Indirect Dominion

Lesson Objective: Understand the meaning of the Indirect Dominion time period and how to work towards reaching the Perfection stage of growth.

Divine Principle Reading:

During the growing period, all beings in the creation grow by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. God, the Author of the Principle, has regard only for the fruits of their growth which are based on the Principle. In this way, He governs all things indirectly. We call this growing period the realm of God’s indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments through the Principle.

All things reach perfection after passing through the growing period (the realm of indirect dominion) by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle.

Activity: Spiritual Laws

1. Explain:

  • God guides us indirectly while we are still growing because God needs an object partner who truly understands Him and can thus relate with Him.
  • While we are growing we are guided by God’s principles and God’s word.
  • Our physical body grows because of physical laws, the same is true of our spiritual body.
  • God created these spiritual principles, so in this way He guides us indirectly.
  • Our spiritual growth during the growing period is measured based on our actions in relation to the spiritual principles God has prepared for us.

2. God’s Indirect Guidance Activity:

  • Have everyone stand in a straight line at one end of a room and blindfold all of them.
  • Tell them that you represent God and the blindfolds represent the idea that they are in God’s indirect dominion now.
  • Take five large steps away from the group and turn to face the youth.
  • Indirectly guide them by:
    1. Reading aloud one of the spiritual principles listed below.
    2. Ask one youth to define the spiritual law to the best of their ability. (if they can’t remember what it is, just define it for them)
    3. Read aloud the following corresponding statement to show God’s heart behind these spiritual principles.
    4. Tell the group to take one step forward after completing this process for each spiritual law.
    5. By the end of the activity they should have reached you.
  • Spiritual Principles:
    1. Give and Take Action: I created the spiritual principle of give and take action so that you could experience the joy of relationships.
    2. Origin Division Union: I created the spiritual principle of origin division union so that we could create things together.
    3. Three Object Purpose: I created the spiritual principle of the three object purpose so that relationships would be dynamic and interesting.
    4. Subject and Object Partners: I created the spiritual principle of subject and object partners so that we could learn from each other and all of creation.
    5. Truth, Beauty & Goodness: I created the spiritual principles of truth, beauty and goodness so that you could develop your own unique intellect, emotion and will.

Concluding Point: God guides us indirectly during our growth period so that we can become His equals. If we utilize the spiritual principles God created then we will grow to become spiritually healthy people.

Divine Principle Reading:

Human beings, however, are created in such a way that their growth requires the fulfillment of their own portion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the Principle. They must exercise this responsibility in order to pass successfully through the growing period and reach perfection.

God endowed human beings with a portion of responsibility for the following reason. By fulfilling their given portion of responsibility, with which even God does not interfere, human beings are meant to inherit the creative nature of God and participate in God’s great work of creation. God intends human beings to earn ownership and become worthy to rule over the creation as creators in their own right,21(Gen. 1:28)CEV|KJ|NI just as God governs over them as their Creator.

Once we fulfill our responsibility, we inherit God’s creatorship and attain dominion over all things, including the angels. God provides us with a course through the realm of indirect dominion that we may attain this perfection.

Activity: Spiritual Health & Substance

1. Explain:

  • We have our own portion of responsibility to fulfill in addition to the guidance given to us by God’s principles.
  • God gave us our own portion of responsibility so that:
    1. We could be co-creators with God.
    2. We could become worthy leaders of the cosmos.
    3. If we don’t take care of our physical health when we are young there are consequences, the same is true for our spiritual health.

2.Do a Spiritual Check Up:

  • Read aloud the questions and answers for this quiz:
    1. How DP is your life: http://www.dplife.info/blog/view/how-dp-is-your-life/4#.VV-E1k9Viko
    2. As you go through the questions, have the youth keep record of which answer they chose.
    3. Tally their answer by using these point values:
      1. 1st Answer= 4
      2. 2nd Answer= 3
      3. 3rd Answer= 2
      4. 4th Answer= 1
    4. Explain: The more points you earned, the more “DP” your life is.

3. Discuss:

  • What spiritual habits do you use that work for you?
  • What spiritual habits would you like to incorporate more in your life?

Concluding Points: God has provided us with His word and the spiritual principles to guide our growth, however, we need our actions to match God’s word so that we can grow to become worthy of God’s blessings.

Divine Principle Reading:

When did the first human ancestors fall? They fell during their growing period, when they were still immature.

It is written in the Book of Genesis that God warned Adam and Eve, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”19(Gen. 2:17 They had a choice to either ignore God’s warning and lose their lives or to heed the warning and live. The fact that they had the potential either to fall or to become perfect demonstrates that they were still in a state of immaturity.

Activity: Reaching Perfection

1. Explain:

  • Adam and Eve were supposed to obey the commandment and not eat of the fruit, however, they fell at the top of the growth stage.
  • This time period, within the growth stage, can be very challenging for us. Our minds and bodies are changing drastically.
  • To help us achieve perfection during the period of indirect dominion, God has given us His word to help us become ideal people.

2. Identify a personal challenge:

  • Ask the youth to take a few minutes to identify a challenge they are facing in their life right now.
    1. It could be a difficult relationship, challenges in school, questions of faith etc.
  • Give the youth several minutes to write in their notebooks about this challenge/difficulty and how it is impacting them in their life.

3. Use hoondokhae to find clarity:

  • Read short inspirational excerpts from True Parents as a group.
    1. You can use the “Stockroom” at www.ym.familyfed.org to help with this
  • Have the youth pick out one quote that they felt was relevant for the challenge they identified earlier.
  • Ask the youth to write a short reflection in their notebooks about what they can take away from the reading of God’s word today.
    1. What inspiration can you take from it for your life this week?
    2. How can it help you to overcome the challenge you are facing in your life?

Concluding Point: Although things can seem unclear and challenging during this time of our life, if we focus on God’s love and God’s word we will be able to become the best versions of ourselves.

section-fiveManish Saluja