
No Turning Back (Hymn Stories Excerpt)
Wales has experienced various revivals throughout its history. In 1850, many Welsh felt a great desire for another revival in their land. Many called out to God privately and in family worship and in congregational services for a new awakening of power. Will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:6. Revival came in 1859, and the effects of it spread to America soon after. As many hearts in wells in The United States were awakened to the glory of God and the goodness of his grace, many of these Christians went to foreign lands to spread the gospel. One nameless American Baptist believer ended up in Northeast India to herald the good news of Christ. The region was comprised of hundreds of tribes. Many of these were quite primitive. Some were even aggressive headhunters. The missionary had the privilege of leading a man, his wife, and their two children to Christ. Through this family's testimony, many in the village began to look to Christ for salvation. In the meantime, the village chief grew angry at this sudden turn of events. He felt that the foreigner's religion had no place among his people, and he aimed to put a stop to it. So he summoned all the families of the village together. Then he singled out the family that first accepted Christ, and he told them to step forward. He said, You have two choices: renounce Christianity or die. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man said, I have decided to follow Jesus. The chief became enraged at the man's response. He signaled to the archers who were at the ready, and they fired, filling up the bodies of the man's two children with arrows. As they lay bleeding and crying on the floor, the chief asked, will you deny this belief in Christ? You have lost your children. Will you lose your wife also? The man replied, though no one joins me, still I will follow. The chief was beside himself with rage and ordered the wife to be arrowed down. Soon, she joined her children in death. The chief said, I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live. The man looked at the chief and said, the cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back. He was shot with arrows and went to be with the Lord and his family. With their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief was shaken by what had happened, and the Lord opened his heart just like Lydia's right then and there. He thought to himself, why should this man, his wife, and his two children die for a man who lived in a faraway land on another continent two thousand years ago? There must be some remarkable power behind the family's faith, and I too want to taste that faith. Then in a spontaneous confession of faith, the chief declared out loud, I too belong to Jesus Christ. Can you imagine being in crowd that day and hearing those words coming out of the man's mouth who had just murdered four of the Lord's children? It's reported that many, if not all, turned to Christ with faith and repentance in the crowd that day. As the story of this miraculous event spread, an Indian missionary, Sadhu Sundar Singh, took the final words of this faithful, humble man and wrote the hymn, I have decided to follow Jesus.