Living Water by Brother Yun

I must confess, rather shamefully, that I haven't heard of Brother Yun before reading this book. However, after reading this book, I find that I deeply admire Brother Yun. You see, Living Water is a "collection of his teachings that evolved from his life experiences of persecution and revival in China."

The book is divided into three parts - Freedom in Christ, Streams of Living Water and Soldiers for Christ. Each section contains many small chapters; each focusing on one individual topic. In this way, I discovered that this book is best read a chapter at a time, much like a devotional. The contents of this book is like a personal sharing, as Brother Yun uses the Bible and his personal life experiences to share what he has learnt.

What most impressed me from this book was the lack of bitterness. Brother Yun has been in prison and persecuted for Christ, but he accepts this with a gladful heart. In fact, he calls prison a 'school' and confesses that he has gone to prison because he's ministry overtook his relationship with God, and says that prison was a wonderful opportunity for him to draw near to God.

The book is easy to read and is very inspiring. Brother Yun doesn't mince words when he condemns the Western Churches for focusing more on theology than a relationship, for focusing on building churches instead of the Church. He offers a very strong call to revival and shows how God uses persecution to build His Church up.

I heartily recommend this book. It's a simple book with a very powerful message. To end, I want to share a passage from the last chapter that I found inspiring:

"His power and life resides in my heart, here and now! And He resides in the hearts of all who believe in Him.

Time is short and is valuable. Don't waste any more time trying to serve God in your own strength and with your own ideas.

Jesus is alive!

Stop living like He is dead.

Let the living Jesus shine from your life. There is no reason to go around with a sour face! Turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy."