Origin: "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus"

Over 150 years ago, missionaries from Great Britain and Germany traveled to northeast India to preach
the gospel. I was once told the story by an Indian church leader, during this time, a man, his wife and
two children were converted to Christ. Their spontaneous faith spread throughout the village, angering
the leader of the community. He summoned the man before the village and demanded that he
renounce his Christian faith or face execution. The man, facing this crucial decision, sang a song that I
have heard sung around the world,
“I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning
back, no turning back.”
Enraged, the chief ordered the archers to shoot the two children. As both of the boys lay twitching on
the ground, the chief asked, “Now will you renounce your faith? You have lost both of your children. You
will lose your wife as well.”
The man replied by singing, “Though no one joins me, still will I follow. Though no one joins me, still will
I follow. Though no one joins me, still will I follow. No turning back, no turning back.”
The chief was beside himself with rage and he ordered the wife put to death. Now he asked for the final
time, “Now I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live. There is no one for you in
the world.”
The man then sang, “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.”
Eventually the courage of this man and his family would lead to the conversion of this chief and the
entire village, but he didn’t know that at that time. His call was simply to be unashamed of the gospel.
Their death (as is the death of all His saints) was a tragedy and not something that God allows lightly
(see Psalm 116:15). Yet, God was able to cause something beautiful to come out of it.

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