The Unfinished Task Status of World Evangelization

The Big Picture? What is this? The answer is at the end of this presentation. Sometimes we are so close to something we don’t see “the forest for the trees.” What is this?

Table of Contents 1.The Big Picture - Jesus’ last words. 2.Status of the Great Commission. 3.The Gospel to the ends of the earth. 4.Dramatic recent progress. 5.Challenges of the unfinished task.

1. Jesus’ Last Words The Results: God’s glory and Kingdom filling the earth – worship from “every nation, tribe, people, and tongue” Rev 7:9, Hab 2:14 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” Matt 28:19 - A church for every people group The Command: Nations = ethne = ethnic people groups

1. Jesus’ Last Words Why is making disciples of all the nations so important? Jesus directly links His return to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matt 24:14 There will be worshipers from every people group before His throne. “and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” Rev 5:9

A Church for Every People: What is the Status? 2. Status of the Great Commission

How Many People Groups Are There? Total Peoples by Country (People Group counted for each country it is in. This is the list most often referred to as the peoples of the world.) 16, Status of the Great Commission

How Many People Groups Are Considered Unreached / Least-Reached? (Using criteria of less than 2% Evangelical and less than 5% Adherent) Best current estimate of unreached / least-reached ethnic people groups: 6, Status of the Great Commission

Countries with the Most Peoples Countries with the Most Unreached Peoples Country # Unreached Peoples India2192 Pakistan448 China427 Bangladesh372 Nepal Status of the Great Commission

The Joshua Project Progress Scale provides an estimate of the progress of church planting among people groups. Joshua Project Progress Scale 2. Status of the Great Commission

Number of people groups at each progress level 2. Status of the Great Commission

Progress of the Gospel by people group. Political boundaries are ignored. 2. Status of the Great Commission

What strategy can the Church use to “make disciples of all the nations?” Is this a realistic goal to present the Gospel to every person on earth? 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth Since we do not know who is part of God’s family, the Church ought to strive to give every person the opportunity to respond to the Gospel. Mark 16:15 says “Go onto all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.”

Vision of Coca-Cola: “A can of coke in the hand of every person on the planet.” 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

World as Coke Drinkers Approximate Percentages What are some ways being used to reach every person? 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

Bible Translation The New Testament has been translated into the mother tongue of over 82% of the world’s population. However the remaining approximately 18% will require over 2,500 new translations. Year What happened after 1500 that caused such a dramatic rise? 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

Jesus Film Jesus Film Viewers There have been approximately billion cumulative viewings or hearings to the Jesus Film. It is available in languages known by over 90% of the world’s population. What is the most viewed film in history and what film has been translated into the most languages in history?

Christian Radio Broadcasting It is estimated that Christian radio broadcasts cover at least 91% of the world’s population. 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

A Church for every People Group Global Total 16,500 Unreached / Least Reached6,800 Status Summary The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth True Believers 10% Nominal Adherents 20% Heard, no response 40% Virtually no exposure 30% 3. The Gospel to the Ends of the Earth

4. Dramatic Recent Progress Is Christianity stagnant, declining or growing?

4. Dramatic Recent Progress Evangelical Christianity is growing 2x faster than Islam and 3x faster than Buddhism and Hinduism. Major Religions Annual Growth Rates

4. Dramatic Recent Progress * Explosion of the non-western Church * True Christianity has grown by more than 300 million believers in the past ten years. About 10 million of these new Christians are from North America and Europe The rest – 290 million – are from developing countries like Nigeria, Brazil, India and China. The Global South: The new faces of Evangelical Christianity

4. Dramatic Recent Progress 1975 – 3,000 churches 2005 – 55,000 churches 2010 – Expect to send out 100,000 contract workers into the 10/40 Window in the next 15 years as tentmaking missionaries … the most of any country! * Philippines *

4. Dramatic Recent Progress 1948 less than 1 million believers upwards of 125 million believers. Most all of the growth has been in the last 30 years. There are more followers of Jesus Christ in China than in North America. More people are born in China every year than live in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, El Paso and Denver combined. Over 12,000 new Chinese believers every day! Great need is for pastoral training. * China *

4. Dramatic Recent Progress * Developing World Missions Initiatives * Estimated missionaries sent by various countries over the next years. The fullness of the Gentiles brought in and the grafting back in of the natural branches beginning? (Romans 11) Chinese: 50,000 Missionaries 10/40 Window Koreans: 30,000 Missionaries Filipinos: 100,000 Contract labor tentmakers Nigerians: 15,000 missionaries Latin Americans: 10,000 missionaries

Why hasn’t the Great Commission been completed? 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task

* Spiritual Challenge * Satan does not give up ground without a battle. More Christians have been martyred in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task

* Population Challenge * 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task 5.5 billion lost people in the world … Viewing 5 per second it would take 35 years to see everyone. Related video from International Mission Board-SBC at:

Remaining people groups are the most difficult to penetrate. GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS: remote, harsh climate, difficult access, or nomadic. LINGUISTIC BARRIERS: illiteracy, no scripture in their language, unwritten language, terminology confusion. CULTURAL BARRIERS: persecution, closed to change, Christianity viewed as a “foreign” religion. * People Group Challenge * 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task

Countries with the highest % of unreached tend to be the most closed to Christianity * Political / National Challenge * 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task Open Doors ranks North Korea #1 in Christian persecution. Government severely represses all religious activity and there is systematic oppression, imprisonment and execution of Christians. Physical and spiritual starvation of 23 million people. North Korea

Imbalance in Missionary Distribution Over 87% of all cross-cultural foreign missionaries minister among nominal Christian peoples. For every million unreached Muslims there are less than 3 missionaries * Church Challenge * 5. Challenges of the Unfinished Task Imbalance in Missions Finances Question: For every $1 of Christian giving to all causes how much goes to financing pioneer church planting among unreached peoples? Answer: Half a penny

That There Might Be Worshippers “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” Rev 7:9

Big Picture

Quiz Answers 1.B 2.C 3.C 4.D 5.A 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.C 10.A 11.A 12.D

What is the source of this information? Joshua Project PO Box Colorado Springs, CO USA

The Unfinished Task Status of World Evangelization