Bakht Singh- A Life Testimony

Bakht Singh Chabra (1903-2000) is considered an exceptional preacher, bible teacher, and evangelist from India. He is among the pioneers of the Indigenous Church planting movement and contextualization of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Indian culture. Bakht Singh became a follower of Jesus Christ during his visits to England and Canada for higher education. He is also known as Brother Bakht Singh. This story offers a glimpse into his life.

His Childhood Years

A Strange Dream

During his school days, he had a dream in which he was climbing a high and steep hill. With great difficulty and much struggle, he reached the top. But as soon as he did, someone came along and hurled him down. As he fell, sharp rocks dug into his ribs and he cried out in agonizing pain. This woke him, and he found himself lying in bed.

Life in England

Bakht Singh had the ambition to go to England for further studies. His father, a wealthy factory owner, urged him to join him in his business. He had six brothers but Bakht was the favorite of his mother. She offered to help him travel to England only if he promised not to change his religion. Bakht Singh was a proud Sikh man, so it was easy to promise his mother he would never do such a thing. Reluctantly, his father agreed to send him to England, providing all the finances he needed. Bakht promised to live economically. In September 1926, he reached England and enrolled in Mechanical Engineering at the Engineering College of London.

Bakht Singh gradually adapted to the Western world and the culture of the day. He did not enjoy the food, but he did adopt the English man’s way of using a fork and spoon. He also shaved his hair, which conservative Sikhs rarely do. He traveled throughout Europe and England, visiting museums and art galleries, wearing expensive clothes, taking part in social functions, and indulging in pleasures. He acquired the education he desired, made friends from different lifestyles, smoked expensive cigars, and consumed alcohol. All these endeavors, however, left him unfulfilled and unhappy.

Bakht Singh thought to himself that perhaps he was unhappy because he was not fully civilized. He asked his English friends, his professor, and his fellow students if they were happy. None of them could answer absolutely yes. He had assumed that if only India could have education, sanitation, and the modern conveniences of the Western world, it would be like heaven. There were greater evils in society that he did not understand. He concluded the world is filled with “vanity of vanities.”

A Trip To Canada

In 1928, he decided to join a group of students headed to Canada. On August 10, after arriving in Canada, he saw a notice that a church service would be held at noon in a first-class dining saloon. He considered going along with his friends but he was afraid, as he had never been to a church before. Having traveled so many places, he thought to himself, “What harm will this do?”, so he tagged along. At the end of the service, he saw people kneeling down and praying. He thought, “These people do not know anything about religion. They have exploited my country and I have seen them eating and drinking. What do they know? After all, my religion is the best religion.” He found one man kneeling on his right and another on his left. Even though he disagreed with what they were doing, he was respectful enough not to disturb them. He began to think, “I have been to mosques and Hindu temples. I have taken off my shoes and washed my feet to show respect for those places. I must honor this place too out of courtesy.” So breaking his national pride, he knelt down. Suddenly, he felt great change coming over him. His whole body began to tremble and he could feel divine power entering into him and lifting him up. The first change he noticed was that a great joy was flooding his soul. Then he realized that he was repeating the name of Jesus Christ. He began to say, “Oh, Lord Jesus, blessed be Thy name, blessed be Thy name.” The name Jesus became very sweet to him.

After this experience in Canada, Bakht Singh started attending churches on weekdays when they were empty and would sit in quiet contemplation. He felt tranquility, joy, and peace in his heart. A year passed by. He did not have the courage to tell anyone about his transformational experience, but the desire for smoking, drinking and otherworldly pleasures was gone. On December 14, 1929, he asked a friend to give him a Bible. This caught his friend by surprise! He gladly gave him a pocket New Testament, which Bakth kept with him for the rest of his life.

The next day as he was reading the third chapter in the Gospel of John, the words “Verily Verily I say unto you” convicted him. He realized for the first time that he was a great sinner and that his heart was filthy. He felt remorse for the blasphemous words he used against Jesus and Christians. Tears began to flow. As he was crying, a gentle voice said to him, “This is my body broken for you; this is my blood shed for the remission of your sins.” He knew that only the blood of Jesus could wash away his sins but he did not understand exactly how. That day, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and God. Unexplainable joy and peace flooded his soul. He felt assured that all his sins were washed away. He continued to worship Jesus. A few days later, he received the Bible (Old and New Testaments) as a Christmas gift. He engrossed himself in this Book, sometimes reading for 14 hours a stretch! He also read the New Testament numerous times.

On 4 February 1932, Bakht Singh was baptized in Vancouver, Canada. After his baptism, he wrote a letter to his father, declaring his transformation. It was a long letter with many Bible references. His father had met a missionary who taught him about Christ and the Bible. He, too, had an Urdu Bible. After reading Bakht’s letter and the Bible references which he cited, his father was convinced that his son had a real conversion. Later, he too started believing in Jesus Christ.

Ministry in India

Bakht Singh returned to Mumbai, India in 1933, where he was not well received by his family members. His parents would only accept him as long as he kept his ‘newly found faith’ a secret. Upon his denial of this demand, his family deserted him. Even though he was now homeless, the joy and love of Christ in his heart was too much to contain. As a result, he began boldly and lovingly preaching on the streets of Mumbai. Soon, he started attracting thousands of people from all reaches India. Large crowds gathered wherever he went. Signs, wonders, and healings always followed his revival meetings. He went on to plant several churches all over India. Later on, his family also accepted him, many of whom also became followers of Jesus Christ.

Bakht Singh died on September 17, 2000, at age of 97, but his life and legacy still live on through the lives that were transformed. He traveled for 60 years throughout the country preaching at revivals. He initiated over 6,000 indigenous churches and fellowships in India. Today his influence has seen about 10,000 churches planted in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the United States. Bakht Singh was a friend to Christian leaders such as Billy Graham, Francis Schaeffer, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Jerry Falwell, and John Stott.

References

• http://www.brotherbakhtsingh.org/briefbio.html
• https://bethanyhouseofworship.org/wp/2014/08/19/the-mission-of-bro-bakht-singh/
• http://reachournation.blogspot.com/2009/05/brother-bakht-singh-servant-of-god.html
• https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/04/bakht-singh-1903-2000-indias-billy.html
• https://campuslinklive.org/trail-of-obedience-brother-bakht-singh-chabra/
• https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/septemberweb-only/55.0b.html

A Strange Dream

During his school days, he had a dream in which he was climbing a high and steep hill. With great difficulty and much struggle, he reached the top. But as soon as he did, someone came along and hurled him down. As he fell, sharp rocks dug into his ribs and he cried out in agonizing pain. This woke him, and he found himself lying in bed.

Life in England

Bakht Singh had the ambition to go to England for further studies. His father, a wealthy factory owner, urged him to join him in his business. He had six brothers but Bakht was the favorite of his mother. She offered to help him travel to England only if he promised not to change his religion. Bakht Singh was a proud Sikh man, so it was easy to promise his mother he would never do such a thing. Reluctantly, his father agreed to send him to England, providing all the finances he needed. Bakht promised to live economically. In September 1926, he reached England and enrolled in Mechanical Engineering at the Engineering College of London.

Bakht Singh gradually adapted to the Western world and the culture of the day. He did not enjoy the food, but he did adopt the English man’s way of using a fork and spoon. He also shaved his hair, which conservative Sikhs rarely do. He traveled throughout Europe and England, visiting museums and art galleries, wearing expensive clothes, taking part in social functions, and indulging in pleasures. He acquired the education he desired, made friends from different lifestyles, smoked expensive cigars, and consumed alcohol. All these endeavors, however, left him unfulfilled and unhappy.

Bakht Singh thought to himself that perhaps he was unhappy because he was not fully civilized. He asked his English friends, his professor, and his fellow students if they were happy. None of them could answer absolutely yes. He had assumed that if only India could have education, sanitation, and the modern conveniences of the Western world, it would be like heaven. There were greater evils in society that he did not understand. He concluded the world is filled with “vanity of vanities.”

A Trip To Canada

In 1928, he decided to join a group of students headed to Canada. On August 10, after arriving in Canada, he saw a notice that a church service would be held at noon in a first-class dining saloon. He considered going along with his friends but he was afraid, as he had never been to a church before. Having traveled so many places, he thought to himself, “What harm will this do?”, so he tagged along. At the end of the service, he saw people kneeling down and praying. He thought, “These people do not know anything about religion. They have exploited my country and I have seen them eating and drinking. What do they know? After all, my religion is the best religion.” He found one man kneeling on his right and another on his left. Even though he disagreed with what they were doing, he was respectful enough not to disturb them. He began to think, “I have been to mosques and Hindu temples. I have taken off my shoes and washed my feet to show respect for those places. I must honor this place too out of courtesy.” So breaking his national pride, he knelt down. Suddenly, he felt great change coming over him. His whole body began to tremble and he could feel divine power entering into him and lifting him up. The first change he noticed was that a great joy was flooding his soul. Then he realized that he was repeating the name of Jesus Christ. He began to say, “Oh, Lord Jesus, blessed be Thy name, blessed be Thy name.” The name Jesus became very sweet to him.

After this experience in Canada, Bakht Singh started attending churches on weekdays when they were empty and would sit in quiet contemplation. He felt tranquility, joy, and peace in his heart. A year passed by. He did not have the courage to tell anyone about his transformational experience, but the desire for smoking, drinking and otherworldly pleasures was gone. On December 14, 1929, he asked a friend to give him a Bible. This caught his friend by surprise! He gladly gave him a pocket New Testament, which Bakth kept with him for the rest of his life.

The next day as he was reading the third chapter in the Gospel of John, the words “Verily Verily I say unto you” convicted him. He realized for the first time that he was a great sinner and that his heart was filthy. He felt remorse for the blasphemous words he used against Jesus and Christians. Tears began to flow. As he was crying, a gentle voice said to him, “This is my body broken for you; this is my blood shed for the remission of your sins.” He knew that only the blood of Jesus could wash away his sins but he did not understand exactly how. That day, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and God. Unexplainable joy and peace flooded his soul. He felt assured that all his sins were washed away. He continued to worship Jesus. A few days later, he received the Bible (Old and New Testaments) as a Christmas gift. He engrossed himself in this Book, sometimes reading for 14 hours a stretch! He also read the New Testament numerous times.

On 4 February 1932, Bakht Singh was baptized in Vancouver, Canada. After his baptism, he wrote a letter to his father, declaring his transformation. It was a long letter with many Bible references. His father had met a missionary who taught him about Christ and the Bible. He, too, had an Urdu Bible. After reading Bakht’s letter and the Bible references which he cited, his father was convinced that his son had a real conversion. Later, he too started believing in Jesus Christ.

Ministry in India

Bakht Singh returned to Mumbai, India in 1933, where he was not well received by his family members. His parents would only accept him as long as he kept his ‘newly found faith’ a secret. Upon his denial of this demand, his family deserted him. Even though he was now homeless, the joy and love of Christ in his heart was too much to contain. As a result, he began boldly and lovingly preaching on the streets of Mumbai. Soon, he started attracting thousands of people from all reaches India. Large crowds gathered wherever he went. Signs, wonders, and healings always followed his revival meetings. He went on to plant several churches all over India. Later on, his family also accepted him, many of whom also became followers of Jesus Christ.

Bakht Singh died on September 17, 2000, at age of 97, but his life and legacy still live on through the lives that were transformed. He traveled for 60 years throughout the country preaching at revivals. He initiated over 6,000 indigenous churches and fellowships in India. Today his influence has seen about 10,000 churches planted in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the United States. Bakht Singh was a friend to Christian leaders such as Billy Graham, Francis Schaeffer, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Jerry Falwell, and John Stott.

References

• http://www.brotherbakhtsingh.org/briefbio.html
• https://bethanyhouseofworship.org/wp/2014/08/19/the-mission-of-bro-bakht-singh/
• http://reachournation.blogspot.com/2009/05/brother-bakht-singh-servant-of-god.html
• https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/04/bakht-singh-1903-2000-indias-billy.html
• https://campuslinklive.org/trail-of-obedience-brother-bakht-singh-chabra/
• https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/septemberweb-only/55.0b.html