His Hand is on the Door

Now that you mention it, that Brother Yun is quite a guy…

February 6th, 2008

I apologize in advance for the title.  I was mostly looking to lead off this afternoon with the grossest understatement I could possibly formulate.  As I’m sure many of you heard, “the Heavenly Man” was here at IHOP-KC yesterday for a few hours, connecting with Mike Bickle, then our leadership team, and finally the IHOP family.  The afternoon session will be online at the ihop.org website at some point.

We have many national and international leaders come through the doors of our little prayer room.  The coolest guys are the ones that pop in and and out (like that great California burger joint) with nary a peep.  There are many key guys throughout the body of Christ that tell us after we meet, “I sat in the back of the prayer room” - and those are the guys you end up wanting to be buds with.  You just appreciate the guys that come in sans entourage and minus expectations because they are coming to encounter God in the place of prayer.  While I appreciate the value of networking, you sometimes find that a few leaders put the cart before the horse on a few key points.

This, of course, is a side note - guys like Brother Yun have to do the entourage thing because, well, he speaks little to no english.  I’m not sure if he drives.  Also noteworthy, the guy had prison doors fling wide-open and guards become blind to his exit.  That kind of thing tends to attract attention.  So I don’t really mind entourages - I understand their purpose most of the time and don’t want to make unhelpful, accidental comparison statements.  I was mostly going to use the illustration of the traffic flow of leadership from around the body of Christ in these parts to note that I am not awed by guys too often.  I loved Brother Yun when I met him.  How could you not? Part of his story involves the pain of rejection by some of the folks he has encountered in the west - that is unthinkable to me.  Um, hello? Imprisoned three times, tortured and beaten, with great stories that exalt Jesus? I’m not connecting with the hostility.

What struck me the most about his story (beyond the, “Um, that super bold but humble guy suffered intensely for his faith while training people to be disciples of Jesus by embracing martyrdom” part) was how some of his endurance, perseverance, and encouragement in great trouble and pain was knit to two things, according to his testimony:

1. Singing.  This accounted for the vast majority of his story - he would seemingly, at random times in both meetings I attended, break into song.  The songs were a critical part of his story, and he is proud that he is a singer.  He would sing to convicted murderers on death row.  He would sing to his jailers.  He would sing to himself.  He would sing to train and prepare the people for martyrdom.  He would sing the word.

I think that this is a significant piece of information for us to file away on the importance of singing and music when your bible is taken from you.  The Chinese church has learned to become the most fervent, dedicated church in the world with little to no ability to read or study the word of God consistently.  In many settings there are only a few bibles to share amongst themselves. That is significant and interesting - not to devalue the study of the word (since it’s my obsession), but to stand awestruck at the leadership of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in that part of the body of Christ.

2. Passion for Jesus, by Mike Bickle.  This was a little side note that he talked about more clearly in the leader’s meeting, but it was one that made me proud of my friend and awed at the way God moves.  After his third release from prison (the miraculous one), Brother Yun had few that were willing to take him in and help him, as he had technically escaped and was still a wanted fugitive.  In his struggle and near despair over his situation, he found Mike’s book and read it cover to cover.  Encouraged and blessed by the love of God, he moved on to the next season and assignment in his life.

That’s just cool.

End-Times Simplified is being translated into Chinese and Korean this year (it’s already been translated into Polish, Spanish, Dutch, and…Thai!)  I wonder what random guy is going to pick up that book and, well, learn stuff about the end times.  Okay, I feel dorky having even crafted that last sentence - but still, you never know when you write books, record teachings, and watch as things take on a life of their own.  Anyways, that’s another side note.

The interesting thing about the visit here is the connection that unfolded over the few hours.  IHOP-KC has a real heart for the Back to Jerusalem initiative; secondly we were truly blessed in ways we cannot fully appreciate yet by what Brother Yun imparted here.  We had a powerful time of prophetic ministry over him, but I mostly thought, “What do I have to say over that guy’s life?” He is truly the target of humility, holiness, and perseverance I am shooting for at this point in my life.

David

Entry Filed under: life at ihop-kc, life in the spirit, prayer movement