Rev. Jaerock Lee (Manmin Joong-ang Holiness Church)

   Name of Church: Manmin Joong-ang Church 
  

   Address: 851 Guro-dong Guro-gu Seoul South Korea   
  

   Membership: about one hundred thousand 
  

   Educational institute: The Alliance Holiness Seminary   
  

   Denomination: JESUS' UNITED HOLINESS CHURCH OF KOREA

Introductory Remarks  

A corporate juridical organization, the Korean Presbyterian Churches Union, has recently published a book named "Orthodoxy and Heresy". The KPCU, which is a union of Presbyterian Churches, is the largest church union in terms of the number of members [in Korea]; it has 120 different denominations and 9 organizations. Officers of KPCU and members of Heresy Investigation Committee conducted a thorough examination of the subject of heresy. This book resulted from that investigation and has been appointed as the official guide on the subject of heresy. It will be used as the official textbook in 84 theological seminaries belonging to KPCU.
 
There was a lot of confusion and division among Korean churches due to condemnation brought against some churches by a small group of people who did not have the proper theological background or knowledge to make such accusations. It is comparable to the witch-hunts and the way people were judged and convicted as witches by the Middle Age Catholic Church.
 
Therefore, the KPCU took steps to properly standardize beliefs about the Bible, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, human beings, salvation, the church, and the end of the time according to the orthodox doctrine to distinguish and define that which is and that which is not considered to be heresy. They have been studying heresy in depth under the supervision of many theologians. They visited the churches they were studying both openly and covertly. They studied and re-studied the doctrines and ways those churches were run. As a result of the studies they documented, verified, and concluded that Manmin Joong-ang Church has no doctrine that can be classified as heretic, and no doctrine or practice that violates the orthodox doctrines as determined and set forth by the KPCU. One such conclusion they made says, "Our union has found that Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee himself was healed by God just before death. He has been emphasizing divine healing for the sick and this has caused some misunderstandings. However, we have clarified that Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee is pastoring with faithful doctrines based on the gospel."
This book also contains the theological responses of Manmin Joong-Ang Church to the questions of the KPCU and our standpoint about the previous misunderstandings.
Mr. Kyu-Chang Choi, the President of Korean Christian Newspapers' Association and the Chief Editor of Christian Newspaper said in his recommendation, "The Heresy and Cult Prevention Committee of KPCU has made very objective standards and re-studied the cases with more than a year of research and visiting. For this reason the publication of this book has very important meaning."
Christian newspapers say that this book will be like a compass for the Korean churches in the matter of heresy and cults.

Responses to Some Questions

All ministers and members of the Manmin Joong-ang Church believe in the Triune God and confess the Apostle's Creed as the only biblical foundation of our faith. 

1. The Bible - We believe the Bible is the Word of the Living God and confess the Apostle's Creed, main stream of the Bible, as the only biblical foundation of our faith

(1) We believe that the Bible is the infallible and perfect Word of God that contains no error, and all the books in the Old and New Testaments are God-breathed.
(2) We believe that the Bible is the absolute scripture that leads all men to eternal salvation, the standard of our faith and proper Christian life, and the canon for church administration and organizations.
(3) We believe that the Bible is the truth that gives the spiritual revival and blessings and the only perfect guidance to proper human life, and consider the Apostles' Creed, which is the core of all the words in the Bible, the foundation of our faith. 
(4) We believe that the Bible is the only revelation of God, denounce any other unbiblical theological teachings, mysticism, or empiricism not based on the Bible.  Also, we never deny the Bible is the revelation of God, add or remove any element to or from the Bible, judge it critically, or interpret it on our own. 

2. God - We believe the Triune God is eternally self-existent and is the One and the only One Spirit that is perfectly Holy, Love, Just, Truthful, and Everlasting.  He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent; He is endless and measureless in power, wisdom, and knowledge.  He created everything seen and unseen, and controls, sustains, and manages all.  Finally, He is our merciful Father who sent His One and Only Son for all men who had been destined for eternal death.

3. Jesus Christ - We believe that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Son of God the Father, the Word, and the Origin of Life and Light.  Jesus Christ is everlasting, truthful, the Almighty God, the origin of the creation of all things, and is one with God the Father.  He was born of the Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, and a true man and a true God having both the humanity and the divinity in one body in order to become the Mediator between God and man, and redeem man.

4. The Holy Spirit - We believe that the Holy Spirit is the same spirit as God the Father in terms of his entity. His original Being, Power, Dignity, and Glory are the same as those of God the Father and God the Son, and He is the everlasting God.  The Holy Spirit is sent to carry out the Will of God the Trinity; let the world understand about the sin, righteousness, judgment and rebuking of the world; strengthens man's spirit by teaching, guiding, helping and giving power to believers and makes the church holy.

5. Man - We believe that man was created by God, but he sinned and became corrupt by abusing his free will
 
(1) Creation of Man: We believe that God created man in His own image, which indicates the invisible and formless image of God, namely His traits.  That image is called the "man's spirit."  God made him from the dust of the ground and made him move and feel by breathing the breath of life into the man's nostrils.  The man was a living spirit that consisted of three parts: spirit, soul, and body.  God allowed the man, a living spirit, to have a fellowship with Him, made him noble - a little lower than God - and let him rule over all creation as the lord of all things.  All this so that God might receive His own glory.
(2) Free Will: When God created man, He made the man noble and gave a free will in His image, namely His traits.  However, the man sinned and became corrupt because he did not use the free will according to the Will of God but instead abused it.  Nevertheless, the merciful God gave His precious Son Jesus Christ for free to save corrupted men, and has enabled them to be born again and become the children of God when they believe in Jesus Christ.  Believers who have become children of God may commit sins and become corrupt again when they abuse their free will and disobey the Holy Spirit.  That is why believers must always obey the Holy Spirit.  Depending on whether or not the free will is recognized, the doctrine of Predestination and the doctrine of foreknowledge and predestination are divided.  We choose the doctrine of foreknowledge and predestination in which the free will, persistently mentioned in the Bible, is accepted.
(3) Corruption of Man: God gave man the good, righteous, and truthful nature according to His own image, but the first man Adam disobeyed the Word of God and became corrupt in the evil nature by abusing his free will according to his sinful desires.  The evil nature was personalized in Adam, and his old self - namely sinful flesh - began to be inherited by all descendants.  The inherited sinful nature is called the "original sin" by which all men commit sins and are led to death.  Man has two kinds of sin: the original sin and self-committed sin.  On the one hand, the self-committed sin is a sin for which each individual is responsible because he himself committed that sin.  The self-committed sin has many kinds according to each individual.  On the other hand, the original sin applies the same way to everyone, but each individual is not responsible for the original sin, by which everyone is compelled to sin.  God gave the way of cleansing the original sin, but no one can escape from the responsibility of not being forgiven of the original sin because he did not believe in Jesus Christ.  In order to demolish the sins of all men, the Son our Lord Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and His blood forgives us of the self-committed sin and the cleanses us from the original sin.    
   
6. Rebirth - We believe that we have been reborn by Jesus Christ's redemptive death and resurrection

(1) The righteous: "The righteous" refers to all those who are declared righteous.  In God's absolute mercy, men who had been sinners are forgiven of all sins and accepted as "righteous" in the sight of God when they repent and believe in the redemption of Jesus Christ.  Those declared righteous are redeemed from all sins; that is to say, they are free from the punishment of all sins and receive the privilege of the righteous.  Each individual's righteousness lasts as long as he or she has faith in God and obeys Him.
(2) Rebirth: Rebirth means "to be born again" or "to be born of heaven."  Each person is not only claimed righteous but also experiences a radical change in morals by the Holy Spirit when he believes in Jesus Christ.  Each individual's heart, which has been dead because of sins and transgressions, is revived in Jesus Christ and he leads an obedient and victorious life and becomes free from the judgment of the sins of the past.  In this way, a regenerated man is given the life of Jesus Christ and liberated from the bondage of sins, so that he lives again for spiritual things, lays the foundation to overcome sins, and gains the right as the heir to God.
(3) Justification and Rebirth: Through justification, men become justified by God's absolute work when they believe in Jesus Christ's redemptive death.   Rebirth is a spiritual change in morality actually performed in the heart of each man.  In other words, sinners are declared righteous through God's justification as their positions are facing God, and their inner beings are transformed by their rebirth.  In short, an individual's position is changed by God's justification and his/her inner nature is changed by rebirth.  These two works - God's justification and man's rebirth - may appear different in theory in that God's justification is precedent to rebirth, but both take place in each individual's experience.  The two are accomplished by the same deed of faith.
(4) Sin after Rebirth: It is natural for any child of God, after having been reborn, not to commit sins again, yet the person may sin because he/she is weak.  However, as it is said in 1 John 2:1, "But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One," anyone is forgiven of sins when he finds his sins and repents of them with a humble heart, believing in Jesus Christ.

7. Church - We believe that a church is where we worship God, enjoy the fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, continue to train ourselves spiritually, and we will be preserved to the Last Day in order to change the world.  Church is a collection of redeemed believers who are called by God, separated from the world, and saved by having accepted Jesus Christ.  It is the body of Jesus Christ, the holy sanctuary where the believers gather, worship God, and partake in the Holy Communion.  Church is also the foundation of truth where the Word of God is taught, where the Gospel is preached, and it is responsible for leading all souls to salvation.  It is a holy assembly where all believers are prepared as the brides of Jesus Christ and await His Second Advent.

8. The Second Advent of Jesus Christ - We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will come down again before the beginning of the Millennium Kingdom in the body He had at the time of His Ascent.  Nobody knows the day and the hour.  When the time God destined comes, Jesus Christ our Savior will come down in the air and His people will be lifted up therein.  Jesus Christ will enjoy the Seven Years of the Wedding Banquet there with them.  Then, Jesus Christ will descend again to Earth and establish the Millennium Kingdom of Peace here. The Millennium Kingdom is a kingdom full of blessings of the Messiah that Jesus Christ will build on Earth after He has returned to it, judged all nations, and seized and bound Satan in chains for a thousand years in the Abyss.  The Kingdom will be an age of rest of jubilee, the restoration of Eden, and the fulfillment of the prophecies and the Lord's Prayer. The Lord Jesus Christ will reign over the whole world as the King of kings and all believers themselves will reign with the Lord like kings.  People in fleshly bodies and people in spiritual bodies will live together, and the Millennium Kingdom will be the ideal age filled only with bliss.
The Great Judgment will follow the Millennium Kingdom and through the Great Judgment, all men will for ever and ever be separated into heaven or hell: the saved children of God will go to the former and the unsaved to the latter.

The Condemnations of Rev. Jaerock Lee

The following is not the opinion of the Association of Jesus' Presbyterian Denominational Churches of Korea, nor the findings of the KPCU, but it is the collection and summarization of the information that the Christian Council of Korea and many Heretics Investigation Centers attributed as claims of or by Reverend Jaerock Lee and the Manmin Joong-Ang Church.

It was said that when Rev. Jaerock Lee called, all prophets including Abraham and the disciples of the Lord appear. It is a kind of religious invocation of the spirit of the deceased. This kind of invocation is not found in the Bible at all and a kind of the heathen religious activities strictly prohibited by God. (Deuteronomy 18:11)
 
Rev. Jaerock Lee asserts that he never deifies himself. In Korea, many founders of new religions act as if they are a divine being but they proclaim they are not a God. This is a kind of trick for cheating or misleading people.
 
It was also stated by these groups that he made the following claims:

...He shed all blood that was inherited from his parents and was supplied with sinless blood, so that he came to be purged of original sin and cast off every self-committed sin... Death and injury avoid him... His spirit sits on the left side of the throne of God... He has the authority over life and death... He is specifically entitled to be inscribed in the sun and the moon and it is proclaimed to the world because he has neither original sin nor his own sin and he and Jesus the Lord is one... This deification of Rev. Jaerock Lee leads to the condition of salvation he mentions. So, his standard of salvation is an appalling heretical theory...

Again, the above remarks are abstracted from data collected by Studies on Heretics and Pseudo Cults conducted by The Korea Christian Council and are not the opinion of the Association of Jesus' Presbyterian Denominational Churches of Korea, nor the findings of the KPCU.

       
Defense of the Manmin Joong-ang Church

When anyone evaluates a church denomination, a church, or a person with regards to heresy, he should investigate its doctrine, creed and church life as a whole. In that rightful way, Rev. Jaerock Lee and Manmin Joong-ang Church would have been investigated concerning the entirety of the man and the ministry from the time that he accepted the Lord until now and the whole history of the church from its beginning up to now.
Rev. Jaerock Lee he has preached about God the Creator and our Savior Jesus Christ throughout his entire ministry. From the very beginning he has taught and implored the church body to live according to the Word of God as recorded in the Bible.
The Manmin Joong-ang Church has done its best to accomplish the kingdom of God in accordance with the belief and teachings of Rev. Jaerock Lee. It has enlarged God's Kingdom with all its might around the world, and led countless souls to the Lord holding domestic and overseas revival meetings and crusades. Every time Rev. Jaerock Lee has held those meetings, he has proclaimed God the Creator and that our only Savior is Jesus Christ. His sole focus is on glorifying God.
For this reason, wherever he has conducted overseas crusades, the Christian churches of each country has welcomed him and were willing to help him conduct the meetings successfully. In this way there are many churches worldwide that have experienced strong revival. Many TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers including both Christian and non-Christian media reported his crusades. Even after those crusades, an intimate fellowship between the churches in each country in which he conducted crusades and him has continued until now and closer fellowship and cooperation are expected from now on.
No one that has met Rev. Jaerock Lee and attended his crusades or revival meetings has been able to judge him or his teaching as heretical but have asserted that his messages follow biblical and evangelical teachings according to orthodox doctrine.

Every Christian should understand what the biblical definition of heresy is. It is said in 2 Peter 2:1, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." This verse defines heresies as denying the Lord who bought them. According this word, heretics are those denying the fact that Jesus was crucified to save men from sins and became the Savior.
And it is said in 1 John 2:22, "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son." Liar, namely antichrist denies that Jesus is the Christ and denies the Father and the Son.
On these biblical grounds, it is wrong to judge as heretical a church or a person who accepts Jesus as the Christ, do not deny God the Trinity simply because some sermons are different than other churches. In regard to the books published, sermons preached and other literary data including newspaper printed by Rev. Jaerock Lee, all these testify to the living God, Jesus Christ our Savior and the works of the Holy Spirit. None of them denies God the Trinity or denies that Jesus is the Savior.  
To our great surprise, God has guaranteed Rev. Jaerock Lee with a lot of proofs. It is said in Mark 16:20, "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." Whenever he led revival meetings or crusades, his messages were confirmed by God with accompanying signs and medical doctors as well as ministers of God confirmed the miracle healings performed through him.
When Rev. Jaerock Lee prays, diseases including incurable diseases are healed. The blind open their eyes with vision restored, the mute come to speak, the deaf come to hear, and the lame to get up and walk. The reason that he showed those miracles was because he intended to proclaim that God the Creator is alive, that Jesus is the Savior, the Word of God is true, because he wanted to lead as many souls as possible to the Lord. He wants to enlarge the kingdom of God with those accompanying signs.
Rev. Jaerock Lee has testified with those signs that the Word recorded in the Bible is true and infallible. He emphasizes that believers should live according to the word of God. He has taught the congregation to cast off sins and evil, live in goodness, light, and truth. He has led an exemplary life as the model for his congregation.   
As explained above, Rev. Jaerock Lee has tried his best to expand the kingdom of God and to save souls. His messages in revival and crusades have been followed by many signs and miraculous healing. So, it is not right to judge Rev. Lee and his church as heretical simply because of the rumors and falsehoods spread by wicked people who tried to destroy him and his church. Judgment and measure should be done in accordance with the Bible. He and his church should be measured and judged accordingly. In this way we can examine any kind church or any person as to whether it or he/she is selected and used by God or not.
According to the statement of the Korea Christian Council, they judged Rev. Jaerock Lee and his church not because of the doctrine or church creed, but because of the rumors and lies spread about him and the church. In fact, none of the church members in Manmin Joong-ang church deifies Rev. Jaerock Lee or thinks he is deifying himself. He has so often emphasized this fact. He always said God is the only God of the Trinity, the Savior is only Jesus Christ and there must never be anything expressed in anyway in opposition or contrary to the Word of God, the Bible. All members of the church know this clearly.    

Our investigation and decision

Rev. Jaerock Lee was healed of various diseases just before death and became a new person. He graduated from The Sungkyul Theological Seminary (President: Pastor Taekgu Son) run by The Jesus Holiness Church in Korea. He started a church on July 25, 1982, as an evangelist.
The first scandal involving him and heresy happened because of improper expressions written in his testimonial memoir Tasting Eternal Life before Death: 'God explained to me the last hour.' At that time The Jesus' Sungkyul Church located around and in Ahnyang-city and The Radical Sungkyul Church mutually cooperated permitting some of them to call Rev. Jaerock Lee into the church court on assertions that he had taught his church members the day and the hour when Jesus will come again. The Assembly of the church considered only the hearsay concerning the matter and dealt with his case at the court and concluded his church was heretical. That was because in those days the Manmin Joong-ang church was the largest among the churches of the Jesus' Holiness Church in Korea and it was considered as an object that needed to be held back and in check.
The book Tasting Eternal Life before Death was edited by a woman church worker. She was Chief Editor and gathered data of Rev. Jaerock Lee's testimonies and edited the book. She had no theological knowledge and thought such a testimonial book did not have to be examined theologically. In that way the book was published without theological examination. Later some church workers were rebellious toward the church and they gave erroneous data and unsubstantiated rumors to the Korea Christian Council. The rumors and falsehoods were sent to MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Center) and MBC was scheduled to broadcast the information. The church learned about the broadcasting time-table concerning the rumors that were to be announced by MBC. Many members forcefully entered MBC and occupied the station to stop its broadcasting. The incident gave rise to even greater scandal. Again, the Korea Christian Council rushed to condemn Rev. Jaerock Lee and his church and label the pastor and church as heretical. 
However, Rev. Jaerock Lee and his church let it be known that the Korea Christian Council and MBC wrongfully disregarded the replies of the church and acted without giving them the chance to defend their position.
We have investigated this scandal in detail, and now we conclude that the scandal of the Manmin Joong-ang Church came not from the doctrine or church creed but simply from financial and ethical matters, and it was severely abused in a one-sided manner.
We gave Rev. Jaerock Lee a chance to defend himself and his church and thoroughly examined the church's doctrines sent by him as the reply to our questions. His doctrine was found to have no heretical aspects and to have nothing contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine as we know and present it. So, we proclaim the Manmin Joong-ang Church is not heretical.
It appears that some churches and Christian institutes in Korea have considered the church as heretical because of un-orthodox doctrine, but actually they condemned it as heretical with the focus on practices interpreted as a kind of mysticism.
According to our investigation on the church history and his ministry, Rev. Jaerock Lee was misunderstood and considered as a mystical heretic because he had been healed of his diseases just before death and had placed an emphasis on miracle healing. But we have proven that his ministry has laid its foundation on sound and orthodox doctrine oriented toward the evangelical mission.
We recommend, however, that he and his church abstain from some expressions that might be considered as radical mysticism that they use in association with the gift of healing they do in their ministry through laying on hands, prayer for the sick, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and experiencing miracles. 

Statement of Faith - Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee (Senior Pastor of Manmin Joong-ang church)

  THE BIBLE 

• The Bible is the Word of the Living God and"The Apostles' Creed," the backbone of the truthfulness of the Bible, is our only Biblical confession of faith.
• The original text of the Bible is the Word of God, recorded in the inspiration of the Bible, and is therefore absolutely free from error. 
• The Bible is a sacred Book that not only places all people onto the path to salvation, but also establishes a standard of faith and behavior as well as the political system within the church.
• The Bible is the truth that provides people with spiritual revival and blessings and is also the only true guidebook in life.
• The Bible is the only revelation of God and we do not acknowledge or approve of any theories or empiricism that are not based on the Bible. Moreover, the revelation in the Bible is not in any way to be denied, modified, explained with criticism, or arbitrarily interpreted. 
   
   GOD
• The Triune God exists on His own from everlasting to everlasting and is the unique spirit; He is, therefore, truly holy, righteous, and faithful. Knowledge and wisdom of God, who is also love itself and everlasting, is limitless and He is thus omnipotent; omnipresent; creates, reigns, and protects everything visible and unseen; enlightens man on His Providence; and is a merciful Father who sent His only begotten Son for the condemned mankind.

CHRISTOLOGY

• Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God the Father, the Word, and the origin of life and the light. He is also everlasting, true, omnipotent, and is one with God the Father who is the foundation of the creation of everything in the universe. He mediates on behalf of mankind and, as He was born from the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit in order to save mankind and thus "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," the true God became a true man. His death on the cross redeemed man from his sins and His resurrection justified believers. Since His ascension, Jesus Christ has been interceding for us so that we might be wholly saved. Moreover, before long, He will return "in just the same way" as He went up into heaven to receive all those who have received salvation and to judge the quick and the dead. Our Lord is the Alpha and the Omega "who is and who was and who is to come, [and] the Almighty."  
   

 THE HOLY SPIRIT

• The Holy Spirit is spirit ? thus one with God the Father ? whose exact representation and the majesty and glory of His strength are identical with those of the Father and the Son, and is the lasting God. In charge of carrying out the will of God the Trinity, He has come into this world to "convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment." As the Helper, He teaches, leads, helps the believers, strengthening their spirit with His power, and sanctifies the church.  
   
  

 MAN

• THE CREATION OF MANKIND
  When God created man in the beginning, He formed him in His image and according to His likeness. God's "image" refers to incorporeal aspects, such as His attributes. This is man's spirit. As God formed man's body "of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," man came to have senses and move about on his own. As a living being consisted of spirit, soul, and flesh, man could now communicate with God, who honored man when creating and establishing him as the lord of all things in the universe ? slightly lower in the chain of command than God Himself ? and gave him the authority to rule over them so that He would be magnified.
  
• FREE WILL
  God honored man when creating him in the beginning by forming man in His image ? that is, according to His attributes ? and gave him freedom. Man, however, sinned and fell away from God because, instead of using free will according to His will, he abused it. Being rich in mercy, God nevertheless gave Jesus Christ to the fallen mankind for their salvation without charge; anyone who believes in the Lord is reborn and becomes a child of God. If he abuses freedom and does not submit himself to the Holy Spirit, he can yet again fall away. A believer, therefore, must always be obedient to the Holy Spirit. The acknowledgement of free will results in the differences in two contrasting schools of thought: "predestination of man" and "God's omniscience." We adhere to "God's omniscience," which is consistent with the teachings of the Bible.
  
• THE FALL OF MAN
  When God created man, He gave him a good, righteous, and truthful nature ? in "His own image" ? but as the first man created Adam disobeyed God's Word and pursued the temptation of greed by abusing his free will, he became corrupt. This, the hereditary "original sin" with which each individual is born, was personified, resulted in "the old self" ? the flesh ? and was passed down from generation to generation. Due to this sin, every individual commits sins and dies. Each person has "the original sin" and "the self-committed sins." On the one hand, the liability of any self-committed sins falls squarely on each individual. On the other hand, since the original sin is hereditary, the state of sin is the same for everyone and people are not held liable. However, there is no avoiding of the penalty if people commit sins because of the original sin or if they refuse to believe in the Way ? even after it was shown to them ? that can cleanse their sins. In order to rid himself of all sins, therefore, each person must be cleansed from his self-committed sins and the original sin by believing in the shedding of the blood by Jesus the Son of God.

SALVATION (REBIRTH)
By Jesus Christ's redemptive death and resurrection, we are/have been born again.  

• THE RIGHTEOUS
  An individual is "righteous" when "He is justified," when "He is acknowledged to be just," and "He is reckoned as just." In other words, when a sinner repents by the mercy of God, believes in the Redemption of Jesus Christ, and thus receives the forgiveness of all sins he had committed, he is deemed a righteous man before God. A righteous man is redeemed from his sins ? that is, he is exempt from the punishment of all the sins he has committed in the past ? and receives a privilege to which he is entitled as a "righteous man." The state of his righteousness will be sustained as long as the individual remains faithful and obedient to God.
    
• REBIRTH
  "Rebirth" is defined as "being born again" or "born on high," and refers to a sudden transformation in an individual's moral character by the Holy Spirit when he is justified. His heart, which had been dead in his trespasses and sins, is thus resurrected to a new life in Jesus Christ and he begins living a life of obedience and triumph. Therefore, the person is set free from the judgment of all his sins of the past and "rebirth" takes place when the life of Jesus Christ is conceived in the individual's heart. He is free from the yoke of his sins and believes that for him will be prepared a foundation on which he learns/lives about spiritual things and overcomes sins, and that he will receive privileges as God's adoptive child.  
  
• THE RIGHTEOUS AND REBIRTH
  While it is an act of God's claiming His sovereignty when "the righteous" become justified by believing in Jesus Christ's redemptive death, "rebirth" is an actual spiritual transformation in his moral character taking place in his heart. For "the righteous," there is a shift in the manner in which God deals with those who had previously been sinners while "rebirth" is the work of transformation taking place in his life. In other words, becoming "righteous" alters our position on God and "rebirth" alters our character. While these two works are different in theory and becoming "righteous" logically precedes "rebirth," they take place simultaneously and bear fruit by the deeds of the same faith.  
  
• SIGNING AFTER REBIRTH
  Although an individual born again, in principle, is not to sin, if he should falter and sin, he can again receive the forgiveness of his sins when he humbly repents by acknowledging his sins and in his faith in the Advocate with God, Jesus Christ Our Lord.  
  

CHURCH

• The church shall be preserved to the end of the age as a place of worshipping God, fellowship among and training for the believers, and for transforming the world. The church is an organization that has been called by God, set apart from the sinful and evil world, and consists of believers who have been redeemed by believing Jesus Christ to be their Savior. It is the body of Jesus Christ and a sanctuary in which believers gather to worship God and baptism and Communion take place. The church is also the foundation and pillars of truth at which the Word of God is preached, from which the Good News is spread, and through which all souls receive salvation. Finally, the church is a sacred hall in which all believers, after they have equipped and prepared themselves as the brides of Jesus Christ, anticipate the Second Advent of the Lord.

We look back Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's life whose life was the pursuit of the will of the Lord Jeus Christ.

1. A YOUNG MAN FULL OF HOPES AND DREAMS   
  Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee was born to Jaebum Lee and Gham-jang Cho on April 20, 1943 in Muan, Jeollanam-do, as the youngest child in a family with three boys and three girls. A scholar of Chinese classics, Mr. Lee strictly educated his children about etiquette and made every effort for them to have a proper set of values. Firmly holding onto the little hands of his youngest son during election seasons, the elder Lee sought to give the boy hopes for future. As he heard campaign speeches made by candidates throughout his youth, Jaerock Lee began to dream of one day becoming a member of the National Assembly and working for the benefit of his country.

After graduating from Boonhyang Elementary School in Jangseong County and Songjung Middle School in the city of Gwangju, Jaerock Lee moved to Seoul to continue his education. During his high school years, however, he suffered from frequent illnesses of various types. He had always been a young man of robust health, but his suffering continued through his youth years particularly because of the side effect from an accident he suffered in childhood. When his memory began to fail shortly before the college entrance examination, Jaerock Lee was overcome by a devastating sense of failure and even attempted suicide.  
  
 
 
2. MIRACLE    
 After a period of many ups and downs, Jaerock Lee entered Hanyang University in Seoul, a prominent institution especially known for its engineering department. In October 1964, Jaerock Lee took time off from schoolwork to enlist in the mandatory military service and towards the end of his service, through the introduction of a relative, he began a pen-pal relationship with a young woman. After being discharged from the military service, Jaerock Lee married this woman in January 1968, and she was Mrs. Boknim Lee.

In March 1968, the newly wedded husband invited a few of his friends for a housewarming party but following an evening of heavy drinking, Jaerock Lee suffered from gastrointestinal disturbance. As his stomach began to fail, a complication developed and for the next seven years, Jaerock Lee would try anything from prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication to folk remedies, but all was in vain as his condition only deteriorated. Even his family, who had looked after him for years and had been growing weary, finally gave up on him.

On April 17, 1974, God called on Jaerock Lee, whose movement had been significantly limited by rheumatoid arthritis and who had been living a life marked only by devastation and distress with no hope for future. One of his older sisters, Senior Deaconess Jungsoon Lee, visited and asked him to take her to "Hyunshinae Church." Unable to refuse her request, Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee just barely relied himself on a walking stick and arrived at the site of a revival meeting in Seodaemun-gu in northwestern Seoul.

He was taken aback by the sight of people earnestly praying but nevertheless knelt down. At that very moment, Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee felt his body beginning to heat up and found himself sweating profusely even though no one had prayed for him or he had prayed for healing. Otitis media had limited his hearing but he began to clearly hear the messages proclaimed from the pulpit, and the symptoms of more than ten diseases that had tormented him from head to toe disappeared. On that day, an atheist had received the baptism by the fire of the Holy Spirit and experienced God's healing of all of the diseases that had tormented him for seven long years.  
  
 
 
3. CALLING   
  After meeting with the Living God, layman Jaerock Lee began attending church and leading a life in Christ. He chose to do manual labor so that he could the Lord's Day holy and kept himself busy with reading of the Word, spreading the gospel, and fasting at every opportunity he found. Longing only to live by the Word so that he could repay for God's love and grace, his one desire was to thoroughly understand the spiritual significance of God's Word found in the 66 books of the Bible.

Even as Jaerock Lee attended various revival meetings and did receive grace in hopes of understanding the depths of God's Word, his thirst could not be quenched. While he was fasting and pleading and wrestling with God ? just as Jacob had done ? so that he might understand more difficult verses from the Bible, God in person called on Jaerock Lee to become His servant.

Even though God's calling was in stark contrast to his dream of becoming a worthy elder and helping people in need, Jaerock Lee nevertheless became convinced that becoming a servant of God was, in fact, His will. Obedient to God's calling, Jaerock Lee graduated from a seminary and began walking a life of a minister. As he prayed earnestly and fasted as often as he ate in order to understand God's Word more clearly, whenever he placed his hand on the sick and prayed for them, the undeniable work of the Holy Spirit took place.  
  
 
 
4. FOUNDING AND REVIVAL   
  In July 1982, Pastor Jaerock Lee founded a church in Shindaebang-dong, Dongjak-gu in western Seoul. Through the life-filled messages that had been revealed in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, its members experienced healing and transformation and their faith grew rapidly as they constantly witnessed God's works.

God's works of power, manifested through signs, wonders, and evidence of His presence, continued steadily after the founding. Relentlessly manifested at the church were such Biblical miracles as the dead coming back to life, the weak becoming strong, the mute beginning to speak, the deaf beginning to hear, and the like. The church continued to experience revival as the news was rampant about this "church filled with the Holy Spirit," "church where the Word and prayer were alive and at work," and "church where the works of healing were powerful and God's power was unquestionably manifested."

Ordained as pastor in May 1986, Rev. Jaerock Lee made an appearance on "Renew Me" of the Christian Broadcasting System (CBS) in August 1987 and testified to how he was miraculously revived at the threshold of death. After 1990, Rev. Jaerock Lee's messages were heard on the Far East Broadcasting Company, the Asia Broadcasting Company, and CBS.

The church continued its growth and by 1991, the size of congregation exceeded 10,000 registered members. In March 1993, the Christian World magazine of the United States selected Manmin as one of "The World's Top 50 Churches" (reported by The Chosun Ilbo). While the church kept growing, Rev. Jaerock Lee did not hesitate to cooperate with and provide assistance to promote collaborative efforts and unity of Korea's Christianity. For national evangelization and the improvement of the Christian community, Rev. Jaerock Lee supported newly-founded churches and churches with great potential for growth.  
  
 
 
5. CHURCH GROWTH ACCOMPANIED BY AFFLICTION ANND TRIUMPH   
 As the church was filled with the Holy Spirit like the early churches before it, and always abounding in God's works, revival was accompanied by times of affliction. Both laymen and theologians alike agreed that messages of Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee were the gospel in its purest form. Even though the works of the Holy Spirit manifested through Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee were clearly in line with the Bible and its teachings, however, there were those who judged and condemned him as "heretical" as they remained mindful of the Christian authority and their thoughts were clouded by selfish interests. Of course, such phenomena were not limited to Manmin. In the current climate of Korea's Christianity, instead of rejoicing with and praying for a church at which the works of the Holy Spirit and revival are evident, it is more likely for that congregation to be slandered and labeled "heretic" by certain individuals abusing their authority

Manmin Joong-ang Church had one time been a victim of such abuse of authority, but based on the five-fold gospel of "Rebirth, Sanctification, Divine Healing, Resurrection, and the Second Advent," God led it to spread the gospel more vigorously than before. After making steady progress month after month, year after year throughout the 1990s, Manmin Joong-ang Church endured difficulties by a number of individuals who sought to satisfy their own interests with foul motives. They spread baseless rumors, established false witnesses, and wrote to a prominent Korean broadcasting company in hopes of using the airwaves to destroy Manmin but the church God had built upon the rock was not shaken. The truth is always revealed with the passing of time.   
  
 
 
6. EXPLOSION OF GOD’SPOWER CONSUMES THE WORLD   
As Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee endured in patience and in love for those who paid back for grace by making themselves his adversary, and overcame all hardships, God blessed Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee with an unimaginable magnitude of His power.

At each overseas crusade Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee began conducting in 2000, explosives works and evidence of God's power were made apparent. Such miracles were reported by the Cable News Network (CNN) during "The 2000 Uganda Church Leaders" Conference and Crusade," and the depths and widths of Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's manifestations of God's power only increased year after year. "The 2002 Miracle Healing Prayer Festival" held in at Marina Beach in Chennai, India, brought together more than three million people over four days. Through "The 2003 Russia Miracle Healing Festival" ? designated as part of "The Official Celebration of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg" ? "The 2004 Germany Healing Festival," "The 2004 Peru Healing Crusade," "The 2006 Democratic Republic of the Congo Miracle Healing Festival," and "The New York Crusade 2006," Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee magnified God by proclaiming to the whole world about the Living God with life-filled messages and earth-shattering manifestations of His power.

When he conducted ¡°The Peru Healing Crusade" in December 2004, President Alejandro Toledo invited Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee and received his prayer for a variety of problems facing the South American country and in May 2005, Peru's former and current vice presidents visited Manmin Joong-ang Church in Seoul and conveyed their gratitude to Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee for the 2004 Crusade.

When he visited Kinshasa, DR Congo, for "The Miracle Healing Festival" in February 2006, President Joseph Kabila invited Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee for a friendly dialogue.

The Festival gathered hundreds of thousands of people from all over DR Congo and was flooding with people who desired to testify to the healing of AIDS and other incurable and terminal diseases.   
  
 
 
7. VISION   
  Jesus showed the types of signs that no man is capable of even imitating after proclaiming messages so that people would believe. By the same token, the ministry of Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee can be summarized as, "The work of proving the Bible to be the truth by plainly manifesting the works of the Living God and thus enabling people to believe."

Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee confesses that the origin of power manifested through him comes only from God. He is a humble servant of God seeking only to magnify the Father by confessing that no manifestation of power would be possible without the presence of God and that everything is possible only by the name of Jesus Christ.

A notable trait of Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's ministry is that he has made himself an example of how man is able, by God's grace and strength, to rid himself of not only visible sins but also sinful attributes in the heart. As we pray by faith, by the grace and strength of God, we can abstain from every form of evil and cultivate within us a sanctified and clean heart, the heart of Jesus Christ. As much as one keeps himself clean, God gives him spiritual faith from on high. When the individual has taken ownership of a true heart and perfect faith and become faithful in all God's house, he will be able to enter New Jerusalem in heaven.

The last remaining tasks for Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee's ministry are spreading the five-fold gospel to the remotest part of the earth and constructing the Grand Sanctuary, which will be accomplished within God's Providence.

Rev. Dr. Jaerock Lee marches on today, keeping his eyes fixed on the day when he and all other believers, who will have set themselves apart by the truth and lived by the Word ? those who will have prepared oil and brightly lit their lamps ? will embrace the Lord with confidence.

Welcome in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Looking back at the history of Manmin, I can only confess that all things were by God's grace and a progression of His blessings. When I was praying for the founding of a church in 1982, God gave me a dream and a vision of greatly accomplishing national evangelization and world mission, and named the new congregation "Manmin," which, when translated from Korean, means "all people" or "all creation."

The twenty-four years of Manmin's history are a testament of God's grace by which its members have been leading their lives in Christ the way their fathers of faith had lived, and they bore witness to the fulfillment of the visions and the dreams God had given this church at the time of the founding. There were indeed times of turbulence but even such times proved to be precious opportunities of spiritual growth through which all Manmin members became united by more perfect faith and love.

Throughout its existence, the ministry of Manmin has made every effort to nurture each of its members to become "wheat": training each individual to possess true heart and perfect faith so that he might prosper and be in good health just as his soul prospered in this world and become worthy of shining glory and rewards in heaven. When I pleaded with God for national evangelization and world mission, He anointed me with His power and led each step of the way to proclaim to the whole world the teachings and the news of the Living God, and for these I only give all thanks and glory to Him.

He, who took upon the cross and shed all His blood and water in order to bring us salvation, is interceding for us and encouraging us today. I earnestly hope this online medium will serve as a blessed device, allowing the birth of many a holy congregation that experience God's love, answers, and power, and a place where all people come to have an intimate relationship with Jesus who is "the way, and the truth, and the life."
May God's grace and blessings be always abundant in your life and ministry, in the name of Our Lord I pray!