still, that is the way I feel toward them even now. Sometimes I intuitively sense such feelings from them. Then, I am not happy to be greeted by them. They might feel hurt because I did not receive them warmly. Yet, that is the way I feel.
But I am speechless before a person who made many special conditions for God.
As I have been leading the Unification Church, when I meet with two people to resolve some problems, I do not see who is handsome or not, but see the direction of their minds. In other words, I see whether their minds are public or personal. (31-261)
You should know the public way of managing all things. You should also know the public way of managing people. If you know it before someone's parents do, you can even take their children away from them. Do you understand? That is what Rev. Moon of the Unification Church is doing. He marries their children as he desires to, taking them away from their parents. When I blessed the 36 couples, their physical parents came to me and protested, asking me when a wedding invitation was sent to them. So I answered them that I was the one who did it. I could say that because I was in a public position more than them.
At that time, I thought to myself. "You do not know now, but just wait and see. You will come to realize whether the son-in-law or daughter-in-law you were given is better than others or not." Soon afterwards, they admitted that their son or daughter-in-law given by Rev. Moon was good. At least, they could not come up with excuses to accuse me of making a wrong decision for their son or daughter-in-law. (31, 256)
I never taught you to live for me, Rev. Moon. I taught you to live well along with Rev. Moon for the nation and the world. A wrong teaching will lead people to destruction and make them leave the church. However, if my teaching was not incorrect, even if they left the church, they will return. Is that not what is happening now?
Until now, for more than half a century, as I was walking this course, I have been persecuted and pushed around. But someday, if I could say to those who persecuted me: "You can be liberated if you can compensate me by a thousand of times or tens of thousands of times for your persecutions against me." Even if I do not force them, all of them will rush to follow my suggestion.
Through hardships, if we can reveal public value, such circumstances can be of great value. Then, the circumstances can be automatically absorbed. (31-253)
The time when you can manage all things publicly should come. If that time comes, even if fertilizer is not supplied for the land, all things will grow well. Even all things would like to hear the sound of laughter, not crying. Among you, is there anyone who would like to hear someone crying? I do not like it, but you may be different. Well, you seem to be like me. Then, those who like to hear laughter, please raise your hand. I see everyone's hand. Then, what about God? God also likes laughter. Originally, all of us were supposed to live in laughter.
If God is good, where is goodness? It dwells in a life filled with laughter. God is the subject with an eternal authority, who can digest everything into laughter. No matter how evil something is, God can digest and make it into goodness. Some people might say that the principle of heaven and earth might change, but that is not the case. They also might say that life is not meant to be lived only in goodness, but that is not true either. That is my belief. (31-258)
If you walk a public life centered on such a principle, you will never perish. Therefore, you should manage things in a public way, treat people in a public way, and attend heaven in a public way. If a couple was brought forth from a man and a woman who are good at this, centered on that family, a new people and a new world would have been established. Accordingly, you should become a people who can lead a public life. (31-201)
3) A Leader's Management of Money
Public money is like seeds. if sown, they bear fruit. If they do not bear fruit, they will be taken away. Before dealing with money, your integrity should be mature, and your words and deeds should be congruent.
If you value your own personal properties more than public ones, you are violating heavenly laws. If you value your personal integrity more than a public integrity, it is against the heavenly laws. (51-291)
Faith should be equal beyond time and space. Whichever church you go to, the color of faith should be the same. Church leaders (church center leaders) should not use all of the donation from members for themselves alone. If you are a city leader, you should manage money under the city leader, and in order to make it equal, you should make a donation to the higher level of your church. You should establish such a tradition of making donations. Are you doing it? [Yes] (17-9)
Our church members should know this. When you handle donations and offerings that are made with heart, if you do not recognize their value, you will be judged by them. You should clearly understand this.
Even a king can perish if he mistreats someone who is dedicated to God, making many special conditions. If the king's subjects also oppose him or her, they will be considered to be betrayers of heaven. For this reason, Father does not treat such a person lightly. (18-143)
You make donations to Father, but he does not receive it. His policy is not to receive. What did you do to make that donation? Unless I know it and stand in a position that I am not ashamed of, I cannot receive it. Since my mentality is as such, God desires to give and give more.
Do you understand? Nevertheless, some church leaders are only looking at the palms of members to see whether or not they bring donations or other things. Such leaders are not desired. Do you understand? (51-276)
-
Section 5. Ministry And The Life Of A Minister (Part 1)
1. Church And The Church Life
1) What is the Church for?
You should be faithful to the society, the church, and your family. Then what is the church for? It is a place where you form and cultivate your integrity and character. Due to the fall, you came to be in need of the church. The family and the society are not sufficient. A mature character is not formed automatically. Getting a doctorate degree from a good graduate school does not restore your character. That is why the church is needed.
By being connected to Father, you should start a new parent-child relationship. And you should build a new family and march forward to a new world. What are the steps in this process? It is the church. Without such steps, you cannot reach the ultimate destination. Even a new family comes from the church, and a new society comes from the church as well.
Then to whom should you be loyal? Before you are loyal to your family, you should be loyal to the church. Before you are loyal to society, you should be loyal to the church. The church is in the position of a subject, and the family and society are in the position of an object. Where do the wise persons stand? They stand in the position of a subject, not an object. The position of a subject is only one. Objects can be in four directions of north, south, east and west, around 360 degrees, but the center is only one. That is a position within an absolute realm. It cannot be two. Can there be two centers? If it is transferable between the two, both of them are more likely to perish.
When someone is told that he or she is straight-minded, what does it mean? It means that both the heart and mind of the heaven and humans are rooted in the same single point. It means that heaven's heart and mind and the human heart and mind should stand on such a point. For this reason, through the church, you should offer all of your hearts and minds at the place where human hearts are making a decision for the center. For this, you should do everything possible with all of your heart and mind. You should make more effort than for your own family, school, or success. That is why the Bible tells us to do our best with all of our heart, mind, and soul for the Lord, God. When we love, we should love God in the place where we offer all of our hearts and minds.
Then, in loving God, is it all right for us to love God in the morning, but not in the evening? No. You should love God more in the evening than in the morning. In the morning, everyone greets Him, but in the evening, not so many people do. (35-126)
Activities in college are to take responsibility for future generations. But Victory Over Communism activities are for the present time. Religions are responsible for eternity. Therefore, we should advance in all directions. And the church should establish a firm foundation for family tradition, religious tradition, and economic tradition. (21-360)
Since the temple is like a body prior to the fall of Adam, Jesus came on top of it. (20-341)
2) Education in Church Life
a. From the views of the providence of restoration, the key-point is to awaken the realization of the meaning of the Unification Church.
b. The church is the headquarters of the past, the present, and the future. Therefore, it is a mediator to fulfill indemnity conditions and to integrate the Word, integrity, character, and heart.
c. The Kingdom of Heaven is connected only through the church. That is, the Kingdom of Heaven can be reached through the family and the family, through the church. Therefore, the church is a foundation for families to bring victories; a place where family laws are born as fruit; a place where the integrity and character is recognized, and a training ground for the Kingdom of Heaven.
d. The church is a holy place that can connect heaven and earth. The church is a gate to the world, enabling people to be interact in a relationship of cooperation. It is a spiritual pillar for the rise and fall of a nation.
e. The church is the original source of spiritual life where we can receive (spiritual) energy and nourishment for our daily life.
A man who is not happy with his wife when seeing a couple who enjoys their life together, would think that they are happy. That does not mean that you should marry twice. (Laughter). In order to be happy you need a church. People should get stimulation from others. But the stimulation does not come in a normal state, but comes from a contrasting state. Heaven cannot be heaven with heaven alone. Only when heaven exists on the earth, can it be heaven. Don't you agree? That is the reason why everything exists in a pair system. (21-191)
Those who say that they go to church because of such and such person, or for their sons and daughters or spouse, cannot climb up all the hills of faith. We should go to church for God, not for someone else. In order to possess God as our own, in order to make God's love ours, we are going to church. (8-162)
Christians say that the omnipotent, gracious, and loving God will forgive us even if we commit sins tens of thousands of times. Then as soon as they leave the church, they start fighting.
The church is not a place that can forgive people who commit sins in such a way. Right? If God is a Being who can forgive so many sins, why would God not forgive one sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden?
What do you think? Further, if there was a way for Satan to be forgiven that way, would he not have repented? He would have. He would have repented tens of thousands of times with tears to be forgiven.
However, the sin of Satan that violated public heavenly laws cannot be forgiven. If that sin is forgiven, the universal law of love would be fundamentally destroyed. The world created for love would have fallen into chaos. Satan invaded God Himself. Then, can it be forgiven? It cannot be. That is why through the providence of restoration, the standard prior to the fall should be reached (by humans). By doing so, through that standard, Satan should be expelled, and the second ideal person should come. It took 6,000 years for God to prepare this foundation. (19-161)
3) The Reason Why We Should Serve the Church
What is the reason why you are asked to serve the church? It is to help you grow more. Does it make sense if you desire to become a captain in your own family? The reason that you need to serve the church and the nation is to make you grow. The same is applied to live for the world and for heaven and earth. To what extent? To the maximum. When I say growing, I am not talking about growth in physical size, but about having a rounded personality and maturity both internally and externally. You should become people who can live with all humankind on the worldwide stage, centered on the Unification Church. Then you can become a son or a daughter of God who created heaven and earth. From this perspective, all of you must understand that there is one way that you can go.
The Unification Church set the starting point for this way. As we started it, you should reach the final destination. For this, I ask you to go out and witness (to people) for the nation, or to become a missionary for the world, or fight for God or against Communists, etc.
From this perspective, I want you to understand the value of yourself and live a life at the place where God wants you to reach. (34-?)
4) The Purpose of the Church
What is the purpose of the church? It exists to save the nation, but Christianity does not know this. They think that its purpose is to guide people to go to heaven, which is a self-centered idea. As a result, they created such an individualistic nation, like America.
Therefore, the Unification Church attempts to pioneer building such a world. The purpose of witnessing to people is not to have the witnessed people benefit the Unification Church. It is to benefit the nation. However, it should not become a religion that remains only within the boundary of the nation. Judaism declined because it lost its leading position to save its nation, Israel. The policy of the Unification Church is to serve the nation (but not only the nation but also the world). (34-338)
The Garden of Eden is within the realm of protection. First, it is a place with life without death; second, a place of the realm of God's protection; third, a place to receive love from God. (51-193)
As pioneers in founding such a nation, who are the generals on the frontline? They are the leaders of the Unification Church.
Then, what foundation is required to build such a nation? No one or nothing other than the church. What else can it be? What do you have? You have nothing but the church. Right? [Yes] Your personal possessions are to be absorbed into the nation. In order for a people to lay a foundation . . . In order to build a nation, we need sovereignty, land, and people. Then, what is the foundation for the land of the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the church assets. Right?
Then, who are the people of the Kingdom of Heaven? They are the church members. Then, who has the sovereignty? You do. You are in the position of representing the chiefs of a village, a city, a county, and a state. Ladies and gentlemen, did you become such a subject? You should be the first person who will run to the satanic world if bombs are brought into that world. Do you understand? Do you want to do it? And if you have some money, you should use if for the expansion of the church. And that money should be used to expand the territory of that nation and bring people together. Church leaders are in place of the sovereign of that nation. They should be in place of their own village chief and parents. That is the tradition that you should leave behind.
What should we do in the future? In the future, the time of the church will pass. What humanity desires is not the church. The church is needed during the process of restoration in the domain or realm of the fall, but once a new era arrives, the era of the church will pass.
For this reason, what the Unification Church is doing now is not church activities. Nor is Father doing church activities. Under the name of the church, we are working for a movement to be adjusted to the society, reform the society, and expand a pure society. That is the mission of pioneers for the work that is now being done by the people who are living for a nation or the world. This is the path that you should walk.
5) Church Activities Are More important than Social Life
The public church is more important than our own home. We should organize our life in every aspect, but we are not doing it. If you do not give back even after receiving, you will perish. (15-271)
You should become parents who can influence your children. This is your first mission. In order to do it, you should lead a public life thoroughly, and should be exemplary in your personal life. This is indispensable in educating your children to lead a way of the Will in the future. Do you understand? (31-277)
When looking at your habitual life-style in the church and the society that you have been leading so far, what is internal is the church life. Then, what is the standard of your internal life? Some say that they are going the way of the Will, but they interpret the way the Will according to their personal views. Can God be present at such a place? (27-38)
At this point in time, what position are you standing now? When you look at yourself as an individual of the Unification Church, if you think: "Ah, I am a follower," you will not be harvested by a good master who is looking for the best seeds. On the contrary, such a person will be removed. If you want to stand before the only master as the only seed with true value that is needed only for one place, you should not just become a follower. You should excel in everything. You should prepare yourself both internally and externally.
You see someone whose life is good for the church, but not for the society. Or vice-versa. From this perspective, the latter cannot bear the fruit mentioned above. Then, which is better, the people whose life is good for the church or the people whose life is good for the society? The correct answer is the former. People who have elements of bearing fruit have a hope for the harvest in the future, but the ones without those elements have nothing to do with harvesting the fruits. (36-20)
In terms of internal church life, the one who is not standing in the position of being authorized by God cannot lead a life instead of God in the life of the society. Therefore the question is whether or not we can be people who can be authorized by God. As far as the Unification Church members' attitude towards the church is concerned, they are not serious about the importance of the time for church meetings. Because your views about the public meetings of the church are vague, your views as to the direction of the will that continues to proceed are also vague. This is because you do not clearly understand what position you should stand on, nor do you have a clear external standard as well. (22-36)
First, you should be thorough about leading the right church life. For this, you should be punctual about public worship time. You should be exemplary for being on time for the meetings. (31-262)
If you look at the triangle relationships among the family, the church and the society, what do you think the strongest focal point should be? Is it the church, the family, or the society for your own success? Which person would God have more compassion and under. standing for? Thinking of the church is loving a representative of God. It is also bringing more people to God. (42-169)
6) Be Careful Leading a Church Life
When you join the Unification Church, you should be liberated from the pre-conceptions of the past in which you lived a habitual life of faith. You should abandon your previous views on God bound by your past concepts. (26-23)
Walking a formula course is not for the church, but for yourself. Until now, Father's directions to you was to help you, not for the church. Therefore, you should not think that you are working for the church. The way that humans should walk is for the nation and the world, and therefore, everyone should go that path. (34-265)
Even after joining the church, you get a job, play all kinds of games, and even use the church for your own benefit. . . But the church will not be used/taken advantage of. Look at the people who left the church after using the church. All of them will become beggars. Wait and see as to what will happen to them. Heaven will not be used.
The fortune of the world will not be used. Personal fortune should follow the family fortune, and the family fortune, the fortune of the society, and the fortune of the society, the fortune of the nation, and the fortune of the nation, the fortune of the world, and the fortune of the world, the fortune of the heaven, and the fortune of the heaven, the fortune of God. (163-34)
-
Section 5. Ministry And The Life Of A Minister (Part 2)
2. Church Organization
1) The Need for Organization
In the future, directions should be given through a system, rather than through public announcement. Therefore, we should not forget about the system. We cannot sustain our lives being apart from the organization. If we lose the relationships of front and back (family members), right and left (trinity) and up and down (parents and children), we lose the value of existence. (11-249)
The purpose of organization is to determine positions. You should know your own position. Do you understand? To decide positions is to be connected and build relationships. It should be done centered on one self. The one who has authority to bring the relationships is in the position of a subject. The one who is educated/guided is in the position of an object. That is, by making such relationships, if you decide your standing position, that is, if you make your own position, having relationships with four directions (of north, south, east, and west) and eight directions, you can stand firmly viewed from any direction of up and down, front and back, right and left. After deciding the position, you should make all relations that are connected to you into one. You should be raised by a person with such an ability. Therefore, (for this purpose) if you need an organization, you should determine the position. In determining the position, you should form a subject realm/sphere. In order to form the subject realm, centered on the subject, unless you erect one object as a partner, it (the subject realm/sphere) cannot last forever but eventually will collapse, and the position will be automatically selected as well.
When the organizational power and united force come together, they can finally be activated. When the center leader asks you to go in a certain direction, if you say: "I will have nothing to do with it. You go eastward direction, but I will go westward direction," then, you will perish soon. Therefore, organization, unity, and action are all of social elements for the developmental progress.
For the fulfillment of that purpose, after determining the positions and forming a reciprocal standard base, the foundation on which everyone can be united as one should be established as soon as possible. Then, it will flourish at any place. That is a principle. (15-198)
The origin of the fall is derived from the reversal of positions and the loss of relationships. The fall began from not acting upon the Word of God. What is certain is to know positions and make relationships in the organization.
For this to be done, you must stand in the position of an object. You must demonstrate ability to bring unity through which heavenly actions can take place. You must not forget this in your mind.
What is the first element? Organization. For what? To determine positions. What is the second? Unity. Centered on the positions that are decided, you must stand in the position of an object towards the subject. In order to become one, you should face the world with one purpose. That is the way it should be. In pursuing the purpose, there should be one unified action. Without that principle, nothing will be achieved. If it is done, we can clearly see who are in the positions of up and down. You should not forget this. (15-193)
In Christian churches, there are systems of elders, deacons, and areas. And there are women evangelists working for witnessing activities, while traveling. There are the people who are always helping under the leadership of the minister. Yet we have no system as such. Whenever new guests come to the church, we just give a Divine Principle lecture, but it is not enough. By organizing a clear/thorough system, we should be able to manage every member from the center. Newly joined members cannot work for the church unless they clearly understand the content of the church. Therefore, in order to educate them, you should spend plenty of personal time with them. If leaders cannot do it, we need representatives who can do the task on their behalf. (42-157)
For an organization, there is a purpose, a hierarchical order, and relationships. (5/23/66)
Father's desire for you who are working in the church is that you expand all of the main vertical traditional thoughts that have been passed down, horizontally more and more, and connect them to each department and develop them. For this to be done, we need a central figure. The church organization takes a role to erect that central figure. (34,12)
2) An Ideal Organization
When the Unification Church is in the process of building the Heavenly Kingdom on earth, what are we going to do? In the future, we should organize branch centers so that people living there can come to our church. That is what we should do in the church.
Within our church, we should have such an organization which consists of a legislative branch, a judicial branch and an executive branch. That is what our church should do.
Then what corresponds to the legislative branch? It is a family unit. If this is not realized, the nation does not come. Families should play a main role as the core of the society. Subject and object should fulfill this responsibility. We have been participating in an incredible mission for this so far. Heaven can be realized only when such a system is organized from the mountain valleys to the cities.
Then, who was to inherit the thoughts of tradition in the world prior to the fall? That was to be the great-grandchildren of Adam. Their families should have inherited it, and such an organization should have been expanded on the worldwide level. Then, the environmental Kingdom of Heaven would have been realized.
In order to realize the Kingdom of Heaven, a system that can adopt all of the principled protocols in the social environment should be prepared. Today, the intelligence agency is like ears. In order to make the Republic of Korea prosper, what should be done? We need a system through which all Communist activities can be immediately reported and those who were involved in those activities can be punished.
What did I say as to what the society should eventually resemble in the future? It will take after yourself. There are three principles between mind, body and material, none of which can be skipped. When these three are together, they will make a (perfect) form on the stages of formation, growth, and completion.
We have one Heavenly Parent (God). Since God exists in dual characteristics, so do humans. All things also exist in dual characteristics of plus (+) and minus (-). The number that is added and connected to one another amongst God, humans, and all things is 7. The number viewed from the perspective of stage is 3, but the number that is spread is 4. If these numbers, 3 and 4 are in harmony, coming together, it becomes 7. Therefore, number 7 is a number of completion of creation. All of you are made as such. All of the three are to be one. The eyes are connected to one. So is the nose (with two nostrils) if seen all the way inside. So are the ears. All are made to be one.
Also, when looking at the face, the eyes symbolize God, the nose, humans, and the mouth, all things. The highest part of the face is the nose, right? The total number of teeth is 32 (4 x 8). As such, all of the elements of heaven and earth are gathered together in the face. Further, all three organs are connected together. When we look at this from the principle of the three stages of formation, growth, and completion, how remarkable humans are. Centered on this principle of creation, we should be pioneers to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Today, in the human world, what is the problem? It is that we have no organization that can function like a lung. Because we have no organization that can absorb oxygen, the source of life, we cannot collect ideal materials to set a new policy that can make the humans happy. That is why this earth is left impoverished and exhausted. Since we have not had an ideal ideology until now, human history has been in the process of receiving that ideal one. The Unification Church is presenting a new ideology through this process. (27-187)
The sun is in the position of a father, and the earth, in the position of a mother, rotating around the father, the sun, and the moon, in the position of children, rotating around the mother, the earth. As such, we should have an organization of the family and the society like that of solar system. And so should be the church and the world. We should treat the church leaders like a father. In the church, one should be taking the mission of a father, and the other, that of a mother. The person in the role of a mother should raise up family members, thus establishing a system in the form of one family. The same is true with the nation and the world. Eventually, the organization of this world should be in the form of a human body and a family. That is, the organization of the world is only large in size, but it should become like a person and a family. (72-189)
Who is under the regional director? Is it a general manager? [It is a city leader.] There is a city leader under whom there is a center leader. Therefore, a city leader can give directions to a center/church leader. The city leader should be recognized as the city leader. When someone was assigned as a center/church leader, if he is not recognized and properly treated, it is because that family is in a mess. Don't you agree? If I go to Pusan now, the church leaders in Pusan should know it no matter what. Through your own organizational system, whether you convey my directions to the president of the church or not, it is up to you. I will continue with my mission regardless.
That is why it is an "e sang han" (meaning strange in Korean) organization. When I say it, I do not mean a wrong organization. I am talking about an "ideal" (e sang in Korean) organization. An ideal organization. Inform them about this at the time of leaders' meeting. That is what I am trying to teach you these days in Korea. America already has such a system. Wherever you go, without telling the state leader, directions can be given to the leader under him or her.
Even if the regional director did not know, if someone under him or her says that certain directions were given by Father, those directions should be immediately executed by everyone or corrected if necessary. (174-98)
3) The Organization of the Early Church
Our goals are arming ourselves with the Principle, and training ourselves for integrity, character and heart. From now on, our (public) life and activities should be centered on the trinity of the region. The regional trinity is the center, and the rest of other business entities are auxiliary organizations that support this regional trinity.
There are three judgments: judgment of words, judgment of integrity, character, and judgment of heart. Now, we are in the process of entering the stage of training ourselves with integrity and character, going beyond the stage of arming ourselves with words.
In order to become a person of integrity, a systematic training is required. You must go through a group-type of family life at some place like an apartment building. That is, the question is whether or not we can pass an ideology or a system for the whole. You must go through that stage.
The home meetings of the trinity unit are recommended to be held alternately at the home of each family. Educate horizontally related people through home meetings. Newly joined members are to be guided by team leaders (ban jang), and then be transferred to each region.
Soon, a victory flag of the church will be made. God is happy when He sees you bringing results from fighting at the frontline. In the future, have home meetings by (bahn) unit. If this is developed more, it should be done centered on the trinity. If this is expanded to 12 people, it should be again divided. Communications should be done up to 3 stages up and 3 stages down, when centering on yourself, taking the form of the number 7.
In the future, making a decision as to certain matters should be done within the proper environment. For example, if it is concerning the trinity, it should be resolved within the district, the team, and the region. Headquarters have jurisdiction over the district of (bahn), team, and region.
If possible, the trinity should live together and die together, without needing to depend on its upper organization. If harm is sustained to its upper organization, it will be grief to heaven, but if harm is done to Satan, it will be glory to heaven.
The people of the headquarters should be united in heart with the frontline family members. In the future, as you obey me, you must absolutely obey the regional director, the team leader, and leader.
In the future, headquarters will dispatch IWs to take care of family members. Even for peoples and nations, if soldiers in the frontline and people in the rear are united in heart, they will definitely prosper. There should be a messenger who can relate directions up to the level of a team. (9-8)
4) Three-stage Organization
Father has been doing this so far, but despite the fact that we have the president of the church, Father gives directions to the regional directors or the state leaders. This the president of the church must understand.
Father has a three-stage system of communication. Do you understand? This is a system of a heavenly nation. What system did I say about this? [Action system.] It is not a management or administration system. A management system requires only a passive role of following the leader, but an action system demands you to be aggressive.
What is this for? It is for the public will to protect the survival realm. Everything works out that way. Let us take an example of a leaf of a tree. If a worm invades it, that branch and other leaves protect it. That is how a system works. Do you understand what I am saying?
It is the same as a tree growing. A system of branches and leaves centered on the trunk, that is an action system. (173-196)
What I said earlier is regarding the three-stage organization. That is what you should understand. Where did the three-stage theory come from? If we look into the essence of it . . . do you understand? You must have heard this for the first time. Right? [Yes.]
The three-stage theory comes from this. In the Unification Church, above Rev. Moon, exists God. Therefore, I cannot do anything as I please. I am at the center/middle of the three stages. If I did things at my will, I shall be in trouble. All the cells of love are assembled in the center. This is the center of a globe, and if this moves, the entire heaven and earth will melt. That is why I cannot do things as I desire. The up and down should be always tuned to each other. So should it be horizontally. Through it, the vertical and horizontal should meet in perpendicular.
What is the center like? It is pushed from above, and pulled from below. Then, how difficult it must be. At least, that is what I think. Therefore, the center should be an example. From above, it should be praised, and, at the same time, it should be exemplary from below. From this perspective, I am not sure whether I am qualified to become the leader of the Unification Church. Professor Lee, what do you think? [You are qualified more than anyone else.] No. I am not. [You are too humble.] It is a difficult position to be in. I should be praised from above and be exemplary from below as well. That is why I have no time to rest for 24 hours a day. A person in the east can take it easy until he or she comes to the center. The same is true with the one in the south or any other direction until he or she comes to the center. But I cannot, since I am already at the center.
Therefore, since a person with such a responsibility, the one responsible for the family or for the nation, is closer to the center. . . I exist centered on God, and within me, exist all of the worldwide Unification Church members. This is one system. For this reason, I cannot transfer the position of the president of the church as I desire. I can do it according to the directions from above. That is different from the secular world. Do you understand?
On earth, when viewing me as the center, here are the president of the church and the people on the level of department leaders, who can be compared with the president and general managers at a company in the outside world. These three stages centered on me are one system. That is the reason why unlike the company structure of the outside world, I can give directions to department leaders directly, not necessarily going through the president of the church. And those department leaders should always report to me immediately if there is anything that is wrong or against the Will of God. If not, problems will arise.
Why? If one vertical pole (trunk), is grown, branches will grow on it. This vertical trunk, should be in line with heaven. This is a three. stage process. Seeing it with the root as the center, the root multiplies with small roots, and centered on those small roots, more minute roots will grow. That is the formation (stage). This is a three-stage system, which is one system. This is the difference.
That is why, as was stated earlier, the Unification Church is not an administrative organization, but is a progress organization, an action organization. That is why the president of the church cannot ask other leaders not to report certain matters to Father. Right? Nevertheless, you might have already done it.
You should report to Father. Centered on the center, you should protect the center from four directions. For the protection, you should keep it in line with the vertical pole. You should push people, saying: "You should not go this way or that way. You should go this way." The push will not be given by the top (alone). You from below should do it. This is a method through the organization. You must immediately report. (173-216)
5) Your Trinity, Your Life
What is a trinity? It is like an alter for offering objects. Three people in the trinity are like three offering objects. Abraham had three offering objects, and Noah had the three-tier ark. Right? They are all three offering objects. As such, after building an altar and making an offering with a loyal heart and sincerity for the people of that area, with an earnest heart that prays for their own sons and daughters, three people should be able to embrace their community.
With such an idea, in which exists an organization, exists a life. It is an organizational system but is a life itself at the same time. And it is a life and an idea at the same time. An idea used to be distant from us in relation to the organization. But in our life, God's hope, goal, and life in His heart simultaneously become one, and centered on that life, when you become a person who can be compared with the total value of these, God will find His 6,000-year long awaited sons and daughters through us.
Since no one knew about this until the present time, the fact that you can go to such a place is the most precious thing. It is not good if you cannot do this. Even though you know Father and follow him, you still should do this. Through heart, through the situation, when you can erect an alter before Heaven at any cost, you can finally become a son or a daughter who can be instead of God's heart and take responsibility for His situation. (150-27)
There should be three people who can work together. If they are not united on that foundation, the purpose of three eras will not be accomplished. The restoration will not be fulfilled unless a conditional horizontal foundation of the Eve nation is built. That is why three people are so precious. At the time of prayer, you should pray for the world. Including a few Korean-Americans, you should choose 12 people representing the four and the eight (compass) directions and pray with them. Jesus died because he could not establish that foundation. (36-177)
As a person who attends God, making special conditions with all of your heart and mind is like (holding unto) a life-line. By the same token, since it is like connecting water pipes to a reservoir, we should always make special conditions for God.
Furthermore, a center leader should be united at least with three male members and three female members. Including that center leader, unless seven people are always united with one another, the church cannot prosper or be developed. In order to become one with them, those members should not be the ones whom the leader feels comfort, able to work with. One of them should the most comfortable person to work with, another, the most uncomfortable person to work with, the third, someone who is in between the two positions. By doing so, the center leader should guide them to make special conditions for their central figure.
When a leader travels somewhere, he or she should not go alone. There must be people who pray for the leader. Especially, when Father travels somewhere, you should find out the schedule in advance and pray for him. Then God will be present at that place.
Likewise, a leader must have a center for his activities. All of the activities should be done centered on that center, and that center should be always more powerful than the center of actionizers. Otherwise, there will be no progress or development. That is the way it is. When you look at the tree, you see branches from the trunk. The trunk is bigger than branches. Likewise the center where the church leader is stationed, should be a place with more powerful force and energy than the actual place where activities are taking place. Without such a foundation, you cannot make progress.
For this reason, the church leader should know how to make three male members and three female members be united as one for the development and success of the church and prepare such a system to be in operation.
If each person forms a trinity, then, the system will be automatically increased to 24 people. If each of three people form a trinity, it will make 12. If each of three male members and each of female members form a trinity, that will also make 24 people. In such a way, centered on the central figure, an inseparable system should be formed in unity.
In order for this to be done, the question is how much the church leader invests himself or herself for the six members and how much they invest themselves for the church leader. The church leader cannot expect a good result unless he or she makes special conditions for them.
Therefore, a center leader must pray for his members and educate them day and night. In order for that special spiritual foundation to be established, there must be a way. Opening that way cannot be done by themselves.
Therefore, the center leader should prepare a way for members. If there are three people, a trinity system should be adopted for each of them so that they can be multiplied in numbers. He should always think of the ways of multiplying the system.
Centered on the leader, three male members and three female members work together; this makes number 7. Base on this, if a trinity system is applied, the church will be automatically developed. That is why you should regard organizing the trinity system as precious as your own life. (56-91)
Upon your return to your center, you should organize a trinity system. Fallen humans cannot go alone. The four position foundation should be established centered on the church, which should be done by all church leaders. Unless four people become one, the leader cannot make the four directions of north, south, east, and west as, one.
Currently, the remaining cultural spheres in the world are 4: communist cultural sphere, Muslim cultural sphere, Christian cultural sphere, and Unification cultural sphere. There were two thieves centered on Jesus on the cross: a thief on the right and the other on the left. The left one represents a left-wing, right? The separation between the Russian and Muslim cultural spheres can be compared with the separation of Barabbas and Satan. That is why on the worldwide level, Jesus' words, "Whatever is sown will be harvested," is being realized. (60-742)
6) Strengthen the organization
The reason many members of Korea and Japan left the church is due to the lack of organization in the church. Therefore, what Father is going to hurry to execute in America upon his return to the states is a movement of systemization. From now on, we should make a system to strengthen the organization of the church worldwide.
For this reason, in the future, not anyone can become a church leader. In order to become a leader, they should pass an exam that can be authorized by the world. Do you understand? [Yes.] Therefore, if someone is responsible for a "kun" in Korea, since there is a unit that is corresponding to this "kun" (in other countries as well), the worldwide authorized credential should be given to leaders. Then, wherever they go, when asked a question: "What level of leader are you?," if the answer is: "I am a kun" leader, there will be a common understanding about that position. That is, whenever someone represents him- or herself as a primary school teacher, we all have a common understanding about it. We should adopt such a system. (75-91)
In the future, what should the Unification Church do? It is to establish many educational institutions for restoration on various stages. For example, it can be a several-month course, or 7-year course, etc. However, our problem lies in that we picked anyone as a church leader and mixed them together. Therefore, from now on, we should prepare an organized system for various stages. You should understand that such is your destiny.
-
Section 5. Ministry And The Life Of A Minister (Part 3)
3. Our System And Tradition
1) Headquarters and Us
If you are a person at the foot of a mountain and you want to understand the person who is at the summit, you must have absolute trust in him. Where there is criticism there is no progress to a higher level. Father provides all the tools and the environment, paving the way for you to attain success. But you cannot follow holding on to your own ideas. Your struggle will increase, and it is almost impossible to achieve what you want to achieve.
Headquarters and the church center are the only central points. If a direction comes from headquarters, we have to follow it. It has a connection to the spiritual world. You may not know about that relationship. In the spiritual world your ancestors know about headquarters' directions. If their descendants take the subject position, thereby releasing their ancestors' ban (suffering), it means they have taken responsibility for both worlds.
This time, when you follow headquarters' direction, there will be personal inconveniences. At times you feel repulsion in your heart. It will consume you if you follow that feeling. If your obedient heart is stronger, you will make progress.
When Father gives direction to Unification Church members, they want to obey without question. But when a national leader gives direction, then members say, "I don't know about that." Father says that these are words without substance. Who appointed the national leader? Because Father appoints the national leader you ought to obey the national leader, which is the principled way. The person who is a leader of more than 1,000 people has the approval of the spiritual world, passing its examination.
Centering on the national leader I want you to unite and support each other. Don't be concerned about what Father is doing. Be responsible for Korea. Support and unite with each other. I wish for lots of good news to go your way. But I know in order for a lot of good news to happen, it takes suffering, hard work and tears. Please, don't forget about this.
Even if it is very difficult, don't focus on your own individual viewpoint. You have to support the bigger organization through order and tradition. That is the way it works in an orderly society. If some members say, "I'm an old member and I'll do as I want," that is not right.
Internally you need faith and externally you need a good foundation, which should be our church system.
If you make a way to heaven for your collected things of hell, that route goes back to hell. Likewise, if you send a donation to headquarters, they will give this back into the satanic world. Use the money for the bigger purpose. Money multiplies. You are donating to headquarters, headquarters helps the nation, the nation helps the world, the world helps heaven. That is the correct order.
2) The Role of the Provincial Leader
The provincial director is the leader of the province. They must understand God's sorrow, sharing the same concern as God and comforting Him. That is their responsibility as a loyal son. Newly appointed provincial leaders, please unite with the national leader, and then I will trust that you will do a good job.
Please unite with headquarters, which is the root. If you are not united with headquarters, do not assume you are a provincial leader. Your responsibility will be determined from that point.
Yesterday, I declared to the provincial leaders that if any leader complains that he cannot follow this way anymore, that it is too difficult, he can return home or he is free to do whatever he wants. If he complains and encourages others to complain, that kind of person should not be here. If you stand on the speaker's platform carrying the provincial leader's title, would your legs shake, thinking of your responsibility over everyone's life? Whenever Father has a very important topic to share, I am so serious that I don't feel my feet touching the speaker's platform. That is why God is working through me. I am not standing on the speaker's platform for my own sake.
Like the earth that is prepared to receive the oncoming spring season, what foundation has the regional leader prepared for building the shimjung and tradition? You are the leader of the province. Do you pray for the province? Prayer is very important. The witnessing result is proportional to amount of prayer, not to the level of your knowledge and skill. Didn't you experience in the 1960's that in comparing college, graduate members to members who prayed, it was those who prayed that brought more witnessing results? The important point is how much you gain God's sympathy. What should we focus on with a single mind? Eating food? No. Our responsibility is to restore everyone from the fallen world to become God's sons and daughters. If you love with that kind of single mindedness, nothing is impossible.
We have to establish the tradition that church members are saying, "My provincial leader is crazy for God and True Parents!" Though I may be working on external things I want you to understand Father's internal things.
Don't get discouraged about your situation or Father's situation but remember God is with you, shedding tears for the nation. My loneliness represents the nation's loneliness. So you have to pray that God can forgive the nation. This is the responsibility of the one who makes the offering, that he can sense the future misfortune of a nation and ask for forgiveness from God. That is how a nation's misfortune can be avoided. You have to stand in the position of representing the nation, and that is the responsibility of the public-minded person.
You should be serious to unite with your regional leader. There is a proverb which says, "If the home is in peace, 10,000 things can be accomplished."
The family members in the province should unite with the provincial leader and work together. Don't complain about the direction but support and become completely one with it. When you unite in heart with that foundation, you can overcome obstacles. Make determination again without complaining and give all your effort to fulfill Father's direction.
3) Role of the City Leader
The city leader should feel the following way: you immerse yourself in the water to possess the river, you climb up a tree on a mountain top, fall and climb up again. The person who has this heart is the owner. Though people will try to kick him out, he will never be destroyed. Father understands this principle. That is why he is still here. When Father was in jail in front of communists, I thought about what I could give to the enemy. I didn't have any resentment. I offered my food. That is why the food becomes the body and the water becomes the blood of others.
The titles of provincial leader and city leader do not represent the Unification Church but they represent the province and the city. The Unification Church exists for the nation. I, the church and the city are like the three stages-formation, growth and completion. All three have to be united. You should think that "my house" does not refer to a brick dwelling, but rather "my house" represents the city. Likewise, "my church" represents all educational organizations in the city. We have to be owners of the family, church and town. This is the duty of Unification Church members given from God. So the leader should be busy visiting every comer of the city.
The leader has a special duty to be on the front line to accomplish God's Will. Don't be discouraged and retreat. If you are defeated, the people will be defeated and you will share the same destiny. Ask for God's help if you can't accomplish. Pray to God asking for help in this difficult restoration time. Pray, "I am unworthy and you put me in this dispensational position. I want to do your will. I do not have enough power, so help me and give me power." If you pray desperately, at that moment God's help will come. Also, we have to understand that our position relates to the public. The city leader is the central focus of the public. Prepare and raise from the membership someone who can inherit your position when you can no longer fulfill your duty.
The attitude of the members should be a willingness, if the city leader cannot accomplish, to take over his responsibility. Members should maintain that attitude. The city leader and church members should work with each other for the same goal and purpose and make a good foundation. The number of people you, as the leader, can raise for leadership will determine whether you are successful or not. This time when you return to your mission in the midst of all this difficulty, you have to raise up the person who can unite with you.
When you are in a big battle, you need a good plan. But more important you need to know how to take action in the battle. First of all, centering on the leader, you choose a few members, training them to have determination, to share a common life-and-death destiny toward one goal, pledging to each other that once you start you will not retreat. The leader should try to become responsible and the member should try to be helpful. This kind of church center will automatically progress.
Today, everybody has this kind of important responsibility. The city leader should make a connection to the county, to the town, to the village and to the precinct. The reason for doing this is that God does not have people who organize the kind of connection headquarters has with the provincial leaders. God doesn't have a foothold of people acting on the direction. The most frontline members are the members who are working with the city leader. The city leader can affect the area for the good or bad, so I trust you are going to do a good job. This time it is not the provincial director but the city leader who should fight with the enemy on the frontline. Father worries whether you are doing good work. I want to shake the village through this meeting. You should always keep the same intensity gained from your experience of our meeting together.
When you go back to your mission the leader who is in your area should take care of everyone, even all the people who are economically suffering. You should have great hope even if you are poor and in difficulty. If you are always hopeful and responsible, you become a symbol of the people.
To those who are hungry, you can state that they can work for us.
In the city leader's position if you do your part with joyfulness, all things and people of your area will be joyful. If you are joyful, the provincial director, the national leader, Father, and God are happy. "I am joyful" is the base for the whole universe to be happy. The provincial director, the city leader and the center leader -- of these three the city leader plays the key role, so the church success depends on the city leadership. The provincial director is the middle position; the frontline position is the city leader. The city leader is on fire. Feeling responsible he tries to help other city leaders and is always thinking of what kind of love and inheritance to give them. I hope this year you make a better foundation. Hopefully you will make a determination before you go back to your mission.
The individual is connected centered on the church. Center leaders, city leaders, provincial leaders, the national leader, True Father, and God are all connected. Up there is heaven, down here is earth. If you think everybody is connected centering on you, how important is the position of the city leader? If you don't do your responsibility, this matter is not over at this time. So God chose you to be in the position and, if you are not able to assume the responsibility, when you go to spiritual world all spirits will accuse you. How important is the city leader's responsibility? The city leader is connected through the provincial leader, national leader, and Father, and he is connected to heaven and earth.
In the future, economic depression will come to Korea so the church members have to be responsible about this. Before, the depression comes we have to make good foundation so that we can guide Korea. One city leader is responsible for a city. If you look at the economic problem centering on only my wealth, it is not right. You have to take care of the whole. If you say I can't do it and give up, all will be destroyed.
If everybody has that motivation then you can live 100 percent for the church and God. Then you can stand in front of God. Even in difficulty you have to go forward alone for the whole town.
Each city should have 200 members. That is why you have to try hard. The city leader is an individual but you have responsibility to take the whole town's life and wealth. The members serving the city resemble the city leader. If the city leader moves ahead, everybody moves ahead.
So again, your responsibility is very important. The city leader is responsible for the whole town. The lives of everybody in the town are in your hands. Do you feel that? Do you really feel it? At Sunday service or other public meetings the leader has to discuss with church members and make a plan. Have you ever longed to have 1,000 people working for you?
If you have a complaining heart when you receive the direction from above, you are finished. Everyday you need to have the attitude of an absolutely obedient heart. Young men need to fight. When they come back from war, they change. Even in a shower of bullets they will not respond until direction comes.
If you are a town leader, you have to put in your effort until the town responds. One, two, three, four days, even forever, you have to keep your mission, 24 hours a day, committing everything with your whole heart, when you are eating, sleeping or on the toilet. If your mind is always thinking of how to accomplish this God-given mission, you are one with the mission. If you live three years like that, you will notice changes around you and you will discover that God is guiding you. You will discover this fact. That is the Principle.
If you cannot be responsible for the village, you cannot be responsible for the town, the province and so forth. If you are not responsible, you cannot be responsible for the nation, the world and God. That is the Principle. Do you understand? [Yes.]
4) The Role of the Center Leader
You center leaders have a good education, good knowledge and other worldly knowledge and you have heart. City leader, center leader, state leader, national leader -- all should unite, and the family members should unite with a single mind because they all represent Father's position. Even if leaders make mistakes, no one should pass judgment.
In the future headquarters will organize from the lowest unit, the church center to seven levels. The national leader is the middle point going down to province, city and town, then going up to True Parents and God -- seven levels. That is why I invited all church leaders to this meeting.
You are all working as Unification Church leaders because until now you are following Father, the bridge to God's fortune. That is why members respect you. First of all, you have to maintain the vertical relationship, always. You have the position to control the vertical and horizontal relationship. Above you is the headquarters' leadership, horizontally you represent parents position. The parents' heart is like that for children who do not come home; without hesitation you will go 1,000 miles searching for them. If parents show a sacrificial example and teach tradition, the children will go the correct way. First show a good example. This is the way to witness.
With this vertical relationship there is no multiplication. But if you unite with the same level leader, there is multiplication. This is the Principle of Creation.
Why do we witness? For multiplication. Multiplication does not happen on the vertical level; horizontally good give and take multiplies. That is why church leaders should relate with church members horizontally. Progress will follow. If everybody determines to be loyal, there is lot of multiplication.
Time does not fluctuate to smaller or bigger but people's minds change to small or big. Even the members working in small towns hearing news from headquarters receive the news as their own. The senses of the nervous system go through the whole body. Likewise the church members should be feeling that way towards the headquarters' direction. Then there is life. That is why members look forward to headquarters' messages. But if you, through this nervous system, hear the news horizontally, you can only feel it temporarily in the moment but the feeling does not continue. If you look at your body and bone system, it is ordered vertically and horizontally. When you visit headquarters, what kind of heart do you have? Let us remember. How much you overcome with your richer feeling will determine the quality of your personality.
We have to change our attitude about how we look at headquarters, the province, the city and other individuals. There will be no progress if you do not change. New creative power cannot occur. This is the Principle of Creation.
5) The Role of the Family Member
The purpose of the Unification Church is to establish the Kingdom of Heaven. How can we achieve the Kingdom of Heaven? The key is not for your own benefit but to sacrifice for others and for the world. In other words, you have to long for that way. Lots of people are struggling in the fallen realm. People give up on top of the fallen realm and fall. While you strive up to you either have to become a subject or you are following the subject. So what kind of subject should you follow? Follow the person who represents God.
How long should you follow? Until the end of the world. How should you follow? Do not take this with a light attitude but willingly offer your tears, sweat and blood. The greater the difficulty you encounter, the bigger the scope, from the individual, family to the whole world. When the whole world has been mobilized, it will be the end of the fallen world.
What is the important thing in our church? Try to become a good person who is remembered by a leader. Members who complain are fakes. Before you judge someone, pray three times for that person. If you don't do that condition, you are a fake.
Even if the age of some men and women are young, God can work through them. If you are thirsty, you will still drink from a branch stream if you can't drink from the main stream. Think that the children are like your own children or a young king. Also, have the attitude of helping and protecting them. That kind of member has ownership. If you are not doing it that way, you are a fake.
That is why you have to become a likable person to the leader, regardless of their age. You have to become a person who can talk openly. You have to move the leader's heart. If you impact your leader's heart the next level is to move Father's heart. This is the orderly way. If you do not follow this order, you are mistaken. You will receive Satan's accusation.
In the Unification Church view, what does it mean to be a successful person? Is it because he is a good writer or good Divine Principle lecturer? What is it? We have to live forever in people's hearts. How can you live in people's hearts? Centered on God's love you moved Father's heart forever. Don't you think so? [Yes.] Even at home you totally think about Father. This kind of family member can dominate Father's heart can dominate the world. So how can you dominate Father's heart? According to the world of the principle, what one receives one ought to give. Father will give a lot more.
What can you do if there is not a lot of time to witness, obey and follow? Obey and follow is good, but not enough. What do you have to do? Do you want Father to teach you? [Yes.] When you go to a certain town, you have to completely unite with the church leader in that town.
In that town, if you are the only man of virtue, you will realize your value. You should earn the provincial leader's heart and then the national leader's heart. Do you understand. [Yes.] What do you have to do for that? Follow Father's direction. Go to the bottom level and take all responsibility.
There is a big and stately tree, the leaves are dried out and the root is dead. What do you think about this tree? That is, it externally looks good but there is no hope. Even a small tree, if it is alive, it is more valuable. That tree deserves appreciation because it is well nourished from the root to the trunk. Thus this tree has endless potential to grow. There are main branches and little branches. The little branches have more potential to grow.
In our church, there are different kinds of leadership. If the branch leadership is alive, there are a lot of little branches growing off of it. Do you understand? [Yes.] If you want to win your leader's heart, you should understand your leader's strong and weak points and then serve him. That is why you win the leader's heart and receive love from him. In other words, the key is that you can earn the authority of the leader only through sacrifice and service, even if you give a hundred times, a thousand times, and even if you are afflicted, but you are still happy to give. This kind of person can earn anybody's love. You can receive love and you can love anybody.
You will be promoted in your area. You will receive recognition in that area. Sports tournaments use the same principle. That way he earns support, the person can be a leader. Step by step with the same principle you can finally become a national leader. Isn't it so? Step by step you progress in uniting and winning the hearts of the center leader, the city leader, the provincial leader. Then where will you go finally? Finally you win the national leader's heart and, united with his work, when the time comes, the national leader will appoint you to be the national leader. Do you understand? This kind of person can occupy the top position.
Now in religion, among all people in history, who earned God's heart? Until now people who failed didn't completely understand God's heart, people like Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, through Jesus. The person who does this work completely restores all the failures of God's heart and offers it to God. Any other church leader, or any other denominational leader in the history of the world, didn't understand God's heart completely. But Father in the Unification Church is the one who has been working for that.
That is why even though you receive persecution and opposition from the world, you cannot be destroyed. So first you need faith and confidence. In spite of learning lessons from other people's work, we should have faith centering on God's love. That way we can become a successful person.
Do you think it is valuable to follow Father? [Yes.] Then should you follow Father's direction or not? [Yes, we should follow.] Within the tree leaves get nourishment from the root, not from the trunk. No nourishment comes from the branch but from the root. Only because the root is distant from the leaves, it comes through the trunk and branches. That is why you can become a good fruit through the national leader, provincial leader, city leader and center leader.
What part of the tree is growing? The ends and it expands everywhere. The dead branches will be cut off. Water is absolutely necessary for the root. Likewise for man he needs heaven and earth. (Gen. 1:28) "Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion." Who is supposed to have dominion? This does not mean that God is dominating but that the people who have God's love completely and are responsible, should dominate the universe. That is the principle. Do you understand? [Yes.]
First of all you should lay a good foundation of merit, and then you can receive love from our church and from Father. The provincial leader is a representative of Father. That is why you are receiving love and trust from the provincial leader; it is also the foundation to receive love from Father. This is a promise that you will receive Father's love.
Family members go to God through True Parents. If you belong to the province, then through the provincial leader's heart, the national leader's heart to the True Parent's heart, you can stand in front of God. Of course, Father's heart always wants to take you to heaven, but we individually have to make good conditions for God. Public and private distinction are definite to God.
6) Do as Father Directs
The Korean leaders, if you don't follow as Father directs, you will be accused in the spiritual world. If you go out now and do not follow my direction, your descendants won't be good. Your descendants. The spiritual world won't cooperate with your will, as you think.
If you don't follow what I say to you, I cannot take care of you. If you follow my direction and cannot accomplish it, I can take the responsibility for it. [We will follow you direction.] Go away if you don't want to. You don't have to do it. Are you supposed to do all that I say? I am saying that you shouldn't do an irrelevant act. Do what I say.
See this is the time to go across the Red Sea. Now is a time like that. You will perish if you do as you will. This is the time to cross the Jordan River and the Red Sea. If people did it of their own accord when they crossed the Red Sea, they would be ruined. When the twelve tribes went across the Jordan River, they didn't complain even though they were just sitting near the river for three days. Because of their deed, they could get into Canaan. You should know the time.
If all of you cannot do it, God will let a minister inherit the tradition even if he is the only one. Then, he will represent the rest, and He will work through him. Do you think all the American ministers will proudly remain in front of God? You have to decide to go the right direction. Pray as I direct. My direction . . . You should pray "Heavenly Father, please help me for the purpose directed by Father." If your thoughts intervene in the prayer, all of you will perish. Do you understand? [Yes]. I'm not joking. Go and say to everybody exactly what I said. This is such a time.
Your name was known to the minister with the help of the spiritual world while you didn't know. Do you understand? You find a person who was chosen by spiritual world. The spiritual world guides. Unification Church started like that. Didn't you hear the testimony of the missionary, Hyun Sil Kang? Spiritual world will cooperate as long as you follow my direction. When I said "go and witness," one postponed his departure, and went to witness later. When he arrived at a station, one person was waiting with a ticket for him. What would happen if he didn't go? The person who has responsibility will be accused. So, you have to respect him. You have to respect him because he delivers the words instead of God. (135-202)
The American leaders who are here, you shouldn't have their own meeting after meeting with Father. In Japan, the leaders bring the recorder, and record Father's speech. Then they distribute it all over the country. That's why God works for them. You should write it down and deliver exactly what I say. Then spiritual world will cooperate. You should do the same thing. Bring the recorder and do as they do. You shouldn't interpret as you wish, and do not say this and that. You didn't do that that's why the situation of American church is like this. Spiritual world doesn't stick to you. I mean there won't be progress. It won't cooperate. Do you understand my words? You have to listen clearly. If a person attends this meeting and says differently when he goes back, you shouldn't think him as your friend.
From now on, you should listen carefully to what Father says, and gathering your senses, be in step with it, adjust your mind to it, act in accordance with it, and become a worldwide Unification Church member. You should have followed this. However you didn't care about what I said because you have been doing other things, and after several years, you realized that "When did Father say, we leaders made mistakes?" That kind of fault is happening to all of you.
Then if there will be a law of Kingdom of Heaven here, through whom will it be made? Through you? Through God? Don't you think it will be done by Father? From now on, when we are building the Kingdom of Heaven all of the Unification Church members have to respect Father's direction more than the constitution of the Kingdom. Do you understand what it is? If you don't listen to Father's words, there is no way to keep out Satan. If you act differently, you will perish. You will see.
If there were ten people here who listened to my speech, how come each person acted differently? If ten people listen, all of ten have to say same words and act in a same way. However, this one is like this, and that one is like that. Do you understand? You have to know clearly. Do you understand what it means? [Yes] If so, there won't be any progress. All the people who come in will run away. It won't last long. Everybody will run away. What's that? It is like you sow seeds, which are empty seeds. Its like empty seeds. The color and shape of empty seeds and real seeds are same. Doing that is just like sowing empty seeds.
What are the empty seeds called? The shape and the color of empty seeds is the same as that of real seeds. Can you sow seeds? If you are called "436 couples," shouldn't you know that? I doubt that you could sow seeds. Seeds. Once you receive my words, then you should sow seeds. Do you think it will be done of itself? Do you think God will help that? That's why people join and then leave. Satan grabbed them and took them away. You have to clearly understand. Do you understand? American and Europe leaders? [Yes] Keep it mind. [Yes] The seeds come through God and Father. It doesn't come through you. It is not the continental director, or a state leader. Don't you know even if I don't explain it to you. Then what kind of play is this?
If I had done like you, do you think I could have found God's providence? Because I followed the principle, God has cooperated with me. Is this my own opinion?
By my own will? Do you think I do things by my own wishes? If I had done that, I wouldn't have suffered like this. I wouldn't have gone through all the indemnity. If I had wanted to do it, I would have spent 40 years doing nothing. And if I had spent 40 years like that, I would have perished. Perished. It would have perished. And it would have been over when I go to prison this time. It would have ended. Do you understand? There would have been no seeds.
See. When a diplomatic minister or an ambassador or an envoy goes to a foreign country, if what he says is different from what his king said, the country will perish or be sold. That is same. If so, he is a traitor who sells his own country. He will hand over his country. Don't you think so? He will be a traitor who sells his own country. Traitor. What I'm saying is right. Is it wrong? If you want to protest, do it.
It would be fine if you make copies of the President's speech. Would it be fine if you interpret whatever you want it to be? The fate of the country depends on it. Then do you think you can do whatever you want to do if the country is the Kingdom of Heaven? That means you betray the Kingdom of Heaven. If so, God will leave you. God won't work with you. No matter how hard you pray, it won't help unless you accept it. (135-203)
So, you only need to follow Father's direction. If I say, "You do this" then you don't have anything to do but wish it. That is the only one wish that can be your power and that can be a centered standard when you pioneer your environment. How close am I getting to such a standard? How can I unite with such a will? Your self-confidence depends on your doing that. Try that. You will realize that God is with you.
So, I am going that way, the way of God's providence, and I too have confidence. That is a formula. I am doing this today, and I will do the same thing tomorrow, too. My basic attitude is that I will follow the formula until I die, and that I won't break it even if I have every reason to make an excuse. I will not disturb the order. Front is always front, and above is above, all the time. If I went to the front when I must not, or if I stood above when I must not, it would be a rash act, and all our efforts would have been in vain.
That's why I set God's providence first, and follow it. Don't you think so? Once you set God's will and Father's words in front, and once you set them as your standard, you should move on following them. What's the procedure of restoration by indemnity? It is that you have to set an official standard, and you should devote yourself every day and night to that standard. You will never know unless you do. You will never know your way. You don't have confidence, do you? Then how can you gain it? Can you do by yourself? Does God tell you everything about the providence and how it's going to be done? Do you know it? You don't know, do you? [No we don't] Because you don't know, my direction is the only one that you can count on and you can set it as your standard. If I say "witness to one person every month," you should do that with your whole heart shedding tears. Pray every day and night saying that you are too ashamed to stand in front of God because you are not filial or fulfilling His order.
Do you think you can make a history of restoration or God's history if you work separately? Do you think that yourself, alone, can do restoration by indemnity? It will never happen by your will. Therefore, there is no choice but to set the Bible or Divine Principle as your standard.
7) The Relationship of Co-workers
When we think that God's side confronts Satan's side, you cannot contend against Satan's side by yourself because they are too powerful. You cannot do by yourself. Never. You need a person who has same mind as yours. So, you need somebody. Your absolute trust in him has to be greater than the trust you have in your parents, in your brothers, in you friends, or in your teachers. In order to build such relationship, you should talk all-night and overcome difficulties together. If you and he are determined to work together facing difficulties, you can have the best sprit of unity, which is incomparable. (20-151)
Following the progressive expansion principle of universe, secondary developments should have the same characteristics as their primary development. Having those characteristics, they should have their own way of thinking. Their thoughts should absorb the thoughts of the secondary development. There should be thoughts. If you are self-centered, is there any room to think of the world? Isn't it so? If one thinks centered on world, he or she can think of a country, and he or she can think of a church.
You are the leaders of Unification Church who are in charge of 172 counties. If we think of this on a two-dimensional plane, all the 172 dots are connected to one center. All those dots have to be connected to each other, too. First, a dot has to be connected to center, and then it has to be related horizontally. Then this expansion should be in all four directions. You should be able to do this.
You should stand in such a horizontal position. It takes the form of a point, and you have 172 points, which means 172 regions to which you belong. However, there shouldn't be any conflict when the Unification Church members from different churches come to visit. More than that, if all Unification Church members from around the world came here, they should be able to go through every church only by visiting here. Therefore, if we think we work for a certain church in a certain region, we work for all. When every church works with him, there should be no conflict.
-
Section 6. The Completed Testament Age And The Life Of Attendance
1. Completed Testament Age
1) What is the Completed Testament Age?
God brought His providence of salvation, through 3 stages, out of six thousand years of human history. Through the Old Testament Age of servant to the New Testament Age of adopted child, we arrive at the completed testament age Completed Testament Age. The Completed Testament Age is the age when children are the kind which must serve, and prepare the place where parents will come. God has progressed through the history of restoration in this way. (16-178)
So what is the Completed Testament Age? Regarding this world, it is the time of the process of advancement towards a new world, which is without Satan's accusation. It is an ideal world and is centered on parental love and the family. The Completed Testament Age, principally speaking, is the place of parents sovereignty who have completed their personal portion of responsibility. If we ask what is a promise, it is personal responsibility.
The Old Testament Age is the old promise. New Testament Age is a new promise, and now is the time to achieve the completed promise. This achievement is what is called the completion of individual responsibility among all the world's citizens. It is the accomplishment of the individual portion of responsibility. (131-98)
The age of accomplishment. What is Completed Testament Age? It is Abel becoming one centering on parent's love. Then Abel and his brothers becoming one, are able to make Cain surrender. The reason Cain did not yield is because parents were absent. Therefore they fell into tragedy and death. He even hated Abel because parents were absent. Centering on parents if Cain was forced to become one with Abel, he would have adapted. (131-75)
If we look at history, Old Testament Age is the age of searching for God's people. New Testament Age is the age of sacrifice in order to serve the Parents of Completed Testament Age. It is the age of sacrifice in order to liberate God. For that reason today the Unification Church offers a white cross. Parents are bearing the cross. Humankind, because we fell in the top of the growth stage short of the completion stage, from these 3 stages, the one stage remaining we call the Completion Stage. From within this sphere teacher arose again out of the 20-year path of indemnity. (136-307)
"I" bear the resurrected bodies of all the offerings of the Old Testament Age, and the resurrected body of Jesus of the New Testament Age, and while becoming the resurrected body of the heart of Reverend Moon of the Completed Testament Age all of heaven and earth follow "me" completely without faltering. This is complete attendance. Ah, how wonderful "I" am. "I" am so happy. No matter how much others may slander me "I" won't speak any obscenity back. Wherever "I" go. That's the way it is. Walking the way of difficulty, even amidst persecution, "I" must go forward. For the sake of "my" happiness. It will be so great when "I" become the victor. (107-216)
2) Completed Testament Age is the Age of Love
Today we are looking for the hero of faith, and the hero of our hope, God. Also we are looking for our hero of love. God, who is the hero of this hope, faith and love, lets humankind go through the Old Testament Age of hope and the New Testament Age of faith, and will cause us to go through the Completed Testament Age of love in the future, in this historical process. So now is the Completed Testament Age. In other words, in the age of the Second Advent, what is the one important eternally unchanging element that we can keep? It is God's love. That is the central important factor of everything, and simultaneously even the ideal of everything. (1-90)
Old Testament Age is the time of searching for a nation of people. New Testament Age is searching for children and Completed Testament Age is searching for parents. In the age of searching for the family, from the New Testament Age, Jesus introduced us to love and established the way of love. (5-121)
So what was God's final hope? First, centering on God's love, He searched for the one family within which each and every individual is united. Then centering on the family which is able to love, from there He searches for the tribe which arises out of that family, and then He searches for the world of people which also comes out of such a family. This family is the completed place of God's will.
Because of that, today we at the time of our hope, before the time of faith passes, we must restore faith and hope. Each one of us must be the fruit of God's completed providence of six thousand years. We must be the completely fulfilled Adam and Eve. So actually you must understand the reality of forming the new family centered on God's love. Jesus came to earth and promised the Kingdom of Heaven but couldn't completely realize that will. All the saints who have come and gone in the past testified to heaven, but they could not realize that will.
Accordingly we are today's people who will look for the victorious garden -- the Kingdom of Heaven -- which was sought for with historical faith and hope. Then what should you do? We should find people and families in whom heaven takes joy. If we look for such families we must search for true parents, true couples, and true brothers and sisters.
To find this is the purpose of God's historical providence. Therefore, the Old Testament Age is the age of the symbol of hope. The New Testament Age is the symbol of faith. In the future, the age of the symbol of love comes and we'll call it the Completed Testament Age. This destiny will arise from the Kingdom of Heaven in spirit world and descend to the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. (5-110)
The Completed Testament Age is the age of love. So you can marry. Until now we couldn't receive permission to get married. You must know that we didn't have permission to marry in the age of love in religion. Religions which set a higher standard did not allow it.
3) Age of Receiving Salvation Through Attendance
The fallen world is the world under the control of Satan. This is not just an idea but is reality. If we look spiritually at today's real environment we have to agree that this is so. Why must you believe this? Because Adam did not believe in the fall. He didn't believe and didn't act, and because he didn't act he couldn't attend heaven. These are the three great conditions. Therefore the Old Testament Age is the age of faith, the New Testament Age is the age of action, and the Completed Testament Age is the age of attendance. Adam himself is not the way to go. Adam himself inevitably and historically must search for the place of the original Adam, because of the fall and because he entered into the realm of Satan's domain. So we must receive indemnity conditions and if we don't establish victorious conditions we will not be able to return to the place of the original Adam.
Why must we pursue the meaning of attendance, faith, and action? You cannot separate good and evil without righteousness. You cannot change the world of goodness or the world of evil. What is the central point of goodness? The "righteousness standard point"? Whenever we ask this question the answer is always God. God's belief, God's action, and God's attendance always has as its center, God.
Why is it that way? Satan cannot falsely accuse one who is as righteous as God. If you are placed in the environment of attendance which lives God's life, God's actions, and God's belief then Satan cannot interfere with you.
What we are saying is that it is not enough to just go through the Old Testament Age of faith, or the New Testament Age of action, or the Completed Testament Age of attendance singularly. Even the Old Testament Age needs action, and the New Testament Age needs faith. Even the life of attendance needs these things. The Completed Testament Age requires belief and action, as well as attendance. This is where the growth stage builds upon the foundation and similarly the completion stage builds upon the growth stage. You cannot remove or leave out any part. This is the reason why now we call the special meaning of attendance "the age of the resurrection of heaven." So we must now understand attendance. If we ask, "What is restoration history?" It is the restoration of God's ideal of creation. (161-218)
What was the purpose for Jesus coming to Earth? It was to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What kind of place is the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the place one goes to when he has passed the test in preparation for attendance and who is eligible to live the life of attendance. It is also the world, which is able to take eternal pride in the cosmic life of attendance. (8-307)
4) The Completed Testament Age is the Age of Offering
How do we connect to the fruit of six thousand years of history? God and Satan, centering on humans, established what kinds of conditions? They are offerings. When we review the six thousand year providential history, in the Old Testament Age they made offerings through the animals. And in the New Testament Age, Jesus Christ was the substantial offering.
So then, progressing towards the Completed Testament Age what foundation is needed to make our offering? You yourselves, the saints of today, by offering yourselves you cross over the crest of offering. (2-111)
In the Old Testament Age all the animals served the purpose of conditional offerings, and in the New Testament Age the offering was through belief in Jesus, but in the Completed Testament Age individuals must be the offering. You yourselves in place of six thousand years of history must be the offering. In other words, if you want to stand in front of Father, you must make absolutely one united offering. That offering is all your material possessions, your beloved sons and daughters with your wife and even yourself Only through this way can you go the way of the historical offering, and you must know with certainty only after that can you enter into a relationship with God. (2-118)
2. Life Of Attendance
1) Start Now
Start living the life of attendance now. (1960.10.1 lunar calendar: first children's day)
2) Purpose of the fife of attendance
If you live the life of attendance who should you serve first? You first must serve God. What is the purpose in serving God? Ultimately it is so that you grow well. If you are healthy what must you then do? You must receive God's love. If you don't. It won't matter how much you try to develop yourself externally. You won't be able to become a person who can keep God's love and your life will not go well.
Until now, although the Unification Church walked a path of extreme difficulty amidst persecution, it has not perished but has been developing in accordance with God's will. Not only because of that but also because it has been in a position to receive God's love. When people belong to an organization which receives God's love they are said to be protected by God. Is that right? Ladies and Gentlemen, is that not right? Parents are always thinking of their beloved children even if children don't think of parents. Isn't that true even in the world? Consider a couple. When one, either the wife thinks of the husband or the husband thinks of the wife, even though they are not together, they pray for each others well being and want to go to a place where one can help the other. We know that such a loving couple has such a destiny.
It's the same with a country. When a person's mind contains such love for their country. They receive such a deep sense of love. The citizens of that country will receive great blessings because of that person. Because of the person who loves their country so much the country will receive much blessing. So the citizens of that country should aspire to be such patriots. If a country has many of these patriots the country will definitely prosper. Why is it so? It is due to God's love. All the beings of a country are born within the grace of God's love, and consequently receive His protection.
Therefore even though a being does not know it, God's love is leading them on, closer and closer to His love. God's love pulls people and all created things towards Him. Of course this is true of this physical world and of the spiritual world. The more and more you receive God's love, the more an individual will automatically develop one center. From that center an organization can develop. Then through such individual citizens and groups, where you nurture a foundation to receive love, you form a nation which can move the world. \When we look at the question of why I should live a life of attendance. You should know it is for the purpose of receiving God's love. This is the reason why you should serve God first. (78-30)
3) The Life of Attendance Is When You Become One with True Parents
What shall we do when we receive God's love? God has total love for us. How much is that? How much should we invest giving back? The saying, "Sincerity moves heaven." (also "faith will move a mountain") is a Korean proverb, but also it is truly the natural order of things. The words, "Do it with utmost sincerity," means do it with all your efforts, inside and outside, heart and soul. Also, "Practice everything with sincerity in your words and deeds," means to completely unite your body and soul in a conscientious life. This is a life of dedication. This is what we call "utmost sincerity" or "jong-song." In the Korean word, "jong" deals with your spirit, and "song" deals with oratorical power and elegance. Thus we call it dedication of will and achieving that which is inside and outside or mind and body. If you do everything with jong-song you can "move heaven." Heaven is deeply impressed by that kind of mind.
So what will heaven do? Heaven thinks of that person, not only thinks of them but also love searches them out. Love wants to be in that place. Love wants to connect to that place where the thoughts of all things remain. Don't you think so? In that place of deep thinking the mind of man is deeply moved. Therefore when you offer utmost sincerity, or "jong-song" you stand in a position to receive God's love. That's how you do it. just like God loves all humankind, if you dedicate yourself with utmost sincerity for the sake of God you will feel God's love from the very first moment, and then you can say you love God.
Due to the fall we have been without an ambassador who could love God. You should think, "I must dedicate myself to God with utmost sincerity because God's love has been searching for me." Through that love we can know God, and we will be able to love God. God is the origin of love. (78-31)
If we question the history of love, it started with God but where did it go to? If we consider the time of Adam and Eve, it went to Adam. We connect to the history of love through Adam. Well what does that mean? It means that God's love was originally supposed to connect to us through the father. Then it was to move to the mother, and extend to us through her. Because these two become one they would hold the position as God's representatives and stand in the place of God's deep love.
So the history of love is extended down through the children from the parents and ultimately from God. This original love was to have been identified as the original traditional history. (78-32)
We are eagerly anticipating the time of attendance. Attendance of whom? Attendance of the lord, and the lord wants to attend the father. This is the hope of humanity. Without this foundation there is no salvation. (8-293)
These days the Unification Church has faith because we want to receive God's love, but from where do we believe and keep our faith. (78-34)
Where does God's love come from? That mystery is not something you can easily obtain. You must demonstrate perfect sincerity to parents, and to God. Although giving of your heart to God can be a vague thing, giving your total sincerity to parents is definitive. Fortune moves across a flat plane, so from all aspects, there are many intuitive realizations you can have.(78-43)
What kind of life is the life of attendance? It is the life of utmost sincerity. A long time ago following God was a spiritual endeavor of utmost sincerity, but today in front of parents we can be filial sons and daughters. The beginning of the path to fulfill perfect sincerity to the greatest extent of a filial son or daughter is in loyalty and devotion towards the nation. It is a thing which deserves admiration.
God needs one person of filial piety to attend parents from the position of this physical world. One who can inherit the way of loyalty for the nation, and has the value of one who can inherit the way of saint for the world. For that reason the one with the name of the filial son who stands in front of True Parents and stands in front of God; the filial son who receives official recognition is really a great and wondrous one. If you stand in that position even Jesus will envy you. (78-35)
The life of attendance is not a far-away place. The history of God's love is carried through father and mother, and appears as the substantiated love when they unite into one. Through this subject, if Adam and Eve had become one, the fall would not have happened. However this relationship came crashing down. So centering on True Parents love, this relationship is revived and through the restoration history of the unification church the objective horizontal foundation is magnified and expanded. You should know that, to the degree that this could be done, provides the possibility of the actual establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
The kingdom of heaven is not a rare event. The ideal is to live your life serving parents and serving God, and receiving love. Is there anything more? Attend God, and attend parents, is there something in addition to that? What's next? It is that you are then able to love each other. That is the kingdom of heaven. That is it. There is nothing else that you can call the kingdom of heaven.
You must apply this love to the relationship of husband and wife, and towards all your companion relationships. It must be the center of these relationships. Your desire should be such that you miss parents, and as much as you miss them, with that same strength of feeling you should want parents to love your brother more than yourself. That's all you need to know. That is reality. If you say to your parents, "I am your filial son," and then you fight with your brother, the filial heart cannot materialize. The mind of parents desires that children love each other more than they love the parents. If you say, "Mom, please wait. I will take care of my younger brother first," your parents will say, "My boy! Oh, he'll grow up to be a good man." Isn't that right?
In the same way, the person who will love their brother with the ideal of parents love will live within the border of heaven forever. We will toss out such a person who cannot love their brother together with parents. This is a simple idea. Very concise and simple. If we focus our attention to this fundamental truth, it is so plain and clear. And yet people haven't known this, and they didn't do it. However we know this, and our members are becoming one with each other.
If you don't do it, it will lead to big problems. If you stand in a position of not having the filial mind in front of parents, but you give such a mind for the sake of your family members in place of parents, offering utmost sincerity for the sake of parents in this way, then according to the ideal of filial action for parents, heaven will receive your offering. That kind of person most will certainly receive heaven's blessing. (78-41)
4) Having the Mind of Attendance
Ladies and gentleman, what is the age of attendance? It is the life of service, and support. Everybody in the age of attendance, in other words the age of living a life of service, must go and establish the correct center. In the place where you serve God there is law. When you break that law, God will be extremely displeased. For parents who love their children deeply, just one word from the children can be enough to drive a nail into parents' heart.
That is the same even for God when His beloved children fall away, it makes Him very hurt and upset. Because of that you will incur great anger from God if you make even the slightest of mistakes. For that reason I always want myself to be a reason for God's joy. Even when you dress you should dress well. When I see a person dressed well then it makes me feel good. Since I think like that, then as you can see, I wore a suit today. If I didn't think like that, I would have worn a casual jacket. (17-287)
In the place of serving God, you have to be patient and wait your turn. There is a proper order. For whom or what do you have to wait? You must wait for the whole purpose. You must be patient and endure until you reach the point of central thought. With that kind of thought you must not complain, or you won't be able to live together. From there you can live in the very wide and expansive Kingdom of Heaven. (44-18)
There is no room for complaint. Absolutely you must never complain. Don't think of yourself. Don't set yourself up with the self-love concept or the concept of yourself based on your possessions. Force yourself to digest and absorb such a complaining mind and endure while thinking of God, and think, "If I complain how much pain I will cause parents! I understand their circumstances. I can inherit their tradition, if they stand in front of me for one instant I can inherit, and while following them, I will comfort them." Then if you shed tears of sorrow and regret heaven will share them with you. There is no doubt about it. These should not be tears shed for your own sake, but shed for the sake of parents, then heaven will cry with you.
Heaven does not share tears shed for your own sake. You should cry tears for heaven and tears for parents. This is the foundation of the Unification Church. You must know that this is what we call the life of attendance of the Unification Church. Do you understand? (114-281)
When you come to the point of being able to attend Father, at that time, what will you do? How will you convey a filial heart? You must think, what form will my attendance take? How will it appear? You could run into Father at any riverside. In what kind of place will you meet him?
If you go to a remote mountain village and begin to live the lifestyle there, you should fervently desire to invite our Unification Church members. And if they came you would be concerned about how they are; how's their health; are they suffering any pain. How wonderful if you could see your closest friend. Also how wonderful to be able to greet Father, as well as the state leader and regional leader. You should have such a mind of missing them, and hoping for their visit.
Everyday you should have that longing, and if not then you cannot serve God. You must know this. You should always touch a part of your heart where you are missing someone. But there is always someone in the middle of the night crying out, "ya ya ja ja" giving God cause for concern. In heaven there is no day and no night. Embracing your own heart destiny, and pouring it out should not be a problem relegated to the nighttime.
If you meet a person who received a lot of persecution and opposition from others, compared to them you should feel even more pain in your heart, and you should be more distraught than they, when you consider their situation. You should have such a heart and feeling for your members. In the same way if you meet a member, who deservedly received praise for something well done, you should take pride in that and report it to your leaders. Report everything and allow everyone to take pride in the achievements of your members.
Therefore the person who does not feel longing in their hearts for their brothers and sisters cannot live the life of attendance. The longing mind, in other words, longing for headquarters church, longing for regional church, longing for state church, longing for your local church, longing for your members, longs to see your brother. A person with such a mind absolutely should never feel alone. Based on such a person you will most certainly break open wide the gate of multiplication.
A church built upon such a foundation is the most natural church. So what kind of church is ours? It is a chilly and cold church. If you cannot build such a foundation of longing in your heart you should at least speak comforting words to yourself while looking at a picture. Without saying anything you can write a nice and splendid letter.
In the midst of your tears, your feelings can connect with heaven. When shedding your tears and you call out to Father, where does your voice carry? When you see some difficult or painful situation, that situation may not be the same as someone else's.
Regarding humanity, loving God is the first commandment. So, should you love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul or just on the surface. [With whole heart, mind, and soul] So will you love God with your whole heart and soul or not? [We will!] Whoever promises to love God with their whole selves, raise your hands. Now you must love God even if a thunderbolt hits you. You must love God completely. (37-25)
5) Our Attitude in the Age of Attendance
You must live a life of attendance. From the very first moment after rising from your bed in the morning offer your first words to heaven. When you step outside your home, your first step should be dedicated to heaven, and step first with your right foot. If you develop such a habit your life will become a life of attendance. With this viewpoint you should determine to take this type of life attitude from a principled foundation. (17-296)
How can you live a life in service to God? This is how: I must think as one body with God; all things which belong to God belongs to True Parents, and everything which belongs to True Parents also belongs to the country, and subsequently if I am connected to that country then everything belongs to me. You should have this concept. Even the universe belongs to True Parents. The house also is True Parents. Because all the countries of the world belong to True Parents and since I am True Parents son then these also belong to me. That is the natural conclusion.
If you work for a wage, you must work harder than someone else for the same wage. Don't think that you deserve the same wage for less work. It's not the same thing, but it happens.
When you go to spirit world you want a big reward, but while here on earth you should be concerned about smaller things. Pay attention to the small details. This is a continuous line. Common people are above the line. We will receive a small amount. The person who receives a small amount in the physical world, and sacrifices much, will receive a great reward in the spirit world. Do you understand? [Yes] When you hear that there are some very nice clothes hanging up somewhere, people in the world will run out to get the nicest clothes, but we Unification Church members don't really care about it and will get what's left.
If clothes are here don't think they are yours. Those are God's clothes and parents' clothes. You have to think that you wear those clothes representing your brother. You should not be proud. The food is not mine. It is God given food. It is food parents gave to me. And it is food my brothers gave to me. After the meal you shouldn't say, "Ah, I'm so satisfied." After you finish the meal you should think you are sorry to have eaten well. That's because somewhere there is a Unification member who is starving, and they are suffering. So when I eat and work I should think that I am representing them. The reason why Rev. Moon thinks that way is because such suffering members don't complain, and they have a grateful mind as they follow me. Whether 10 or 20 years, or even their whole life, they follow me, but they don't hate me, because I live my life this way. Even though their life looks like failure it surely will be a success.
What will you take? The thing that God likes or Satan likes? [What God likes] Which side do you want to live on, Satan's side or God's side? [God's side.] You must live all your life like that. When you go to work you should be with parents, and with God. You must think like that.
You have to think about the future, that you should work to build a foundation and establish a tradition that you can teach to others. Then can Satan attack the people, or not? [Not] Without that you will enter Satan's dominion directly. (161-23)
How joyful God will be when you are joyful, and live your life in service for God. You should have a greater gratitude to serve God than the feeling that comes from eating when you are hungry. You should serve God when you're wearing clothes, and eating, and when you're sad and suffering. You should be able to place such memories into God's mind that He cannot forget them. (7-291)
The world of heart is not created through having things. It happens through your mind. You should create the destiny where you are always grateful, that in happy times, you can be really happy, as well you can be sad when you see someone who is sad. So then God can share your sadness and happiness. If you don't go through these levels you will not be able to meet with your leaders.
Serving has several different levels. So all Unification Church members must go through a seven-year course. Fallen man must go through this process of seven years in order to be able to prepare for a life of attendance. Most people don't know about that. They forgot everything. What about you? What seven-year course? You should not think that it doesn't matter. Let's think about the family. You have parents, yourself, and your son. You must serve your parents, but you must also serve your son.
You should not only serve the parents, but for the sake of the restoration of the four position foundation. You should serve your son. You must make every effort to connect with that foundation.
You should serve parents for three years. Why three years? In order to restore three levels at one time. Therefore when you live centering on the family, you should prepare a sleeping room.
That place should be prepared with utmost sincerity. So even if you live in a one-room house you should always have prepared that special place. You should prepare, for yourself, special clothes and shoes, which are clean, for that special day when you have the opportunity to serve parents. You should sweep the courtyard one more time. You should always keep parents in mind. Have you done that? If you are active in the church you should be living in this way. (17-291)
6) The Place Where you Serve With your Heart is the Place Called Heaven
You know that we cannot go to heaven without connecting to the heart. Heaven is the natural and original country within which everything falls under its sovereignty. In that country the only personal possessions you can have are those which you have absorbed deeply into your heart. Christianity is ultimately not connected to personal feelings, but connected with heart. The purpose of heaven is bestowed upon the earth to build a foundation where the song of the heart can be sung.
Can all of humankind, who inherited the fallen blood lineage from the beginning until now, in one day serve heaven with that heart. No way. Our original ancestors, Adam and Eve, should not have fallen, but should have grown up according to the original ideal of creation; but they did not serve God with their hearts. (8-290)
When you connect to Jesus you have to connect to Him in this way. You must live the life of attendance for Him. The people on earth must do that, not people who have already gone to spirit world. Have you served Jesus? Do you know the body and face of Jesus? Do you know his nose, eyes, voice, mouth and hands? And do you know everything about His attitude? (8-304)
We have to cry with our minds and our hearts. Everywhere you look you have to look with tears. If you look up or down, front or back, left or right you should have tears in your eyes.
The person who has sin should think about God who works so hard for me. You should not think at all about what is inside you or outside of you. You should not be concerned about your own thinking, or what food you will eat, what clothes you will wear, your position or any situation. You have to make time to kneel down and shed tears for heaven. You should know that this is the first step in going the way of a minister. You must feel deeply in your mind this path, so that you can never forget. The person who is without this and cannot handle a shock to their faith, cannot have such a deep relationship with Jesus. (8-303)
We have to know God's circumstances. What are we going to do after we know that? We have to know God's heart. Then what are we going to do? Next you have to call Him "Father." My Father! Our Father! For what reason is the life of attendance, and why should we learn and listen to this? What is the purpose for six thousand years of suffering? It's for the sake of understanding God's heart and circumstances in the Bible. The nation and the people who make the nation must exist together having the heart of parents.
Heaven is waiting in anticipation. It doesn't want gold, silver, precious gems, or the pearls of the world. You should know that heaven only wants a person who can love and embrace all of the world with heart, heart, and more heart.
That person should be a person who has such heartistic preparation. What about your eyes, ears, mouth, and body? You have to look with heart, listen with heart, speak with heart, and act with heart. You must live with the destiny of heart. The time when you are able to serve while together with Jesus looking through eyes which can see with heart; the time when you are able to be happy together with Jesus and listening with ears that are connected with heart; the time when you speak with heart, and act with heart, that is the time for which heaven has been waiting six thousand years.
Do your eyes, ears, mouth, and body have hearts' destiny with heaven? These eyes must see with this heart, the ears must hear the voice of this heart, the mouth must speak the words of this heart, and the body must live the life of this heart. Before we cross over to the place of attendance, we are in the process of preparation. You can but think about to what extent you have heartistic preparation.
This is not God's desire just for me, when I think about God's desire connecting heaven and earth, I belong to God and I belong to Father. I cannot deny it. Therefore my mind belongs to Father, my heart belongs to Father, my thoughts belong to Father, even my sense of intuition is connected with Father. All my senses belong to Father. I must decide all of my thoughts and feelings belong to Father and Father's viewpoint. (8-294)