The Faith and Environment of the Early Days

The faith of the early days

In the early days, our church was always crowded with members longing to see True Parents.

Divine Principle was taught day and night to guests and new members. Sunday service was filled with the Spirit, and people were constantly witnessing the truth. The church was filled with love.

True Mother often encourages members to work to revive the faith and zeal of the early days of the church. She speaks about creating a living and breathing church to spur the establishment of Cheon Il Guk. She emphasizes that believers should move beyond the wilderness era into the era of the settlement of Cheon Il Guk.

1. We need to revive our church. How wonderful it would be if all people had truly known that Father is the True Parent while he was still on earth. Because they did not know this, my pain and grief are so, so deep.

The only way to create a path for these people is through the teachings of the Principle. The Principle teachings are medicines for all humanity. Whether we bring revival to our church and advance the settlement of Cheon Il Guk depends on our actions. (True Mother, 2012/10/27)

2. In the early years of the church, Father raised the members through his words, his love,e and the strong bonds of the realm of heart. From now on, the church in Korea and throughout the world must become like that.

Overall, I will lead the Korean church in that direction. The same goes for the rest of the world. Even without explaining it in words, we all can feel the bonds of heart we have with each other, forged with God at the center. When we unite, we can be interconnected.

You are blessed families who are connected with a strong bond of heart, and based upon this, you need to cooperate fully with one another. To build a church based on heart, whether you have a public mission or not, gear your every action, word, and attitude first for other people and the environment. You must be considerate of those around you. (True Mother, 2012/09/03)

3. Most pressingly, the question is how we can return to the spirit of the early days in our church. We need to fill our church with life and spirit, in unity with the words of truth and the Holy Spirit.

Our task is to share the words of the Principal unceasingly every day with new people and inspire them to attend seven-day, 21-day, and 40-day workshops and then receive the marriage Blessing. We need to find many new members and make our Unification Church vibrant and full of life and spirit.
(True Mother, 2012/09/30)

4. What is truly important is not just the number of people who come to Sunday service, but the number of people we can call Unification Church members, that is, people who know the Principle properly.

We need to continue giving Divine Principle lectures in our churches. People need to be reborn through these teachings. When, through being born again through the Word, every individual, family, tribe, society, and nation practices true love, Cheon Il Guk naturally will come about. That is the kingdom of heaven on earth. When this happens, people will find peace in their hearts. (True Mother, 2012/10/01)

5. Our Unification Church originated from God's spirit and truth. But when I look at the current reality in the church, I cannot say that either our church or its members have matured in heart. In the early days, once members came to the church they never wanted to leave.

When Father stayed up late into the night, they wanted to stay with him. And if there was anything Father wanted to be done, they wanted to do it for him, voluntarily and willingly.

Such was the life of faith in the early days of our church. Although our church was small, it was overflowing with true love, and we were united in that love. This allowed us to go through many difficult times together.

The Korean church produced many blessed families and came to have many unforgettable stories. In the early days, the Korean church sisters went out to do pioneer outreach. Some had no one to take care of their children, and they had no choice but to leave their children temporarily in orphanages.

In this way, from the time of the 36 Couples Blessing until the 430 Couples Blessing, Korean church members made many sacrifices to advance God's providence. (True Mother, 2012/10/01)

6. In those early days, our church president Rev. Eu Hyo-won gave lectures all day long, even though he suffered physical disabilities. Even healthy people find it difficult to lecture for an hour or two, let alone all day long. Not only that – we were too poor to have proper food at that time, so he was malnourished.

Despite such difficulties, people joined the church and we blessed the 36 Couples.

We need to cherish the 36 Couples because they are the root of the heart; membership multiplied based on the foundation of the 36 Couples. That is why I say that whether you are from Korea, Japan, or the United States, we need to start anew, filled with the fire, spirit, and overflowing love we had in the early days.

We must build a church where Divine Principle lectures are taught continuously, a church where workshops are always in progress. (True Mother, 2012/10/01)

7. You all need to be reborn through the Word. In the early days of the church, no one complained about conditions. Members were happy and thankful just to see True Parents.

Whenever they went out from the church, they missed us; very soon they longed to see us, and they were anxious to hear Fathers words.

They did not measure everything against their needs. They did not think about how much they would be paid or whether they would be praised if they did this or that. We must regain that spirit.

I am saying let's make our church a place that is alive, breathing, and overflowing with love. (True Mother, 2012/10/18)

8. If you wish to restore the people quickly in your town, make sure the lights are always on in the church.

Please make a strong determination. As living people who attended True Father, do not do anything that brings you dishonor. Shouldn't you become people whom True Father will remember in the spirit world?

Then what do you think you should do? Do not take it easy. Create a church that is alive and breathing with ongoing activities. We are alive, and being alive means being active. Those who remain still and inactive are dead.
(True Mother, 2012/10/16)

9. It is important to plan, but more important to take action. Be a person who practices. We are living in an era when achievements must be tangible. Your church should be a place where the lights are always on because you are awake at night.

Wouldn't Father be drawn to the churches that have the lights on while he tours around the world? I am saying that you should make yours a place that True Father would not pass by without stopping. (True Mother, 2012/10/16)

10. I should accomplish all that Father left incomplete and all that he desired to achieve. Our most urgent task is to establish the true order and tradition both internally and externally.

Furthermore, as soon as possible we need to show the world that the Unification Church is going strong, growing, and developing so that we can inspire those in the wider world to come to us of their own free will.

You need to witness hard, but we also need people to come on their own based on our providential achievements and guided by a voice in their heart that says, 'Oh! This is my ultimate destination!' Then we must guide them to become blessed families. (True Mother, 2012/10/01)

11. We are living in a time when we can be one with and experience the spirit world in daily life.

If you have the standard that enables you to relate with the spirit world, it will work with you 100 percent.

Take ownership and do activities that are alive and breathing. Then the spirit world will assist you without reservation. What is the hope of those in the spirit world? What is our hope?

It is to build the kingdom of heaven on earth and in heaven. That is Cheon Il Guk. How exciting and elevating it would be to realize that in our lifetime! How grateful we should feel! If you feel that in your daily life, how can you sit calmly and quietly? How can you not be moved to devote your efforts?
(True Mother, 2012/10/18)

The witnessing environment

Witnessing is transforming God's children into citizens in His kingdom. As the number of heavenly citizens increases, heaven's sovereignty expands and the environment is created for the settlement of Cheon Il Guk. It is with God's spirit and truth that we can witness to humanity.

God's spirit and truth are our breastplate and sword. Only by setting forth with the breastplate of the spirit and the sword of truth can we win over the fallen world and create the environment that allows True Parents' glory to shine throughout the world.

12. We have True Parents and the truth. We have the Principle. We now should let the world know about True Father and his life. Our future is bright. I am going to revive all the churches in the provinces and outlying areas. Our churches in Korea must come to life and breathe.

You blessed family members need to heed my directions and take action. In doing so, you need to help your neighbors and clan members to follow you.
(True Mother, 2012/10/01)

13. Many of you must have joined the church 50 or 60 years ago. No matter where you joined, you surely miss the time you first met the Unification Church. Whenever did you see Father and whenever you hear him, did you ever experience not being delighted or grateful in your heart? You were all excited, feeling, 'Oh my, I have met the Lord who gave me new life and brought me to a brand-new world!

There are many Christians in the world and many believers of other religions as well, but I came to know of heaven's providence and met the Lord before others did. How can I ever be grateful enough?' Rather than keeping this to yourself, you wanted to share it with everyone.

You wanted to witness. Truthfully, you have received incredible grace and blessings from heaven. As fallen people, you received unimaginable blessings. The fact that you're separated from Satan is a wonderful blessing in itself.

Our environment 50 or 60 years ago was very different from that of today. In my heart I would like to rekindle the heart and spirit as it was in the early days of our church, when you worked so hard, yearning for the original homeland. Then you can bear fruit. (True Mother, 2013/02/19)

14. If we were to attend True Father truly as the Lord at his Second Advent, Messiah, king of kings, and emperor of truth, holiness, and virtue, what do you think you could do? Can there be an emperor or king without his people? Do you think it is sufficient for him to have only us as his people?

All the people in the world should attend him. That is why, from now on, you need to testify to Father; you need to explain his achievements and let the world know who and what he truly is. This is what is meant by outreach work.
(True Mother, 2012/09/30)

15. We must bring all people to the Blessing and guide them to become Cheon Il Guk citizens do that, what should you do? Those in the spirit world will not be able to help people who do only what they are told, who live from one day to the next, blurring them together.

The expressions 'life-or-death resolve' and 'total investment' must be real to you. That is why I am telling you to take action. That is why I am asking you to report to heaven every day and work together with heaven. (True Mother, 2012/10/18)

16. You are all blessed members, and you all probably have children, so you know how wondrous it is to receive the gift of a new life and how much you anticipate the birth of a child. I am sure that you felt the indescribable blessings of heaven at that moment.

I tell you that you can have that blessing of giving birth to a new life even every day, depending on the effort you make. Will you sit still and remain idle? The number of people whom you save through your outreach activities will determine your reward. That reward is created by you. I hope that you will not miss such a marvelous opportunity. (True Mother, 2012/12/14)

17. The spirit world is a place where people breathe love, where they breathe in the air of love.

Witnessing reveals the love we have planted. When you witness a lot, it is imperative to restore all things, that is, to raise funds. You need to do this to attain the position from which you can give and receive blessings.

How you establish a foundation to increase your blessings and bequeath them to your descendants is up to you. It requires your investment, and you need to make conditions of devotion for that. No one can do it for you. True Parents taught you everything you need to know, and now it is time for you to act.
(True Mother, 2012/12/25)

18. We can create the world of peace and happiness that heaven and humanity desire. Father took the lead; he showed you how to do this through his example. He also said that there is no perfection in ignorance. That is why we first need to educate people.

We need to help them understand the Word and show them through our actions how to fulfill it. We have been pushing ourselves to realize this grand dream since the population of the world was three billion, and now it is well over seven billion, isn't it?

We are responsible for letting the seven billion people of this world know God's Will as soon as possible. (True Mother, 2013/02/20)

19. The Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord, and True Parents have carried out their providential work throughout the world. Yet because of our shortcomings, we have not reached the entire world and brought everyone to know True Father and his achievements.

This remains such a bitter sorrow in my heart. Naturally, our descendants will face a difficult time if we do not fulfill our responsibility. That is why you as the first generation must do whatever it takes to let people know that the Returning Lord, Messiah, and True Parents for whom they have been yearning has come.

How much effort have you made during this time to find people and give them new life? Our time remaining on earth until we pass on to the next world is shorter than the time we have lived so far.

What if those people who are living in the same era that we are living in go to the spirit world without knowing their True Parents and the truth? In the other world, they will wail and accuse you, saying, 'When I was alive on earth, why didn't you tell me about this?'

If you do not fulfill your responsibility, your descendants will have to indemnify that. As you have heard the Principle teachings, you must understand what I am saying.

Henceforth, you should be serious about fulfilling your responsibility.
(True Mother, 2013/03/22)

20. How will we restore this nation, God's homeland? There is no way except through witnessing. We must turn people around through witnessing. All our businesses and organizations need to move in one direction. To welcome the new age that is upon us, you need to have a clear attitude of mind.

To this day, I have opened all the doors. I am contemplating many plans for the future global providence.

We have to bring tangible results that are visible to the eyes. I know that this is possible because God will dork.

God welcomes this time when He can directly govern us. He is manifesting Himself as the King of all kings. Therefore, we cannot let Him remain a king without a people.

That is why I want you to be among those who demonstrate loyalty, filial piety, and fidelity. This time in history will come only once. If you want to participate, then you must change in every respect. (True Mother, 2013/01/07)

21. What type of wealth am I talking about? I have told you, 'Witness with great effort.' The physical body has limits. Even if you live a long and healthy life, you will probably not live for more than 100 years.

We know about the spirit world. When you witness like this to 1 person, 10 people, or 100 people, then you are connecting to their eternal life. You are becoming wealthy. You are becoming someone who will be remembered in the eternal world.

The wealth of this world ends when you die, but the wealth of the spirit world is eternal. Then which path will you young people take? It is all right to be greedy about this kind of wealth. (True Mother, 2013/10/15)

22. no one dislikes being wealthy. The fastest way to become wealthy is by witnessing. The fallen world is desolate. However, we who attend True Parents are joyful.

By witnessing, especially if you can make this world into a world where everyone knows True Parents, you will become the richest person in the world. How much you would live with gratitude and peace in both spirit and flesh!

The world is very complicated. In it, people have to calculate to stay ahead of their competitors, and they fight. What a difference! So your mission is to reach out to many people in the world and bring them to our Heavenly Parent and to the True Father who is now in the spirit world.

Therefore, what the blessed families sitting here in front of me right now should do is witness a lot so that God and True Parents can attain what they desire. I am saying you are people who have found the path to happiness.
(True Mother, 2013/10/17)

23. I have said that we should create a good environment. Once a good environment is created, even if I say only one thing, people will be able to figure out its meaning from ten different angles. When God created Adam and Eve in the beginning, could they communicate with God or not?

They could ask Him questions and receive answers. It can be the same now. If blessed families can create such an environment, there is no reason you cannot successfully witness it with even a little effort. (True Mother, 2013/02/10)

24. It is most pressing that we let all the people of the world know that the True Parents have come to this earth. Telling all humankind that they are here is our great responsibility for the sake of the future.

Christians are still waiting for the Returning Lord, the Messiah. We have already gone beyond the Completed Testament Age and opened the era of Cheon Il Guk, but people do not know the providential time in which they live. We must not remain passive.

We must mobilize every means to let people know that the True Parents have come. We must let people know that the Messiah has arrived. True Parents came to this world to save all people. For the sake of the salvation of humankind, we must let the world know the legacy True Parents achieved during their lives.

Such things do not come about just by talking or by making proclamations. Through taking action and putting things in motion, your efforts must bear fruit.
(True Mother, 2013/04/20)

25. Now you should confidently reveal who the True Parents are. It must be made known, and shown, that both the unification of North and South Korea and world peace can be achieved through True Parents, and you must become people who live to accomplish that. That is why you must be different today than yesterday. Think that you are saving one life every day.

You can go out in the position of the ancestors, and the citizens will become your people. You all started in the same position when you were given the Blessing, but the extent to which you fulfilled your responsibilities is different. As the people living in this era in front of your ancestors and future descendants, you are standing here after having received an incredible blessing.

But the question is in what position you are standing now, and how do you appear? That is what is important. True Parents are always in the midst of you. You are not alone. (True Mother, 2013/05/13)

26. In Hawaii, you can find banyan trees. They are huge and leafy, so they provide shade in the strong sun.

People can rest under their branches. This tree does not grow toward the sky, but its branches extend down to the ground, and it produces numerous roots, which expand more and more horizontally.

I have self-realizations when I look at the natural world our Heavenly Parent created. Like that tree, True Father explored wild and remote areas around the world, and he expanded his roots of love with numerous conditions of devotion. In the name of our Heavenly Parent, he laid the foundation of many historic victories for the sake of all people.

Yet, when looking around the world as a whole, we see there is still so much more we must accomplish through our devotion and efforts. The world today is in a state of chaos and confusion, not knowing which direction to go. Mindful of every minute that passes, we need to find a way to save even one more life. God has made much preparation. He is waiting for us.

Throughout the world, many people are striving to live good lives. They do not know God's providence, but they are trying to be good. How grateful they will be when we convey Father's words to them!

As I was looking at the banyan tree, I thought, 'Ah, this is a tree that is fulfilling its purpose as God intended!' Like this tree, you young people need to understand the precious Will of God and share His blessings with the world as blessed family members.

You should not let the remaining years of your life flow meaninglessly, leaving your name unknown to the world and your light not shining out to the world. All of us are the fulfillment of the dreams and hope of all humankind.
(True Mother, 2014/05/11)

27. In the world today, things are happening at incredible speed. In this moment as I am speaking to you, my words can be conveyed throughout the world in the blink of an eye. God allowed the development of civilization with such technology for the sake of all humanity.

You need to utilize what is available in our present civilization to fulfill the mission of the tribal messiah. In so doing, you must lead the way in the restoration of your nation and the world. That is the purpose of your life. If you do so, your children, grandchildren your descendants will live in joy and happiness.
(True Mother, 2014/03/31)

28. Thanks to the development of the Internet and mobile phones, the entire world can connect. If your senses are tuned to wherever True Parents are, you will be able to know everything about what they are doing.

I have trained you, and I have established a system through which we can share all our materials and achievements with the entire world, of that you can fulfill your responsibility.

You became blessed families through the True Parents. And as blessed families yo,u have a responsibility.

No one will be able to say that they did not fulfill their responsibility because they were not informed or taught. As True Parents, we have opened up every possible way for you to completely fulfill your responsibility.

By the results you bring through your effort, you will be able to establish a tradition as a good and noble family. (True Mother, 2014/03/07)

29. National messiahs, regional presidents, and special emissaries, you have to have a strong sense of mission and responsibility and focus on how to turn your region and nation around toward God. Is this possible? It is.

We know this based on Christian history. When the head of the Roman Empire accepted Christianity, Christianity became the people's religion.

Currently, the entire world is in chaos. It does not know which way to turn. We must step forward.

Sparing not one minute, even one second, we must seek ways to save even one more human life. Without our awareness, heaven has made many preparations for us.

We have to grasp hold of the hands of God who has prepared all of this for us. Our great contribution to helping God and humanity shall determine the destiny and future of the world. From this perspective, I am saying, please do not squander your time. (True Mother, 2014/05/11)

30. Even currently, do you know how many people around the world are dying without receiving True Parents?

We need to think of our fellow human beings living in misery, not knowing the providence and not having received the wonderful Blessing of heaven, even though they live in the same age as the True Parents. We need to be aware that this Blessing has been bestowed for the first time in 6,000 years.

Firmly planting your feet on the ground, you must roll up your sleeves and boldly proclaim True Parents are here on earth, and you must testify that without them, this nation and world have no hope.

I believe that it is time for all of you to thank God, who has guided you to be here currently and fulfill your responsibility to return His love for you.

I have appointed special emissaries and reorganized the world into regions based on language. I would like to be able to reach all the people in the world within one second, giving everyone the chance to participate in God's providence. Those who stand on the front line should share and testify about True Parents.
(True Mother, 2014/05/11)

31. I studied the world map, thinking about how, during my lifetime, I might be able to offer our Heavenly Parent the one united world that He so longs to see. So I organized the world map based on language and cultural spheres.

The world is not just an English-language sphere. In addition to English, there are other regional languages, such as Spanish, French, and Arabic. Furthermore, two-thirds of the world's population lives in Asia. Dividing the world simply into regions of equal population does more harm than good. We must focus on Asia.

I ask that current regional presidents focus fully on developing the church by increasing membership.

Special emissaries will strengthen relationships with social leaders based on the existing foundations of the Universal Peace Federation, the Women's Federation, and other organizations. They need to help heads of state understand God's Will as an essential step to restore nations.

Given our present era, you should not say that you cannot accomplish this. Special emissaries need to unite with the regional presidents and walk hand in hand, inside and out. (True Mother, 2014/05/08)

32. I have moved the International Headquarters to the Cheon Jeong Gung Palace. Henceforth, our Heavenly Parent will directly guide everything. Even offering your small strength or a small condition of devotion, you must not miss the chance to unite with True Parents moment by moment.

I am saying that you must not let the remainder of your life pass by without leaving your mark, without shining like the sun. We alone represent the hopes and dreams of the people of the world. Wherever you go, you must create a joyful environment. Let True Parents be the center of that environment. (True Mother, 2014/05/11)