The Bible’s teaching that children, even little children, can truly believe and be saved is, of course, reflected and demonstrated in experience, and I have seen this happen many times. The fact that the Holy Spirit can regenerate children can be witnessed in the lives and testimonies of many who trusted Jesus Christ as children; and this happened despite the fact that many Christians did not believe that it was possible and did not expect it to happen.
Age of Conversion
All statistical surveys of the age of conversion have shown that childhood is the age when many have put their trust in Jesus Christ. A number of these surveys show that a majority of believers did so when they were children.
Converted as Children
It is interesting that many Christian leaders, pastors, and missionaries — both past and present — were converted as children. The list includes:
- Matthew Henry
- Isaac Watts
- Jonathan Edwards
- Mary Slessor
- Amy Carmichael
- Corrie Ten Boom
- Jim Elliott
- Mrs. Billy Graham
Testimonies from Christian Leaders
Many well-known pastors, preachers, and evangelists — past and present — have testified to the reality of child conversion based on what they have seen in their own ministry. These include:
- D.L. Moody
- Charles Spurgeon
- John Wesley
- George Whitfield
- Luis Palau
- Billy Graham
Charles Spurgeon, for example, not only believed children could be saved; he ensured that the children in his church were evangelized.
The Challenge Today
The tragedy is that, in many of our churches and Sunday Schools, children are not being evangelized. They may know many Bible stories and have heard exhortations to live good lives and do good deeds, but they are not being taught:
- That they are sinners
- That they need a Saviour
- That they can trust Jesus Christ
- That they can be born again
- That their sins can be forgiven
- That they can have the strength to live a life pleasing to God — now, when they are young
Prayer
May God help all of us to see the spiritual need of the children and teach them the message of a Savior who will meet all their needs if they put their trust in Him.
* This is an extract from Mini Mag (NO.5) by Sam Doherty. Sam, who introduced the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in Ireland and later served as Regional Director in Europe, shares his insights on 75 years of ministry in this publication.
