The Heavenly Man

His awesome power

For the first two years after release from prison I did everything required of me and made a monthly report to the Public Security Bureau (PSB). I took every opportunity to share God's Word with the officers. During my reports I never told them where I'd been to preach the gospel. My reports consisted of the revelation the Lord had given me that month from his Word.

In March 1988, we heard that Bibles were available in southern China, in the city of Guangzhou. Foreign Christians had carried these Bibles across the border from Hong Kong. I was also told about an American pastor based in Hong Kong, who loved China with all his heart. He could speak and preach in fluent Chinese.

When my wife heard about this American pastor, she encouraged me to go to Guangzhou to visit him, and to collect some Bibles for our church. She told me not to worry about our local authorities. She would make an excuse for why I'd left our village.

I took the 30-hour train journey to Guangzhou and met the American brother. He shared how he loved China and was willing to sacrifice his life for the Chinese people. My heart was stirred. This was the very first contact I had with Western believers. They started to bring in many bags of Bibles, which were greatly needed by the house churches.

From this time on we started to receive a small number of foreigners into our midst. We enjoyed their company and were thankful for the Bibles and materials they provided, but sometimes we struggled to host them. For example, at that time we always rose at 5.00 am for our daily prayer meetings. After prayer and breakfast we would work diligently for the Lord until midnight.

The house church believers loved to hear long messages from God's Word. Many Chinese preachers could speak powerfully, without pausing, for several hours at a time. Then, after a meal break, they would continue for another several hours. This pattern continued day after day. We found that some of our foreign visitors could only speak for 45 minutes before they ran out of things to say! So we asked that only those who were able to teach for at least two hours at a time should come to us.

Pivotal year

1989 was a very pivotal year for the house churches. We started to unite to reach the harvest. On June 4, the Tiananmen Square massacre changed many people's hearts. It discredited Communism in the eyes of millions of people and was the trigger point for them to seek after spiritual truth.

In 1989 the Holy Spirit's power exploded all across China in many different ways. Fewer people wanted to join the Communist Party, while more people wanted to join the Christian church.

Between 1978-89 most believers were elderly farmers, but from 1989 many educated students and government workers started to follow Christ. Even a number of experienced Communists turned away from empty Marxist ideology and decided to accept Jesus.

Even in my own village the gospel greatly prospered. Several Communist Party members withdrew their Party memberships, believed in Jesus, were baptised, and started to preach the gospel! Many sinners found salvation and the sick were healed. The power of the gospel became the subject of conversation among the villagers. Everyone seemed to be gripped by the awesome power and reality of God. Even the neighbours who had mocked my wife during the years I was in prison repented and became strong believers. They were deeply sorry for the way they had persecuted my family.

On the night of my arrest in 1983, I had shouted, 'I am a heavenly man! My home is Gospel village'. This was now true! By the grace of God our village truly became a gospel village.

Authorities afraid

The authorities knew many people were being saved and great miracles were taking place at this time, but they decided to stay in their police stations instead of persecuting the house churches. They were afraid to touch us because they knew a mighty power was in operation. They knew it would be foolish and dangerous to oppose God's people.

Our co-workers had never received any seminary training, but they were truly filled with the Holy Spirit. Every time they preached the gospel people were amazed at their teaching and the name of Jesus spread. 'When they ... realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus' (Acts 4.13).

All Christian leaders were so busy we didn't even have time to eat properly or even meet with our own families. Everywhere there was a Macedonian call to come and preach the gospel. It was an amazing season when we just tried to keep up with God and tried to bring in the harvest while it was still day time.

Miracles

On one occasion I was invited to lead special meetings in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. Great miracles took place. The blind could see, the deaf could hear, and the lame walked. People who desperately need the Lord surrounded us. They even touched my clothes hoping to receive healing from the Lord. Finally, it took six or seven strong co-workers to carry me away from the crowd and out of the meeting.

In Anhui Province more than 2,000 people gathered for a meeting. Four people, who were considered demon-possessed by everyone who knew them, were brought tot he front of the meeting while I was speaking. For years nobody had been able to control them. Doctors and specialists had tried to cure them, but they only grew worse.

One of these men was a terrible scourge to the church. He frequently tried to murder the pastor and demanded that the pastor bow down and worship the demons inside him. He was considered dangerous so the police handcuffed him during his worst spells. The believers had been praying for this man for some time, but he was no better.

When we prayed for these four afflicted people in Jesus's name, three were instantly set free. The man with the murderous spirit, however, put up a great struggle. We continued to pray fervently for his deliverance until four o'clock in the morning, but he just continued to curse and shout out threats. He especially wanted to kill me. The powers of darkness inside that man taunted me by saying, 'You say you have power over demons, but you can't cast me out! This is my home and I'm not going anywhere!'

For hours we used every technique we could think of. We prayed many different kinds of prayers, but nothing worked. Finally, out of sheer frustration, we all gave up. We sat down and said, 'Lord, we can't do anything'.

Suddenly, while we were all sitting down in defeat, the Spirit of God came upon us and the demon-possessed man started shaking uncontrollably. We jumped to our feet and laid hands on the man. Immediately the demons left him.

We learned a lesson that morning. When we arrive at the end of our own strength, it is not defeat, but the start of tapping into God's boundless resources. It is when we are weak that we are strong in God.

Hunger for God

During this time people's hunger for God was incredibly intense. Unless you've ever been in such a situation it's difficult to explain what it's like. In some areas the power of God was poured out with such intensity that people came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit while walking to the meeting place. They would kneel down on the road and repent of their sins.

The needs were so great we didn't know what to do next. Brother Zhang Rongliang and his co-workers asked, 'What shall we do? Every place has invited us to lead salvation and healing meetings. We've become like candles burning from both ends'.

One day I heard a clear voice say, 'Go to the wilderness and pray. You must pray and then preach. Pray first and then preach'.

At that time many leaders received a burden to start training new converts. We had focused on evangelism but now we decided not only to win souls but also to nurture them and see them grow as disciples of the Lord.

In April 1989 we started intense training programmes. Many of these Bible schools took place inside caves that were cut into the side of the hills.

When God starts to move, the best we can hope to do is go along for the ride. All man-made plans and strategies become futile and worthless, and are swept away like an umbrella in a mighty hurricane.

Extract from 'The Heavenly Man' by Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway, published by Monarch Books and used with permission.

Saved at 16, a leader in the house church movement in China during the 1980s and 90s, he suffered terribly in prison. Here he relates some of his story.

His awesome power

Pivotal year

Authorities afraid

Miracles

Hunger for God

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