We sing it, but do we really mean it?

The question could no doubt be asked of almost every hymn sung down through the many years of Christian gatherings. Do we really mean the powerful words we sing along to? Sometimes we know about the author and his or her inspiration, but most of the time we don’t.

Does it really matter so long as the words ring true in our spirits, draw us closer to God, or whatever other reason you might give for just why you really like to sing that particular song? It probably doesn’t, but some of those extra-special hymns do indeed hold within them an extra-special touch of the Master Creator.

Take, for one, ‘Amazing Grace’. Most of us who love and love to sing that old faithful favorite do indeed know at least something of the trials the hymn-writer, John Newton, went through before putting the words to paper. Once captain of a British slave-trading ship, his route to writer of that amazing hymn was both tortuous and treacherous, and well-worth the finding out if you’re not familiar with his story.

How about the old evergreen ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’? More supremely powerful words helping us connect to our supremely powerful Lord, but unlike with ‘Amazing Grace’, few know about the writer or the inspiration behind the words.

What we do know for certain is that it originated in the Assam region of northeastern India in likely the 1930s, and soon made its way around the globe. All versions of its origins have the same astonishing story as the backbone.

A Garo couple in traditional dress (Wikipedia)

Apparently in the mid-19th century. some missionaries (inspired by revival in Wales) came to Assam to proclaim the gospel among the Garo people, a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group considered by outsiders as bloodthirsty savages. The hills they roamed were covered with impenetrable jungle, and the climate so deadly it was considered impossible for white people to survive there. The determined missionaries visited nonetheless, and among the first converts was a Garo man named Nokseng, along with his family. The family’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity. The incensed village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public, or face execution.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, Nokseng replied, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.”

Furious, the chief ordered his archers to shoot the two boys.

“Now give up your faith,” he ordered Nokseng. “You have lost both your children, and I will kill your wife next.”

“Though none go with me, still I will follow Jesus,” Nokseng replied. “No turning back.”

Further enraged, the chief ordered his archers to kill the wife, and when she was dead, he turned to Nokseng.

“If you don’t renounce Jesus, you will die, too.”

“The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back,” Noksung reportedly declared.

The chief’s archers shot the man where he stood. The chief, deeply moved by the man’s faith, could not fathom what had just happened.

“Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago?” he wondered. “There must be some supernatural power behind the family …  and I too want that supernatural power!”

In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.

While how exactly those words were formed into a hymn can’t be known for certain, the two most credible stories credit either Simon Marak or Sundar Singh. Simon Marak, a Garo pastor, schoolteacher, and missionary from Assam is probably the most likely composer. Yet some credit the renowned Indian missionary Sundar Singh, formerly Sikh, who, combining  the lifestyle of an ascetic ‘holy man’ with the devotion of a Christian visionary,  became for many a symbol of authentically Indian Christianity

“What was it about Sundar Singh that inspired many Indian and European Christians? Like Paul, he claimed that his conversion came through a vision of Christ and that he traveled to the ‘third heaven’ in ecstasy. Like [St.] Francis, he imitated Christ's life of poverty, wandering, and preaching. And like Christ himself, he taught in parables and suffered persecution.

“Yet in the Indian context that shaped Sundar Singh's Christianity, all these aspects of exemplary Christian religious life had strong parallels in Indian traditions. The sadhu or ‘holy man’ renounces worldly life in seeking ultimate salvation’. In this way, Sundar Singh sought to demonstrate that Christian faith and Indian religious culture had much more in common than the Christianity brought by foreign missionaries seemed to allow. Indian Christians understood and appreciated this, ….”
[from Christianity Today’s comprehensive piece on Sundar Singh, which you can read here: Wanderer for Christ]

American hymn editor William Jensen Reynolds composed music to accompany the words, his arrangement becoming a regular feature of Billy Graham‘s evangelistic meetings in America and elsewhere, spreading its popularity even further and likely cementing it in the songbooks of many Christian churches.

I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
no turning back, no turning back. 

Though none go with me, I still will follow
though none go with me, I still will follow
though none go with me, I still will follow
no turning back, no turning back. 

The world behind me, the cross before me
the world behind me, the cross before me,
the world behind me, the cross before me
no turning back, no turning back.

Christian missionaries attacked by Hindu extremists in India

Christian missionaries working with Bibles for Mideast in Uttar Pradesh, North India, were recently attacked by Hindu extremists. While politely speaking and sharing with a few people, the missionaries’ mention of praying to the Lord for the sick and the poor apparently triggered the attack.

Someone from another church videoed the attack, which we had hoped to post here so you could see and hear the interaction. YouTube has unfortunately deemed the video in violation of their ‘terms of service’. It does show an attack resulting in some serious injuries, so I suppose the good news is YouTube has standards it must uphold.

So while many were hurt, police authorities asked the hospital they were taken to not to admit them.

Please pray for them, their families and all believers simply trying to ‘live out the Gospel’.

The ‘light of a thousand suns’ shines on Oman!

An entire Arab Muslim family—a widow and her five grown children, all plagued for years with severe psoriasis—found healing and salvation thanks to the evangelistic initiatives of an underground Bibles for Mideast church meeting regularly not far from where they live in Oman. We first reported on that church and some of its newest members several years ago (Salvation and healing in the Sultanate of Oman).

Let us now tell you how God continues to work His wonders through His people there! Abbasia*, Mohsina* and others of the family we featured in our earlier story had been faithful Muslims before their dramatic conversions to Christianity.

Living in predominantly Islamic Oman, they knew well that the nearby mosque’s Friday prayers would have held special significance this past Friday—it being the second Friday in Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month. So the Christians, being brave and triumphant in their new faith in Christ, figured: ‘what better time to share the gospel with friends and neighbors?’

The oldest independent state in the Arab world, Oman borders the Gulf of Oman to the north, the Arabian Sea to the southeast, and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen to the west. India lies across the Arabian Sea from Oman.

After seven days of prayer and fasting in their own homes, they felt confidently led by the Holy Spirit for their mission. As Islamic Friday prayers went on (within mosques throughout Oman and around the world), this particular mosque soon found itself surrounded by a small army of Christians wielding nothing but bibles and fervent prayers for opened minds and hearts.

The fasting and extra praying had them well-prepared spiritually, but they soon felt physically beaten down by the heat of the noonday sun [temps this time of year can reach 100 ºF—Ed.]. Then, quite miraculously, a cloud appeared out of nowhere, between them and the sun! The welcome respite from the heat comforted, strengthened and encouraged them even more for what they knew to be a holy assignment.

Abbasia* (the older brother in the family from our earlier story) and the Christian believers with him began sharing the gospel even as Friday prayers and preaching went on within the mosque. The Islamic believers became aware of the commotion outside, only barely able to make out the what the Christians were saying. But slowly, as the Holy Spirit began to move among them, the words came into sharper focus.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save every human being!” they heard as clearly as the sun shone brightly above.

“This Jesus, this perfect man who had no sin in His life, carried each individual’s sin with him to the cross of Calvary. By His crucifixion, He took away our sins and opened the gates of heaven and gave us salvation. He rose from the dead on the third day and entered into Glory. He now sits at the right side of the Heavenly Father and intercedes for each of us! He will return on the clouds soon to take us to heaven. Believe Him and you will be saved! Without Jesus no one can go to heaven!”

As all heard the message and began finding themselves strangely stirred, the enraged imam (mosque leader) angrily redirected the roused emotions of his flock, demanding they ‘put an end’ to those speaking about Jesus.

He rushed out and towards the Christians, brandishing a sword, while others grabbed sticks from around the mosque’s grounds and charged.

“Allahu Akbar!” [Arabic for ‘Allah is greater’ or ‘Allah is (the) greatest’—Ed.] they shouted, aiming now to kill the evangelists.

Abbasia and the team with him stood their ground. Certain they were about to be martyred, they prayed for those heading directly at them, so close now they could see the hatred in their eyes.

Suddenly, only a few meters away, the mob stopped. Their hatred abruptly turned to fear, with some stepping back and running away. What had happened? What had they seen?

It was as if ‘Someone’ had turned a switch, brightening the light of the sun above to that of a million suns now aimed directly at the attackers and seeming to come closer and closer. The imam and his flock thought surely they would be swallowed up by the powerful light. They dropped their weapons and fled.

Abbasia and the team could barely stop praising and thanking the Lord for His mighty protection! They also found themselves praying, “Lord, save them! Make them Your children and help them become witnesses to Your Truth!”

Please join us in praying for all these new and not-yet believers, their local church, and the ministry of Bibles for Mideast across the entire region.

IMPORTANT UPDATE
We have learned that the imam and many who had been at the Friday service at the mosque—and afterwards witnessed the ‘bright, blinding light’—developed severe fevers. Not able to even speak about what they had experienced, concerned neighbors brought them all to hospital. Please pray for COMPLETE HEALING for all affected. We have to know and trust God is up to something beyond interesting.

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* Names changed for safety reasons

Hindu extremists attack Christians at funeral

Anti-Christian sentiment continues to rise across India, especially amongst those influenced by ‘Hindutva’ ideology (the belief that all Indians must be Hindus). Spurred along by the misapplication of ‘anti-conversion laws’ (Open Doors has a great analysis of that here), violent mobs have attacked Christians, as well as their churches, homes and businesses.

This has had horrifying consequences for many of our Bibles for Mideast church leaders and members, including most recently in the tribal-dominated Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Back in December, mobs attacked tribal Christians in Chhattisgarh, leaving thousands displaced from their homes.

“The Christians in Chhattisgarh were accused of following a foreign religion,” according to Open Doors partner Roshan Paul.* “The persecutors alleged that the Christians were attacking the traditional way of life of tribal people.”

Just a few days ago, a group of Christians were attempting to hold a funeral for one of their own—a woman who, with her family, had recently converted from Hinduism. Villagers objected to the burial rites being conducted by the family in the village by protesting and attacking the procession. When the family later retreated to their own backyard for the burial, they were followed and again viciously attacked.

protests during the funeral procession (Image - ETV Bharat)

Please pray for all of our church families—our fellow Christians!—as they struggle to not only grow and flourish, but simply live.

If you feel led to help support the work of Bibles for Mideast in India and the other regions we serve, please click here.
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* name changed for security reasons

High time for another Jesus Revolution?

Evangelism “of the Middle East, south Asia and parts of Africa” (see ABOUT US) remains the main work of this ministry and hence, forms the basis of most of what we share here. Still, we do occasionally post stories from other parts of the world, and on at least one occasion (partly because so many of our visitors and subscribers are American), we shared  an exciting story of an American doing exceptional evangelistic work in her own country (She once ran with drug addicts and prostitutes; now she ministers to them!).
Neither Jesus nor the work of sharing the most excellent news about Him can, could or should be contained! So when the story is big enough—like the recent release of the movie Jesus Revolution—well, we can’t stay silent and neither should you.
The movie, set in California in the tumultuous 1960s, tells a story of universal longing that will spread until that longing is satisfied. Let us all ‘do the work of evangelism’, which may include the simple act of inviting a friend to see a movie with you.
 

NO HIGH LIKE THE MOST HIGH!

No one can credibly doubt that the first ‘Jesus Revolution’ happened around 2,000 years ago with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and in the decades following as believers in this man’s ‘way’ became known as Christians.

Close to 2,000 years after that first Jesus upheaval swept the Middle East, movie director Jon Erwin found an old 1971 TIME magazine on eBay with the cover story ‘The Jesus Revolution’.  As he read the 10-page article, he says he marvelled at “how God swept this country [the US} at a time of despair and division.” 

Yet only five years earlier, TIME had come out with their iconic ‘Is God Dead?’ issue, which Erwin was of course aware of. Increasingly curious about the time span between the covers, and after seven intense years of dreaming and study, he and co-director Brent McCorkle finally had their Jesus Revolution movie ready for the big screen.

They base much of their film on the book of the same name, co-authored by Greg Laurie, whose growth and development forms much of the story’s backbone. Laurie (played by Joel Courtney) along with hippie and former druggie Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Roumie), and pastor Chuck Smith (brought to life by Kelsey Grammer) all help lead the mushrooming Jesus movement in California during the late 1960s.

And what tumultuous times they were. Dissent roared wildly over issues such as racial and economic equalities, traditional modes of authority, women’s rights and the Vietnam War. With the world in seeming upheaval, millions of young people wanted little to do with the strictures and faith of their parents and society around them, and began looking elsewhere for answers.

Sex, drugs and rock-and-roll

‘Turn on, tune in, drop out’ became the counterculture mantra of the age, popularized by Timothy Leary in 1966. A year later—also a year after TIME’s ‘Is God Dead?’ issue—San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood hosted its ‘Summer of Love’. About 100,000 young hippies gathered from across the continent to drop acid, indulge in so-called ‘free love’ and escape the confining strictures of their middle-class upbringings.

Yet many found emptiness in their quests and eventually—burned out, disillusioned by bad trips and with a haunting sense of the emptiness of their pursuit of hedonism—looked deeper and higher.  Untold thousands, like those in the new movie Jesus Revolution, made the miraculous discovery that there is no high like the Most High.

And thus began the Jesus Revolution covered by TIME in 1971, Laurie’s book in 2018, and now, by this movie. The actors along with some archival film footage help portray the story as it really unfolded.

A WANTED poster produced by an alternative newspaper in the 1960s

As co-director Erwin told a university audience early this year: “Let's tell the story about the last great awakening in America in hopes that God does it again."

This being a documentary, you’ll experience no clichéd ‘satisfying click’ movie ending, but you will witness thousands upon thousands of new beginnings.
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Have you seen the movie? Let us know your thoughts by posting a comment below!