the beauty of christ through brokenness

THE BEAUTY OF CHRISTTHROUGH BROKENNESS

“But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,

and who trembles at My word”

Isaiah 66:2

The Beauty of Christ through Brokenness

© 2004 by K.P. Yohannan

All rights reserved.

No portion of this booklet may be reproduced in any formwithout prior written permission from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, aretaken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982

by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEWINTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984

by International Bible Society. Used by permission ofZondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “NIV”

and “New International Version” trademarks are registered inthe United States Patent and Trademark Office by

International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requirespermission of the International Bible Society.

ISBN: 1-59589-016-5

Published by gfa books, a division of Gospel for Asia1800 Golden Trail Court, Carrollton, TX 75010 USA

phone: (972) 300-7777fax: (972) 300-7778

Printed in the United States of America

For information about other materials, visit our website:www.gfa.org.

Table of Contents

R

Introduction 9

1. Esteemed by God 11

2. What We Need 17

3. How He Does It 29

4. The Way to Fullness 45

5. The Beauty That Comes 55

Concluding Remarks 65

Notes 69

Introduction

R

My reason for sharing on this subject,which I believe is close to the heart

of God, is for us as the Body of Christ tounderstand the most crucial, fundamentalelement in the Christian life—brokenness.

As the Body of Christ, we are called tobe a people who live together, strivetogether, pray together, suffer together, ago-nize together and—if need be—die togeth-er, for the sake of proclaiming His mercifulsalvation to a lost and dying world.

And what kind of people must we be tofulfill that call?

The purpose of God was not to make us


10

into His workers. If He needed workers, Hecould have produced 10 billion trillionmore angels to do the job. He created mannot to tend the garden and just do all kindsof work. He created man to manifest Hisimage, in His own likeness.

How do we daily, in each situation andthroughout every season of our lives, reflectHim? That is the question at hand.

One of the major works of the Lord inour lives, as we seek to do His will andmanifest His image, is the work of brokenness.

C H A P T E R O N E

Esteemed by God

R

In the book of Isaiah, we see a glimpseinto God’s heart for the broken. In Isaiah

66:2 (NIV) God says, “This is the one Iesteem: he who is humble and contrite inspirit, and trembles at my word.”

But we have a problem.By nature, we all are the opposite of the

one whom He esteems. We are all unbroken.We are as solid as the hardest substance youcan find—unbending, self-centered, self-ambitious and never wanting to give in. Weare part of a world in which we are told,either directly or indirectly, “Fight for your


12

rights! Be your own person! What matters issuccess, ability, personality, position, beingimportant and first class in everything.” Thisis ingrained in us.

I remember some years ago a manapplied to join GFA’s home staff. He was acomputer expert, a brilliant man whose abil-ity and talent would help the ministry in asignificant way.

As he was getting ready to soon join us,he called our current office manager to ask aquestion that was very important to him. Heexplained how he was leaving an incrediblyimportant position at his current job andwent on to say, “My friends are asking mewhat my new position is going to be. I waswondering if you could tell me so that I canput it on my new business cards to let every-one know.”

We were taken back by his request. Notthat business cards and titles are a badthing—they are not. It was the seeking of great status and an honored title that jolted us.

I have never forgotten that day. As theoffice manager and I spoke, we both under-stood the answer we must give in reply. Isaid, “I don’t think we can offer him any-thing. If he is willing to come and clean thetoilets, be a nobody, he may come. But since

he already is demanding a position andlooking for a great title, it would be best ifhe stays where he is. Please tell him not to come.”

This situation reminds me of somethingA.W. Tozer said: “It is doubtful whether Godcan bless a man greatly until He has hurthim deeply.”1

You see, in the work the Lord does in ourlives, salvation is just the beginning; themajority of the work remains—the work ofthe cross. Through the cross, God is continu-ally trying to break us of our own hard self.In the measure in which we can be broken,in the same measure we shall experience theresurrection life and the rivers of livingwater that flow without hindrance.

How can we tell if we are broken orunbroken? When we have embraced thework of the cross, our lives will reflect thebeauty of our Savior. But when we are stillunbroken, our lives look very different.

I want to present some questions, whichhopefully will shed some light on your heartso you may see what condition it is in.

Do you focus on the failures of others?Are you quick to blame people when thingshave gone wrong? Do you become defensivewhen someone criticizes you, the work youdid or the things you’ve said? When we are

Esteemed by God

13

unbroken, we tend to have a self-protectivespirit, regarding our own lives as precious—are you like this, protective of your time,your rights and your reputation?

Do you compare yourself to others andfeel deserving of honor? Are you driven tobe recognized and strive to do things—evenspiritually—to find appreciation from oth-ers? Are you easily wounded when othersare promoted and you are overlooked?

Because of unbrokenness, we can find itvery difficult to share our real spiritual needwith others. Do you make certain that noone finds out about your sin?

Unbrokenness can often make us blindto our own true heart condition, thinkingwe have no need of repentance. Do youhave a hard time saying, “I was wrong.Would you forgive me?”

Some time ago I received a telephone callfrom one of our leaders in India. A highlyintelligent, well-educated man, whom Iknow quite well, was thinking about comingto work with us. The leadership wanted toknow what I thought about it.

As I spoke with them over the phone Isaid, “First, he would be one of the greatestassets we can have as far as his ability is con-cerned. You couldn’t find a more gifted indi-vidual; he has incredible abilities. As a com-


14

municator the man is superb.”“But second,” I said, “it would be very

dangerous for our movement if he came.The man is not broken. He is so self-suffi-cient, so sure of himself, so strong. You canbe sure he will fight and win every argumentwith his determination to always be right.Even if he gives us money to let him workwith us, I wouldn’t have him. I would nothave him because what he produces wouldbe hard, unbroken people. We want brokenpeople. God is looking for humble people,not able people. He resides with the lowlyof heart.”

In fact, this is exactly what Isaiah 57:15says: “For thus says the High and Lofty Onewho inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:‘I dwell in the high and holy place, withhim who has a contrite and humble spirit,to revive the spirit of the humble, and torevive the heart of the contrite ones.’”

Take a moment and ask the Lord to showyou areas of your life that remain unbroken.Are you willing to humble yourself and sur-render these areas so that He may do Hiswork in your heart?

Esteemed by God

15

C H A P T E R T W O

What We Need

R

Unbrokenness is a fearful thing. It is thespirit of Satan, whose nature is incur-

able pride that can forever resist God. God’s greatest problem is not our sin (forHe dealt with that on the cross), but thehardness and unbrokenness of our hearts.That is God’s greatest problem, the root ofall our troubles.

The Bible has its lists of unbroken people. Consider Pharaoh as one example.

Pharaoh could have been Moses. Whatan incredible opportunity. He could havebecome like Ruth of Moab or Rahab theharlot. He could have been the most incred-

ible individual in history to join with Mosesand lead the children of Israel. He couldhave said, “Moses, we grew up together. Youleft Egypt and I thought you were an idiot togive up all you had. But here I sit on thisivory throne with all the power in the world,yet I am so empty, lost and hopeless. Mypower and possessions are just a show. I amnothing. But Moses, I see in your eyes suchauthority. With stammering tongue you sim-ply say, ‘Let my people go,’ and the heavensstand by you. I tremble at your words.Moses, I give up. You be my agent of recon-ciliation. Let me follow you—what do youwant me to do?”

Pharaoh could have done that. But hedidn’t. He refused to be broken. At everyopportunity, with each of the plagues, hisheart became harder and harder.

King Saul is another example. Whatincredible possibilities the man had! Godchose him to be the very first king of Israel.What an honor! He began as a humbleleader, but over the years, little by little, hebegan to harden his heart. He refused to bebroken of his own ways. And in the end, itwas the very thing that killed him.

In the book of Numbers, we read one ofthe most frightening stories in the Bible—the story of Korah. Like the others, he hard-


18

ened his heart and infected the entireIsraelite camp with his arrogance. But unlikethe others, no external circumstance causedhim to fall. No snake came and bit him,causing his death. There was no heart attack.There was no somebody killing him or himcommitting suicide. No sir. God Himselfripped open the earth and swallowed himup (see Numbers 16:32).

Each of these men paid a great pricebecause of their unbrokenness. And pleasenotice how their unbrokenness did not justaffect them, but also the people they led,loved and lived with.

The same thing happens in our liveswhen we refuse to humble ourselves. Notonly does our resistance prolong the processand delay the good work the Lord is tryingto bring about in our lives, but it also affectsthose around us. Oftentimes when we resistthe work of God, our family and loved onessuffer. Our relationships and our jobs sufferbecause we become difficult people, hard toget along with and living with internal tension that soon manifests itself in ourexternal lives.

Unbrokenness is a fearful thing. Why? Itis so fearful because any one of us has theability to harden our hearts in the samemanner as Pharaoh, King Saul or Korah, and

What We Need

19

by this set ourselves up as enemies of God.

Humble Thyself

Scripture tells us, “God opposes theproud but gives grace to the humble” (James4:6, NIV).

This is a strong verse. You could make anybody your enemy

and still somehow survive somewhere. Butyou don’t want to make God your enemy.We do this by having a prideful heart.

The Greek word for “oppose” used inJames 4:6 is antitassomai, a word denoting to“rage in battle against.”1 I am sure youagree—this is a bad deal! If for some reasonI got angry with you, you could punch meback. But if God becomes angry with youand resists you, you would have no chance.We bring disaster upon ourselves when wewalk in pride, and ultimately we cut our-selves off from His grace.

The only way to receive His grace andfavor is to be broken and humble beforeHim. And this is something Scripture sayswe are responsible for. The Bible never saysGod will humble us. The only place whereGod humbled individuals is in the case ofNebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar or situationswhen He said, “Either you fall on this rockand be saved, or the rock will fall on you


20

and powder you” (paraphrase, see Daniel2:34–35).

We must humble ourselves (see James4:10). We must choose to walk the road ofbrokenness. We are told to put on the gar-ment of humility.

This brokenness is not just an outer gar-ment. It is not just externally looking veryhumble and pious, like the Pharisees did.The attitude of our hearts must be humble.

But how can we understand the condi-tion of our heart, to know whether it ishumble and broken or stiff and unbending?Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitfulabove all things, and desperately wicked;who can know it?”

Yet this passage continues with saying, “I,the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind”(v. 10). When the Lord, in His mercy andgrace, reveals to us the pride, stubbornnessand unwillingness in our hearts, we must bewilling to say, “Lord, that’s the area You areshowing me. I humble myself and I repent.”But if we refuse to do that, we make Godour enemy. He will oppose us. Grace can nolonger be given.

A Familiar Enemy

Our refusal to bend and break and behumbled causes us to be God’s enemy. Yet

What We Need

21

we can also have another enemy throughoutthis process of brokenness—ourselves. Weare often our greatest enemy in seeing thework of the cross reign in our lives.

Watchman Nee said this:

Anyone who serves God will discoversooner or later that the great hin-drance he has in the Lord’s work isnot others, but himself. He will dis-cover that his outward man (soul) isnot in harmony with his inward man(spirit). Both tend to go toward twoopposite directions from each other.He will also sense the inability of hisoutward man to submit to the innercontrol. . . . Thus he is rendered inca-pable of obeying God’s highest com-mands.2

You see, Scripture speaks of an inner bat-tle that takes place in all of us. It even goesas far as to call it a war, one that ragesbetween our inner man and our outwardman. Consider what Paul wrote in Romans7:22—“For in my inner being I delight inGod’s law; but I see another law at work inthe members of my body, waging war . . .”(NIV, emphasis added).

There is a clear distinction between ourinner man and our outward man. There is a


22

battle, which can have only one winner. Ifour outward man can be broken andcrushed, the inward man can shine throughand the beauty of Christ within seen.

Please understand. “The inward man can-not come forth, because he is resisted andblocked by an exhausted outward man. Thatis why we have repeatedly suggested thatthis outward man must be broken.”3

Founder of Christian and MissionaryAlliance, A.B. Simpson, once wrote a hymnentitled, “Not I, but Christ,” in which hecaptures perfectly the need in each of ourlives:

Oh to be saved from myself, dear LordOh to be lost in Thee;Oh that it may be no more I,But Christ that lives in me.

Oh to be saved, not from adultery andthievery and lying and cheating and all thegross, visible sins that are happening outthere, but from myself. Oh to be lost inThee, that it may be no more I, but Christ.That is the brokenness I desire for myselfand for all of us.

Brokenness for Today

Sometimes we may not even see howmuch we need to be broken. Depending on

What We Need

23

the culture we grew up in, some can—with-out realizing it—have an unbroken, pridefulattitude ingrained in them. We may havebeen taught from birth to let no one intrudein our lives. We raise our children, and fromthe day they are born they have their ownrooms, their own toys, their own everything.And using each other’s things without firstasking permission is not allowed.

How careful we are to protect our per-sonal lives. We are brothers and sisters inChrist until you cross that fine line andenter my private life. And if you are braveenough to do that, the quick reply you’llhear is, “Hey, listen. I love you and respectyou, but this is none of your business.”Whether we see it or not, this is unbroken-ness.

This is not how it should be. In the family of God there is no veil. There are nobarriers, no shields, nothing. We have beencrucified with Christ, and things like ageand looks and material possessions nolonger matter. In the kingdom there is nopushing to get first place; there is no stand-ing up for our rights. In the kingdom, up isdown and down is up, and the servant isgreatest of all.

As a leader, I am in a most dangerousplace of not recognizing unbroken areas of


24

my life. The Lord reminds me often to beextra sensitive to this, because, especially inthe Asian culture, very few people will go toa leader, look them in the eye and say, “Youare wrong. You messed up.”

Because of this, I have tried to order mylife so that I am surrounded by people whowatch what I do and say. I have sat downwith a few people and said, “If you careabout me and love me, please, tell me any-time you see something wrong in my life.” Iam not infallible. I am capable of doing anywickedness you could possibly imagine. Iam a man living in mortal flesh with everyvice and temptation anyone else faces.

In fact, there have been times when I’vehad to stand up before the people I workwith and repent and ask forgiveness becauseI publicly hurt one of them. I can easily slip.I can easily get the attitude, “I know who Iam. I know how much I studied. I know myleadership. I know what I am doing.”

One incident while on a recent visit toIndia reminded me of the need to be onguard and continually asking the Lord tosearch my heart, that I would remain brokenbefore Him.

As I stood beside a coconut tree outsideof the library at our seminary, I wasabsolutely spellbound by the look and ele-

What We Need

25

gance of the building. I thought to myself, “Iwish I were young again so I could studyhere. Look at all these books!”

And suddenly, as I was standing there,these words came to my mind: “Look at thishuge, wonderful building,” as if I had madethat place happen. Honestly, I had hadnothing to do with the beautiful library. Butif I had let my thoughts continue as theywere going, I would have ended up likeNebuchadnezzar, saying, “Wow! I did some-thing terribly wonderful and significant.”

I will never forget leaning against thatcoconut tree, all alone, looking at thelibrary. I said to myself out loud, “As forman, his days are like grass; as a flower ofthe field, so he flourishes. For the windpasses over it, and it is gone, and its placeremembers it no more” (Psalm 103:15–16).

“Lord,” I said, “that is what I am. I amlike the grass and the flower.” And I spoketo myself, “Look, flesh. Now you understandwhat it’s all about. You can do all thesethings and there will come a day when thevery place where the things are done willremember you no more. Walk away from it.Don’t hold anything so tight. Even in thework of the Lord, it is worthless.”

I was 16 when the Lord first called me toserve Him. Now I am much older. In this


26

journey, over the years I have met, livedwith, taught and served so many whose liveshave been destroyed by pride. They simplywere not willing to give in. God did notcome down and take away their lives, ashappened in the Old Testament. Instead,because of their continual resistance, theywere “shelved”—put aside from God’swork—while less able, younger but brokenpeople went on with God.

We miss God’s greatest blessing when weharden our hearts. We become our greatestenemy when we allow our outward man toremain intact and never broken. Proverbs29:1 (NIV) warns us, “A man who remainsstiff-necked . . . will suddenly bedestroyed—without remedy.”

Again and again and again He remindsus, “Today, if you hear [My] voice, do notharden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7, NIV).

What We Need

27

C H A P T E R T H R E E

How He Does It

R

The LORD is close to the brokenheartedand saves those who are crushed in

spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV).It is very interesting to note how this

verse says “the Lord is close.” So what is theopposite? The Lord is far away. He is distantfrom someone who is not broken. The wayto have God near to you is to be humbleand broken. As long as we are stubborn andhard and unbending, He will be far from us.

But the kind of people God will neverdespise or walk away from are the individu-als who live with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. “The sacrifices of God are a

broken spirit, a broken and a contriteheart—these, O God, You will not despise”(Psalm 51:17).

Imagine someone dying of hunger. Thereis food placed before him, but no matterhow hard he tries, he cannot eat. The prob-lem is that his mouth is stitched closed andhis hands are tied behind his back. Even ifsomeone tried to feed him, he could notreceive the food.

In our spiritual life, the same thing canhappen. No matter how much God loves us,no matter what He wants to do for us orhow earnestly He seeks to bless us, He can-not do anything with a person who closeshis heart in pride, refusing to bend andbreak. And as long as this believer lives onearth, God’s consistent work is going to beto bring him to the place of brokenness.God never gives up on us until we are bro-ken. Consistently He works with us.

And He uses all kinds of methods. EitherHe will break our outward man gradually,like one steadily chips away at a large stone,or He will break us suddenly, through somemajor crisis. Sometimes there is a suddenbreaking, followed by gradual. For others,the Lord arranges daily trials, difficulties, dif-ficult people, hard circumstances, physicalproblems and all sorts of things—you can


30

write your own list—to bring us to the placeof brokenness.

God works with each one of us in Hisway. The way He breaks you may be differ-ent from the way He breaks me. And thetiming of it all is in His hands. However, wecan certainly prolong the process. In somelives, God can bring an individual to theplace of brokenness in six months, one yearor three years. For some it is a lifelongprocess—10, 20, 30 years. The saddest of allis wasting such incredible, precious yearsbecause of our resistance.

My Personal Experience

The first time I can distinctly rememberthe experience of being broken, I was about18. At that time I didn’t understand any-thing about what was happening, exceptthat it was painful and it hurt.

From the age of 16, I had been involvedwith a youth evangelistic movement. TheLord had gifted me to teach, but at that timeI didn’t realize it was a gift He had givenand not something I had of myself.

After a few years with the movement, Iwas known and recognized for my ability tocommunicate and teach effectively. I was ingreat demand by all the area coordinators.Everybody was asking for me to come to

How He Does It

31

their area because they wanted someone topreach and teach like I was able to do. It’snot that there were no other preachers. Itwas a young people’s movement—therewere only about 300-400 of us. There is asaying, “In a country where nobody has anose, the one with half a nose is the king.” Imean, in my little world out there, I was theone with half a nose. And I felt really goodabout my nose! I was in such demand, and Iwas flying high.

It was during our 30-day conference inAjmer, Rajasthan, that I first began to experi-ence what it means to be broken.

At the end of the conference, each areacoordinator selected the people they wantedon their teams for the upcoming season ofministry. Throughout the conference, I waswalking around like a peacock with hisfeathers displayed. I was thinking, “Mygoodness, what am I going to do when theconference is over? Everybody is going towant me. How am I going to say ‘no’ to somany people? I am going to be in suchdemand. What am I going to do withmyself?”

But when the conference came to an end,I had not been chosen to be on anyone’steam. Nobody wanted me. The selectionswere made, and I just sat there all alone.


32

One by one, I watched as the teams startedto leave.

That evening, one of the senior leaderscame to talk to me. He walked me out ofthe meeting place, through an old beat-updoor with a half-broken light hanging downoutside it. We walked out into the night andsat on a large stone outside the meetingplace. He turned to me and said, “BrotherK.P., all the teams are gone. Only five or sixindividuals are left. You are one of them.Nobody wants you.”

I was totally shaken by that. I didn’t haveanything to say. He didn’t tell me this in anice, cozy living room with us sitting oncomfortable chairs. There were no stars shin-ing in the sky; it was a dark night. We justsat on a rock outside. He didn’t put his armaround my shoulders to comfort me. Hesimply said, “Your pride, your arrogance isthe reason.” Then he got up and walkedaway.

I sat there for a long time. My wholeworld had collapsed.

The next few days I said to myself overand over again, “I will never preach again. Iwill never teach again. I don’t ever want todo ministry again. Nobody wants me. Theydon’t understand how much I have done forthem. They don’t know how hard I have

How He Does It

33

worked.” For days I was like this.Then God, in His mercy and grace, came

through and told me, “What he said is true.It is your pride, your stiff neck and yourunwillingness to bend.”

By His grace, I had the courage to lookback over the past months and years on theteams I had been a part of and realize howimpossible to live with I had become—hard-hearted, argumentative and alwaysthinking my way was best. No matter whatthe leaders suggested, I took a differentapproach. I had a different idea of how todo it. Regardless of what the argument was,I always sought to win. And most times, Igot it my way.

That was the first time I can distinctlyremember knowing the need to embrace thecross. I began to understand then that myworst enemy was my own stubborn, unbro-ken life.

Since then, many more times I have gonethrough similar experiences. That one timewas not the end.

Wherever we are, wherever the Lord hasplaced us, we need to be sensitive to notresisting brokenness in our lives, ultimatelydelaying the good work He is trying to fulfillin us. The only person that can delay God’spromise in your life is you—by resisting Hisbreaking.


34

Jacob’s life is a classic example of thisresistance.

Don’t Delay!

In Genesis 25:23, God gives the promiseconcerning Jacob and his older brother,Esau, before they were even born: “Theolder shall serve the younger.” God’s prom-ise was there from the beginning.

But despite that fact, Jacob lived his lifetrying to fulfill the promise through his ownscheming and clever plans. What a man hewas! He was bold enough and cleverenough to steal his brother’s birthright andtrick his father into blessing him instead ofEsau.

Because of the tension now between himand his brother, Jacob fled to his uncleLaban’s house for safety. While en route, hehad a dream in which he saw the angelsascending and descending. God promised tomake Jacob’s descendants great and to blesshim and bring him back to his homeland.But still, Jacob wanted to do things his ownway. He bargained with God, saying, “Ifyou’ll let me just continue in the way I amgoing and keep me safe and feed me, thenwhen I come back I will build a temple forYou. I will give tithes” (paraphrase, seeGenesis 28:20–22).

How He Does It

35

He still would not give up his own ways.He still would not break.

When he finally reached his uncleLaban’s house, he soon discovered he was aman twice as conniving as himself. Themedicine Jacob had dished out to his broth-er and his father was now returned to him ahundredfold. For 14 years he labored underhis uncle, still scheming and planning toincrease his wealth in his own way. God wastrying to use Laban to break Jacob, but stillhe resisted.

Sick and tired of living with Laban, Jacobdecided it was time to leave. So with all hislivestock, his wife and children, he ran fromhis uncle, planning to return home.

While on his way, he heard that Esau wascoming out to meet them. Afraid of whatEsau’s reaction might be, Jacob, still schem-ing and relying on his own ways, sent hisservants, livestock, wives and children aheadof himself to meet Esau. He reasoned that ifthey got killed, at least he would still besafe. He was still looking after his own inter-ests. He was still unwilling to give every-thing to God and let Him work it out. Hestill would not surrender.

Finally, after 20 years of running in hisown strength, in his own cleverness, in hisown scheming and planning and plotting,


36

all by himself and out in the desert, he metGod.

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Manwrestled with him until the breakingof day. Now when He saw that He didnot prevail against him, He touchedthe socket of his hip; and the socketof Jacob’s hip was out of joint as Hewrestled with him. And He said, “LetMe go, for the day breaks.” But hesaid, “I will not let You go unless Youbless me!” So He said to him, “Whatis your name?” He said, “Jacob.” AndHe said, “Your name shall no longerbe called Jacob, but Israel; for youhave struggled with God and withmen, and have prevailed” (Genesis32:24–28).

How can anyone wrestle with God andwin? It reminds me of when my son,Daniel, was a little boy. I used to wrestlewith him, and he would win every match.

This seems to be how God does it withus. He lets us win, but not the way we wantto win. After wrestling with God, Jacob wasnot the same. He became a cripple; fromthen on he walked with a limp. But he wonthat night because he admitted who hewas—Jacob, meaning schemer and deceiver—

How He Does It

37

and finally let God break him.Once a friend of mine called from over-

seas, dealing with a situation in which hewas trying to work things out with his ownplanning and scheming, not realizing Godwas trying to break him.

Troubled by a situation in which he wasbeing taken advantage of, my friend, accord-ing to the law, could rightfully press chargesand bring justice to his situation.

When I heard him leaning toward thisroute, my response was one of shock. “I amsurprised that you would even think thosethoughts!” I said. “Your safety is not in anyof these things. It is in the Lord. Why mustyou fight for your rights? The Bible sayswhen the Levites’ rights were taken away,their properties were taken away, their hous-es were taken away, and their lands weretaken away, they gave it up gladly and neverwent after it. That is the way you should befollowing.”

This is a modern-day example of how wecan delay the Lord’s work of brokenness inour lives by our own planning and schem-ing. Thank God my friend saw this to be thecorrect response and used this situation asan opportunity to walk in humility and letthe Lord be his defender.

In each of our lives, the Lord brings us


38

Labans and difficult circumstances—eitherfinancial setbacks, failures, sickness, and soon—to break us. Through these things, Godis continually trying to break us—not todestroy us, but to bless us. Only after thecross comes the resurrection. Only after thecross comes glory.

Other Hindrances

The work of brokenness is a beautifulthing. It causes our lives to become thesweet fragrance before God that it wasintended to be. But we can also delay thework of brokenness by not realizing that Godis the One working behind the difficult scenes ofour lives.

When God brings pressure from circum-stances, people or whatever else, many livein total darkness, not recognizing that Godis at work. We blame our circumstances,people, our past and everything around us.We are blind to the fact that God is allowingthese things.

This was the case with Jonah. He was aclever individual. He ran from God, refusingto preach to the people who were killing hiscountrymen. Yet when the storm came thattossed him into the belly of the fish, hebegan to realize God’s hand in his circum-stances. Sitting in the belly of the fish, Jonah

How He Does It

39

acknowledged that God was playing a majorrole in his situation—“For You cast me intothe deep, into the heart of the seas, and thefloods surrounded me; all Your billows andYour waves passed over me” (Jonah 2:3,emphasis added).

What about you and the struggles andproblems you face? I think it would be goodto stop blaming circumstances and peopleand say, “Lord, You are allowing this for apurpose.” All things work together for ourgood so we may become like Jesus (seeRomans 8:28–29). When we truly believethis we can rest, knowing that God is theOne orchestrating the events of our lives. Itis His plan, and we learn to bend our neckand receive His yoke.

This causes us to become less frustratedwith circumstances and people and every-thing else. When we look up and recognizethat He is behind it all, His grace and peaceenter our lives.

With all the decision making in my life, Ioften have to pause, look up and rememberGod is the One working behind the scenes. Isay to myself, “He is able to work all thingsout for good. I just need to submit to Himand His ways. I can rest.”

Another way we can delay the work ofbrokenness in our lives is by our self-love.


40

We may know that God is working in thedifficult circumstances but still want ourown way. Self-love always delays the processof brokenness.

There are many reasons why we maywant our own way, even after recognizingwhat God may be trying to work into us.You may say, “I have been hurt before and Ilearned my lesson. I need to protect myself.I’m not going to open my heart to anyone.”

Maybe you’re like Jonah, saying, “I amnot going to preach to a Nineveh. I am notgoing to return to a place where they beatme up and profaned Your name.”

Or maybe you are more like the prodigalson’s brother, saying, “I am not going toaccept my Father’s love and forgiveness andcelebrate with that prodigal brother who isundeserving. I am not going to keep lovingand praying and hurting for my churchwhen they don’t appreciate me.”

You can say and do all these things. Youcan put yourself first and love and protectyourself. And you will remain intact andhorribly unbroken.

C.S. Lewis said,

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Loveanything, and your heart will certain-ly be wrung and possibly be broken.

How He Does It

41

If you want to make sure of keeping itintact, you must give your heart to noone, not even to an animal. Wrap itcarefully round with hobbies and lit-tle luxuries; avoid all entanglements;lock it up safe in the casket or coffinof your selfishness. But in that cas-ket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—itwill change. It will not be broken; itwill become unbreakable, impenetra-ble, irredeemable. . . . The only placeoutside Heaven where you can be per-fectly safe from all the dangers of love. . . is Hell.1

There are many other things that can alsohinder us—our own pride, self-sufficiency,lack of faith and fear. We can be so con-sumed with what others think of us whenwe do humble ourselves, that we forget thegood fruit that comes from being broken,fruit that far outweighs all we could fear. Wecould be afraid to fully abandon ourselvesto God, in the fear that He will not provetrue and we’ll be left out on our own. Butwe must believe in the goodness of theLord. God is good. He is always faithful. Hisplans for us and the work He does in us arealways for our benefit. He is the GoodShepherd and knows best. His heart towardus is always good. We can trust Him.


42

What situations in your life is God tryingto use to help break you? Are you aware ofthe work He is doing within you and inyour daily circumstances? Are you willing tolet go and allow Him to have His perfectway in your life?

How He Does It

43

C H A P T E R F O U R

The Way to Fullness

R

If there is one verse in the entire Bible thatspeaks volumes of what it means to be

filled with the Holy Spirit or to experiencethe fullness of the Lord and have His riversof living water flow out of us unhindered, itis Galatians 2:20—

I have been crucified with Christ; it isno longer I who live, but Christ livesin me; and the life which I now livein the flesh I live by faith in the Sonof God, who loved me and gaveHimself for me.

It’s a familiar verse to many of us. Butplease, take a moment to pause and thinkabout what it is saying.

This “I,” this “me” who is so important,has “ . . .been crucified, it’s no longer I wholive . . .”

Someone once said, “There is a cross andthere is a throne in all our lives. If ‘I’ is onthe throne, then Christ is on the cross. IfChrist is on the throne, then ‘I’ is on thecross.”

The measure in which we will allow thecross to operate in our lives, to bring deathto our own selfish ambitions, our ways, ourrights, our reputation, our interests, in thesame measure only will Christ manifest Hislife through us.

Jesus talked about this in John 12:24–25,“I say to you, unless a grain of wheat fallsinto the ground and dies, it remains alone;but if it dies, it produces much grain. Hewho loves his life will lose it, and he whohates his life in this world will keep it foreternal life.”

Jesus’ contemporary, Eusebius, recordsthe account of a king from a small kingdomwho, after hearing of the Jewish leaders’ plotto kill Jesus, sent a few of his men to delivera letter to Him inviting Him to live in theirkingdom. The contents of the letter deliv-


46

ered were something like, “We understandthe Jews are plotting to kill You. Havinglearned much about You, I believe You are agood man and teacher. Please come and bepart of my kingdom and rule with me. Wewill take care of You.”

John 12:20–21 (NIV) mirrors this account:“Now there were some Greeks among thosewho went up to worship at the Feast. Theycame . . . with a request. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘wewould like to see Jesus.’”

According to Eusebius, the answer Jesusgave to their request was very similar toJohn 12:24–25. In essence, what Jesus saidwas, “You want to see Me? If you really wantto see Me, you must die. Only throughdeath will you find Me.”

Jesus’ answer is the same today. If wewant to see Him and have His beauty andlove seen in us, we must die. We must bethat grain of wheat that falls to the ground,broken and crushed, to see greater life produced.

But oh how you and I try so hard, evenin Christian service, to preserve our ownlives, even when Jesus clearly said that if wehold on to our lives we would lose them.We will remain as we are. Fifty years we canlive and study the Bible and become anexpert, and still, we will not see Him.

The Way to Fullness

47

On the pages of the Bible, you will seeJesus—the One who dwells in such lightthat when you gaze upon His face youchange without trying. Second Corinthians3:18 tells us, “But we all, with unveiled face,beholding as in a mirror the glory of theLord, are being transformed into the sameimage from glory to glory.” That transforma-tion, that change can only take place whenour hearts are pure. In one of Jesus’ first ser-mons He told the crowd that had gathered,“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shallsee God” (Matthew 5:8).

But what does it mean to be pure inheart?

A pure heart has no soulish life in it, noselfish ambition for itself because that “I”has been crucified. With the pure heart,there is no hindrance from Christ withincoming forth because there is no contami-nation from the self-life.

Over my years of ministering, the Lordhas had to rebuke me several times afterspeaking and teaching from His Word. Irepent over those times. Even though myspeech was absolutely eloquent and peoplewere moved by the words I shared, when itwas all over, very quietly the Lord would sayto me, “You failed Me miserably.”

“How, Lord?”


48

“It was all contaminated. You spoketruth, but it was all mixed up with yoursoulish life. A bit of dirt makes all the waterimpure. People were deeply moved emo-tionally and intellectually, but no life cancome out of it.”

In Matthew 11:29–30, we read one of themost beautiful Scripture portions everrecorded. It is the invitation of Christ—“Take My yoke upon you and learn fromMe, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, andyou will find rest for your souls. For Myyoke is easy and My burden is light.”

When Jesus said, “Take My yoke uponyou . . .” we must realize that only a brokenanimal will bend its neck and take the yoke.

For example, I grew up in a place wheremy people are rice farmers, and we didn’thave machinery then or now to plow thefields. You know how we do it? We use twobuffaloes.

I remember as a small boy, looking at thefields where they would be used to plow.Year after year, hundreds of times, I saw thesame scene—the buffaloes standing there,not making a single noise. They would neverrun away. They just stood there. And rightthere in the field beside them would be askinny, little man with hardly any clothes onand a tiny stick in his hand. The buffalo

The Way to Fullness

49

would bend its neck as the yoke wasbrought—there was no fight, no resistance,no squabble, nothing. The buffalo simplyyielded its rights.

But then, if you were to look closely, youwould see two or three deep scars on therear of the buffalo. Those scars were made atthe time the animal was broken, when itwas trained. These buffaloes are strong-willed creatures. With their massive andstrong horns, they are capable of killing aman with a single toss of the head. But nowthey are different. They are broken.

Every servant of God must go through asimilar process. Paul speaks of bearing onhis body “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (seeGalatians 6:17). Christ was broken on thecross. The whiplashes on His back, thethorn piercing on His head, the nail holes inHis hands and feet are His brand marks.They speak forever of the humility He choseto walk in on this earth.

Again, we must hear the invitation ofChrist—“Come, yield your rights, let go ofyour own will and take My yoke. It is easy. Itis light. Come, learn from Me, for I am gen-tle and lowly, and you will find rest for yoursoul.”

What from His life are we to come andlearn from?


50

Consider the way Psalm 22:6 (NIV)speaks of Christ: “But I am a worm and nota man.” It’s talking about Jesus, the Son ofGod and Savior of the world, what He mustsay about Himself. He was bruised and bro-ken that no one should desire Him, no oneshould have any attraction toward Him. Hewas despised and forsaken. Like a sheep thatis silent before the shearer, He did not openHis mouth in protest to the cruelty Hereceived from the ones He came to save. Hesimply submitted and chose to be broken(see Isaiah 53).

And we, too, must choose to be broken.Philippians 2:5–8 tells us,

Let this mind be in you which wasalso in Christ Jesus, who, being in theform of God, did not consider it rob-bery to be equal with God, but madeHimself of no reputation, taking theform of a bondservant, and comingin the likeness of men. And beingfound in appearance as a man, Hehumbled Himself and became obedi-ent to the point of death, even thedeath of the cross.

Someone can be filled with the HolySpirit, baptized in the Holy Spirit, stand onhis head or whatever, yet still turn around

The Way to Fullness

51

and be as carnal, hard and devilish in hisattitude and actions toward others.

Why? Because being gentle, soft andChristlike never comes through the gifts ofthe Holy Spirit or by being filled with theHoly Spirit. It comes only through the crossand our choice to embrace brokenness, justas Jesus did. Jesus said, “This is My bodywhich is broken for you” (1 Corinthians11:24). He chose brokenness. He chose toembrace the cross. He didn’t say to Peter orJohn, “This is My body. Take it and breakit.” He didn’t say, “This is My body that theFather broke into pieces for you.” No. He isthe One who humbled Himself and allowedHimself to be broken.

I want to offer this humble suggestion:Do not look for some external, supernaturalevent to change you or the situations of yourlife. Let the Lord show you the corruption inyour own heart and be willing to go to thecross by humbling yourself. Be willing to bebroken again and again and again and again.This is the only way to have life. As long asyou hold onto it, you will lose it. But onceyou choose to be broken, you will experiencethe life of Christ in all its fullness.

Oftentimes when I counsel people, Isense this is what the Lord is trying toaccomplish through the situations they are


52

dealing with. I listen as they tell me of theheartache, pain and frustrations they livewith. But most important I listen to what isnot being said with words. In the end, myresponse is often the same—“Brother, it’snot what happened to you. It’s not what theperson said or this and that. It’s how youresponded to it. I sense tension. I sense rest-lessness. I sense you want to be vindicated. Isense the agony in you, the pain in you, likeyou are locked up in a prison. Your problemis not out there; the problem is here, in yourown heart.”

Every time you are discouraged, everytime you want to give up, every time you arein conflict with someone, every time there isno peace in your heart, you are troubled anddistressed, there is restlessness and all thosethings, you must understand—the Lord istrying to bring you to the place of broken-ness. We become frustrated and upset overour circumstances because we have yet totruly experience what it means to just giveup, to become like Christ, like a worm, andtotally give up our rights. The cross of Christcontinues to work, but you are resisting it.

The way of peace, the way to have a striv-eless life out of which rivers of living waterflow, only comes through our being broken.

The Way to Fullness

53

C H A P T E R F I V E

The Beauty That Comes

R

In the ancient town of Bethany there liveda woman, whose story we read in Mark

14:3–9. One evening she traveled to thehouse of Simon the leper, because she hadheard that Jesus was there. She came seekingto do one thing—to pour out her costly per-fume to Jesus. “A woman came having analabaster flask of very costly oil of spike-nard. Then she broke the flask and poured iton His head” (v. 3).

Please notice that Scripture does not sayshe came and poured out two or three dropsand then closed the flask and went home.

She did not pour out half of the contentsand then decide that was enough. No. Shebroke it. All the contents were poured out asthe vessel was broken and the entire area wasfilled with fragrance.

My brothers and sisters, the Lord desiresthe same for us, for these earthen vessels,these jars of clay, to be thoroughly brokenbefore Him, that Christ within may comeflowing out in all His beauty, making ourlives a blessing to all those around us.

Inner Transformation

When we come to the place at which weexperience this brokenness, we begin tochange within, in our character. The climateof our heart changes and we start to dailywalk in repentance. There’s no more defend-ing ourselves and the things we’ve done.There is no more shifting blame and saying,“It’s my nerves, the circumstances. You don’tknow what I have to live with! I only react-ed. It’s my weakness. It’s my DNA from mygreat-grandfather.” None of these things isleft. We simply say, like the prodigal son, “Ihave done wrong; I have sinned.”

The prodigal son’s response to his fatherwas not, “Father, I never would have left thishouse if this creep, my older brother, didn’ttreat me so badly all of my life. Father, I


56

would have been more thoughtful about notleaving if only you cared about me and hadsome feasts like this one once in a while inmy honor. I would have been more contentif you gave me some pocket money to spendon myself. It’s because of you, Father!”

There were a thousand excuses he couldhave come up with for leaving home andsquandering his father’s wealth. But he did-n’t use them. He was broken. He was hum-ble. And he simply said, “I have sinned” (seeLuke 15:18).

Not only do we walk in repentance overour own sins, but we repent for others aswell. The Bible is full of broken individualswho wept over the sins of their people.Consider Daniel or Jeremiah, also known asthe weeping prophet. Like Jesus, we aremoved with compassion for those who havegone astray.

Broken by our own sin, we no longerjudge our brother or our sister, but ourhearts are soft enough to break for the sin intheir lives. We enter in and become part oftheir struggle, agonizing with them and car-rying their burden. Like Nehemiah, we cryout before the Lord for them (see Nehemiah1:4–11).

When we come to the place of genuinebrokenness, we also come to the end of our


57

own strength. Our own strength is often oneof our biggest enemies. But when we arebroken, we realize we have no strengthexcept what God supplies. Flesh has nostrength to do good. Paul says, “For I knowthat in me (that is, in my flesh) nothinggood dwells” (Romans 7:18).

Have you ever wondered why God picksthe least, the last and the nobodies to doHis work? Except for Judas who betrayedHim, all the disciples of Christ were plain,ordinary, uneducated men. God didn’t selectthe 12 disciples from among the strongestand the best.

In Scripture, we see how God often doesthe greatest through those who admit theyhave no strength of their own. ConsiderMoses as one example. He was once a greatorator and leader, but when God broke himof his own ways out in the desert for 40years, he came to the end of his strengthand ability. Left with nothing but thestrength and ability of God, Moses led thechildren of Israel out of Egypt.

When our flesh stops trying, when it isthoroughly crushed and broken, His purpos-es for our lives are unhindered, and webring true glory to His name.

First Peter 2:23 (NIV) tells us, “When theyhurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not


58

retaliate; when he suffered, he made nothreats. Instead, he entrusted himself to himwho judges justly.”

When we are broken like Jesus, we areable to forgive people, truly forgive them,and desire no revenge. A good example ofthis is found in the life of Joseph. When hisbrothers came to him desperate in the timeof famine, he had every reason to turn themaway and let them die. But he didn’t. Hesaid, “My brothers, don’t be afraid, the Lordsent me here for you” (see Genesis 45:5).

What an incredible heart of forgiveness!There was no revenge, no wish for evil. Thiscan only come through a life that has beentruly broken. All those years in slavery andin prison, all the hard circumstances andrough terrain of Joseph’s life were used tobreak him, so that one day he could becomea blessing to many, even to those who hadhurt him most.

And there was no pride in Joseph beingable to help the ones who hurt him. This isbecause when we are truly broken, our livesare rooted in humility. We live in the realityof Philippians 2:3 (NIV), and we “do nothingout of selfish ambition or vain conceit, butin humility consider others better than[o]urselves.” There is no room for boasting.

Look at Jacob’s life and see how when he


59

was finally broken, there was no more “I amthis . . .” and “I am that . . .” Instead, inGenesis 47, we find Jacob leaning againsthis staff at the end of his life and simplyworshiping God, in awe of who He is andwhat He had done.

When we have been broken of our ownways and our own life, we walk as Jesus did,in true submission. This is not just an outercompliance, but an attitude of our hearts. Itis not always easy to submit, either to whatthe Lord is saying or to one another. This issurely an impossible thing for someone whois not broken to do. But when we see Christand embrace brokenness as He did, we haveno reason to fight for our way or considerdoing things independently.

Jesus never operated independently at all.He only spoke and did what the Father gaveHim (see John 14:10). He never sought Hisown will. He came to do only what theFather desired. In everything He was in sub-mission to the Father. And we are to live thesame way, in submission to the Lord and toour brothers and sisters in Christ.

This kind of life seeks nothing but theFather’s approval. It no longer matters whatpeople think of us or what we have accom-plished. “We make it our aim . . . to be wellpleasing to Him” (2 Corinthians 5:9,


60

emphasis added).All of this beauty comes because we are

broken. We no longer have anything to fightfor because our lives have been crucifiedwith Christ. We no longer have anything toboast in because our outer man is crushed,our strength is done away with, our reputa-tion insignificant. It is only Christ within usthat matters now. And it is only Christ with-in us, in all His beauty and grace, who canbe seen now. His living water is free to flowout of us and bless others.

The Fruit of Brokenness

When we live a life of brokenness, notonly do we become a blessing to many, butwe live victorious over the Enemy. Scripturetells us that Jesus overcame him who hadpower over death through His death on thecross (see Hebrews 2:14).

It was not when Christ performed mira-cles and walked on water and raised Lazarusfrom the dead and fed the five thousandthat He defeated Satan. It was when He suf-fered. It was His brokenness and giving upHis life that brought victory.

It is through our choosing brokennessthat we also find victory over the Enemy—victory over the one who creates the anger,the jealousy, the discouragement, the bitter-


61

ness and strife, the fighting for our rightsand all the other stuff we struggle with. Wefind victory through simply letting go and,like Jesus, giving up our lives.

When we live a life pleasing to Jesus andbroken before Him, He is able to remakethe failures in our lives. He, the MasterPotter, is able to take the broken vessel andremake it into the precious one. He is theOne who has promised that He would notdestroy the bruised reed (see Matthew12:20).

All of this causes us to become a blessingto others, filled with the same meekness ofChrist. Through brokenness, we become justlike Him—approachable, highly sensitive toothers’ needs, hurt and pain, and genuinelycaring for them.

Just think about it. There was no oneafraid to come to Jesus. Everyone from thetax collectors to the prostitutes felt wel-comed and safe around Him. There was alove in Him unsurpassed by any before,because He, the Bread of Life, allowedHimself to be broken. His brokennessbecame our blessing.

My precious brothers and sisters, Iencourage you to learn of Him who gave upeverything. Jesus was so broken on the cross.There was nothing He held on to. Learn


62

from His humility and brokenness. Only onthat foundation will we be able to reflectHis image and do what He calls us to do. Iwant that, and I believe you do too.


63

Concluding Remarks

R

There seem to be thousands of Christianbookstores today filled with “how-to”

books—“How to have a happy life,” “Howto have a happy marriage,” “How to raiseyour children,” “How to be financially sol-vent.” We like quick and easy fixes. It’s likeputting food in the microwave and pushingthe button—“pshht”—just like that, itcomes out ready. Instantaneous Christianity!

But brokenness in our lives is a process,one that we continually learn and grow in.May the Lord help us all as we go throughthis life. Slowly but surely we are learning.

God never gives up on us. Consistently Heworks with us. He never says, “I can’t workwith you anymore. You are hopeless.” Evenwhen we are faithless, He remains faithful.We can trust Him always, even when we fail.He is all good, all perfect and all love to us.

Prayer

Lord, please help us to choose those opportu-nities to give in, to bend, to break and to walkhumbly with You and with our brothers and sis-ters. Thank You for the example that You giveus. We are learners, Lord, and we bend ournecks and say, “Lord, please, let Your yoke beupon us.”

Thank You for Your Word that comes to ourhearts as an encouragement. You are workingwith us, changing us day-by-day to prepare usfor eternity and to restore to us that which waslost. Your intention is to make us more like YourSon. Lord, thank You for working with us. Makeus teachable like little children. Give us Yourgrace to stay soft and broken. In Jesus’ name,Amen.


66

If this booklet has been a blessing to you, I would really like

to hear from you. You may write to Gospel for Asia, 1800

Golden Trail Court, Carrollton, TX 75010. Or send an email

to [email protected].

Notes

R

Chapter 1

1 A.W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous (ChristianPublications, Inc., 1955), p. 137.

Chapter 2

1 James Strong, LL.D., ST.T.D., The StrongestStrong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001).

2 Watchman Nee, Release of the Spirit (New York:Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc., 2000),p. 11.

3 Ibid., p. 38.

Chapter 3

1 C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (Florida: HarcourtBrace & Company, 1988), p. 121.

Other Booklets by K.P. Yohannan

A Life of BalanceRemember learning how to ride a bike? It was all a matter ofbalance. The same is true for our lives. Learn how to developthat balance, which will keep your life and ministry healthyand honoring God. (80 pages)

Dependence upon the LordDon’t build in vain. Learn how to daily depend upon theLord—whether in the impossible or the possible—and seeyour life bear lasting fruit. (48 pages)

Journey with JesusTake this invitation to walk the roads of life intimately withthe Lord Jesus. Stand with the disciples and learn from Jesus’example of love, humility, power and surrender. (56 pages)

Living by Faith, Not by SightThe promises of God are still true today: “Anything is possibleto him who believes!” This balanced teaching will remind youof the power of God and encourage you to step out in child-like faith. (56 pages)

Principles in Maintaining a Godly OrganizationRemember the “good old days” in your ministry? This book-let provides a biblical basis to maintaining that vibrancy andcommitment that accompanies any new move of God. (48pages)

Seeing HimDo you often live just day-to-day, going through the routineof life? We so easily lose sight of Him who is our everything.Through this booklet, let the Lord Jesus restore your heartand eyes to see Him again. (48 pages)

That They All May Be OneIn this booklet, K.P. Yohannan opens up his heart and sharesfrom past struggles and real-life examples on how to main-tain unity with those in our lives. A must read! (56 pages)

The Lord’s Work Done in the Lord’s WayTired? Burned out? Weary? The Lord’s work done in His waywill never destroy you. Learn what it means to minister untoHim and keep the holy love for Him burning strong even inthe midst of intense ministry. A must-read for every believer!(72 pages)

The Way of True BlessingWhat does God value most? Find out in this booklet as K.P.Yohannan reveals truths from the life of Abraham, an ordi-nary man who became the friend of God. (56 pages)

Order booklets through:Gospel for Asia, 1800 Golden Trail Court, Carrollton, TX 75010Toll free: 1-800-946-2742 Online: www.gfa.org

the beauty of christ through brokenness

Spiritual

yourthe beauty of christ

usthe beauty of christ

niv god

body of christ tounderstand

holy bible

purpose of god

heartof god

work of brokenness