Living Water

Copywright Zondervan Publishing

Sometimes we pick really good books to read and sometimes it seems God picks them for us because He knows what we need.  The latest book that I’m reading is not only incredibly good but it also comes at a time where I desperately needed to hear the content inside.  Living Water is written by Bruther Yun, a former leader of part of the Chinese House Church Movement and now a leading voice for the Back to Jerusalem movement.  Brother Yun is probably most famous for writing the book the Heavenly Man which is his biography detailing the sufferings and miracles he experienced as an apostolic leader in China.  I also count him as one of my 50,000 coaches.

This new book is a collection of Brother Yun’s teachings and they’ve been stirring my heart in a real way.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and with 28 short chapters it would make a great daily devotional.  My hope is to post some quotes as I read to both stir our hearts and to record what the Lord has been speaking to me through the book.

Today I was reading Chapter Five, “Pregnancy of the Holy Spirit” where Brother Yun compares a Christian with a vision from God with Mary (the Mother of Jesus) when she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Yun challenges believers to give birth to that vision that God by the Holy Spirit has placed in our hearts. He uses the story of Mary from Luke 1 to teach us how to do that. This is the part that really stuck out to me.  Speaking of how Mary went to visit Elizabeth when she was pregnant, he says:

“If you become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, it’s very important that you go and visit someone else who is also pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  Only people who are also going through this experience can provide encouragement and comfort when others are attacking you.  I miss the close fellowship I used to have with such brothers in China.  We who were pregnant with the Holy Spirit would often come together for days or prayer and worship, and we would leave greatly strengthened in Christ and able to withstand the dangers and attacks of the world,” (p. 55, Living Waters).

This is amazing advice from an apostolic father.  I know that in seasons of discouragement, visiting others who are “pregnant” is always encouraging, but I’ve never seen that taught like this anywhere.  Are you pregnant with the Holy Spirit?  Who are those that you visit when you are?  How has that helped sustain you in times of weakness?