“The Bible is like a magnet and the people are attracted to it,” says Angel, 12. “We all have a choice to stay in the darkness or be saved and go to the light.”
Wherever you find the Bible widely read and taught in a society, you find freedom. Most people don’t realize that the very foundations of free societies have their roots in evangelism and Bible teaching.
Regarding the impact on society of the Protestant Reformation that began in 1517, Dr. Peter Hammond writes: “The now almost universally acknowledged principles of religious freedom, liberty of conscience, the rule of law, separation of powers and constitutionally limited Republics were unthinkable before the Reformation.
“The Reformers fought for the principles that Scripture alone is our final authority, Christ alone is the head of the Church and justification is by God’s grace alone, on the basis of the finished work of Christ, received by faith alone.”
The difference between societies where the Bible is widely taught and societies where the Bible has been suppressed is stark and dramatic. God uses these differences to draw people to Jesus.
“One way God could use us is we could send money to missionaries so that they can spend more time there teaching,” says Andrea, 10.
Yes, missionaries are on the front lines of bringing the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ to people who have never heard it. Who can possibly calculate the number of schools and hospitals that have been started in the name of Jesus Christ? Jesus himself healed many people.
One hospital that draws people to Christ is St. Luke’s Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece. This mission hospital, started in 1973, ministers to about 2,000 patients each month.
“Our primary motive is to provide everyone who comes into contact with our work a chance to hear and respond to the Gospel, our ultimate healing from sin through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said Tasos Ioannidis, president and CEO of AMG International. “Often, we work toward this by compassionately meeting physical needs to open hearts to that message.”
This hospital has a theft problem that it actually promotes. Patients keep stealing the New Testaments placed in their rooms. “This is the only kind of stealing we promote,” said hospital director Dr. Demosthenes Katsarkas.
Cassy, 12, tells us another way God draws people to Jesus: “The Holy Spirit also helps us go the right way.”
About the Holy Spirit’s work, Jesus said, “And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me;” (John 16:8-9).
Like a laser, the Holy Spirit focuses on Jesus. Refusing the gift of eternal life or rejecting Jesus Christ as God’s only son who died and rose again so that all could have eternal life is the ultimate sin. No sin has greater eternal consequences.
Please notice that the Holy Spirit convicts the “world.” This convicting ministry is universal. There are no exceptions. This is another universal way that God draws all people to Jesus Christ.
Think about this: God in his divine wisdom knows who is going to accept his salvation invitation; however, his foreknowledge is not causative.
Memorize this truth: “He who believes in him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).
Ask this question: Have you accepted God’s salvation invitation?
— Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. To receive Kids Talk About God three times a week in a free, email subscription, visit www. KidsTalkAboutGod.org/email. Bible quotations are from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.
© 2025 Carey Kinsolving
