The Kingdom of Heaven is Around Us

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, FFWPU Continental Chair for North America, gave the main Sunday Service address at the Belvedere Training Center on Sunday, February 15, 2015. He spoke to families about True Mother’s latest efforts to spread True Father’s legacy for tribal messiahship around the world.

I was afraid to come to Belvedere today in case anyone blamed me for bringing the severely cold weather here. In fact, I’m not coming from Chicago, I’m coming from Hawaii. So, this weather has now awoken me back to the reality of daily activity. That is why I wrote a long sermon today; however, my sermon title is very simple: “The Kingdom of Heaven is Around Us”.

American Unificationist families should be aware of the weekly activities from around the world and be aware of the wonderful ideas and Marriage Blessing Ceremonies taking place centering on True Mother, be it in the Philippines, Asia or Nepal. We really need to learn from these worldwide activities, how the fundamental foundation of True Parents’ teachings is being laid in each nation. It is a matter of how we can bring the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, not just to America. We may think “America is a first class country; we don’t need to hear anything from Africa, Asia or South America. But these are our brothers and sisters, the spirit of True Parents and True Love is with them also.

The Spirit of Our Elders

Think about 1975 and the 1800 Blessed Couples. The majority of these elder brothers and sisters went out to do world mission work. So let’s give them a big round of applause. Without the life of sacrifice of our elder brothers and sisters, would we have been able to work towards God and True Parents’, providence of restoration for the sake of all humanity? No way! It is because of our elder blessed couples’ missionary work and their dedication to living for the sake of True Parents’ will that this was possible, not only in America, but also around the world.

I was very impressed with True Mother’s way of thinking toward our elder brothers and sisters. When True Mother heard about the ascension of Rev. Reiner Vincenz on the way to Hawaii from Las Vegas, I shared with True Mother that it may be good to have a national level Seong Hwa ceremony for the sake of Rev. Vincenz’s family. However, on the way to Kona, True Mother spent a good amount of time thinking of how much the European brothers and sisters have sacrificed living their lives for the sake of the world and especially for the sake of this country, America. True Mother was not thinking of just one man, she was thinking of all the European leaders and their families who have dedicated their lives for the sake of America. These European leaders came when True Father called them to come back to America because he wanted to do something with them for the sake of this country.

True Mother remembered the Butterfly missionary work that took place underground in Communist Bloc countries. We cannot openly share God’s message even underground. True Mother remembered all these stories when she was thinking of Reiner Vincenz. We have to remember our elder brothers and sisters around the world and their dedication for the sake of Cheon Il Guk. So Without their sacrificial life and without their commitment and their foundation how can we build the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth? She suggested and she gave True Father’s blessing for a worldwide level Seong Hwa ceremony. So it went very beautifully and before I left Hawaii for Rev. Vincenz’s Seong Hwa Ceremony, she took me to a souvenir store. In Hawaii they have souvenir stores for pearls. I watched as True Mother cracked open an oyster shell for pearls, we called “Aloha”, “Aloha” and three pearls came out. Usually I see one or two, but three pearls came out. I didn’t know at this time that these may be for somebody special. True Mother said I prepared this gift for Reverend Vincenz’s daughter. The three pearls that came out symbolized first generation, second generation and third generation. When I presented Leena with True Mother’s special gift, I explained that True Mother’s favorite precious stone is pearl.  That is why True Father always gave True Mother pearls, because of their purity, and because they never change. I told Reverend Vincenz’s daughter, “This gift is a symbol of True Parent; whenever you look at these pearls, remember True Parents and carry on your father’s dedicated life for the sake of others, for the sake of the world. This was True Mother’s message to his daughter.

Here is another example of how much True Mother inspired our elder brothers’ and sisters’ dedication. One brother, named Futoshi, and his wife, who is from New Mexico, have dedicated their life over the past 30 years to the Jardim Providence in South America and to caring for the boat and buildings True Parents prepared there. For 30 years this family and American sisters remained dedicated without any complaint. I heard True Mother talk about the Futoshi family over the last two years. They have eight children and last year True Mother requested that their family be brought back to Las Vegas. They have worked so hard and have been through a all kinds of misery in Jardim. Finally, two weeks ago, they arrived back here. This is one of the families True Mother has really blessed by preparing a home and a job for the future. I was very impressed by True Parents’ love and, how much they live their daily life for the sake of others, centered on acts of True Love.

Over the last two months spent with True Mother, I have learned just how much True Mother thinks about our elderly families and couples—those who really dedicated their life for the sake of our community and for the sake of the world.  This year, Europe celebrates its 50th anniversary of the founding of the Unification Church. They are inviting True Mother in the spring to celebrate. I am not sure whether True Mother is definitely able to attend but she will certainly send her daughter Sun Jin Moon, Director General of FFWPU International, and her husband as representatives of True Parents and the True Family.

Cheon Il Guk’s Foundation Day

I remember, when I last came to the Belvedere, I shared with you that Cheon Il Guk has already come and that scripture has been saying this same thing even since 2000 years ago when Jesus came to save humankind.  It is in Luke 17:25 that it says: “Behold the Kingdom of God is within you”.  What True Father explains in the Divine Principle about this scripture, is that in Jesus’ day, those who believed in and followed him had already partaken of the Kingdom of Heaven in their heart. Likewise, at Christ’s Second Advent, because he will be born on the earth, the Kingdom of Heaven will be realized first in the heart of those who believe in him and follow him. When these individuals increase in numbers through from society and nations, the kingdom of heaven within will gradually be manifested in the world as an outward, visible reality. Accordingly, Jesus meant that the promised kingdom of heaven will not be realized in an instant as it would if Christ were to return on the cloud.

This is True Father’s explanation about the past. On January 13, 2001, True Parents spoke for the first time about Cheon Il Guk and Foundation Day. As you know, Foundation Day is the first day of Cheon Il Guk. Many people calculated it to begin from January 13, 2001 to January 13, 2013. Yet in True Father’s mind it was not 12 years, but 13 years.  True Father prepared for 13 years from 2001 to 2013 for Cheon Il Guk’s Foundation Day. You may ask,”why so many thirteen’s”? Does anybody know why the number thirteen occurs so often?  Jesus had 12 disciples and so we must include Jesus himself, to make thirteen. Yes, that’s one of True Father’s explanations on the significance of this number and why it occurs so often.

In the Scriptures, how many days does it say that it took for God’s creation to come into being? (Six days and on the seventh day there was rest). But according to True Father, God spent more than six days, He spent twelve days. Twelve days, and on the thirteenth day God really hoped He would be able to enter into this ideal world Himself. This thirteenth day is the reason True Parents prepared the number thirteen. After 13 years of preparation from January 13, 2001 to January 13, 2013 we reached the first day of Cheon Il Guk, what we call Foundation Day.

The Third Holy Scripture: The Cham Bumo Gyeong

So this is what God and True Parents prepared for all of us. I would like to remind you of our yearly motto, “Let’s us become true owners of Cheon Il Guk who practice true love in resemblance to our Creator, the Heavenly Parent.” This is the reason True Parents made such preparation for the sake of Cheon Il Guk and for the sake of Foundation Day. Cheon Il Guk means “two worlds become one, two people become one and mind and body become one.” How can we become one? By practicing true love. This is the essence of most of the teachings contained in the Cheon Il Guk scriptures. Spirit world and physical world must become one. How? By practicing true love.  We must embody Cheon Il Guk in our daily life, and in ourself as well.

We are now entering a new, the third year of Cheon Il Guk, in 2015. When True Mother created our yearly motto for the next seven years for Vision 2020 and our 2015 motto, she explained that we must align with True Parents and bring this motto to life. When we read this yearly motto and the Vision 2020 motto, it  sounds like one True Father himself would have created. This is testament to True Mother’s relationship in oneness with True Father in spirit. Over 40 days spent in Hawaii, Kona and Honolulu, in the morning and afternoon of each day for about 30 days every day, True Mother held Hoon Dok Hwe (daily study of scripture) using the third book of the Cheon Il Guk scriptures, the Cham Bumo Gyeong. The Korean version is now almost complete. True Mother is making final checks and leading Hoon Dok Hwe, each time crying as she receives True Father’s message, and as she reads True Mother’s message in the Cham Bumo Gyeong. I was very impressed by how much True Mother is focusing on editing this precious gift from True Father and True Parents to the blessed central families and for the sake of the world. This is not just for the sake of our blessed families; the Cheon Il Guk scriptures are for the sake of the seven billion human beings on this earth.

Think about what True Father spoke of before he went to the spirit world–Original Divine Principle workshops, the Holy Scriptures and education. After educating ourselves, we must, as new tribal messiahs, go on to educate our tribes and our neighbors, bringing them back into the realm of True Parents’ True Love. This is our mission as new tribal messiahs. As blessed central families, we must understand God and True Parents and be creative in our practice and actions as new tribal messiahs.

The Vision 2020 Motto

This is the fourth point of the Vision 2020 yearly motto. Without thinking of True Parents, the Heavenly Parent, or the mission of all blessed central families and without action we cannot fulfill this motto to become true owners of true love. No doubt, when we practice all these things we are in the right place; we are in the realm of True Parents. We are in the spirit of Cheon Il Guk; we are in the spirit of true love.

True Mother’s vision is very clear—centering on True Parents’ teaching we must build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, Cheon Il Guk. So our main mission is to testify about True Parents. Without re-educating ourselves and without re-educating others, Cheon Il Guk cannot be within us. True Father mentioned very clearly, that Cheon Il Guk is a God-centered, ideal world. Two worlds’—spirit world and physical world—become one; our physical body and mind become one. With all these things, how can we become one? Centering on true love. We must not simply blame others because we cannot do something. People point the finger at one another but True Mother is very clear: if we don’t believe in the Divine Principle, and we are not one in body and spirit with True Parents, we cannot call ourselves Unificationist families or Unificationists. The subject of our family church, the Unification Movement, is True Parents. No one else can replace True Parents. True Mother is very clear, that without knowing Divine Principle and without knowing our subject, True Parents, we all remain in darkness.  We must reach out and become one body and mind, bringing together two worlds centering on the teachings of True Parents. Only then can we feel the Cheon Il Guk within us and become the true owners of Cheon Il Guk centering on true love.

Inherit True Parents’ Spirit

As you know, Belvedere is a very historical place. How many times did True Father stand on this stage? Countless times. How many times did he share about his commitment to saving this country, America? How many times did he share his suffering with us, yet not even one time could we truly understand True Father’s and True Mother’s heart. Two thousand years ago, Jesus spent three years trying to educate the Roman Empire and bring the Kingdom of Heaven back to this earth. This was the mission of Jesus two thousand years ago. Think about how many times True Parents have done the same.

For the first three years of their mission, from 1971 to 1973, True Father and True Mother travelled around the nation together. Amongst other things, the Yankee Stadium speech in 1976 came about due to the foundation set in these first three years. True Father and True Mother arrived in December 1971, and in 1972 they prepared for a seven-city tour starting at the Lincoln Center.  In 1973, a 21-city tour took place, starting at Carnegie Hall. In 1974 True Father held the 32-city Day of Hope speaking tour. Throughout these three years True Father poured out God’s message: “Wake up, turn your life around with your founding fathers’ spirit and become a God centered nation, a God centered family. True Father is very clear:  this country is not just 240 years old; this country is a product of two thousand years of Jesus’ work. This country must go back to the spirit of Jesus and must go back to the spirit of God. I heard that God promised to True Father that He would only come to America for three years and that God would take on the rest. So for the first three years True Parents poured out all their energy and their spirit in order to awaken this country, America.

We must act like True Father did, with that same kind of spirit once again. This is the third year of Cheon Il Guk. Do you know how much True Mother has invested over the last two years in the education of our youth so that the younger generation can inherit True Parent’s spirit and take our movement’s activities out into the world? Now there are upcoming youth in all the local communities participating in church activities around the world.

I was very surprised to hear how many Unificationist youth participated in the outreach efforts in Hawaii and Las Vegas.  Even in Hawaii, three Unificationist youths wanted to stay longer than 21 days. Think about Generation Peace Academy activities and Universal Peace Academy. This is all due to True Mother’s support. So now, we must take ownership.  Cheon Il Guk is already within me but I don’t feel Cheon Il Guk. This is a problem, it is my problem too. How can I take this as mine? As yours? The best way, True Mother told me, is to practice true love. Practice true love in your daily life, then you will come to own the Kingdom of Heaven in you, in your family, in your community, in your nation. Nothing else. Don’t be narrow-minded and don’t be closed in your heart. Listen to what True Father says, what True Mother says. This is the best text book, the best guide. Whether we are witnessing in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Washington, the Philippines or Africa, it is the same principle.  When you take ownership of witnessing centering on True Parents, centering on True Mother, you will be revived.

With these three-week witnessing activities, we will revive this country one more time, in the same way as we did with the God’s Hope for America pilgrimage last year. We really want to try to revive and more forward with this witnessing spirit inheriting True Parents’ heart. So now we need action! We are missing only one point, action! Action is missing!

Before I arrived early this morning from Las Vegas I attended the Ocean Summit with brothers and sisters in Las Vegas and around 20 people gathered really cultivating the spirit of the ocean providence centering on True Parents. When this one brother, Clint Woods, came to our office at FFWPU USA headquarters in New York, we heard a presentation about Ocean Providence International.  I was amazed. Even myself, even working with the National Ministry Team, I have not really thought about how we can carry on the spirit of True Father’s ocean providence. But it was a very clear presentation about the ocean, about fishing. So now, True Father is in the spirit world, and who is really carrying on this providence? These brothers and sisters have been working with True Father’s spirit over the last 30 years and now they are taking ownership of it. They are moving forward, coming to Las Vegas to discuss and understand about True Father’s vision for the ocean. So I asked if Clint Woods could please give this presentation to the Universal Peace Federation.   The ocean providence has a great vision on how we can save the ocean and how we can utilize the ocean for the sake of feeding all 7 billion people on the planet.  Have you heard about the Sunhak Peace prize?

What kind of people should we recommend to receive this prize in its first year? True Mother gave guidance, explaining that we have to narrow down what kind of field the prize will be in. How can we select a candidate? True Mother was very clear that in this first year of the Sunhak Peace Prize, 1 million dollars will go to either a person, several people or an organization who have dedicated themselves  and given their lives for the sake of the researching, preserving and saving the and giving hope to humankind. The ocean providence and other agricultural fields of study were inspired by God for the sake of humankind.

True Mother Continues to Spread True Father’s Legacy

True Mother is truly carrying on True Father’s legacy and all that he did for the sake of this ocean providence. Whether he was going to Las Vegas or to Hawaii, fishing was always one of his daily activities. Many things in God’s providence for the restoration of America and the world happened whilst fishing.

So, in order to take action, we need passion! Without motivating myself I cannot do anything. This is good testimony for our youth who have never understood about or participated in activities we held in the early days and now, they are going out to witness. Their first time giving Divine Principle lectures is done using a screen, rather than a chalk board as we did. They don’t always know what to say and they give short presentations, trying to educate one or two guests. They are college students and yet, they have never had this kind of experience before. This shows how action and passion can change us and our movement!

True Mother is a very strong lady. Many elders have testified that when True Father would speak sternly to them, they would recover.  But it is our True Mother whose firmness and strength are not to be overlooked. Her smile is very beautiful and when she talks it is very nice, very wonderful, but somehow, it is not easy for leaders because she is so bold and so motivated.  

True Parents and True Mother renovated the whole of Hannamdong into a guest house. True Mother really wants people who work hard as missionaries in places such as Africa, for example, to stay at Hannamdong when they visit the fatherland, Korea, and feel True Parents. So we are now renovating Belvedere because we would like to have the same kind of spirit as True Mother. Whoever comes to Belvedere can relax and inherit the spirit of True Parents.

Maybe you don’t know the value of being a Unificationist here in the Westrock Family Church at Belvedere.  UPA and CARP members from Korea wrote in their testimonies to True Mother about how impressed they were by Belvedere and East Garden staff the families here.   

When I walked through the gate at Belvedere and stood at the East Garden Holy Ground I could feel the spirit of True Father’s words before he left for Danbury and like a vision, I could see his serious demeanor. When people pray on the rock at the Holy Ground at East Garden, True Father appears, crying. True Mother has declared that Belvedere and East Garden are the best Holy Grounds in human history. So please feel that Belvedere, this area, leads as an elder church center, in this respect. You must be the elder church, Westrock Family Church, and lead with that in mind. If you are given some kind of direction you should follow it not just because you are told to, but because the message came first to Belvedere in America; God’s entire message was given to us through True Parents, from right here. The early historical messages and pictures of the Unification movement in America came from right here.

I spent time with Mr. Seok Byeong Kim, the Director of Peace TV, in Hawaii because he brought the draft  of the Cham Bumo Gyeong to read together with True Mother. All the messages in it were given here, at Belvedere. This Foundation Day they would like to make a video presentation of all historical pictures from East Garden and Belvedere. This place is the origin of our movement in America and in the world. Please, inherit all messages from here and from True Mother’s speeches at Belvedere. They found many of True Mother’s speeches from Belvedere and East Garden that they don’t have in Korea. This is testimony to the Editor of the Cheon Il Guk scriptures. So we must treat this place like it’s the home of True Parents’ foundation.

This Foundation Day, we are making a gift to True Parents of a picture of the newly renovated main house at Belvedere.  I showed Director Kim a picture of the back of Belvedere and he did not recognize it. He had never seen such a beautiful place. So many treasures exist here. So please, let us all take ownership of this place, not just the East Garden and Belvedere staff. I ask not only members of the National Ministry Team, not only the church leadership or national council members but everyone here to take ownership and to please  lead the American movement and the worldwide movement as True Father and True Mother did.

Once again thank you so much. God bless each one of your families throughout the year, this third year of Cheon Il Guk, 2015. See you soon, thank you.