 Books on persecution are not my favourite bedside read. In fact, I avoid them as far as possible for I find torture accounts disturbing and consuming.
But The Heavenly Man has to be read and publicised because the author, Brother Yun – whose life has been one of intense physical torment, miraculous near-misses, thrills and spills – is coming to Malaysia next January through the sponsorship of NECF Malaysia (see page 15 for more details).
So, in the cool comfort of my air-conditioned office in Petaling Jaya, I thumbed through the book. And cringed. The book tells in graphic details Brother Yun’s story of over two decades of persecution from the time he became a Christian at the hopeful age of 16.
When reading autobiographies, the reader normally tends to compare his/her life with the subject. I couldn’t help juxtaposing my life with Brother Yun’s, and as his harsh experiences spilled from the pages, I tried to recall if there was any physical hardship I might have endured in my 30 years of following Christ. The only ones I could settle on were related to filthy public toilets. And they had nothing to do with carrying the Cross.
How blessed I am to live in Malaysia, I thought. Or am I? As I turned the last page of the book, I have to confess that I yearned for a slice of the action Brother Yun has experienced in his walk with God – a life wholly dedicated to Him, a life of intimacy where you can hear His soft voice in the midst of a crowded airport, where prison doors open to let you escape, where legs that have been smashed to uselessness buckle up instantly and carry you past ‘blinded’ prison guards, where your body can sustain you for 70 plus days without food and water.
But can I experience all these without the pain and suffering? That’s like asking whether we can meet God intimately and experience His mighty power and enabling without the brokenness.
Book reviewer Cam Martin wrote after reading The Heavenly Man, “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 commitment to serving the causes of Christ.”
Like many others in China, Brother Yun has endured much for the sake of the gospel but he has seen the necessity of the suffering as God’s way of moulding him to be the perfect vessel, well-equipped to do His work. We often view persecution as evil, but with eyes of faith and hope, Brother Yun said in the book:
“The past fifty years of suffering, persecution, and torture of the house churches in China were all part of God’s training for us. He has used the government for his own purposes, molding and shaping his children as he sees fit. That is why I correct Western Christians who tell me: “I’ve been praying for years that the Communist government in China will collapse, so Christians can live in freedom.” This is not what we pray!… Instead of focusing our prayers against any political system, we pray that regardless of what happens to us, we will be pleasing to God. Don’t pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn’t pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure! Then the world will see that God is with us, empowering us to live in a way that reflects his love and power. This is true freedom!”
“Don’t pray for the persecution to stop!” is his charge to those of us who are comfortably snug in our secure little zones. It seems a challenge to pray that, for our human nature cries out against anything that hurts. But I suppose Brother Yun has died to the old man within and can now confidently declare James’ exhortation, “When all kinds of trials crowd into your lives, don’t resent them as intruders but welcome them as friends. Realise that they come to test your faith and produce in you the quality of endurance.” (James 1:2-3, Philips version)
You can read The Heavenly Man for various reasons – to, in the words of book reviewer Richard Wasserfall who wrote in Christian Monitor, seek some “holy roller excitement” in a “plot of a modern day Acts wrapped up in a John Grisham-like suspense materials”; or to check out what kinds of miracles God is working in China; or to be “inspired” by the remarkable life of a suffering saint.
Brother Yun’s story will surely grip your heart, but you will come to realise by the time you close the back cover that the book is not so much about his life as about the One who powers Him – his awesome God and what He can do with and through a life that is totally surrendered to and dependent on Him.
What God can do through Brother Yun, He can do through any one of us, if we will place our lives in His hands. The question is: Are we willing to?
I passed the book to my 12-year-old Joshua and he devoured it for several days. (It’s an easy book to read.) The torture accounts disturbed him, so much so that he felt uncomfortable sleeping alone and moved into the next room with his two younger brothers, something he had considered a ‘babyish’ thing to do in the past. (He’s still sleeping in their room, claiming that he’s gotten used to their company.)
I asked him what he thought of the book when he was done with it, and he blurted out, “He is gila.” (Interpretation: Brother Yun is insane)”. After a pause, he added, “Gila for God.” I want to pray that he too will be seized by this same ‘insanity’ and go gila for God, but I hesitate because it will mean inviting severe hardship into his life. Meanwhile, he, oblivious to my struggle over him, is patiently awaiting January to meet Brother Yun. Perhaps after the meeting, he, on his own accord, will make that godly decision to follow Christ at all cost. This, I am praying. – By ONG JUAT HENG
The Heavenly Man is available at Gladsounds, Pustaka SUFES, Canaanland, Salvation Book Centre and the NECF office at a special price of RM22 each for a three-month period beginning November.
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