Free The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun, Paul Hattaway

wonderful work in the hearts of those sisters. They both decided to remain single so they could dedicate themselves more fully to the work of the Lord. Today, Sister Juan is one of the top leaders of the Born Again house church network. She is as bold as a lion, full of faith and courage!
    * * *
    DELING : Our lives were becoming more and more unsettled at this time. Part of me longed to have a stable family life, to have a normal daily routine with my husband at home alongside me.
    When we made a firm commitment to follow Jesus regardless of the cost, we didn’t really understand what that would involve! 1983 was a terrible year for persecution in China. Hundreds of house church leaders were hunted like criminals and sent to prison. We were forced to run from the authorities. It was a very tense and stressful time for all of us.
    At this time my husband went to Shaanxi Province, preaching the gospel in an area where we’d never sent workers before. Yun had been gone a few days when the Lord spoke to me in a vision and told me he’d been arrested, but that the Lord was going to help him escape.
    The vision greatly encouraged me. I realized how much God is in control. We had no telephones and no way of communicating, but the Lord communicated for us!
    I was so happy and relieved when I saw my husband’s face again! He looked in bad shape. He’d been hit around the head and hair was torn from his scalp. His whole body was covered in scars and purple bruises, but he was safe. When we heard what had happened and how the Lord of Lords helped him to escape in such a miraculous way, we were so thankful and full of praise to Jesus.
    This experience helped me have confidence that whatever Yun would go through was in God’s hands and according to his will.

CHAPTER SEVEN
GOD WANTS ALL OF MY HEART
    For months we lived like hunted animals, never knowing where we would sleep at night or when we might be hauled away by the authorities.
    The government and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement have fooled many Christians around the world by insisting there is freedom of religion in China, freedom for people to choose. They boldly claim Christians are no longer persecuted for their faith.
    My own personal experiences – as well as those of thousands of other house church believers – are quite the opposite. On one occasion when I was arrested the authorities let me choose whether I wanted to be shocked with an electric baton or whipped with a rope. They mocked me and said, “This is your free choice.”
    There is “freedom” of religion in China only if you’re willing to do, say, live and worship exactly as the government instructs you. Anyone who desires to live a godly life and obey all of Jesus’ teachings will soon find out how much freedom there really is.
    For weeks after I was beaten in Shaanxi I continued to bleed from my mouth. While I was recovering, our church decided to send me to the south, to Hubei Province.
    On this trip we experienced many miracles. By the power of the Holy Spirit there were many divine healings.
    Because of the efforts being made by the authorities to catch us in that place, my co-workers were very concerned for my safety. They relocated me to northern Hubei.
    We slept in caves and fled on foot from one place to another. Our clothes were torn and our hair unkempt. People were disgusted by us and considered us “…the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world”. I Corinthians 4:13.
    I spent much time in the northern part of Hubei. Many miracles took place and the gospel was spread to thousands of people. This grabbed the attention of the PSB and the government in the whole border area of Hubei and Henan went on the alert.
    The storm of persecution soon came upon us.
    Posters were plastered all over the streets of each town, stating that all illegal house churches would be crushed and the leaders arrested. Loud speakers blared all over the countryside, stating that the pastors from Henan were