I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

In the mid-19th century, in the Assam region of North East India (specifically the Garo Hills), a Welsh missionary’s message reached a man named Nokseng. Nokseng, his wife, and his two children heard the Gospel, recognized the truth of it, and gave their lives to Christ.

Their conversion did not go unnoticed. The village chief was furious. To him, this new faith was a threat to their traditions and an insult to their ancestors. He summoned the village to the square and brought Nokseng’s family forward for a public trial.

The Ultimate Choice

The chief issues a simple, brutal ultimatum: “Renounce Jesus or watch your family die!”

Nokseng stood before the crowd. Instead of trembling or begging, he began to sing-

“I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.”

Enraged, the chief ordered his archers to execute Nokseng’s two beloved sons. As the boys fell, the chief demanded again that Nokseng deny Christ. With tears rolling down his cheeks, but his voice steady with conviction, he continued-

“Though none go with me, still I will follow; no turning back, no turning back.”

The chief then ordered Nokseng’s wife to be executed while he watched in horror. The chief gave Nokseng one final chance to save his own life. Nokseng stiffened his spine and said-

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

Nokseng was executed moments later.

The Miracle in the Aftermath

The story didn’t end with blood on the ground. The chief was haunted by what he had seen and Nokseng’s voice rang in his ears. He couldn’t understand why a man would give up his entire family and even his own life for a “foreign” God. And then, he knew the truth. The truth that Nokseng was willing to die for. The Absolute Truth.

The chief declared, “I, too, belong to Jesus Christ!” The entire village, witnessing the chief’s conversion and Nokseng’s unwavering faith, eventually followed suit.

The Song We Know

The powerful testimony of Nokseng was transcribed and set to a traditional Indian folk melody by an Indian missionary. Eventually, the hymn, the story, reached the West. It was popularized globally during the Billy Graham Crusades by George Beverly Shea, becoming an anthem for believers everywhere who recognize that following the Cross is the only path worth taking.

[Matthew 10:37-38] He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

When we sing this hymn, we share in Nokseng’s story and join the great choir of saints who have felt the weight of these words through the generations, being convicted by the Spirit and inspired to take action. 

Pass the torch.