Reaching the Unreached
What exactly does this statement mean to you? Most Christians would agree that this is an essential part in fulfilling the Great Commission, but are we really concerned about it? A recent report which calculated all giving of churches to missions around the world found that For every $100,000 that Christians earn, they only give $1.00 to the unreached.
Here at Operation India, our slogan and purpose is capsulated in this statement - Reaching the Unreached. This disparity between what we talk about and what we actually do has caused me to dig deeper into exactly what this statement means and how churches across America are going to Reach the Unreached. This is part one of what God has taught me and pray this can encourage you in your God assigned task.
1.The reached must be made aware
The basic trouble with the church today is her unworthy concept of God... Our religion is weak because our God is weak... Christianity at any given time is strong or weak depending on her concept of God. ~ A.W. Tozer
'Secularism, materialism, and the intrusive presence of things have put out the light in our souls and turned us into a generation of zombies.' A.W. Tozer
Ps 50:21-22 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
Tozer had made this statement about America back in the early 50's. How far have we moved away from God since that time? I've found that people for the most part have no real concern for those "unreached" across the ocean in a remote village somewhere. Satan has turned us into zombies in our digital age with all its entertainment and distractions. According to Psalms 50, God says the problem is our concept of Himself. We have made the Lion of the tribe of Judah into a little house cat. No longer do we fear God for who He is, like Aslan in Narnia.
People say missions starts at home, so churches often put more effort into local outreach and events in an attempt to move people to a greater level of involvement in the Great Commission. I would argue that missions starts with God. Only a proper view and awareness of God will motivate people to reach out to others with the Gospel. Feel good activities have no lasting effect on someone's passion for souls. Only through experiences like Isaiah seeing God in proper view will produce that obedient soul conscious heart.
I would challenge every believer and leader in ministry to answer this question honestly considering Ps. 50 and Isaiah 6 - God, do I see and understand You properly? Would You re-align my concept of Yourself?
2. The reached must believe God's Word
"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed" — Hudson Taylor
"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" — David Livingstone
We all are very familiar with the Great Commission given to us by our Lord Himself before leaving to Heaven. This is an individual responsibility to share what Christ has taught us through His Word and to reproduce ourselves in others directly around us, but also on a corporate level as stated in Acts 1:8 which makes us responsible to fulfill this commission in all these places at the same time.
Many scriptures give us clear instructions like Psalm 96:3 "Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people".
So if we say we believe God's Word and we know about these clear commands, why is our generation sitting with over three billion people having never heard this Gospel?
"If the Great Commission is true, our plans are not too big; they are too small." — Pat Morley
This brings us to the truth found in the book of James. Real faith is interlocked with your words and actions like gears in the Christians life. If the unreached left in this world will ever hear the Good News which we have received, our faith must be put into gear so our words and actions will prove the faith we profess.
And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. Mark 1:38
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Do you truly believe God's Word? Are you doing everything in your power to fulfill your responsibility to those who have never heard?
"Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us." — Keith Wright
"The Christian is not obedient unless he is doing all in his power to send the Gospel to the heathen world." — A. B. Simpson
"Someone asked Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved? It is more a question with me whether we — who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not — can be saved." — Charles Spurgeon
"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." — Oswald J. Smith
Hindi Bible Project
Why this project? Hindi has a Bible, but organizations like Trinitarian Bible Society, Bearing Precious Seed and other conservative Bible publishing groups cannot put their seal of approval on the Hindi Bible. Therefore work needs to be done to elevate the current work to a higher standard. Hindi is listed as the 5th largest native speaker language of the world with 182 million, but if you include regular users of Hindi it would move to the 2nd position.
We made some progress with getting the book of John back translated and turned in for checking. It is a long process, but our goals are to make it freely accessible via the app market and include special study tools for local pastors. India's markets are exploding in the digital areas right now. Its huge populations are becoming more educated and informationally aware. Please pray that we can get the resources needed to commit more to this project. Millions of Hindi speakers will be directly impacted through this! You can now donate via our website by clicking here.
Christmas Programs
I know that people all over have huge strains on their giving budget. I would just like to share with you what we plan and hope to do here. Those of you who would like to get involved, feel free to do so by visiting our donation page for the appropriate area of ministry.
During the Christmas season here in India, the weather is often at its coldest of the year. Most of the house church members come from very poor situations. One of the things we do is purchase as many blankets as possible, along with hats, gloves and scarves. Most people have very little form of heat during these couple months. Last year I sat with a family we were teaching in a village area. Their bed was under a straw roof with a chilling cross breeze. As we taught, the children were all under the same blanket trying to use each other's body heat to stay warm.
Each year the house churches each put on special programs and feed their neighbors in a common shared meal. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate God's love for them and restore relationships that have been damaged due to religious persecution. God has used these greatly as an open testimony of God's love and sacrifice.
We also want to give something special to all the young men who have been faithful in ministry and service over the past year. Rarely do they get anything or even acknowledgement. Based on the extra gifts that come in, we do all we can for these young men who sacrifice their time and lives for God and His work. To have a part in this please follow this link.