In doing some reading (specifically, in John Piper's excellent Desiring God) I came across some excellent resources for praying for world missions and for increasing awareness. These sites may be familiar to some of you, but I hope they are blessing and encouragement to all.
First is the Joshua Project. It is a listing of all the unreached people groups in the world. It is sobering to realize how unreached much of the world is - and it should compel us to prayer. The state of missions to unreached people groups is something that should bring both deep conviction to our hearts and great excitement. We are quickly closing the gap on reaching every "nation, tribe, and tongue" with the gospel. The task of evangelization will go on after the time when we have penetrated every people group, but there is a desperate need among these people who have never heard, never even had the chance to hear, the gospel. Most of these are in the 10/40 window across Africa and especially Asia, though there are others in the jungles of South America, as well. The Unreached People of the Day on the left side of the blogger version of this post is drawn from the Joshua Project.
Also worth looking at is Mission Frontiers, which has a newsletter with updates on the status of "frontier missions" - that is, missions to those selfsame unreached people. Most statistics agree that less tan 2% of all Christian giving is dedicated to these missions; most of the missionaries in the world today are working in already evangelized people groups. There is great need in those groups, of course - but how much greater a need in the peoples who have never heard the gospel in the least.
These situations ought to break our hearts, motivate us to give, to go, to reach out to those who are deady, dying, lost and without hope. Please at the very least pray for these people... but as a friend recently blogged, don't stop there. Prayerfully consider what you can do, and there are many options. For those who cannot go - because of circumstances, finances, and calling - you can give. There are good organizations out there to give to, organizations dedicated to reaching the unreached. I personally ask you to consider Wycliffe Bible Translators, who are working on translating the gospel into every tongue - and who are dreadfully understaffed and under-resourced.
God be with you all. May His truth go forth in power!
- Chris
First is the Joshua Project. It is a listing of all the unreached people groups in the world. It is sobering to realize how unreached much of the world is - and it should compel us to prayer. The state of missions to unreached people groups is something that should bring both deep conviction to our hearts and great excitement. We are quickly closing the gap on reaching every "nation, tribe, and tongue" with the gospel. The task of evangelization will go on after the time when we have penetrated every people group, but there is a desperate need among these people who have never heard, never even had the chance to hear, the gospel. Most of these are in the 10/40 window across Africa and especially Asia, though there are others in the jungles of South America, as well. The Unreached People of the Day on the left side of the blogger version of this post is drawn from the Joshua Project.
Also worth looking at is Mission Frontiers, which has a newsletter with updates on the status of "frontier missions" - that is, missions to those selfsame unreached people. Most statistics agree that less tan 2% of all Christian giving is dedicated to these missions; most of the missionaries in the world today are working in already evangelized people groups. There is great need in those groups, of course - but how much greater a need in the peoples who have never heard the gospel in the least.
These situations ought to break our hearts, motivate us to give, to go, to reach out to those who are deady, dying, lost and without hope. Please at the very least pray for these people... but as a friend recently blogged, don't stop there. Prayerfully consider what you can do, and there are many options. For those who cannot go - because of circumstances, finances, and calling - you can give. There are good organizations out there to give to, organizations dedicated to reaching the unreached. I personally ask you to consider Wycliffe Bible Translators, who are working on translating the gospel into every tongue - and who are dreadfully understaffed and under-resourced.
God be with you all. May His truth go forth in power!
- Chris
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