“I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”
According to Ephesians 5:19, there are two major components to our spiritual singing. First, we are to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Secondly, we are to sing “with our hearts to the Lord.” To accomplish these, we must sing with an understanding of what we are singing. In this article, let’s consider a hymn we sing so that we might sing it with a better understanding.
The hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” has a fascinating backstory. According to the author, Sunder Singh, the words of this hymn are based on a popular story known amongst religious people in India. As missionaries from the American Baptist Mission went to the “idol worshipping headhunters” of Northeast India, they were able to “convert” (Not a true Biblical conversion, as these men were likely teaching a Calvinistic false doctrine) a family in a tribe near Meghalaya. This family, led by the father (Nokseng), began to teach the Bible to others in the tribe. Once the leader of the tribe discovered this, he had the family captured and set before the rest of the tribe. It was here that he demanded that Nokseng renounce this newfound faith, or he would kill his two boys. Nokseng replied, “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back…” The chief had the two boys shot with arrows, and they died. The chief then asked Nokseng to renounce his faith, or he would kill his wife. Nokseng replied, “Though no one joins me, I still will follow. No turning back…” The tribe then shot and killed his wife. Finally, the chief gave him one more chance to renounce his faith, or he would kill him. Nokseng replied, “The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back…” Nokseng was then shot and killed.
Do you remember the day when you were baptized and decided to follow Jesus? Have you decided to follow Jesus? Wherever you are, I hope you will decide to follow Christ and continue to follow Him with the same conviction as this family in Northeast India. Jesus would say in Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
-Bryce Mayfield