If you have read the book “Heavenly Man”, you would know who brother Yun is. His suffering for Christ in China and the escape from prison were remarkable testimonies that had inspired many believers.
But do you know he has also written another book called “Living Water”? In this book, this fiery evangelist shared his personal life, experiences and teachings that constantly challenged my faith. This is one of the few books that you cannot continue to read from chapter to chapter like a story book, without reflecting on what was written.
Here, let me highlight some of the texts he wrote which inspired me, and I hope will inspire you too.
On “Working in God’s Harvest”, he wrote:
Many Christians today are deceived. Somehow they think that being saved means they can sit back and enjoy the Lord and do nothing else while they wait for Him to come again. This attitude is so strange to me that I find it astonishing. In China all the Christians I know are busy working for the Lord, preaching the gospel to people nearby and those far away, teaching and encouraging the saints and generally doing all they can to advance the kingdom of God.
In China every believer is an evangelist. That is why so many millions of people have become Christians, with millions more being added to God’s kingdom every year. Among the house churches, evangelists sometimes return from preaching in faraway places and greet one another by asking, “How many people have you led to the Lord today?” Many Christians lead people to Jesus every single day. Some refuse to go to sleep until they have witnessed for the Lord and had the opportunity of bringing lost sheep into His fold. They want to be like one of those mentioned in the Bible, which declares, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:3).
During my lifetime I believe China will become a truly Christian nation, with the gospel thoroughly saturating every segment of society. In some areas we are already beginning to see this happen. China is not being transformed for Jesus because we sit around thinking and talking about God’s work. No! We invest all our energy, time and resources in reaching the lost. The church prays hard and works hard for the Lord. Many thousands of Christians have willingly endured brutal treatment and imprisonment in order to see the vision of a redeemed China become a reality. (page 232-233)
Jesus doesn’t expect you to sit on your backside for the rest of your life while you try to perfect your doctrine. Rather, He wants you to get busy in His harvest field, sharing the life of Jesus with those who know nothing about Him. (page 237)
On “Being Bold as a Lion”, he commented:
How is it that terrorists are willing to strap explosives to their chests and die for Satan, while many Christians are as timid as a mouse and afraid to witness to their neighbours? (page 102)
On “The Person God Uses”, he wrote:
Since leaving China I have come to see there is a serious misunderstanding among many Christians around the world when it comes to being a worker in God’s kingdom. In the West, especially, the gospel has been intellectualized to such an extent that there is almost no mention of true faith and trust in Jesus anymore. Academic qualifications and speaking ability are held in high regard, while spiritual maturity, character and the call of the Holy Spirit have been relegated in importance and largely consigned to being irrelevant when it comes to God’s work. (page 59)
As I have shared about the Back to Jerusalem vision of the Chinese church, some Western Christians have said we will not be able to successfully impact the Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu nations with the gospel unless we first gain more qualifications and training. Some Christian journalists have even gone so far as to mock our plans, claiming that people from poor, uneducated farming backgrounds will never be able to serve God, and that only Christians with university degrees have a chance at fruitful ministry. Is this true? (page 60)
All throughout history, the church of Jesus Christ has grown through the consecrated lives of committed men and women, irrespective of their social, economic or educational background. Peasants have testified before kings, and farmers have been used mightily by God to shake the whole nations. God even once chose a shepherd boy to be king of Israel!
The way of the world is always to look at human credentials as the prerequisite for success. We look for the strongest, most attractive, most educated, thinking that God’s work can be accomplished through human effort. God, however, clearly uses a different set of scales when he weighs a person. He looks at the character and heart of each individual. (page 61)
In “Sleeping Church, Awake!”, he wrote:
The greatest battle in the history of humankind is taking place right now. No, it’s not the “war on terror”, but a conflict far more intense and far-reaching! It is the battle for the souls of humankind. This war affects every single person in the world, for their eternal destinies depend on the result. Satan is busy trying to drag as many people to hell with him as possible. The Bible tells us, “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Rev. 12:12)
If there has ever been a time on earth when the Devil’s fury has been manifest so intensely, it is now. God’s people should be busy doing their heavenly Father’s work, serving Him and reaching out to the lost in whatever capacity God calls them to. Instead, millions of Christians are asleep, snoring away while they wait for the Lord to return! (page 170-171)
There are more than enough “believers”in the world today. God wants more disciples! Only disciples of Jesus can ever hope to impact the nations for God. (page 172)
Prior to the 1950s, most Christians in China were also mere “believers” in Christ, and when the heat of affliction came on, many fell away from the faith. Others, however, became serious about God and decided to follow Him regardless of the cost. They were gradually transformed into disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today most Christians in China’s house churches are disciples. (page 173)
On “A Worldwide Vision”, he wrote:
In the West many Christians have an abundance of material possessions, yet they live in a backslidden state. They have silver and gold, but they don’t rise up and walk in Jesus’name. In China we have few possessions to hold us down, so thee’s nothing preventing us from serving the Lord. (page 177)
When I’m in the West, I see all the mighty church buildings and all the expensive equipment, plush carpets and state-of-the-art sound systems. I can assume the Western church with absolute certainty that you don’t need any more church buildings. Church buildings will never bring the revival you seek. The pursuit of more possessions will also fail to bring revival. (page 178)
I’ve seen people in Western churches worshipping like they’re already in heaven. Then someone invariably brings a comforting message like, “My children, I love you. Don’t be afraid; I’m with you.” I’m not opposed to such words, but why is it that nobody seems to hear a word from the Lord like, ‘My child, I want to send you to the slums of Asia or the darkness of Africa to be my messenger to people dying in their sin”? (page 179)
In China today most of the house church believers do not own much. Most are from poor farming communities and struggle to survive from one harvest to the next. Whatever they do have, however, they give to God. There is no holding back. I remember some services when a small sack was passed around to collect the offering so that our evangelists could go to remote areas with the gospel. Many put everything they had in this world into the sack, for they realized nothing was more important than to participate in the saving of souls for Jesus. Even if it meant they would go without and face hardship, they were more than willing to do so if it meant just one more precious soul might be saved for all eternity. (page 180)
The Great Commission has not changed. It is our plans that need to be changed. There are many churches trying to create a heaven here on earth, but until the Western church obeys the Great Commission and takes the gospel to the ends of the earth, people are just playing with God and are not really serious about the Truth. (page 181-182)
I encourage you to bow in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to give you God’s heart for the world. Pray that you may have a worldwide vision and love for the nations as Jesus does. Then ask that He might give the sensitivity to hear His voice and the determination to obey His call. I know that when you gain a worldwide vision for God’s kingdom, your life will be full of purpose and will never lack direction again. (page 185)
May these short excerpts from Brother Yun encourage you to work when there’s still time. Shalom