“For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
The greatest command given by a general in the field was given by
Christ when He called on us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. On that day He called on His Church to make war, not on flesh and
blood, but against principalities and powers in heavenly realms. Although He
promises complete victory, it will require more than we have given in the past.
Unreached People Groups (2.9 billion
people) remain the single largest objective in achieving victory and the
completion of the Great Commission. We
must not minimize the commitment we will be called on to make to reach these
people groups. It will take some lifestyle
changes that will include ongoing, continual sacrifice. It will take a wartime
mentality. Are we ready to start living as though we were truly at war?
An article on the Joshua Project website (http://www.joshuaproject.net/assets/articles/a-wartime-lifestyle.pdf , makes a
comparison between peacetime and wartime, drawing from the true-life account of
the Queen Mary, an ocean-going luxury liner which served as a troop carrier
during WWII. Today the ship is a museum,
featuring two views of the dining room: one during peacetime, with elegant
furniture, dining ware, and silver for its upper-class travelers; the other
during war, arranged for soldiers, with dented tin eating trays and multi-tiered
beds to pack in as many soldiers as possible. Our country and many others
sacrificed greatly in the fight against fascism and dictatorship.
In an even greater way, the Church is at war, fighting not
for democracy or any man-made system, but for the eternal souls of men and
women for whom Christ died. Thus we are
asked by Christ to take on a wartime mentality (Luke 14:33); we must change the
way we think and the way we live. We must make the necessary sacrifices and do
whatever it takes to complete the task, depending on God’s power and
enabling. Missiologist Arthur Glasser
writes, “Has any leader ever confronted so small a group of followers with so
huge and comprehensive a task? A truly impossible task if it were not for God.”
Phil Bogosian recommends five priorities in reaching the
unreached: 1. Model wartime stewardship, giving all we can to
missions. He suggests living on a missionary
salary, donating the remainder of our income to world evangelism. 2. Become an intercessor. Pray for
missionaries that we or our church supports. I would add to pray for Unreached
People Groups (UPGs) 3. Join up.
During WW II posters everywhere reminded citizens that “Uncle Sam Wants
You.” Today God is calling us in the
same way. We can write to our missionaries and let them know that we are praying
for them, encourage our churches to a greater commitment, or open our home to
prayer meetings. Go to the unreached right in our neighborhoods. 4. Enlist others. We can call on our friends and families to
pray, to go on mission trips and to give. 5. Focus.
Our culture moves at a frenzied pace but we must not be distracted; rather we
must focus on the end goal – the total evangelization of the world and nothing
less.
I’d like to place these five suggestions alongside a
program we are developing that will continue, Lord willing, until the year 2020
and beyond. There are about 16,804 people groups in the world today. Of these, 7,289 remain unreached. The majority of these Unreached People Groups
(UPGs), 85% to be exact, live in the 10/40 window. Of the 100 highest populated
UPGs, 47 reside in India. On the Indian
subcontinent we have been privileged to work alongside directors of Schools of
Evangelism in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand who have actually
participated in taking some of those UPGs, including the Banjaras and the
Santals, off the list. We are currently
targeting twelve of the remaining UPGs listed in the box accompanying this
article. There is another box on the back page which maps out the program we
hope to follow over the next seven years in planting a reproducing church in
the midst of each of these UPGs. Please pray with us that, one by one, all of
these twelve UPGs will become RPGs – reached
people groups. Pray with us as we try to enlist churches, small groups, and
families to choose and “adopt” a UPG for special prayer and involvement.
Consider, as did our parents and grandparents, did a generation ago, to
sacrifice for the cause. They did without essentials such as sugar, coffee,
tires and gasoline as it was rationed. What can be done without now to
contribute to the advance of the Church among the 2.9 billion that make up the
UPGs?
Is there anything greater upon which you can spend your life? “Unconditional surrender” was the objective in
WWII as the Allies took the offense against the powers waging war on the free world.
A far more powerful and dangerous force continues to trap and enslave billions
of men, women, and children. We are warned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1
Peter 5:8). In spite of this truth which accurately
describes our enemy, Jesus promises us that the gates of hell will not stand
against the onslaught of the Church (Matthew 16:18). We can join those who are taking the offensive,
embracing that wartime mentality as we advance with Christ as our commander, to
bring life and liberty to all who believe. Uncle Sam called out to our parents and
grandparents to join in the effort in the 1940’s. Jesus, not a paper poster,
but the living God, calls for us to enter the fray for the souls of men and
women. We at ER are hearing his call more clearly and we ask you to join us as
we say yes to the Great Commission and bring glory to God the Father.
- ER President
