Ep 619 - Expand The Environment For Witnessing Part 4
Expand the Environment for Witnessing - July 6, 2022
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony Takanari Sunada
Today I’d like to talk again about “Expand the Environment for Witnessing” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 1.
The message I have given you today was about this: Forgive, Love and Unite! This is the true love “FLU” of this age given to you by True Parents. I hope this heavenly flu spreads to the nation and moves on to all of Asia and the entire world and that you will yield results working from such a foundation. The work that we do, however, is to save people. What else should we be grateful for that is greater than this? You should be afraid of sleeping. Father tried not to sleep. You said you would become devoted children and patriots. If that is the case, shouldn’t you take after True Parents? Please become sons and daughters who resemble True Parents and realize their hopes. This is the only way to give blessings to our descendants. These days, I have been thinking a lot about indemnity. What can be done to establish a future without indemnity? The Cheon Il Guk era, the kingdom of heaven on earth, the kingdom of heaven that you realize, will accomplish this. Of course the doors were opened by True Parents, but how extensively we build a good environment depends on you. (2014.09.01, Cheon Jeong Gung)
One of the important slogans that True Mother gave to people in this age is “Forgive, love, and unite.” She said that this movement should spread not only in the United States, but throughout the world.
However, the important thing is that fallen human beings do not have the generosity to forgive their enemies. Even if they forgive, that forgiveness is said to be temporary or returns to its original state before forgiveness. That is our problem.
True Father forgave the countless enemies who tormented him. He forgave even Kim Il-sung. Jesus also forgave the Israelites and the Roman soldiers who pierced him with a spear. So where did that power of love come from?
And even while so many Christians were martyred, where did the strength to forgive their enemies come from?
If you look at the examples of people who loved their enemies, they all experienced great true love from God or Jesus and inherited that true love. It is almost impossible for a fallen man to love his enemies. To love your enemies is impossible with just human strength.
To love your enemies, you must completely change your heart 180 degrees through the experience of meeting the love of God, Jesus, and True Parents. You must have experienced a reunion of love with God and the Lord.
In fact, the words “forgive, love, and unite” mean the same thing. This is because if you have a heart to love your enemies, you can forgive and unite with anyone.
Personally, throughout my life, I make a list of my enemies to love and prayed for them every day. I pray until I have a heart to forgive them. However – my confession – while praying over the list of enemies to love, I realized something very important. It was because I thought they had done something wrong that I could not forgive them, but then I realized that it was all my responsibility, (my) mistakes.
I had enemies because I had fallen nature and pride that Satan could not help but to accuse me of. In the end, I came to realize that instead of forgiving my enemies, I needed to repent concerning my faults.
Then I realized that they should rather forgive me. And the important thing to realize is that, as long as I have arrogance or fallen nature and sins, God sends enemies to me to clear this up.
In this way, having an enemy is a gift sent by heaven to clear up my fallen nature, my own pride. Therefore, I came to realize that if we do not love our enemies and do not love those we should love, then anyone will inevitably pay indemnity.
In my 47 years experience since I joined the church (whenever) I could not love someone, I had to pay indemnity.
If you cannot love someone, you need to pay indemnity; you need to go through all kinds of hardships and suffering and training again and again.
My conclusion is that I need to love everyone without exception. If I am not concerned, if I don’t pay attention (to someone), then I have to pay indemnity as well. So I need to love everybody without exception like God. He sends the sun everywhere, even the moon. He sends air everywhere; it does not matter whether you are an enemy, good guy or bad guy. Wow! God’s love is really amazing! How can I inherit that kind of love? How can I inherit Jesus’ quality of love. He loved his enemy. Even our True Father (was like that). They are truly my exemplary figures.
That is why I feel in my heart that I have no more enemies. I need to love someone I really cannot love. That is real true love. If I love someone I cannot love, then my container of true love becomes bigger and bigger and greater and greater.
(Then) you can embrace your nation and even the whole world. This is amazing! When you have your own enemy, you need to realize you are the one who needs to repent because you cannot love your enemy.
True Mother’s guidance is incredible: Forgive, Love and Unite.
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Principle of Creation 56 - The Position of Human Beings in the Cosmos (Owners of Creation)
• First, God created human beings to be the rulers of the universe.
• The universe does not of itself have internal sensibility toward God. Hence, God does not govern the universe directly. Rather, God endowed human beings with sensibilities to all things in the universe and gave them the mandate to rule over the universe directly.
• Human beings, composed of flesh, which can dominate the corporeal world, and spirit, which can dominate the incorporeal world, likewise have the potential to rule both worlds.
Father’s words:
You Must First Have Dominion Over the Spiritual World
<16-239> Although this world is full of external disorder, the greatest disorder is that of the spiritual nature. We know that upon Jacob’s spiritual victory, the physical victory was decided and Jacob was given the name “Israel.” In the same way, you must because victorious princes who can first have dominion over the spiritual world on the world stage and then have dominion over the physical world. If you cannot do this then you will not be able to enter Heaven. You must know this fact clearly.
We Must First Build a Spiritual Foundation
<16-247> We are building a unified authority. Without building the foundation to unify spirit world, we cannot build the foundation for a unified physical world. That’s why without having a background of unification in the spirit world the providence of unification on earth is impossible. In the case that spirit world opposes the work of Reverend Moon, the more that they oppose, the more difficult it will be for the physical world. I have gone through all of the spirit world and broke through the opposition of the physical world. Once I breakthrough, they cooperate. They come out and cooperate. They are unable to cooperate if there is a wall in spirit world.
True Father said that all the chaos in this world begins with spiritual chaos. The fall of man was first caused by the spiritual fall with the archangel. If there is a spiritual fall, it will always result in a physical fall.
When we look at people who have fallen physically, they have committed numerous spiritual falls before their physical fall. Therefore, although the external chaos of this world is chaos, the biggest chaos is spiritual chaos.
Jacob, who was a central figure in the providence of restoration, was given the title of 'Israel' and became the victor by determining physical victory on the base of his spiritual victory.
Similarly, on today's world stage, one can become the victorious prince who rules the spiritual world first and then the physical world.
Therefore, the life of faith must first have victory spiritually and mentally. If we lose spiritually, we will be defeated physically as well. If we do not overcome spiritual fornication, we are bound to fall physically.
When I meet with the second generation who are struggling with how to overcome Chapter Two and masturbation... Their main problem is not committed physically. Their first problem is spiritual fornication. If they commit sin spiritually more and more, someday when there is the right environment, surely they will fall physically.
Judging from these principles, it is impossible to establish a unified foundation on earth without laying the foundation for unifying the spirit world.
So when True Father discovered the principle, he first proclaimed it in the presence of all the saints, the highest-ranking religious people, and Satan in the spirit world, received final approval from them, and finally received the king's seal that even God has no choice but to acknowledge. Then he came down to earth and began to proclaim the principle.
That is why Father spoke about a 40-day condition in the spiritual world. Father discovered all the Divine Principle. Then he went into the spiritual world and in front of all saints and sages, including Satan and God, he proclaimed the Divine Principle. He received so much objection here and there, but Father logically, heartistically, spiritually, scientifically convinced them and everybody surrendered, including Satan.
The final stage is that he had to get approval from God. In the beginning Heavenly Father purposely opposed (Father). True Father logically and heartistically convinced God, then God had no choice because he is a God of principle. Then God really acknowledged that he had discovered the Divine Principle. That is why Father had so much confidence. He had already won (over) the whole spiritual world, including Satan and God, and received their approval. That is why he always proudly proclaimed the Divine Principle to humankind.
That’s why without having a background of unification in the spirit world the providence of unification on earth is impossible. That is why when True Father did anything, he first had to fight against the spirit world and set the standard for victory, then proclaim it on earth, setting the standard for victory.
That’s why your prayer and jeongseong are very important. Through your jeongseong and prayer you need to win over the spiritual world. Then you have so much strength and power, and when you relate to the real world, you will surely win over (them). But if you do not have conviction through prayer, you cannot win over the spiritual world and you will not have any confidence to deal with the real world.
The vertical and horizontal eight stages of the providence established by True Father, both set conditions for victory in the spirit world and victory on earth; he went through the process of restoration step by step.
That is why you need to be strong spiritually, internally, mentally. When you have that kind of conviction, then you (will be able to) conquer your physical body; you (will be able to) deal with the physical world; (and) you (will) not have any problems.
But if you do not have confidence because of insufficient prayer and jeongseong and conditions to deal with the spiritual world, then you will definitely be defeated by the real world.
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: A Transition to a Higher Level is Necessary
1. The purpose of our external human relationship training is to eventually practice to harmonize in sibling relationships, marital relationship, and the parent-child relationship in the family. We are practicing to harmonize with each other, such as visiting families, fundraising, and receiving compliments from others as training to build good relationships. Some people receive a lot of praise and approval from others, but when they return to their family, they expose their fallen nature as is. There are people who treat others well but can't do so at home. When it comes to other people's affairs, there are people who help more than they would their own, but in their own family, brothers and sisters become enemies, and spouses do not harmonize with each other. The purpose of good relationships outside is to treat others better at home, but there are people who are different on the inside and outside.
Historically, the internal causes of the failure of the central figures all occurred at home. Look at Adam’s family, Noah’s family, Abraham’s family, Jacob’s family, and Jesus’ family. In the end, problems arose in the relationship between siblings, husband and wife, and parents and children at home. My goodness!
Therefore, what we need to know is that the family decides whether God's providence triumphs or fails. What we must think about is that our front line is not our job, school, or church.
We must take our family seriously. Home is not a place to rest. The family should be seriously considered as a battlefield where the battle between good and evil takes place.
Many people do not realize this point. All the problems occurred in the family throughout human history – and even now.
All punctures and troubles happen at home. This is because they think of the family too easily, they treat each other too comfortably, and they treat each other with a humanistic and blood relationship. It is a fact that the most difficult place for people to treat each other like God is in the family.
In order to win in the family, we must think of work and social life as a process of practice, and when we go to our families, we must think of it as not a practice, but a front line to fight Satan directly.
That is why the family can become the Kingdom of Heaven or hell. You have to know where your front line is. Where is it? It is not your workplace. In your workplace you need to pretend to serve your Abel, your boss. At the church when you see the church leader, you need to pretend to respect him. However, the family is not a simple matter. The front line of front lines is where? The family. Many people think the family is comfortable.
We are practicing to harmonize with each other, such as visiting families, fundraising, and receiving compliments from others as training to build good relationships.
Some people receive a lot of praise and approval from others, but when they return to their family, they expose their fallen nature as is. There are people who treat others well but can't do so at home.
If we look at the second generation, they set an example on GPA. They have a wonderful experience; they (have) met God and shed tears and tears and have beautiful reflections and outside activities, but once they return to their families, they all see a decline in their faith. Therefore, we should know that doing well in the family is more important than, for example, GPA activities or social activities for our blessed children.
As the father, mother, children, you need to know where the front line is. Our family is the front line. Even though you (may be) doing something outside, when you go back home, you need to realize that this is your front line. If you do not do well with your husband or wife or parents or brothers and sisters, siblings and children, you fail everything. Many people do not know this....
You may do very well at church, serving your pastor, your brothers and sisters. You serve your ACLC pastors; you humble down and greet them. You serve them very well. But when you come back home and see your husband or wife, all kinds of fallen nature come out. You treat your children very badly and easily become angry with them and with your spouse. My goodness!
Look at Adam’s family. What happened? Cain killed Abel. In Noah’s family, there is no heartistic relationship between Noah and his children, and Noah and his wife. Look at Jacob, how he overcame his relationships with four wives. How about Jesus’ family?
All problems occur in the family. God’s problem is failure in the family. That is why the family is the front line!
2. You must know that the purpose of serving Cain, raising spiritual children, and being loyal to Abel is to do so in the family. You must practice outside and apply it as if it’s reality, and you must apply it in the family, not just practice, but everyone fails here. So, when we have outside relationships, we should not think of it as practice, but practice like it’s the real thing. When you do that, you can realize the ideal of God's true love in your own family and be protected by God. If you have any bitter sorrow, you should meet God's bitter sorrow and supplement it. Also, if you have any bitter sorrow experienced through human relationships, you should think about God's bitter sorrow and make it a driving force. However, people are not able to commit themselves so persistently and stop on the way.
We should know that serving Cain, raising spiritual children, and being loyal to Abel in our social and church life is to do more than that in our own family.(?)
After practicing outside, in the front-line family where the practice should be done the same as in the real world, everyone fails. So, when we have relationships outside, we should not think of (them) as just practice. We should practice like it’s the real thing so we don't make mistakes in the family.
One of God and True Parents’ bitter sorrows is that the Blessed Families cannot win at home more than in their social life, work life, and church life. Only when we are victorious in the family can we realize the ideal of God's true love and become a family that is protected by God.
We need to know that the bitter sorrows of God, God’s han, the spirit world, and our ancestors are all bound in the family.
That is why before I go home, I always think I need to work harder there than in the church. I need to serve my children more than anyone else. I cannot relax. I need to wash dishes and clean the house more than before. I am always very tense whenever I go back home.
Of course, I am happy to see my grandchildren, my wife, my father-in-law, but internally I am so serious about this because I know that my front line is not America, not the Clifton Church, but my family. If I cannot be successful in my family, it does not make any sense.
3. Fallen human beings are easily dominated by their circumstances and rise and fall. It is just like when the persecution is over, the will to have faith weakens, and when there is persecution, the will to have faith appears. After entering the Unification Church, there are some who work hard until they receive the Blessing, but think they have graduated from everything after receiving it. Students study hard during exams, but when the exams are over, they relax. When they attend school, they studied hard, but after graduation, they don't study. Fallen humans must go one step deeper, but they all stop along the way. You must keep growing step by step, but you end up giving up. So why do people stop on the way and can't move up one more step? It is because they cannot find the origin of God's han. Only by meeting God's Han can you develop yourself one step higher.
Fallen human beings have the han of not being able to keep the (same) hearts and minds that they (had in the beginning when they were) determined (to persevere) until the end. They are easily dominated by the environment and go up and down. Many people do not control the environment, but they all become secularized by the environment. There is no one who keeps (his) first motivation, first love, and first determination to the end.
When persecution is over, the will to have faith weakens, and when there is persecution, the will to have faith appears. In this way, humans are very fickle. True Father always says that we truly cannot believe the human heart.
After entering the Unification Church, there are some who work hard until they receive the Blessing but think they have graduated from everything after receiving it. Students study hard during exams, but when the exams are over, they relax.
If you decide to do one thing, practice it for three days first. If you (successfully) practice for three days what you are determined to do, try doing it for 3 months. If you keep it for 3 months, try going beyond 6 months, which is a number (at which) humans are easily fickle and (find challenges) difficult to overcome; then go beyond 7 months.
After 7 months of this determination, it becomes established and begins to become a habit. And after 3 years, it completely settles down and becomes a good habit that no one can shake.
Then why do people stop on the way and can't move up one more step? It is because they cannot find the origin of God's han. Only by meeting God's Han can you develop yourself one step higher. And if you respect Abel, who is a model ahead of you, and try to be like him, you will change. So, you must always have a good friend, a good Abel, a good upperclassman, and a good teacher around you.
You need to set up good conditions(?) to connect to God. If you create bad conditions, you connect to Satan. That is why surrounding you, you need a good Abel, a good friend, a good teacher, good brothers and sisters. This kind of condition is very good(?).
Why do your children go the wrong way? Because they are influenced by bad friends, a bad Abel, a bad teacher, a bad environment. (Then) automatically they are influenced by the environment.
How can we guide our children to be influenced by a good environment? We need to properly educate them about how they can have good friends, what kind of person (should) their good friend be, (what kind of) good Abel, good teacher, good brothers and sisters. We always (try to have) them have good conditions.... Fallen man is easily influenced by the environment. That’s why we need to educate (our children) about what good conditions are for them.
4. So, in the end, the problem is how to develop yourself. I need to keep raising my self-worth, but I try to be satisfied with that position. We must think, “It's not this.” “'There is a step I need to reach higher than this.” but we can't. Those who have been healed of physical illnesses by Jesus need to go one step further and think about what caused these illnesses to come. And they must think a level higher about who is the person who healed them. However, when most people were healed, no one came to Jesus to seriously discuss the course they should take. They were content to just heal.
One important thing to consider in our life of faith is that we need to transition to a higher level. To do that, you need to keep raising your own value.
However, the problem is that many people try to be satisfied with what they are doing now when they become more comfortable with it and get used to it. They don’t try to challenge something higher and more internal.
We must keep thinking, “This is not it,” and “There is a step that I need to reach higher than this,” but we don't do so.
Most of those who received physical healing from Jesus did not go one step further and ended with just being healed. Everyone ended up satisfied with being healed. They were content just to heal.
We must constantly challenge ourselves. And we must gradually go inward and go to the place where we can meet God. The formula of the providence of restoration always starts with restoring the external environment and goes more internal.
And you must go from the internal level to the level of more internal heart and build a heartistic parent-child relationship with God. In the end, you must go to the stage of changing your heart. Therefore, we must know that the final conclusion of God's providence of restoration is what? The restoration of one's heart, becoming more internal.
That is why we need to transform from external to internal, from internal to more internal.
LIVING TESTIMONY: I’m a Living Testimony for Whom Anything is Possible
(Testimony of Takanari Sunada(?), CARP LA)♦
(Response to sharing) For me, family is (my) front line. But what is more front line is when I am alone. How can I treat myself when nobody is looking at me? (At such times) how much do I keep my dignity spiritually toward God and True Parents? This is an important point. When you are alone and you are free and you think that no one is looking at you and you do all kinds of things, that is an issue.
That is why when you are alone, that is (even) more front line. Later on, you deal with your family. Wow! It is not easy to keep that kind of dignity. You need to think that God and the spiritual world and Satan are always around you. You need to keep that kind of real spiritual dignity. That is not a simple matter, even though I am talking to you.♦
NOTE: This lightly edited transcription may contain errors and omissions. Indecipherable or uncertain words and guesses are tagged with a “(?)” and indecipherable phrases, with an ellipsis “...”. First, second and third person pronouns have been left as spoken if the meaning is clear, and other apparently Korean English expressions have been preserved. Some repeated phrases have been eliminated. This text and the PowerPoint slides from this speech are available as PDF files at the top of this text. Audio only is available at anchor.morndev.com, spotify.morndev.com & audio.morndev.com. Notes or transcripts of Dr. Yong’s Morning Devotion speeches from November 11, 2020 through March 29, 2022 are available as six paperback books at cost at Lulu.com/Shop -- search for Dr. Chung Sik Yong -- and as PDF downloads free of charge at MDBooks.Hoondok.com.♦