This year, RBC is running a series of articles in the Beacon examining books that might be especially helpful to the life of the Church. We hope you will benefit from these book descriptions and suggestions.
The Heavenly Man
by Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway
As a relatively new believer in 2015, I sought sources of encouragement for my growing faith. At that time, I was in high school, and while the fire of first love was burning in my heart, I felt that my surroundings were constantly trying to stamp it out. I felt like Lot, whose righteous soul was tormented by the dark deeds performed in Sodom (2 Peter 2:8 ESV), which I’m sure most believers have felt at one point or another. Struggling to find any real Christian friends who could strengthen me in my faith, I sought the solace and camaraderie I yearned for through the mediums of music, video, and books.
During this time, I stumbled upon a book called The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway. Although I can’t remember where I heard of the book or even where I got it, I can remember how the stories in it flooded my searching heart with vitality. As time passes, I am sometimes surprised at just how formational this book was to me and my Christian walk. I believe this book and the stories inside contain considerable value for those who call themselves disciples of Jesus Christ.
The story follows a man named Liu Zhenying, more commonly known as Brother Yun. Brother Yun was born in southern Henan Province in China in 1958 to a poor farming family. When Yun was only 16 years old, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer and given a death sentence. Yun’s mother contemplated suicide, as she didn’t know how to care for their five children in their already poor condition. As she lay in bed one night, she heard a voice say to her, “Jesus loves you.” With this miracle and the little knowledge she had learned from a Western missionary decades earlier, she urged her family to pray for their dying father in Jesus’ name. He was miraculously healed, and as a result, the whole family confessed faith in Christ, including young Brother Yun.
China at this time was like Israel in the days of Samuel: “…the word of the Lord was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1). Because of the oppressive rule of the Chinese Communist Party, Bibles were expelled from China. Brother Yun learned from his mother about a book that contained the teachings of Jesus, but no longer existed. However, upon seeing her son’s desperation for the Word of God, she recalled a man in the neighboring village who had been a pastor before the Cultural Revolution. After finding the man, Yun was instructed by the former pastor to pray and fast. After 100 days, Yun miraculously received a Bible.
It’s here that the story was especially impactful for me. The 16-year-old Yun devoured the Bible. It was his companion night and day. Having only had three years of education, he had to painstakingly learn new Chinese characters as he read. After reading the entire Bible, he began memorizing one chapter a day, starting with Matthew. It was after he memorized Acts 1 that he asked for and received a baptism in the Holy Spirit, and after memorizing Acts 12, an audible voice of God told him to go to the West and South to preach the gospel.
The story of his life compares to that of the early apostles—beatings, imprisonments, miraculous escapes, supernatural boldness, surprising unity, and unceasing prayer. We believe such stories really did happen, but they seem, perhaps, just beyond our reach.
This book is an incredible resource for anyone who is looking for encouragement and inspiration for their Christian walk, just as I was in 2015. Upon reading it, you will find yourself provoked to seek more, as a disciple of Jesus Christ. As I did, you might leave with a deeper appreciation and love for the Word of God and a conviction to “meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8). You will receive greater encouragement to share your faith with all boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:31) as you read stories of what God can do with simple acts of faith.
But maybe, beyond all this, you will leave with a deeper humility as you hear about what our brothers and sisters around the world are willing to endure for the sake of Christ. It is truly inspiring. This is a book that I can confidently say will not leave you the same. You should check it out!
