Customer Reviews

The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

5 star:		(196)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Many Christians in America are causally aware that outside the West, Jesus' followers experince difficulty because of their faith. We observe November's Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and afterward go on with our lives. You cannot read this piercing biography of Liu Zhenying, better known as Brother Yun, and remain unchanged.

These recorded experiences show in a concrete way what it is for Chinese Christians to live hard lives of extreme danger because of their faith: police raids in the night, long imprisonment without trial, beatings (no citizen of the West is equipped to imagine what a beating is), forced abortions and sterilizations, starvation, dehydration, isolation, nakedness. But from this, God produces lives of committment to Christ, lives of joy, and and intense motivation to carry the message of the Gospel around the world, at any cost.

It was as if I was reading something from the Book of Acts. Unimagined miracles side by side with heartbreaking hardship - happening daily half a world away.

After reading this book, you'll appreciate the impact Jesus has on civilization as we know it. You'll see how dark and brutal civilization becomes without Christ. You'll understand why the freedoms and protections we take for granted are a treasure.

But you will also see how dangerous peace, safety and material prosperity can be to your spiritual health and to your committment to serving the cause of Christ.

What will it cost you to NOT read this book?

I wish I could give this book six or seven stars. There
are a few truly rare books out there that can genuinely
change your life for the better: this is definitely one
of those books.
You will be amazed to read the fascinating and heartrending
testimony of bro.Yun, a leader in the Chinese underground
church, and how his "faith of abandonment to GOD" leads
him into astounding testings and overcoming power to
testify of the faithfulness and supernatural power of
Christ in daily life: a life that seeks nothing but the
glory of God and the salvation of others as a true servant
in the Kingdom of Christ and His Church.
Just to read the triumphs and tragedies of chapters 11 and
12 alone is more than worth the price of this book. It's a
modern-day classic that will, perhaps, challenge your faith
and your life as no other book you may ever read.
I know now beyond any shadow of doubt that most Christians
in the Western and developed world are virtually spiritual
pygmies compared to our brethren suffering under persecution
and rising to the task of giving testimony to The Gospel with
their very lives and their all for Christ, and Christ alone.
~ This is what genuine, - from the heart CHRISTianity is
all about. The book is a rare treasure. don't miss it, OR
the Message.

We lightly speak of our own 'cross' or of 'persecution', but those of us in America have no idea what other believers are going through.

Brother Yun has experienced unbelievable persecution, including torture and imprisonment. He has also experienced unbelievable grace and miracles. And in a paradox that continues to confound, he describes how the true church actually flourishes amidst persecution.

Be warned -- it is hard to read. Not in the sense of literary difficulty (the language is easy), but it will cause you to search your own soul. You cannot read this without questioning your own commitment level. Yet at the same time, one is tempted to read quickly, at breakneck pace, just to follow the adventure, and see how it all turns out. It's an adventure story -- truly a 'page-turner'.

Be inspired by one who made the choice to follow Christ even if it cost everything.

The 'Heavenly Man' gets his name from a time when he was being publicly arrested by the Chinese state police for preaching (an offence for which you can still die in China), and he refused to give his name and address to avoid incriminating others. Under pressure, he shouted aloud as a warning for the village to hear, "I am a Heavenly Man". This defiance and denial of the state and assertion of his individual rights only enraged the enforcers even more, but certainly saved a few others from capture that night. The Heavenly Man's true name is Liu Zhenying, and the brothers call him Brother Yun. He was born in a mud hut house in 1958 in Nanyang County, the southern part of Henan Province, China. His peasant farmer village is very small, only 600 souls, but Henan Province has 100 million, and has been widely influenced by his preaching and leadership in the persecuted house church movement. Brother Yun is currently in exile in Europe with his family.

This account of the way things are for the oppressed in modern China is not for the faint-hearted. It is a harrowing but inspired account of his life from his conversion at the age of sixteen (with the rest of his family), up to 2002. Almost every type of miracle is recorded here. Of course, whether the reader believes any or all of them will depend on many things, but most basically it will depend on whether your worldview contains any supernatural aspect. If you go so far as to believe that there is a God and that he can intervene by his Will direct, as opposed to just working through people, then you may be inclined to accept all that he says. He is a veteran of the Chinese state prison system. Under the almost incessant vicious treatment of the communists he was attacked bodily and mentally in torture and public humiliation. It is no surprise that it took miraculous powers to bring him through: without it he simply would not have survived physically or mentally.

His family and friends also suffered terribly. As China is an honour-shame culture, the absolute rights and wrongs of individual justice and truth are as often as not of no importance in determining your public treatment at the hands of the community and authorities. Being shamed, or the fear of being shamed, is often all it takes in terms of social control and compliance. (The other side of the social compliance mechanism is the Hebrew internalised justice-guilt culture, which 'Westerners' have...so we are eclectic Easterners really. Our jurisprudence is essentially Greek. In the justice-guilt concept what matters most is the actual truth of the case, not what people think or the circumstantial evidence. Our version of honour-shame is sadly exemplified in the debased hysteria of the screaming tabloids, peer pressure in the youth, and fashion victims. But all stable cultures require a blend of both elements.)

The risks of being a Christian in China today are all too evident. Brother Yun and his co-pastors quite rightly condemn the state-controlled 'Three-Self Patriot church' as an ineffectual and neutralised collection of infiltrated collaborators. It is a running dog, paper tiger type of church. They are called 'caged birds' that enable the communists to falsely claim that religious freedom exists.

Yun's conversion starts with the night vision of his mother, desperate in plight, as their father lies dying of cancer. She is converted instantly, and the next day they pray for their father who is healed. The family become Christians. Yun needs a bible (extremely difficult to get at that time), and almost fasts and prays himself to death. The bible is miraculously provided. He shares his faith and preaches. He is then plunged into a whirl of healings, miraculous escapes, supernatural dreams and visions, conversions of almost insane death-row prisoners, and escapes from prison that read like episodes from Star Wars.

The style in which everything is reported is so dry and plain that it seems that only Yun's simplicity saves him from being accused of fantasy beyond the normal reaches of fiction. He speaks as man consumed by the truth and the passion of his convictions. I myself believe what he says, and am one of such sceptic mould that I parse every miracle report and 'word' I hear with great care. If I reject what I hear most often it is on the grounds of 'good intention' and thin evidence: the person's motive may be good but the method bad. To me it clear that Brother Yun has only survived with his life through an incessant stream of miracles.

During his final arrest he broke both his legs. As a well-known escapee he was incarcerated in a maximum-security prison and his broken legs are tortured to cripple him for life. He is warned by God that he must escape very soon or die. At the right moment he walks out of the prison like the invisible man (on the broken legs, not realising that they have been instantly healed), and he eventually escapes to Germany. His family escaped via Burma (where he survives an unspeakably vile Burmese prison), and they now live in exile in the west.

From the very first chapter, I was blown away! Next to the Bible, it has been the most convicting and moving book I've ever read. I realize more how good it is to know Jesus and how sovereign He is over the world and in our lives. The book's convicted me to desire to live a more sacrificial life for God, given me more of a heart for the nations and scripture, and renewed in me my sense of need for God's Spirit and presence. I highly recommend this book.

An incredible book...Yun has a heart for God and certainly made me re-examine my own heart and relationship with Jesus. After finishing the book,I did a little searching on the web as I wondered how he and his family were getting on. It seems they are still very much dedicated to serving God and loving people. I was surprised (I guess I shouldn't be) to see that the Chinese Gov. continues to try to discredit Yun's reputation through slander and false accusations on the web. I included the letter below as a means of showing how relentless the Chinese Gov. can be. This would be a very dangerous letter for the church leaders to write and I am sure that it grieves and humbles Yun that they would put themselves in harms way to speak on his behalf.

An open letter from 8 Chinese Church Leaders

To the body of Christ within China and overseas

According to the truth of Bible and for the sake of the unity of the church, we hereby are willing to bear witness regarding brother Liu Zhenying (known in the West as Brother Yun, the author of "The Heavenly Man"), whom we have served together and known deeply over the years. He is faithful servant of God, and of humble and honest character. Brother Liu has been called by the Lord since his youth, and has been serving The Only True God and the gospel with all of his heart and abilities, and he has also given his best for the beloved believers who are suffering in mainland China. Regarding the financial offerings from the saints, he has always conducted himself above board; never has he taken any offering for personal benefit. Regarding his position in work, he does not indulge in self pride or self promotion, furthermore, he has never considered himself the only legal representative of Chinese house church, as some have claimed.

Unfortunately, there is "someone" living in Hamburg, Germany, who keeps sending out accusations through the internet, email, letters, cassette tapes and CDs to discredit brother Yun's reputation. We have checked the accusations thoroughly and found the accusations to be false, baseless and a distortion of the true facts. In addition, certain persons being quoted in the accusations also deny having discredited brother Yun in anyway. They also expressed their displeasure of being falsely used, out of context, and without their consent and by distortion of the true facts. This matter is not merely concerning the reputation of an individual, it is also concerning the witness and unity of the kingdom of Christ, therefore, we just could not simply be a bystander, we are determined to object the false accusations with this open letter and to correct the misperception caused. At the same time, we sincerely hope churches would verify the accusations thoroughly, and not fall into the trap of Satan who wants to destroy the progress of the work of gospel in Europe. Therefore, we have unanimously decided to write this open letter to the churches in China and overseas, to verify the facts, and support brother Yun's work in various locations. We want to call upon the saints from every corner of the world to heed the call to bring the gospel back to Jerusalem, while waiting upon our Lord's glorious return.

Signatories:

Chen Chong Hui

Wei Gan Gao

Lin Jian Ying

Bao De Ning

Ding Xi Quan

Huang Shu Shen

Deng Xin Zhe

Huang Ai Min

Europe Gospel Centre / Various Church Pastors & Co-workers

06-Jan-2005, at Paris France.

Read it in one day. I couldn't put it down. I had to stop half way through and pray about my spiritual life! I'm buying 10 copies for all the men I know who are serious about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It is like reading the book of Acts but it took place in the last quarter century. I checked to see if anyone could verify some of the incredible miracles mentioned in the book and found statements from people who are closest to Brother Yun and vouch for his integrity. The author checked with witnesses of the events to confirm their accuracy. God help us get as serious as Brother Yun about our relationship with Christ Jesus!

This book is amazing! I honestly can't speak highly enough about it. I heard Brother Yun preach last night, and he is completely authentic, real and in love with Jesus. Mostly what strikes me is that hearing the life story of this man makes me realize that God is all-powerful and trustworthy, and a victorious Christian life is possible!

I was deeply moved by this book and encouraged by Yun's faith. I was humbled, brought to my kneels and repented.

I do not know Brother Yun except through the book, nor do I know the accusers of him. I read the accusers' articles and web site materials, and I want to share the following with the people who accuse him. We, as God's childeren, all fell short of God's glory, so you, me, and Brother Yun are not different from one another as we are as filthy as rags. If it was really the case that Brother Yun is not who he says he is, God will deal with him and it is not in our position to attack him publicly. Rather, we should pray for him, love him, and also pray that God Himself will be known and loved to the end of the earth--this is the purpose and focus of our lives, to love God and to love our brothers. Our focus should not be our personal agendas, your churches, who tells truths or lies, or whether Yun is a fake or not.

The sovereign and righteous God examines our hearts and souls. We should leave the judgement to God, and it is entirely up to Him to repay and reward. This book really is not about the accusers' churches, not about Brother Yun, and not about the Chinese government. This book is about God and about His characters and his plans, and ultimately how we respond to God's love and sacrfice for us.

What a truly breathtaking story of what God will do through,with,and for a humble soul who loves Jesus wholeheartedly,and who treats His Word as more precious than gold.Here we discover what it means to have no money,and yet be immeasurably rich.

Whenever i read books,i like to make extensive notes and draw out all the insight i can.I found this book to be absolutely packed with lessons for the Christian walk.
(In chapter 25 i was especially delighted to find this man of God speaking so forcefully about the western church - he said what we need to hear.Chapter 26 on a Christian's walk of persecution was tremendous.)

Place this book on your shelf alongside Corrie ten Boom's 'The Hiding Place' - i feel they go hand in hand as two of the most beautiful,powerful and life-changing biographys available.