Before Jesus left this earth to return to the Father, he told his followers to wait in Jerusalem for an enduement of power, after which they would become witnesses in ever widening circles–beginning at Jerusalem and finishing at “the end of the earth.”
He had also told his followers to “make disciples of all nations.” Mission strategists agree the word underlying “nations” here doesn’t mean “political” nations such as the USA, Nigeria, or Russia; rather, the word means “ethnic groups.” It is estimated that there are 16,800 ethnic groups in the world.
So how are we doing in the task of getting the gospel to all of those people groups? According to the Joshua Project, 6,900 of these people groups are still unreached by the gospel. An “unreached” people group is any ethnic group that has less than 2% real Christians or less than 5% professing Christians. By this standard, 2.87 BILLION people are considered “unreached” by the gospel.
Of these 6,900 unreached people groups, 3,100 are considered to be “completely unengaged”–meaning that the group has no missionaries, no churches, few if any Christians, few if any Christian materials, and few if any Bibles.
Additionally of the 6,800 living languages in the world, 2,000 have no Bible translation. 86% of all Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists in the world do not even know a Christian.
Compounding the problem is the fact that 90% of all missionaries are working among ALREADY REACHED people groups! Only 10% of the worldwide missionary effort is being directed towards the 2.87 billion unreached people of the world. Also, out of every dollar of Christian resources, less than ONE PENNY is being directed at reaching unreached peoples.
Here’s a quotation from A. T. Pierson which appears in the book World Missions, Total Spiritual Warfare by L. E. Maxwell:
“Go … preach”—our marching orders. “The gospel to every creature”—a plain command. Mounting millions who have never heard—a simple and terrifying fact. I say, “terrifying fact”—terrifying it should be to believers—for “these millions of unsaved souls we must confront at the bar of God. What can we do for their salvation—nay, for our own salvation from bloodguiltiness—before the sun of life shall set?” (A. T. Pierson).”
World Missions: Total Spiritual Warfare is this month’s giveaway (January 2015). It’s a hard-hitting book written by someone who spent his life preparing disciplined soldiers to carry the banner of the cross throughout the world. Maxwell said his book was “meant to furnish pastors and Christian workers with biblical material to stir God’s people out of their evangelical smugness. Do we not all need to be stabbed wide awake?”
Maxwell declared that the greatest need in the church was for spiritual leaders:
The need of the mission field is not more money, or more education, or more brains; still less is it more organization or more method. It is spiritual leadership, and spiritual leadership is not won or established by promotion, but by many prayers, and tears, and confessions of sin, and heart-searchings, and humblings before God, and self-surrender, and a courageous sacrifice of every idol, and a bold and deathless and uncompromising, uncomplaining embracing of the cross, and an eternal, unfaltering looking unto Jesus crucified .… Spiritual leaders are not made by man, nor any combination of men. Neither conferences nor synods nor councils can make them, but only God.
