Look and be Saved, As He Seeking You

There are very small verses in the Gospels which sum up the whole lifepurpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. One is Luke. 19:10. “For the son of man is come to seek and to save that was lost.” And the other is John 10:10, last part, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” From these two short verses we can sum up the whole life-purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although we may not know it, the Word of the Lord goes throughout the world. When ever you may go you find hunger and thirst for the Word of God. If you seek to know God, you will find Him, as you see in Jeremiah 29:13, ‘And ye shall seek me, and find Me when we shall search for me with all your heart.’ Once we have found Him He will make every provision to give us abundant life. Though they may say they are born again. In the first word war many soldiers were wounded amongst them there were about eighty-five very sad cases. They had lost both their legs, both their arms and both their eyes. They were almost like dead men; they had to be carried in baskets and they had to be fed with a tube or a spoon. Spiritually this is the condition of many believers today. Even though they say they are born-again, yet for many years they remain spiritually deaf and dumb. There are many believers in this sickly condition, and they have no strength to work for God. The fact remains that the Lord says, “I have come to give them life and to give it more abundantly.”

Now the word ‘abundantly’ is a word with a big meaning, and the phrase ‘more abundantly’ means an overflowing fullness.

If you study the last words of the Lord, before His final journey to Jerusalem, you will see that He was revealing all these principles and truths: hoe He Himself was going about to seek and to save that which was lost. Sometimes the lost themselves do not know how the loving Savior and good Shepherd is seeking them. He uses many means to save them. Sometimes He burdens friends and even strangers to pray for them. He changes all their plans. Until they come to His plan.

For a number of years, I had an ambition to be a doctor. So I took Science and also obtained very good marks in it. I was sure of getting a seat in the Medical Collage. But in the year 1925 my father came to Lahore, Punjab, where I was studying, to buy some machines for his factory. He took me with him to the machinery agents. All the time I was watching my father who was dealing with them. Then my father returned to his hometown telling me to make enquiries from time to time, of the agents as to when we could get the machines. I used to go every week to make enquiries. I would say, “What about my father’s order?” And they would say. “So for nothing has happened.” One day I discovered that the agents were deceiving my father and that their ways were crooked. So I sent a wire to my father telling him that he was being deceived by the agents, and that he would run a very big loss. Then a thought came to me, “My father is being deceived by crooked agents. Why not I become an engineer and help him?” So I decided to study engineering and help my father in his factory at Sargoda. This meant I had to go to England for my engineering course.

In England I lived in a place called Denmark Hill. On Sunday I would go for tennis, come back in the club drinking and doing other useless things. One Sunday night, on returning from the club to the boarding house, I quietly opened the front door and entered in. I heard some music in the drawing room. My landlady Mrs. Camp was playing a very nice hymn on the piano. However, I had no interest in it. I liked only dance music. And when my landlady knew that I had come into the house, she said to me, “Mister, come in to this room and hear my music.” Just to please her I went in. She said, “Do you like this music?” Out of courtesy I replied, “Yes, Madam.” So every Sunday she would keep the drawing-room door open while she was playing hymns on the piano. She would never say a word to me about salvation or about the Bible. She was a very, very kind lady, and I think she must have been burdened to pray for me, because I used to waste my time in dancing and drinking. On Sundays she would give me a nice pudding to make me come into her drawing room to hear her music. Whenever she requested me to come inside, I would say in my heart. “If I don’t go she won’t give me the pudding.” So for that reason I used to go every Sunday. Now I know how the Lord used her to draw me to Himself, even though at that time I was an atheist, a freethinker and a hater of the Bible. But God is so gracious and merciful, He continued to seek me.

One day I went to my collage in London and saw on notice board a very big question mark, and below it were these words; “Why don’t you spend your summer in Canada this year?” I made enquiry. They told me that a part of about twenty-five graduates would be going to Canada. The plan was to work on the farms for six weeks, earn some money, and then go visiting other places. I gave name for the party, and they registered it. They wrote to me after a while saying, “We would not advise you to go to Canada, because the Canadians may not give you the same kindly treatment as you have received I England.” The reason was, that in those days in western Canada, they were not friendly towards Indians. I replied, “I will go on my own. I know how to travel.” They wrote another letter to me, “If you are bent upon going, then don’t blame us if they hurt your feelings or refuse your accommodation.” I said to myself “Now I am going to show those white people I am not inferior to them. Whatever they do I will do. If they smoke, I will smoke; if they drink, I will drink, if they dance, I will dance, if they talk, I will talk. Because of that later that they wrote me, I will prove to them that I am in way inferior.” My point in telling you all this is show how God uses all these simple things to draw us to Himself.

In the year 1928 we left Liverpool. On board the ship I saw a notice that a Christian service would be held in the dining room at 10 O’clock Sunday morning. Until that day I had, never been to any Christian service. I knew nothing about the Bible, nor did I have any interest init, nor in Christianity. It was the challenge of that letter which I had received that made me go to the service. I had no desire to go. I said in my heart, “I have gone with them to so many drinking houses, dancing places and houses of shame. Why should I not go here also, and see how the Christians worship? There is no harm in seeing.” I went in and sat at the back. The meeting began and when they stood up, I also stood up; when they sat down, I also sat down. When a man began to preach, then I went to sleep.

I had no interest in the service. I said to myself, “How can these people serve the Lord? They only know about cars and airplanes, but we Indians know about God. We have many ancient books on religion.” With that thought I took no interest in the sermon, and went to sleep. At the close of the meeting they all knelt down and began to pray. I said, “I am not going to follow them in this. They are not my people. I will not kneel.” So I kept on sitting and looking around. Then a thought came to me. “This is not proper. I must kneel down or go out. I have gone to many Hindu temples, and removed my shoes and shown respect. If I could show respect to Hindu temples and Mohammedan mosques, why not here also?” So I broke my national and religious pride and knelt down. The very second I knelt down; my body was trembling as if some divine power was falling upon me. I began to say, “Lord Jesus! I know and I believe that thou art the living Christ.” Now these words ‘Living Christ’ came again to me. I was three months in Canada and people were extremely kind to me. This gave me a desire to go back to Canada again.

In 1929 I went again to Canada, this time for my engineering training. I was staying at the Y.M.C.A. in an upstairs room. Mr. Hansen, a young Bank Manager was also living there. He had a very nice, shining face. I said to him, “Mr. Hansen, can you tell me your happiest experience in life? I had put that question to my professors, friends and students and they had given me many answers. Mr. Hansen replied, “ My happiest experience in life was when I found Christ.” I asked, “What do you mean?” again he replied, When I found Christ. “Then he continued, “Don’t think all who are called Christians are real Christians. It is only by experience we become true Christians,” At that time I could not understand what he meant. I knew one thing: he was very happy and he always had a happy, shining face. I saw that he was so different from other people. I went to him again and said “Mr. Hansen, will you lend me your Bible?” He said to me, “Why are you asking for a Bible? I have hard that you Indians do not like the Bible.” I told him, “It is quit true, I also did not like the Bible. I was given a Bible in 1919 and I tore every page of it into pieces. But since last year I have been convinced that Jesus is the living Christ. I want to know more about Him.” Mr. Hansen gave me his own pocket New Testament.

I began to read the New Testament, and I continued to read it till three O’clock in the morning. I read Matthew’s Gospel and I said my self, “I have read in my B.A, well-known books by well-known writers, but I have never read such a book as this. Judging by the language and style, it is so very different from other books. I had to acknowledge that this was not, an ordinary book. It was the book of God. With great reverence I read every verse, and on the third day I came to John’s Gospel, Chapter 3 verse 3, “Verily, verily I say unto thee.” Suddenly even though I saw no one, I became conscious of a divine presence in the room. I heard these words, ‘I say unto thee,’ again and again, I was saying in my hart at that time, “It is a good book but it is meant for Europeans and Americans. We Indians have other books.” But the voice said, “Don’t say that! I say unto thee! This belongs to you.” Then I said “Lord, if this book belongs to me, than I am a great sinner, because without knowing any thing about it, I tore the Bible into pieces.” Then and there I fell down upon my knees, and I saw my sin come before me. I could see on my body the marks of sin. I felt black filthy; I could smell a bed smell. The voice came again and said, “These spots you are seeing, and this smell you are smelling, is because of sin.” I could see all sins, even though in the past I had been able to hide them cleverly from my teachers, friends, parents, and neighbors. Now they were all uncovered. So I replied, “Yes Lord, I am a great sinner. I confess my sins. I am very for them.” I felt very unhappy. I had money, but no peace; I had education, but my life was a defeat. So I said, “Lord, is there any hope for a man like me?” then again a voice came, “This is my body which is broken for you. And this is My blood of the New Testament which is shed for the remission of your sins.” I replied, “Lord, these words are beyond my understanding, but without understanding them I believe.” And again, the Voice came. ‘My son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”

At that time I did not know anything about salvation, the new birth of justification. I knew one thing: the Lord Jesus had died for my sins, and He had forgiven all my sins. Immediately I lost every desire for tobacco, drinking, cinema and evil companions. All was gone. I found I had a great hunger for the word of God. I began to spend the whole day with the Bible. I read my bible through with in three weeks. I read it the second time, and the third time.

One day I read Hebrew 13.8. Then I prayed, “Lord Jesus I believe these words, thou art the same yesterday today and forever.” At that time, I was having very bad nose and throat trouble. I suffered for twelve years. I tried many medicines and many doctors. Nothing healed me, and so I prayed, “Lord, thou art the same, I believe it. Will you kindly touch my nose and my throat?” having prayed, I laid down and slept. When I arose in the morning I was completely healed. This happened thirty-two years ago.

During the same period, one Sunday morning after the service, I met a good Christian by name Flinn. He was working in the railway police. He was a big strong man, and when we shook hands the bones of my hands were almost crushed. He said to me, “Brother, why don’t you go to Indian and preach the Gospel?” I said, “Mr.Flinn, I have spent five years studying engineering and I am a man who can not talk properly. I stutter and stammer. When I see a small company of people my knees begin to shake. I cannot sing a single note of music. How can such a foolish man like me be a preacher?” He smiled and went away. Every time I prayed, I could feel his hand in my hand and hear his words, why don’t you go, why don’t you go?” I would say, “Lord, I will give you all I have. I don’t want any thing for myself. I don’t want a house, a car, building or property or anything else. I will give you all my money for thy service; but please, don’t make me a preacher.” The Lord said to me, “I don’t want your money, I want you.” I said again and again, “Lord I will give you my money, I will get many preachers to preach. They will do a good job. Please, Lord don’t make me a preacher.” For two years the Lord continued to speak to me, “Why don’t you go, why don’t you go?” I went on struggling and fighting with the Lord.

After two years the Lord spoke to me in a small meeting for young people. A man got up in the meeting and said to me, “Mister, can you tell us about work in India?” So I stood up and began to find fault with Christian work in India. When I returned to my room, I could not pray that night. The Lord said to me, “What right have you to find fault with my servants, when you have been disobeying me for two years? You have no right to find fault.” Like a sword these words came to me. I said, “Lord how can a man like me be a preacher? In every way I am disqualified to be a preacher. But if you want me, I am ready, Lord, I make no choice. You can send me to any country you like. It may be Africa, china, or any part of the world, Lord I make no choice. You can sent me to any place, I will go.” The Lord said, “I accept you for My service on three conditions. Do not tell or hint about your material or financial needs to any man, no even to your most intimate friends or relatives. You should make no claims on your property in Punjab. You should depend upon Me for every need of yours. Secondly, do not join any society. Thirdly do not make your own plans. Let me lead you day by day. I said, “Lord I agree.” It was settled. That was in the month of April 1932.

I did not know where to go and how to begin my work; but one thing I knew; the Lord would help me day by day. I came to Bombay in 1933. My father and mother came to me. I had written to my father giving him my testimony. So my father said to me, “My son, only your mother and I know that you are a Christian, we have not told any one else. We have no objection. You are a young man and you can do what you like. But we have one request. When you come your hometown don’t say that you are a Christian. You can read your Bible and pray and go anywhere for meetings. Nobody will stop you. But our request is don’t say that you are a Christian. If you do, our Sikh community will murmur against us.” My parents were very, very orthodox Sikhs. I replied, “If the Lord Jesus had not sought and saved my life, then I would have come back as a sinner, a gambler and doing shameful things. My earning would have been wasted. Now the Lord has changed me and give me a new life.” I continued, “Suppose I don’t breathe for a few moments. How long can I live? It will not be very long. The Lord Jesus Christ is my life and how can I live denying Him?” My father said to me, “In that case you cannot come home.” Even though I was back in India after seven years, I could not go home. My father left me and went away. Whatever money I had, I gave it to my father to show my respect to him.

I went to a public Chatram in Bombay, where I was given a room free for a week, in which I slept and kept my things. Every day I used to go into the streets of Bombay to witness and distribute tracts. If any one were interested he would take me to a hotel and give me a cup of coffee or tea. That was my whole day’s food, and it used to be so nice and tasty.

When my father was returning to Punjab, on the train he had a dream. In the dream he saw an old man saying to him, “Don’t worry about your son.” He has found true peace, so don’t trouble him.” From Bombay I went to Karachi and my father came there to see me. He said, “ Please come back home. Now I know what you have found.” Then he tool me home.

One day we had a public meeting. Hindus, Mohammedans and Sikhs came; many of them with stones and lathis (Large bamboo poles). When I gave a testimony, one very fat man amongst them got up from the back. He was a doctor. He said, “Mister, we want to ask you one question. You have been talking about love, and you have been saying, ‘God is love.’ Your father loves you and sent you abroad for your education. He sent you large sums of money regularly to educate you. Now, was it not your duty to get your father’s permission before you took baptism? Do you call the love? Look at your father; he is broken hearted. “My father was sitting in the front. He got up said, ‘why do you take my name? I never said I was broken hearted. Who told you? My son has found something, which I have not. He has found true peace. Is there anyone here, Hindu, Mohammedan or Sikh who has found true peace? If you have, then you have a right to question my son,” No one answered: but one by one they got up and walked away. I continued there for ten days, preaching the Gospel.

Sometime later, God himself spoke to my father. My father had a big law suite in the High Court in Lahore. One Sunday morning he passed by an old house in Macleou Road. And he quietly went inside the building to take rest. Then suddenly he saw a light shining before him and he heard these words, “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” My father said, “Lord Jesus! You have saved my son, save me also.” That is how God met him and changed his life.

For three years my father was not baptized. He said to me, “there is no need to be baptized. I read my bible everyday. I testified very boldly. I am not ashamed.” All this was quite true. He would read his Bible very, very loudly at three O’clock every morning. He would wake my mother up so that she could also listen. So he said “Baptism is only a formality”. I kept quite. I only prayed. One night I had a dream. I saw in my dream a wide river. I was on one side, and my father was on the other. Then I saw my father swimming towards me. He was breathing hard, and I reached down and pulled him out of the water. Then I woke up. I prayed, and the Lord showed me the meaning of the dream. The Lord revealed to me that my father’s departure from the world would be very soon. He has to cross the River Jordan, but he was not ready to go. The Lord said, “Go to your father.” So I went to him and asked him “ He smiled and told me that the Lord wanted him to go to Madras and testify in baptism. So he came to Madras in the month of December 1945, and he was baptized on Christmas day. Also he gave his testimony and spoke for three hours. He came out of the water with a shining face and said to me afterwards, “why did you not tell me that it is such a wonderful thing to testify in baptism?”

After this my father returned to Punjab. I have five brothers. He went to each one of them and said, ‘I am your father and you are my sons. I have educated you and got you all married, and done everything for you. But I failed in one thing; I failed to show you the way of salvation. Please forgive me, for I never knew. Now I have come to tell you that this is the only way; if you want to come into God’s kingdom, you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be born-again.”

In the month of July 1946 he passed away as God had shown me before. Before he passed away he called my younger sister to hem and said to her, My child, you won’t see me after three days.” She wept. He said, “Don’t weep for me, weep for yourself. My time upon this earth is finished. I am ready to go. I can see the angels coming to take me. My child don’t weep for me. Before I go, I want to make peace with everybody. Will you please call all my brothers and relations?” So they all came, one by one. He said to them, “If I have wronged you, please forgive me.”

But one of my uncles would not come. There was a family grievance for many, many years. It was all because of a brass vessel, which was my grandfather’s property, a very big brass vessel which was used for big feasts. When my grandfather died, the property was divided and my father said, “I want that vessel.” My uncle said, “No, I want it.” So, my father took it by force. Because of this, my uncle would not talk with him for more than thirty-five years. My uncle said. “ You took away my brass vessel from me. So I will not come.” My father again said to my sister, “ Please call my elder brother.” Again he said, “I will not come”. And a third time also he refused, but the fourth time he came, my father went and said, “Please forgive me. I have grieved you and wounded your heart. My time has come, and I want to make peace. Please forgive me. My uncle forgave him and then they both wept. And with true peace my father passed away.

How lovingly the Lord seeks and saves people. Unknown to me, He was using every means to seek me and save me. He knew that I was a blasphemer, No one could be a greater sinned than me: one who tore the Bible, who blasphemed. God and His people. No one has sinned like me. As He sought me, He is now seeking you. He might have burdened many to pray for you and you may not know it. Now the time has come. He is knocking at the door of your heart. He wants to forgive. These words come to you from Him, “My son, my daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Will you not accept Him? No one can love you more than He. If He has forgiven a man like me, a blasphemer, who deserved nothing but hell fire, He will surely forgive you. I humbly request you, not to delay in receiving Him. Look unto Him and be saved.