Unification Sermons and Talks

by Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak

Learn to Lecture the Principle

Reverend Chung Hwan Kwak
August 4, 1993 Kodiak, Alaska

Brothers and sisters, thank you so much for your hard work. This workshop is not just for training, but to prepare for Mother's worldwide lecture tour. I hope you can inherit True Parents' heart completely and understand what you are to proclaim to your nation.

Father always emphasizes that we should study Divine Principle. As Unification Church leaders we should be ashamed that we don't know Divine Principle well enough. During Father's pioneer era, he made many prayer conditions asking God what is most precious in the cosmos. In reply, he received one simple word: chambumo (True Parents). This term is familiar to Unification Church members, but the rest of humanity has no idea what it means. They have no idea of the world of True Parents.

How fortunate we are to be in the Unification Church and have True Parents! Please compare this to the level of holiness in other religions.

Even Jesus lived only thirty-three years in a small country about one- tenth the size of Alaska. He taught for three years, and the maximum number of people he guided was five thousand. However, how many of those were really interested in him? Some came just to see miracles. However, because he was God-centered, his words and deeds were historical events in God's providence. The main content of Jesus' words was God's love.

The preciousness of True Parents

The content of True Parents' teaching is true love in family relationships. However, they don't just teach it; they practice it. How precious True Parents are! What is our attitude and lifestyle in front of our precious True Parents? They have physical limitations and cannot stay on earth forever. How will history mark this spot in Kodiak? All holy places directly relate to a holy person, often someone who only appeared there once.

Father created holy salt just before the Holy Wedding ceremony in 1960. He used it to bless the headquarters church, and after the ceremony he distributed it among the audience. True Parents are the true, restored Adam and Eve. Such holy people should live surrounded by holiness. However, in this fallen world there are no holy things and no holy land. Therefore, Father created holy salt to conditionally sanctify things. He created conditional holy grounds in Korea in 1964; in 1965 he created one hundred twenty holy grounds in forty countries. Heavenly Father and True Parents expect holy grounds to expand worldwide.

Heavenly Father's heart feels the preciousness of True Parents so much that He wants the entire world to be separated from Satan for them. Our attitude is far from Heavenly Father's. For Heavenly Father, "True Parents" is the most precious name, most precious existence. Think how precious True Children are. How precious it would have been for Jesus to have a descendant. Such a descendant would have far more value than any pope. Next in value is the truth, because True Parents cannot live forever on this earth.

Therefore, most precious are True Parents, True Children, and the truth. They are more valuable to us than any possession we may have.

What is the position of Unification Church leaders? We must guide people to True Parents' ideal, True Parents' thought. If Unification Church leaders don't know the content of Divine Principle, how can they be leaders? In order to introduce people to Father and Mother, we have to teach Divine Principle, not teach common sense or secular ideas. The minimum requirement for a Unification Church leader is to have confidence in teaching the Divine Principle.

Study Divine Principle

Remember how excited you felt when you heard Divine Principle for the first time? Many times Father has said that he feels your Divine Principle skills are insufficient. We should not make Father feel that. What should we do? Teaching Divine Principle is the best mission, because Satan fears True Parents and the Divine Principle, which points out clearly Satan's mistake. We judge Satan through the Principle, not by ourselves. The best way to overcome Satan and his obstacles is to study Divine Principle. Please be determined to become wonderful lecturers.

In the early days in Korea, middle school students went on forty-day witnessing conditions while high school students taught Divine Principle. Compared with them, your educational background is enough to teach the Divine Principle. The main point is to have confidence. It's shameful to be asked by Father to read Divine Principle here in Kodiak since we could read it anywhere. I want you to read Divine Principle so much that your book is nearly broken. That is your minimum condition!

Don't always read a page sentence by sentence. Why not memorize the important content? In order to obtain a doctorate degree, people have to read many books. You have to read Divine Principle with more diligence than theirs.

Base your sermons on Divine Principle and Father's speeches. You must digest Divine Principle completely and memorize the most important content. If you always refer to your notes, it becomes a habit for twenty or thirty years. For most of you the Principle of Restoration is difficult. Why?

Your listeners want to receive the full content of Divine Principle. Since your knowledge is inadequate, Father always asks you to study. Without the ability to lecture Divine Principle, you cannot be a leader. You must do three things: 1) Read the book thirty or forty times, or until you memorize it. Your torn book will become a personal museum piece. 2) Listen to Divine Principle again and again. 3) Lecture many times, to one person or to many, until you can give a confident lecture.

On this foundation, keep reading and studying. There are no limitations to development. Many times while you are lecturing, inspirations will come and your experience will be enriched. Furthermore, in Father's speeches you will find much precious Divine Principle content.

Recently I have been giving the Second Coming lecture first, now that True Parents have declared themselves. In Korea, we are holding seminars for VIP blessing candidates. It is very easy now, compared with the past. First I explain about True Parents and their ideal. Then I tell them that their marriage is illegal; since it is not centered on heavenly law husband and wife will be separated when they go to the spirit world. When I ask them to join us for the blessing, ninety-five percent of them accept.

The value of lecturing

When we lecture, our own spirit is regenerated, and we see others being reborn. We benefit by listening to new members' testimonies. Become model lecturers. The leaders' destinies are to become Divine Principle lecturers. Also, in your public relations work you should meet with cabinet ministers and prominent officials. If you talk about external activities or common sense you will not have good results. You should speak directly about Divine Principle and create living relationships. This is the precious power of Divine Principle.

Father gave you one year to study Korean. You should sleep no more than three hours a night. To live a normal lifestyle is not enough. Theologians worldwide study the original language of their scriptures. You must study Korean even more. One hundred ninety-six volumes of Father's speeches have been published. Soon there will be three more. There are two hundred forty possible volumes, and Father is speaking more every day. You should translate Father's words. You should study these speeches from volume one on up.

Since I became the president of the Korean church, we started publishing each of Father's books with chapter and verse divisions. This will be helpful for future study. Father expects you to study his words in Korean. If you do so, it will be of great benefit to your children.

Foundation as a lecturer

When I joined the church, the content of Divine Principle was very exciting. I had the unique situation of becoming a church leader very early. I always felt inadequate in guiding the members, especially those who joined before I did. I came to the conclusion that my own ideas were insufficient to give life to members, even the new ones. Only by giving Divine Principle and Father's words could I guide members. I always had Divine Principle with me when I was walking, teaching, visiting people's homes. That was the only way I felt confident to teach.

After one year and three months I was transferred to another center, and on the way there I visited Father at headquarters. Father asked me to lecture in front of him. I was shocked because this was the first time I had met him and I was very nervous. After Father finished listening to my lecture, he asked me to stay to lecture at headquarters. Because of this I had the opportunity to learn more. I understood that the most precious tool in the Unification Church was the Divine Principle lecture, and that lecturing was a very special privilege. Therefore, I made a strong, new determination to learn to teach.

When I arrived in the United States, I met many kinds of leaders- theologians and others. We had many discussions and programs through the International Religious Foundation, Interdenominational Conferences for Clergy, and other outreach programs. I had to work with our seminarians, our lecturers, outside theologians and scholars. After so many discussions, studies, and keynote speakers, we came to the conclusion that Divine Principle is very precious.

Theologians cannot critique the Principle

Presently many theologians have accepted the Principle and are not so critical anymore. However, at the beginning many of them overlooked Divine Principle due to their background. I realized that Christians have never critiqued the full Principle content. Theologians focus on some branches, leaves or flowers of the Principle, but they never critique the full Divine Principle tree; they never penetrate to the root. After one of our theologians' seminars in 1979, I reported to Father my discovery that even the most famous theologians can only critique parts of the Principle. This conclusion is still valid today. Our Principle foundation is different from that of established Christianity. Since the starting point is different, the viewpoint is different. You can explain these differences in your mother tongue, English, to these theologians and scholars.

What is the main content of the Completed Testament? Certain parts are centered on the principles of creation. Father's many new words are the main content of the Completed Testament. Father has already announced most of the Completed Testament, but I am still expecting more explanation about the way in which members will join in the future, the system of twelve tribes, how the physical Heavenly Kingdom will be organized.

Through Father's speeches you can learn about the Completed Testament contents, such as the principles of restoration, the Messiah, the last days, and more. Once the heavenly regime is established such principles will no longer be necessary, but the Completed Testament itself is eternal. We are very fortunate to study the Principle today in order to prepare for the future.

Reports from spirit world

Recently in Korea some mediums have been receiving letters from elder members who already went to the spirit world. For instance, Dr. Sang Hun Lee's wife went to the spirit world two years ago and has sent several letters to her husband. Once Dr. Lee asked his wife to answer some questions about the process of joining the spirit world and the name of the place where she is currently residing.

The answers came a couple of days later. "I do not know the details of how I got here," Mrs. Lee said. "After I got here I realized that this was the spirit world." Father once mentioned that someone who lives close to God's Principle on earth has a smooth elevation to the spiritual world. However, people on the satanic side have a more difficult time, because they recognize the wrongs that they have done. Mrs. Lee says that she could not recall the transition. Mrs. Lee's letters say that the spirit world is such a wonderful place to be. She feels pain knowing that her husband is working very hard although she knows Dr. Lee's mission is here on earth.

In answer to the second question, Mrs. Lee says there is no name for the location of these elder members, but that non-church people call it the Garden of Eden.

Dr. Lee wondered whether the blessed couples all live together. Mrs. Lee said that some live nearby and come to join them on celebration days. Even though she invites them to stay, they always go. This is a painful point for Mrs. Lee. Her explanation is that some Unification Church members don't like to appear to her and are always trying to hide from her. However, she can always see them from where she is. There is no hiding in the spirit world.

It is so important to teach the principles of resurrection and how the spirit world relates to the physical world. Once again, when you listen to Father, make a strong determination to lecture. Your lecturing has value for the future, of course, but it is most important to lecture for your own sake, for your own understanding.

From now on, all mankind is looking to True Parents, the Unification Church, and the Divine Principle. You have the Divine Principle book and Father's speeches. We are going to need many lecturers. Therefore, please, make a strong determination to become wonderful lecturers and good examples for others.

Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Copyright Information
Tparents Home