Indian Politics and Christian Work
INDIAN POLITICS AND CHRISTIAN WORK
relationship between the different communities in India, and were particularly keen to make the minorities feel, beyond a shadow of doubt, that they had a real place in independent India and that they would be treated not only fairly but with affection and respect.
INDIAN POLITICS AND CHRISTIAN WORK
The Rev. J. J. M. Nichols-Roy, the Minister of Public Works: in the Government of Assam, was attending the Constituent Assembly in New Delhi as its member. I called on him in 1948 to find out what he thought should be a Christian's task in the new India.
He was 64 at that time.
He said: 'When I was a student, Christ was regarded as a foreign God. Christ is no longer a foreigner.
This is due to the work of Mahatma Gandhi.
He has brought Christ and His ideals close to the heart of India. No one who loves Mahatma Gandhi can hate Christ.
I am not afraid of the future.
Christianity will never be wiped out of India.
If there is any persecution, Christianity will flourish all the more as in the first century.'
'Could you tell me how you became a Minister of the Assam Government?' I asked.
He said:
'T am sure it is God's leading.
I have been an elected member of the Assam Legislature since 1921, from the Shillong Constituency—non-communal; my work in the Legislature was appreciated by the country.
In 1926 some friends came to me and said that I should be offered the responsibility of a Minister of the Government, and they requested me not to decline the office; but at first I was very doubtful whether it was God's will for me.
One day when I was at prayer with my wife and other friends, beseeching God earnestly to prevent everything contrary to His will, a car drove into my compound from Government House bringing a letter from the Governor asking me to go and see him.
I went there and he invited me to join the ministry.
I said that I had some difficulties in accepting this responsibility.
If I were to be prevented by this appointment from preaching the Gospel, then I: would not be able to accept it.
The other difficulty was
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that the Governor should give his assent to my Bill which had been passed in the Legislative Council prohibiting altogether the smoking of opium by anybody.
In order to defeat my Bill, the Government had introduced a Bill to prohibit smoking in company but to allow smoking in private.
That Bill had been -passed by the Legislative Council before my Bill was passed.
My Bill came on the Agenda in the last days of the Legislative Council.
I canvassed among the members and asked them to pass my Bill also.
Some said: 'How can we pass two Bills on the same subject in the same session?' I said: "Why not?
It is the Governor who will give his assent, either to the Government Bill or to my Bill.'
So the members agreed and my Bill also was passed.
In the interview with the Governor, I told him that unless he gave his assent to my Bill that had been passed by the Legislature, in preference to the Government Bill, I could not accept the appointment.
He agreed to give his assent to my Bill.
But as regards preaching he said that he would look up the rules, consult the Chief Secretary, and then let me know.
I returned home, and after some hours he wrote to me that I was free to preach the Gospel.
'Then I accepted the responsibility of a Minister of the Government.
That was in 1927.
I have been returned in every election, and have been a Minister of the Assam Government three times.
'Could you tell me something about your Christian life?' I said.
'This is a long story, covering over half a century', answered Mr Nichols-Roy.
'I am a Khasi by birth and I followed the religion of my people.
I went to a mission school and there heard the Gospel of Christ. When I was 14 years old there was a terrible earthquake, and torrential rain was pouring day and night for a whole week.
The river running through my village, Shella, rose high and there was a tremendous flood.
Houses fell and many were buried under the debris.
I was terribly shaken by this great convulsion of nature and my heart was moved to seek God.
Anxiously I cried "Who is God?
How can I find the true God?"
I was then a student in the High School in my native village.
That earthquake destroyed my village and the High School could no longer continue, so I went to Shillong to continue my studies.
'In the month of November 1898 I was studying for an examination until past midnight. I prayed to know who is God
INDIAN POLITICS AND CHRISTIAN WORK
and how to find Him.
Something wonderful happened in the early hours of the morning.
A light flashed into my soul. The fact that Jesus Christ came into the world 1900 years ago was brought home to my heart, and his crucifixion came clearly before me; my heart was greatly touched.
I gave myself to the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledged Him as my God.
An inner voice spoke to me: "The true God is the God who loves you, and He who loves you is the one who came to seek you and to suffer for you."
"After a few months I was received into the Church of God.
Before they received me into the Church, I was asked to speak and tell the people why I wanted to be a Christian.
I then preached my first sermon for Christ.
I was later baptized.
'Once I was seriously ill with a bad attack of rheumatism and dysentery.
I grew weaker and weaker.
The doctor who treated me gave up all hope.
I had heard of Divine Healing and I decided to trust myself to God entirely and refused to take any medicine.
An elder of the Church where I was staying came to see me.
I asked him to anoint me with oil and te pray for me, as the Bible teaches (in the Epistle of St James, 5:14). He did not anoint me, but he prayed for me.
I put my whole trust in God alone and got well.
After a few months 1 was able to walk thirty miles.
This episode in my life greatly helped my faith.
'I joined the Duff College, Calcutta.
A large conference was held of students from India, Burma and Ceylon at Serampore, the first mission station of Dr Carey.
One of the speakers held a consecration meeting.
He pleaded with us to surrender ourselves to Christ and to pray to God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
Seven of us prayed aloud, one after another, and consecrated ourselves to Christ.
Then he suggested that we band ourselves together and do evangelistic work.
We formed a band called:
"Indian Christian Workers' Band."
I was its secretary.
'When I was studying for M.A., there was an inner call to give up my studies and to go about preaching.
I sought God earnestly.
For nearly two months I delayed, as I did not know whether it was God who spoke to me, or whether it was my own mind.
I asked God to give me some signs and decided to leave Calcutta and go to my village first.
, I had a little money which was not sufficient for my journey home; I visited some friends—
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two of them put money into my hands as I shook hands with them.
No one on earth knew that I did not have much money.
I thanked God for the money I received.
When I reached home, my mother and brothers were in great distress.
They thought that I had really lost my mind; my mother wept and threw herself on the floor thinking that my mind was deranged; but the Lord Jesus was with me.
I told them that the Lord had called me and I had obeyed Him.
There was a great commotion in my home and among my relatives.
I began preaching.
The Lord worked.
The sick were healed, devils were cast out.
I never knew where my meals would come from, but the Lord supplied them.
'T felt that I should not depend upon any Church or missionary organization for my support.
I depended upon God alone, telling no man when I was in need.
'I started a company for the cultivation of oranges and other fruits.
This company is now prospering.
We have about four hundred acres under cultivation.
We also prepare orange and other fruit squashes for the market.
One of my sons is now in America studying food technology.
'I am still carrying on my work as a preacher of the Gospel.
I preach in my congregation in Shillong every Sunday whenever Iam there.
When I go out on tour, I preach wherever I get the opportunity.
Annually we have our Church Assembly and I preach there also, instructing the people in the ways of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The people who are adherents in the Church of God with me number about six thousand.
Our work does not have any financial connection with any foreign country.
It is entirely self-supporting; we believe in giving our tithes to the Lord.
'I have preached in U.S.A., Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, China and Australia.
Friends in America, who: heard my addresses, said to me: "You are always exalting Christ in your preaching.
Here we tend so much to emphasize our denominational doctrines, and to widen the gulf between the various Churches." '
The agony of Christ on the Cross is the foundation stone of Mr Nichols-Roy's Christian belief.
He said, 'For a long time the cry of Christ on the Cross: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" troubled me beyond measure..
I knew there must
INDIAN POLITICS AND CHRISTIAN WORK
be a really good reason behind the cry, but I could not discover it.
'The commentaries and theological books I read gave me no help in the matter.
I was once preaching a course of sermons on the Passion of Christ.
I had announced that one of the addresses in the series would be devoted to 'The Cry on the Cross."
I had no idea what I was going to say in the address. I had been asking God in fasting and prayer to give me light on this agony of Christ, at least to satisfy my own mind.
In the service I began reading the story of the Passion at that point, and went on explaining it.
Then the meaning of the cry flashed upon me like a bright light and I saw standing before me vividly the word "Identification"'.
Then the agony of Christ on the Cross was made very plain to me.
My intellectual difficulties were cleared up, and my whole being was filled with the love of God as manifested in this cry of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Tears of inexpressible gratitude to the Heavenly Father flowed freely from my eyes, and I preached for about two hours and many in the congregation were likewise moved to tears.
Several persons were convinced of their sins, and gave their hearts to God.'
Mr Nichols-Roy explained to me what he meant by Identification.
'Once a Hindu, a magistrate by profession, said to me:
"T studied in a Christian college; when I came to the story of the Passion of Christ, I was always troubled and did not quite understand it.
I sought for explanation from many, but I was not satisfied.
I saw in the Cry on the Cross the weakness of Christ." '
Nichols-Roy said: "That Cry on the Cross is to me the revelation of the Heavenly Father's heart to me.
He asked me: "How?"
I asked him whether he had children.
He said "Yes.""
Then I asked him: "Supposing you are carrying on a pleasant conversation with your friends, and someone brings to you the news that your son has been caught in a great crime, how would you feel?"
He said "I would be distressed and I would not be able to eat or drink."
I asked him: "Why?"
He said: "Because he is my son."
"But," I said, "he is a separate entity from you; where is the connection between you and your son?"
'Then he said: "Because I love him.'
'"'It is in the heart then," I said.
'"'Your son's sin and shame become yours.
Your son's distress is yours, is it not?"
He said, 'Yes, I never thought of it in that way."
Then I said to him: "The love in your heart is only a spark of the eternal love of God; love draws the suffering of the one whom we love