Shincheonji’s General Assembly Chairman, Man-hee Lee, visits Cheongju during his nationwide tour to emphasize the importance of the fulfilment of Revelation. Around 100 pastors from established churches came to worship together, and a welcoming procession of over 4km welcomed the Chairman. Mr Lee has visited over 40 churches this year in his nationwide tour, a travel distance that exceeds halfway around the world.
On the 8th of September, Cheongju in the North Chungcheong Province of the Republic of Korea, was bustling with 80,000 people as one-tenth of its population (850,000) gathered in one place for Sunday worship. The place where the crowds gathered was the Matthias Tribe Cheongju Church, a branch of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. Upon hearing the news that the Chairman Man-hee Lee of Shincheonji was visiting, not only the Matthias Tribe members in charge of the Chungcheong region, but also the John Tribe members in charge of Seoul and southern Gyeonggi Province, and key missionaries from churches across the country gathered to worship together. This year, it was even more meaningful as it marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Cheongju Church. Around 100 Protestant pastors also attended to hear the Chairman’s sermon.
From early morning that day, numerous believers lined up along the 4km distance from the Cheongju interchange to the entrance of Cheongju Church, to welcome General Assembly Chairman Lee.
General Assembly Chairman Lee said on that day, “How thankful I am that God has revealed to us the words of the Book of Revelation that no one knew for 6,000 years,” and “These words are life. We must have faith that is 100% in line with these words, and this means becoming one with God.”
He continued, “We can reveal the truth (of the prophecy of the Book of Revelation), so this is the biggest difference,” and added, “However, we were in the same position as those who did not know in the past. So now we must humble ourselves before everyone and explain the right thing and help them understand.”
Since the founding of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, this General Assembly Chairman has consistently emphasized the importance of the revealed word and the necessity of a Bible-centered faith. This year alone, including this visit to the Cheongju Church, he has visited more than 40 domestic and international churches to focus on delivering the revealed word.
Accordingly, a change is being observed in which domestic and international believers who have not been able to quench their thirst for the word are turning to Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
A pastor in attendance, who has been practicing his faith in the Presbyterian Church for over 30 years, said, “I was shocked by the Chairman’s lecture at the Word Conference, where he clearly explained the entire Book of Revelation.”
This confession is supported by data. According to a survey conducted by the Pastoral Data Research Institute last September targeting 1,000 Protestants aged 19 or older, 65% of domestic Protestant church attendees responded that they “feel spiritually thirsty.”
Moreover, more than half of the total number of respondents, 55%, responded that they “want to receive systematic Bible education from pastors.” This is considered the current state of Bible education in domestic Protestant churches.
In addition, the de-religionization of young people in their 20s and 30s is on the rise, and this is the biggest concern in the Protestant community. On the other hand, Shincheonji Church of Jesus is not only seeing an increase in the number of young believers in their 20s and 30s, but also seeing over 100,000 members completing the regular course of approximately 8 months every year.
A Shincheonji Church of Jesus official explained, “The core of the message conveyed by the Chairman is that the prophecies of the Book of Revelation have actually come true and have appeared in physical reality,” and “In this regard, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has a systematic curriculum and is providing education to many people, regardless of gender, age, religion or non-religion, so that they would recognize it.”
Notes for the Editor:
About New Heaven New Earth (Shincheonji), Church of Jesus New Zealand:
New Heaven and New Earth Church was established in 1984 in Seoul, South Korea and has since grown exponentially with branch churches in more than 120 countries internationally and a congregation of more than 400,000 members worldwide.
New Heaven New Earth Church was opened in New Zealand in 2015 and continues to explosively grow in the number of congregation members, with substantial outreach now into the Pacific regions as well.
About Zion Christian Mission Centre:
The Zion Christian Mission Centre is New Heaven New Earth Churches theological school. The Bible course is divided into three modules and takes 6-8 months to complete. It is free and open to anybody who wishes to register and study the Bible.
For contact, please visit newzealand.shincheonji.org.