The Words The Kwak Family
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The Words The Kwak Family |
"Missionary" is such an honorable title. Being appointed by True Father and your work as the pioneer missionary of your nation will never be repeated in all of history. You are the first group of missionaries directly appointed by True Father. Because of this, you should think about the meaning of your past missionary experiences.
I frequently thought our activities in the dispensation could be compared with Jacob's course. Before Jacob won his victorious foundation to receive the elder son's position, he labored 21 years through a sacrificial course. This is a significant period; all dispensational figures have had to follow this course. Without indemnity conditions and going Jacob's course, we cannot expect a victorious result for God and True Parents. Jacob's course was divided into three seven-year courses. After 21 years, he met all the conditions from Satan: individual, physical and spiritual. Compare this merit with your life when you went out to your mission field in 1975. Your individual preparation and indemnity conditions were surely not enough. Because of True Father's and Heavenly Father's direction, you went out as a missionary. The important point is that you followed Father.
I edited the worldwide mission activities book for Father's birthday, which chronicled how you departed, how you struggled with the physical situation of your mission country or how to love your members. I concluded that Heavenly Father sent missionaries to mission activities, but didn't gain a worldwide foundation because of our unworthiness. If True Father had been able to train the missionaries well before they were sent out, the results of our 14 years would have been greater. This is a painful fact for not only the missionaries, but especially for True Parents and God. Because of our unworthiness, Father has lost so many opportunities.
If you overlook this point, then you make two mistakes in front of God: First, you failed because of your small foundation; second, even if you gained a small foundation, it was not by your efforts alone. We must always maintain the feeling that we are unworthy in light of True Parents' foundation.
Jacob's first seven years were endured to gain his lovely wife. But after seven years, he couldn't achieve this and had to work another seven years. Only after working 14 years, could he get Rachel. In your mission activities, 14 years have already passed. How many spiritual children have you gained? In the Principle formula course, you must gain Cain-type spiritual children before Abel children. But the reality is that you are already blessed with blessed children. Compare that with your foundation in the mission field. You, as the subject, must gain Cain-type children before blessed children.
From now until 1996, the last 7 years of your 21-year course, is a very important time for you. Please keep your faith devotedly and you will then gain the missionary title. Please think about these points deeply: What is the main focus of your time and energy? Of course a financial foundation is necessary but not under any circumstances should your heart and mind be focused only on the financial foundation.
If you had gained a strong membership foundation centering on True Parents' standard for the past 14 years and, just like Jacob did after laboring for 14 years, gained your wife and children, then you could now focus your attention on the environment and financial foundation. Unfortunately, this condition was not met by most of you.
Jacob's course was a family-course while yours is a national-course. Whereas Jacob needed only 12 sons, you now need 120 blessed couples. In this sense, God and True Parents will give you a precious opportunity next year at the New World Festival to bring associate members to the Blessing. Don't lose that opportunity. After the New World Festival, you will have to consider how to guide and raise these newly-blessed members. Select some exemplary couples from among these 120 and raise them to educate and guide the others, for you cannot practically lead 120 blessed couples by yourself. After the New World Festival we need a strong trinity system. In a trinity, one family should have a strong family standard for the others to follow.
If you check your heartle level as an individual, you might have the same degree now as before your Blessing. The individual level is very different from the family level. If you don't have enough food or clothes as an individual, you can easily digest such suffering. But when your family life begins, you must raise your degree of heart or you will not be able to maintain the same level of faith in front of God. If you have only the faith level of an individual, then you will fail, for when your wife and children have to suffer, it is much more painful.
You have to educate 120 core members day and night. Without this foundation you cannot sleep. We have missed 14 years of results. When True Father looks at your face, he is not looking at you personally but behind you, to the salvation of your nation. The Principled conclusion is that your duty is to bring 120 blessed couples at the very least. So you have to focus on this mission with deep repentance. When you have this foundation, Heavenly Father can easily work in your nation. But without this kind of foundation, Heaven can't help when you seek to improve your external situation.
Before Jacob could win the victory after 14 years, he never sought a material foundation. So, I urge all missionaries to understand the meaning of the 21-year course as it relates to your mission, duty and public life. Your 21-year course is gone so quickly. How will you have maintained yourself? You can receive the benefit of this age of special grace when you stand on the foundation of True Parents' worldwide foundation and gain results in a short period.
Rev.
C. H. Kwak with Asian Leaders
What kind of condition do you need? You must pass the three stages of restoration: first for your spouse, second for your children and finally the environmental or financial foundation. God created all things for Adam and Eve; so our restorational goal is to become the completely restored Adam and Eve. When we are restored as the sons and daughters of God, Heavenly Father will automatically bless us. So, first purify your heart and mind and return them to God, the original point. That is the exact vertical-line way. Secondly, repent for your past 14 years of effort and lifestyle. Then you can focus to gain results.
Heavenly Father and True Parents have already won their victory in front of Satan, therefore Satan's regime can no longer attack True Parents or God. We need to be purified through repentance, then we can automatically be with God. Without this oneness with True Parents you cannot gain results.
Practically, focus on the leaders of your nation, not just on winning associate members. Focus on the national leaders such as the president, members of his cabinet, governors or religious leaders who can easily bring many members. Externally be humble and have the right attitude, but internally stay spiritually confident because of your oneness with True Parents.
Secondly, it is very important that you focus on witnessing to young people, especially students. In Japan our movement began as a student movement. If you educate the students very well, the future of your nation will have much hope.
The Principle is for young people. The real vision is with the 'heartle-istic' education of the younger generation. Compare the young student with an adult: the young student has a pure mind, lots of ambition and vision; he can work hard and stay excited.
In mission countries, you sometimes feel that your center members are a burden. This indicates that your approach to witnessing is wrong: Don't look for followers -- focus on gaining members who can become leaders. If you center on these two points of approaching the top leaders and students, then, based on the heavenly dispensation of this year, you can gain a lot of members.
Previously, we couldn't gain the victory because our attitude and lifestyle were wrong. To change the national environment of your country, you must at least double the membership this year. Some national headquarters were without enthusiasm or hope, while others had excitement, hope and many activities. Your concerns should be the same as those of God and True Parents. You must create the right atmosphere to be one with True Parents and God. How can Heavenly Father and True Parents support you if the atmosphere is not high? Change your church's atmosphere and you can change your nation.
The present world situation helps us understand how the Unification Movement is the only hope. Our movement's truth is very important for the world. For example, who could have imagined the present situation in the communist world, especially the Soviet Union, ten years ago? But True Father had a clear vision 40, even 50 years ago. He knew the communist world must come to an end. While True Father was in Danbury in 1985, the theme of the PWPA Congress was "The Fall of the Soviet Empire." Within five years it happened. Many scholars tried to interpret the events of last year. But there is only one conclusion: communism is finished. We are so fortunate to have True Parents to follow in the future.
The failure of communist ideology is causing great excitement in the Western world. But True Father is also looking at Western society and how it must change. Paradise cannot come through any system. The most important condition for paradise to exist is the inner condition of man's attitude toward material gain. For example, a rich person, in comparison to a poor person, has a lot of material. But the rich person maintains a tremendous desire for material goods. The natural resources of this single planet are limited, but the human nature to seek material wealth is unlimited. Logically, the solution is that we must reduce or limit our nature that seeks material. Without resolving this, mankind can never have happiness due to the present, and ever increasing, limitations of the world's materials.
Both the Communist and the Free Worlds try to solve their problems by using "systems"; but they have failed. The only way is to control man's inner desire; this is the purpose of religion. Material advancement or developing scientific technology doesn't matter. If we have a mind respectful of God and the Messiah, then we will automatically have a "serving mind." With that attitude, even a small amount of material goods multiplies or increases. But with a "taking mind," even a gigantic amount of material becomes less and less.
For the first three months in Hungnam Prison, True Father divided his own food in half and shared it with the other prisoners. Later, he ate the full amount he was given. At that point, True Father was externally receiving the same amount of food as the other prisoners. But internally, he felt as though he was receiving twice as much.
First our heart should be to share things with True Parents. If all mankind has the same faith and desire to serve God and True Parents, to serve and love others, then there will never be an empty feeling. Though the material gift you give to True Parents is gone, you are internally fulfilled. Without this pattern of sharing, the world will never feel full.
Godism and Headwing are not just ideologies. They are the essence of True Father's life: to serve and give to others. Please understand that Heavenly Father and True Parents are waiting for all mankind. They must come back to God. The Principle is so precious, so guide your spiritual children one by one.
Think about the name of "missionary," especially as it is connected with True Parents' era. It is a very precious title. Don't forget to keep this precious title sacred by living a precious lifestyle. Then you can graduate victoriously from a glorious 21-year course. We are all unworthy. But by following True Parents' guidance with the correct lifestyle as your daily schedule, future historians of your country will study the things you have done.
What is most important in history? God and True Parents! Who is the messenger of True Parents? What is your daily lifestyle and attitude? What are your accomplishments? What will be your position after these 21 years? By then, a native member should be leading the Unification Church in your country. The foreign missionaries should only be advisors for building the heavenly tradition. After 21 years it should be unnecessary for foreign missionaries to stay there. Your mission country will then ask for Korean leaders to educate them in the heartle side of True Parents.
Now that we have begun the last seven-year course, pleas(make a strong determination to start anew with purification and repentance. This will enable you to build a foundation of tradition as your standard. Your first priority is witnessing. Compared with 1975, the present foundation is much better; but without 120 strong native members you cannot gain total success. You must restore and build a precious foundation for your nation. Success cannot be evaluated by a financial foundation. Success can only be measured by your internal standard, your sacrifice, your work with the members, your living standard, and what you taught about True Parents. Thank you and God bless you.