It follows the dramatic experiences from Jackie's
own life and how as an ordinary girl living in England, she follows
God's call blindly and inexpertly and with no money or organisation
to back her, she ends up in Hong Kong.
Jackie is moved by the desperate poverty and
hopelessness of espectially those who live in the "Walled
City" - a drug fuelled, gang controlled, square mile of Hong
Kong slum dwellings with no sanitation and large families living
in just one room. She had to learn to never look up as she walked
down the narrow streets for fear of an unpleasant suprise. Her
ministry amongst the drug addicts and dealers, the prostitutes
and Triad gang leaders makes for toe curling reading. What's great
is to know that our God is the same God who has the power and
compassion to enable addicts to overcome their addiction through
praying and speaking in tongues!
Jackie writes as a real person, who lives simply,
forgoes much, learns from her mistakes and experiences God's grace
and provision in abundance. She seems to have endless energy to
help and love those around her, and her compassion for the lost
ooses from the pages. The book tracks the progress of her ministry
from the earliest days and the more recent last chapters show
the progress after a time lapse. It is good to revisit some of
the characters and learn how they are meeting the challenges of
life..
Jackie speaks all over the world now about
her community and the work done amongst the drug addicts in Hong
Kong. God has richly blessed her ministry and resulting in many
lives being changed in Hong Kong and the gospel of Jesus being
lived out sacrificially. I defy you not to feel humbled by this
book!
When we pray God works. This is the sub title
on the cover and gives insight into the contents of the book.
Very much a support and information book on the many countries,
cultures and people groups of the world specifically focussed
to encourage and inform prayer. But the difference is this is
focussed on prayer by children.
How many times to we as grown ups wish we knew
more or could some how pray more effectively about areas of conflict
in the world? And how many times do we feel we would love to encourage
out children to do the same thing, only felt it somehow too complex
or out of reach for them. This book is a wonderful way to resolve
all these things, and discover so much about the world at the
same time, so it serves an educational purpose too.
I can recommend any Christian family to have
a copy of this book and work through the pages one a week perhaps.
A great way of learning all about the coutries
and islands affected by this past week's terrible Earthquake and
Tsunami disaster area victims, to enable a better understanding
of the situation, for prayer.
What an interesting and ingenious little book!
I found this in Sainsbury's whilst doing a food shop and decided
it would be great for world sensitive teenagers, and adults alike.
A great mix of humour and imagination to get across a bunch of
really excellent points to do with the way we conduct our everyday
life and how it affects the earth and the humanity who live on
it.. Simple things like do we save water whilst cleaning our teeth
by switching the tap off? Easy to read and engaging without being
patronising, this book should be taken to heart by the nation
at large. And a great price too!
My Very First Bedtime Story book offers gentle
stories with a Christian theme, many based on contemporary child
friendly versions of parables. Each story is just the right length,
and each ends with a special goodnight blessing to say with your
child. It introduces gently the idea of personal bedtime prayers
and the stories are set in situations that toddlers will be familiar
with, like nursery or the park. Our particular favourite is When
Lion Gave a Party, which we have already read several times over.
It has lovely illustrations of toys, which is good for children
who like pointing and naming things! This is a perfect Christmas
present or baptism present or just an anytime present for any
parent who wants thought-provoking stories for the very young.
From the simple faith of an uneducated and
illiterate peasant girl, a church movement in China is born. Imagine
praying for a Bible for months in a land where Bibles are not
allowed, and then in the middle of the night totally out of the
blue, someone brings you a Bible!! This book is an inspiration
and encouragement and spurs us on to pray, and be active in the
witness of Jesus. It shows that however men try to limit God and
restrict his word, God is sovereign and chooses to use his people
in amazing ways.
The
Heavenly Man, Brother Yun
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Chapter I: Humble Beginnings
I was born in 1958... the fourth of five children in our family.
I came into the world in an old traditional farming village
named Liu Lao Zhuang... in the southern part of the China's
Henan Province. ... Our home was a simple structure of compacted
dried mud. The roof was made of straw. The rain always managed
to find the holes in our roof.... When the temperature dropped
below freezing we burned leftover corn husks to keep warm. We
couldn't afford coal....(Page 17)
On September 1901, a large ship docked in
Shanghai Port. A young single lady from Norway walked off the
gangplank onto Chinese soil. ... Marie Monsen was one of a new
wave of missionaries who, inspired by the martyrdoms of the
previous year, had dedicated themselves to full-time missionary
service in China. Monson stayed in China for more than thirty
years. For a time she lived in my county... where she encouraged
and trained a small group of Chinese believers....
She didn't seem too concerned with making
a good impression on the Chinese church leaders. She often told
them, "You are all hypocrites! You confess Jesus Christ
with your lips while your hearts are not fully committed to
Him! Repent before it is too late to escape God's judgment!"
...
Hearts were convicted of sin and fires of
revival swept throughout the villages of central China wherever
she went.... (Page 19-20)
China became a Communist nation in 1949.
Within a few years all missionaries were expelled, church buildings
were closed and thousands of Chinese pastors were imprisoned.
Many lost their lives. My mother saw the missionaries leave
Nanyang in the early 1950s. She never forgot the tears in their
eyes as they headed for the coast under armed guard....
In just one city in China... 49 [Chinese]
pastors were sent to prison labor camps near the Russian border....
48 died in prison. (Page 20)
In my home area of Nanyang, believers were
crucified on the walls of their churches for not denying Christ.
... One pastor was bound and attached to a long rope. The authorities,
enraged that the man of God would not deny his faith, used a
makeshift crane to lift him high into the air. Before hundreds
of witnesses who had come to accuse him solely of being a "counter
revolutionary," [Public interrogation and punishment built
the public fear needed for government control] the pastor was
asked on last time if he would recant. He shouted back, "No!
I will never deny the Lord who saved me!" The rope was
released and the pastor crashed to the ground below. (Page 21)
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Chapter 2: A Hunger Fulfilled
The Lord called me to follow him at the age
of 16. The year was 1974, and the Cultural Revolution was still
raging throughout China.... (23)
At first I didn't really know who Jesus was,
but I'd seen him heal my father and liberated our family. ...
I earnestly wanted to have a copy of my own Bible. I asked my
mother and fellow Christians what a Bible looked like, but no
one knew. ... Seeing my desperation, my mother remembered an
old man who lived in another village....
The old pastor simply told me, "The
bible is a heavenly book. If you want one, you'll need to pray
to the God of heaven. only He can provide you a heavenly book."...
"...every morning and afternoon
I ate and drank nothing. Every evening I ate just one small
bowl of steamed rice. I cried like a hungry child to his heavenly
Father, wanting to be filled with his Word.... (29)
The miraculous story of how God answered
his prayer and provided a Bible will amaze you!
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Chapter 3: Go to the West and South
In the beginning, reading my Bible wasn't
easy because I had only received three years of education. ....
I found a dictionary and painstakingly looked up one character
at a time as I advanced through the Bible. Finally I finished
reading through the whole Bible, so I started to memorize one
chapter per day. After 28 days, I had memorized the whole Gospel
of Matthew....
One morning ... I was reading the first chapter
of Acts. I started meditation on the verse in Acts 1:8,
"But you will receive power when the
Holy Sprit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
I wasn't sure who the Holy Spirit was. I
ran and asked my mother. ... She simply said, "I've already
told you all I can remember. Why don't you pray and ask God
for the Holy Spirit just like you prayed for your Bible?"...
(33-34)
I prayed to the Lord, "I need the power
of the Holy Spirit. I am willing to be your witness." After
the prayer God's spirit of joy fell upon me. A deep revelation
of God's love and presence flooded my being. I'd never enjoyed
singing before but many new songs of worship flowed from my
lips. ...
I began to wait on the Lord for His guidance,
and a wonderful thing happened. ... As I lay down on my bed
I suddenly ... heard a voice tell me, "Yun, I am going
to send you to the west and south to be my witness."...
(34)
I knelt down and prayed to the Lord, "Jesus,
if you're speaking to me, then I am listening. If you're calling
me to preach your good news, then I'm willing to obey your call
on my life." ... (35)
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We went into a house. I sat down on the floor
and everyone crowded around me. I was quite nervous because
I had never spoken to a group of people before. Thirty or forty
people were all staring at me... longing to hear God's Word.
They were so hungry for the truth.....
I sat there with my eyes tightly shut and
held the Bible up above my head. I declared, " This is
the Bible. The angel of the Lord sent it to me in answer to
my prayers....
At that time I didn't know what it meant
to preach. I could only recite the Bible from the chapters I
had memorized, so I recited the entire Gospel of Matthew out
loud, from chapter 1 to 28. ...
When I had finished I was filled with the
Holy Spirit and sang some Scripture songs that I'd never learned
before. When I opened my eyes I saw how God's Word had captivated
everybody. The Holy Spirit was convicting them of their sin.
they all knelt down and repented with tears flowing down their
cheeks. That night, even though I was just 16 years old, I learned
that God's Word is powerful. (37)
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After so many people came to Jesus at once,
it caught the attention of the authorities. All the Christians
in Gao Village were arrested and taken to the police station.
The officers demanded to know, "Who brought the name of
Jesus to you? How did you all come to believe in this superstition?"
The believers were filled with overwhelming
joy. The only thing they would say was, "We won't be like
Judas! We won't betray our Lord Jesus!" The officers started
to beat them and they rejoiced even more.... (41)
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Chapter 4: The Path of Persecution
The year 1980 was a phenomenal year for the
church in Henan. ... God constantly did outstanding miracles
and divine healings.... Later, many of the converts... became
leaders of God's church throughout China. (49)
In December 1980, a few weeks before Christmas,
the devil used a new way to try to tempt and deceive us....
The government called a gathering of 120 religious representatives
from all over our county. Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist and Christian
leaders were all invited to attend.
At that time we didn't know anything about
the Three-Self Patriotic Church that the government was forming....
Most Christians considered it a good thing and rejoiced that
a new day appeared to be dawning when believers could worship
freely without interference or persecution. I went to the meeting
completely open to the idea of joining the new church.... (50)
The ultimate, stated aim of Marxist teaching
is the compete eradication of all religion. The pure bride of
Christ can never be controlled by an atheistic government or
led by men who hate God! The true church is not an organization
controlled by the rules of men but a holy collection of living
stones with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. ...
I prayed, "Lord, where can I go? Lord,
what will my future hold?" (53)
The Lord immediately reminded me from Jeremiah
1:5-8
“Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Then said I: 'Ah, Lord God!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.'
But the Lord said to me: 'Do not say, I am a youth,
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord." Jeremiah
1:5
We know there are many true followers of
Jesus attending the government-sanctioned church in China today.
... It's not with the caged birds in the Three-Self churches
that we have a problem, but with the corrupt leadership and
the political power used to control people.
These leaders have severely restricted what
Three-Self Church pastors and members are allowed to do. Ministry
is not allowed without their permission. Evangelism is discouraged.
All outreach to children is strictly banned. They even decree
that certain parts of the Bible cannot be preached such as the
Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.... (54)
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Chapter 6: The God of Peter is your God
The house churches were also considered illegal
by the government because of our refusal to register with the
Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), so we became targets in
the campaign. Unregistered Christians were labeled "spiritual
pollutants" by the authorities and the TSPM. Hundreds of
house church leaders were rounded up and sent to prison labour
camps. In Henan many believers were executed for their faith
in Jesus. (59)
As I was paraded through the streets, a police
car drove slowly in front. Through a loudspeaker they proclaimed,
"This man came from Henan to preach Jesus. He has seriously
disturbed the peace. He has confused the people. Today the Public
Security Bureau has captured him. We will punish him severely.
(63)
"We must go through many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22
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Chapter 9: Through the Valley of Death
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened to you; but rejoice ?to the extent that you partake
of Christ’s sufferings, that ??when His glory is revealed,
you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are ??reproached
for the name of Christ, ?blessed are you, for the Spirit of
glory and of God rests upon you. ??On their part He is blasphemed,
??but on your part He is glorified." 1 Peter 4:12
During my long painful van journey back to
Nanyang the Lord continually comforted me saying, "Be still
and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
When the police van arrived at the Nayang
prison gate they took my handcuffs off the steel rail and pushed
me out of the back of the van onto the frozen ground. A bitterly
cold blizzard was blowing from the north. My face and hair were
drenched with blood. My eyes were blackened and my face swollen.
I had no shoes on my feet and the handcuffs had cut deeply into
my wrists.
They took me into a large interrogation
room....
The man second in charge of the PSB arrogantly
boasted, "Yun, you have lost the fight today. Your co-workers
are already in our hands. ... Your church is totally finished.
You have completely failed. You are an enemy of our country
and an enemy of the Party."... (94-95)
A spirit of faith spoke from within me, "The
gospel grows through hardship and will spread throughout the
world.... Truth is always truth. Nothing and no one can change
that. It will always conquer."
The officers stared at me with total disdain.
One man, with a sinister smile, leaned forward and whispered,
"Yun, haven't you experienced enough suffering yet? Do
you want us to 'entertain' you some more? ... The policy of
our government is to treat you well if you confess your crimes
openly and honestly. But if you lie and don't cooperate we'll
treat you harshly!"...
I was determined to obey God and not man.
I meditated on the Scripture,
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom
shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom
shall I be afraid." Psalm 27:1 ... (95)
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Chapter 10: The Fiery Trial
Before the interrogation began I sensed the
Lord was standing beside me and was my strength and joy, as
the Psalmist wrote,
"I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices;
My body also will rest secure." Psalm 16:8
The more I meditated on God's grace the more
faith I received.
As brother Li [a former robber and one of
countless prisoners whose life was transformed through Yun's
witness. Assigned to spy on Yun, he was instead converted] carried
me he prayed under his breath, for I had told him a great trial
awaited me. The officers directed him to place me on the ground....
One of the men kicked me and shouted, "Yun,
you will speak today!" The other officer forced my eyelids
open and said, "We have methods to deal with people like
you...." This time they had brought various instruments
of torture with them, including whips and chains. (110)
Another officer approached me with an electric
baton. He turned the voltage up to the highest level and struck
my face, head and various parts of my body with it. Immediately
my body was filled with overwhelming agony, as if a thousand
arrows had pierced my heart. The Holy Spirit encouraged me with
three Scriptures from the Bible:
"He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth." Isaiah 53:7
"For to this you were called, because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you
should follow His steps..." 1 Peter 2:21
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of
life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
James 1:12
By meditating on the Word of God, the Lord
strengthened me to endure. I realized any suffering I was to
go through was nothing compared to what Jesus has suffered for
me....
Realizing their approach wasn't working,
one officer suddenly changed his attitude.... "Yun, I'll
give you another chance. This day, if you admit your crimes
against the government, we'll release you if you agree to attend
a Three Self Church. We can even let you become the Chairman
of the regional branch ... We'll stop investigating your previous
crimes...." (111-112)
He kicked me again and asked, "Yun,
did you hear...."
Seeing their methods were not producing the
desired results, they instructed Brother Li to carry me to the
Prisoners' medical clinic..... After they left... the doctor
told me, "Yun, if you won't talk, I can make you talk."
He smiled an evil grin. ... (112)
Thank God He protected and preserved me through
these trials. I knew that God was using the wrath of evil men
to accomplish His purposes in me, to break down my self-centeredness
and my stubbornness. ... (113)
I was a pitiful and dreadful sight. Like
the Apostle Paul said, "We have been made a spectacle to
the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.... Up to this
moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the
world." 1 Corinthians 4:9, 13. 114
The guards... forced me to crawl like a dog
through the human feces. They kicked me with their steel-capped
boots, forcing me to roll over into the excrement. They even
used their electric batons to stab me inside my mouth. I cannot
easily describe the pain this caused. I thought my brain was
going to explode.... (117)
"Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled
Me.
They gape at Me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring
lion.
I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me.
?My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings
to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death." Psalm 22:12-15
[Persuaded to despise Yun for his Christian
"counter-revolutionary" ministry, a group of prisoners
continued the taunts and torture.] Less than two days later,
God's wrath fell upon my cell mates and they started to itch
from scabies. Their skin itched... so badly that it drove them
crazy. Brother Li and I were the only prisoners spared. Even
though I had to lie in human waste and had been subjected to
the vilest unsanitary conditions, the Lord made sure I wasn't
afflicted by this disease. (119)
One cell mate named Yu had watched me closely
for many weeks. .... one night Yu came over to cover me....
I was so weak that my voice was almost unintelligible. ... Yu,
you must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Right
then, Yu silently received the Lord's salvation." (120)
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Chapter 15: A Graveyard Covered with Thorns
I was sent to the Zinyang Prison labour Camp...
in the southern part of Henan Province.... The weather there
is bleak with little sunshine.... The depressing damp conditions
are a haven for swarms of mosquitoes and numerous poisonous
snakes.... Every morning we had to endure political brainwashing....
(Page 166)
See Brainwashing and "Education Reform
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Chapter 22: A miraculous escape
I was 39 years old but saw no hope or future
for me. I told the Lord, "When I was young you called me
to preach your gospel in the west and south. How can I do that
now? I'm sitting here in this prison with crushed legs.... I'll
never see my family again.... (Page 251)
I cried out to the Lord, echoing Jeremiah's
words,
"Oh God, why have you afflicted me so
that I cannot be healed? I hoped for peace, but no good has
come.... I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses
me." Jeremiah 15:10 252
Once again the words seemed to leap off the
paper and into my spirit. It was a very holy time, as though
God Almighty Himself had descended into my cell and was dealing
with me fact to face. ... I wept....
My Lord comforted me like a loving father
holding his little boy. He reassured me with the next verse,
"The Lord said, 'Surely I will deliver
you for a good purpose: surely I will make your enemies plead
with you in times of disaster and times of distress.'"
Jeremiah 15:11
From my inmost being I cried out to the Lord
from Jeremiah 15:15-18,
"When your words came, I ate them; they
were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O
Lord God Almighty....." (Page 353)
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This
book is a great read - challenging and encouraging, but most of
all inspiring. 
Matt
Redman. It's also a small hardback book, making it ideal to carry
around. Worship is a suject that has been on my heart for a while
and the chapter titles lept out at me!.. "Facedown,"
"The sound of sheer silence," "Awestruck"...I
don't want to give too much away!
