The Words of the Jenkins Family after 2008
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The Words of the Jenkins Family after 2008 |
The very day we concluded the Original Substance of Divine Principle workshop that completed the goal of educating 3,000 ministers -- December 17, 2011 -- a huge change in leadership came about in North Korea.' The ministers were running around saying, "Oh, my God!" They felt that it was clearly the influence of Father Moon leading the way to bring unification between North Korea and South Korea.
Father had taken the initiative to bring 172 ministers to Korea in 2011, and he trained them; they had heard the OSDP workshop there. Then in Las Vegas, True Father had commissioned twelve from among that group to educate the 3,000 in OSDP by the end of December 2011. During that time, Rev. Jeong Ok Yu was the main lecturer; he trained many of us. Finally, True Father allowed the ministers also to be approved to become OSDP lecturers. It helped us reach our goal more quickly. Archbishop Stallings and I were the first two to lecture. Then many more came.
After fulfilling that goal, True Father told us to increase the number from 3,000 to 13,000. We were asked to fulfill this by going into the local churches to teach, to spread the word. That's what we did. It wasn't easy to keep up, but the ministers, especially many of the original 172, were so deeply moved by Father that they felt an urgent desire to bring this "new wine" to Christianity. Thanks to the American Unification Church members, who gave full support, the momentum built until Father's goal could be reached.
As we taught in small churches across the country, Dr. Chang Shik Yang and Bishop Ki Hoon Kim would give Father, in Las Vegas, constant updates and reports about our progress. It was deeply encouraging to receive Father's love and guidance, even for the small seminars -- he was interested even when just five pastors had gathered and wanted to hear about their testimonies on awakening to the Principle. This gave religious leaders who were close to us, such as Bishop Stallings, Bishop Jesse Edwards and Rev. Tanya Edwards, tremendous energy.
We always felt that achieving Father's goal was the most important thing. Whenever True Parents set a goal, once you make it, a completely different foundation is laid. We were very serious to make the goal, and the whole American Unification Church membership got behind it. We remember when the goal of bringing 7,000 clerics to Korea in the 1980s and the clergy education on Godism in America goal were met. Father said that education in the "word" was what caused the Communist world to collapse, because it was centered on the "false word." Of course, the work of the Washington Times, together with all the other efforts that Father made to counter communism, was also critical.
It was during this time that the ministers began to teach. We trained many pastors to lecture the Principle of Creation, the Human Fall, the Mission of Jesus, Restoration, and the Second Coming. They struggled with it initially. As the Principle teachings reveal the hidden meanings of the Bible, this created a lot of controversy and difficulty for the ministers.
For instance, it was hard for them to understand that John the Baptist had not completed his mission. He had baptized Jesus, yet in the end he doubted Jesus. The ministers would read that in the Bible and become so disturbed. Ministers would get hung up on certain points until others in a "John the Baptist" position could explain how they had overcome their own struggles. Through their understanding of the Bible based on the Principle, they could help other pastors cross the bridge in understanding.
For example, all ministers know that Adam and Eve disobeyed God; but Genesis chapter 3 shows that it involved the misuse of love. When the ministers saw it written in Genesis 2:5 that Adam and Eve had been naked and unashamed, but by Genesis 3 they were ashamed of their nakedness and covered their lower parts, that helped them change their view.
The
December 15 workshop that was broadcast to 2,800
During a lecture, Bishop Michael Sykes of the United Baptist Church in New Jersey testified:
Listen, I'm a Baptist; we were raised all of our life to understand how great John the Baptist was. However, when we studied the Bible more deeply through the Principle, though John the Baptist initially baptized and testified to Jesus, lie fell into to doubt. This is what my Bible tells me. I never thought that as a Baptist I would be saying this. However it's because Rev. Moon was able to bring out the deeper meaning of the Bible -- Jesus appeared to him and revealed it to him!
What were the practical steps in bringing ministers to become Divine Principle educators? We organized Pastors' Forums, bringing together twenty to twenty-five ministers at a time. We held these all over the country, and from these we picked the OSDP lecturers. In the forums we would read the OSDP content and each relevant Bible verse, so that ministers could see what the Bible was saying on the key points.
Educating the 3,000 had been the foundation to open ministers' hearts. All of this was Father's work and that was key here; all this came about because Father had made sure that everyone studied the Principle. It was one of his last directions for ACLC; to be prepared for Foundation Day we had to go through the OSDP. Father made no exceptions for our ACLC ministers. It was a mandate from Heaven.
Even so, it was often uncomfortable for the ministers to attend the lectures -- for the 172 it was from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM with Rev. Yu. Many, many difficulties arose. But somehow God's word washes people. Ephesians 5:25-26 says, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Father loved the "Bride" of the church and brought cleansing and washing through the water of the OSDP teachings. This is not just intellectual understanding, but purification that comes from receiving the word.
The ministers studied hard. The most controversial and difficult point was that Jesus could not complete his mission, that there was actually more to come. That also becomes evident as you study the scriptures along with the Divine Principle. Moreover, in True Father's autobiography, Father's personal testimony of meeting Jesus is one of the most valuable things to share with ministers.
As members of the Unification Church, we always heard that Father met Jesus on Easter Day when he was a young boy that he received his mission -- and that was about it. We didn't know much detail until Father's autobiography, which reveals remarkably deep encounters with Jesus. It was not a one-off experience. After Father met Jesus, he began searching in prayer. When his prayers were truly sincere and earnest, Father says, Jesus would appear. It was at that time that Father uncovered the principles of the Bible, together with Jesus -- that's what's very beautiful. The ministers began to understand this. They could feel it from the autobiography. There is nothing more powerful than the ministers realizing that this could not just come from a man -- even from a very intelligent or spiritual person. This had to have come from God.
Even so, when they first began to teach at local seminars, it was somewhat awkward. The ministers had a hard time staying within the framework of the Principle's core content. A minister would begin to lecture and sometimes he would be so inspired by just one Bible verse that he would talk about it for twenty minutes. We had to work with them. We developed scripts. Dr. Tyler Hendricks and I worked together very closely to develop a much more concise version of OSDP. That's the version we would use in the workshops that were later broadcasted. We also upgraded the slides both for the members and the ministers and we found they were able to lecture very systematically.
Giving
Divine Principle lectures are (left to right) Bishop Michael Sykes,
Bishop Sulanch Grant Lewis, and Rev. Tanya Edwards; Right: Archbishop
George A. Stallings and Bishop Jesse Edwards have become accomplished
Divine Principle presenters.
Just as it was with us, when the ministers first studied Divine Principle and lectured, they didn't really know the Principle content, but as soon as they got up there and started to speak, they began to feel power. Sometimes a gap in their knowledge would be covered by God's guidance and revelation. You come to discover the power of the Principle; it's not just an intellectual confirmation but you actually experience deep confirmation from God and the Holy Spirit. And when ministers are teaching other ministers, they all get so excited when they learn something new about the Bible.
More than a hundred and fifty pastors' forums have been held over the past two years. Those discussions were the foundation. Then we continued to hold OSDP seminars throughout the country. Although it was awkward at first, as we continued on, Bishop Jesse Edwards became extremely good on the Human Fall, for example, and Archbishop Stallings became an outstanding presenter on the Mission of Jesus
When he lectured, Bishop Michael Sykes felt confirmation from God. He had been part of ACLC for many years but had never really been convinced. Then, during the OSDP workshop as one of the 172 called to Korea, something happened. His life was so deeply touched by God's word. He felt, "This is it!"
When Father pushed the ministers to each bring twelve others, Bishop Sykes was one who actually did so. Father actually encouraged them to not only bring other ministers but to bring their church members too. Bishop Sykes wanted to bring his congregation, although he was worried that once they heard that Jesus didn't complete his mission, or that John the Baptist had failed, or that the Fall was sexual, he might lose them all. But we are now in a completely new era. Twenty-two people from his church attended the education of the 3,000. The OSDP seminar was even held several times in Bishop Sykes' own church.
I'll never forget when we sent him off to teach in Detroit. He was lecturing both the Human Fall and the Mission of Jesus. He had done these two lectures separately before, but this time he did them together. He called and was very excited. He had had a revelation. He had come to understand that the first Adam fell, and that Jesus was the second Adam. So for Jesus to complete his mission, he has to not only restore Adam, he has to find a bride (Eve). Bishop Sykes had such a deep revelation that Jesus' course is directly connected to the Fall. He said, "As a Christian I had never understood that Jesus came as Adam, but that's what the Bible says in First Corinthians; Jesus is called the last Adam."
Also, Bishop Sulanch Grant Lewis, who brought the most ministers to the conferences -- over 200 ministers over the last year -- had a spiritual experience of seeing Father onstage while we were lecturing. She had been one of the twelve in Las Vegas. She continues to bring minister in the door. She's so deeply convinced that we will stand through the word, through True Parents' love and Foundation Day, and we'll see the kingdom of God on earth.
Some forty pastors have become lecturers. Once they have lectured a few times, they know from the Bible that this is the truth. Our members can do the same thing. We can have a lecturing revolution to convey God's word.
When you have content that is so clear and concise, and the visuals are also clear, the ministers become inspired.
Our members become inspired. I have learned that nothing inspires a Unification Church member more than seeing a Christian minister believing in the Divine Principle and lecturing it!
When Rev. Hyung Jin Moon became the American church president, he wanted us to use the Bible more in our teaching, and he fervently wanted to fulfill Father's goal. We had more than 8,000 graduates of the lecture series by that time, but we needed 5,000 more. Father had said we should finish by Foundation Day, but we felt we had to finish before the end of 2012.
We used the broadcast system that In Jin Nim had set up to broadcast to all fifty states. It was fantastic. We had a reasonable goal for all of the fifty states to bring the ministers -- thirty for most states, with the larger states asked to bring at least a hundred. We were very concerned: What if we don't make it? What if the broadcast doesn't work?
But more than 2,300 attended on December 1. Some states had fifteen guests, others had multiple locations with five or six at each, some had two hundred. Then on December 15, 2,800 attended. With that, we went well over the 13,000 goal.
At
the December 15 Original Substance of Divine Principle Workshop,
Hyung Jin Nim and Yeon Ah Nim meet with participating ministers.
This opened up a feeling of Pentecost, as in the early days when Father had only a small group of men and women that were true members but things were deeply spiritual. We could feel the Lord was with us, and is with us. Since Father transitioned to heaven last September, our ministers had begun to have the feeling that Father was guiding us all. They felt no gap between them and Father.
During Hyung Jin Nim's first experience with Father after his ascension, he received an absolute commission. He said that when Father came through in the vision, Father was so fiercely against what is bad in the world, so strong, and he looked at Hyung Jin Nim directly and communicated with him that through "absolute sex" everything would be solved.
Hyung Jin Nim shared about this openly with the ministers, and they were very responsive. Twenty-eight hundred were assembled from all fifty states. His "absolute good sex" teaching has expanded to become a new ministry.
True Father knew exactly which conditions would open the way for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. That condition was giving truth and love to the clergy knowing that the risk was great. However the pastors did not reject this "new wine" but have received it, embraced it and now teach it. The word is like fire and it is now spreading throughout Christianity.
Father once said, around 1995, that "Christianity and all faiths are going to merge into us. When they do they will come with different traditions and ways and clothing. When they do, just let them come. As they come to understand the God's word they will 11 come to believe in True Parents."
True Father and True Mother, thank you, that day has come. Just before our glorious Foundation Day.