EAST ASIA — Hellos and how are your families tumbled out of the girls’ mouths as Crossworld worker Sarah and her Bible study group walked up to the roof of their meeting place. This cultural formality was typical at the beginning of any conversation, including their weekly meetings. But after they reached the roof and sat down, hot and out of breath, the girls were eager to move to something deeper — to questions about their new faith and how it related to their daily lives.

“I was reading in Luke 16 about Lazarus and the rich man,” Seila said. The rest of the girls pulled out their Bibles and quickly turned to the story.

After sharing a few initial thoughts, Seila lifted her gaze to the group and said with resolve, “I am not afraid of ghosts anymore.”

Sarah sat up in surprise. She hadn’t anticipated that conclusion. A few of the girls had shared about their fear of ghosts before, which is very common in their country, but they hadn’t seemed eager to be free from it.

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked Seila.

“If dead people were able to freely leave hell whenever they liked, they surely would,” Seila said. “But in the story, the rich man isn’t allowed to leave. And if they can’t leave, then my neighbor’s dead uncle can’t come terrify me. Nor can anyone else. There’s no reason to be afraid of ghosts!”

The other girls in the group listened as Seila reasoned, then sat quietly, pondering what this truth meant in their lives as well.

No matter where we live, God’s truth brings freedom. Are you experiencing it?

Italicized names were changed to protect identity.