Watch my latest Richard Urban show: Christ Has Already Defined His Kingdom and It Is Not the Rod of Iron Kingdom: https://youtu.be/aMCMMaQdFps
Ephesians 2
4-5 But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. 6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.[a] This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
1 Peter 4
10 Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well. 11 If you have the gift of speaking, preach God’s message. If you have the gift of helping others, do it with the strength that God supplies. Everything should be done in a way that will bring honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever. Amen.
Click below to listen to or download a recording of Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s speech “God’s Ideal Family Is the Model for World Peace”, the inaugural message of the Universal Peace Federation on September 23, 2005 at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel in Washington DC. Rev. Moon speaks extensively about the Peace Kingdom Corps.:
http://visionroot.org/assets/SMM%20UPF%2009-23-05-combined.mp3
The Heart of Heaven in Relation to Elijah
Sun Myung Moon
March 15, 1959
Even while hiding in Kerith Ravine, Elijah renewed his resolution. Though no human beings knew the sorrowful heart of Elijah, in hiding after reprimanding King Ahab and Jezebel to save the Israelites, ravens brought him things to eat. You must know about Elijah. He committed himself to seeking out people who could comprehend the heart of Heaven even as he was starving.
Elijah knew that Heaven’s deeply felt sorrow was because of the people, who stood at the crossroads of life and death. He knew that the judgment day resulting from the accumulated sorrows would come. The more Elijah felt he could not cope with it alone, the more he yearned after a like-minded person who could sacrifice him or herself for the sake of Heaven’s will. Elijah was permeated with the wish to love like-minded people as much as he loved the nation, as much as he loved Heaven.
Elijah’s was the kind of mind that could save the people, the kind of mind that could bring the people around to restore the nation to life. This was an ardent mind capable of forging ties between humanity and Heaven. Because Elijah had such a heart, Heaven chose and led him.
On one occasion, Elijah happened to go to a widow’s house in Zarephath and eat a piece of bread. The widow who helped pitiful Elijah made him bread not with extra flour, but with her last handful, large enough only for one meal. For that reason, we must know that the widow in Zarephath would not have to worry about any food shortage after that incident.
While Elijah was staying at the house of the Zarephath widow, the woman’s son became ill. When he grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing, the widow called out to Elijah, holding the boy. Upon hearing the widow’s ardent appeal, Elijah prayed to Heaven; then the dead boy’s life returned to him. At the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah seized and killed more than eight hundred prophets of Baal and Asherah. This was a big battle to set up and separate the false gods from the true one.
Elijah knew that God called him because He loved the people. He realized that God called him to fight in His stead against the hated enemies. Realizing that God called him on behalf of the people to be the person in charge of fighting against the prophets of Baal and Asherah on God’s behalf, Elijah seized and killed eight hundred and more prophets of Baal and Asherah when the fire of Heaven fell and burned up the wet altar. At the end of this incident, the Israelites were overcome with grief over a bad harvest and starvation. Elijah, who took pity on them and went to the top of Mount Carmel, appealing to Heaven repeatedly, seven times, risking his life. On that account, before King Ahab rode back, a heavy rain came.
Through these events, King Ahab and the Israelites should have known the living God, and by clearly knowing that Baal was a false god and repenting for their service to him, they should have followed at Elijah’s heels. In spite of it all, they did not follow him. Ahab went on to the royal court and told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “I will make your life like that of one of those you killed with the sword.”
Upon hearing this, Elijah ran and came to Beersheba, having crossed the Israelite border into Judah. He left his servant there, while he himself went on a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, built an altar for Heaven under it, and prayed.
Though he went to the land of Judah, which he had desired, obstacles stood in his way. Elijah knew he had been chosen to save Israel. He had struggled and striven, enduring many hardships and going through a course of numerous battles. However, he had not attained actual results. Elijah then ran away and went to the land of Judah. When the road ahead was blocked, he went down on his knees and prayed, “Oh, God, though You raised me because all of the prophets You sent were killed, I cannot find one who has the heart to seek and relate with You. Now the Israelites are trying to kill me too. I cannot go on any farther. Please put me to death.”
On one occasion, Elijah happened to go to a widow’s house in Zarephath and eat a piece of bread. The widow who helped pitiful Elijah made him bread not with extra flour, but with her last handful, large enough only for one meal. For that reason, we must know that the widow in Zarephath would not have to worry about any food shortage after that incident.
While Elijah was staying at the house of the Zarephath widow, the woman’s son became ill. When he grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing, the widow called out to Elijah, holding the boy. Upon hearing the widow’s ardent appeal, Elijah prayed to Heaven; then the dead boy’s life returned to him. At the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah seized and killed more than eight hundred prophets of Baal and Asherah. This was a big battle to set up and separate the false gods from the true one.
Elijah knew that God called him because He loved the people. He realized that God called him to fight in His stead against the hated enemies. Realizing that God called him on behalf of the people to be the person in charge of fighting against the prophets of Baal and Asherah on God’s behalf, Elijah seized and killed eight hundred and more prophets of Baal and Asherah when the fire of Heaven fell and burned up the wet altar. At the end of this incident, the Israelites were overcome with grief over a bad harvest and starvation. Elijah, who took pity on them and went to the top of Mount Carmel, appealing to Heaven repeatedly, seven times, risking his life. On that account, before King Ahab rode back, a heavy rain came.
Through these events, King Ahab and the Israelites should have known the living God, and by clearly knowing that Baal was a false god and repenting for their service to him, they should have followed at Elijah’s heels. In spite of it all, they did not follow him. Ahab went on to the royal court and told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “I will make your life like that of one of those you killed with the sword.”
Upon hearing this, Elijah ran and came to Beersheba, having crossed the Israelite border into Judah. He left his servant there, while he himself went on a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, built an altar for Heaven under it, and prayed.
Though he went to the land of Judah, which he had desired, obstacles stood in his way. Elijah knew he had been chosen to save Israel. He had struggled and striven, enduring many hardships and going through a course of numerous battles. However, he had not attained actual results. Elijah then ran away and went to the land of Judah. When the road ahead was blocked, he went down on his knees and prayed, “Oh, God, though You raised me because all of the prophets You sent were killed, I cannot find one who has the heart to seek and relate with You. Now the Israelites are trying to kill me too. I cannot go on any farther. Please put me to death.”