Yesterday I told you how Father witnessed to Mr. Kim and Mr. Pak in the prison. Do you remember? Mr. Kim became the first disciple of Father. He went there one month before Father, sentenced to death. He had a revelation that he would not die, but that he had to prepare to welcome the young man from the South. Then he met Mr. Pak -- do you remember him too? You must know clearly what happened in Father's course, as well as knowing the Divine Principle.

Father's course is the way of the Principle itself. Father has never walked against the Principle. You should not listen to my story absentmindedly. Some day you may have an examination on Father's course. It has the same significance and value as the Principle. Just as you learn the restoration providence centering on Adam's family or on Jesus, so you should learn Father's course -- a typical restoration course from an individual to the world wide level, which is a perfect course. Therefore Father's course is very important. Even if you understand the meaning of restoration history centering on Adam's family, what will you say if you don't understand Father's course? Especially the old members don't understand it, which is a serious problem.

You know the external details of Father's course, and how hard he worked to bring forth the victory, but the hard work itself is not so important. What matters is the meaning of his hard work, how he could make himself victorious, and with what kind of heart he has overcome Compare ourselves with Father: for example we make a certain plan and put it into practice, even with a deep determination, but when we find it doesn't work out we lose our determination and willingness. I have been explaining how Father could overcome the same situation, with what kind of heart. You have lost the real point, and remembered only the facts.

In the prison, more than 12 prisoners became Father's disciples through revelations. I told you about two of them. Do you know why? I'd like to tell you this morning how Father risked his life to witness to these two people.

Father never thought of himself, but of Heavenly Father who sent him to fulfill God's Providence of 6,000 years. He did not care about his life, but had to think of whether the restoration providence would be postponed by his losing his life. Therefore he always thought of God before himself. He didn't care about being tortured almost to death, but he thought of surviving so that the Providence would not be postponed. His way of thinking is different from ordinary people's. The motivation for not wanting to be killed is totally different. Do you see? When Jesus was about to be crucified, he prayed for God to let him take a different path, because he wanted to fulfill God's will with his physical body. It was the same with Father. I told you how difficult it is to fulfill the Messiah's mission. Do you remember? I told you the exact words Father expressed. William, could you tell me his words? (William answers: "It was more difficult than Jesus' mission.") No, not as abstract as that. Is there anyone who can remember? ("If I couldn't fulfill this mission, someone else would have to go a more difficult course, therefore I must absolutely get the victory here. ") It's still not good enough. The point is that he thought that he would rather suffer than make anyone else suffer. He didn't think of himself, but of the person who would have to stand instead of him. Father determined again not for himself, but for others. He is different in this point from others; he is never self centered. This spirit has penetrated Father's whole course. Suppose there is one center leader who is leading a team full of problem members and he thinks that he can't go on with them as a leader. There is also another team full of good members and he is always preoccupied with the idea that if only he could take the leadership of the other team . . . What would happen to him if he applies Father's spirit? "If I leave this team which is difficult to manage, someone else must come to take care of it; then he will have to go through the same difficulties which I have already passed through for the past six months or one year. Therefore I'd like to lead this team rather than make anyone else suffer. I'll take the difficult position and get a victory over it."

There is also another reason: as a center leader he has had many trials and made many mistakes over the six months or one year, and suffered from guiding the members. But we should not forget the existence of God who has also suffered for the same period in order to raise the team through the center leader, giving various inspirations and spiritual guidance. The center leader must have suffered and felt lonely when the team members didn't listen to him. At the same time, the members must have suffered because of the center leader, as he was not a perfect leader. There are many members who have left the church after being hurt because the team leader couldn't guide and take care of them well. The leaders can learn many things from these experiences. You should think of God's heart. If a new leader takes the place of the former, the members and the new leader will suffer again, hurting each other. Then it would be much better if the former leader can take care of the team with God's heart, so that the Providence centering on this team may not be postponed, but on the contrary, may be shortened.

Let's think of the fact that Heavenly Father could not substitute Adam immediately after Adam failed. How long did it take? It took 1,600 years to raise up Noah. How long did it take after Noah failed? What does it mean? It is the same when a new team leader takes over. When you are given a new leader; you think that everything has changed. It is only an external change, not an internal one at all. We should think that the changeover has not yet been completed until the new leader can manage the team better than the old leader.

Let's think of Father. Four or five Korean ministers visited Father recently. Father told them that they had been enemies. They opposed and expelled Father from Korea.

Jacob had 12 sons. The elder brothers all tried to kill Joseph. Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt and his brothers visited him and apologized. He forgave the brothers who had almost killed him. Why could he forgive them? (Because he still loved his family. ) It's too vague, isn't it? (His brothers had, been taking care of their father after Joseph left the family. ) Joseph really loved his father. His brothers had tried to kill him but, because they had attended their father during Joseph's absence, Joseph could forgive them. All Judaism and Christianity have been opposing Father and have even tried to kill him. Then how can Father forgive them? Without them, who could have supported God until now? It is absolutely unforgivable of them to try to destroy the Unification Church and expel Father, but Father can forgive them when he thinks of the situation if Judaism and Christianity had not supported God for the past 6,000 years. Father can have a heart of forgiveness because he thinks of everything centering on God, not on himself.

"I must love my brothers and sisters. I must. " This kind of vague idea does not help you at all. You must think why you have to love brothers and sisters. You can't love people unless you have a clear idea why you have to. When you look back on your past church life, you can say that you've gained a lot of understanding and experience. You should not forget that you have gained them by having hurt many people.

If Father had led the team instead of us, how many members would have left the church? I'll give you a simple example. There was a doctor who graduated from medical school. He treated a patient according to the knowledge he gained at the school, but the patient didn't recover and instead became worse and worse. Then the doctor tried another treatment, but it gave the patient more suffering and pain, and caused him eventually to die. Through many trials and experiences, the doctor improved his skill and became very capable and highly esteemed. Now you know that this capable doctor was a doctor who had sacrificed many patients. Then to whom should he have expressed his thanks? To himself? To his teachers? Of course he should have been thankful to his teachers, but still he owed most to the patients who became the offerings. We obtain our understanding by sacrificing others.

It is the same in a relationship between a husband and a wife. We come to love our spouse after we have given him or her a difficult time. To say that you have understood that you have to love your spouse means that you couldn't love him or her in the past. It caused a lot of suffering that you couldn't love your spouse. Can you follow me?

Which is the higher rank -- a general with many stars or a soldier with no stars? The many stars show that the general has sacrificed many of his men. Where does a victorious general go first of all when the war is over? He bows his head in front of the dead soldiers' tomb. However high his rank, the general bows to the lowest soldier. Do you know why? Because the soldier's death brought victory. The stars and decorations do not belong to him, but to the dead soldiers.

The glory of victory should be given back to God first, who led the war to a victory through sacrifices. Then all the glory should be given back to the dead. Then God and the dead people will give the glory back to the general and his family in return. If he gives the glory to himself or his family, it creates a big problem. People will not risk their lives or be loyal to him next time.

First of all, the new leader has to lay a foundation on which he can work. Do you know the meaning of a foundation of faith and that of substance? How about the meaning of foundation for the start, which is made before the foundation of faith? First of all the new leader should know how the other leader had guided the members, next each member's character and situation, then establish better relationships with the members than the other leader did and take care of them with a more earnest heart, which is a beginning to eventual success.

If the first leader could not do well enough, the second one has to indemnify the other's failures. A new leader does not suffer when he joins a team which has had a good relationship with a former leader. If the situation is the opposite, he does suffer, and has a difficult time. Even though a new leader and a past leader are different individuals, they are the one person centering on God's will to be fulfilled in that center. The new leader inherits all the goods and bads which the old leader left. As Abraham failed, Isaac had to be a living offering, but what sin did Isaac commit? We must know that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are considered to be one person centering on God's will.

Jesus had to bear the indemnities the first Adam left because of his failure. The Second Advent has to bear all the indemnities left by the first and second Adams. We can't say that we are not responsible for what the former leader has left undone. You must understand this very deeply and clearly. A new leader tries to get rid of all the former leader has done. Where can you find a growth stage without a formation stage, or a perfection stage without a growth stage? A new leader has to sit on the foundation set up by the former leader, and start at the next stage regardless of whether the foundation was well laid or not.

You must remember that you have learned or understood because of the members who became sacrifices. Even though you were not good enough as a leader, the members treated you well -- not because they liked you, but because they knew you were a leader appointed by God. Then you must return your thanks first to God and next to the members, especially those who were called the problem members. Can you follow me? If you don't, the members will not respect you, but will attend you only externally, with a fearful heart. They will follow you, scared and trembling; you can't do anything through such people because there is no give and take between subject and object. There is no way for God to work. There is no multiplication.

If you do your best to guide the members, will they like you or not? If you don't, they won't feel good; even if you order a member to bring a glass of water, he will not be happy to do so. Suppose I don't like my leader, and he asks me to bring him a glass of water. As it is an Abel's order, I have to answer it. Which do you think my heart is - - a happy heart or a displeased heart? Say I find some dust on the glass. When I have a good relationship with the leader, I will take off this dust, thinking that the leader might become sick, and I'll surely bring it with much care. But when the relationship is not good at all, how will I bring the glass? What would happen to the leader who drank the water which I brought with a displeased heart? Will his body become healthy or not? Externally, he can't tell the difference, but it is true that the water contains my displeased and lonely heart. What will happen? Such water can't be good for the leader. How about when the leader drinks the water filled with much love and care? It will surely do good to him; the leader may not tell the difference until he becomes bright spiritually, though.

There is a big difference internally when you shake hands with someone you love, and with a person you dislike, even though the external gesture is the same; your spirit and your heart know it. We can tell people's real heart when we look at their eyes. The eyes tell whether you have pity or hatred for the members. Therefore we can tell whether you really love the members or not, by looking at your eyes. Even if you tell me that you have never hated any member, it will not be accepted as truth. It will be accepted in this society, which functions on the premise that there is no God as long as there's no evidence. Any evil can be turned to good if the evidence is destroyed; that's the reason why Communism, which denies God, can never establish an ideal world. In such a society, even a liar can have citizenship, as long as there's no evidence.

I'll get back to Mr. Kim and Mr. Pak. When Father told them unbelievable things, he risked being executed if they did not accept his word. Therefore, during the night, the spiritual world was mobilized completely to make them know who Father was. Mr. Pak was a leader of 2,000 prisoners. If he had said: "No. 596 is no good", Father would have been killed instantly. Therefore, such spiritual phenomena occurred. Father's problems were not over even after they came to believe in him. Father underwent so many trials because of them; he knew what kind of course was waiting for them after they pledged to follow him. So he had to take care of them desperately so that they would not stumble.

Father gave them all the clothes and shared with them all the food which he got from outside. Father really took care of them very much. You should not decrease your love and care even after your guest becomes an A member. You have to take care of the member with the same heart you poured out to make him or her an A member. You should take care of the member with such a heart, sometimes pushing and at other times soothing, in order for him or her to walk the way of God. You yourself also have to walk the same way, therefore it is not an easy job to be a leader. Those who don't understand what a leader is would like to become one. All the young people have such a desire. If they don't, they are not young but are already old. The desire to want to be a leader is not bad in itself. Man is made to think in that way, since man was originally created to have dominion over all things. I'd like to ask you to have such a heart of love and care. I'll conclude today's story here. Thank you very much.

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