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| Watchman Nee |
Watchman Nee (1903- 72) and Bakht Singh (1903-2000) were contemporaries; they were born the same year—one in China, the other in India. Both were saved by Christ and greatly used by the Lord in the 20th century. While W. Nee was raising up “Little Flock” local churches in China, Bakht Singh was establishing local churches in India. The legacies of both continue today, through the assemblies and believers they impacted. T. E. Koshy was mentored by Bakht Singh. Below, Dr. Koshy tells how the Lord used him to touch a member of the Gandhi family—a grandson of the founder of modern India. It illustrates the meaning of “living by faith in God’s Son” (Gal. 2:20) which the Church in Toronto is considering in our Galatians series.—Nigel Tomes
by Dr. T. E. Koshy (an edited excerpt from The Invested Life, p.74ff.)
Dr. T. E. Koshy recalls: I planned to become a high-powered lawyer and reach the educated elite of India for Christ or to become a foreign correspondent and travel the world...
My destiny was not—I was convinced—on the dirty, poverty-stricken streets of India. It was ...walking the halls of power in the world’s important capitals. In following my ambitions, I received 5 college & university degrees and travelled to Washington, DC, as a journalist...
Bakht Singh’s Influence
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| Bakht Singh |
My mentor, Bakht Singh, challenged me. “The only thing God is building in this world is his church,” he said. “Why write about history when you can make it? Why spend your life reporting about the rich & famous when you can invest your life helping the humble & needy meet the God who loves them & gave himself for them? If you have no successor, are you truly a success?” Such questions rang in my ears.
It took many years to understand how ...to apply Bakht Singh’s lessons ...to my life. What about becoming lawyer or journalist? God’s answer was “No.” He wanted me to go to Bible College in England and prepare for the ministry. I struggled, but eventually I went in obedience.
In England, some people at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship invited me to embark on a speaking tour of the major universities of England, including Oxford & Cambridge. I couldn’t believe it.
Oxford University
I arrived at Oxford University to speak to students, most of whom were not Christians. I was assigned a subject--the uniqueness of Christ and the futility of philosophy. So, I brushed up on the great philosophers such as Socrates, Aristotle, & Plato. I gathered quotations & prepared a 12-page lecture. At midnight, I was on my knees praying, asking the Lord to bless my presentation. (I’d seen Bakht Singh pray about everything; I followed his example.) But something happened I didn’t expect—and didn’t like.
The Lord said very clearly, “Throw that lecture in the trash.”
“What? Lord, what do you mean by that?” I asked, stunned. “Then what shall I speak about?”
“Tell them about your experience with Me,” the Lord said.
“Lord,” I argued, “I came to know you at 10 years old. I was not a murderer or drug addict. I don’t have exciting stories to tell these people. Lord, don’t you know? These aren’t Sunday school kids. They’re brilliant. This is Oxford University.”
But the Lord said, “Listen, who knows better, you or me? If you know better than Me, why are you asking Me to bless this lecture? If you want Me to bless your talk, tell them your experiences with Me.”
“Lord, this is a hard task,” I said glumly.
That night I had a hard time with the Lord. I was on a speaking tour for Him, but I didn’t want to do God’s work in God’s way. All night, I wrestled... my pride battling against my faith.
The next day I arrived at the lecture hall. The chairman introduced me, explaining the subject I was assigned. Imagine his surprise when I stood and said, sheepishly, “I was going to speak on that subject. In fact, I prepared this lecture...” I held it up so they’d know... “But I’m not going to deliver it.”
A hush settled over the crowd. My stomach was tied up in knots.
“As I was praying, the Lord asked me to tell you about my experiences with Jesus. Perhaps some of you may not like it,” I said...
I saw my Waterloo, my downfall and humiliation. ...These fellows will never invite me back to Oxford. This is the end of it. ...I continued speaking. “So I asked the Lord, ‘What do you want me to speak on?’ He said, ‘Christ the Savior, Christ the Sovereign, Christ the Sufficiency, Christ the Strength, Christ the Supplier, Christ the Security, & Christ the Soon-Coming King. He gave me the outline last night while I was on my knees.” Then I shared from my heart how the Lord became real to me in each of these 7 ways. After speaking, I wanted to hide myself.
The audience clapped in their traditional, formal way. The chairman said, politely, “Well, thank you, Mr. Koshy, for coming and enlightening us. Now, if any of you would like to talk to him.... he will be available.”
Where’s the door? I thought. I was sure nobody would stay.
But no one left. ...not a single student left the lecture hall. Instead, every one of them formed a line to ask me questions. Many teared up as they shook my hand, barely controlling their emotions. Some said, “Come back again; we want to hear more of this kind of lecture.” I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears.
Then I noticed one Indian—the only other Indian in the entire room—standing at the end of a long line of students waiting to talk with me. I knew this young man had to be somebody important, to have the education, wealth and influence to be at Oxford University. I desperately wanted to meet him and talk with him. I was afraid the long line would discourage him and he might leave. But I couldn’t just walk away from everyone else and go directly to this Indian. What could I do?
I prayed that the Lord would constrain this fellow to stay so I could meet him. The Lord answered my prayers. It took half an hour. Then this young Indian man grabbed me by the hand and said, “Sir, I want to thank you for coming and speaking on your experiences with Jesus. Ever since I came to Oxford, I’ve been going to churches to hear about Jesus Christ. All I’ve heard are philosophical discourses, far removed from the realities of God.”
As I listened to this enthusiastic, grateful student, I felt ashamed. That was exactly what I had prepared-- A philosophical discourse.
“But today you came,” he continued. “You spoke to us from your heart about your own personal experiences with Jesus. Many may not agree with you. But no man can refute what you said.”
Gandhi
“What is your name?” I asked him eagerly.
“My name is Ramchandra,” he said.
“What is your last name?” I pressed.
“Please don’t ask me that,” he replied. “When people hear my last name they behave as if have no first name. I’m sick and tired of that. So please don’t ask me.”
I asked him again, but he resisted.
“Please,” I implored.
He hesitated, then lowered his voice, “If you insist, it’s Gandhi.”
I was stunned, not knowing what to say.
“You are Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson?”
“That is what I told you. See, now you’re talking about Mahatma Gandhi... you’re not interested in me.”
I was speechless.
Here was a grandson of the renowned Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India, who led the nonviolent revolution for freedom from the British and sought (unsuccessfully) to create harmony between Hindus & Muslims. Mahatma Gandhi was this young man’s grand-father. ...Here I was ...sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with—a grandson the most influential Indian of all time.
I immediately assured him I was interested in him personally; we continued chatting for some time. It got late. I had to get back to my college. So I thanked Ramchandra Gandhi, and we parted ways.
Someone began driving me back to my room. He was a blue-eyed young Englishman. It was raining. ...As he was driving, he broke down crying.
“The moment you said ...you’d speak on your experiences with Jesus, I said to myself I wish we hadn’t invited you.”
“But,” he quickly added, holding back tears, “that message was for me. I’m a Christian. I was backsliding. That message challenged my heart.” He wept so hard he had to stop the car at the roadside. Then he controlled himself, continued driving, and dropped me at the railway station.
Letter from Oxford
Later I received a letter from Oxford.
Will you spend 3 months with us to give more lectures?
That encounter provided a formative lesson for me.
As true disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to do God’s work in God’s way. We must be willing to go where He sends us and say what He tells us to say. We must be ready to share our faith— always ready for “divine appointments” —because we never know who’s listening.
I had wanted to become a great lawyer or journalist to reach the influential elites of India for Jesus. I argued with the Lord when He said ‘no’ to my plans & strategies.
What happened? The Lord Jesus took me thousands of miles from India, to Bible College in England, on a speaking tour to Oxford, just to meet and share the gospel with the grandson of Gandhi.
Our God is an awesome God.
He works in mysterious ways. But, will we let Him work that way in our lives? Or will we rebel, thinking we know better?
13 Years Later
Years later, passing through Delhi, India, I phoned Dr. Gandhi’s home. His wife answered.
“Is Dr. Gandhi available?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Who’s this?”
I explained.... Suddenly the man was on the line. “Dr. Gandhi, you may not remember me. My name is Koshy,” I stammered.
This was 13 years later. He said? “Are you the Koshy who came to Oxford and spoke on the uniqueness of Jesus Christ & your personal experience with Him?”
“Do you still remember?” I asked, amazed.
“How can I forget it? Do you have time for a meal?”
The next day he took me to a restaurant. We had lunch. What he said humbled me. “Jesus Christ is God’s ultimate incarnation. He alone could identify with the sufferings of the masses.” The more we talked, the more amazed I grew--Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson had become a believer in Jesus Christ.
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