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Recently I received an email from Vietnam for assistance and support for orphans, often considered throwaway children. My resounding answer is, yes I will find a way!
I have seen the poorest of the poor, starving, in absolute destitute conditions and I have seen absolute wealth beyond anyone’s imagination. Tennis players are privileged to see the best the world has to offer. It is important to always remember the poor. Many years ago I willingly offered my life to serve Christ and turned my face to the poor in nations most in need of knowing Christ. My cry, “send me anywhere no one else will go”. I have seen enough to realize the importance of this statement.
“Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice before everyone has heard it once”
Of the world’s 6.2 billion people:
2.3 billion in the world have never had a single opportunity to respond
to the message of Christ.
2.1 billion of these may never know Christ as their personal Savior
unless someone tells them.
For the price of a dinner out, a pair shoes, or a symphony ticket, you can help establish a new congregation in an unentered area of the world. In some countries people live on as little as $35 a month to cover food and basic living expenses. During my recent trip to India I saw many children not being able to attend school as the family could not afford $20USD a year for school books. Usually orphans are never given the chance to attend school. Governments often can not help and Christians in these nations often help, but sadly are limited by their own situation.
Our target is the 10/40 window, which is a rectangular piece of geography and holds the world’s deepest spiritual and physical needs. It is a designated belt that extends from West Africa and across Asia, between 10 degrees and 40 degrees north latitude. Only 8% of the world’s missionaries work within this region.
Those living in the 10/40 Window: 3.2 billion people live within the Window. More than 80% of the world’s poorest of the poor live within this region. 97% of the people are unevangelized. Millions of people have never heard the Gospel message even once. Every major non-Christian religion is headquartered here: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, indigenous religions and non-religions. This certainly represents the greatest challenge of this decade for the committed Christian.
An Unreached People Group (UPG) is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize its own people. Over nine out of ten of these people live in Hindu or Muslim countries.
The human world of 6.2 billion can be divided into distinct groups of people. An estimated 38% of the world’s individuals have not heard the gospel. These 2.3 billion people can be divided into six major categories with 11,000 unreached “people groups. These “groups” consist of the following 3800 Muslim people groups in which 936 million people live. 2700 tribal people groups in which 98 million people live. 1800 Hindu people groups in which 596 million people live. 900 Chinese people groups in which 168 million people live. 900 Buddhist people groups in which 300 million people live and 900 other people groups in which 205 million people live.
The "unevangelized" are people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have no valid opportunity to respond to it. Nearly 4.1 billion of the world's people do not have a vital or indigenous church movement.
Of the world's 50 least evangelized countries, 37 are within the 10/40 Window. Yet those 37 countries comprise 95% of the total population of the 50 least evangelized countries! Such a fact leaves no doubt that our challenge in reaching the unreached must center on the core. India is but one example:
· Northern India is only 0.08% Evangelical Christian. 12% are
Muslim, 85% Hindu
· In North India and the Himalayan regions there is only one
church for every 62,500 people! (compare to America
where we have a church for every 650 people)
· There are about 7 missionaries per 1 million people!
· Population density is 160 per square mile (compare to America
where population is about 15 per square mile!)
· Only 1.2% of U.S. mission funding is going to the unevangelized
parts of the world.
· Income of Christians worldwide $12,700 billion. 0.01
% of total income of Christian’s goes to foreign missions.
Love to Serve Newsletter Copyright 2000