Wednesday, July 5, 2006 REACHING THE UNREACHED by E.D.L.
Although I am less perfect than most, I believe that God has given me a glimpse into His will for the body of Christ in these end times.
I believe that God wants us all (His Church) to be unified in spirit, heart, and mind. If we are unified by the Holy Spirit in this way, then the Church will also be unified in purpose and in action. It's time to eliminate denominations and other factions that prevent the Church from being one in Christ. We need to be unified around the essentials of the historic Christian faith. Secondary and tertiary issues can be studied and debated vigorously, but we should never divide because of them. We need to "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2. Also, we need to heed the following verses in the Bible (along with the other 66 books, of course):
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwelll in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:12-17
If we truly follow God and His Word, and submit ourselves completely to Him, I believe that the world can be reached with the Gospel of Jesus, and that the Great Commission can be fulfilled. In the process it is even possible that starvation, homelessness, death from preventable diseases, and abortion will be greatly reduced as the body of Christ reaches out to a lost and dying world. We need to deny ourselves, carry our crosses, and follow Jesus. We need to live lives of "New Testament" simplicity, and not in luxury and self indulgence.
We need to give all of ourselves to the Lord. He owns everything. Many give 10% and consider that the rest of their resources can be spent at their discretion. Let's realize that God owns all of us, including our resources. Let's spend them as He leads us by His Word and His Spirit. The New Testament portrays the concept of freewill sharing and equity among believers. "Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'" 2 Corinthians 8:13-15
The Church shouldn't be spending billions of dollars on church buildings, church salaries, and unnecessary personal items/hobbies/property. (Certainly, the worker deserves his wages, but his work must be in accordance with the Father's will. The Church is not a business.) These resources should be spent on reaching the millions of people that have never heard of the Gospel of Jesus even once, and on providing them with the Word of God in their own language (such as Wycliffe is doing). We are spending the majority of our resources on the areas of the world where Christ has already been preached. "More than 95 percent of the total church budget in the United States is spent at home to maintain programs rather than to reach out in mission. Of the five percent that goes overseas to mission, less than half of one percent is used to reach the lost." (K.P. Yohannan, The Road to Reality, p. 118) It is unjust to share the Gospel of Jesus repeatedly to people who have already heard when there are those who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus even once. These resources need to be quickly redistributed so that the majority of the Church's resources are sent to the unreached people groups of the world.
We need to give to native missionaries who are reaching the unreached (i.e., Gospel for Asia), to organizations that are actively sharing the Gospel in unreached areas (i.e., Campus Crusade for Christ-Jesus film ministries), and to organizations that are actively and accurately translating the Bible into unreached languages (i.e., Wycliffe).
The native missionary movement that is occurring among the unreached people groups is the most effective way to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the unreached for the following reasons:
1. It is much less expensive to support native missionaries than to send "western" missionaries to the unreached people groups, thereby enabling much more efficient use of the Church's resources. For example, a native missionary in India can be fully supported for an entire year for approximately $1,500. Compare this with the approximate cost of $30,000 to fully support a "western" missionary. Therefore, we can support 20 native missionaries in India for the price of one "western" missionary.
2. The native missionaries already know the language and culture. The native missionaries are more effective because they often have no language barriers and already understand the customs and culture of their native land.
3. The native missionaries can dispel the myth that Christianity is a "western" religion. In this way, the native missionaries are more effective in reaching their own people with the Gospel, showing them firsthand that Christianity and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ are for everyone.
4. "Western missionaries cannot easily go to the countries where most so-called 'hidden people' live. About 3.8 billion of these people exist in our world today. Millions upon millions of lost souls have never heard the Gospel. We hear many cries that we should go to them, but who will go? The hidden people almost all live in countries closed or severely restricted to American and European missionaries. Of the more than 70,000 North American missionaries now actively commissioned, only 5,000 are working with the totally unreached hidden people who make up 70 percent of all the unevangelized people in the world. Ralph Winter, general director of the U.S. Center for World Mission, estimates 95 percent of all missionaries are working among the existing churches or where the Gospel already is preached." (K.P. Yohannan, Revolution in World Missions, pp. 153-154) Obviously, native missionaries already live in their own native land, and so are not restricted from entering.
Examples of how to begin redistribution of resources to reach the unreached:
- Develop a worldwide transition from church buildings to home churches. This will dramatically reduce the need for buildings, property, etc. The body of Christ can stay connected through internet where possible, encouraging one another, spreading the Gospel, and coordinating the allocation of the Church's resources throughout the world.
- Drastically reduce affluent/reached countries' church salaries (pastor salaries, secretary salaries, etc.) Sell affluent/reached countries' church buildings, property, etc.
- People with larger than needed homes and properties can downsize and give the proceeds to organizations that are reaching the unreached.
- We can liquidate all unnecessary personal items (in the process, we will be attaining treasure in heaven--"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34).
- We can simplify our lifestyles by reducing unnecessary costs. We can minimize or eliminate unnecessary items such as make-up, colognes, perfumes, boats, other sea/lake/river paraphernalia, private planes, other unnecessary outdoor equipment or vehicles (RV's, quads, dirt bikes, etc.), cable TV, extravagant vacations, etc. All of our resources need to surrendered to God. Let us use, sell, or give them away as He guides us. I can't think of a better way to spend our resources than on reaching the unreached for Jesus. In that there is truly eternal significance.
If the Church (the body of Christ) truly does these things, then, by God's grace, the world can be reached for Christ. And as we..."live holy and godly lives as (we) look forward to the day of God," we may "speed its coming" 2 Peter 3:11-12.
P.S. We should also generously give food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies where possible to the neediest from among mankind. We need to give to those who could not otherwise receive the basic needs of life from anyone else. Many of us are so comfortable and wealthy compared to these needy ones. If we live simply and pool our resources together, by God's grace there will be enough for everyone throughout the world who is in need (remember the five loaves and two fish). We need to join together in praying and giving to those in need across the world as God directs. We also need to be fervent in protecting the rights of unborn children, trusting God to demolish strongholds of the evil one and to accomplish mighty feats according to His will. Many lives will be saved (spiritually and physically) in the process. Our lives here on this earth are so extremely short. Let's not waste any time. Let's live simply, pray diligently, and love exceedingly here on earth and give abundantly to all who are in need. I pray that the body of Christ will be truly unified and accomplish the true will of God!
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