"...in you ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:3b)
"GO therefore and make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS(literally, ethnic people groups)." (Matthew 28:19)
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to ALL THE NATIONS [ethnic people groups], and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)
"And they sang a new song, saying: 'You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of EVERY TRIBE AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION..." (Revelation 5:9)
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of ALL NATIONS [ethnic], TRIBES [social], PEOPLES [political], and TONGUES [linguistic], standing before the throne and before the Lamb..." (Revelation 7:9)
4,000 years ago, God promised that in Christ Jesus, all the families of the earth would be blessed.
2,000 years later, Jesus Himself commissioned His Church to do its part in bringing this promise to fulfilment, by going into all the world and making disciples of all nations.
And NOW?
At first glance, we might be tempted to think that this task has almost been completed, since Christians make up at least 1% of the population in most of the 230 countries of the world today (although doesn't Jesus deserve more than a minimum return of 1% on the giving of His life for all humanity?). However, a closer look at Jesus' words in Matthew 28 shows that the word translated 'nations' is the Greek word ethne, meaning ethnic people groups.
THINK PEOPLES, NOT COUNTRIES
While the Church of Jesus Christ has been planted in virtually every country in the world, it has not been planted among every one of the world's people groups. Looking at one country alone, the vast nation of India, we find approximately 3,000 people groups speaking nearly 2,000 different languages, with only a small fraction of these having been penetrated by the Gospel.
People groups that do not yet have a vibrant Christian presence are called 'Unreached People Groups' (UPGs). According to the U.S. Center for World Mission, there are still approximately 10,000 UPGs across the globe, which equates to 1/3 of the world's population. Most are living in 4 major cultural blocs: Muslim (3,700 groups), Hindu (2,700 groups), Tribal (2,000), and Buddhist (1,000).
Unless some Christians go to the Unreached People Groups of the world, around 1/2 of the world's non-Christians will remain untouched by the Gospel.
THINK CROSS-CULTURAL, THINK GLOBAL
Sharing the Gospel with those of our own nation and culture is great. However, unless some are also going to the UPGs of the world, around 1/2 of the world's non-Christians will remain untouched by the Gospel. Churches that are not involved in cross-cultural evangelism are not fulfilling its God-given commission.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem [local], and in all Judea [national] and Samaria [cross-cultural] and to the ends of the earth [international]." (Acts 1:8)
THINK CROSS-CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES AT HOME
While there will always be a need for Christian missionaries to go overseas to the unreached peoples with the Gospel, there are also many opportunities in our home country to reach out to peoples, who in their own countries would be far more difficult to share the Gospel with, due to political, ideological, religious, or geographical barriers.
THINK POSSIBILITIES
We need to make the most of the possibilities and opportunities we have on our own doorsteps. Today in the UK, there are potentially "bridge" peoples who are often more open to the Gospel while they are outside their natural homeland, in which they maybe subject to various political or cultural controls, and have 'Big Brother' watching over their shoulders. After coming to Christ they may then become an effective bridge and witness back to their people in their homeland, who otherwise would have been very difficult for overseas missionaries to reach.
YOU WOULD BELIEVE IN PIONEER MISSIONS IF YOUR FAMILY WERE PART OF AN UNEVANGELISED PEOPLE GROUP. (Norm Lewis)
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS