“And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:61-62
At the end of every sermon, we extend an invitation to everyone in the congregation. The purpose of this invitation is basically threefold. First, it is an opportunity for those who have never obeyed the gospel to do so. Second, it is an opportunity for those who have sinned in a public manner to make their repentance known in a public manner and be restored to Christ and His church. Third, it allows those who are struggling with their faith to request the prayers and support of the congregation. To allow time to decide and encourage those who need to make the decision, we sing an invitation song. One of the more popular invitation songs is titled I Have Decided To Follow Jesus.
The thrust of the song is to follow Jesus without regard to circumstances. The words alone are a great encouragement to steadfastness in the Lord, but when we learn the story of the man who inspired the song, it truly comes alive. A man named Nokseng, from the Northeast Indian state of Assam is the originator of this popular nineteenth century hymn. The lyrics are taken from his last words leading up to his execution.
As the chief of his village called for him to renounce his newfound faith in Christ he declared “I have decided to follow Jesus.” The chief responded by killing his two children and threatening his wife. Nokseng continued “Though none go with me, I still will follow.” The chief then executed his wife. As the executioner turned to Nokseng, he sang “The cross before me, the world behind me”, and he was then executed. An Indian missionary named Sadhu Sundar Singh originally formed the words into a song. Later, an American hymn editor named William Jensen Reynold’s arranged the song into its current form which we recognize from our song books.
In the Bible, we read many stories of those who refused to relinquish their faith despite pressure from the opponents of God. In Hebrews 11, we have account after account of those who did extraordinary things because their faith was so strong. Many went to their deaths just like Nokseng for their dedication (Hebrews 11:35-38). Sadly, these examples are so outstanding because they are the exception and not the rule.
The fact is, most people either reject the Lord from the start, or they are fickle in their faith and quick to turn away. The history of the nation of Israel is a constant roller coaster ride of faith, apostasy, punishment, repentance, and restoration. In Hebrews 3:1-19, the writer encouraged his readers not to follow this pattern of unbelief. He used the faithfulness of Moses and Jesus to demonstrate that men can be faithful despite extraordinarily difficult circumstances. He then reminded them of the dire consequences of those who rebel against God in their unbelief.
Therefore, as the Hebrews writer warned, we must “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:12-13). With the promise that Christ has defeated death (Hebrews 2:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57), we must “…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). There is no place for fickle faith in service to King Jesus!