Wednesday night I was privileged to attend a night of worship and remembrance the graduating advanced students of Ellerslie Training put on for the staff. At the end of the evening, we were going to close with the song was “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” As the music began to play, the story behind the song was told, and we all sang with tears in our eyes. Here is the story.
It’s the true story of a small village in India. And in this village there was this family that come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ the savior of the world. This agitated the village so much and everybody became so upset that an angry mob gathered and shoved them into the public square. Village chief confronted them and then he said to the man: If you and your family will not recant your faith we all we’ll surely day. The man didn’t know what to say here, or what to do, so the only thing that came to mind for him were the words of the song that he himself had composed when he first surrendered his life to God. That’s when he begun to sing: I have decided to follow Jesus! /No turning back, no turning back! And with that, horrifically, his children were killed.
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back!
He was given another chance, this time with his wife’s life on the line, and yet he continued to sing: Though none go with me, still I will follow, No turning back, no turning back!
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
No turning back, no turning back!
After her tragic death he was given one final opportunity, this time to save himself. Yet, he continued to sing:
The cross before me, the world behind me,
The cross before me, the world behind me,
The cross before me, the world behind me,
No turning back, no turning back!
Even though the man and the family died on that day, something remarkable happened. A seed was planted in the heart of that village chief. A seed that begun to grown over time, and eventually he called the community together in that very same neighborhood, in that very same square and he renounced his former faith, and declared his allegiance to Jesus Christ. And a celebration broke out in that moment, and the Gospel became to flourish and to grow in that community, not just in that village, but across the whole region. Because they have seen real faith, and they knew the true character of God, because of the family that believed and sacrificed even under the penalty of death!
Taken from a video done by OpenDoorsUSA.
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