Heavenly Man (summary)
The Heavenly Man
The remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
Chapter I: Humble Beginnings
I was born in 1958… the fourth of five children in our family. I came into the world in an old traditional farming village named Liu Lao Zhuang… in the southern part of the China’s Henan Province. … Our home was a simple structure of compacted dried mud. The roof was made of straw. The rain always managed to find the holes in our roof…. When the temperature dropped below freezing we burned leftover corn husks to keep warm. We couldn’t afford coal….(Page 17)
On September 1901, a large ship docked in Shanghai Port. A young single lady from Norway walked off the gangplank onto Chinese soil. … Marie Monsen was one of a new wave of missionaries who, inspired by the martyrdoms of the previous year, had dedicated themselves to full-time missionary service in China. Monson stayed in China for more than thirty years. For a time she lived in my county… where she encouraged and trained a small group of Chinese believers….
She didn’t seem too concerned with making a good impression on the Chinese church leaders. She often told them, “You are all hypocrites! You confess Jesus Christ with your lips while your hearts are not fully committed to Him! Repent before it is too late to escape God’s judgment!” …
Hearts were convicted of sin and fires of revival swept throughout the villages of central China wherever she went…. (Page 19-20)
China became a Communist nation in 1949. Within a few years all missionaries were expelled, church buildings were closed and thousands of Chinese pastors were imprisoned. Many lost their lives. My mother saw the missionaries leave Nanyang in the early 1950s. She never forgot the tears in their eyes as they headed for the coast under armed guard….
In just one city in China… 49 [Chinese] pastors were sent to prison labor camps near the Russian border…. 48 died in prison. (Page 20)
In my home area of Nanyang, believers were crucified on the walls of their churches for not denying Christ. … One pastor was bound and attached to a long rope. The authorities, enraged that the man of God would not deny his faith, used a makeshift crane to lift him high into the air. Before hundreds of witnesses who had come to accuse him solely of being a “counter revolutionary,” [Public interrogation and punishment built the public fear needed for government control] the pastor was asked on last time if he would recant. He shouted back, “No! I will never deny the Lord who saved me!” The rope was released and the pastor crashed to the ground below. (Page 21)
Chapter 2: A Hunger Fulfilled
The Lord called me to follow him at the age of 16. The year was 1974, and the Cultural Revolution was still raging throughout China…. (23)
At first I didn’t really know who Jesus was, but I’d seen him heal my father and liberated our family. … I earnestly wanted to have a copy of my own Bible. I asked my mother and fellow Christians what a Bible looked like, but no one knew. … Seeing my desperation, my mother remembered an old man who lived in another village….
The old pastor simply told me, “The bible is a heavenly book. If you want one, you’ll need to pray to the God of heaven. only He can provide you a heavenly book.”…
“…every morning and afternoon I ate and drank nothing. Every evening I ate just one small bowl of steamed rice. I cried like a hungry child to his heavenly Father, wanting to be filled with his Word…. (29)
The miraculous story of how God answered his prayer and provided a Bible will amaze you!
Chapter 3: Go to the West and South
In the beginning, reading my Bible wasn’t easy because I had only received three years of education. …. I found a dictionary and painstakingly looked up one character at a time as I advanced through the Bible. Finally I finished reading through the whole Bible, so I started to memorize one chapter per day. After 28 days, I had memorized the whole Gospel of Matthew….
One morning … I was reading the first chapter of Acts. I started meditation on the verse in Acts 1:8,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Sprit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
I wasn’t sure who the Holy Spirit was. I ran and asked my mother. … She simply said, “I’ve already told you all I can remember. Why don’t you pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit just like you prayed for your Bible?”... (33-34)
I prayed to the Lord, “I need the power of the Holy Spirit. I am willing to be your witness.” After the prayer God’s spirit of joy fell upon me. A deep revelation of God’s love and presence flooded my being. I’d never enjoyed singing before but many new songs of worship flowed from my lips. …
I began to wait on the Lord for His guidance, and a wonderful thing happened. … As I lay down on my bed I suddenly … heard a voice tell me, “Yun, I am going to send you to the west and south to be my witness.”… (34)
I knelt down and prayed to the Lord, “Jesus, if you’re speaking to me, then I am listening. If you’re calling me to preach your good news, then I’m willing to obey your call on my life.” … (35)
We went into a house. I sat down on the floor and everyone crowded around me. I was quite nervous because I had never spoken to a group of people before. Thirty or forty people were all staring at me… longing to hear God’s Word. They were so hungry for the truth…..
I sat there with my eyes tightly shut and held the Bible up above my head. I declared, ” This is the Bible. The angel of the Lord sent it to me in answer to my prayers….
At that time I didn’t know what it meant to preach. I could only recite the Bible from the chapters I had memorized, so I recited the entire Gospel of Matthew out loud, from chapter 1 to 28. …
When I had finished I was filled with the Holy Spirit and sang some Scripture songs that I’d never learned before. When I opened my eyes I saw how God’s Word had captivated everybody. The Holy Spirit was convicting them of their sin. they all knelt down and repented with tears flowing down their cheeks. That night, even though I was just 16 years old, I learned that God’s Word is powerful. (37)
After so many people came to Jesus at once, it caught the attention of the authorities. All the Christians in Gao Village were arrested and taken to the police station. The officers demanded to know, “Who brought the name of Jesus to you? How did you all come to believe in this superstition?”
The believers were filled with overwhelming joy. The only thing they would say was, “We won’t be like Judas! We won’t betray our Lord Jesus!” The officers started to beat them and they rejoiced even more…. (41)
Chapter 4: The Path of Persecution
The year 1980 was a phenomenal year for the church in Henan. … God constantly did outstanding miracles and divine healings…. Later, many of the converts… became leaders of God’s church throughout China. (49)
In December 1980, a few weeks before Christmas, the devil used a new way to try to tempt and deceive us…. The government called a gathering of 120 religious representatives from all over our county. Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist and Christian leaders were all invited to attend.
At that time we didn’t know anything about the Three-Self Patriotic Church that the government was forming…. Most Christians considered it a good thing and rejoiced that a new day appeared to be dawning when believers could worship freely without interference or persecution. I went to the meeting completely open to the idea of joining the new church…. (50)
The ultimate, stated aim of Marxist teaching is the compete eradication of all religion. The pure bride of Christ can never be controlled by an atheistic government or led by men who hate God! The true church is not an organization controlled by the rules of men but a holy collection of living stones with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. …
I prayed, “Lord, where can I go? Lord, what will my future hold?” (53)
The Lord immediately reminded me from Jeremiah 1:5-8
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.’
But the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, I am a youth,
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:5We know there are many true followers of Jesus attending the government-sanctioned church in China today. … It’s not with the caged birds in the Three-Self churches that we have a problem, but with the corrupt leadership and the political power used to control people.
These leaders have severely restricted what Three-Self Church pastors and members are allowed to do. Ministry is not allowed without their permission. Evangelism is discouraged. All outreach to children is strictly banned. They even decree that certain parts of the Bible cannot be preached such as the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus…. (54)
Chapter 6: The God of Peter is your God
The house churches were also considered illegal by the government because of our refusal to register with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), so we became targets in the campaign. Unregistered Christians were labeled “spiritual pollutants” by the authorities and the TSPM. Hundreds of house church leaders were rounded up and sent to prison labour camps. In Henan many believers were executed for their faith in Jesus. (59)
As I was paraded through the streets, a police car drove slowly in front. Through a loudspeaker they proclaimed, “This man came from Henan to preach Jesus. He has seriously disturbed the peace. He has confused the people. Today the Public Security Bureau has captured him. We will punish him severely. (63)
“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22
Chapter 9: Through the Valley of Death
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” 1 Peter 4:12
During my long painful van journey back to Nanyang the Lord continually comforted me saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
When the police van arrived at the Nayang prison gate they took my handcuffs off the steel rail and pushed me out of the back of the van onto the frozen ground. A bitterly cold blizzard was blowing from the north. My face and hair were drenched with blood. My eyes were blackened and my face swollen. I had no shoes on my feet and the handcuffs had cut deeply into my wrists.
They took me into a large interrogation room….
The man second in charge of the PSB arrogantly boasted, “Yun, you have lost the fight today. Your co-workers are already in our hands. … Your church is totally finished. You have completely failed. You are an enemy of our country and an enemy of the Party.”… (94-95)
A spirit of faith spoke from within me, “The gospel grows through hardship and will spread throughout the world…. Truth is always truth. Nothing and no one can change that. It will always conquer.”
The officers stared at me with total disdain. One man, with a sinister smile, leaned forward and whispered, “Yun, haven’t you experienced enough suffering yet? Do you want us to ‘entertain’ you some more? … The policy of our government is to treat you well if you confess your crimes openly and honestly. But if you lie and don’t cooperate we’ll treat you harshly!”…
I was determined to obey God and not man. I meditated on the Scripture,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid.” Psalm 27:1 … (95)
Chapter 10: The Fiery Trial
Before the interrogation began I sensed the Lord was standing beside me and was my strength and joy, as the Psalmist wrote,
“I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices;
My body also will rest secure.” Psalm 16:8The more I meditated on God’s grace the more faith I received.
As brother Li [a former robber and one of countless prisoners whose life was transformed through Yun's witness. Assigned to spy on Yun, he was instead converted] carried me he prayed under his breath, for I had told him a great trial awaited me. The officers directed him to place me on the ground….
One of the men kicked me and shouted, “Yun, you will speak today!” The other officer forced my eyelids open and said, “We have methods to deal with people like you….” This time they had brought various instruments of torture with them, including whips and chains. (110)
Another officer approached me with an electric baton. He turned the voltage up to the highest level and struck my face, head and various parts of my body with it. Immediately my body was filled with overwhelming agony, as if a thousand arrows had pierced my heart. The Holy Spirit encouraged me with three Scriptures from the Bible:
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps…” 1 Peter 2:21
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
By meditating on the Word of God, the Lord strengthened me to endure. I realized any suffering I was to go through was nothing compared to what Jesus has suffered for me….
Realizing their approach wasn’t working, one officer suddenly changed his attitude…. “Yun, I’ll give you another chance. This day, if you admit your crimes against the government, we’ll release you if you agree to attend a Three Self Church. We can even let you become the Chairman of the regional branch … We’ll stop investigating your previous crimes….” (111-112)
He kicked me again and asked, “Yun, did you hear….”
Seeing their methods were not producing the desired results, they instructed Brother Li to carry me to the Prisoners’ medical clinic….. After they left… the doctor told me, “Yun, if you won’t talk, I can make you talk.” He smiled an evil grin. … (112)
Thank God He protected and preserved me through these trials. I knew that God was using the wrath of evil men to accomplish His purposes in me, to break down my self-centeredness and my stubbornness. … (113)
I was a pitiful and dreadful sight. Like the Apostle Paul said, “We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men…. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” 1 Corinthians 4:9, 13. 114
The guards… forced me to crawl like a dog through the human feces. They kicked me with their steel-capped boots, forcing me to roll over into the excrement. They even used their electric batons to stab me inside my mouth. I cannot easily describe the pain this caused. I thought my brain was going to explode…. (117)
“Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.” Psalm 22:12-15[Persuaded to despise Yun for his Christian "counter-revolutionary" ministry, a group of prisoners continued the taunts and torture.] Less than two days later, God’s wrath fell upon my cell mates and they started to itch from scabies. Their skin itched… so badly that it drove them crazy. Brother Li and I were the only prisoners spared. Even though I had to lie in human waste and had been subjected to the vilest unsanitary conditions, the Lord made sure I wasn’t afflicted by this disease. (119)
One cell mate named Yu had watched me closely for many weeks. …. one night Yu came over to cover me…. I was so weak that my voice was almost unintelligible. … Yu, you must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Right then, Yu silently received the Lord’s salvation.” (120)
Chapter 15: A Graveyard Covered with Thorns
I was sent to the Zinyang Prison labour Camp… in the southern part of Henan Province…. The weather there is bleak with little sunshine…. The depressing damp conditions are a haven for swarms of mosquitoes and numerous poisonous snakes…. Every morning we had to endure political brainwashing…. (Page 166)
Chapter 22: A miraculous escape
I was 39 years old but saw no hope or future for me. I told the Lord, “When I was young you called me to preach your gospel in the west and south. How can I do that now? I’m sitting here in this prison with crushed legs…. I’ll never see my family again…. (Page 251)
I cried out to the Lord, echoing Jeremiah’s words,
“Oh God, why have you afflicted me so that I cannot be healed? I hoped for peace, but no good has come…. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.” Jeremiah 15:10 252
Once again the words seemed to leap off the paper and into my spirit. It was a very holy time, as though God Almighty Himself had descended into my cell and was dealing with me fact to face. … I wept….
My Lord comforted me like a loving father holding his little boy. He reassured me with the next verse,
“The Lord said, ‘Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose: surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress.’” Jeremiah 15:11
From my inmost being I cried out to the Lord from Jeremiah 15:15-18,
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty…..” (Page 353)
