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As is the earthly man [the man of dust], so are those who are of earth; and as is the heavenly [Man], so are those who are of heaven.
As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. I first read this soon after becoming a Christian in college and was very moved at the time. Having done mission work in China for over ten years now, I decided to revisit it, and my opinion of Brother Yun is even higher now. follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. 46Physical life comes first, then spiritual - 47a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. 48The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. 49In the same way that we've worked from our earthy origins, let's embrace our heavenly ends. New King James Version Negative Content- Minor cussing including: three forms of ‘stupid’ and four ‘shut up’s (though one I would overlook, see Here! ); Curses are said but not written; Blood & wounds (semi-detailed to can be detailed); Prison, Beatings, and Torture are all afflicted; Mentions and stories of those who were beaten and/or killed for their Christian Faith (it’s heartbreaking, and bluntly put); Mentions of murder; a couple mentions of drowning; Mentions of committing (or thinking about) suicide; Mentions of drinking; Mentions of brain out of it’s skull and feeling like your brain will explode; Mentions of human waste & prisoners urinating on Brother Yun; Pus and oozing sores;The problem I kept running into even when I accepted the words at face value: considering everything God does, this book sure focuses a lot on Brother Yun. For those who would like more information to complement this biography, I would also recommend Randy Alcorn's historical fiction work "Safely Home" and David Aikman's non-fiction exploration of the Church in China, published as "Jesus in Beijing". This book was recommended to me by a Christian friend who was reminded of it after we started discussing the connection that suffering has with true spirituality. Not being, at all, familiar with such deep persecution for Christ's sake that Brother Yun experienced, my mind was telling me that what I was reading was fabrication, not an account of God's many promises that tell us that one man can put ten thousand to fight, that He is a very present help in time of trouble, and that no evil will come nigh thee. This book will forever nag me when I complain. What I endure as "hardship," no matter how severe it may be will pale to what this man, and literally millions of others around the world endure daily in the form of persecution for what they believe. As the one was made of dust, so also are those of the earth; and as is the heavenly one, so also are those of heaven.
it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; Greek a living soul the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall Some manuscripts let us also bear the image of the man of heaven. The Message As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.I should also mention that Brother Yun sometimes makes sweeping claims about what "Christians in China" experience today. It's important to note that he hasn't lived in China for more than 20-25 years now (this book is also something like 15 years old). The Chinese church has changed a lot since the time he was serving the church, just after the Cultural Revolution. If you take this book as a representative sample of what Chinese churches are like today, you will be greatly misled.
During the meetings more than 1,200 people across Malaysia made first time commitments to follow Christ! Many repented of their sins and found God's mercy and grace as they became children of God. Many thousands more Christians were encouraged, challenged, and built up in their own walk with God through Yun's ministry. As usual, Yun refused to leave each meeting place until all the people who wanted to meet him and talk with him had the chance to do so. Sometimes this meant he did not get to sleep until the early hours of the morning as hundreds of people stayed behind for prayer or just to have a chat with Brother Yun. I have personally seen on numerous occasions how patient, kind and loving he is with people - giving them his full attention and displaying a genuine concern for their wellbeing. Yun figures that Jesus cares for people deeply, and so should he. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.It was later that Brother Yun found out the names of the two men. One was Brother Wang while the other was Brother Sung. They were sent by an evangelist to give Brother Yun the Bible. The evangelist, who had suffered terribly during the Cultural Revolution and had nearly died while being tortured, had received a vision from God. In the vision, God showed him Brother Yun’s house and the location of his village. He was asked to give his Bible to Brother Yun. However, he did not obey God until three months later. Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Martyrdom and persecution may seem a quaint relic of ancient history, people who burned or thrown before lions. The reality is that Christians all over the world are imprisoned, tortured, and d The first thing that the Bible lays out in such circumstances is that the accused person should be confronted. Jesus taught, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses'. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matt. 18:15-17). The Apostle Paul taught what to do when a brother has been trapped in a sin: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted" (Gal. 6:1).
In closing, Dennis Balcombe has written the following endorsement of Brother Yun, the sentiments of which are echoed by countless other people who have come to love and respect Yun as a genuine, God-fearing man who loves Jesus with all his heart: "I have known Brother Yun very well since the early 1980's, long before he was known in the West. I have seen closely his ministry, travelled with him on many occasions throughout China, know his family and the testimony he has among other Chinese evangelists. I have also been with him as he ministered in Europe and have heard countless reports from around the world given by many who have been greatly blessed and ministered to by him. He has my total support as a man of God with high integrity, who has in the past and is presently making a great contribution to the kingdom of God." As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. Brother Yun's book tells both of great persecution, and a surprising series of miracles of deliverance very similar (though often even more 'extreme') to those found in the Bible. Despite a life of poverty in China, he since has spoken to thousands internationally with the Gospel message. Seen as a rebel among some Chinese for not joining the government-controlled Christian organization, he was imprisoned and tortured by the government authorities. His book reports that he became a highly wanted man across several provinces. [2] He was finally arrested and sentenced to many years in prison. However, Brother Yun continued his ministry while in prison, with more claims of miraculous results. As a result, many prisoners and even prison officials are reported to have become born-again Christians. [3] While he gained increasing favor from some officials, he also became a target of increased persecution by others. He was repeatedly beaten and became severely malnourished. [2] While in prison, Brother Yun writes about undertaking a total fast without food or water for 74 days. [4]
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This doctrine concerning the Logos, as also that of man made "in the likeness" ("De Confusione Linguarum," xxviii.), though tinged with true Philonic coloring, is also based on the theology of the Pharisees. For in an old Midrash (Gen. R. viii. 1) it is remarked: "'Thou hast formed me behind and before' (Ps. cxxxix. 5) is to be explained 'before the first and after the last day of Creation.' For it is said, 'And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,' meaning the spirit of the Messiah ["the spirit of Adam" in the parallel passage, Midr. Teh. to cxxxix. 5; both readings are essentially the same], of whom it is said (Isa. xi. 2), 'And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.'" This contains the kernel of Philo's philosophical doctrine of the creation of the original man. He calls him the idea of the earthly Adam, while with the rabbis the (spirit of Adam) not only existed before the creation of the earthly Adam, but was preexistent to the whole of creation. From the preexisting Adam, or Messiah, to the Logos is merely a step. Paul. Adam Ḳadmon—Diagram illustrating the Seflrot (Divine Attributes). (From Ginsburg, " The Kabbalah.") The many thousands of people around the world who have spent time with Brother Yun have found him to be a good man, humble, loving, and always eager to bless and build up others in Christ. Those who have attended a meeting where he has spoken have made up their own minds whether this man is someone who loves Jesus Christ, or a deceptive con man out for personal gain.
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