Last night at the family gathering, we listened to Brother Liu Ming, who was on crutches, preach about the crucifixion of Jesus. After speaking with tears in his eyes about the Lord's suffering, His passion, His love, and what He has done for us, Brother Liu shared with us his own salvation experience.
Brother Liu Ming was born in a poor village in eastern Henan Province. As the eldest of four siblings, he dropped out of school at an early age to work. In 1991, he was accidentally hit in the back at a construction site by a steel bar that fell from nowhere, leaving him paralyzed. At that time, Liu was 23 years old and already married; his eldest daughter could not yet walk; and his son was still in his wife's bosom. A family of four, three of whom could not move, went through so much unbearable pain that Brother Liu knocked his head against the wall.
The church members sent rice, noodles, and oil. To this day, Brother Liu still remembers an old woman who wrapped one, two, and five yuan, layer by layer, not wanting to spend it herself but slipping it into Brother Liu's hands. Thus, with the help of the brothers and sisters, Brother Liu bravely faced his suffering and was baptized into the Lord with his wife.
A year later, Liu was able to do some simple things by himself, even with his crutches. After praying with his wife, he moved to Zhengzhou. When she went out to work, Brother Liu set up a stall on the street to repair cars and make keys.
He gritted his teeth and persevered while praying to God for help. Little did he know that business would keep getting better, and in the 90's he could sometimes earn over one hundred yuan a day. In no time, Brother Liu had saved more than 50,000 yuan. His children were about to go to school and needed to do a household registration; the only chance to get it done was to buy a house in Zhengzhou. So, the two looked for a three-bedroom house with an area of 120m². But with 130,000 yuan, the money was far from enough. Liu returned home and tried to borrow money from his father. To his surprise, his father said that his two brothers were not married and even needed their disabled elder brother's help.
During those difficult days, Brother Liu asked his brothers and sisters to pray for him. Unexpectedly, at the prayer meeting, an elderly sister said, "I have 2,000; is that okay?" Another aunt said, "I have saved 30,000 for my son's wedding, the children are still young anyway, so you can use it first" …
In this way, the church members managed to raise the balance of 80,000 yuan. They, who were not related to him, gave all that they could, even when his parents could not help. Three years later, when Liu paid the last and largest sum (30,000 yuan), the lady said that her son was not married and that she did not need the money.
After this, Brother Liu not only read the Bible diligently but also took a correspondence theology course online and gradually began to study the Bible, lead, and preach in various meeting places. This went on for over twenty years.
Every time Liu preached and witnessed the Lord, he was filled with gratitude. He was a paralyzed man, but by the grace of the Lord and the love of his brothers and sisters, he was able to stand up. Now, he has gotten rid of his crutches and can walk on his own, although his legs wobble. Not only that, he has moved to the big city and has his own business and shop, and his son and daughter now have their own families.
(This is a special/freelance article written by a Christian in Henan Province.)
-Translated by Nonye Nancy
昨晚在家庭聚会点，听一位架双拐的刘鸣弟兄讲耶稣受难的道。刘鸣弟兄流着眼泪讲完主的受苦、受难、主的爱以及主为我们而做成的一切后，又与我们分享了他自己的得救经历。
刘鸣弟兄生于贫穷的豫东农村。家中弟兄姐妹四人，他是老大，因此很小就辍学去打工。不料，1991年，他在一处建筑工地上意外被一根从天而降的钢筋砸在后背上，就此躺下，瘫了。彼时的刘弟兄才23岁，已成婚，大妞还不会走路，儿子尚在妻怀中。家中四口人，仨不会动，刘弟兄痛不欲生，直拿头往墙上撞。
教会的信徒送来米面菜油。刘弟兄至今仍记得有老阿姨把身上用塑料袋包得严严实实的一元、二元、五元一层层解开，自己舍不得花，却塞到刘弟兄手中……就这样，在弟兄姐妹的帮助下，刘弟兄勇敢地面对苦难，也与爱人受洗归主。
一年后，刘弟兄可以架着双拐做些简单的事情。刘弟兄与爱人祷告后，来到了郑州。爱人出去打工，刘弟兄就在街边摆起了修车配钥匙的摊位。
刘弟兄一面咬牙坚持，一面祈祷。没想到，生意越来越好，九十年代，有时一天就能赚上一百多元。不久，刘弟兄就攒了五万多元。孩子快要上学了，得有户口，而唯一入户的机会，就是在郑州买房。于是，两口看中了一套一百二十平方的三居室。但得十三万，钱远远不够。刘弟兄回到老家，想向老父亲张口借钱。没想到，父亲说两个弟兄还没结婚，还需要他这个残疾的大哥帮忙。
在那些艰难的日子，刘弟兄请弟兄姐妹为这事代祷。没想到，祷告会上，一位老姐妹说：“我有二千，少不少？”又一位阿姨说：“我为儿子娶媳妇存了三万，反正孩子还小，你们先用”……
就这样，教会的信徒硬是把差的八万元给凑齐了。想到自己父母帮不了的，非亲非故的教会肢体却全拿出来了。而刘弟兄直到三年后还完最后、也是最大一笔（3万元）钱时，那位阿姨说儿子还不结婚，钱用不着。
这之后，刘弟兄不仅勤读圣经，也在网上上了一个函授的神学课程，渐渐开始在各聚会点查经，带领，讲道。而这一带，就是二十多年。
刘弟兄每次讲道，见证主，都是满怀感恩。因为，他一个昔日瘫痪在床的残疾人，因主的恩典和众弟兄姐妹的爱，不新站立起来。而今，甩掉了双拐，虽然走路一摇一摆。而且，还来到了大城市，有了自己的生意、店铺，女儿儿子也各自成家。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系河南一名基督徒。
https://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/67067
从瘫在床到为主传道——记刘鸣弟兄的悲喜三十年
Last night at the family gathering, we listened to Brother Liu Ming, who was on crutches, preach about the crucifixion of Jesus. After speaking with tears in his eyes about the Lord's suffering, His passion, His love, and what He has done for us, Brother Liu shared with us his own salvation experience.
Brother Liu Ming was born in a poor village in eastern Henan Province. As the eldest of four siblings, he dropped out of school at an early age to work. In 1991, he was accidentally hit in the back at a construction site by a steel bar that fell from nowhere, leaving him paralyzed. At that time, Liu was 23 years old and already married; his eldest daughter could not yet walk; and his son was still in his wife's bosom. A family of four, three of whom could not move, went through so much unbearable pain that Brother Liu knocked his head against the wall.
The church members sent rice, noodles, and oil. To this day, Brother Liu still remembers an old woman who wrapped one, two, and five yuan, layer by layer, not wanting to spend it herself but slipping it into Brother Liu's hands. Thus, with the help of the brothers and sisters, Brother Liu bravely faced his suffering and was baptized into the Lord with his wife.
A year later, Liu was able to do some simple things by himself, even with his crutches. After praying with his wife, he moved to Zhengzhou. When she went out to work, Brother Liu set up a stall on the street to repair cars and make keys.
He gritted his teeth and persevered while praying to God for help. Little did he know that business would keep getting better, and in the 90's he could sometimes earn over one hundred yuan a day. In no time, Brother Liu had saved more than 50,000 yuan. His children were about to go to school and needed to do a household registration; the only chance to get it done was to buy a house in Zhengzhou. So, the two looked for a three-bedroom house with an area of 120m². But with 130,000 yuan, the money was far from enough. Liu returned home and tried to borrow money from his father. To his surprise, his father said that his two brothers were not married and even needed their disabled elder brother's help.
During those difficult days, Brother Liu asked his brothers and sisters to pray for him. Unexpectedly, at the prayer meeting, an elderly sister said, "I have 2,000; is that okay?" Another aunt said, "I have saved 30,000 for my son's wedding, the children are still young anyway, so you can use it first" …
In this way, the church members managed to raise the balance of 80,000 yuan. They, who were not related to him, gave all that they could, even when his parents could not help. Three years later, when Liu paid the last and largest sum (30,000 yuan), the lady said that her son was not married and that she did not need the money.
After this, Brother Liu not only read the Bible diligently but also took a correspondence theology course online and gradually began to study the Bible, lead, and preach in various meeting places. This went on for over twenty years.
Every time Liu preached and witnessed the Lord, he was filled with gratitude. He was a paralyzed man, but by the grace of the Lord and the love of his brothers and sisters, he was able to stand up. Now, he has gotten rid of his crutches and can walk on his own, although his legs wobble. Not only that, he has moved to the big city and has his own business and shop, and his son and daughter now have their own families.
(This is a special/freelance article written by a Christian in Henan Province.)
-Translated by Nonye Nancy
'From Being in Bed to Preaching for the Lord': 30 Years of Sorrows and Joys
