The Importance of Faith and Family
Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Director of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in North America, delivered the following sermon at the Las Vegas Family Church Sunday Service on April 9, 2017.
The other day, I invited CARP members to a restaurant, but one sister was missing. I couldn’t enjoy my meal because she was not there. I heard that she was working very hard to prepare for her final exam. She had to make up an exam that she missed when she went to Korea for Foundation Day as a member of Apple Heaven USA.
When I stand here, my eyes can see people who are not here. My eyes are very strange. Why don’t I recognize those who are here? Why do my eyes recognize only those who are not here? It’s very strange, in a sense.
The other sensation I feel is that when someone is missing, I cannot see a family. I have to see everyone. Because I like to feel like a family.
Whenever I go to a state, and visit a church community, like San Francisco last weekend, or Los Angeles, I meet CARP members. When I travel around the nation, many people ask me how I can handle it all. They ask me if I’m not tired. No. I’m never tired. How could I go around if my energy ran out? No. Whenever you see me, I always have the same smile and the same commitment.
These people whom I meet, I get a lot of energy back from them. If I expended all of my energy, I couldn’t inspire others.
Think of Hoover Dam’s big turbine; it’s a huge turbine that makes a lot of noise. When True Father came to the Las Vegas area for the first time, he visited the Hoover Dam and stayed there for a few hours. While most people just pass by, True Father spent several hours there. It wasn’t because his major was electrical engineering. Without this big turbine motor, the Hoover Dam could not light up five states. We couldn’t enjoy the view of the Las Vegas Strip at night. We couldn’t enjoy the water show outside the Bellagio resort. Everything needs light. When this turbine is out of power, then it’s finished, and we’ll have to replace or fix it.
Think about God’s 6,000-year history of restoration, and Christianity’s 2,000-year history. How about True Parents’ life? When you see True Father, did you see him running out of power? Even during his last day on the earth, he was scolding me. Did you see True Mother in the video this morning? I watched the same video yesterday, and True Mother was sounding more powerful and looking younger. How can she handle everything, not only activities both day and night but also communication with people, communication with True Father in the spirit world? True Mother has established communication with True Father. She developed that, and because of that she looks stronger and younger. Be stronger. Be younger. That’s what that message is all about.
We Don’t Have Many Options
Testify to True Parents. This is the most important in our portion of responsibility.
What is the best knowledge? I mentioned this before: The best knowledge is knowing True Parents as the Second Coming of the Messiah. That is the best knowledge.
We don’t have many options. Our life is very clear. Everybody has some problems here and there: family members, political issues, social issues, economic issues. There are so many challenges around us. However, God and True Parents disciplined us: Be strong, be bold, you will always be faced with challenges. Why did True Father go through these kinds of courses? He could have taken a detour; he could have escaped for a while, for a few years in Korea or somewhere else, and then come back, but instead he went to Danbury.
I don’t know if you know about life in prison. It is indescribable. He did not do it for his own sake, his family’s sake, or the Unification Church’s sake, but for the sake of this country, for the sake of God’s Providence of Restoration of 6,000 years. True Father was showing us that we will face the same kinds of things; however, we shouldn’t think about it too much. There are no options, we have to walk straight, we have to move forward in a straight line. Don’t take a detour. Don’t escape, and don’t avoid it. This is what I learned from True Father, and now True Mother.
An elder leader came to New York a few weeks ago and asked me if I sometimes miss True Father. I told her no, I miss him every morning, every afternoon, and every evening. I have a direct relationship with him, so I feel like True Father and True Mother are behind me and supporting me to lead this country, and leading our family members—the precious Blessed Central Family members.
We Have to Value Ourselves
We have to value ourselves. I believe that there is no other church or organization that really believes that God can save this country. No one really believes that True Parents are the Second Coming of the Messiah, saving this nation and the world. As Blessed Central Family members, we must reconfirm ourselves. We must value ourselves. We must be clear about who we are. From there, we can move forward.
I see so many miracles with my eyes. I prayed the day before, and the next morning God prepared what I prayed about the night before. It really frightened me. God thinks of each of us as His only son or daughter. That culture is what we must cultivate, create, and have absolute faith in.
True Father said Sunday service preaching is not just the preacher’s job. This is a testimonial job. We have heard three testimonies this morning from two brothers and a sister. I was very moved by their testimonies. This is the energy that makes my motor, my heart, never run out of power. When I see the Las Vegas CARP members smiling, participating in service work, church work, and campus work, there’s power there. When I come here, the missionaries are always smiling and doing things. Like the Las Vegas CARP members, they have energy and motivation.
Jinil testified about his experience of the last 2 1/2 years here in Las Vegas CARP, and witnessing. I was very moved about his testimony that the Second Generation are missing this big part. It’s witnessing, talking to others. That is most important, but he awakened all the district pastors and church leaders. He gave me energy. My engine didn’t stop; it’s running. He gave me that energy.
Good Education
What is good education? Knowing and understanding True Parents as the Second Coming of the Messiah; that is the best. Society has so many problems: broken families; miscommunication of wives and husbands, parents and children. These are serious. When we study the Divine Principle, when we study True Parents’ word, Cheon Il Guk Scripture, all of the answers are there, but the problem is we are not clear! All the answers are there, but we don’t believe them. Who believes that they are a messiah? You are a messiah. It doesn’t matter if you’re a national messiah, tribal messiah, family messiah.
True Father even gave you a blessing, saying that you are a messiah. It was the same thing with me; I didn’t believe that. How can I become a messiah? But I try. Why did True Father say so? I try, pray, and study more deeply about True Parents, because one thing is very clear: I believe True Parents are the Second Coming of the Messiah. I have no question about that. Even though I believe, my actions have not always followed my belief. This is fallen nature.
This is the reason that God has been waiting 6,000 years. The absolute, omnipresent, omnipotent God has been waiting. Why are we faced with a miserable America and a miserable world today? Can you blame the people? God has come. We must believe that God prepared all kinds of clear answers; all the answers are here, within us. True Parents say that the family is the most precious foundation for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Your family. Parents must be in God’s position.
We Are in God’s Position
We are not only a messiah, we are in God’s position. Can you believe this? If you believe that you could be like God, be a messiah, your life will change gradually. How much you believe will determine how much your life changes.
You are God’s sons and daughters, and you’ll become like God Himself, become a messiah, and become true parents; this is God’s ideal, this is True Parents’ ideal.
We should think, “I really want to have a great relationship with a spiritual center, and to unite with my spiritual leader”; from there, it’s very simple. When you do that, you will have a different self the next morning. If you say, “I’m the same person that I was yesterday,” that’s not good.
I’ve been in the Unification Church for over 50 years. I joined when I was 12 years old. My aunt was pushing me to go to church. She pulled me there. When my aunt, as an itinerary worker, went to some other city, my friends and I went to the movie theater instead of church. You can grow; even over 50 years my life of faith is not the same as it was last year. I have changed. People look at me and say that I changed. What my wife told me was that I changed too. Because we see each other once a month, or so, she says, “Oh, you changed a lot. You’re a little heavier here.” I feel like I am changing every day. This is part of the original, ordinary experience.
Don’t be the same person from yesterday to today. Be brighter, kinder, and more knowledgeable about True Parents. Don’t be afraid of testifying about True Parents. When we overcome, our American church in the next three years will change dramatically, we will change. Yes, not everybody is in the same situation and same spirit, but we can change in three years.
A Life of Faith
I’ll conclude by referring to True Mother’s message that she gave on November 30, 2016, in the Kennedy Caucus Room [at the inauguration of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace].
In the Providence of God, God chose the people of Israel and raised them over a period of 4,000 biblical years. Through this long historical period, God struggled and worked to send his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. How difficult it must have been to send Jesus Christ that it took 4,000 biblical years for human beings, who are in sin, to go back to their Creator. It is not easy; a condition of indemnity must be paid to find redemption with the Creator. That is why the history of the Providence of Restoration, centering on heaven, has been a history filled with blood, sweat, and tears. We look at this world and see unspeakable misery happening around the globe. This is impossible to solve with mere human power. What should we do from here onward? We should start a movement that once again attends God as the original owner of the universe in our families, countries, and the world. However, the reality is that, although our hearts are eager to attend God, it’s hard to practice in real life.
True Mother goes on to say, “America, start a new America that is centered only on True Parents.” The Unification Church is True Parents’ church. Don’t think Family Federation. Yes, we are the Family Federation, but Family Federation equals True Parents. It’s very simple. “Where can we stay—in the Family Federation or the Unification Church?” Every moment, our church, our Family Federation equals True Parents because True Parents are the Second Coming of the Messiah.
What can you do? If you lived in Jesus’ time 2,000 years ago and if you recognized Jesus as the Messiah, when he said to do this and that, could you reject him? History shows that all the Israelites rejected him. God, Beloved God, sent the Second Adam who was Jesus. Then God sent the Third Adam who is True Father and the Third Eve who is True Mother, and they became the True Parents and Second Coming of the Messiah. When True Mother proclaimed that she is the Only Begotten Daughter, my mind opened with joy because True Mother took all kinds of burdens of human history onto her shoulders. It wasn’t for the sake of getting the same kind of authority that True Father had. That’s not True Mother’s desire, or wish. She took more burdens. I’m so thankful to Heavenly Parent and True Father in the spirit world and True Mother.
Whatever she says, I’ll believe her 100 percent, 120 percent. I’ll believe in her and try to put into action, substantialize, what I believe. This is a life of faith. Thank you and God bless you.