Brother Yun - Living Water: Powerful Teachings from the International Bestselling Author of The Heavenly Man

Brother Yun is fervent and fiery for Jesus. I am sure that he will be among the Lord's anointed of the next generation, who build the kingdom of God in the toughest places on earth. I appreciate and honor this great servant of God.

Reinhard Bonnke, German evangelist and founder of Christ for All Nations

Brother Yun's life is one so totally captured by Jesus that no imaginable hardship or persecution can stop him from being more than a conqueror.

Rolland and Heidi Baker, missionaries to Africa and directors of Iris Ministries

Living Water
ePub Format
Copyright 2008 by Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ISBN: 0-310-30906-9

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

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On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

John 7:3739

Contents

Part One
Freedom in Christ

Part Two
Streams of Living Water

Part Three
Soldiers for Christ

I ntroduction

B rother Yun's testimony, recorded in The Heavenly Man, has deeply impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world since its publication in 2002. It is a joy for me now to be invited to play a small part in bringing you this companion volume, Living Water.

In 1997 Brother Yun left China at the insistence of fellow believers there. That began his ministry to people all over the world. Since that time he has shared in more than 1,000 meetings in nations throughout Africa, Asia, North America, the Middle East and the South Pacific, as well as almost every country in Europe. He speaks of Christ's love and His call for wholehearted commitment in such a compelling way that many people have been blessed and transformed wherever God has allowed Yun to go.

When I reflect on my personal experience of Brother Yun's ministry, I think of his living model of what it means to remain truly humble. I see him willing to serve any person he encounters without the slightest hesitancy or reserve. Yun shares the Word of God just as passionately in large meetings with thousands of people as he does in small Bible studies with a few individuals. He consistently shies away from any desire for celebrity or the public praise of men. Yun can often be found staying for hours to pray with those who come forward after he speaks. He does not merely say a few words and move on; he takes a genuine interest in each person. He gives them his full attention, just as Jesus did. On many occasions I've seen Yun kneel down and ask the people in the prayer line to pray for him.

It is extraordinary for me to witness Brother Yun's unconquerable ability to win people to Jesus. Some people believed he would struggle to have the same kind of impact outside China as he had before he left his homeland. However, whenever I travel with him in the Western world, I am constantly amazed at the number of people he introduces to Christ. Whether at airports or restaurants or in hotel lobbies, I frequently find Yun kneeling on the floor and praying with a tear-filled individual who is opening his heart to the Lord.

Occasionally, I step back and try to analyze the difference between his soul-winning methods and those commonly employed by most Western Christians. I have come to realize that it has nothing to do with methodology at all, but everything to do with relationship. Yun walks closely with Jesus Christ, and it is natural for that intimacy to spill over to others around him. Non-Christians are often attracted to the gospel because they feel God's love and presence pouring out through Brother Yun.

Many people have been stirred and awakened by The Heavenly Man. Very few of those people will ever have the opportunity to hear Brother Yun in person. Living Water has been prepared for exactly such people. It records a selection of the most inspirational and challenging messages Yun has shared over the past decade.

Because of the familiarity of Chinese Christians with the harshest of persecutions, they tend to have a different perspective from most Western-trained teachers. Yun's fresh application of the Scriptures may well bring many readers to a deeper walk with Jesus. His call to discipleship will offer them a different vision of their work for God's kingdom.

This volume is arranged in three parts.

Part 1, Freedom in Christ, contains messages relating to the spiritual life of the believer, particularly the need to remove all that can potentially block our relationship with God. These foundational principles lay the essential groundwork for the later chapters.

Part 2, Streams of Living Water, is about equipping believers for service in God's kingdom. Brother Yun teaches God's requirements for surrender, obedience and sacrifice and shows that His kingdom advances through human weakness rather than human strength. Yun takes readers graciously by the hand and shows them how living water can flow from within every Christian, bringing refreshment to many thirsty souls.

Part 3, Soldiers for Christ, explains the obstacles and storms disciples are likely to encounter in their lives. However, Brother Yun shows that such hardships actually aid Christians in their spiritual journey. These insights are drawn from Yun's personal experience enduring torture and pain for the sake of the gospel. Despite his harsh experiences, Yun's life and ministry are marked by infectious joy, zeal for God and love for his fellow man. How this can be the case in spite of all he has undergone will provide tender but practical encouragement.

Within these messages, Living Water includes many accounts from Yun's personal life. He openly shares his struggles, and he's frank about the long process of refining and shaping through which God has led him. Yun's teaching, therefore, carries the ring of authenticity. The reader will recognize the voice of one who has gone through what he speaks about, and not someone who is merely passing on lessons learned from a textbook.