Story Behind The Song "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus (No Turning Back)"

About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England.

As a result of this, many missionaries came all the way from England to northeast India to spread the Gospel.

The region known as Assam comprised of tribal communities that were quite primitive and well known for being hostile and aggressive.

The tribesmen were also called HEAD-HUNTERS because of a social custom which required the male members of the community to collect as many heads as possible, hence a man’s strength and ability to protect his wife was assessed by the number of heads he had collected. Therefore youths of marriageable age would try and collect as many heads as possible and hang them on the walls of his house, as the more heads a man had, the more eligible he was considered.

Into this hostile environment came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ but naturally they were not welcomed.

However, One Welsh missionary who was warned to go back because of the tribe's extremely hostile nature but ignored the warnings because he believed even these savage headhunters should have the opportunity to hear about the mercy of God, finally succeeded in converting a man, his wife, and two children.

The man, a Garo tribesman from the tribe of "Meghalaya" named 'Nokseng' and his family heard the Gospel and received Jesus as their Savior. The good news was too good to keep to themselves and they shared the Gospel with others in the tribe.

This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.

Angry, the 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, the man sung his reply,
“I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.”

Enraged at the refusal of the man, the Chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children and they did.

As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the Chief asked, “Will you deny your faith?
You have lost both your children already. You will lose your wife too.”

But the man replied, again singing,
“Though none go with me, still I will follow, No turning back.”

The Chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down and she was. In a moment, she joined her two children in death.

Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”

In the face of death the tribesman looked the chief in the eyes and replied,
"The cross before me the world behind me no turning back, No turning back."

The chief could not believe his ears and shot the tribesman dead like the rest of his family.

Jesus said if a grain of wheat dies it bears much fruit, and that day many of the villagers who witnessed the persecution of that tribesman and his family also decided to follow Jesus - even the chief himself became a follower of Jesus Christ.

The tribes man's last words became the song of the village and today a hundred years later it is sung all around the world.

"I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back, no turning back."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iax9J4zKKjo&pp=ygUrc3RvcnkgYmVoaW5kIGkgaGF2ZSBkZWNpZGVkIHRvIGZvbGxvdyBqZXN1cw%3D%3D 1 Like 1 Share

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That song happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time, especially after i decided to literally forsake everything and take up my cross to follow Jesus, as it resonated much with the reality of the selfless and sacrificial life i now lived, however at the time, i never even knew the amazing story behind the song.

I have come to realize that most, if not all, of the most inspiring and soul-uplifting Gospel songs were birthed out of the worst situations and most trying times in the lives of their composers.

Imagine how something that beautiful, which has made countless souls, including the villagers that watched him being persecuted and killed for the sake of Jesus and also the chief that killed him, could come out of the most ugliest of situations in the life of a man who defiantly refused to turn back from following Jesus even til the point of death.

It reminds me so much of the early church and her leaders where persecution and death couldn't stop them from following Jesus and preaching His Gospel to the world, instead the church kept advancing and marching on as many souls were being added to the church on a daily basis to the astonishment of their adversaries.

At a time when it's become normal for professing christians to turn against God and deny His existence at the slightest painful experience, setback or persecution, the church is in dire need of such die-hard followers of Christ whose example and testimonies would also inspire many souls to decide to follow Jesus never to turn back even to the point of death.

God bless. 1 Like 1 Share

Jesus Christ the way and the truth.

Happy Sunday y'all 🥰

God bless you and I

One love 🍾🍷

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