Rethink Mission
Session 2
In our last session, we focused on how perspective impacts our view of the world and the Bible. God is relentlessly pursuing all peoples from Genesis to Revelation. Next we will rethink mission: the status of the church today and the work that is yet to be accomplished for Jesus to be famous throughout the world.
Take a few minutes and review the previous sessions. If you are studying in a group, discuss some of the main points and share any personal takeaways you had.
Current Status of the Church
Session 2 - Video 1
People who follow and obey Jesus. Those who have made Christ and his Word, the Bible, the ultimate authority in their lives.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations .. . .”
Matthew 28:18-19
Mission –
Matthew 28:18-20 is sometimes called the Great Commission, in which Christ told his disciples to make disciples, who would then make more disciples.
CHRISTIANS OR DISCIPLES ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING YES TO JESUS, ARE BEING TRANSFORMED BY HIM, AND WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN HIS MISSION.
God’s grand mission is seeing all of creation restored to perfection. That means:
- You
- Your neighbour
- Your nation
- Every nation on earth
Global data (based on 7.5 billion people worldwide and rounded for simplicity)1:
- 10 percent of Christians are true disciples.
- 20 percent are “Nominal Christians.” These individuals attend church at Christmas or Easter, tick the “Christian” box on a census form, or were born into a Christian family, but don’t experience a daily, life-changing relationship with Jesus.
- 40 percent may have heard the gospel and have some access to it, but aren’t responding to it. For instance, Western Europeans have access to Scripture and church, yet very few are saying yes to Jesus.
- 30 percent have virtually no exposure to the gospel, the Bible, or the church.
THE IDEA THAT 30% OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE HAVE NOT EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO HEAR THE GOSPEL, LET ALONE RESPOND TO IT, SHOULD BOTHER US!
Where in the World Is God Moving?
The Philippines
- Grown from 3,000 churches in 1975 to 55,000 churches today.2
- Developing a plan to send 5,000 missionaries to the nations in the next fifteen years.3
South Korea
- At the turn of the twentieth century, the Christian presence was minimal.4
- Today, 17% of South Koreans are Christians.5
- Only five countries in the entire world send out more missionaries to the field.6
Iran
- 500 known followers of Jesus in 1979.7
- More than 100,000 today!8
China
- In the 1300s, the entire church was all but wiped out due to persecution.
- Starting in the 1950s, a radical movement began that has resulted in 85 million disciples of Christ today—as many as there are in the United States!9
IF WE VIEW OUR SPIRITUAL FAMILY ONLY FROM OUR OWN PERSPECTIVE, WE’RE MISSING OUT ON THE INCREDIBLE, ENCOURAGING GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF CHRIST’S CHURCH.
On average, the world population has been increasing by 1.5 percent since 1900. Christianity has been growing at an average rate of 3.5 percent, which is more than twice as fast as the human population!10
Discussion Questions
15 Minutes
- How did the statistics about the global status of the church challenge you?
- What's your response to the exciting stories of God's kingdom growing across the world?
Task Remaining and Challenges Ahead
Session 2 - Video 2
People Group –
A group of people who share a common language, culture, heritage, beliefs, and geography, as well as barriers to the gospel.
Nations –
When Jesus commands us to “make disciples of all nations,” the word he uses for ‘nation’ is the Greek word ‘ethne,’ like ethnic groups or people groups.
Looking at Nigeria as a map of people groups, it shows there are 543 people groups clustered all over the country.11
The question changes from, “Are there Christians in Nigeria?” to “Are there Christians in all 543 nations within Nigeria?”
Reached People Groups –
When the gospel is being reproduced by local churches and the Christians have the potential to transform their communities.
Unreached People Groups –
Lack enough followers of Christ, along with resources, to evangelise their own people.
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS HAVE LITTLE OR NO ACCESS TO THE GOSPEL, THE BIBLE, OR A CHURCH.
There are 17,000 people groups in the world today.
7,000 of those groups are still unreached.
Unreached people groups represent 3 billion people.12
India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal alone contain 3,658 unreached people groups.13
India, by itself, has one-third of the world’s unreached people groups!
- Area between the 10th and 40th latitude — spanning North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
- 95 percent of the world’s unreached peoples live.
- The majority of the world’s Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists live there.
- Two out of every three people live in the 10/40 window.
- Five out of six unreached people groups are in this region.14
- 60,000 of those who die daily in the 10/40 window have never heard the gospel.15
Jesus declared that
“I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Matthew 16:18
This fundamental piece of our mission is possible because God has declared it to be so. Not only is it possible, it’s gaining momentum that can’t be stopped.
A big part of why these groups have not been reached is that they are hard to reach due to geographic, language, and cultural barriers.
10% OF WORKERS AND LESS THAN 1% OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES ARE GOING TO WHERE 95% OF UNREACHED PEOPLE LIVE.16
Hope for the Future
- Coca-Cola is one of the most recognisable brands in the entire world. We have a message that is more life-changing than any drink.17
- In 1970, 45 percent of people had never heard the good news, and currently that number is 30 percent!18
The question isn’t whether God’s kingdom has momentum, the question is: “Are we going to say yes and join the momentum of God’s kingdom?”
Discussion Questions
15 Minutes
- How does the idea of people groups impact the way you think about the Great Commission Jesus gave us?
- What stood out to you about the remaining task, especially that 30 percent of the world has virtually no exposure to the gospel, the Bible, or a church?
- How could the church (including you personally) respond in a way that honours the Lord and the people in these parts of the world?
Importance of Prayer
Session 2 - Video 3
Example: Indonesia
Indonesia is a group of islands in Southeast Asia with the world’s largest Muslim population.
A massive prayer movement in Indonesia has connected more than 5 million believers, from five hundred cities, in praying for the salvation of their people and the world.
Not a single hour of one day has gone by since the year 2000, without prayers being lifted up for Indonesia and the world.19
Indonesia had a hundred prayer towers as of 2018.20
This consistent prayer has yielded amazing results!
The growth of the church in Indonesia has followed the intensity of the prayers of God’s people and has greatly influenced the increase of Christians from Muslim backgrounds on a global scale.
IF YOU ARE A DISCIPLE OF JESUS, PRAYER IS ONE OF THE MOST STRATEGIC THINGS YOU CAN
POSSIBLY DO.
Prayers Matter!
Host-Directed Prayer
8 Minutes
Visit https://www.momentumyes.uk/people-groups to see a list of unreached people groups. Read about one of these groups.
Learning about them and praying for God to open doors will make a difference so that Jesus can be known in that part of the world.
Take a few minutes now to pray.
Discussion Questions
15 Minutes
- What was it like to learn about and pray for an unreached people group?
- What are some practical ways you can begin to make prayer for the nations a reality in your life?
- How can you encourage others to do the same?
Footnotes:
- Joshua Project, “Status of World Evangelization 2017” https://joshuaproject.net/assets/media/handouts/status-of-world-evangelization.pdf.
- Dan Scribner (director of Joshua Project), email message with author, February 14, 2018.
- Jason Mandryk, Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation, 7th ed (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 686.
- Joshua Project, “Let The Nations Be Glad,” 29, accessed February 11, 2018, https://legacy.joshuaproject.net/great-commission-powerpoints.php.
- Joshua Project, “Korea,” accessed February 11, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12795/KS.
- Center for the Study of Global Christianity, “Christianity in its Global Context, 1970-2020: Society, Religion, and Mission” (MA: Center for the Study of Global Christianity, 2013), 76, https://archive.gordonconwell.edu/ockenga/research/documents/ChristianityinitsGlobalContext.pdf.
- Joshua Project, “Global Mission Trends,” 13, accessed February 4, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/assets/js/ppt/GlobalMissionTrends/index.html.
- David Garrison, A Wind in the House of Islam: How God is Drawing Muslims Around the World to Faith in Jesus Christ, (Monument, CO: WIGTake Resources, 2014), 138.
- “Christian Population Statistics Table for China,” Asia Harvest, accessed February 4, 2018, https://asiaharvest.org/wp-content/china-resources/tables/china.html.
- Patrick Johnstone, The Future of the Global Church: History, Trends, and Possibilities (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 139.
- Joshua Project, “Nigeria,” accessed February 7, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/countries/NI.
- Joshua Project, “Global Summary,” accessed February 4, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/.
- Joshua Project, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” 12, accessed February 5, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/assets/js/ppt/LetTheNationsBeGlad-a/index.html.
- Joshua Project, “Global Statistics,” accessed February 5, 2018, https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/statistics.
- Curtis Sergeant, “13 Pace,” (Metacamp, November 23, 2015) accessed February 4, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-fnImBNckU.
- Joshua Project, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” 32-33.
- Joshua Project, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” 34-35.
- Todd M. Johnson and Gina A. Zurlo, eds. “Status of Global Christianity, 2018, in the Context of 1900-2050” (The Center for the Study of Global Christianity, 2018).
- George Thomas, “24/7 Christian Prayer Movement Sweeps Muslim Indonesia,” CharismaNews, August 2, 2013, https://www.charismanews.com/world/40484-24-7-christian-prayer-movement-sweeps-muslim-indonesia.
- Charles Jonan, email message with author, May 16, 2018.
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