Select a Language
Everyone living in the world has his or her own standard of value. Some people put value on material goods or wealth, some on knowledge, and some on pleasures or hobbies.
Unlike people in the world, we hope for invisible, eternal things. As “citizens of heaven,” we need to put priority on the heavenly standard of value when we do something, thinking, ‘What would God think about this?’ instead of focusing on people’s views about it (2 Co 4:18; Php 3:20).
According to the heavenly standards of value, we are all valuable. Even a stone on the street was created by God and has its own value and reason for being there. How much more valuable are we, human beings! Do you think God wasted time creating worthless beings? Not at all. Moreover, God has approved us and entrusted us with the mission of preaching the gospel to seven billion people all around the world. Indeed, we are truly valuable people entrusted with the most valuable task.
Although we bear no fruit, let us not depreciate ourselves by thinking, ‘While others bear much fruit, why can’t I?’ Instead, let us try our best in everything we do. Then God will regard even our small efforts and prayers as great and allow us to bear beautiful fruit somewhere.
The value of heaven, measured by efforts
What are the values of the kingdom of heaven, and what is the heavenly method of calculating the values? Let’s find the answer in Luke 21.
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Lk 21:1–4
The value of two copper coins is only worth a fraction of a penny, which no one would pay attention to. However, Jesus took note of what the poor widow gave, and said that the widow’s offering was greater than all the offerings made by the rich. According to the calculation method of this earth, two copper coins have a very low value, but Jesus saw her beautiful faith and sincerity in her offering, didn’t He?
Why did Jesus mention this scene and let it be written in the Bible, so that it would be passed down to us today? We need to think carefully about it. God gladly accepts what we give Him with a sincere heart and faith towards Him, even though it is something small. God also regards our small efforts to obey His word as great. He considers those who have little strength and do their best more valuable than those who have much ability and achieve great things (Rev 3:8).
We are poor, weak and worthless according to the earthly standards of value. According to the heavenly standards of value and the calculation method of heaven, however, we are regarded by God as very valuable. So, if we gather our prayers and efforts to do something for the gospel, though small, it can bring great joy to Father and Mother, right? Our earnest prayers asking God to help us with how to use our abilities, though small, for God, our small efforts to change ourselves for the better, our heart’s desire to follow God’s word—all these things are truly valuable according to the values of the kingdom of heaven and the calculation method of heaven, although they don’t seem great to other people. We must keep this fact in mind.
The apostles realized the value of the kingdom of heaven
With this kind of mindset, the apostles gave their full loyalty to God, being faithful even in little things. Now, let’s see what kind of faith those who realized the value of the kingdom of heaven had, through the history of the early Church.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Ac 4:13–20
In obedience to Jesus’ last command, the apostles put their whole heart and soul into preaching the gospel in Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Although they were unschooled, ordinary men, the words from their mouths were more powerful than anything spoken by educated people. This amazed the Jewish leaders, and they threatened them not to preach in Jesus’ name at all. However, the apostles flat-out refused to listen to them, saying, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Like that, they showed their strong will to follow God’s standard of value, not the worldly standard of value.
Since they were on God’s side and conformed to the standard of value set forth by God, they never yielded to any external hindrances. The gospel spread more rapidly by those people who correctly understood the value of the kingdom of heaven and the heavenly method of calculation.
‘How would God judge it?’ This is the heavenly method of calculation and the heavenly standard of value. ‘What would people think about it?’ If this thought comes to our minds first, we will deviate from God’s standard: ‘What would God think about it?’ We can have the right values of heaven when we always think of God first, ‘What would God think about my behavior today?’ ‘Would God like my thoughts today?’
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! . . .” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed them: “. . . Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Ac 5:28–42
As the gospel in the early Church prospered more and more, three thousand people and five thousand were baptized in one day. The Jewish leaders felt very threatened by this, and they continued to hinder the apostles from preaching the gospel. However, the apostles thought it was right to obey God rather than men and stood by God’s side. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
In the age of the Father, God’s people proclaimed the name of Jehovah, and in the age of the Son they preached the name of Jesus Christ. We are now living in the age of the Holy Spirit. In this age, we should proclaim the glory of Christ Ahnsahnghong and New Jerusalem Heavenly Mother—the Spirit and the Bride—and never stop preaching the gospel. Satan is trying to hinder the truth of God, as he did at the time of the early Church. As the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning hotter and hotter, Satan feels threatened and trembles with fear. Despite all of Satan’s hindrances, however, more and more children of God all over the world are returning to the arms of Father and Mother through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is seven times stronger than that of the early Church.
The Bible says that if our purpose or activity is from God, it will never fail. Keeping in mind the values of the kingdom of heaven and the heavenly method of calculation, we should do our best to fulfill our God-given duties as gospel workers.
Moses and Noah looked at the value of the kingdom of heaven
In the age of the Father as well as in the age of the early Church, there were people who had the heavenly standard of value. Through their cases, let’s think again about what we should put value on while living in the world.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. Heb 11:24–26
At that time, Moses was in a very high position; he could have succeeded to the throne of Egypt. However, he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and rejected all that glory. He willingly chose to be mistreated along with the people of God and regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt.
From this, we can see that Moses chose the things of heaven rather than the things of this world. He put more value on the life of a prophet who would lead God’s people while suffering with them, rather than the glory that would last for only a short time on this earth. That was why God gave him the great glory of heaven.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Heb 11:7
According to the values of people in the world and their method of calculation, it seemed as if Noah was doing something useless and absurd. God told Noah to build a three-story ark that was about 450 feet long (135 meters). Noah built the ark just as God had designed it. The huge ship was not built by the river or the sea, and it was not a merchant ship or a passenger ship for profit. The ark had no rudder for directional control and no mast or other steering mechanisms. According to the worldly method of calculation, it seemed like the ark was a huge waste of money and labor.
However, Noah absolutely believed this: There is a certain providence in every word of God, who made known the end from the beginning; it’s for our own good. With this belief, he obeyed God’s word and participated in the amazing work of God. The reason he was able to do the work despite all the hindrances from many people around him was because he put value on the kingdom of heaven and applied the heavenly method of calculation in his life. He proceeded with the work with the absolute belief that obedience to God’s word would surely bring forth great blessings. As a result, he was finally able to construct the ark of salvation, which would save mankind from death and prevent the extinction of animals in the world.
Something seemingly trivial is never small according to the heavenly method of calculation
Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to be mistreated along with the people of God. Noah put so much time and effort into building the ark. Their lives seemed unreasonable to people in the world. That’s why the Bible says the world was not worthy of their faith.
. . . who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Heb 11:33–38
All the ancestors of faith were fully committed to the values of heaven. Since the saints of the early Church were unwavering in their commitment to the heavenly values, they preached the gospel boldly by sharing God’s word with all the people around them, so that the gospel of Christ could spread quickly throughout Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
Like them, we are now carrying out our role as gospel workers by preaching the everlasting beautiful kingdom of heaven to many people living on this earth and shining the brilliant colors of heaven in their hearts. In order to preach the gospel to all seven billion people in the world according to our mission in this age, we first need to align ourselves with the values of heaven, which the saints of the early Church had. Let us always examine what we do, by asking ourselves: ‘What would God think about this?’ If our purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail, but if it is from God, it will never fail.
Noah built the ark according to God’s command. Likewise, we are now preaching the gospel to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth according to God’s command as well. This implies that we want to receive even greater blessings from God in a much more glorious world which will be given to us, by living a life worthy of God’s calling and suffering for a short time while looking ahead to our rewards from God, as Moses did.
The Bible says that those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars in the heavens forever and ever (Da 12:3). I hope you will all have such great faith and the right values for heaven, so you can be more obedient to God’s will in your everyday life. When you regard the glory of heaven as of greater value than the glory of this earth, you can give yourself fully to the work of preaching and take good care of each and every soul who listens to God’s word, with the heart of Mother.
Do not neglect anything—not even the smallest of prayers, the slightest repentance, and the tiniest spark of passion. Seemingly trivial things are actually not small at all. God regards our sincere faith and effort, though small, as greater than a visibly large amount of effort without faith or sincerity. Those little things have piled up and become big things. As a result, a thousand fruits, ten thousand fruits, and even thousands of fruits are now being borne in a short period of time.
We are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf (1 Co 10:16–17, 12-27). We may have been somewhat weak and lacking in zeal to spark something off. A little spark of someone’s fervor from somewhere serves as a medium and a great factor for the spreading of the gospel, and it can play a tremendous role in accomplishing world evangelism. What seems small is never small according to the heavenly method of calculation. Keeping this in mind, let us put more focus on the judgments and values of heaven than on people’s views and values, and live a beautiful life of faith according to God’s words today, too.