我已經決定/永不回頭:詩歌背後的故事(兒童詩歌716首)
在十九世紀,從不同地區而來的宣教士,為了要把福音傳到印度,而集結到這個國家。他們集中在以印度教為主流的獵頭部族的印度東北部地區。許多宣教士被獵頭部族殺害。
在東北印度阿薩姆邦的加羅村落,一位威爾斯宣教士見證了他帶領的第一個歸主家庭所經歷的事。當時,該村村長為了警告村民不可信耶穌,在召見了該家庭時,預備了弓箭手,威脅他們放棄基督教信仰。然而,被問到其答覆時,那位父親以『我已經決定,跟隨耶穌,永不回頭。』回答。隨之,他的兩個孩子被弓箭手殺害。他們接著以殺害其妻子威脅那位父親歸回印度教,從父親口中的答覆卻是:『縱無人同往,我也要跟隨。』,他的妻子立時被處決。當弓箭手其後把弓箭瞄向父親時,那父親不斷重複說:『十架在前頭,世界在背後。』結果,弓箭手也把他射死。村長為此事思索良久並最終決定跟隨耶穌。他察覺他不能阻止他們對神的委身,甚至以死相逼也不能,所以他們的神一定是真實且有大能力的神。整條村落都被感動並且歸回基督教。現在當地有很多基督徒。
來源:http://www.jnx.org/zh/our-music/song-story-of-i-have-decided
"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" is a Christian hymn originating from India.
The lyrics are based on the last words of a man in Garo, Assam, north-east India.
About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales, England.
As a result of this, many missionaries came from England and Germany to North-East India to spread the Gospel.
At the time, north-east India was not divided into many states as it is today.
The region was known as Assam and comprised hundreds of tribes.
The tribal communities were quite primitive and aggressive by nature.
The tribals 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.
A man’s strength and ability to protect his wife was assessed by the number of heads he had collected.
Therefore, a youth of marriageable age would try and collect as many heads as possible and hang them on the walls of his house.
The more heads a man had, the more eligible he was considered.
Into this hostile and aggressive community, came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope of Jesus Christ.
Naturally, they were not welcomed.
One Welsh missionary shared gospel & a man, his wife, and two children believed in Jesus.
This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christ.
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 instantly composed a song which became famous down the years.
He sang:
"I have decided to follow Jesus. (3 times)No turning back, no turning back."
Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children.
As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith?
You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”
But the man sang these words in reply:
"Though no one joins me, still I will follow. (3 times) No turning back, no turning back."
The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down.
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 man sang the final memorable lines:
"The cross before me, the world behind me. (3 times)No turning back, no turning back."
He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place.
The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man.
He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago?
There must be some remarkable power behind the family's faith, and I too want to taste that faith.”
In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!”
When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
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