The Castle of the Shepherd
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and members of approximately 10,000 branch churches around the world as well as in Korea, those in the local sanctuaries, and those who attend this service through the Internet, and GCN TV viewers.
This is the Eve Service of the 32nd Anniversary of Manmin Church. God the Father gave us 'The Castle of the Shepherd' as the title of the message for this service.
The main subject of all the messages that God the Father has given to this church is 'Sanctification.' Everybody needs to accomplish 'sanctification' first, in order to receive 'Strength' and the 'Power.' God the Father's providence for this end time is to save countless souls by letting the work of His power be manifested through His sanctified children.
Along with this, He want to gain the children who perfectly resemble God the Father; the children whose hearts become one with God as closely as possible. For such children, He has prepared a separate place inside the 'Castle of the Shepherd' in New Jerusalem of Heaven. You will see it in 3D presentation format during the 2nd half of this service.
It is one of the most beautiful and glorious places even in New Jerusalem. In order to help many of you enter this place, God the Father has guided you for the last 32 years. I pray in the name of the Lord that many of you will take it by force as your hope becomes greater while watching the 3D presentation.
I give thanks to those who worked so hard to produce the 3D presentation. My thanks should be also directed to all the cast and staff of the eve ceremony in the 2nd half. My sincere thanks should be also extended to all who have worked greatly for this 32nd Anniversary.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
What should you do to enter the 'Castle of the Shepherd?'
First of all, you need 'true love.'
Just love? Love as you please? Love to the extent you see fit? That's not enough. You need 'true love', which is true love of heart. The power of 'true love' is greater than anything. Nothing can stop this love.
You can see it through the example of our Lord and His disciples. In Luke 22:28~30, our Jesus said to His disciples; "You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Back then, the faith of His disciples was not perfect. They said they loved Jesus, but their love was not true. It was not true because they ran away out of fear when they saw Jesus' suffering on the cross. But Jesus believed in His disciples.
He knew that they would risk even their lives to preach the gospel once they witnessed the resurrection of the Lord and received the Holy Spirit. He believed that they would be bound to the Lord in true love that nothing could destroy, and also that they would preach the gospel of the Lord.
Neither tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or the sword could separate them from the love of Christ; they proved their true love for the Lord.
I've never lost the first love for God since I received the grace of salvation in the unreserved love of God the Father. Instead, I've increased it day by day.
While praying on May, 1978, exactly 4 years later after I met God, I heard the voice of God. "My servant whom I had chosen before time began! I refined you for three years. Now, over the next three years prepare yourself to receive the Word. You have loved me more than your parents, brothers, sisters, wife and children. Leave the current business now and go your way. Let your wife manage the shop." He said I'd loved God more than anyone and anything once I met Him and He called me as His servant.
And He promised and said, "After you arm yourself with the word for three years, you will go across rivers and oceans and do miracles and wonders." This promise was kept exactly. God the Father guided me to manifest countless signs and wonders all the over the world.
I am not saying that there have been any difficulties till now. In fact, I've faced so many difficulties, but I could overcome them all with faith that the Father loves me, and with my love for Him. I've had my life threatened and many times I have been wrongfully accused. I've experienced nation-wide disruptions. I've been suppressed by Christian communities, and I've been disturbed by mass media.
However, even more painful than these things has been the betrayal of those I have extended my love to. I've been also terribly shocked by the fact that some souls fall into death even though I taught them only the truth.
But I couldn't give up on a single soul, and so I clang to God and prayed for their salvation with my life as the pledge. Later I was again in labor, not only to save them but to also lead them into spirit and whole spirit. To help those weak souls to walk with no difficulty, I've fill in the 90% of justice by taking all the sufferings with my own body till now. Since I truly love the Father and the Lord, it's been the expression of my love for those souls that I will never give up on them.
'True love' is like this. Only those who can give up everything out of love for the Father, the Lord, and the shepherd; those who accomplish this true love can enter the 'Castle of the Shepherd.'
Brothers and sisters,
In order to enter the 'Castle of the Shepherd,' you need to accomplish what is known as 'perfect sanctification.'
What kind of sanctification is this 'perfect sanctification' am I talking about here? In Matthew 5:48, our Jesus said, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." 1 Peter 1:15-16 also says, "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'"
As said, this 'perfect sanctification' is to reach the perfectness and holiness of God the Father. In the sight of God the Father, it is the sanctification that is being found without any form of evil. It is the perfect heart not just one without even the tiniest spot, but also without any stain or smudge.
You should not just cast off all the flesh, but melt even its trace into spirit in the divine nature. In other words, even within your nature or character that you were born with must be beautifully transformed into the divine nature.
For example, Moses the Prophet originally born with both a righteous temper as well as quick temper. Such a man like him was later acknowledged by God that he was more humble than anyone on the face of earth. His old righteous temper and quick nature turned into passion for his people. Since he had such temper, after it was properly changed, he became a man of broad heart into which he could embrace all the complainants and resentments of those countless people. He could mourn for the people. He could lead them in love even by holding his life as the pledge.
This passion of Moses was never put out even in his last moment. If his character had been lukewarm, or even rather cold, he couldn't have led those people with such great passion. He may well have become exhausted in the wilderness while leading those countless people for 40 years.
Since the nature of Moses the Prophet was spiritually and completely changed and used, he could beautifully take care of such a great duty.
Apostle Paul was also originally with strong righteousness. He was proud. And He had a sense of superiority. He was also a man of an inquiring mind, and he had to be perfectly prepared. He was even obsessive and tenacious to look for an answer. And the strong 'ego' was formed through these.
Although he was vigorous as well, he was the man of 'think first before action.' When this Apostle Paul met the Lord, his original nature was spiritually changed. When he realized what he used to think was right was not true, he counted them as rubbish and cast them away. By his nature, he made this decision after tenacious thoughts.
No matter how hard he tried to deny, he couldn't do it. It was the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He is the Christ. Consequently, even though he used to stick to what he thought right, this stubborn nature turned into unstoppable passion for the Lord.
Even under the countless persecutions and hardships, his heart for the Lord never changed. He was never half-hearted toward his duty to preach the gospel to gentiles. Since he believed what he thought right, he could give himself up for the countless souls who went down to destruction without knowing the Lord. Since what believed was the absolute truth, he has burning passion to awaken souls and to help them to come back to the Lord by all means.
In addition, his inquiring mind made it possible for him to write 14 New Testaments. Of course, the bible was recorded in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, his nature of tenaciously inquiring things surely helped him to record them.
As you can see, when you cast off every form of evil, and turn the trace of flesh into spirit and accomplish the heart of whole spirit, it is the 'Perfect Sanctification.' God the Father leads such children of this perfect sanctification into the Castle of the Shepherd.