Just one year ago, on January, 31, the new IOWCs started. I remember I was appointed to be an IOWC Commander. At this time, Nancy came to-my team. Many things happened afterward. Anyway, now there is an IOWC going all over the world, and many blessing candidates are going to Korea. There was great success at the banquet in Korea and tremendous news came to us. But we must understand that behind the tremendous victory there must have been so much sweat and tears and blood and perseverance; so much sacrifice and finally Father's victory is now close at hand.

Everyone likes tremendous victory. Everyone likes blooming and fruits, but in order to get great, great ' fruits - not grapefruits - but great, great fruits - also grapefruit is okay - we must raise a tree, the Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Otherwise, we cannot bear fruits, we cannot bear wonderful fruits. When one seed is sown, it doesn't sprout first, but a root comes out. It doesn't turn towards the sun's rays, but into the depth of the earth. If you want to bear fruits, you must have big roots, down to the depths of the soil, and also to underground water.

This is how a seed grows. Sprout, then roots, then flowers, and fruit. Even in the case of a drought, even if all their grasses and shrubs are dying, if the root is deep enough to be able to reach the water table, still this tree will be thriving, blooming, and bearing fruit. Then thirsty people, or tired, weary people - everyone could come and sit beneath the tree. It can embrace all people, even in the case of a drought. This is a Tree of Life.

I lived in Japan, and I went many times on a visit to Korea. And later, I came to America. I observed three Unification Churches in this world. Korea is like this: root, trunk, and leaves and flower and fruit (Mr. Sudo draws a triangle, like a pyramid and divides them in 3 - root, trunk and leaves-flowers-fruit). Now on this tree, these fruits are now getting bigger and bigger. The Unification Church itself seemingly also is big and strong, but still behind this Unification Church is a big trunk and deep root - root of faith. This is faith. The trunk is Divine Principle, truth, and the fruit is activity. Faith, truth, and activity.

And Japan is like this (he draws a square, divided in 3 - root, trunk and leaves-flowers-fruit). America and Europe are like this (pyramid upside down, divided in 3 - root, trunk and leaves-flowers-fruit). Therefore, this point must be changed. This root must be changed. This faith should be introduced through Eve country to America. Then America will be this way. Therefore, Korea is like the nation of root. Japan is the nation of trunk. America is a nation of fruit. Therefore, this root should be transferred to America. If the same root is transferred to America, then a bigger trunk, and far bigger fruit will be realized in America, I think.

The purpose of the new educational system is to transfer this root to America. Therefore, Divine Principle itself is important. But some of us understand the Divine Principle or truth, as a philosophy only, but we cannot change ourselves. Based on deep understanding of Divine Principle, we need to lift up our faith; faith in God, faith in the Messiah, faith in our central figures. Many aspects of faith must be deeply investigated.

We are members of the Unification Church, and the Unification Church is different from the usual church. What's different? In the Christian church they have no Lord of the Second Advent. It's only the Unification Church that has the Lord of the Second Advent. Therefore, the Unification Church is the church of the Lord of the Second Advent.

The Unification Church appeared in this world under severe persecution. If the mission of the Unification Church is the same mission as the mission of the Christian church, the Unification Church shouldn't have had to come because other churches could have fulfilled its mission. If the mission of the Unification Church is something that can be fulfilled by a government or a president, the Unification Church shouldn't have had to emerge. Then, what is the true mission of the Unification Church? Sacrifice for the realization of the kingdom of God. To give physical salvation? Yes. But the true mission of the Unification Church is the solution of original sin. The Unification Church is the church where original sin can be solved. By doing this, we can realize the kingdom of God on earth. Solution of original sin; this is the patent of the Unification Church. This patent must be the most excellent one in the world. Don't you think so?

Then would you like to go anywhere else than the Unification Church? No. Still it's true that so many have left the Unification Church already. The Messiah is here, and solution of sin can be had. We will be given forgiveness of sin and new life; sinless marriage, sinless children, sinless family, sinless nation and sinless world. How great it is. Still, so many have left the Unification Church. Why?

In Japan, many people have attended workshops and signed membership and joined. If those who joined had stayed in the Unification Church, we would have maybe four or five times as many members as we do now. Even in Korea, the figures are something like that. Even in America, many came and many left. Can you say that you have no possibility of leaving?

No? You may feel there is no possibility of leaving now, but suppose you are on an MFT and from morning to night, you are just selling candles in the coldness and windy weather or stormy weather. Perhaps you will go out witnessing every day from morning to night, but you fail to bring new children. Depression comes over you and your parents call you, and your mother is crying, "Oh, please come back, come back to me," and you leave.

Suppose your achievement isn't so good and you have some trouble with your brothers and sisters. "They don't seem to need me. I am useless here in the Unification Church. Every time I go fundraising, I make only $30.00,'$50.00.' Other brothers and sisters are making $150.00, $200.00. "They don't need me." You might be reminded of the past; you remember eating good meals. Like the Israelites in the wilderness who said, "Oh, I'd like to eat cucumbers. Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey is too far for me."

This kind of story is far different from what Col. Pak told us about Father's success in Korea this morning. Both are fact. Still, can we say that "I'll never leave you?"

Yes, you can say that here in this training center. You can talk that way in this situation, but how can we overcome this kind of problem? This is the purpose of this talk.

Imagine a person who joined the Unification Church three years ago, four years ago, five or six years ago, but the longer he or she stays in the Unification Church, the stranger he or she becomes. "Oh, he has been in the Unification Church for five years, but still I cannot respect him." He doesn't get up early, and he doesn't go out fundraising; he stays only in his room. We never know what he is doing, and then when the other members come back he always seems to be away."

And he becomes gradually, very, very strange. Depression and envy and jealousy attack him, and younger members can get greater victory than he. This kind of thing can happen because we are fallen, of course. But, why? Why can such a thing happen? It's unbelievable? The Messiah is here, original sin will be solved, sinless marriage will be given, sinless children will be given, and tremendous victory of Father is now at hand. And yet this kind of thing still happens. Why? Why, why, why? What's the reason?

No connection with True Parents? No faith? Lack of vision? Loss of vision? Don't love each other enough. Selfish nature. Failure to understand original mind. No faith. Don't want to be object. Lack of God's viewpoint. Lack of independence. Prayer life. Don't understand the Messiah. So many things. So many negative aspects. It's true.

The Unification Church is the most wonderful place in the world throughout all of human history, and yet we don't feel joy sometimes. Something invades us. One definite reason is separation from God. Is it because of cold weather when you are fundraising that you don't feel happy? No, it's not because of coldness, but because of separation from God. Is it because of too high goals that we are depressed? We must make $200.00; we must fulfill the 1-1-1 motto. Is it because of some trouble between brothers and sisters that he or she leaves? No.

They complain, "It is too cold. I caught cold and my brothers and sisters didn't take care of me. I don't feel love. I had been looking for love, true love, and I had hoped to find it in the Unification Church, but now I have discovered that even in the Unification Church, I can't find love. It's the same thing as on the outside." He leaves one small note saying, "Good-bye," and disappears. Is it because of lack of love in the Unification Church that he left? No. They may say this, but it's not true. If he feels God - if he is one with God - he will never leave the Unification Church.

Even from morning to night without sleep, without rest, even without food, we can do anything if only we feel God. People complain in many ways, but they are justifying their action by accusing others, accusing the situation, and accusing brothers and sisters. But to tell the truth, the only reason is separation from God.

When I visited you during the period of fundraising, I gave testimony to several teams. I cannot forget this testimony. Several years ago, a sister joined an MFT. Her achievement wasn't so good. Others were making $200.00, $250.00, but she could make just $30.00, $40.00, 50.00, $60.00, $70.00 each day, day after day. She was scared of coming back to the center, because she felt as if all the rest of the brothers and sisters would accuse her and say, "Oh, you are not so good, you are not so good." She was sad. She tried and tried and tried to get higher results, but she couldn't. And she was sad.

So, she tried to leave the Unification Church. "I cannot stay anymore." When she was packing, a brother came to her and asked, "Oh, what are you doing?" She was persuaded and stayed. Another time just as she was going to the train station, another sister caught up to her on the platform, "Where are you going? Hey, come back with me." She just couldn't leave the Church.

Finally, she made up her mind to leave the Church. That morning she prayed and said to God, "Oh, Heavenly Father, if you are here with me, please reveal Yourself. Otherwise, I cannot stay in the Unification Church anymore. I must leave. I have decided to leave the Unification Church. Heavenly Father, this is the final day, do you understand?" She threatened Heavenly Father.

As usual, that day the team captain let her off in some town. She began to sell bunches of flowers. In the morning her achievement wasn't so good. In the afternoon, her achievement wasn't so good. It was already close to sunset. ' She sat down on a bench, and she cried, "Heavenly Father, I must leave. I must leave. I must leave, Father." She cried.

She couldn't deny that Father was the Messiah, she couldn't deny Divine Principle, but she said, "I cannot do this anymore. Heavenly Father, I must leave the Unification Church." When she raised her head, she had a vision in which Father was walking with far bigger bunches of flowers just in front of her. She looked at Father's back. "Oh, Father!" She stood up unconsciously and followed the vision.

I don't know how long they walked. After a while, Father's vision dropped in on one house, and she followed. Then a young lady came out, and without the sister asking anything, the young lady said, "Oh, what a beautiful flower. Can I have this one, and this one?" And when she went into another room to find money, Father's vision followed her. And Father guided her even further. He went into another house, and another lady came out and bought flowers. And he went into another house, another house, this house, that house, this house, that house. In every house Father dropped in on, someone came out and bought flowers.

She was excited, but very soon the town was finished and the road forked into two. One, a side pavement; the other, a narrow road. Right hand and left hand. And Father's vision guided her to the right hand, to the narrow and winding road. It was all dark. She was scared because the narrower road seemed to lead her into the woods, but still she followed, and very soon she found another small town. Father's vision disappeared, and she began to sell door-to-door.

Someone in every house in the village bought flowers without exception. There were 26 houses, and she had 26 bunches of flowers. When the houses were finished, the flowers were finished. Now she could understand. "Oh, Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father, you must have been with me today. You heard, You received my prayer, Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father." She cried, cried, and cried almost all through the night. She was happy and she could understand. It wasn't she, but the True Parents who were selling the flowers. The True Parents could sell to the extent she was able to sell. And if she couldn't sell enough, she was sad. She was depressed and she was sad. Then she could understand that it wasn't she but the True Parents who were sad, because the True Parents couldn't sell enough flowers, and Heavenly Father couldn't sell enough.

Therefore, she could understand it wasn't she herself but Father and Heavenly Father who were sad, who felt miserable, who felt disappointed, who felt as if they should leave the Unification Church. Then she could understand that however miserable she might have been, and however sad she might have been, there could be no feeling of misery and sadness that Father didn't feel, didn't experience.

When she felt sad, Father must be sad. She could understand it now. Though she was sad, she could understand that Father must have felt sadder than she. When she felt miserable, though she was miserable, she could feel that Father must have been more miserable than she felt. He was always standing just in front of her. Therefore, however miserable you may feel, however sad you may feel, crying and shouting because of misery and sadness, still just in front of you is Father and he is experiencing even deeper misery and grief and despair. He fought against Satan with this kind of feeling, and he subjugated this kind of feeling. Now she could find Father's footprints in front of her. Every house she visited Father had already visited. Even in the coldness, Father had gone house to house. In the winter season, in the hot season, even in the rainy season, even in the stormy night - Father had visited door to door with bunches of flowers. She could understand that the spirit of Father was all over the world. Wherever you go, you can find Father's footprints just in front of you.

This course that we are treading is the same course as Father has trodden. The same course was trodden by Jesus and by Heavenly Father. At the brink of death, spiritual death and life, she met Father and she met Heavenly Father. This encounter with Father's vision and Heavenly Father changed her completely. If only we can see God, if we can meet with God, however difficult or miserable the situation may be, if we can be one with God, we will feel happy, and we will be able to do anything for God and for True Parents.

Sometimes after a lecture many brothers and sisters cry. Why? They say that they could understand God's heart. They could understand the misery of God. We don't like to be miserable, but to see even a miserable God makes us feel happy. Therefore, if only we can be one with God, we can be happy. However difficult the decision may be, however heavy the mission may be, however cold it may be - no problem, don't you think so.

As you know, Stephen, the first martyr in Christian history, preached and raised turmoil, and people got angry with him and stoned him. His skin was torn by stones and his bones broke and his blood splashed. And at the height of his pain, he met Jesus. The next moment he died in peace, with incredible joy.

This shows that even at the price of our life, if only we can see God, if only we can meet with the Messiah, we can be happy. We want to see God. We want to meet with God, even at the price of our life. Even though I may have to shed tears, or shed blood, still I want to see God, I want to meet with God, because I am a child of God. Therefore, without seeing God, how can we be happy as children? This is the reason why we want to see God, even at the price of our life. Is it true?

Stephen became an offering on the altar of the world by shedding blood, and he was happy. Why was he happy even though he was killed? He became happy by being killed. Why? Did it make him happy to be offered? Did it make him happy because it was painful, because of sorrow? No. However sorrowful he might have felt, only because he was able to see God, to meet God, this is the only reason he was joyful to have become an offering on the altar of the world. It cannot be joyful to shed blood. It cannot be joyful to stand in the coldness. It cannot be joyful to sell candles in the coldness or darkness, or in a storm, but because by doing this, we can see God, we can do this with joy.

Eventually, unless we can see God, we can never be happy. Our essential desire is to see God. Is it true? "Oh, Heavenly Father, if you are here with me, please reveal Yourself to me. Please reveal Yourself to me." This is our essential desire, as the Japanese sister prayed. Nevertheless, still we cannot see God, we cannot meet with God, we cannot feel God - God's words, God's existence with me, and God's breath, and God's deep and warm embrace. God cannot make contact with us; also Satan cannot make contact with us. God cannot touch me, Satan cannot touch me. Therefore, I have nothing to do with God, and in a sense, also nothing to do with Satan. Satan cannot do anything; God cannot do anything. Therefore, I must go by myself. I know Divine Principle, I believe Father is the Messiah, but still I have nothing to do with God, and I haven't committed any special sin. Satan cannot take me back. Therefore, I must go by myself.

No help, no help, just all by myself. Without a relationship with God, just in my own direction of Divine Principle, just obeying my central figure, without the joy of seeing God, of meeting God. How about you? Have you had times like this, or not? Yes or no?

This is the midway position. We feel no life from God, and cannot be filled with spirit. No spirit, no joy, no peace; but at the same time, I don't wish to commit sin. I know that I must obey God, I must believe the Messiah, I must obey the Messiah, I must obey my central figure. Therefore, the longer this kind of person goes, the more tired he will be. This is the reason why the more he stays in the Unification Church, the stranger he becomes, the more deviated from God. He thinks, "When I finished the workshop, I was excited, and I could do anything, but now, no, I can't." He begins accusing others, accusing his central figures, accusing his brothers and sisters, accusing himself. This is the real meaning of midway position.

This is the same situation as Adam was in. When Adam was one with God, he must have been vitalized. Adam and Eve must have been vitalized; filled with joy and hope and spirit. After the fall, they must have become depressed and lazy; nowhere, spaced out.

Therefore, the reason why sometimes we are spaced-out is that we are in the midway position. We have nothing to do with God, but Satan cannot take us. We must get out of the midway position so that we can see God, so that we can feel God, so that we can be given life from God directly - spirit and life.

Then what is the reason? How can the solution come? What is the reason why Adam fell into midway position? Because he lost faith? No. Because of sin. Because of the satanic nature he had. God couldn't touch him, and he couldn't feel joy.

He needs a Messiah. In order to get out of the midway position, we need the Messiah. Therefore, even though we are in the Unification Church, unless I have a real, internal life relationship with the Messiah, eventually I must go by myself. Then I will be depressed, and I will be in the midway position.

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