The Story of Sadhu Sundar Singh

His Family & Religious Background

His Encounter with Christ
His Travel Experiences
His Mission & Fate
Excerpts of Sayings & Sermons
*Receiving Christ into Your Life*

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 Sadhu Sundar Singh's True
Witness of Christ
Introduction:
With the large number of "spiritual paths" and "techniques"
facing the world of today it is of special value to consider the
life and insights of one who truly embraced the simplicity, love
and freedom offered through devotion to Christ (Yesu Bhaktan).

Sundar Singh was raised a devout Sikh, and consecrated from

his youth to become a Hindu sadhu. However, his spiritual
longings were not fulfilled until emotional and spiritual turmoil
drove him to urgently ask the true living God to reveal Himself
fully, lest he take his own life in the hope of finding peace in the
next. The outcome was strikingly similar to that described in
Acts 9:3-5 of the Bible's New Testament. Thereafter, the born
again Sadhu became a living witness of the eternal security,
peace and comfort he had freely received.

"Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I

will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28)

The Sadhu spoke of his own experience -- the Rest and Peace
which he enjoys (Bisram, Santi, Aram). Previously he had no
lack of everything which the world could give -- wealth, family
etc., but he did not enjoy Peace through them. But in Christ he
had found peace (Santi) when he realized his relationship with
Him. A doctor friend of the Sadhu's related that a man whose
arm was broken through an accident came to him and said,
"Doctor, my arm is very painful. Take the pain away for me."
The doctor told him that first of all the two broken bones must
be set and be knit together; then the swelling and the pain would
go away of themselves. In the same way people want peace and
they want blessings but they don't want to come into right
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relationship with God, the Giver of blessing. When we come
into this right relationship with Him, our restlessness will go and
in its stead we shall have wonderful peace.

"When a man is in a state of sin, he has no sense of sin. A man

dives into the water. On his head are lakhs of maunds of water
but he does not feel their weight at all. But on coming out of the
water if he lifts a vesselful of water he thoroughly understands
how heavy the water is. In the same way, when a man is sunk in
sin he has no sense of sin, but once he is delivered he is
conscious of the least sin."

"For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was
lost." (Luke 19:10)

"He was searching for me before I sought Him. Christ whom I

had never expected came to me. I was praying, 'If there be a
God, reveal Thyself'...I was praying to Hindu gods and
incarnations. But when He came there was no anger in His face,
even though I had burnt the Bible three days before. None of
you have ever destroyed Scripture like me. He is such a
wonderful, loving, living Saviour..."

"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in

Me...I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father, but through Me." (John 14:1-6)

"I am wholly and completely satisfied. Those who will follow

Him will know Him, but we can't know Him unless we live with
Him. For years I tried but I couldn't find. When I used to know
about Him I used to hate Him, but He revealed Himself to me..."

"Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed"
(John 20:29)

"But," said the Sadhu, "the Lord had no other means but to
appear to me personally, for there was just half-an-hour left

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before I should have committed suicide." I am not ashamed to
suffer for Him, I know Him whom I have believed -- not I have
known about Him or have heard preaching about Him, but I
know Him. [Apostle] Paul could say this because he lived with
Him and for Him..."
Sadhu Sundar Singh:
Excerpts of Sayings & Sermons.
Knowing vs. Knowing About Christ
"There is a great difference between knowing about Jesus and
knowing Him...There is no difference between nominal
Christians and non-Christians. When we know Him everything
is different and we are living in a new world -- a new
atmosphere. Heaven begins on earth for us. Those who know
Him know that Jesus is everything to them. They can bear
witness because they have been living with Him...
If we only know of Jesus as a good man, a great example, it is
no help to us. Those who know Him know Who He is. If we live
in Him He will reveal Himself to us and we shall bear witness --
not for a day or a night only..."
"When I used to know about Jesus Christ I used to hate Him
because I didn't understand Him; but since I know Him I bear
witness and I am not ashamed to suffer...[A friend of mine who
was tortured and put to death because he testified of Christ
explained to his persecutor,] 'When a Hindu woman is willing to
burn herself with her dead husband, should I be ashamed when
He is living?...I wish I could show you my heart -- I have such
peace in my heart. I can only give my testimony.'"...
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Seeker: So is it true that, if we do not plead for mercy, God will
send us to hell and punish us eternally for our sins? How is this
perfect love?
Sadhu: Do not suppose that God casts sinners into hell. God is
love and has no desire for anyone to suffer spiritual torment. But
our own corrupt and sinful life deprives us of spiritual bliss.
Heaven or hell is established in our souls and by our own
choosing, long before our lives in this world come to an end. Sin
is not an illusion or a fantasy. It is a real spiritual state. In this
state, the human will separates itself from the divine and thus
introduces the seeds of its own destruction.
God condemns no one to hell. No, it is we sinners who do the
condemning. We condemn ourselves. Too many hearts are in a
condition that they can only feel at home in hell – that is, outside
the peace of the Master. God allows everyone to come to his
kingdom. Indeed, he invites everyone most earnestly to come in,
but if we prefer a life of sin, it is torture for us to stay there.
Pain and disease are not products of the imagination. They are
all too real and we see how some diseases, like smallpox, can in
a short time destroy the beauty of human skin, turning it into
repulsive ugliness. Whoever longs to escape spiritual torment
and death should therefore turn to the Master. He offers us
release from sin and its consequences. His presence in our hearts
and the influence of his Spirit rescue us from hell and lead us to
eternal bliss as God’s spiritual children.
Excerpted from Wisdom of the Sadhu, available FREE in e-book format.
world, we mount on wings of prayer into the spiritual realms
where our souls find peace in God’s unfailing love.
Seeker: Has not Confucius said that those who respect the main
principles of human conduct need not worry about their faults
and lapses in smaller issues? They are excused. Why then do
you say that all sin is dangerous, even dangerous enough to
destroy our souls?
Sadhu: Not every organ in the body fails before the body dies. If
the heart or brain fails, then life ends even if the other organs are
healthy and strong. In the same way, the poisonous effect of one
sin may destroy the spiritual life not only of a single soul, but
also of a whole family or nation, even of the whole human race.
Such was the sin of Adam. But remember, just as one word from
the Master was enough to call the dead back to life, so one word
is enough to restore spiritual life to those who have lost it.
If a wild animal or bird is tamed and then returns to the wild, its
own kind may reject or even kill it, rather than accepting it as
one of their own. They sense that long association with humans
has affected its habits and manners. In the same way, the holy
ones of the spiritual world cannot tolerate those who associate
with evil and who have thereby corrupted their spiritual nature.
Such people are alien intruders in the spiritual realm and they
will not be at home there. Even in this world, sinful people
despise and avoid the company of spiritual people. How then
will they find joy in the eternal world of spirit? For them,
heavenly bliss will be a living hell.
In this world, a traitor against king and country may escape
punishment by seeking refuge in another country. But where
shall we flee if we rebel against God? Wherever we go – in the
physical or in the spiritual world – God is ever present. Our only
refuge is to seek forgiveness and release from God.
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"People misunderstand Him when they don't know Him, but
when they know Him they love Him. When I knew about Him I
used to hate Him. Now I have heaven on earth. Heaven is in my
heart..."
"Christ is not merely a great man who is dead and gone; He is
the incarnation of God, the Saviour of the world. We must live
in Him -- then we shall have a message for the world and we
shall see Him again in glory. We shall be crowned in this world.
It is such a joy to live for Him and bring others to Him."
"I was going to commit suicide. Hinduism [offered] no spiritual
help. Prayer is the most essential thing. Without prayer we
cannot understand Jesus. We are living in Hell. Many know
about Him but they do not live in Him."
On World Religions
(Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Counterfeits of
Christianity)
"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless
he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but
the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My
saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it
pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes
from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)
"Christianity [spiritual regeneration through Jesus Christ] is the
only religion which is universal."
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 Hinduism:
The Sadhu pointed out that Arjuna was more merciful than Sri
Krishna. "Sri Krishna commanded Arjuna to kill, but Christ
healed the ear of Malchus" [Luke 22:51; John 18:10].
"With regard to the doctrine of Karma, it is true that man
receives the consequences of his deeds; but the difference
between the teaching of Christ and Hindu teaching is this -- that
a Christian performs deeds because he is saved and a Hindu in
order to be saved."
With regard to Transmigration he said, "Hindu teaching is that
God's spirit and man's spirit are both co-existent from eternity.
But since in so many cycles of birth I have been unable to attain
moksha, what certainty or assurance have I that I shall be able to
attain in the future?
I do not remember anything at all of my previous existence, so
what does it profit me if I am now reaping the rewards and
punishments of my deed in that existence?
If Transmigration be true we are compelled to believe that sin is
the creator of the universe!"
He spoke of Hindu yoga. When he was small his father had a
Sastri and a Sannyasi in the home, the former to teach the boy
the sacred books and the latter yoga practices. "The strange
thing is," said the Sadhu, "that a man according to yoga teaching
is not to look to God but at the tip of his nose. Moreover, the
thoughts which have been the subject of meditation of the yogi
previous to entering the state of trance, present themselves in a
very vivid way during trance. So we can understand the
discrepancies of teaching amongst yogis. One says, 'There is no
God,' another, 'There is only one God,' another, 'There are many
gods,' another, 'All is God.'"
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forgot everything else and quickly climbed up. The honey was
sweet and he was so enchanted by its flavor that he did not
notice the alligators waiting in the stream below. Nor did he see
that around the foot of the tree, wolves had gathered. Worst of
all, he didn’t notice that the tree itself was infested with termites
and was not strong enough to bear his weight. While he was still
enjoying the honey, the tree fell and the hunter fell prey to the
alligators. So too, the human spirit enjoys for a time the pleasant
but fleeting delights of the senses, forgetting that the world is
like a jungle fraught with dangers of every kind. Sin gnaws at
the very foundation of our lives, threatening to fling us to our
spiritual deaths.
The evil of this world lures us with clever words and beguiling
enticements like certain snakes that fascinate small birds with
their glittering eyes until they can devour them. Or think of the
moth that gives no thought to the burning, destructive power of
the fire. Fascinated by the flashing brilliance of the flame, it
rushes to its own death. Likewise we often see only the
allurements of the material world, seeking quick gratification of
our own urges, and so rush headlong into spiritual death.
Once in the depth of winter, a bird of prey was busy feasting on
a corpse that was floating toward a waterfall. When the bird
came near the falls he wanted to leave the corpse and escape.
But his claws were frozen to it and he could not fly away. He
fell into the roaring waters and died a miserable death. Likewise,
if we allow sin to numb our consciences, we become powerless
to escape death and danger ahead, no matter how we struggle to
escape.
By turning to the Master, however, and building our lives on
him, we are saved from certain death and granted spiritual life
that no one can take away. The Master frees us completely from
the life-destroying seductions of this world. He sets our souls
free from every bondage. Overcoming the attractions of the
Seeker: Modern philosophy, however, teaches that moral values
are relative. They are products of history and culture. How then
can one say that people are sinful?
Sadhu: It is said that a person suffering from jaundice sees
everything with a yellow tint. People whose lives are colored by
sin or guided only by the understanding of their minds also see
reality colored by their own infirmity. When we shape and
fashion spiritual truths according to our own ideas, it is not
surprising if, in the end, we reject not only moral values, but
also the reality of God. But the Master’s work is to release
seeking hearts from sin and death. He continues this work in the
hearts of those who seek his help without regard to the opinion
of others.
The blindness that sin brings about can be illustrated in many
ways. Leprosy makes one’s limbs numb and insensitive to pain
and injury. People affected with this disease unwittingly receive
wounds and allow the injuries to fester until the body is no
longer able to survive. In the same way, sin deadens the heart
and clouds the mind until people no longer have any sense of
shame or disgust. Eventually, however, their eyes will be opened
and they will see how sin has damaged and ravaged their souls;
then there will be great sorrow and pain.
Many people are immersed in sin and don’t even notice its great
weight – just like a diver may be covered by tons of water
without feeling its load. But if when the diver emerges from the
water he tries to carry even a small bucket full, he will feel how
heavy it is. The Master came to seek and save those who
struggle with the burden of sin. He freely gives us rest and
release from sin, but first we must feel the weight of it and turn
to him for help.
People may not even be aware of their mortal danger. They are
like the hunter who caught sight of a honeycomb on the branch
of a tree overhanging a river. Catching sight of the honey, he
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"...it is impossible for those who don't know God to come to
Him except through Christ. He is the only Saviour. It is only
Jesus who has revealed the Father. The Gyana Marga of the
Hindus is only for a few; but if it is true it ought to be for every
body."
He was asked, "Do you ever ask for food anywhere?"
He said, "Hindu sadhus do, but I never do so. When my
Heavenly Father sees that I need food, He arranges it for me."
Buddhism:
Regarding the Buddha, he said that he respected him for the
strength of his intellect and the purity of his life; but in the
Sadhu's opinion he was lacking in humility and for that reason
did not attain knowledge of God. Had he trly longed for God, he
would have gone to the Sannyasi whom he had first met. For it
is only through humility that we can know God.
"A Buddhist said to me, 'Extinction of desire is salvation'...'No,'
said I, 'extinction of evil desire -- I agree with you there. But it is
impossible not to have desire. The desire to kill desire is desire
and the desire to kill that desire is also desire. Desire has been
given to us that it may be satisfied. There is water given to
quench my thirst and I am satisfied through prayer'...I have
begun to live in heaven now in Jesus Christ. Through prayer I
know Him and it is the duty of those who know Him to bear
witness."
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 Islam:
"A Mohammedan preacher went to preach Islam in Scandinavia.
There the people asked him what they would have to do in the
event of their becoming Moslems. Amongst the five duties
prescribed, he mentioned the month's fast when they would have
to fast from sunset but feast during the night. They laughed and
told him that Mohammedanism was evidently not meant for that
part of the world where at one time of the year there is no
night!"
Judaism:
A Rabbi whom he saw at the Jews' Wailing Place [Wall] in
Jerusalem was greatly annoyed when the Sadhu told him that he
should weep because of his own stony heart and not on the stone
wall of the Temple.
Counterfeits of Christianity:
A friend arranged for him to interview the Pope, but when he
discovered that many formalities had to be observed, he was
unwilling. For he believes neither in the infallibility of the Pope
nor that of the Roman Church.
"Those who use mental pictures will be ashamed in the end. I
derive no help from a crucifix....but make use of whatever
whatever helps spiritual progress."
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existence. Sin is the delusive and destructive state of those who
abandon truth and who, in irreverence, seek to satisfy their own
selfish desires. We may think that we can obtain happiness by
abandoning God’s will and following our own whims and
passions, but the result is not true happiness.
Think of light and darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. It
is the same with sin: sin is the absence of what is good and true.
Evil is terrible because people drive themselves to utter
destruction – shipwrecked on the rocks for lack of a guiding
light. For this reason, the Master who is light became God
Incarnate. All who see his guiding light and follow the way it
leads will safely pass through to the blessed haven where
darkness is no more.
Seeker: But if God is almighty, why did he not create human
beings so that they could not fall into the dark state of sin?
Sadhu: Sin arises because people deliberately violate God’s
order. Of course, God could prevent this by creating human
beings differently. But then we would be like obedient puppets
or machines, incapable of experiencing the bliss that can only be
reached by freely choosing the good. Adam and Eve lived in
sinless bliss, but they were free to choose God’s will and
direction or to follow their own appetites. Even Lucifer knew
nothing of pride, a state that had never existed before he held
himself to be God’s equal. So through the choice of angels and
human beings, sin arose. But God is almighty and can even
transform evil into an opening for new and glorious ends.
Firstly, God became incarnate to release us from the cycle of sin
and death, thus revealing God’s boundless, self-giving love in a
way that would otherwise have remained unknown. Secondly,
since we have tasted the bitterness and inevitable consequences
of sin, we delight all the more in our release from its clutches –
just as the sweetness of honey gives greater pleasure after the
taste of bitterness. In unending unity with God, we are free to
serve him with reverence and obedience.
parable of the weeds. They became annoyed and cursed him.
One of them threw a stone at Sundar's head. At that instant, the
stone thrower was struck by such a painful headache that he had
to lie down on the ground. Without hesitations, Sundar took over
that man's chore and helped them harvest the crops. They soon
became friendly to him and invited him home. Their hearts were
then open to the Gospel. The next day after Sundar left, they
noticed that their harvest became more abundant.
Sundar visited Tibet every summer. In 1929, he visited that
country again and was never seen since. Sundar manifested into
his life the verse written in Mark 8:35 which says, "For whoever
wants to save his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life
for me and for the Gospel will save it."
Of Karma - Bondage
A Conversation
Sadhu Sundar Singh
Seeker: Sadhu-ji, you say that it is our sinfulness that has broken
our spiritual oneness with God. Why did God allow such evil to
enter the world?
Sadhu: Apart from God nothing can be created, for God is the
author of all that is. God is good and has created nothing
harmful or detrimental, for that would be against his nature. Evil
does not create, but only corrupts and perverts what God has
created. Sin is not a part of God’s creation. It has no independent
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He was asked about Theosophy. He called it Anglicized
Hinduism. In America he found many people who had sorely
repented their having ever accepted it.
On Rationalism, Skepticism & Philosophy
Experience must precede reasoning. In the snows of the
Himalayas he showed a fellow-traveller a hot-water spring. The
man began to argue and to reason that the thing was impossible,
when the Sadhu invited him to put his hand in the water. On
discovering for himself that the water was really hot as the
Sadhu had said, the man now began to adduce many reasons as
to why it should be hot. Asked what he thought of Higher
Criticism and Modernism, he replied that it was all "spiritual
influenza" -- it would pass away, but not before killing a good
many people.
He thanked God that he had been enabled to go to the West.
Before he went, he thought that there must be something in
Modernist theories, otherwise so many men would not write so
many books. Besides, Christianity had been in force for so many
centuries in the West. But when he discovered how busy these
scholars were and how much of their knowledge was second-
hand and not the fruit of their experience with Christ, he
announced that all their speculations would not move him an
inch from his faith.
"It is not by education or philosophy that we know Him. When I
was in Australia, I was asked, 'What do you think of our
civilization?' -- I said, 'Do you mean your education or your
manners of society? In that case I say, you are trained animals,
trained to do a certain thing in a certain way.' "Man, know
thyself" -- and he who knows God knows himself. He is the
truly civilized man in the image of God in which he was
created..."
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"Trying to understand spiritual truth through the intellect means
increase of self. Men search for God and find Him
unknowable... But: He is known through the heart, not through
philosophy. The only way for us to understand the infinite God
is by becoming infinite and that is impossible. He must become
finite and He is so in Jesus."
"How are we to deal with people who are utterly indifferent to
religion?"
He replied, "God Himself can do nothing with such people so
what can you and I do? Orthodox and strict Hindus and
Mohammedans are better than many of the reformed liberals.
The latter are stones in their own community and if they come
over into the Christian Church they will be stones there too. Far
better a man who is strict in the observance of his own religion."
On Western Post-Christianity
"I have been asked, 'Is Christianity a failure in Europe? I have
seen some true servants of Christ in Europe.' Christ has not been
a failure, but people have failed to understand Him. Those who
hunger and thirst after righteousness know Him. He reveals
Himself to such people -- those who spend time in prayer. We
see our face sometimes not in a mirror but in a river, but when
there are waves in the river we are not able to see ourselves.
When our lives are full of hurry and bustle we fail to see
ourselves, but in a quiet place we see ourselves and we shall be
entirely changed -- a new life. Then we shall not be ashamed.
We shall know Him by living with Him -- and we must live in
Him through a life of prayer."
A friend arranged for him to interview the Pope, but when he
discovered that many formalities had to be observed, he was
unwilling. For he believes neither in the infallibility of the Pope
nor that of the Roman Church.
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In 1918, Sundar visited Madras where thousands of people
gathered to listen to him preach. There Sundar focussed his
preach on Jesus Christ the redeemer. He testified, "Jesus'
presence always brought astonishing peace to me no matter how
bad the situations I was in. Whenever I was in a prison, he was
always there for me. He transformed the jail into a heaven and
the burdens became blessings. There are many Christians who
do not feel His glorious presence as something real. Because for
them Jesus only occurs in their minds and not in their hearts.
Only when someone surrenders his heart to Jesus can he find
Him."
Sundar often used parables in his preachings. He once said,
"One day after a long journey, I rested in front of a house.
Suddenly a sparrow came towards me blown helplessly by a
strong wind. From another direction, an eagle dived to catch the
panicky sparrow. Threatened from different directions, the
sparrow flew into my lap. By choice, it would not normally do
that. However, the little bird was seeking for a refuge from a
great danger. Likewise, the violent winds of suffering and
trouble blow us into the Lord's protective hands."
Sadhu Sundar Singh journeyed much. He travelled all over India
and Ceylon. Between 1918-1919, he visited Malaysia, Japan and
China. Between 1920-1922 he went to Western Europe,
Australia and Israel. He preached in many cities; Jerusalem,
Lima, Berlin and Amsterdam among others. Sundar remained
modest despite his fame. His attitude made his father repent.
Sundar never thought of himself. He only desired to follow
Jesus' example: to repay evil with kindness and to win over his
enemies by love. This attitude often caused his enemies to feel
ashamed of themselves. Once, he was preaching in a public
market when a fanatic from a different religion suddenly
punched his right cheek. Calmly, Sundar turned his left cheek
towards the assailant. The attacker left. But that night Sundar
received a message >from the attacker asking for forgiveness.
On another occasion, Sundar told some harvesters about the
47
If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left
cheek too." (Matthew 5:39).
One day in Nepal, Sundar was ambushed by four robbers in the
middle of a jungle. One of them brandished a sword. Meekly,
Sundar bowed his head thinking that his life was about to end.
This attitude surprised the perpetrators. Since he was penniless,
they took his blanket away from him and let him go. But then,
one of the robbers called him back and curiously asked his
name. Sundar introduced himself, opened his Bible and started
telling him the story of the rich man and Lazarus the poor. The
robber said that the end of the rich man's life was unpleasant and
asked what would happen to himself. Sundar then told him
about the Gospel and God's forgiveness. The robber took Sundar
home with him and repented.
In 1912 Sundar decided to imitate Jesus' seclusion and fasting
for 40 days even though his friends advised him against it. He
failed to fast for 40 days because he became weak. However the
experience strengthened his spirit. He could thus overcome all
doubts, anger and impatience.
In the following years, he was often persecuted but he was also
miraculously delivered by the Lord. In 1914, Sundar preached in
Nepal, a country with a very strong root of Buddhism. In the
town of Rasa, he was sentenced to death by a local Lama on the
grounds of spreading a foreign religion. He was thrown into a
dry well the top of which was then covered and locked from the
outside. He was without food and drink, naked inside the well
together with corpses of executed murderers. He stayed in the
horrible well for 2 days until a stranger came and helped him out
of the well. After relocking the well, the stranger left without
saying anything. Not long after that, Sundar was recaptured and
taken to the Lama. The Lama was very surprised since he had
always kept the only key to the well with him. Realizing that
Sundar was under the protection of a very powerful God, they
became fearful of him and begged him to leave them.
46
In Germany he was asked about the survival of the fittest. He
told them it was not a strange thing at all -- the fit will survive of
themselves. "But in my experience," he said, "what I have seen
is the survival of the unfit. And that is where God's glory comes
in."
"How are we to deal with people who are utterly indifferent to
religion?"
He replied, "God Himself can do nothing with such people so
what can you and I do? Orthodox and strict Hindus and
Mohammedans are better than many of the reformed liberals.
The latter are stones in their own community and if they come
over into the Christian Church they will be stones there too. Far
better a man who is strict in the observance of his own religion."
"A great professor in America once asked me, 'Why do we need
to go to the Father through Christ?'
I answered, 'Did Jesus lie when He said, "No man cometh to the
Father but by Me?"'...
'But,' said he, 'there is no mediator in the Parable of the Prodigal
Son'...
I replied, 'Are you so wise and cannot understand that? There
was no need of a mediator there. The son had lived with the
father before leaving him. He had enjoyed his fellowship. He
knew him and new the way back to him. But it is impossible for
those who don't know God to come to Him except through
Christ. He is the only Saviour. It is only Jesus who has revealed
the Father. The Gyana Marga of the Hindus is only for a few;
but if it is true it ought to be for every body.'"
He thanked God that he had been enabled to go to the West.
Before he went, he thought that there must be something in
Modernist theories, otherwise so many men would not write so
many books. Besides, Christianity had been in force for so many
centuries in the West. But when he discovered how busy these
scholars were and how much of their knowledge was second-
hand and not the fruit of their experience with Christ, he
11
announced that all their speculations would not move him an
inch from his faith.
"We are called to work for Him. Are we misled by Modernists
and Higher Criticism? Is our faith shaken? If we believe that
Christ was merely a great man then we have no message for the
world. We will have to jump down into Hell to hide ourselves
for every shame. We are to be fishers of men and are we still
fishermen? The angels would have been glad to preach the
Gospel in this world for five minutes, and that would have been
enough. But the privilege is not granted to them. Only saved
sinners can preach the Gospel."
"The Gospels are genuine; we find proof of that in the Gospels
themselves. They were written by simple unlettered men. If the
Gospels were not genuine, more care would have been taken in
their composition and arrangement; there would have been more
method. For example, the parables would all have been arranged
in one place, the miracles in another and so on; but they all have
been mixed up!"
People read many books about the Bible, but very few read the
Bible itself. The Sadhu himself read very little besides the Bible.
On Women
Also see Pandita Ramabai (A great woman liberated through
Christ)
He was asked about the position of women. He spoke of the
great and good work which women have accomplished in the
past in the world, going on to speak of many women of today
through whom the world has greatly benefited in every aspect of
12
Having become a Christian, he was renounced by his father and
ostracized by his family. On October 16 1905, Sundar wearing a
yellow robe, barefooted and without provisions, resumed his
nomadic life from village to village, but this time he followed in
Jesus' footsteps. In 1906, he went to Tibet for the first time. That
country attracted him, primarily because of the great challenges
it presented against evangelism. "There will be very strong
opposition and persecution there. High above the tranquil
snowclad Himalayan peaks, there will be a lot of time and
opportunities to meet God and to read the Bible," he thought.
On his way to Tibet, he met Stoker, an American missionary
who also wore a yellow robe. Sometimes they spent the night
together under a tree or in a mountain cave at an altitude of 5000
meters above sea level, without enough food. Happily they
endured all the hardship for the sake of spreading the Gospel.
When Sundar became ill, Stoker got them a place to stay in a
house belonging to a European. Inspired by Sundar's faithfulness
towards God and sincere love towards other people, the host
repented his sins and gave his life to serving the Lord.
Following the advice of his friends, Sadhu enrolled himself in
St.John School of Theology in Lahore. After studying for two
years there, he resumed his travel. An eyewitness reported his
experience with Sundar, "I encountered Sundar Singh as he was
walking down a mountain trail to proclaim the Gospel to us. He
then sat on top of a tree, wiped the sweat off his face and sang a
hymn about the love of Jesus to us. The audience was not
impressed by the song. One man came forward from the
audience, pulled Sundar down from the tree and knocked him to
the ground. Silently, Sundar got to his feet and began praying
for these hostile people. He then told us about the love of Jesus
who had died to redeem all sinners. Because of that I repented
and so did the attacker." That was not the only time when
Sundar won souls for the Lord by adhering to Jesus' instruction
which says, "Do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you.
45
His mother died when he was 14 years old. Since then his life
changed dramatically. Convinced that what Jesus had taught was
completely wrong, he tore the Bible apart and burned it. He even
threw stones at preachers and encouraged others to do likewise.
Still, however hard he tried, he couldn't find the peace he had
been seeking for in his own religion. He reached a point in his
life where committing suicide crossed his mind. Three days after
he burned the Bible in front of his father, he woke up at 3 a.m.
and said to himself, "Oh God, if you do exist, show me the right
way, or I will kill myself." He was thinking of throwing himself
in front of a train that usually passed at 5 a.m. every morning
behind their house in the hope that he would find peacefulness
in his future reincarnation. He repeated his prayer once again.
All of a sudden he saw a brilliant light. At first he feared that the
room was on fire. But nothing happened. He then thought that it
might be an answer to his prayer. While watching the light, he
suddenly saw Jesus' figure in the radiance. He then heard a voice
in Hindi saying, "How much longer are you going to search for
me? I have come to save you. You prayed for the right path.
Why have you not followed it?" At that time, Sundar realized
that Jesus had not died and that He was alive. Sundar fell on his
knees before Him and experienced an astonishing peacefulness
which he had never felt before. The vision disappeared, but
peace and joy lingered within him.
Thereafter his life was transformed. He wanted to be baptized.
Although his family tried to prevent him from his intention, he
was determined. In 1905, on his birthday, he was baptized in an
English church in Simla. At that time, he decided to become a
Sadhu Christian, so that he could dedicate himself to the Lord.
As a Sadhu, he wore a yellow robe, lived on the charity of
others, abandoned all possession and maintained celibacy. He
was convinced that this was the best way to introduce the
Gospel to his people since it was the only way which his people
were accustomed to. In addition, he also wanted to be free to
devote himself to the Lord.
44
life, especially the religious. Then he added significantly, "Spirit
has no gender".
He often speaks of his mother and of what he owes to her. "My
mother's lap was the best university in the world for me".
Someone asked him whether he thought it would be advisable to
have Hindu women who have come to believe in Christ as their
Saviour, baptised in the seclusion of their own homes. He said
he did not believe in baptising secretly; there was no meaning in
accepting Christ unless He were publicly confessed. The
persecution and suffering which that entails, whether for a man
or a woman, is the very best thing for the testing and
strengthening of the new believer's faith and love towards the
Lord.
The Sadhu constantly stressed the importance of confessing our
Lord before men and bearing testimony to Him; while at the
same time recognizing the great difficulties which women in
especial must face in India in order to confess Christ, because of
social conditions and social customs, referring in this connection
to some of his own relatives.
The Sadhu has a sister. He tells her sometimes, "You are my
sister after the flesh but do you know that I have many sisters in
the world who are real sisters of mine and we shall dwell
together in Heaven? In this spiritual sense you have not become
my sister yet."
Parables of Truth
"When a man is in a state of sin, he has no sense of sin. A man
dives into the water. On his head are lakhs of maunds of water
but he does not feel their weight at all. But on coming out of the
13
water if he lifts a vesselful of water he thoroughly understands
how heavy the water is. In the same way, when a man is sunk in
sin he has no sense of sin, but once he is delivered he is
conscious of the least sin."
"It may take a long time to know about a flower, but it doesn't
take long to smell its sweet fragrance. It doesn't take long to
enjoy Him. I know Him -- that is enough for me. People have
been quenching their thirst with water, not knowing that it is
hydrogen and oxygen. So with the water of life. If salvation is
for a few then it is not universal, and if it is not universal it is not
true."
"'How can I believe there is life hereafter? -- Heaven and Hell?' I
was asked by a professor.
'But,' said I, 'we find the proof in ourselves.'
'Can you give a proof about the future life?' he asked.
'Certainly. Eggs at first contain only liquid matter, then a young
bird is gradually formed. Supposing the mother-bird tells the
young one, "You will come out of this shell.
You will see mountains, hills, clouds, fields and also your
mother." What if the chicken says, "No, you are telling a lie.
What proof have I?"
"Why, those wings, those eyes have been given to you. You
can't use them in the egg shell. You can't see anything but
yourself. Your eyes and wings are proof that you are being
prepared for a world to come." When the chick came out of his
shell he saw everything and his mother and he could enjoy
everything.'
So we shall come out and see our Heavenly Mother-Father. Why
these desires? Longings for peace? There is no room to satisfy
all human desires in this life. But we shall see our Saviour and
the saints in Heaven. In this body we could not see them. But all
eggs do not get hatched. They need the Mother's warmth. So too
14
Sadhu Sundar Singh
http://www.csichurch.com/article/sad
huS.htm
One hundred and four years ago on
September 1889, Sundar Singh was
born in Rampur, in the region of
Patiala northern India. He was raised
in the luxury of his family's wealth.
As a Sikh, Sundar was taught about
Hinduism and came along with his
parents to Hindu temples. By the age
of seven he had already memorized Bagawadgita, the songs of
blissful people, which is a long and intricate verse containing
lessons of life. At sixteen, not only had he mastered Veda, the
ancient sacred books of Hinduism, but he had also read Koran,
the sacred book of Islam. He then got acquainted with some
Sadhus who taught him Yoga. A Sadhu is a Hindu who devotes
his entire life to his religion and forsakes all the worldly
pleasures. Sundar remained single and jobless. He travelled all
over India wearing a yellow robe without any food and without
having any permanent residence. He lived only on the charity of
others.
It was his mother who first encouraged him to become a Sadhu.
She once told him, "Do not be selfish and materialistic like your
brothers, but seek for your peace of mind and hold steadily onto
your faith. Be a Sadhu." However, he never achieved
peacefulness in his meditations. Owing to his mother's
connections with some women from a British mission in Rajpur,
Sundar was able to enter the school run by the missionaries. It
was there that Sundar was first exposed to the Bible. He wasn't
interested in the Bible at that time. Instead, he ardently buried
himself in the occult art of Hinduism.
43
receiving baptism you are professing that you have died to sin
and are pledging a good conscience before God, and thus the
start of a new life in Jesus Christ.
The early disciples were baptized by complete immersion (just
as the Lord Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist) immediately
following their new faith in Christ, regardless of any previous
baptisms. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Although the Holy Spirit had enlightened them when they
believed on the Lord Jesus, many received the baptism of the
Holy Spirit (with manifestations of spiritual gifts) by the laying
on of hands by the apostles:
"...Paul...found some disciples, and he said to them, 'Did you
receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?'
And they said to him, 'No, we have not even heard whether there
is a Holy Spirit.'
And he said, 'Into what then were you baptized?'
And they said, 'Into John's baptism.'
And Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him,
that is, in Jesus.' And when they heard this, they were baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began
speaking with tongues and prophesying."
(Acts 19:1-6)
If you have not been baptized since you were born again in
Christ, or if your baptism did not involve full immersion,
express to your born again Christian pastor that you would like
to be biblically baptized...
Other testimonies
42
we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to make us warm. We
must receive the warmth and heat from Him in prayer."
"When I was in America a wealthy man was telling me of his
experience. 'What do you think is the most precious thing in this
drawing room?' he asked, 'Some say it is that beautiful picture or
these precious stones. But the most precious thing in my house
is that tiger skin. One day when I was hunting with my brother a
tiger was shot.
But he was not killed -- only wounded and still breathing. My
brother fired and the tiger jumped on him and so my brother was
killed but the tiger was killed too. These scars are my brother's
blood. My brother gave his life for me. So this is the most
precious thing in my house.'
So when we read the word of God we learn that our Brother
gave His life for us. There is no precious thing in the world than
this. It has the mark of our Brother's blood."
"I have a stone in my hand. I hit somebody with it -- the man's
head is broken and he dies. As long as the stone was in my hand
it was in my power, but once the stone was out of my hand it
was out of my power. And it was too late, the man was dead. If I
repent -- that only means I won't throw any more stones in the
future.
But the man is already killed! In the future, we shall receive
strength, but we must hold fast for the present otherwise we are
in danger of losing what we have.
There is a danger of losing the gifts or the blessings which we
have been receiving from our Heavenly Father. If there had been
no danger of losing our crown, our Lord would not have given
warnings. So, 'Watch and pray.' Gifts, blessings, spiritual life
and crown, there is a difference between having these things and
receiving them again. Those who repent may obtain forgiveness
if they go to our Heavenly Father, but those who postpone may
find it too late."
15
"It is an excellent plan to entertain noble and lofty thoughts in
the mind at all times; for by the Law of Association one good
and noble thought attracts another."
"A tree grows and develops in the light and heat of the sun.
There is infinite space above the tree, yet when the tree has
reached a certain height it cannot increase any more. Why
cannot it increase? The power of gravitation of the earth draws it
down. We are spiritual beings and are to grow upwards and not
downwards though things in this world draw us down.
The heat of the sun makes a tree grow, but by the heat of the
same sun another tree dries up. When a worm or an insect has
entered a tree, the life of the tree is being gradually destroyed;
then the heat of the sun instead of giving it strength helps the
process of decay. We have life within us and are to grow
through the light of the Sun of Righteousness. To what degree is
it possible for us to increase? To this degree, 'Be ye therefore
perfect as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.'"
"When government began to mint coins, men began to make
counterfeit coins. So in the Spiritual life, the Evil One provides
counterfeits of every virtues.
In the spiritual life we can do much harm when we fully intend
doing good; just like the man in Burma who rushed to pour
buckets of water in his house which had suddenly caught fire
and found that in that great oil-region he was pouring kerosene
oil instead."
On Prayer
16
"Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy
place by the blood of Jesus...let us draw near with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience and our body washed with pure
water"
(Hebrews 10:19,22)
"He saved us...by the washing of regeneration and renewing by
the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior..." (Titus 3:5,6)
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come"
(2Corinthians 5:17)
When you first believed, you received the inward witness of the
Holy Spirit (see Assurance of Salvation). Baptism is the outward
witness that your sins have been forgiven and your conscience
has been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.
"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into
death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that
our body of sin might be made powerless, that we should not
longer be slaves to sin...For the death that He died, He died to
sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even
so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in
Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:4,6,10-11)
Just as Jesus was raised from the dead unto eternal life, so
baptism testifies that your old life died with Christ, and through
faith in Him you are raised to a new "resurrection life". By
41
regeneration in Christ) are man-made traditions, having no value
in God's sight (the Bible gives no spiritual authority to these).
However, if you have been born again through faith in the
saving power of Jesus' death and resurrection, nothing (except
being at your deathbed at the time you accept Jesus Christ)
should hinder you from being baptized as soon as possible. Your
obedience to Jesus' command to be baptized is the outward sign
that you have wholeheartedly repented of your sins and believed
upon Him...
"...in Him you have been made complete...having been buried
with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him
through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the
dead." (Colossians 2:10,12)
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust,
in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death
in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit...
And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the
removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good
conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..." (1Peter
3:18,21)
Baptism is not the physical washing away of your sins. Your
sins were completely washed away by the once-and-for-all shed
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ when you accepted Him as your
Saviour:
"...how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
(Hebrews 9:14)
40
"Those who think that prayer is asking are only beggars. I have
not seen any beggar understand the truth of Christianity."
"Every day whenever we spend time in prayer and realize His
presence, we must hold these things fast in our heart. Without
prayer it is impossible. Prayer is not asking for this thing or that
thing, but for the Giver of blessing Himself -- that He may live
in us. See how wonderful our Saviour is!"
"Some people are very thankful when their prayer is answered.
But the people who think that prayer is merely asking are greatly
mistaken. God gives Himself. Even wicked are receiving all
kinds of things from God. If the Holy Spirit were given without
prayer, we should not be able to appreciate Him. But the people
who receive Him can't live without prayer. They may fall, they
may make mistakes, but they know the value of prayer; and
those who know the value of a life of fellowship will never
cease."
"Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness know Him. He
reveals Himself to such people -- those who spend time in
prayer. We see our face sometimes not in a mirror but in a river,
but when there are waves in the river we are not able to see
ourselves. When our lives are full of hurry and bustle we fail to
see ourselves, but in a quiet place we see ourselves and we shall
be entirely changed -- a new life. Then we shall not be ashamed.
We shall know Him by living with Him -- and we must live in
Him through a life of prayer."
"Prayer is to live in Him for others. We can't stop breathing in
the air of the Holy Spirit, and by the Holy Spirit we are being
prepared for the world to come -- for the Kingdom of God where
we are going to spend eternity. We have not been created to live
in this world forever but to get ready for our Heavenly Home."
"A child two or three days old does not know anything about
this world -- about his mother and about milk, but he knows how
17
to suck milk. He does not know Khasi or Hindi, but he knows the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have
how to suck. God has provided milk for the child in his mother's eternal life" (1John 5:13)
breast, but it does not flow into the child's mouth. He has to suck
and he gets stronger and stronger every day. God is our spiritual
Mother and we experience that when we lead a life of prayer. By your attitude toward other
We have desire. This desire is to be satisfied, and only He can
meet the needs of the human heart. Everybody knows something Christians
about prayer. A child can cry."

"St. Paul was such a practical man of God that he didn't tell "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and
others to do what he didn't try to do himself. He lived a life of whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him" (1John
prayer, he never ceased to pray. When on a long journey, he 4:5)
prayed. He knew the value of prayer from experience. He knew "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we
how important and essential it is. Just as breathing and love the brethren"
circulation of the blood are functions of the body, so prayer is a (1John 3:14) .
function of the soul. The circulation of the blood will not
continue forever, the beating of the heart will stop, but prayer
will continue. Prayer is to breathe in God -- to breathe in the air
of the Holy Spirit. Those who cannot breathe are dead. We
breathe in our sleep, so , 'Pray without ceasing.' To live in Him
Baptism: The Outward Witness
we are to breathe in Him Who is our life."
If you have believed on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour,
"A naturalist noticing that certain beautiful birds flew away to a
your sins have been forgiven and you have been saved from
hot country at the beginning of winter, had a great desire that the
eternal condemnation (see Assurance of Salvation). The next
birds should stay, but was unable to retain them. So he thought
step in obedience to the Lord Jesus is to be baptized...
of another plan. He got some of these birds' eggs from a hot
country. He thought that if these young ones were born in a cold
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever
country they would think they belonged to the cold country. But
does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16)
when the winter came they flew away. No one told them, but
they went back again to the country whence they had come.
They had that instinct, that sense which told them. So we too are
The Lord Jesus made clear that by believing one is saved (and
going to fly away from here."
likewise by not believing one already stands condemned).
Baptism does not save, and has no value apart from prior saving
"If eggs are not properly hatched they become rotten. So we too
faith in Christ - for example, infant baptism (an infant or young
are in danger of perishing from sin. But we are being prepared
child is not held accountable for sin) or ritualistic baptism into a
and we shall fly from our shell into our heavenly home. Even
religion or denomination (without experiencing spiritual
animals know their master but we don't know our Creator. We

18 39
 By the witness of personal
experience
"The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in
himself...
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true,
and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and eternal life." (1John 5:10,20) .
By the witness of the Holy Spirit
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God...
in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do
not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself
intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words..." (Romans
8:16,26)
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you"
(Romans 8:11)
By the witness of the Word
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, even to those who believe in His name:
who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13)
"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
38
cannot change His will but through prayer we can understand
His will. What is necessary for His will, will be given to us to
carry out His plans. We are being changed. When the egg is
being hatched it is changed; then, in time, the chick will become
like the mother-bird. The liquid matter is changed until it
becomes a young bird which becomes like its mother. In prayer
we are being hatched and changed and prepared to be like Him.
...all eggs do not get hatched. They need the Mother's warmth.
So too we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to make us warm.
We must receive the warmth and heat from Him in prayer."
"Why doesn't God give spiritual blessings without prayer? There
was Saul. Saul received a kingdom and the Holy Spirit, but he
did not pray for the Holy Spirit and was not anxious. The result
was that he lost both. Through prayer we are being prepared. We
are receiving a blessing through the prayer of preparation.
Instead of donkeys Saul found a kingdom. If we receive the
Holy Spirit before we are ready we shall lose Him. But if we are
ready then our lives will be entirely changed. But if we lose Him
we are worse than before. Such men are the incarnation of the
devil -- their condition afterwards is worse."
"This is a warning from the Lord Himself. 'Hold fast thy crown.'
All will be clear if we live a life of prayer. We must spend time
in prayer -- then we shall know who our Saviour is. We receive
blessings even through our mistakes. But our God works quietly.
He never makes a noise...
God give me strength and power that I may not lose this
blessing. My prayer is to continue. Then Heaven will begin on
earth for all who have had this experience. Then we shall see
others entering into the kingdom of God. We shall see with our
spiritual eyes and fly away and be with our Saviour and be in
His Kingdom forever.
May God help us so that we may live in Him in this life -- and
that is only possible through prayer which is the vital breath of
life -- before we enter into the Heavenly Kingdom where we are
going to live with Him forever.
19
We must begin in our home on earth, otherwise we shall feel out
of place in Heaven. If we live in Him now, we shall be prepared
to live with Him forever..."
"May God help us to pray without ceasing."
On Persecution, Suffering and
Discipleship.
"...a little girl thirteen years of age was going from her village to
another when she was met by a Lama who said to her, "Your
father has become a Christian and that is, I suppose, why you are
a Christian too."
She replied, "A Christian Sadhu came to our village to tell of
Christ. My family has become Christian -- I am a Christian
because I know from my own experience that Christ is my
Saviour." The Lama seized her and shut her up in a dark room
with the door locked for twenty-four hours without food or
water. At the end of the twenty-four hours the Lama though she
would ask to be freed.
To his great amazement he found her singing. He shut her up for
three days more without food or water. When he opened the
door this time he didn't find her singing but she was on her
knees in a corner of the room talking to somebody. He could see
her lips moving but her eyes were shut. He began to listen to
what she was saying. "Lord, I thank Thee for this honour of
suffering for Thee." Christ was living in her otherwise it would
have been impossible for her.
"Lord, forgive that Lama. Open his spiritual eyes that he may
see Thy glory."
20
slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may
be put to shame" (1Peter 3:15-16)
Assurance of Salvation
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes
Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into
judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24)
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things have passed away; behold, new things have come..."
(2Corinthians 5:17)
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has
set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Romans 8:1-2)
When you come to the Lord on His Word's basis for salvation,
He redeems you. You become His child: "But as many as
received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). He cleanses
us from all sin: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
(1John 1:9).
You are no longer bound for Hell (eternal separation from God)
but are on your way to Heaven. Satan will try to contest your
experience with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will try to rob you of
the "peace of God." He will try to drive you back into the world
of despair, doubt and defeat. But God has a message for you that
will enable you to know you are saved and to maintain
assurance of salvation.
37
"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and
mighty things, which you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3)
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much"
(James 5:16)
GROW by talking about Him to others - that is witnessing
"Every one therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will
also confess him before My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew
10:32)
"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His
lovingkindness is everlasting.
Let the redemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed
from the the hand of the adversary..." (Psalm 107:1-2)
"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again
from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness
of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations..."
(Luke 24:46-47)
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all
these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself
through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,
not counting their tresspasses against them,
and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ..." (2Corinthians 5:17-
20)
"...sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to
make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for
the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and respect; and keep
a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are
36
The Lama burst into tears, and taking off his turban he laid it on
her feet and said, "I am like your grandfather in age, but today
you have become my guru." To the Sadhu whom he met
afterwards, he said, "I didn't learn as much from you as I learnt
from the girl."
"I was so thankful. Can't we have that experience? She is on her
way to perfection and has given her life to work for her
Saviour."
"When I was preaching between Nepal and Tibet, I was asked in
one place not to preach Christianity. But I said, 'I must give my
testimony to what my Saviour has done for me.' I was arrested
and put in prison for six months. An excellent opportunity of
preaching the Gospel! I preached to the criminals but was
forbidden.
The jailer said, 'You were put into prison on account of your
preaching and here you are preaching again!'
I said, 'I can't keep quiet, I must tell about my Saviour.' Then he
told the prisoners not to listen.
They said, 'You have failed to make us better. If listening to him
makes us better you ought to be glad.' The jailer was terrified
lest all the criminals become Christians and took me away. This
time I was put into the jailer's cowhouse as there was no other
separate room. The place was full of mosquitoes. My clothes
were taken away and my legs and arms put into stocks. Then a
basketful of leeches were put on my body. There were leeches
round my eyes shutting them, and they were sucking away all
my blood. It was very painful. I confess my weakness.
God wanted to show me myself. I almost wanted to cry. 'By
tomorrow,' I thought, 'I shall be dead from loss of blood.' When
I was praying, however, I felt something like electricity all
through my body and my prison was changed to Heaven. 'Will
21
heaven be better than this?' I forgot the leeches, and though I am
no singer I began to sing a Hindi hymn. Such wonderful joy! In
the midst of suffering I had no external comfort of any kind but I
experienced such wonderful peace from my living Saviour.
I had given St. Mark's Gospel to the man who had reported me,
who immediately tore it up. He came to look at me in
astonishment with the jailer. 'What do you think of him?' he
asked the jailer.
'I think he is mad,' replied the jailer.
'If by becoming mad one can become so happy, then I should
like to become mad too,' said the man."
"These eighteen years He is everything to me -- the life of my
life and I am never sorry. My relations ask, 'Are you not sorry
now that you have to suffer?'
'I am only sorry I did not follow Him before eighteen years
ago.'"
"It is a great pity any of us are living without this wonderful
Saviour. We must follow Him. We must be with Him and then
we shall be on our way to perfection. Unless we follow our
Saviour we cannot be saved. There is a wonderful fish which
can change its colour, but a blind fish cannot change its colour."
"Nobody will be allowed to enter into Heaven who has not a
face like Jesus Christ. That is the only ticket, otherwise we shall
find ourselves out of place there. Only those who follow Him
will feel at home there. Are we willing to follow Him? There
will be no hiding place in Heaven -- only in Hell. I who used to
persecute Him, I who used to tear up Scripture, I must follow
Him."
22
"...like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that
by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1Peter 2:2)
"It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)
"Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin
against Thee...
Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (Psalm
119:11,105)
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman
who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word
of truth" (2Timothy 2:15)
"...let the one who is taught the word share all good things with
him who teaches" (Galatians 6:6)
GROW by talking to Him - that is prayer
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them; and they shall never perish, and
no one shall snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:27-28)
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you
abide in Me...If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:4,7)
"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear
again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by
which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Romans
8:15-16)
35
 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and
some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the
equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up
of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the
measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and
there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by
the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him, who is the head, even Christ"
"...if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son
cleanses us from all sin" (1John 1:7)
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one
another, so that you may be healed." (James 5:16)
"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and
beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and
forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against any one;
just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all
these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you
were called in one body; and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you; with all wisdom
teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to
God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the
Father." (Colossians 3:12-17)
GROW by allowing Him to talk to you - that is Bible study
(Read the New Testament first, beginning with John's Gospel)
34
His Family & Religious Background
One hundred and twelve years ago on September 1889, Sundar
Singh was born to Sher Singh of Rampur, Punjab in northern
India. His mother, a deeply religious woman, nurtured him in
the noble traditions of the Sikhs. Sundar often spoke of his
mother with much love and respect because of the good
foundation she laid for his life to come. Little did anyone know
what God was about to do with this keenly intelligent and
disciplined young man.
He was raised in the luxury of his family's wealth. As a Sikh,
Sundar was taught about Hinduism and came along with his
parents to Hindu and Sikh temples. By the age of seven he had
already memorized Bhagavadgita, the intricate Hindu dialogue
containing spiritual life lessons. At sixteen, not only had he
mastered the Vedas, the ancient sacred books of Hinduism, but
he had also read Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam. He then got
acquainted with some sadhus who taught him Yoga. A sadhu is a
Hindu who devotes his entire life to his religion and forsakes all
the worldly pleasures. Sundar remained single and jobless. He
travelled all over India wearing a yellow robe without any food
and without having any permanent residence. He lived only on
the charity of others.
The life of Sadhu Sundar Singh was most remarkable in its
Christ-likeness. Being born amidst the depths of Indian culture
and religion, and into a Sikh family, during the early part of his
life Sundar's mother would take him week by week to sit at the
feet of a sadhu, an ascetic holy man, who lived some distance
away in the rainforest. It was his mother who first encouraged
him to become a sadhu. She once told him, "Do not be selfish
and materialistic like your brothers, but seek for your peace of
mind and hold steadily onto your faith. Be a sadhu." However,
he never achieved peacefulness in his meditations. Owing to his
mother's connections with some women from a British mission
in Rajpur, Sundar was able to enter the school run by the
23
missionaries. It was there that Sundar was first exposed to the
Bible. He wasn't interested in the Bible at that time. Instead, he
ardently buried himself in Hinduism and yogic practices.
His Encounter with Christ
But with the death of his beloved mother when he was only
fourteen years old, his life had changed dramatically. The young
Sundar grew increasingly despairing and aggressive. Convinced
that what Jesus had taught was completely wrong, he tore the
Bible apart and burned it. He even threw stones at preachers and
encouraged others to do likewise. His hatred of the local
missionaries and Christians culminated in the public burning of
a Bible which he tore apart page by page and threw into the
flames.
Still, however hard he tried, he couldn't find the peace he had
been seeking for in his own religion. He reached a point in his
life where committing suicide crossed his mind. Yet before long
Sundar was intent on taking his own life. Sundar had arrived at a
point of desperation: he had decided to throw himself under the
Ludhiana express if God did not reveal to him the true way of
peace.
Three days after he burned the Bible in front of his father, he
woke up at three in the morning and went out into the moonlit
courtyard for the ceremonial bath observed by devout Hindus
and Sikhs before worship. He then returned to his room and
knelt down, bowed his head to the ground and pleaded that God
would reveal himself. Yet nothing happened. He was thinking of
throwing himself in front of the train that would pass at 5 a.m.
every morning behind their house, in the hope that he would find
peacefulness in his future reincarnation.
24
Now that the saving Gospel of Christ has been presented to you,
will you sincerely make the following prayer to God?
"Jesus, I believe you are Lord. I am a lost sinner, and
I want to become a Christian. I trust in the blood that
you shed on Calvary for the cleansing of my sin. I
believe you alone rose from the dead, and I open the
door of my heart to receive you as my personal
Saviour. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me now."
Growing in Christ
The Bible speaks of new Christians as "babes in Christ." It also
clearly teaches that it is not the will of God for Christians to stay
in a state of spiritual infancy but to experience spiritual
development.
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ" (2Peter 3:18)
GROW by meeting with other Christians - that is fellowship
Regularly attend a Bible-believing and born-again Christian
church/fellowship:
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...and we
were all made to drink of one Spirit...
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one
member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." (1
Corinthians 12:13,26-27)
33
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8)
How to make the Lord Jesus your
Saviour
"And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent
the Son to be the Saviour of the world...And the witness is this,
that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."
(1John 4:14; 5:11)
To become a Christian it is necessary for a definite transaction
on the part of the sinner. God will do His part but you also have
a responsibility. When you realize you are a lost sinner, that the
Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour you need, the next step is to
believe the truth of God's Word, confess your sin and need of a
Saviour and simply ask Him to save you.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Rom. 10:13)
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you
and your household" (Acts 16:30)
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
shall be saved...For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in
Him will not be disappointed." (Rom. 10:9,11)
"All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who
comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." (John 6:37)
32
He had not known what to expect: a voice, a vision, a trance?
Still nothing happened, and it was fast approaching the time for
the Ludhiana express. He repeated his prayer once again. He
lifted his head and opened his eyes, and was rather surprised to
see a faint cloud of light in the room. It was too early for the
dawn. He opened the door and peered out to the courtyard.
Darkness.
Turning back into the room he saw that the light in the room was
getting brighter. At first he feared that the room was on fire. But
nothing happened. He then thought that it might be an answer to
his prayer. While watching the light, he suddenly saw Jesus'
figure in the radiance. To his sheer amazement he saw not the
face of any of his traditional gods, but of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Christ was there in the room, shining, radiating an
inexpressible joy and peace and love, looking at him with
compassion and asking, "Why do you persecute me? I died for
you ..." [Acts 9:1-5] At that time, Sundar realized that Jesus was
not dead but alive. Sundar fell on his knees before Him and
experienced an astonishing peacefulness which he had never felt
before. The vision disappeared, but peace and joy lingered
within him.
Thereafter his life was transformed. He wanted to be baptized.
Although his family tried to prevent him from his intention, he
was determined. In 1905, on his birthday, he was baptized in an
English church in Simla. At that time, he decided to become a
sadhu, so that he could dedicate himself to the Lord Jesus. As a
sadhu, he wore a yellow robe, lived on the charity of others,
abandoned all possession and maintained celibacy. He was
convinced that this was the best way to introduce the Gospel to
his people since it was the only way which his people were
accustomed to. In addition, he also wanted to be free to devote
himself to the Lord.
25
Having become a Christian, he was renounced by his father and
ostracized by his family. On October 16 1905, Sundar wearing a
yellow robe, barefooted and without provisions, resumed his
nomadic life from village to village, but this time he followed in
Jesus' footsteps. From here on the life of Sundar Singh became
most Christ-like. Being unwilling to denounce his Master in the
face of his family's rejection, Sundar took the saffron robes of
the sadhu and began a life of spreading the simple message of
love and peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money
or other possessions, only a New Testament.
"I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said,
"but like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will
belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating
with those who will give me shelter, and telling all people of the
love of God."
His Travel Experiences
In 1906, he went to Tibet for the first time. That country
attracted him, primarily because of the great challenges it
presented against evangelism. "There will be very strong
opposition and persecution there. High above the tranquil
snowclad Himalayan peaks, there will be a lot of time and
opportunities to meet God and to read the Bible," he thought.
On his way to Tibet, he met Stoker, an American missionary
who also wore a yellow robe. Sometimes they spent the night
together under a tree or in a mountain cave at an altitude of 5000
meters above sea level, without enough food. Happily they
endured all the hardship for the sake of spreading the Gospel.
When Sundar became ill, Stoker got them a place to stay in a
house belonging to a European. Inspired by Sundar's faithfulness
towards God and sincere love towards other people, the host
repented his sins and gave his life to serving the Lord.
26
distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Rom. 3:10-11,22-23)
"All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to
his own way" (Isa. 53:6)
is the Saviour
Jesus Christ
"God...desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself
as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time."
(1Timothy 2:3-6)
"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1John 4:10)
A religion, temple or church cannot save you. A Christian loved
one or friend cannot save you. Fraternal organizations cannot
save you. Founders of religious paths cannot save you. Even
your pious/good life and deeds cannot save you, for "all our
righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Isa. 64:6) in the
presence of God's holiness. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only
One Who can save your lost soul.
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name
under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must
be saved" (Acts 4:12)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23)
31
peace and rebirth through Jesus. He carried no money or other
possessions, only a New Testament.
"I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said,
"but like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will
belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating
with those who will give me shelter, and telling all people of the
love of God."
He travelled India and Tibet, as well as the rest of the world,
with the message that the modern interpretation of Jesus was
sadly watered down. Sundar visited Tibet every summer. In
1929, he visited that country again and was never seen since.
Sundar manifested into his life the verse written in Mark 8:35
which says, "For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it;
but whoever loses his life for Me and for the Gospel will save
it."
You need a Saviour
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was
lost." (Luke 19:10)
You cannot be saved without first realizing that you are lost.
People who are trusting in the golden rule, good works or self-
righteousness are following a way "which seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). God saves
sinners. You must see yourself as a lost sinner, doomed to
eternal separation from God except for the saving grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
"...it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes
judgment" (Heb. 9:27)
"There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who
understands, there is none who seeks for God...there is no
30
Following the advice of his friends, Sadhu enrolled himself in
St.John School of Theology in Lahore. After studying for two
years there, he resumed his travel. An eyewitness reported his
experience with Sundar, "I encountered Sundar Singh as he was
walking down a mountain trail to proclaim the Gospel to us. He
then sat on top of a tree, wiped the sweat off his face and sang a
hymn about the love of Jesus to us.
The audience was not impressed by the song. One man came
forward from the audience, pulled Sundar down from the tree
and knocked him to the ground. Silently, Sundar got to his feet
and began praying for these hostile people. He then told us about
the love of Jesus who had died to redeem all sinners. Because of
that I repented and so did the attacker." That was not the only
time when Sundar won souls for the Lord by adhering to Jesus'
instruction which says, "Do not take revenge on someone who
wrongs you. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap
your left cheek too." (Matthew 5:39).
One day in Nepal, Sundar was ambushed by four robbers in the
middle of a jungle. One of them brandished a sword. Meekly,
Sundar bowed his head thinking that his life was about to end.
This attitude surprised the perpetrators. Since he was penniless,
they took his blanket away from him and let him go. But then,
one of the robbers called him back and curiously asked his
name. Sundar introduced himself, opened his Bible and started
telling him the story of the rich man and Lazarus the poor. The
robber said that the end of the rich man's life was unpleasant and
asked what would happen to himself. Sundar then told him
about the Gospel and God's forgiveness. The robber took Sundar
home with him and repented.
In 1912 Sundar decided to imitate Jesus' seclusion and fasting
for 40 days even though his friends advised him against it. He
failed to fast for 40 days because he became weak. However the
experience strengthened his spirit. He could thus overcome all
doubts, anger and impatience.
27
In the following years, he was often persecuted but he was also
miraculously delivered by the Lord. In 1914, Sundar preached in
Nepal, a country with a very strong root of Buddhism. In the
town of Rasa, he was sentenced to death by a local Lama on the
grounds of spreading a foreign religion.
He was thrown into a dry well the top of which was then
covered and locked from the outside. He was without food and
drink, naked inside the well together with corpses of executed
murderers. He stayed in the horrible well for 2 days until a
stranger came and helped him out of the well. After relocking
the well, the stranger left without saying anything. Not long after
that, Sundar was recaptured and taken to the Lama. The Lama
was very surprised since he had always kept the only key to the
well with him. Realizing that Sundar was under the protection of
a very powerful God, they became fearful of him and begged
him to leave them.
In 1918, Sundar visited Madras where thousands of people
gathered to listen to him preach. There Sundar focussed his
preaching on Jesus Christ the redeemer. He testified, "Jesus'
presence always brought astonishing peace to me no matter how
bad the situations I was in. Whenever I was in a prison, he was
always there for me. He transformed the jail into a heaven and
the burdens became blessings. There are many Christians who
do not feel His glorious presence as something real. Because for
them Jesus only occurs in their minds and not in their hearts.
Only when someone surrenders his heart to Jesus can he find
Him."
Sundar often used parables in his preachings. He once said,
"One day after a long journey, I rested in front of a house.
Suddenly a sparrow came towards me blown helplessly by a
strong wind. From another direction, an eagle dived to catch the
panicky sparrow. Threatened from different directions, the
sparrow flew into my lap. By choice, it would not normally do
that. However, the little bird was seeking for a refuge from a
28
great danger. Likewise, the violent winds of suffering and
trouble blow us into the Lord's protective hands."
Sadhu Sundar Singh journeyed much. He travelled all over India
and Ceylon. Between 1918-1919, he visited Malaysia, Japan and
China. Between 1920-1922 he went to Western Europe,
Australia and Israel. He preached in many cities; Jerusalem,
Lima, Berlin and Amsterdam among others.
Sundar remained modest despite his fame. His attitude made his
father repent. Sundar never thought of himself. He only desired
to follow Jesus' example: to repay evil with kindness and to win
over his enemies by love. This attitude often caused his enemies
to feel ashamed of themselves. Once, he was preaching in a
public market when a fanatic from a different religion suddenly
punched his right cheek. Calmly, Sundar turned his left cheek
towards the assailant.
The attacker left. But that night Sundar received a message from
the attacker asking for forgiveness. On another occasion, Sundar
told some harvesters about the parable of the weeds. They
became annoyed and cursed him. One of them threw a stone at
Sundar's head. At that instant, the stone thrower was struck by
such a painful headache that he had to lie down on the ground.
Without hesitations, Sundar took over that man's chore and
helped them harvest the crops. They soon became friendly to
him and invited him home. Their hearts were then open to the
Gospel. The next day after Sundar left, they noticed that their
harvest became more abundant.
His Mission & Fate
Being unwilling to denounce his Master in the face of his
family's rejection, Sundar took the saffron robes of the sadhu
and began a life of spreading the simple message of love and
29