Brother Yun (born 1958)
READ: Matthew 5:1-12; 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8
Brother Yun is a Chinese Christian instrumental in the development of the Chinese house church movement. In China, Christianity is carefully screened. The government-controlled Three Self Church is the only legal form of Christianity. Everything within this organization is monitored very closely; the government sees true Christianity as a political threat.
This really is not new. Following in Jesus’ footsteps, the men and women killed for their faith in the New Testament and throughout history have always died as “enemies of the state.” We know them to be noble martyrs for the Lord, but their countrymen and government have seen them as political and societal threats.
Brother Yun knows the One he loves. His biography speaks of miracle after miracle as God has been consistently faithful to him and his family, providing comfort, encouragement, deliverance, and the salvation of many souls. Brother Yun learned early on that the Christian life was more than a feeling; His commitment to Christ required faith and allegiance. As a young believer he fasted and prayed until God gave him a Bible. After quickly memorizing the book of Matthew, God lead him miraculously to various villages to recite the gospel message. The Spirit would move powerfully as all the listeners would fall on their knees in tears, repenting of their sins. Brother Yun is not afraid to preach the repentance of sins, or to tell people they need Jesus. His commitment to Jesus and to the church in China has deemed him, like the apostles, an enemy of the state. He has experienced years of imprisonment and intense torture for the sake of Christ, but has remained faithful because God is faithful. Life has never been easy for Brother Yun, his wife, Deling, and their two children, but they, like the men and women of Hebrews 11 regard themselves as foreigners on this earth, and look forward “to the city with foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God.”
Brother Yun is one of many persecuted believers alive today. Many have gone before him and now stand in the great cloud of witnesses. They are ones of whom the world was not worthy. And we know that they have been received by the Lord and commended for their faith. And Christ will come again in glory to establish His everlasting kingdom. Together with those who have gone before us, we, with unveiled faces, will receive our inheritance, the salvation of our souls!
“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
