Heavenly Man- the book that made me cry

Heavenly Man is truly one of the best, most fire lighting books I’ve ever read! This book was a huge faith builder for me. It’s an autobiography of Brother Yun a.k.a. Liu Zhenying (born 1958) -an exiled Chinese Christian house church leader, evangelist, and proponent of the Back To Jerusalem movement. It tells the story of Brother Yin starting from his hunger for the knowledge of God and the bible from tender age of 16, through to his many experiences of adulthood, including his miraculous escape from China.

The book spans from about 1974 when it talks about the young Brother Yin, to about 2001, explaining his background, his family, and struggle for survival as a Christian in a communist nation. It explains the many miracles he experienced such as his escape from a high security prison, gaining the use of his legs after paralysis and his fast of over 70 days among other things. He was branded as a villain, and an enemy of China and during the book it explains how he was constantly on the run from the authorities who were trying to wipe out Christianity from their society, or at least replace it with their more controllable version of it which was the Three Self Patriotic Movement.

Reading this book was as if reading something from the Book of Acts-unimagined miracles side by side with heartbreaking hardship – happening daily half a world away. Inevitably this book has attracted its share of detractors, but co-writer Paul Hattaway is known for his careful research on the underground church in China and has documented the many miracles the book describes. The evidence is credible – I believe it.

Did I cry on reading this book? Yes…I cried river of tears. Here’s a man persecuted for his belief yet he stand strong for his salvation. He was put in prison for reading the Bible but that not never stops him. It made me ponder , here I am in a free country where I could read the Bible all the time yet I failed to read the Bible everyday. After reading Brother Yun’s inspiring story, I believe I don’t mind and actually look forward to standing up for my Salvation. Though I may never face such persecution as Brother Yun was forced to endure, there are always trial and tribulations within my own life, testing my walk with God. This incredible book gives me a renewed look at the power and ability of God, and I must remember that no matter how big or small my trials are, with God on my side, I will never fail in furthering his kingdom.

For Christians, this book will be a source of strength and awakening for their own journey, as it contrasts the harsh environment of China with that of the fairly liberal environment in the western world. For non-Christians, this book will be an interesting insight to the world and experiences of communist China and religious freedom, and may get them questioning why on earth someone would go through so much pain and suffering for their belief. It proves that in our world there are still good people who are willing to die for what they believe. Are you one of them?

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