One Way to Enflame Your Heart for Unreached People Groups

The U.S. Center for World Missions estimates that there are approximately 15,900 people groups in the world, over 6,000 of which have little or no Christian witness among them. This is difficult to grasp given the fact that Christians have been striving to spread the gospel for nearly 2,000 years. But it’s true.

Further, over 75% of missionaries serve among people groups to whom there is already a Christian witness, or a long-established Christian tradition. Of course, there is still much work to be done among these “reached” people groups, but if we continue to send missionaries where there are already many missionaries how will we ever reach the nations of the world with the gospel?

Of course, the problem with sending more missionaries to the 6,000 unreached people groups of the world is that it is very dangerous. Missionaries who are reaching out to these groups are literally risking their lives every single day. But unless some of us risk our lives, how will others gain eternal life? God has ordained that belief comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, and that by the preaching and teaching of the gospel.

Thus, despite the very real dangers some of us must go. And many more of our churches must begin to funnel their missions dollars toward projects that target unreached people groups. But in order for these things to happen our hearts must change. We must be gripped by God’s vision for the nations of the world, and enflamed with passion for his purposes.

One way to accomplish that is to subscribe to the Global Prayer Digest (GPD). The GPD is a monthly publication of the U.S. Center for World Missions that guides one to pray for a different unreached people group every day of the month. Their purpose is to inform and enflame Christians, and to mobilize us to pray, give, send, and go to the unreached peoples of the world. I highly recommend that you subscribe to this publication. You may do so at www.global-prayer-digest.org.

With hope in Christ for the nations,
Pastor Charlie