The Hopeful Sons and Daughters that God Has Sought

Romans 16

23-24 Gaius welcomes me and the whole church into his home, and he sends his greetings.

Richard:  The home (husband, wife and children centered on God) is the center of the providence, not the church building.

Lamentations 2

The Lord was like an enemy!
    He left Israel in ruins
with its palaces
    and fortresses destroyed,
and with everyone in Judah
    moaning and weeping.
6 He shattered his temple
    like a hut in a garden;[d]
he completely wiped out
    his meeting place,
and did away with festivals
and Sabbaths
    in the city of Zion.
In his fierce anger he rejected
    our king and priests.

The Path of Life We Must Go, Entertaining Hope

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1959

Romans 8: 18-21

This world we live in is one in which sorrow and happiness are jumbled together. We know that all the happiness we enjoy will disappear with death and cannot remain beyond death.

If sorrow and happiness disappear with death, then would the mind of a person which seeks happiness, which wishes to have better things and longs for the eternal world, come to an end along with death? No, it would not. That our minds and hearts move in such a direction is proof that such a world really exists.

Because a person is a spiritual being, his life is eternal. The reason people rendered devoted service to Heaven, walked the path of death for the sake of Heaven, and even went the path that many others rejected, keeping hope in their bosom, was because they felt something other people could not feel. They knew of a value that common people could not know. That was why they could walk, even the path of death. Continue reading “The Hopeful Sons and Daughters that God Has Sought”

Entertain the Hope that Conquers Death

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1868

I built a boat in Korea named Boat of
Heavenly Victory. What victory? Heav-
enly victory, of course, is where Heaven
has won victory because God’s will has
been fulfilled. I had already begun ful-
filling God’s will from long ago. I made
the Boat of Heavenly Victory and talk-
ed about occupying the oceans of the
world. One member, Eu Hyo-young,
was constantly saying, “Boat, boat!” So I
made him one, but he did not like going
on boats – maybe because he was old.
He said, “Father, I cannot go out to sea
when the waves surge like that.” How
can a fisherman think like that? He must
go out to the sea until his death. (294-175,
1998.6.14)
2.3.2. Ilheung marine
Aren’t you church leaders? In the
future, no exceptions will be made,
even for company workers. Unification
church families share the same fate.
Unification Church means a church
where everything is united. That is why
if you have a company, it should be called
Company Unification Church. Unifi-
cation Industries would mean a Unifi-
cation Industries Church. Yesterday I
came back from Jejudo where I had vis-
ited the company there called Ilheung
Marine Industries. I told the president
of that company, “You must now create
an Ilheung Marine Church. As a church,
you should prepare to serve and attend
the women divers in Jejudo more than
you would your own mother or bride.”
(178-131, 1988.6.1)

Richard:  This captures Rev. Moon’s vision for home church (the second paragraph).  “Church” is not a building.  Church is where you serve your community and work to build the Kingdom centered on Godly families.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 988

You should know that God exists
near you and is concerned about each
of you more than anyone else. People
think that the love of their own fam-
ily is the greatest in this world. How-
ever, you should know that God’s love
is greater and deeper than that love; it is
deeper and greater than any human love
in this world. You should be embraced
in God’s love and be able to call Him,
“Father.” You should become such true
sons and daughters who deeply expe-
rience God’s internal heart in a posi-
tion that says, “I know the Father’s sor-
row.” If you can become such sons and
daughters, and possess the Kingdom of
Heaven in which you attend God, no
one would be able to take that kingdom
away from you. (2-234, 1957.6.2)

The Path of Life We Must Go, Entertaining Hope

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1959

Romans 8: 18-21

We must understand that this statement is a request for us not to make earth-bound hope our own, but to adopt eternal hope. Jesus walked that path in person himself. We must know that he set up hope on this hopeless earth, opened up the path of life on this lifeless earth, and cultivated the path of resurrection on this unredeemable earth.

Until when must you go forth with that hope? It is until you step forward in front of the Father’s throne and receive the Father’s true love, after going beyond the path of death and the hill of resurrection. The question is whether you can march on holding onto that hope until that time. It is easy to make a resolution while embracing a hope and looking at it, but it is difficult to fight holding onto that hope. It is easy to embrace a hope of some kind, but it is difficult to live to the end keeping that hope, and to stand and die for the path of that hope so that all humankind lives with that hope. Yet Jesus walked such a path in high spirits.

Today we look forward to the last day of resurrection, the day of hope. The time of the hope that all of us are looking forward to is the time in which all humankind can take delight. Yet that time does not come easily. That hope can be owned only by those who have won over death. Only those who have fought along with God against Satan will take possession of that hope. Only those who have received persecution, together with God, for the sake of Heaven will secure that hope. As we think that such a time is approaching, we must have an ardent mind to overcome this living environment and overcome even the fear of death. Unless such an ardent mind emanates from you, you cannot draw the day of that hope into the realm of your life and go on living. Continue reading “Entertain the Hope that Conquers Death”

Lose Your Life to Gain Your Life

The latest Richard Urban Show:
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Numbers 3

39 So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.

Ezekiel 12

12 The Lord said:

2 Ezekiel, son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but refuse to see; they have ears, but refuse to listen. 3 So before it gets dark, here is what I want you to do. Pack a few things as though you were going to be taken away as a prisoner. Then go outside where everyone can see you and walk around from place to place. Maybe as they watch, they will realize what rebels they are. 4 After you have done this, return to your house.

Later that evening leave your house as if you were going into exile. 5 Dig through the wall of your house[a] and crawl out, carrying the bag with you. Make sure everyone is watching. 6 Lift the bag to your shoulders, and with your face covered, take it into the darkness, so that you cannot see the land you are leaving. All of this will be a warning for the people of Israel.

The Path of Life We Must Go, Entertaining Hope

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1959

Romans 8: 18-21

After Jesus came and left, his twelve disciples walked the same path. They went into Rome and endured the severity of persecution. They were crucified and put to death. They were left for dead. In spite of such, they still did not give up their hope. The joy that they received from having hope was stronger than the fear they felt of death, stronger than any pain they received from tribulation; stronger than any armament. It was stronger than any influence and anything that was boasted of in the world. We have learned that Christianity was established on the grounds which prophets and sages walked, embracing hope more strongly than anything else.

Today we are placed in a situation where we too must entertain a new hope and set up and affect an object on the worldwide level. This being the reality, you will have to understand that the hope you cherish should exert stronger influence than any other power. Even if death comes upon you, even if all this universe is to disappear, hope should be the source of power with which you can overcome. Only if you become such unchanging central figures of hope will you be able to stand in front of Heaven.

There have been many people until now who boasted of themselves as having good faith. However, we have often seen people who boast of themselves fading away. No matter how much one boasts of his good faith, unless he can stand as one central being of hope who has won victory over the last hill of death, we must realize that he will end up being a loser in life. Continue reading “Lose Your Life to Gain Your Life”

Always Keep Hope Based on the Standard of the Eternal World

The latest Richard Urban Show:
Are the Proclamations of Rev. Sun Myung Moon Valid, or Are They Null and Void?  https://youtu.be/yGSVxL2Uy8A

Cheon Seong Gyeong 2000

For a nation to be established there
must be sovereignty, territory, and citi-
zenry. The same is true of the Kingdom
of God. Parents are in the place of sov-
ereignty, true sons and daughters are in
the place of the citizens, and the King-
dom is in the place of the territory. Of
these, none can be left out. That is an
ironclad rule. (35-279, 1970.10.25)

Richard:  This shows that the Kingdom of God, or Cheon Il Guk already exists.

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1386

At the time of the 360,000 Couples
Blessing, people in Japan asserted that
we would be unsuccessful in hosting it.
So in conjunction with the Christians
in Korea, they made thorough prepara-
tions to come and kill us off, so to speak,
as soon as we had announced the date
of the ceremony. In this manner, they
made every preparation to wipe us out
of existence with the full support of their
government.

The Path of Life We Must Go, Entertaining Hope

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1959

Romans 8: 18-21

People of faith today must realize likewise that living with hope in the eternal world is much more precious than living with hope of remaining on earth. Christians today very often do not put emphasis on the eternal hope that they should value so highly through their life of faith. We must become the people who know how to take hold of the hope with which we can be connected to the eternal world and be able to sacrifice everything as a result of that hope. Only by doing so can we become the last true victors.

All the past prophets and sages went the path of death, without minding it, not only Jesus. Without regard for the jeers of all other people, they went. They went, not caring about persecution. The reason they walked the path of all kinds of difficulty was that they had the eternal hope that cannot be exchanged for anything else. They did not have a worldly hope; they had ardent hope that gets connected to and came deep into their heart through eternal Heaven. That is why they walked the path of death, the path of persecution, and the path of tribulation without minding.

Therefore, we people of faith today should have a mind that glows with hope. We must not lead a life of faith with a hope that will be realized only after death. We must become people who can make the hope into reality and achieve a triumph after fighting, at the risk of our lives, within the realm of reality. If such a person existed, he or she could be considered a person of faith who truly gained victory, a person not with hope on this earth but a person with eternal hope. Continue reading “Always Keep Hope Based on the Standard of the Eternal World”

Submit Yourself to God and Live in Harmony

Happy Thanksgiving!

The latest Richard Urban Show:
Are the Proclamations of Rev. Sun Myung Moon Valid, or Are They Null and Void?  https://youtu.be/yGSVxL2Uy8A

Ephesians 4

4 As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. 3 Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. 4 All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God’s people. 5 We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.

1 Kings

46 Everyone sins. But when your people sin against you, suppose you get angry enough to let their enemies drag them away to foreign countries. 47-49 Later, they may feel sorry for what they did and ask your forgiveness. Answer them when they pray toward this temple I have built for you in your chosen city, here in this land you gave their ancestors. From your home in heaven, listen to their sincere prayers and do what they ask. 50 Forgive your people no matter how much they have sinned against you. Make the enemies who defeated them be kind to them. 51 Remember, they are the people you chose and rescued from Egypt that was like a blazing fire to them.

The Path of Life We Must Go, Entertaining Hope

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 22, 1959

Romans 8: 18-21

Jesus is a man who lived having given up all the earthly hopes people normally cherish from the time of his youth. We must know that Jesus lived from early on with a hope for which he could forsake his family, his environment, his religious denomination, and even his nation. He had a firm belief and hope in Heaven that no one could change. The hope that he cherished in his young mind was an immutable, thorough-going one with which he could withstand whatever difficulties he might encounter. Therefore, we must remember once again that Jesus ran the path he had to take with unflagging perseverance.

Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem with his parents when he was twelve. His parents came back first, and Jesus remained there. When his parents came looking for him later, Jesus scolded them, saying, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) We must know that Jesus cherished hope only for the Father.

Jesus ceaselessly toiled to put the surrounding environment in order as he matured. He had faith for the sake of Heaven; the kind of faith no one else had. Although there were many difficulties on the path he walked, because he had faith that he would build a new kingdom, a new world of hope, those difficulties could not take away his hope. Continue reading “Submit Yourself to God and Live in Harmony”