The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make

Happy Independence Day!

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2412

You must know that being able to recite the Family Pledge is the best news of all good news in all of history. That is why we say “Our family.” The words “Our family” are there. “Our family… centering on our original homeland… centering on true love…” That is the original homeland where you were born. The land of one’s hometown is the most precious. “Our family… pledges to… build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation.” The ideal of creation refers to the ideal of creation centering on God. It was the ideal of creation that was to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. Since the ideal of creation could not be attained due to the Fall, we must restore it. We must build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven, the original ideal of creation, centering on our original homeland. (260-188, 1994.5.8)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 918

In regard to the firstborn son of the eldest son, even the grandfather comes under his command when that son performs the ancestral rites. The grandfather has to show his respect. The fact that Koreans place value in the lineage of the firstborn son, and also in their genealogy and lineage, holds record-breaking historical value in God’s providence of restoration, which can never be forgotten from the deepest root of His mind. (290-9, 1998.2.2)

War On Evil

2. Spiritual Warfare

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

We can stand on God’s side if we have the heart to love the enemy. (52:87, December 22, 1971)

You can expect fierce battles, but you must love your enemies whenever you encounter them. If you possess this spirit, someday victory will be yours. (March 12, 2000)

The enemy we must fight against is not a certain person on the earth, but rather Satan, who grasped the height of authority, raised the banner of rebellion against God, and has been accusing God throughout the course history. (3:180, October 27, 1957) Continue reading “The More People Harass Me, the More Progress I Make”

We Contend Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness

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    Even so-called patriots must live for the sake of Heaven before they can be conferred the title of patriot by Heaven. The path of the filial child is the same. Thus, you can understand how valuable and precious it is. Everything we do, whether eating, seeing, speaking or acting, must be for this purpose.
    We have to realize that we have the responsibility to fulfill our duty as filial children and patriots, even if it entails walking the path of suffering and tears in the place of God, the Lord of Heaven. Even if we collapse while trying to block God from walking the path of tears, we must pick ourselves up again and go this way in His place. The duties of loyalty and filial piety must be accomplished from this position. (41-157, 1971.2.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1498

The absolute authority to judge this world cannot be bestowed on an individual alone. It needs to be bestowed on a true family. What would Satan attack first? It would be the family. That is why if you have formed a family but failed to unite into one, the family breaks up. A break-up between father and son, husband and wife, and indeed, the whole family, will result. A person who has formed a family only to see it break up later is scarred with a wound that cannot be healed for eternity. No amount of consolation would do that person any good. (30-85, 1970.3.17)

War Against Evil

2. Spiritual Warfare

Though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
    2 Corinthians 10.3-5 Continue reading “We Contend Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness”

Our Weapon Is the Word of God

Happy 40th Anniversary to the 2075 couples, who were Blessed in marriage on July 1, 1982 by Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon!

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Who should be called and recognized as true filial children and patriots in the providence of God? Does the richest man in America deserve these titles? What about people who drop flyers out of a plane with the message “Believe in Jesus!” but who have the attitude, “Believe it or not, it’s up to you”? Who do you think is closer to God, someone dropping flyers out of a plane or someone praying deeply and holding onto each person, individually distributing those flyers tearfully and with trembling hands? (155-261, 1965.10.31)

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We are not focused on the individual but on the family. Still, we are not trying to solve everything based only on the family. Rather, we should connect everything to the family. Hence, the endeavors made in the past while cultivating a solitary life of spirituality are not enough now. To this you should also add your own determination and resolution to exert yourself much more than you did in the past. In an instant, a life of challenging evil can easily leave one fatigued and lead one to retreat. When you have a family, you should work much harder than when you were single.

War Against Evil

  1. The Warrior for Righteousness

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

From morning until night you must be strong warriors. No matter how big the obstacles are in front of you, you must have conviction that you can overcome them. Set your determination: “I will break through the barrier, though my fist be mangled and my body crushed.” Never forget that God has made you His instruments to complete the mission for the sake of humanity’s future. By joining this fight you can become God’s princes and princesses, who resurrect the people of the past, liberate the present, and give hope to future generations. (73:106, August 4, 1974)

“I will become God’s true soldier. No matter how terrible this battlefield for God may be, I will join the front line.” That is my spirit. I never once complained to God even when the world’s persecution swarmed about me—even when I was in a position of utter loneliness due to persecution and suffering. This is what I can take pride in. (193:73, August 20, 1989)

I did not pray to God asking Him to save me even when I collapsed under torture. When people were pursuing me, I did not pray to God asking Him to protect me on my path or to save me from my pursuers. As a man of character, I have my own reserve of strength. I have the spirit and inner strength to fight. I say to my self, “God will probably save me if I collapse unconscious due to lack of strength. But before that, with my own power…” I know that God is waiting, preparing things in advance before I go. (138:358, January 24, 1986) Continue reading “Our Weapon Is the Word of God”

Your Servant Will Fight with this Uncircumcised Phillistine

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I have established the highest tradition, one that no other parent has ever surpassed. I am trying to bequeath to you such a tradition. What are you doing? Now the seasons are changing. Spring is coming. True Father is not just spring; he is four seasons. We should proceed with such an attitude. (189-117, 1989.3.19)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1068

You should educate your children by teaching them to become like their parents. It is not shameful that you did not eat enough and that you wore terrible clothes while witnessing. That will become educational material for your descendants that cannot be exchanged for millions of dollars. (83-259, 1976.2.8)

War Against Evil

LIVING FAITH IS ROBUST AND UNCOMPROMISING in the fight against evil. Goodness requires striving in the ways of God—what Islam calls jihad. One level of striving is the inner struggle against demons and selfish desires—what Christians term “spiritual warfare” and Islam calls the “greater jihad.” Yet as long as society is filled with injustice and peace is threatened by aggressors, the world will need fighters who will stand up for a righteous cause. Indeed, in many traditions passivity in the face of injustice is regarded as sin, whereas love calls us to fight to defend the weak and stop the oppressor from doing wrong.
Some situations call for guns, notably for self-defense and to defeat an aggressor. However, there are better ways to fight for goodness than by taking up arms. A spiritual view of the warrior’s task sees the struggle for justice in the world as primarily a spiritual battle. Behind the hostility of earthly enemies lie the “powers and principalities” of the Devil. Defeating an opponent physically does not necessarily overcome his inner hostility; it can rather exacerbate it, particularly if the victors are vindictive or uncaring. On the other hand, once we win over our opponents’ hearts and minds, the Devil is defeated and flees away. Even if the enemy is hostile and must be defeated by force of arms, the real victory is not secure until we have educated them to realize God’s Will.
Therefore, the way of the spiritual warrior is to practice the maxim, “love your enemy.” This means we should sacrifice ourselves and live for our enemy’s sake, even though they reject, ridicule and persecute us. Our love for the enemy only becomes apparent in sacrifice. Death is no problem if in dying we can touch our enemy’s heart—as Jesus did on the cross. (See Chapter 13: Love Your Enemy) It takes a great deal of courage and fortitude to fight this kind of war, for it is as dangerous as any military engagement. Father Moon’s statements about the fighting spirit mainly describe fighting in the way of such a spiritual warrior.

  1. The Warrior for Righteousness

He is the true hero who fights to protect the helpless.
    Adi Granth, Shalok, Kabir, p. 1412 (Sikhism)

For a warrior, nothing is higher than a war against evil. The warrior confronted with such a war should be pleased, Arjuna, for it comes as an open gate to heaven. But if you do not participate in this battle against evil, you will incur sin, violating your dharma and your honor… Death means the attainment of heaven; victory means the enjoyment of the earth. Therefore rise up, Arjuna, resolved to fight! Having made yourself alike in pain and pleasure, profit and loss, victory and defeat, engage in this great battle and you will be freed from sin.
    Bhagavad-Gita 2.31-38 (Hinduism) Continue reading “Your Servant Will Fight with this Uncircumcised Phillistine”

The Purpose of Self-Sacrifice Ought to be to Liberate God

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 451

What do you think is the cause of human existence? The cause of human existence is love. Then where do you think the purpose of human existence lies? The purpose of human existence lies in completing the ideal of love. Human beings came into being through love, and so their purpose is to perfect love by forming a foundation of love and expanding and connecting it. In other words, since the beginning is love, the purpose has to be reached through love as well. For this, a man and a woman in partnership must become one in love and connect front and back, left and right, and above and below. (Blessed Family -1062)

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God lost His house of the Sabbath. Therefore, the ideal family raised in the fallen world would restore His house of the Sabbath. Then, centering on what would this house be built? It would be built centering on true love, true parents, true children and true family. The family is the center. Centering on the family you need to form a tribe, and on that basis become tribal messiahs for that tribe. The family gives rise to familylevel messiahs, tribal messiahs, national messiahs for the nations and the global messiah. The global messiah is also the King of kings. From there the Kingdom of Heaven is established. God should be able to reside wherever He goes, from within the individual to any place in the world and even in the spirit world. That is to say, if He chose to dwell within a family, the individuals in that family, husband and wife, and sons and daughters would all be happy to serve Him. (286-114, 1997.8.9)

Self-Sacrifice

2. Taking up the Cross—Sacrifice unto Death

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Jesus sacrificed himself in order to make the people worthy of receiving God’s love, that the world might be lovable to God. Even in death, he remained completely faithful to his mission. If a religion arises that inspires its believers to voluntarily walk the path of death that Jesus walked, that religion will build the final foundation to defeat Satan’s realm and save the world. Jesus willingly bore the cross to his death, out of love for the world. A worldwide religion that is willing to walk the same path of sacrifice will become God’s hope and Jesus’ hope. (124:299, March 1, 1983)

     A complaining person cannot go this way;
     a person who makes excuses cannot go this way;
     a person who puffs himself up will retreat from this way.
     It is the way of the cross that Jesus trod, shedding blood;
     the prolongation of Golgotha. (6:125, April 12, 1959) Continue reading “The Purpose of Self-Sacrifice Ought to be to Liberate God”