Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon
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Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon |
You must be strict with public funds. You should be thorough in your tithing. You should offer one-tenth of your total income to God without fail. (11-218, 1961.5.26)
By offering a tithe from your material possessions to God, you can establish a condition equal to having offered all that you have. Even if you do not offer everything to God, offering a portion of it with all of your heart and mind will enable the rest to be considered holy. The person who tithes will never perish. As days go by, his storage room will be filled with more material blessings. (31-239, 1970.6.4)
You will never starve if you can tithe with sincere devotion. As a rule, your descendants will never suffer for want of material things. Invest your devotion in offering tithes; this is the essence of faith. Just offering it in a mediocre way will not work. An offering is something that you offer on behalf of your life. That is why you should offer the thing that is most important to you. (61-338, 1972.10.22)
To make certain indemnity conditions, material things are required. The reason we are supposed to offer tithe to heaven lies here. The number nine is a number of the fallen world; the number ten is the number representing the heavenly world as well as the number shedding the number nine. (10-217, 1960.10.14)
Among the twelve tribes of Israel, eleven tribes had to offer tithes to the altar governed by the tribe of Levi. From now on, you are not a member if you do not tithe. You should offer three-tenths of your income: one-tenth for the nation, one-tenth for the world and one-tenth for the church.
It is absolutely essential to tithe in our daily lives as we go this way. You should not consider your income your own or use it as your own. The reason is that the number nine, three times three equals nine, has been governed by Satan so far.
If the number nine is returned and connected to God on the earth where Satan is the master, God can have dominion over that number. In this way, God can restore the number ten. Thus, if you believe in God and bring the number nine, all possessions within the realm of the number nine can be separated from the realm of Satan. That is how the term "tithe 10 percent" came into being. (10-218, 1961.4.18)
We who are on the course of going through the providence of restoration should be determined not only to fulfill the condition of donating one-tenth of our income but even three-tenths. One- tenth of your income should be offered to your nation, the second tenth to the people of the world. It must be offered in the course of restoration. The last third should be offered to the heavenly kingdom. People who are given responsibility from heaven should never violate the condition of tithing. At the same time, you should meet all the duties of filial piety. (150-218, 1961.4.15)
When you make a donation, you should not use money left over after purchasing something to eat. That money is defiled. Furthermore, God would not be present when a donation is made with change after purchasing things at the market. (48-86, 1971.9.5)
You should not use leftovers for sacrificial offerings. Leftovers are defiled. A person of grace would immediately recognize it. That is why I prevent you from going to impure places. (30-133, 1970.3.21)
In the future, everything should belong to the world. At the same time, everything should belong to the worldwide God, the worldwide True Parents, and the worldwide True Children. We are responsible to restore everything to such a position. This is what you should realize thoroughly. (23-336, 1969.6.15)
Making an offering for the maintenance of the church after dealing with your own expenses first sounds extremely good, but it is bad. Making an offering to God should be the first priority in life, before thinking of your own life. Thinking that you are offering a percentage of your income can easily lead to a habit of putting your life first, before God. If God is placed as a second priority, He will later end up being in the last place. Do you think it will become like that or not? (96-101, 1978.1.2)
When you make a donation on Sunday at the church, if children say: "Mommy, Daddy, money for donation, please..." would you say, handing any old bill, "Here, this is for your Sunday school." Is God a beggar? Is the church minister a beggar too? The church and the minister should not be treated that way. You should offer the core of your property for donations. You should prepare with a sincere heart and keep the donations deep in your safe until the time of offering.
In the fall, when you harvest grains, a tithe from what you reap must he separated and stored in a separate barn. Then, during the year, your children and relatives should gather together and humbly offer that tithe with sincerity and love. (166-71, 1987.5.28)
Do not ask for your money back after making an offering. It is not proper. All that matters is if the money is used for a higher purpose by the person responsible. It will not be used for a lower purpose. It does not have to be used for all of you. (125-488, 1981.3.20)
God is the Creator of the universe as the omnipotent and omniscient being. Do you think that God, as such a being would be pleased if some church members offered money as if they were giving to a beggar? Would God say, "Ah, blessed are those who made a donation to me. You are such a beloved religious group of people!"? How could I he save His face before Satan? If a donation basket is being circulated in the church as an act of a beggar holding the sign of a church, God would not be happy with it. (96-101, 1978.1.2)
You make donations to me, but I do not receive it. My policy is not to receive. What did you do to get that money before making that donation? Unless I know that, and stand in a position where I am not ashamed of it, I cannot receive it. Since I have such a mentality, God desires to give and give more. (51-276, 1971.11.28)
You should clearly understand that when you handle donations and offerings that were given with heart, you will be judged by them if you do not recognize their value. Even a king can perish if he errs in his conduct as a king, in other words, if he has mistreated someone who is dedicated to God. If he mistreats that person, he will be considered a traitor to heaven. For this reason, I do not treat lightly the person who offers with their heart. (18-143, 1967.6.4)
If you value your own personal property more than the public's, you are violating heavenly law. If you value your personal integrity more than public integrity, it is against heavenly law. (51-291, 1971.11.28)
Today, what would you call the way of collecting donations in most Christian churches? They circulate bags for the donations. In the Unification Church, do you receive donations in that fashion? Do you collect using some kind of mesh strainer? Before people leave, you should place the donation boxes at the entrance. People will donate as an act of devotion and expression of your gratitude for having received grace from God. Those who do not want to donate will avoid those boxes. Heaven does not want such trifling sums of money. It must be money offered with devotion. You should not just donate the money you find in your mother's or father's pocket. You should keep the donation money for three days as sanctification and then offer it. Why are you thinking of donating an amount that is not even worth a meal for lunch? You should be offering your entire life's assets... (166-319, 1987.6.14)
You should offer the first of anything to God. Pure things should be offered in front of God. God will not be with you unless you offer something pure. Your daily habits should be carried out in this way. (30-133, 1970.3.21)
You should offer something pure in which you have invested your utmost devotion as a tithe. That is a sacrificial offering. Sacrificial offerings should be something pure. If you are to offer your son, what kind of son should he be to you? Should he be a son you hate? A hopeless child? Such sons should not be offered as a sacrifice to God's purpose.
You must offer your most beloved son. Why is this so? It is because an offering is something that takes your place. (48-85, 1971.9.5)
What you should understand is that the things which you have owned so far, your material possessions, are not really your own; you are temporarily managing them. The things that you manage well should be offered to God through the True Parents. In other words, unless they go through the process of belonging to the True Parents and God, they cannot be yours. This you should clearly understand. (23-334, 1969.6.15)
From the principled standard of the course of restoration, we can see that the things of creation should have first belonged to the first human ancestors. They belong to God, of course, but when we consider the standard of the blessing God gave to humankind, we can see that they should have belonged to the first human ancestors. They should have belonged to parents of goodness untainted by the Fall. (23-330, 1969.6.15)
The Fall resulted from the desire for possessions, to have something of your own. Even when God and the Messiah come, if you continue with this desire, you will end up being on the side of Satan.
That is why you should follow the way of obedience. Yet, time and again, such chronic problems inherited from the fallen world have remained with us. What would you do if asked to use your possessions for God's sake? Even in my dreams, I have never said that the things I have earned belong to me. (107-207, 1980.5.1)
One of the main teachings of our philosophy is: mine is yours, and yours is the nation's, and the nation's is the world's, and the world's is God's, and God's is mine. The age of material blessings comes first, after which comes the age of blessings to humankind, which is followed by the age of blessings of the heart centered on God. (12-55, 1962.10.7)
We do not know how much the things of creation have contributed to restoring humankind. Yet, if the things of creation and humankind fail to become one, they cannot go to the Father. (23-326, 1969.6.15)
In terms of the life of tithing in the church, ten families in the church should support a church leader. Otherwise, you do not have the right to become a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. Ten people should support one heavenly person.
Tithing applies to every aspect of life. Even in a school, one in ten classrooms should he used for less fortunate children, to give them classes free of charge. From now on, you need to tithe not only your materials but also your time.
It is no longer only the material aspect like in the past. If you have ten family members, one family member should be offered to the public mission on behalf of your entire family. You should keep such a standard. In the future, Unification Church members must not avoid tithing. Those who do not tithe will not be considered church members. Tithing is a duty, a heavenly duty. (50-218, 1961.4.15)
Since Sunday is a tithing day, it is not our personal day. It is a day when we need to obey, according to God's command. To use this day, which belongs to God, in whatever manner you please is a sin. 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.
Even when you are eating a bowl of noodles, you should not eat alone. If you feel ashamed for eating alone as a person attending Heavenly Father, you should establish a condition of being with the Father by saying, "I am sorry to be eating alone in the presence of God who is with me? You should live with the heart of always treating the parents first. When you buy clothes, you should not do so only for yourself. You should live in this way. (150-218, 1961.4.15)
How will fallen people indemnify their sin of killing the parents and children and losing all things of creation? The money Judas received for selling Jesus was used to buy a plot of land for the burial of vagrants. Thus, we have to use the indemnity fund to prepare a house where church members can gather and stay. Originally, we should have bought a headquarters. Since the twelve disciples deserted Jesus, you should donate 12, 000 won in four years. You should offer your most precious money for the indemnity fund. You are atoning for the sins of murdering the father and Abel by donating through this indemnity fund. For children, it is paying the price of the father's and the brother's blood. From now on, you should add to that fund and build a holy palace. (14 69, 1964.5.12)
You should make a devoted effort in offering the indemnity fund. You should offer it without assistance, by making a devoted effort and sacrificing what you like to eat and wear. This indemnity fund should become a tradition all our descendants must follow. When this is completed, the nation's fortune will turn. Although outwardly it may not be visible, a spring is boiling up within a bottomless pit and it has the power to explode whenever there is an opening. We should be able to take on the responsibility as "high priest and officiator of ceremonies" in offering this holy ritual unknown to others. (14-97, 1964.6.14)
Jesus, who came as the true father, was driven out from this world, and God's providence was blocked in all directions due to one person's deviant behavior. As a condition for indemnifying this, an amount of money pertaining to the number three should be returned to God over a course of four years, representing the actual value paid in betraying Jesus. Four years pertains to the four directions of north, south, east, and west. In Korea, members donate 12,000 won on the condition of paying three thousand won each year over a course of four years. (22.188, 1969.2.1)
We should release the bitter grief of heaven and earth and bring down the fortifications that have been built on this earth. Then we should build a headquarters for those spiritual leaders who were sacrificed as they paved the way. This indemnity fund is for indemnity on a world level. You should offer the money you gathered while shedding blood and sweat for this fund. You should not pay from the deposits you have in the bank. (14-97, 1964.6.14)
The Lord has established the indemnity conditions of history and walked this path shedding blood. That is how he released the resentment of heaven and earth. But the children have not yet released this bitter grief. Thus, the indemnity fund is a condition to accomplish this. The parents have been victorious but the children were invaded. Therefore, on the foundation of the victorious parents, you should liberate the resentment that came about when the parent was sold off There will he great leaps in development only when you offer the indemnity fund. Even though the children may have welcomed the Parents and possess heaven and earth, they must release the bitter grief drenched in the blood shed by the True Parents. (14-97, 1964.6.14)
Members should use their own initiative to make an offering to the indemnity fund. A new providence can only begin when you gain victory by establishing the conditions of indemnifying the bitter grief drenched in tears, sweat, and blood.
On the foundation of the people of this nation, you must break through the adverse circumstances on the national level. I wish for the Korean people to be the most pitiable race. Only when they are in the most miserable position can indemnity he paid without paying a price. That is why we are establishing indemnity conditions for the people. (14-73, 1964.5.21)
The indemnity fund is the most precious fund of all. There will be many untold stories in the process of preparing this fund. You should expect to face many difficult circumstances. (14-69, 1964.5.12)