Power through a Providential Perspective (3)

On June 10, 2001 Rev. Hwang spoke about the theme, “The work of the Holy Spirit Two Thousand Years Ago and Today.”

He pointed to some differences between now and the time of Jesus, whereby he emphasized that now, we have God’s living revelation, His guidance through the word given by True Parents, which is truth, life and revelation from God: “The word is the core of this Pentecost; that is how we can understand how revelation comes to us during this cosmic Pentecost.”

Rev. Hwang encouraged everybody to consider that the question is not how we received God’s message but to what degree do we put the message into practice: “Just like the early Christians, we must mobilize ourselves to witness, to give love and to create a community of love. That is the kind of change we must bring into this world.

True Father has told us that now is the age of unification between the spiritual and the physical; that in each individual, the mind and body will unite and on the cosmic level, the spiritual world and the physical world will unite. What he meant was not that the spiritual world should become the center of our work, but that True Parents’ direction uniting the spiritual and physical world is the center of the providence. The word expressed by them is the sole center of the providence, the central message of the Pentecost today.

The only task we have is to actually implement what we have learned form True Parents. If we start moving in the right direction, we can create a community of love, creating ever more dynamic power among us. That is what you must understand. How are we to bring about this Cosmic Pentecost? It is wrong to harbour vague thoughts that the Cosmic Pentecost will take place and we will all be victorious thanks to spiritual phenomena. We already have all we need: the word flowing from the living God, unifying the spiritual and physical worlds.

The Pentecost should manifest through doing as Father instructs, through living the truth and through making actual changes in our lives, such changes being works of love that generate dynamic power. Lastly, the Pentecost will come about through support from the spiritual world.”

Rev. Hwang centered his speech on the realization of Pentecost because a few days prior to that sermon the Pentecost providence had started on June 7, 2001. He wanted all brothers and sisters to understand how they can successfully carry themselves through this period to contribute to True Parents’ victory.

Under the theme, “The community of love we must create” the following explanations were offered: “We have the truth that True Father has revealed, the inspiration and revelation from God. What we need to do next is to create a community of dynamic love centering on the world here on earth. Help form the spiritual world is not central, but subsidiary. Only when we have our own foundations on earth, will the work of the spiritual world have the correct and original value.”

Rev. Hwang encouraged the congregation to read Father’s speeches and he asked: “Can anything be clearer in describing the Kingdom of Heaven?” As example he offered the following content: “When you have your own spouse, you must be able to selflessly put your spouse before yourself. Human beings are created to live for each other. Parents live for their children and children live for their parents. When they live for each other, a circular movement is created. The greater and faster that circular movement become, the more they do things for each other. That is the ideal form of love – not square but round and in four dimensions.

Living for each other means reciprocation. Therefore, if people live for each other, they interact more and more, creating a spherical form that leads them to eternal life.”

This is the truth, a revelation from God. Creating the Kingdom of Heaven on earth requires that we live for others, just as bringing about a new Pentecost requires living for others. How can we build a community empowered by dynamic love? The answer can be found in Father’s speeches. “The more we live for others, the faster our circular movement becomes. That is the ideal.”

Rev. Hwang affirmed: “That is true. The more we create a culture of living for others, the more power our community has. If we volunteer to take on more responsibility and even to suffer more on behalf of others, we can surely create a community of the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of the Pentecost is to create the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is the fruit of True Parents’ lives and the word. This is the central message Father wants to convey to you. You must remember that.”

My dear brothers and sisters, are we uniting well with this content and showing to the world that we have the living Holy Spirit moving in our midst based on our total dedication to a life that is lived for the benefit of others rather than our own preferences?

As a final encouragement Rev. Hwang said at the end of his sermon: “We need to change. Our entire community must go through changes. Then the spiritual world will hep us to complete our providential tasks. How can we rejuvenate our community to the point that it becomes divine? What is ‘my’ role in helping our community become so powerful and dynamic that no member of it is afraid of suffering or even martyrdom?

I pray for all of you to find and to follow your calling – to stand as the central figures of the cosmic Pentecost who center themselves on the content of Father’s sermons and guidance. Thank you.”

This speech was given in Korea. We know that True Father has also spent decades in America and continues to invest his heart on that continent. Should we not – wherever we may be at this time of our life, make sure that we embody the attitude the former president of our church in Korea stressed when speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit which should have manifested in a great time of Pentecost already long ago in our midst?

When Rev. Hwang addressed the staff of our Korean church headquarters on September 26, 2001 he emphasized the need for the settlement of culture as part of establishing God’s Fatherland: “The realization of God’s nation is the expansion into society of a culture of heart. Even if people are Buddhist, they can still realize the nation of God. This is possible when they share a common culture of heart. If people share a true family culture and purity, then the kingdom of God can be realized.

That’s how settlement works. The reason the Israelites failed to settle themselves in Canaan was because they did not settle their faith centered on Yahweh’s culture of heart, and were crushed under the culture of Baal. It’s the same for us. In this era, our settlement means entrenching our faith toward a culture of heart within our community.”

When we understand these explanations, then we will do our utmost to leave any kind of self- centered attitude behind in order to build a culture that expresses a truly loving heart which is the foundation for lasting joy and happiness.

Rev. Hwang emphasized in this sermon also the importance of passing culture on in this new era similar to the one when the Israelites had finished their forty-year course in the desert and the second generation entered the land of Canaan: “That is what the settlement age means. That’s why, in the end, we have to establish God’s culture of heart on earth. In the center of that culture of heart are True Parents and the True Family. The way of life of the True Parents will be our way of life.

For example, if True Parents do hoondokhae, then al the citizens of that nation will follow. That’s not the way it is now, however. This is because we are separate form their culture of heart.

To establish a culture of heart, there are two important things we must do first. We must inherit True Parents’ lives as our own. We must become completely one with True Parents, and form within our own life the value and nobility of True Parents must stream forth. But looking at our present state, how close are we to this?”

We all know the sad answer to this question and accordingly we should bring about the needed changes in our own hearts first and foremost.

Rev. Hwang explained: “The point is that culture is settled through a community. Faith is not given, but bequeathed. Culture is also not just given, but passed on. Bequeathing is only possible when you stand in the middle as a mediator. You must stand in the central position. The person who bequeaths is the person who, through his own life and actions, plays the role of conveying True Parents’ essence, their spirit.

Faith is the same. How is the faith of parents passed down to the children? Is it given? It is learned through life and heart. The conclusion is that the life and spirit of True Parents, the center of the culture of heart, can be settled through the role and responsibility of a person who passed them on. This will come to pass according to the passage of time and the age, so that God’s Kingdom can be realized on earth. Therefore, the position of a central person is very important.”

May we all contribute wholeheartedly to the realization of a culture of heart which we long to see manifested in how people treat each other.