Message from Rev.Tomihiro Tanaka, President of FFWPU Japan

Let us “restore the Principle” and become an “atomic bomb” that can disseminate the word!

Everyone is struggling to attain happiness and avoid misfortune. From the commonplace affairs of individuals to the great events that shape the course of history, each is at root an expression of the human aspiration for ever greater happiness.

‘Introduction’ in Exposition of the Divine Principle.

When we open the “Divine Principle” in our hands after being led to the church, the first thing that jumps out to us is the passage above. I am sure there are many members that have been deeply moved by such elegant and heartistic words. In that moment, the hand that turns a page of a book ever so lightly becomes tense as if knowing it is holding something of grave value.

Although the word is so vast as to engulf the universe, it still draws you in where its message penetrates deep into the mind of a small being as yourself; and before you know it, you realize that you are not reading the word, but instead, the word is being read and deciphered through you.

The last page of the Introduction testifies that “God has sent one person to this earth to resolve the fundamental problems of human life and the universe. His name is Sun Myung Moon,” and how he “trod a bloody path of suffering in search of the truth, passing through tribulations that God alone remembers,” which is evidence of his authority over the word.

Although the Introduction is only 18 pages, it’s on such a scale as if the whole universe has been condensed in its pages, and it speaks to us with such spiritual authority to the extent where a single religion could be established just by the words in the Introduction, itself.

Since the early days of our church, pioneering members have stood on street corners, pioneered witnessing activities, and even confronted communists, all the while carrying the “Divine Principle” as they cried out the truth and the coming of the Second Advent. By encountering this core truth, all of us were able to escape the maze of confusion regarding all kinds of values, such as the outlooks on life, history, the universe, and humanity.

We find the words, “When did you convey God’s words at the risk of your life?” (The Way of God’s Will (Japanese edition.), p. 240), and this signifies how (Father) never let go (of the Principle) when he conveyed the word at the risk of his life, even as he shed blood, sweat, and tears.

Now, we must, once again, make the Principle of the Unification Church as guiding principles in our daily lives, so that we may experience the value of the word and communicate them to as many people as possible. True Parents said, “What matters is not how much you have understood the Principle, but how much you have practiced it” (Ibid, p. 239), and “understand God’s words not only with your heart and mind but also with your body and carry them out. We should become armed with God’s words, like an atomic bomb of God’s words. Therefore, we should not fizzle out when we are supposed to explode.” (Ibid, pp. 238 – 239).

Do not leave the Principle at the doorstep of witnessing. It shouldn’t only be a tool for witnessing. If you do not actualize the Principle in your life and become an entity of the Principle yourself, you will only be an undetonated shell.

When you go to bed, sleep with the Principle; and when you wake up, get up with the Principle. Until now, even if you knew the Principle, you did not study how to utilize it. A person who utilizes the Principle is a person who lives a principled life.

Ibid, p. 238.

The Divine Principle should be your companion in life, whether it be for your own personal completion or family completion. You can also say it is an escort in your life.

Through a life of reading scripture, we are able to learn so much of the word given by our True Parents. However, in many cases we are only satisfied with the parts that resonate with us, and end up with our own sense of satisfaction.

But that should not be the case when confronting the Divine Principle, which is the centerpiece of the word. It is the Principle that True Parents restored after battling Satan and millions of his minions both in the spiritual and physical worlds. It is the fountain of life for all people.

In order to build a church filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth, we must not cease giving Divine Principle lectures in our churches. If the Principle remains only as a witnessing tool, then it will disappear from the church unless new members join. The Principle is the centerpiece of the word, and at the same time, it should be the centerpiece of our lives of faith. Please keep in mind that no matter how many years you have lived a life of faith, the place you should return to is the Principle as it will surely become the “atomic bomb” that will help establish Cheon Il Guk.

 

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