Transcript: Sadhu Sundar Singh's Journey to Faith

The End Palms. No, no, no. Mercy. Mercy. Go. Go on. Get out of here. Shouldn't we have given him something wrong? THE END Do you look forward to the trip to Bombay tomorrow? I understand how you feel, Laura. I'm so sorry about the death of your father. He was a wonderful man. It put so much responsibility upon your shoulders. I wish you didn't need to leave school. I wish many things. Ram? Yes, brother? A parcel came for you. It came from Shanti. I just saw Shanti. She said nothing about it. You know how Shanti is. Shut it. My literature teacher gave me a copy of this book. And though I still don't quite understand it, the book has made a great impression upon my thinking. Perhaps it will help you find answers to some of the questions raised by your great sorrow and disappointment. Shanti. Rob? Yes, Mother? Shall I help you pack your things? I can manage. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. I'll tell you what, Mike. You play, and I'll sing. You're half drunk already. Oh, not yet. Go to the door, Bippin. Don't worry, dear. We've got another eight bottles of Christmas cheer. Who is it? I haven't a clue. Hello, Mike. Do you remember me? Vaguely. We met last summer at Simla. You gave me your father's card. You said if I ever needed employment... Bring me that card. My father just died, and I need work, sir. I was in college, but with my father dying... Boy, do you know what day this is? It's Thursday, sir. It's Christmas. And if you haven't any more sense than to come asking for a job on Christmas... Butcher. Turn off that light, boy. Great joy came to young Sundar's heart For there were new songs to sing New truths to discover It was a time to show love and kindness to others It was Christmas Come on there Turn out the light I'm sorry, there's no work here Please let me stay As soon as I get a job I'll pay you No money, no debt May I help you? If you're looking for a country boy to cheat some way, don't waste your time. I just spent my last price. Wait. Please let me help you. I think I know a job I can get you. Why do you do this for me? What is life if we can't help one another? My name is Shushil. My name is Ram, Ram Singh. Singh, that is a good name. You know about Sadhu Sundar Singh? No. That man's story changed my life. I've read everything I can get my hands on about him. How did this book change your life? Don't get me started. I'll talk all night. If you're interested, I'll tell you while we go get something to eat. From the time he was a small boy, Sundar Singh's mother taught him to be very religious. Sundar's father, Shah Singh, was a wealthy landowner. He couldn't understand his son's serious ways, but he was proud of him. The boy attended a Christian school near his home, mostly because it was so much closer than the government school. He was a good student, obedient, courteous to his teachers, but rebellion against the Christian faith smoldered in his heart. He loved nature, the animals of the farm and the animals of the forest, and many of them loved him. Just before the boy's 14th birthday, his mother died. as he stood at the burning ghat watching the fire reduce her body to ashes the awe and wonder of life of life and death seemed completely beyond hope of understanding as the years passed he gave himself more and more to meditation to the search for meaning in life to the search for peace in his heart. And then, quickly and without any apparent explanation, he became a different person. Boy! He and a couple of his friends threw fresh cow dung into a little church where some Christians gathered for worship. Santo, I just bought a New Testament. Why? I'll show you. You should have seen McDonald's eyes. He said, God bless you, Sundar. Is the burning gut ready? Keep that. A very dead book into a very light fire. Was this what he wanted Why had he the gentleman stooped to such acts of rebellion God, if there is a God, show me yourself tonight. The last train of the night passed by. The next train would pass at dawn. If God did not speak to him by morning, Sundar considered throwing himself under the wheels of that train. Show me yourself tonight, God, or I die. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me. I am the light of the world. Father. Father. What is it? I have seen Jesus. Have you gone mad? The news spread quickly. Could it be possible the son of Cher Singh, a believer in Jesus? Sundar's father, a good man of wise judgment, was the most surprised of all. His brothers openly persecuted him. From the time he was a little boy, he was born in 1889. Sundar's mother often brought him to the temple, as together they sought to know more about God. Following his vision of Jesus, his becoming a Christian, he missed her more than at any time since her death. He wished he could talk to her. He knew she would understand. His father, in his heart a man of much goodness and understanding, tried to be patient. The boy had come upon a temporary madness, he reasoned. There must be some way to bring him back to sanity. Then one day he got an idea. My dear son, the light of my eyes, the comfort of my heart, may you live long, Cher Singh wrote. I order you to return from school immediately as I have plans for your marriage. Come quickly. I am not well. The father's joy was short-lived. Sundar loved his father, was concerned about his father's health, but could entertain no thought of abandoning his new faith. The young man spent hours in careful thought, in thought and in prayer. He didn't want to dishonor his father. He didn't want to embarrass him. Yet he knew obedience to God must stand above everything else, fully realizing his father's patience would inevitably come to an end. Son, you fool! In the name of Singh, I declare you no longer worthy to be called my son. We reject you forever. Sundar set out into the darkness. It was a walk into the unknown. Yet never had such peace reigned in his heart. Never had God seemed more near. He made his way to the home of a friend, one of the pastors of the church. I have prayed for you all day. Thank you. How are things going for you? Quite well, thank you. I... What's wrong? I... Oh. Oh. What had happened? One of his brothers secretly poisoned his food. It was a deadly poison, and the doctor said Sundar could not possibly live. He died? He lived. It was a miracle, Ra. The doctor was so amazed, he himself became a Christian. It's quite a story, Shushu. Next to the Bible itself, the story of Sadhu Sundar Singh has been the greatest single influence on my life. But what about these combs? They are the finest made. They will last the customer forever. Even though they are cheap in price, they are absolutely unbreakable. Unbreakable, you say? No. Of course, the combs are breakable, But for the price asked, they are really quite good. They will take a lot of use. I will buy a gross. I don't understand it. You sell, but I can't. Why is it? I suppose it is because you are a Christian. If I believed like you, would it help me to sell better? You are honest. I am dishonest. I admit it. I've seen holy men do things that didn't seem right. Honesty is a gift from God. I was once a very dishonest person, but my heart has been changed. You should become a sadhu. This boy that you speak about, Sundar Singh, Why do you call him Sadhu Sundar Singh? It's a wonderful story. Go ahead. Tell it. As a boy, Sundar Singh often came with his mother to the banks of the Ganges River. But now, he wanted to be alone. In the sanctuary of nature. And he often spent many days in the forest. Praying, fasting. Thinking about the holy scriptures. seeking to know the will of God for his life. On one of his visits to the forest, he had been especially praying for the Christians in India. It troubled him to see the church becoming so westernized. He believed Christ had a message to India itself, to its people, to its culture. I am your shepherd. I will lead you. Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil. He set out immediately upon what was to become one of the most humble, but most wonderfully effective ministries the Church of Jesus Christ has experienced since the days of the New Testament. Across the country roads of India, from village to village, the young man made his way, telling people of his great spiritual discovery, inviting them to share this discovery. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Many of the people listened gladly to the young man's witness and soon they were calling him a sadhu, sadhu Sundar Singh. Yes, the people loved him, the children, everyone, wherever he went. His life was a life of joy, but there was also to be disappointment. and suffering. He loved the cities and he loved the villages of India. But a deep restlessness troubled his heart. He wanted to carry the gospel where few, if any, ever brought its tidings. And so he headed north toward Kashmir and the foreboding borders of Afghanistan. He wanted someday to bring the message of Christ high into the towering Himalayas, into forbidden Tibet. Year after year he continued his journey, coming to be known as the apostle of the bleeding feet. The apostle of the bleeding feet and the burning heart. Grant me this one mercy in life O God that I may walk in the path you ordered for me The Sadhu had many adventures, some of them almost beyond belief. There was, for example, the night he came upon a camp of shepherds, shepherds and thieves high in Himalayas. May God bless you, my brother. Many times like this, often unexplainably, the sadhu's life was spared. Men who hated him and planned to kill him found themselves listening to his witness. After each journey into the mountains, he returned to his beloved India. We have been offering Christianity in a Western cup, he told his friends. And India rejects it. But when we offer the water of life in an Eastern bowl, our people will take it gladly. Shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. But while many listened to his message, others protested, sometimes violently. He did not seek for persecution But he always thanked God for it We have but this one life In which to bear the cross for Christ He often said Lord, I am to one of the least of your children I am the least I am the least, my Lord Though many times persecuted by his fellow men, he enjoyed incredible rapport with the creatures of nature. Oh, Lord, how beautiful that I was. Let me visit. The End I'm sorry. The Sadhu's fame spread across India. Everywhere he went, people thronged to hear him speak. In the humble places, in the larger towns and cities. His ministry and his exploits mushroomed into a living legend across the world. There are many who know about Christ, but they do not know him. Just as a man blind from birth knows nothing about color, so a man without Christ cannot expect to have spiritual understanding. Christ himself first must open our eyes. Then we can see. Beware of the small sins. Because they are the most dangerous. Like the germs that cause disease. I am glad he called me the days of my youth. leading me to use the flower of my strength in his service. In 1920, he made his first visit to England, going on from there to America. The largest churches and halls were filled to capacity wherever he went. There is no secret to the search for truth. In my own searching, my prayer to God was to reveal the truth to me. This he did in the one who is the way, the truth and the life. Unless you shut your eyes to the tumult and clamor of the world and desire imaginatively to meet our Lord and have fellowship with him, you cannot expect to hear his wonderful voice. I want no followers I am myself but a follower of Christ It disturbs me to find such a fragmentation of the church in the western world Peace and quiet should follow knowing Christ And not tumult and dissension Everywhere people asked questions The western world had never had a visitor quite like this before we have a saying in my country that men are flowers in God's garden. I like that. And just as a flower receives its strength and beauty from communion with the sun, so too, Christ is the son of righteousness. And my communion with God is directly through him. I do not worship nature. Though I marvel at God's handiwork, nature is a physical realm where you might say we see the work of his hands. One might see the work of a great artist and call it wonderful. But to know the artist himself is a different matter. These are the only clothes I have. and my dress and beard are contemporary. I live the life of a normal sadhu in my country. I prefer to be there, in my beloved India, among the people so near to my heart. I am here by invitation. My dear friend, there are multitudes of very wonderful people in my country. And I have met many who I must frankly say show more grace and goodness in their lives than I have found in some people here in the western world. In whatever culture you find them man is capable of great goodness. But all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Yes, the Bible tells us. My father, I thank you for sending me to Europe and America. It has been a great joy, but it has also brought pain to my heart. So many of your children do not understand. They do not realize what poverty earthly riches can bring to the life of a man. Oh, my father. Though he received much acclaim in his many travels, the sadhu reserved the warmest corner of his heart for the people beyond the towering Himalayas, the people of Tibet. I thank you for getting me so far, Lord. But there it is where my work lies. Get me there, Lord. Get me there. Up into the snows he went, again and again toward the Forbidden Kingdom, the land that had locked its gates to the outside world. Here occurred some of his greatest adventures. Here, too, he often faced bitter opposition. In one town, about a day's journey from the Tibetan border, he was thrown into prison. Oh, you poor old man. You are feeling cold, aren't you? This will keep you warm. Why you do this Because my God taught me to do it. You see, he said, if you attend to a sick man, you are doing to me. So many of those prisoners opened their hearts to the sadhu's message and became Christian believers. the authorities had him removed. He was taken to the marketplace and publicly tortured. But though he suffered much pain, he accepted the punishment with such calmness. The authorities became frightened. Thinking him to be some sort of god, they set him free. Entering Tibet, he immediately made friends. God is love and he loves my little dons in our mom So, Christianity is a way of life that is full of fun and joy and hope Christ said, look at the birds of heaven Do the worry for tomorrow. Who looks after them? It is your heavenly father. Sadhu Sundar Singh loved life. He loved people. Perhaps he loved children most of all. He tried to establish Sunday school for the children of Tibet. One prominent lama, impressed by the sadhu's teaching, issued a summons for the people of his area to come and listen to the Christian message. But there was also opposition. As with each visit, and the sadhu made 15 trips into Tibet, resistance stiffened against his witness. The penalty of death threatened anyone bringing a new religion into this forbidden country. But again and again, his new friends looked after his safety. When persecution came, and it often did, there were always those who showed mercy. But then, on one of his last visits to Tibet, the Sadhu had an awesome experience. Into the pit of death! The Sadhu had no way of knowing how long he lay unconscious in that death-laden darkness. Nor did he have any idea how many days passed. This was surely the end of his life. Lord Jesus. Lord, I love to suffer for you. Really, I do. But this... This is much, much more than I can bear. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me. How like the natural state of man this was, the Sadhu thought. Man lost in darkness. In his sin, hopeless to save himself. The wages of sin is death, the Bible says. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ of the Lord. He who knew no sin. Was made sin for us. that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Christ died for our sins. How I thank you, my blessed Lord. He rose again from the dead. And he lives in me. Whether what I may be. Whatever my circumstances. I thank you, my lord. I thank you. Endlessly the time dragged. Then when it seemed he could not draw another breath. I'm sorry. The sadhu was overjoyed at this sudden, unanticipated deliverance. But when he looked around to thank his rescuer, there was no one to be seen. He was convinced it was a miracle. In a short while, guards captured him and brought him to the lama. How had he escaped? Venerable sir, you cast me into the pit of death and left me to die. But my lord is the lord of life. There was only one key and only one key. When the Sadhu returned once more to India, the Tibetan government sent word to every border post of the country that this man must never again be allowed to enter. So for several years he remained in India. His work continued, his deeds of love and kindness, his tireless ministry of telling people about God's love and grace. But his heart could not rest. Tibet loomed constantly in his thoughts and in his prayers. And so, in 1929, though urged by his friends not to go, he made his way back once more. He never returned. No one knows what happened. Perhaps his work for God finished. He was permitted to at last take that greatest of all journeys. The journey to the sky. It is a great story. And true. Every word. You or I could not live such a life. I couldn't. You are correct. Such a life can only be lived when the spirit of Christ is in us. When it is Christ himself loving the world through us. Must we become sadhus? Put on the saffron robe as Sundar Singh did? Perhaps. This is a different age, Shushir. It is a different age. It is always the right time to seek his grace. To walk in his way. I could not. I must go. Why, Ram? I cannot bear to hear more. Ram! Ram, wait a moment. Please come. Where? I want to show you something. This your home? You were forbidden to stay? You? Like Sadhu Sundar Singh? Teach me the way of Christ.