It was a question the Apostle Paul asked almost 2000 years ago and it’s a question that’s still valid for today.
The scriptural answer found in Romans 10:13-15 says, ”
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
I’m glad to know that God is still in the business of sending people. How else will those who have never heard have the opportunity to hear?
Today, in the 21st century, there are still approximately 7,000 distinct people groups totaling over 2 billion people who have little to no access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Most live in an area that houses two thirds of the world’s population in one third of the Earth’s land area.
8 out of 10 of the world’s poorest of the poor live here, enduring the world’s lowest quality of living.
This area is the heart of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Only 8% of the world’s missionary force and .01% of missions money goes to reaching this part of the world.
And yet it has been estimated that the church has over 100 times the resources needed to plant native churches among these people groups.
World wide Great Commission Christians earn $2.5 trillion in disposable income. We give about $8 billion annually to missions-about one third of 1% of our disposable income. To send a mission force of an additional 100,000 to the unreached peoples of the world would require about $1.25 billion more-
about one twentieth of one percent.
About 100 million evangelical believers are young people.
Just one tenth of 1% of these would field a force of 100,000 new missionaries-the missions force needed to send church-planting teams to each of the remaining unreached people groups.
So, I ask myself. “If not us, who? If not now, when”?
