God’s Story Coming Alive

From the time I was a baby, Dad and Mom taught us stories from the Bible. I remember us kids sitting on the floor as Dad went through the Old Testament, telling the stories of sin and judgment, of grace and sacrifice.

As a young child, I sat there on the floor and drew pictures of the story Dad was telling. Mom kept them in a folder for future reference. When Dad got around to the story of Jesus and how he died on the cross, we understood why he shed his blood for us, for the Old Testament stories had given us a foundation that caused it all to make sense. We saw the full picture of who God is and why Jesus had to come to the earth.

Missionaries who go to unreached people groups have found that they are most effective when they begin in Genesis and lay a foundation to the hearers. My little girl is three, and she loves Bible stories. I started telling her God’s stories when she was just a baby. I started at the beginning. When we teach our young children to read, we start with the ABCs. We do not place an 8th grade book in their hand and tell them to figure it out.

It was this principle Dad had in mind which motivated him to produce the Good and Evil book. Produced in a popular picture format, it tells the Bible story from beginning to end, emphasizing the theme of sin, law, and redemption. Putting one in the hands of a national—in his native tongue—is like sending a missionary home with him. Scores will read one book, and it will never be thrown away. It goes into closed countries where Bibles are forbidden. There are many things about this project that we cannot print, because it would put lives in danger.

Right now, we have 77 languages either completed or in the process of translation or printing. Think of how many languages still need to be translated, printed, and smuggled into closed countries! Every mom, dad, and child in those countries should have at least one opportunity to hear the blessed story.  The Bible says, “And the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 13:10).